Prologue If You Could Bring Just One Thing to an Uninhabited Island?

"If you could bring just one thing to an uninhabited island?"

That's what was written on the blackboard.

—Ah, this has to be a dream.

Surely, everyone has had that kind of dream from time to time—the one where you realize midway through that it's all just a dream. And today's dream was exactly like that.

In a vast expanse of pure white, rows of desks and chairs were neatly aligned, and every single member of our Class A was present without a single one missing.

There was no floor, no ceiling, no windows, no doors, no walls—but for some inexplicable reason, there was a blackboard. And on that blackboard, the aforementioned words were clearly inscribed.

"What the heck is this?" "Is this a classroom?" "Dude, it's way too white in here." "…A dream, maybe?"

The reactions from my classmates varied widely, but everything felt uncannily real.

Each phrase sounded just like something that person would say; each gesture looked just like something that person would do.

It's not uncommon in dreams for familiar faces to appear but with completely altered personalities or relationships that bear no resemblance to reality. Yet this dream seemed to prioritize realism above all else.

"Sou-kun, what would you pick?"

The one who approached my desk and asked that question was my childhood friend, Chiyu Iyama.

Her white hair fell to her shoulders, framing eyes like gleaming blue gems.

She was on the petite side, but her chest asserted an overwhelming presence that demanded attention.

Her expression rarely shifted much, but inwardly, she had a surprisingly playful side when it came to jokes.

We had known each other since kindergarten, and even now, as high school students, our bond remained as strong as ever.

My name is Sosuke Kudo. Because my given name is Sōsuke, she calls me Sou-kun.

"…Even in a dream, those boobs are huge."

Since it was just a dream anyway, I ended up blurting out something I would normally hold back on out of basic decency.

In response, just like the real her, a gaze that was unmistakably icy shot my way, despite her utterly expressionless face.

"Pervert."

"S-Sorry."

An apology slipped out of me before I could stop it.

This dream was so hyper-realistic that it was throwing me off how to react… I should probably just act like I normally would.

"Uh, right. So, about that thing on the blackboard?"

"Yeah. What would you bring?"

Well, it was a pretty common topic, at least. Over the course of more than a decade of living, you're bound to encounter this sort of hypothetical question a few times.

Similar ones might include things like "What would you do if you won the lottery jackpot?" or "If you could be reincarnated, what would you come back as?" or "If you could date any celebrity, who would it be?"—stuff along those lines.

For good measure, I glanced over at the rest of the class.

"A smartphone, obviously."

"Totally get that~"

"Bug spray, maybe?"

"Oh, then I'd bring sunscreen~"

"Haha, in that case, you'd need a swimsuit too, right?"

"An airplane. Hop on that and fly straight back to Japan."

"Like you could even pilot it, dude."

"Cola."

"I'm bringing potato chips—let's share 'em."

"A fishing rod. Securing food is priority one."

And so, my classmates chimed in with their various ideas, one after another. It was just idle chitchat, nothing worth jumping into, but still—when you can only pick one thing, was that really the best choice?

That said, there were a few people who seemed to be giving it some serious thought…

"A lighter." I've heard that starting a fire is way harder for amateurs than they imagine. Having a lighter in a survival situation would be a huge help. You could even use the time before the fuel runs out to learn how to make fire the old-fashioned way.

"A gun." That'd be useful if you were planning for potential fights with other people.

But there were caveats: the user's skill level, the type of gun, the type and quantity of ammo, and so on. For instance, if it was a revolver with just six bullets and no refills, it might not be the most practical choice for your one and only item.

Of course, you could use the mere possession of it as a deterrent, like a weapon in and of itself. But if you ran into wild animals, you'd probably burn through the ammo in no time. Wait, in that case, would you switch to some other weapon?

"A knife. On an uninhabited island, it's the ultimate multitool."

That was a classic choice. Some were suggesting survival knives or machetes, which would all be incredibly handy.

I've heard stories of people making blades from stones, but that's probably not something an amateur could pull off easily either.

"A pot." "Utensils." "A fork. Good for eating and stabbing!"

I got the sentiment behind those, but personally, they weren't high on my priority list. More than civilized comforts, my focus was on sheer survival first.

Having listened to all sorts of opinions, I finally turned back to answer my childhood friend's question.

"What I'd bring is—"

"…What you'd bring is?"

"—the Crafting Ability."

"…Is that even allowed?"

My childhood friend fixed me with a deadpan stare.

"The question didn't specify it had to be something from the real world, so yeah, it's fair game."

I mean, I knew it was an answer that totally missed the vibe of the room.

If this had come up in a group convo with friends, I probably would've gone with something safe like "a knife."

But with a close childhood friend like her, I figured it was okay to just shoot from the hip.

"If that's how we're playing it, then for me—it'd be Healing Magic."

"Ah, that's a solid pick. Without any meds, you could legit die from something as basic as a cold. Being able to cure injuries or illnesses with some mysterious power? That's OP as hell."

"I'll save Sou-kun's life."

Chiyu clenched her fist tight and thrust her smooth, soft arm triumphantly toward the sky.

"I'm happy to hear that, but… in your imagination, it sounds like I'm already on death's door or something…"

Healing magic as a precaution was fantastic, but what I really wanted was to live a healthy life where I never had to rely on it in the first place.

"What's this? Wait, that kind of thing's allowed too?"

The one who butted into our conversation was the gal with the blonde side ponytail.

Shoko Kanna.

