The Island (3) - 46

"Why are we going in this direction?"

"Just shut up newbie! We don't need your opinion!"

'Alright, alright, chill, and what's this "we" here? Primrose doesn't look like she's having fun either.'

'Oh, I just realized, it's probably because "Akimitsu" didn't meet up with them. Ah, that reaction reminds me of someone.'

"Marabelle, do we have a set direction?" <Primrose>

"Yeah, we're going to one of the portals."

"Are we clearing one right now? A few hours after getting off the boat? And how'd you find it?"

"Third question first, I was teleported right next to it when we all got off the ship."

"And of course not, we'll just be testing our strength against the cannon fodder. After we make it to the entrance, then we'll camp there for a few days whilst periodically entering the portal. After we've fully mapped it out and gotten used to the environment inside, then we'll actually attack it."

'Oh, the plan was the exact one I was thinking of, but I bet she doesn't have 20 separate contingencies.'

'Yeah, I'm being petty, so what?'

"Do we have enough supplies?"

"Yeah, I brought enough supplies to last a month, how about you, I mean, I did warn you that there was going to be a test today."

"Well, about that... I kinda forgot about food and stuff and just practiced my attack spells..."

The only response to that was a clearly audible smack on the head.

"Owieeeeeee, why'd you do that."

"Cause you're a dimwit."

'Oh, that was cute, I'm actually starting to ship them... No! What am I thinking? Primvira all the way!!!!'

With the two sides of my brain (due to the monocle) fighting a lose-lose war, I continued to just stumble after the duo.

During the journey to the portal, Marabelle kept teasing Primrose and Primrose kept falling for her provocations, turning red with embarrassment every single time.

'They're so cuuuuuttttteeeee OwO.'

But, due to all this cuteness, I completely neglected my surroundings, and this was detrimental.

There was also Marabelle, with whatever super perception art or whatever, but she was too busy teasing Primrose, I mean, Primrose was super cute after all, being that naive about normal, not on the sea, society.

That was why, when the attack came, we were totally unprepared.

Well, not exactly, yes, I was a little surprised, but the other half of my brain had already heard the attackers coming up.

And before they could even do anything, as they moved their first muscles, I took out a pistol and shot all of them in the head, through the grass, pinpointing them through my echolocation.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Of course, as the bullets touched the first atoms on their forehead, a special artifact that the teachers were using teleported the students out.

"Woah! What was that for Akina?" <Primrose>

Hearing the shots, Marabelle, with her trained senses, had already unsheathed her sword and was resting the sharp edge of it at the base of my neck.

"Tell me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Uhh, I killed the guys about to ambush us, that you didn't notice."

As if to prove my point, we all saw our points go up by 150 a moment afterwards.

"See?"

Taking her sword off my neck, she sheathed it again, before giving me a menacing glare.

"Don't think about ever doing that again, or the next time you look at nature, it'll be from the forest floor."

"Alright, but it wasn't like you noticed them."

"Tell that to me again!"

'Wow, "Akimitsu" not showing up really made you THAT mad?'

"Nothing... it was nothing..."

"Good, now let's continue."

As she started walking off, Primrose hurriedly followed her and asked, "Wait, how did we get points for killing other students?"

"Are you dumb? The professors obviously wouldn't let us kill each other, there's a special artifact that teleports students out at the first sign of life-threatening danger."

"Oh, but why the points?"

"You'll soon find out later that professors will start giving out morally evil tasks, so be prepared. And you can get points from basically doing anything that helps your survival, so things like stealing and killing as well as building a campfire or creating a society are all included."

"But why would they do something like that?"

"To increase competition between the students and show the arrogant ones that they are never the strongest."

"That's a lot like you..." <Akina>

She stopped, suddenly.

'Shit, she heard, I thought that I was far enough back...'

"Akina, would you please come up to the front for a second?"

"To fight those Black Bullywargs? No thank you."

"But they're the perfect rank for you to get stronger."

"Not happening. What's a bullet gonna do to their tough hides?"

"How about this, you get one in the eye, and I'll forget what you just said."

'Gotta act weak, gotta act weak, don't blow your cover. Hoo, haa, hoo, haa, yes that's it, deep breaths, don't let your ego take ahold.'

"A-alright."

I stepped up to the front, and then climbed up a tree.

A few meters away, I saw a lone Black Bullywarg munching on some grass.

Using my monocle to it's fullest capabilities, and my super powered hand-eye coordination from Handy and the Magician job and manual, I shot at the bullywarg a second after the conversation ended.

"Pisch!"

'Bullseye, that was too easy.'

"You're gonna forget it now?"

"Y-yeah, I'll forget it."

'Oh shit, I showed to much power. She must be thinking, 'Of course there was a reason that Akimitsu invited her into the party! Why the heck didn't I figure this out earlier? And why have I never heard of her?' Of course, this is just my guess from her facial expressions.'

'But wait, why is her expression so... weird? Is it something I didn't remember from the novel? No that's not possible, I remember everything.'

'Hmm, then what could it be?'

<Marabelle's POV>

'What was that power I saw just now?'

It was definitely something that I had never put in the novel.

And that girl, "Akina", she was never in the book either, so she should have been an extra, but how was she so strong this early in the novel?

'Could it be that that Akimitsu guy raised another anomaly? Or is it that she's also a transmigrator that Akimitsu found?'

'He's already changed the novel's flow so much, I really can't guess any of the events in the future now.'

'But back to the previous question, how much time did he have here before I got reincarnated in?'

'If he had more than the 2 months that I had, then I'll be screwed by his preparations and plans, I mean, they've already shown how effective they are.'

'Hiss, why does a damn rando try to mess with the novel I wrote? Why am I not the one changing the plot of the story? Shouldn't I be the new MC? I'm the author that's reincarnated into her novel after all!'

I started chewing on my fingernails.

I looked back at the new girl.

'What was that weird expression she had on her face?'

'Ugh, these new changes are really messing up my plans...'

'I can't wait for that Akimitsu guy to show up, who knows what'll happen to him?' I thought, as a weird smile slowly crept up my face.

<Akimitsu POV>

Marabelle for some reason started biting her fingernails, but I just ignored it, instead trying to find a place to camp as it was close to the time that the sun would set.

'We have roughly 30 minutes left.' I said, after measuring the distance between the sun and the horizon with my hands.

After we found the camping spot, made a fire, and ate a cold dinner, I took out a tent from my inventory and Marabelle did the same thing.

Primrose, ever like a kid, had forgotten to bring one even though Marabelle had told her, so it was decided that she would just sleep in the same tent as Marabelle.

'Now they're gonna spend even more time together. Just what is the other transmigrator thinking? Sigh, I just hope nothing happens...'

And as I sat down on my rolled out sleeping bag, I couldn't help but listen to the soothing ambience of the forest noises, as various creatures woke up.

Laying down, I closed my eyes, mixing my own melodies with the forest sounds, as I finally drifted off into the dreamworld.