Wilderness Survival: Ying's Solo Wilderness Journal

"I'm Baiye Ying. Right now, I'm in one of the most mysterious places in the world. This place is called Kouiku Academy's Uninhabited Island, and the only thing keeping me company is this camera.

"I have to survive here for four days, until the Special Exam ends. This island is full of danger and the unknown, making this a huge challenge for me. But I won't give up easily. I'm going to challenge myself—and challenge nature."

Under a tree, Ying held Kaneda's camera up with one hand, pointed it at himself, and began recording.

"Many people imagine deserted islands as paradises, but in reality, they're the most miserable prisons! Now, I'm going to show you how humans can survive here!"

"You can survive seven days without food, but go three days without water and you're done for. So the most important thing for us right now is finding a water source.

"But we're in luck. I remember there's a beach nearby, and there are plenty of coconut trees there. We can get our water from those."

As he spoke, Ying got to his feet and headed straight south. Before long, he emerged from the dense forest and saw the vast ocean.

"Even though the scenery here is beautiful, every second is precious right now. We don't have time to admire it."

As he spoke, Ying picked up a stone, aimed at a short coconut tree, and began throwing it at the coconuts.

"Lucky us. This coconut is ripe. Now let's take it to the rocks and crack it open."

Then Ying carried the coconut to a large rock by the shore and began smashing it.

"Great, we've cracked open a coconut. You can see the delicious coconut water and flesh inside. Let me have a taste."

"Mmm, not bad. But there isn't much, so let's knock down a few more coconuts."

Ying repeated what he had just done, knocking down one coconut after another with a stone, then cracking each one open and drinking from it.

"All right, now we have plenty of water to survive on. Next, we'll find a source of food, and after that, we'll think about how to improve our living conditions."

As he spoke, Ying started searching along the coast.

"Look! Wild oysters! Oysters usually live in groups, so finding one means there should be plenty more nearby."

As he spoke, Ying walked halfway around the rock, and sure enough, found more oysters on the other side.

"You can eat oysters raw, but there's a good chance they'll upset your stomach. It'd be nice to have a pot to cook them in... But I can't be picky right now. I'll try a couple and see how it goes."

Ying pried open an oyster shell and slurped the soft oyster into his mouth.

"Honestly, the taste is a little... not bad?"

After finishing what passed for breakfast, Ying returned to the place where he had started recording.

"This place has bad terrain and poor visibility, but it's our base, because those are the rules. Next, we'll explore in the opposite direction. I haven't been there yet, so we might find something useful."

Then Ying ventured into the forest. After walking about two hundred meters, he found a pond.

"Look at that! A pond! Holy crab, it's even closer to our base than the beach! If I'd known there was fresh water here, why did I bother smashing coconuts?"

Ying grumbled, then quickly pulled himself together.

"No, no. Out in the wilderness, you can't let yourself get discouraged. People who lose heart are more easily defeated by nature, so we have to stay positive!"

"This is amazing! In just one morning, after walking a few extra kilometers, we've secured a source of fresh water!"

Ying crouched down, cupped some water in his hands and drank a few mouthfuls, then washed his face. Once he felt more relaxed, he spotted another surprise in the pond.

"Oh, buddy! Look, fish! We've got dinner!" Ying cheered.

"An older survivalist once taught me a few tricks for catching fish. If you're going to catch them with your bare hands, first put your hands in the water for about five minutes to bring them to the same temperature as the pond. That way, the fish won't notice you as easily when you approach."

Ying set the camera down by the pond and began demonstrating how to catch fish with his bare hands.

"Once our hands touch a fish, we need to grab it right away. I'm approaching one now."

"Gotcha!"

Ying shouted, but the fish slipped through his hands. He tried the same method again and again, but still couldn't catch one.

"Stay positive and don't give up. Failure is the mother of success. I've got the hang of it now. If I fail again, Katsura's right across from me!"

"Ha! Hahaha!"

This time, Ying finally caught a fish.

"Let's go! We're having grilled fish tonight, everyone!"

