Chapter 47: The Girls Who Shine
"Ya!"
Instead of answering Yukino's question, Jun playfully lifted a Lamp Fruit from the tree and pressed it against Yukino's cheek.
It was cold and slippery. Yukino was startled when she turned.
"What are you doing?"
Yukino's cheeks were still red, and because of that, she lightly hit the young man in front of her, feeling a bit annoyed.
"I just picked it from the tree. It tastes good, you know."
Jun took Yukino's small hand and placed the white Lamp Fruit into her palm.
"I'm sorry I made you worry."
Jun looked into her eyes and held her hand, trying to calm her down.
"I wasn't worried..."
Yukino brought the fruit close to her mouth and took a small bite.
"Yummy."
Yukino liked the texture and sweetness of the Lamp Fruit.
"Hey, Katō-kun! I want one too!"
An annoyed voice came from behind. Yui pulled on Jun's sleeve, feeling a little sad as she watched the romantic moment between the two.
"There's plenty more."
Jun took two more fruits from the bag on his back and gave them to Yui.
"Wow... the fruit's big and round..."
Yui took a small bite.
"Wow, that's so good!"
The Lamp Fruit was so delicious that everyone loved it.
"This place seems safer than the beach area, but you all still need to stay alert tonight. If there's any danger, climb up the tree using that vine ladder, okay?"
Jun put on his backpack and grabbed his bow and arrows. He was ready to go back to the beach camp.
"Oh yeah, the view from the top of that tree was amazing."
Jun was still amazed by how beautiful the view was from that height.
A river wound like a silver ribbon, and there was strange yet beautiful vegetation stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Be careful on the way, too, okay?"
Yukino looked at Jun as he got ready to walk alone through the forest and back to the original camp. There were many things she wanted to say, but she couldn't.
"I'll be careful," said Jun, pulling Yukino to stand next to him. "Before I go, there's something I want to say..."
"What is it?"
Yukino looked shocked when Jun suddenly hugged her. Her pale cheeks immediately turned red like a pomegranate.
"Come with me for a moment."
With a look that told Yui to stay put, Jun took Yukino's hand and led her to a quieter place behind a large tree.
"Yukino..."
Jun put one hand on the tree trunk, putting Yukino in front of him.
"What is it?"
Yukino gently pushed Jun's chest, but his body didn't move at all.
Jun's warm breath still touched her face.
"I... don't think I've ever kissed you first before, huh..."
Jun looked at the girl in front of him. Yukino's shy expression and her big, shaking eyes made Jun unable to hold back.
He moved his face closer to hers.
"I-I..."
Yukino wanted to resist. I wanted to say that all their kisses up to now had been "forced," not because—
But Jun kissed her on the cheek before she could speak.
Yukino quickly closed her eyes and her face turned even redder.
"Uu..."
Jun continued kissing her eyelids—her clear, sparkling, and beautiful eyes, like stars in the night sky.
"I really love your eyes, Yukino..."
Jun moved his face back a little, but not completely, so their breaths mixed.
"My... eyes?"
Yukino opened her eyes slowly and looked down, as if trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. She could still feel the sensation of that kiss on her eyelashes.
Was it just my eyes? she wondered.
Even though her chest felt warm, she felt a slight sense of dissatisfaction.
But she looked shy.
She didn't even dare look into Jun's eyes.
"Yes... and also your nose, your lips... everything."
Jun lifted his hands and placed them on the tree, making Yukino feel like they were the only two people in a small space.
He liked the look on her face.
"Katō Jun-kun... are you saying you like me?"
Yukino tried to stay calm. She also tried not to shake when she spoke.
She looked Jun straight in the eye.
"Yes. And... what was Yukino's answer?"
Jun smiled. This was especially true since Yukino's hands were now gently wrapped around his waist.
A cool sensation followed on Jun's lips. This time, Yukino was the one who started it.
They kissed for a long time until they finally pulled apart.
"That's my answer. And... you really do love me, right?"
Yukino looked forward with hope. But there was also a bit of fear.
She wanted to be reassured. This was real love, not just a passing fancy.
