What Matters Most

"What do you all think is the most important thing for a person to survive in an environment of danger and scarce resources?"

Teacher Edward asked.

Ibuki thought for a moment. "Perseverance?"

The old man shook his head, looking at Ichinose and Shiranami.

The two discussed it briefly and finally arrived at an answer.

"Unity."

"Unity is important, but it's not the most important."

Edward looked at Kamuro.

Kamuro imagined that scenario and replied, "Food."

"Food is indispensable, that's true, but it's still not the most important."

Edward's eyes were full of warmth. Even though the answer was wrong, he didn't say anything harsh. It felt less like a teacher and student and more like a conversation between friends.

"What's your view, then?"

You En had been thinking all along. In such an environment, what was the real enemy or danger? Was there even a clearly defined enemy? Finally, he arrived at his own answer.

"I think it's mindset."

Edward's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.

"That's right. It's mindset."

The old man took a deep breath and conveyed the most important lesson of his life to them.

"Whether it's a lack of food, a lack of fresh water, or a lack of allies—once we lose the support of civilization, even a light rain can be enough to take a human life.

The fragility of the body cannot always be remedied in an instant.

No matter what state you're in, when facing any crisis, the most important thing is your mindset. You can be disheartened, you can be disappointed, but you must never fall into despair, nor can you become arrogant.

As long as we hold onto hope, maintain a positive attitude, confront fear, understand it, and then overcome it, we can eventually go from weakness to strength, establish a foothold in the wilderness, and even rebuild civilization."

Ibuki, Ichinose, and Kamuro all felt the weight of those words. Even if they didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning, just hearing the surface was enough to feel the teacher's sincerity.

You En felt it too, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Edward was saying more than what met the ear.

Every teacher in this school was like a riddle-teller. Their words and expressions definitely contained more information than was obvious—it was just that You En couldn't decode it yet.

"Starting now, I'm going to find ways to train your mindset,"

Edward said.

"If anyone can't keep up, you're free to leave."

Ibuki laced her fingers together, looking eager.

You En pulled his gaze away from her hands, remembering the bet they'd made earlier. After this lesson, little Ibuki would probably have to pay up.

Ibuki noticed that someone had been staring at her and felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't that she sensed any ill intent—she was just like that, naturally averse to outsiders.

"What?"

She signaled with her eyes to You En.

"If you've got something to say, say it."

You En thought for a moment, then spoke. "Do you want to just admit defeat now?"

"Ha?!"

Ibuki nearly jumped up. "Are you looking down on me?"

Teacher Edward didn't say anything, but watched them curiously along with Ichinose.

When Ibuki looked at him, the old man chuckled amiably and waved it off. "You two can talk things over first. Being around you young folks makes these old bones feel more alive."

Ibuki grabbed You En by the shoulder and pulled him toward her.

You En didn't resist much. He felt the girl's breath brush against his ear, and her blue hair swept across his face, tickling him.

Ibuki leaned in close to his ear. "You think I'll lose? Or that I'll welch on the bet?"

"It's precisely because we believe you won't welch that we said it." You En answered honestly.

"Relax. Forget three times—if I really lose, I'll call you ten times to your face."

Ibuki said.

You En was genuinely tempted. Testing the waters, he added, "Then make it ten. If I lose, same deal."

"Hmph,"

Ibuki snorted lightly. "Fine by me."

She turned her head and saw Ichinose smiling like a doting aunt, Shiranami Chihiro covering her face, and Kamuro Masumi looking thoroughly disgusted.

Only then did she realize how ambiguous her posture with You En looked.

A faint blush crept onto Ibuki's face, but she didn't take it out on You En. She let go of his shoulder, composed herself in a few seconds, and then spoke to the teacher.

"We're done talking."

"Youth is wonderful."

Teacher Edward smiled, brushing off the incident, and continued, "Then I'm going to give you all a taste of the basics, kids. I believe you'll enjoy it."

He walked behind the curtain, where the low growl of a beast could be heard. He softly scolded it, and the sound vanished.

Half a minute later, Teacher Edward emerged, carrying two large buckets.

Ibuki and Ichinose were curious, Shiranami Chihiro was more afraid, and Kamuro was completely indifferent.

You En looked at the buckets, guessing what kind of thing might be inside. He hesitated but still spoke up, "Teacher Edward, shouldn't you prepare them mentally?"

