Isekai Nonbiri Nouka Chapter 1052: Yame’s Life on the Uninhabited Island II

I’m Yame.

For some reason, I’m stuck on this strange island, but if I want to survive, I have to find food.

The small red berries don’t upset my stomach.

They’re precious food.

I memorized several places where they grew, but somehow the berries kept disappearing.

Thinking about it calmly, it makes sense. Ripe berries wouldn’t just stay there forever.

There are demon beasts and monsters on this island.

They’re weak enough that they stay away from me, but they don’t stay away from food.

They have to eat too.

But that bird…

I will never forgive it.

It stole every single berry I’d saved up.

Right in front of me.

Even someone as kind-hearted as me has limits.

If I catch one, I’ll roast it and eat it.

-0-

The nearby berry bushes were empty now, so I had to find another food source.

I found some mushrooms, but…

I had a really bad feeling about them.

After all, they’d been left untouched.

If even the demon beasts and monsters wouldn’t eat them, that told me everything I needed to know.

I’d save those as my absolute last resort.

-0-

I turned my attention to the sea.

There are fish in the ocean.

Fish are edible.

But I can’t swim, so I can’t catch them.

So frustrating.

Still, I could collect shellfish along the shore.

As long as I paid attention to the tides, it was easy.

I gathered as many shellfish as I could.

They looked delicious.

But I wasn’t going to rush into it.

I wasn’t about to make the rookie mistake of eating them raw and getting sick.

I’m a devil who can learn.

I’d cook them first.

So I did.

They tasted great.

Then they gave me food poisoning.

I… I cooked them thoroughly, too.

Maybe part of them was still raw.

Ah… I’m getting dizzy…

Shellfish were out.

It took dying three times to learn that lesson.

Then there were the fish.

I found one stranded by the receding tide, cooked it, and ate it.

Bad idea.

My whole body went numb, and I died.

Damn it.

It was such a cute little fish, puffing up whenever I poked it.

Who would’ve thought it was poisonous?

I’m never eating that fish again.

-0-

Grass became my staple food on the island.

I boil it before eating.

It tastes awful.

But it doesn’t upset my stomach.

And it doesn’t kill me.

That’s what matters.

Flowers are dangerous.

Roots are dangerous too.

I learned that by dying.

I boil everything in a hollowed-out stone.

If I’m not careful, the stone cracks from the heat, so I have to watch it constantly.

I’ve broken more of them than I can count.

-0-

With my basic food supply settled, I decided to build a base.

A base.

The main goal was to have somewhere to sleep, but even more important than that was storing food.

That’s what I’d been missing.

If I’d had storage, those birds couldn’t have stolen everything.

A base was essential.

As for where to build it…

I chose a sandy beach near the river because the view was nice.

If a ship ever passed by, I’d notice it immediately.

The river was nearby because I could collect fresh drinking water a little upstream.

As long as I had water, I could survive even without food.

Especially hot water.

Even if it had no flavor, just having something warm made a difference.

-0-

For starters, I built a roof to keep out the rain and walls to keep out the birds.

Using sturdy trees as supports and weaving together large leaves…

There.

Done!

I made it sound easy, but from gathering materials to finishing construction, it took about five days.

Still, it was surprisingly comfortable.

Having shade from the sun was wonderful.

Why hadn’t I built this sooner?

Lesson learned.

I was determined to take good care of this base.

The very next day, the wind blew it away.

-0-

I refused to give up.

I’d forgotten that strong winds hit islands.

This time, I used driftwood to build a heavier, sturdier shelter.

Well, sturdier than the last one, anyway.

This one wouldn’t lose to the wind.

It shouldn’t.

The next day, a violent storm crushed it.

-0-

I… I won’t give up.

It was only smashed, so the materials were still there.

I rebuilt it.

The next day, high waves swept it away.

-0-

……..

Putting the scenery first had been a mistake.

Next time, I’d build farther away from the sea.

Yeah.

I’m a devil who can learn.

And I’d stop building near the river, too.

I could already picture the next flood washing everything away.

-0-

While searching for a new place to build my base, I found a cave.

It wasn’t very deep.

Just big enough for two adults to lie down side by side.

If I made a door out of driftwood, it’d be a perfectly respectable shelter.

Right, I’d better secure the door with a large rock so the wind wouldn’t blow it away.

I’d like to build a fire inside, but that wouldn’t be a good idea in such a small cave.

The fire would have to stay outside.

Then I spread grass across the floor to make a bed.

Yeah.

This was really nice.

A little rain wasn’t going to bother me anymore.

I’d even dug drainage ditches so water wouldn’t flow into the cave.

All right!

From here on, I’d slowly make my life better and better!

I shouted to pump myself up.

-0-

The next day…

A storm hit.

A really violent one.

I secured the door with an even larger boulder so it wouldn’t blow away, but it still rattled from the wind.

And then there was the bird.

When did it get in here?

Through the gap under the door?

Had it come to shelter from the storm?

Sorry, but I haven’t forgotten.

You stole every single one of my precious little red berries.

Ha!

Too bad for you.

Your misfortune was finding me here.

………..

Damn it.

Don’t look at me with those big innocent eyes!

W-Well…

It’s storming outside.

I’ve got plenty of grass to eat, even if it isn’t exactly delicious.

There’s no need to settle things today.

As long as you behave yourself.

So stay quiet.

-0-

The next day, the storm had passed.

The bird was gone too.

It hadn’t touched any of the food I’d stored in the cave.

Next time, I won’t let you get away.

Muttering that to myself, I headed for the beach.

Storms sometimes washed useful things ashore.

At least, it was worth checking.

Though, of course…

It was never that convenient.

-0-

Yame: 「You can have the mushrooms if you want. 」

Bird: 「(…ignores her.) 」