"Baka... of course I love you."
Two more.
Jun pinched Yukino's cheek, which made her wince.
"To me, you've always been the most special."
Jun kissed Yukino again, ignoring her complaint about her pinched cheek.
This time it was deeper and longer.
Yukino finally felt relaxed, as if all her worries and questions disappeared with that kiss.
They kept looking deeply into each other's eyes under the big tree until they finally embraced each other again.
"Yukinon..."
Yui, who was hiding behind another tree, finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
She looked through a gap and saw Jun and Yukino lost in their own thoughts.
Yui felt many emotions, including joy, jealousy, and a little bit of disappointment.
It seems like everyone likes Katō-kun.
Except for me.
Yui felt a little out of place with the group.
[Yukinoshita Yukino – Affinity: 100]
[Yuigahama Yui – Affinity: Unknown]
— — —
As evening approached, Jun finally returned to the campsite on the beach.
His journey went smoothly.
He even went a little way past the old home of the wild people.
But the place was empty.
The wild people they had met before seemed to have left the forest.
Jun decided to wait to destroy them. He started running again to get back to the beach.
"Welcome back, Onii-chan."
Kato Megumi greeted him.
Since Yukino wasn't there, Megumi was in charge of cooking dinner.
Although Yukino is a better cook, Megumi's cooking was still delicious and enjoyable.
Most of the important supplies had already been moved to the new place. There was only dried meat and a few household items left.
"Senpai! How's the new place?"
As soon as Jun returned, Ginko immediately stopped her argument with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Wow, this place is amazing. You'll definitely like it when you go there later," said Jun as he opened his backpack.
He pulled out some fresh-looking white fruits.
"What's that?" Utaha asked as she approached, her eyes full of curiosity.
She had just won a short argument with Ginko, but now her throat felt dry.
"This is the fruit from the lamp tree I told you about yesterday..."
Jun washed the fruits, then neatly arranged them on a large palm leaf.
"Is it edible?"
"Of course. Please try it."
Jun took the biggest fruit and gave it to Utaha.
"In that case..."
Though she had never seen such a fruit before, Utaha didn't hesitate at all. She took a bite right away.
"Mm..."
Sweet juice poured out of the fruit. Its refreshing flesh made Utaha's eyes shine.
"How is it?" asked Megumi, who had just arrived carrying dinner—grilled snake meat and seafood soup.
She looked at the fruits in Jun and Utaha's hands.
My brother really climbed that tall tree.
"It's really good," Utaha said, nodding her head in agreement.
It's much better than coconut. Maybe they were just tired of coconuts.
"Really good..." Ginko also took a bite and nodded slightly. "This seems like a good fruit to preserve."
Megumi arranged dinner and the fruits on a flat stone table.
But not long after, she pointed at Jun and said, "But… Onii-chan hasn't told you about the side effect of this fruit, right?"
"Side effect?"
Utaha and Ginko stopped biting each other right away.
"Oh, that... I forgot..." Jun just remembered. The fruit was so delicious that he didn't think about its effect on him.
"S-Senpai, you're glowing!" Ginko whispered as she pointed.
Under Jun's clothes, his hands, cheeks, neck, and collarbones emitted a soft white light.
Sure enough, the sun had set, and in the darkness of the beach, Jun's body appeared... luminous.
"That... yeah. That's the side effect of this fruit..." Jun raised his hand in surrender, noticing the glow on his own skin.
Even the fruits still arranged on the leaf were faintly glowing.
"Gin-chan... your face too..." Utaha pointed at Ginko's bright red cheeks.
"Uuuu..."
Ginko immediately covered her cheeks with her hands, but then realized—Utaha's face was glowing too.
"Your face hasn't changed at all!"
"Eh..."
Utaha lowered her head slightly and put down the fruit she was holding.
"It's okay. It only glows for a little while." Megumi stayed calm and ate another piece of fruit.
"Besides, Gin-chan and Utaha-senpai look even prettier with that glow. Right, Onii-chan?"
Megumi's face also started to glow, looking soft like moonlight.
"Yes..."