Two hours later, Ying caught another fish, but it was taking too long. He started thinking of another way.

"Now I'm going to gather stones and build a small enclosure in the pond. Then I'll make a slightly curved entrance. The fish can swim into the enclosure easily, but they'll have a hard time getting back out."

"Once we've built it, we can come back and collect fish whenever we want!"

By the time Ying finished building the fish trap, it was getting dark. He returned to his "base" and started grilling the fish.

"Today's been incredibly lucky! That's Kouiku's artificial island for you—the freshwater fish pond is mysterious! And delicious!"

Just then, Ying heard a rustling sound. He immediately stopped talking and listened intently.

"We have to... stay quiet now. We don't know what's making that sound." Ying was still whispering to the camera.

"Baiye, you're pretty capable." A scruffy-looking red-haired man emerged from the bushes, sat down beside Ying without a word, and picked up the other fish Ying had grilled.

"Th-this is one of the local natives from Kouiku's artificial island! We're doomed!" Ying cried in fear.

"Keep your voice down. And what are you mumbling to yourself about?" the man said.

"Fine, I can lower my voice. But why did you eat the fish I worked so hard to catch? I haven't eaten all day!" Ying shouted even louder. Yes, the supposed native was Ryuen Kakeru.

"Quit yelling! Wasn't this your own extra meal? Didn't I leave your regular food in the supply box beside you?" Ryuen said, sticking a finger in his ear.

"Sup...ply...box...?"

Ying felt as if the words didn't exist in this world. He looked where Ryuen had pointed and saw a gray-black box behind the rock he was sitting on.

"Damn it! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Ying burst into tears.

It was the morning of the fourth day on the Uninhabited Island. Ying had planned to wander through the nearby woods while thinking about how to expose the evidence against Kaneda.

But after walking only a short distance, he spotted gray smoke rising in the distance. Thinking there was a forest fire, he hurried over.

And then he found Ryuen boiling water...

"Tch! So someone found me after all. Hey, Class B. You've got two choices: I beat you up and you go back to the cruise ship to recover, or I beat you up and you stay here. Which do you choose?"

Ryuen stood up and slowly approached Ying.

"Y-you're not worried I'll report you to the school for breaking the rules?" Ying said, stepping back.

"Go ahead and try. Unless you're afraid of Class C retaliating against you later." Ryuen replied. Pressure~!

"Wait! I'll stay here and keep my mouth shut! I promise no one will find out!" Ying said, raising both hands in surrender.

"Made your choice? You can't tell anyone I'm here!" As he spoke, Ryuen doused the fire that had caused all the trouble. He'd thought no one would find such a remote spot this early in the morning, but Ying had stumbled across him.

"But I still need to teach you a lesson." As he spoke, Ryuen threw a fast, precise right straight at Ying's face.

Ying's pupils contracted. He tilted his head to dodge the punch, then instinctively moved and threw Ryuen over his shoulder.

"Uh... are you okay?" Ying asked awkwardly. The system's Katsura only showed up in situations like this.

Ryuen quickly got back up and tried a side kick with his right foot, but Ying ducked and swept his legs out from under him, knocking him down again.

"Hahaha! Interesting! Baiye, you've been hiding your skills, haven't you!" Ryuen laughed, slowly getting to his feet. He made no further move, just turned and walked away.

"Why are you still here?" Ryuen asked after finishing the free grilled fish.

"Hm? I said I was going to stay here, didn't I?" Ying asked around a mouthful of supplies.

"You don't want to say? Fine. It's better if you stay here." Ryuen said.

"By the way, where do you sleep at night?" Ying asked, looking around at the empty surroundings. There was nothing but a supply box.

"There's a simple sleeping bag over there, but it's only big enough for one person. Figure something out yourself." Ryuen pointed behind him, where there was indeed a simple sleeping bag.

"Actually, I just made a mat out of vines. It's pretty comfortable to lie on. Want to try it tonight?" Ying asked earnestly.

"Uh... sure?"

Ying: Great! I get to sleep in the sleeping bag!