Three days of carefree seaside life passed just like that.
During those days, nothing earth-shattering happened—no dramatic battles, no shocking incidents. Everything was made up of ordinary, trivial moments. And yet, those very moments were quietly stored away in everyone's hearts, becoming warm memories they would remember for a long time.
Now, it was the morning of the fourth day.
The seven people staying in the villa were gathered around the dining table, eating breakfast together.
The main dish was rice, with lemon-grilled saury and miso soup as sides. Of course, bread and milk were also available. All in all, it was a very ordinary breakfast.
"Sure enough, no matter how fun something is, you'll eventually get bored of it."
Mina spoke weakly as she poked at the saury with her chopsticks. It was hard to imagine that just yesterday she had been splashing around in the sea with endless energy.
"That actually makes sense," Chacha said while stuffing a mouthful of rice into her mouth before sipping some soup to wash it down.
"I feel like we've already played everything there is to play."
Chacha had mild anemia, so she always ate more during breakfast.
"In that case," Yaoyorozu Momo said thoughtfully, "why don't we go out to sea instead?"
She also felt that staying on the same beach every day would eventually become dull.
"There's an undeveloped island not far from here," Yaoyorozu continued.
"Technically, it's an uninhabited island, though people have visited it before. Would you like to go there and experience it?"
Hearing this, Masata paused mid-bite. The small wound on his tongue from the other night had already healed.
"So… basically a wilderness expedition?"
"That sounds amazing! A deserted island adventure is the best!"
Kurosawa Yoru immediately raised both hands in agreement, clearly excited—though no one could actually see her expression.
"I think it sounds pretty cool too," Jiro said with interest.
Asui nodded as well, her eyes showing quiet anticipation.
"Then let's head out right after breakfast," Yaoyorozu decided decisively.
"I'll ask the housekeeper to arrange a yacht, and we'll sail it ourselves."
At this point, Yaoyorozu had completely taken on the role of the group's big sister and backbone.
"Long live Yaoyorozu!"
Excited shouts rang out. Everyone hurriedly finished their food, barely tasting it, and rushed outside to get on the bus headed for the pier.
When they arrived, a small cruise yacht was already docked at the shoreline. It was another private vessel owned by the Yaoyorozu family—one that normally went unused, but today would finally see some action.
Masata stepped forward first and spoke with the yacht's driver. After learning that this group was the owner's guests, the driver became extremely polite and enthusiastically taught Masata how to start the yacht, read directions, and handle basic navigation.
Meanwhile, the others were already wandering around the deck, their voices echoing with excitement.
After about half an hour of learning while playing around, Masata patted his chest confidently, indicating he had it all under control. Although the driver looked slightly doubtful, he still handed over the keys and disembarked.
"Alright, let's go!"
Masata's voice came through the radio as the anchor was lifted. The yacht slowly adjusted its direction and began sailing out to sea.
The girls stood on the second deck, gazing out at the ocean.
Under the gentle sea breeze, the sapphire-blue water stretched endlessly into the distance. As the yacht's horn sounded, white waves rippled behind the stern, creating a soothing rhythm.
Masata entered the island's coordinates—provided by Yaoyorozu—into the navigation system, adjusted the heading, and accelerated forward.
With modern technology, navigation had become incredibly easy. Thinking about how sailors centuries ago had relied only on stars and experience made it seem almost terrifying by comparison.
Thanks to the yacht's speed, it didn't take long before a small island appeared on the horizon.
The girls' eyes widened.
The island looked like a dense, untouched jungle, completely covered in greenery. The narrow beach at its edge appeared quiet and deserted.
"Adventure!!!"
Chacha and Kurosawa Yoru hugged each other and cheered loudly. Although Chacha was shy around Masata, she was usually just as energetic as Mina.
"Don't get your hopes too high," Yaoyorozu said, pouring a bit of cold water on their excitement.
"This island may look untouched, but people have visited it before. There are no valuable resources here, which is why it was abandoned. Still, the natural environment has been well preserved."
"So there are no hidden treasures in tree hollows," Masata's voice came through the yacht's speaker,
"and no primitive tribes hiding in the jungle."
Even so, their enthusiasm remained completely unaffected. After all, for kids who had grown up in cities, the idea of a deserted island was exciting enough on its own.
"Preparing to land~!"
Masata carefully parked the yacht near the shoreline, then lowered the inflatable raft along with several bags of supplies. There was no dock here—going any closer could easily get them stranded.
Using a slightly wobbly kayak, all seven of them made their way to the beach.
The salty smell here was far stronger than the one near the villa. Being July, the sea life was abundant—before they had even taken a few steps, several crabs scuttled across the sand.
"So cute!"
Yaoyorozu immediately crouched down, captivated by the tiny creatures.
Masata couldn't help but think that "small animal protection societies" should really be called cute animal protection societies.
After all, hamsters and rats were both rodents. Hamsters got warm cages, snacks, and affection simply because they were cute, while rats were condemned to live in dark sewers because they weren't.
The crabs clearly didn't appreciate the attention. They raised their claws threateningly at Yaoyorozu—but this only made them even cuter in the eyes of the girls, who quickly surrounded them.
"I think we could catch a few," Masata said calmly, his tone filled with predatory intent.
"They'd be great for boosting the flavor of our soup."
The warm atmosphere froze instantly.
Everyone suddenly remembered—
They were on a deserted island.
With no restaurants.
And lunch would soon be an issue.
"Don't panic," Masata added, pointing behind him.
"I brought all the supplies from the yacht. We'll just have to cook ourselves."
Only then did the girls notice the large bags of food and drinking water piled nearby. Had no one seen them while rowing earlier?
"Hurrah!!!"
Cheers erupted across the beach.