Jun was impressed. The soft white glow made their faces look clean, almost like they were covered in holy light.
"So beautiful..."
"Really..."
When they heard that, Utaha and Ginko quickly took their hands off their faces.
Their cheeks were glowing, and even their eyes looked radiant—like living stars.
Or maybe like… glowing jelly?
Jun didn't know why that word came to mind.
But clearly, that was the first thought that came to his mind when he saw the girls' eyes tonight.
It looked like glowing jelly pudding.
Kato Jun smiled at Kasumigaoka's and Ginko's glowing faces, which looked like luminous desserts.
Today, Big Brother looks happier than yesterday.
Meanwhile, Megumi secretly looked at her brother. She could tell that Jun was feeling very good today.
"Maybe it's because of something that happened with Yukinoshita-san," thought Megumi, acting like she was busy.
She remembered the last time her brother looked this happy. It was when a strange red mark appeared on his neck.
It looks like Utaha-senpai and Gin-chan are still far behind Yukinoshita-san.
Megumi let out a soft sigh as she watched the three of them laugh.
— — —
On the other side of the camp, near the bonfire under a big tree...
"Yukinon, your body seems to be glowing," said Yui, surprised.
After dinner, Yui and Yukino were relaxing and chatting. But Yukino... it was clear that she wasn't thinking.
Ever since her relationship with Kato Jun became public, Yukino has blushed several times without reason.
Even now, Yui had to call her multiple times.
"Yukinon!"
"What is it?" Yukino finally answered, suddenly realizing what was happening.
"Your body is glowing..."
Yui pointed at Yukino's hand. When she looked at her own, she was shocked too.
"Me too..."
They both looked at each other's hands, which now emitted a soft white light.
"Oh, this must be the result of that fruit I ate earlier..." Yukino finally remembered Megumi's explanation.
But it seems temporary.
"Like... real lamps," Yui said quietly as she looked up at the sky.
"Yukinon! Look!"
The fruits on the trees above them shone brightly. The white fruits looked like hanging lamps at the tips of twenty-meter-high branches.
It was as if the light was hanging in the dark night sky.
And not just one tree—all the trees around them were the same.
"So beautiful..."
Hundreds—or even thousands—of glowing fruits created a view like a sea of stars in the low sky.
They had never seen anything this magical, not even in their dreams.
"Yukinon... now I believe..."
"What should I believe?" Yukino asked, her eyes still looking at the bright sky.
Her heart felt warm, as if the light was protecting her.
"This place... this island... the world we're standing in now... this isn't an ordinary world."
Yui said it with a confident tone.
"You might be right."
Yukino replied gently. She didn't notice that Yui's tone had changed.
But she felt sad inside.
Father, Mother, Nee-san... is it possible that we'll never meet again?
— — —
Meanwhile, deep in the forest...
"Ura!"
The rough voice of the wild chief echoed. Even though one of his arms could barely move, he forced himself to lead the search.
"Ura..." his followers' voices were weak.
He really wanted to go back to camp to get the crocodile meat he had hidden with the other chieftain.
"Wait, Ura! Over here!"
One of his followers pointed to an area under a big tree. There were faint digging marks.
"Bones... and the bark of this tree..."
The chieftain sniffed slowly. This smell... definitely.
"That's it! That savage girl must have been here!"
The trail had been found. Their spirits were reignited.
They started to search faster, going deeper into the dark forest.
— — —
| Notes: Yukinoshita's sister may reunite in the future.
— — —
Thank you to Hunter Waldo, Vantas, Nawaf Rashed Damian Vallejo and Mason docksey for supporting my Patreon.
— — —
If you want to see more chapters or get faster access, you can visit my Patreon page.
[email protected]/FaaanzKun.
Patreon has 70+ more chapters than WebNovel.
> Already caught up to the latest chapter on WebNovel?
Choose your tier and continue the journey on Patreon here:
Tier 1: Ch. 20–50 = $2.50
Tier 2: Ch. 20–80 = $3.50
Tier 3: Ch. 20–Latest = $5 (with daily updates!)
— — —
Chapter Updates: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Chapter Holiday: Sunday
— — —