It's been a long time since I've slept so peacefully.
The bed was a bit hard and cool, but the pillow was soft, warm, and exceptionally comfortable, with a special sense of envelopment.
It was as if I had returned to infancy, held in the arms of my gentle mother as she hummed a lullaby softly in my ear.
I could faintly hear a gentle heartbeat, the most reassuring rhythm imaginable, one that could pull a person away from all anxiety, tension, and fear, allowing them to sink completely into an infant-like slumber...
"Huuu..."
Consciousness gradually returned. Fumiya Jin felt he had slept for a long, long time, and very deeply.
As he woke, his physical senses slowly came back to him—the grainy texture of sand beneath him, a slightly warm breeze caressing his skin, the cry of seagulls in the distance...
He opened his eyes.
The sky was already completely bright.
His vision was a bit blurry, but he instantly recognized the T-shirt's design from its familiarity—it was his own shirt. Except, he had temporarily lent it to Nijika.
As for why his vision was blurry... It wasn't because his eyesight was failing, of course.
It was because he was too close for his eyes to focus.
Or rather...
It was because his head was pressed right against the girl's flat and soft abdomen. The tip of his nose could even feel the warmth and tenderness of her skin...
Fumiya Jin paused for a moment. He quickly remembered the lap pillow the girl had given him last night.
However, there was a slight difference between a lap pillow and burying one's face in her stomach.
Fumiya Jin didn't know how it had ended up like this, but he instinctively tried to pull back. Then he felt a pair of soft hands cupping the back of his head, cradling it.
Oh, so it wasn't just my face. She was holding my entire head in her arms.
Fumiya Jin was a bit dazed. He tilted his head slightly and looked up.
Nijika's head was slightly bowed, her expression a little dazed, and her eyelids seemed to be fighting to stay open.
However, the girl quickly sensed Fumiya Jin's movement through the contact with her legs. Looking down, she saw that Fumiya Jin's eyes were open, and she instantly became much more alert.
"Eh, you're awake?"
Fumiya Jin didn't answer her right away. Instead, he glanced at the sky.
The sky was well past the faint light of dawn and had entered the phase of bright sunshine. It was probably past nine o'clock.
It was worth noting that the countdown above his head was down to only 8237 seconds... while Nijika's number was just over twenty thousand seconds.
Fumiya Jin was silent for several seconds. Suddenly, his expression turned stern.
He looked at her seriously.
The girl flinched, thinking it was because he'd seen her struggling to stay awake. She quickly explained, "Um... I wasn't slacking off last night! It was just that dawn broke, and a few of the others were already awake, so I relaxed a little... Last night, I was on high alert the whole time, watching our surroundings, I... I..."
She raised one hand, holding up three slender fingers. "I swear!"
"Who's talking about that?" Fumiya Jin said, exasperated.
He had long since realized that Nijika was someone with a strong, even overly strong, sense of responsibility. He never for a moment thought she would be careless during her watch.
"Uh... then why are you upset..."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Fumiya Jin asked.
"Eh..."
Nijika stiffened slightly and scratched her cheek.
"Well, you were sleeping so soundly, it seemed like you really needed the rest. And I was feeling really energetic last night, not sleepy at all, so..."
Hearing this, Fumiya Jin said nothing. He just looked intently into her eyes.
After a few seconds... The girl averted her gaze. "It's true, I'm not lying..."
Fumiya Jin looked at her averted face and the faint dark circles under her eyes...
Completely unconvincing. Only her words remained stubborn.
To punish her for her dishonesty, Fumiya Jin thought for a moment...
He suddenly buried his head in her stomach and nuzzled it.
"Ah, ah... Eek, that tickles, that tickles... What are you doing!?" the girl cried out, her face flushing red.
["Unity of Action and Conviction" trait triggered.]
[+1]
Eh? An unexpected bonus?
[+1]
[+1]
He nuzzled a few more times.
The points didn't increase any further.
Only then did Fumiya Jin pull his head back, push himself up, and leave her gentle haven.
Sitting up straight, he looked at the numbers above his and the girl's heads.
After a few seconds of silence, he said in a low voice, "We're not going to die."
"Eh?" Nijika was a bit taken aback. "What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I'm saying, we will definitely clear this instance together, return to the real world, and then we'll both get a peaceful night's sleep," Fumiya Jin said.
Nijika froze for a second, her cheeks blushing as she lightly poked her index fingers together. "Clearing the instance together is fine, but as for the sleeping part, we don't necessarily have to do that together..."
...
Although Nijika had stayed up all night, Fumiya Jin didn't let her close her eyes and rest immediately.
Anyone who has pulled an all-nighter knows that your mind isn't particularly tired the morning after. But if you hit the bed and close your eyes, getting up again becomes incredibly difficult.
So, they needed to take care of necessary tasks first and plan out the day before he let her get some proper rest.
Fumiya Jin stood up and scanned the area.
The others were already awake, gathered together and discussing something.
Last night was a peaceful one; no one had gotten into trouble. This aligned with the countdown's prediction.
The entire beach was calm and peaceful. Aside from the lapping of the waves, the sound of the sea breeze, and the occasional cry of a seagull, there were no other alarming noises.
Of course, the distant forest was still fraught with danger.
But snakes generally disliked sandy terrain, so as long as they stayed on the beach, they didn't need to worry much about venomous snakes. Even if one or two snakes went crazy and decided to crawl over, it would be a simple matter of a single slash from his sword—hardly a threat.
So... as long as they stayed on the beach, everything would be fine?
Fumiya Jin raised his head and glanced at the sky.
Just like yesterday, the azure sky was clear, with almost no large clouds in sight.
The sunlight was gradually growing hotter as time passed. He was already starting to sweat.
After a night's respite, the temperature on the coast was beginning to rise again.
At this rate, by noon... this completely exposed beach would probably feel like an oven.
Although his stomach was already rumbling with hunger, under the scorching sun, replenishing water was clearly the more pressing issue.
Fumiya Jin pondered for a moment before walking towards the group of people nearby.
The curly-haired man and the others seemed to be discussing foraging in the tidal zone.
Seeing Fumiya Jin approach, everyone looked at him.
The black man with dreadlocks greeted him respectfully, "Morning, Doctor."
The fleshy-faced woman glanced at him, her expression fickle and not nearly as enthusiastic as the previous night.
The curly-haired man was more familiar, walking over and patting Fumiya Jin on the shoulder. He teased in a low voice, "Little bro, you slept well last night, huh?"
"It was alright," Fumiya Jin replied calmly.
"What do you mean, 'alright'? It must've been amazing!" The chubby guy's face was full of envy. "That beauty gave you a lap pillow all night. I think I even saw her carefully massaging you and humming softly in your ear... What kind of divine treatment is that? I'd gladly give up twenty years of my life for that kind of experience just once."
Fumiya Jin paused for a moment.
Only then did he realize there was a reason he had been able to sleep so soundly and peacefully on the sand last night.
He was silent for a few seconds, having no intention of discussing with others how comfortable Nijika's lap pillow was. So, he steered the conversation back to the main topic: "We need to find fresh water and food."
"You think we needed you to tell us that?" The fleshy-faced woman sneered. "While you and that girl were being all lovey-dovey, we were already discussing it for a long time."
____
Hello! Walnut here! Or... Miku Dayo in this case heheh...
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