She wasn't just a gal who was kind to otaku types… she was a communication powerhouse who treated everyone equally, without a hint of discrimination. The boldly unbuttoned top of her uniform, the generous glimpse of her ample breasts and soft skin peeking from the open collar—it was impossible not to be drawn in, but I steeled my nerves and forced my gaze away.

"Haha, checking me out again today, huh~?"

Well, it was obvious to her anyway… That said, just because she'd clocked it didn't mean I could stare openly; doing that would tank my reputation with the whole class, so a bit of tactful restraint was still necessary.

"Anyway, putting that aside—"

"Don't just put it aside like that~"

At my clumsy deflection, she burst into her usual bright, tinkling laugh.

"Then, allow me to offer a formal apology."

"Now you're overdoing it! —Hey, enough with the boobs already!"

It was probably pointless to retort that she was the one who'd pointed them out in the first place.

"So, it sounds like bringing some kind of supernatural power is on the table?"

"Yep, exactly! If that's cool, then I've got one I want too."

"Oh yeah? What ability?"

"So, the other day, I read that manga you mentioned, Kudo—and there's this white, fluffy thing in it that I wanna take with me."

Oh, right—during lunch break, I'd been reading manga on my phone when Kanna had leaned over with a "Whatcha reading?" and I'd told her the title. I hadn't exactly recommended it, but apparently she'd checked it out anyway.

"Hm? Oh, that Fenrir, right? Shows up a lot in isekai stuff. Cool design, sure, but—"

"That's the one! Fenrir. I wanna pet that fluff."

"But wouldn't a living creature not count as 'one' thing?"

It was a nitpicky point, but that was the fun of these hypotheticals—poking at the loopholes in the phrasing. Ignoring the exact wording just made it feel kinda lame.

If the phrase specified "one," then I wanted to stick to things that could reasonably fit under that constraint.

"Then, the Fluffy Summoning Ability."

"Haha, clever."

Kanna didn't get offended by my pedantry at all; she fired back an instant counter.

It was way more practical than straight-up bringing a Fenrir along, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Maybe because Kanna had jumped on board, the optimistic folks who'd been eavesdropping started piling into the ability idea with glee.

"An ability to keep my hair from getting frizzy in saltwater."

"An ability to eat whatever and not gain weight~"

"On an uninhabited island, wouldn't creating food out of thin air be better?"

"…An ability to not die."

"An ability to put up a barrier that keeps out bugs, beasts, and other people."

"Whoa, you two are going dark at the end there~?"

…That said, this was turning into one heck of a long dream.

It wasn't gonna drag on until everyone decided what to bring, was it?

As I mulled that over, I happened to glance at the blackboard—and that's when I noticed something odd.

"Hey, Chiyu."

"What, you flirt?"

"Who're you calling that?"

For starters, Chiyu and I weren't that kind of couple.

Getting hit with that jealous vibe made it tempting to misread the situation, but the idea of a cute childhood friend actually being into a dull guy like me? That was pure wish-fulfillment fantasy for manga readers. Besides, this was a dream anyway.

"So, what's up?"

"Nah, it's just… something weird on the blackboard…"

It was the kanji for "正"—the "right" or "correct" radical. There were seven full ones, plus one with just the first three strokes.

It was like someone was counting, stroke by stroke. Thirty-eight? What the heck did that number mean?

"Hurry up and pick something already, dude."

"…What a lame dream."

"Huh? That's my line!"

"Tch… Fine, then. Teleportation ability. That work?"

I could overhear a few guys sounding a bit annoyed as they bantered.

"…Oh, it increased."

Right after that, Chiyu muttered in a tone like she'd let it slip out unintentionally. A bad feeling welled up in me, and I whipped my gaze back to the blackboard.

The half-finished "正" now had its fourth stroke added.

"No way… Is it counting 'the number of people who've answered'?"

There were forty people in our class. In this dream, everyone had been summoned.

"Yeah, maybe. Is there one person left who hasn't answered yet?"

Or rather—wasn't this dream way too realistic?

It wasn't just me; more and more people were starting to question the situation or straight-up theorize it was a dream.

It felt less like my dream and more like the whole class sharing one collective dream… Nah, that couldn't be right.

—That's when it hit, all of a sudden.

The eighth "正" was completed.

"We have confirmed responses from all participants. Initiating transfer."

I wonder how many people actually noticed the new text on the blackboard.

For whatever reason, I don't know. But in that split second, I reached out toward Chiyu.

"Chiyu!"

I grabbed her hand with all my strength.

In the next instant, the entire classroom was swallowed in blinding white, and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

How much time passed? When I could finally pry my eyes open again.

"…This is still part of the dream, right?"

Stretching out before me was a vast blue ocean. And I—I was standing on a sandy beach.

I stood there in stunned silence, but I quickly checked the sensation in my right hand.

"…An uninhabited island?"

That hand was still connected to my childhood friend, with Chiyu standing right beside me.

I craned my neck around, but behind us stretched only dense forest—no sign of the other classmates.

The scorching sun beating down, the salty breeze tousling my hair, the gentle lapping of waves pleasant in my ears, the gritty feel of sand underfoot—it was all impossibly real. Chiyu's hand felt soft and warm in mine.

It sounded ridiculous, but in a move straight out of a manga I'd seen ten thousand times, I decided to test it the classic way.

Pinch my cheek.

"Ahh, damn… that hurts."

It looked like we'd really and truly been transferred to an uninhabited island.