"You guessed what it is? Not bad."

Edward said, "That's your own mental preparation, nothing to do with others."

He set the buckets down. "There are plates in the cabinet over there. You can each take one out."

Hearing the teacher's words, Ichinose immediately went over. "I'll grab them for everyone."

After Ichinose distributed the plates, Teacher Edward opened the lid of one bucket. There was no light inside, so it was dim, with only a hint of green visible, seemingly writhing.

The group leaned in and finally saw what was inside—countless squirming green grubs.

You En instinctively covered his ears.

The next second, "Ah!!!"

Shiranami Chihiro's scream broke the decibel limit of the human voice.

Ichinose's smile was a bit stiff, but overall she held up fine.

Ibuki just felt nauseous looking at them. She suddenly remembered You En's earlier words, "Teacher... this isn't for us to eat, is it?"

"Bingo, you got it."

Teacher Edward reached in, grabbed a handful of grubs, and placed them on the plates. The grubs, as thick as a thumb, writhed on the plates, a sight that made Kamuro gag.

"These are the larvae of the bean hawk moth, raised exclusively on soybean leaves. The environment is clean, and the flavor is better. Of course, if you encounter them in the wild, they're a rare delicacy."

He opened the other bucket, which held only clear water. He picked up a larva much larger than a finger, crushed it directly, soaked it in the water, and squeezed out the innards.

Once it was mostly cleaned, Edward tossed it into his mouth and chewed loudly.

"Ugh."

Kamuro and Shiranami, the two girls, felt like vomiting just watching.

Teacher Edward said with a smile, "The taste is excellent. You all should try it."

Masumi Kamuro stared at the clustered larvae on her plate. Forget eating them—just touching them would give her nightmares.

She spoke up, "Teacher, I'm out."

Teacher Edward nodded, not driving her away, but said, "Alright, then sit over there. You can also leave directly."

"Teacher, I..."

Shiranami Chihiro also spoke, but looked apologetically at Ichinose.

The teacher nodded. "Go over there."

Ichinose patted her shoulder, comforting her. "It's fine. It's too much to expect girls to accept something like this. Chihiro, it's not your fault."

Shiranami was very worried. She glanced briefly at the items on the table, then jerked her gaze away as if shocked. "Ichinose, are you really going to eat that stuff?"

Ichinose smiled bitterly but pulled herself together. "No choice. I'm the class president, and this course was my suggestion. I can't just waste the points."

Shiranami wanted to persuade her further, but seeing Ichinose silently shake her head, she dropped it. Covering her mouth with red-rimmed eyes, she ran to the side.

At the very least, she had to witness everything Ichinose went through, so she could tell the class later just how great the sacrifice was.

You En studied Ibuki's face. Ibuki ignored him for a long while, then turned and said, "Why are you always staring at me!"

You En gestured with his chin toward the "feast" on the plate, "So, are you eating?"

Ibuki stared at the group of bean hawk moth larvae, her gaze gradually turning hostile. "You bastard, did you already know this class would make us eat this stuff?"

"No,"

You En said. "If you don't believe me, ask Teacher Ed."

Teacher Ed said with a smile, "The school's confidentiality measures are very strict; there's no possibility of course content being leaked in advance."

Ibuki sighed. Should she give up?

Giving up would mean escaping this torment and not having to bark like a puppy.

But she, Ibuki Mio, wasn't that kind of person. How could she give up?!

She reached out fiercely, but when her hand was about to touch the larvae, she gradually slowed down, finally stopping there, staring at the plump, greenish-yellow larvae, her fingertips trembling.

Ichinose pressed both palms together against her chest, ready to pray for Ibuki.

Just as Ibuki hesitated and was about to give up, You En beside her reached out, decisively grabbed a relatively large bean hawk moth larva from the plate, crushed it in the water, and began cleaning out the innards.

You En looked at the insect corpse, feeling somewhat nostalgic. In his past life, his own father had really liked this kind of insect, along with cordyceps, silkworm pupae, and the like, so he recognized it.

But he'd never eaten one either, cooked or raw. It really was as disgusting as the girls' reactions suggested.

This had nothing to do with gender. In peacetime, when food wasn't scarce, only a very small number of people would even think about trying to eat bugs.

You En directly popped it into his mouth and swallowed.

Ichinose, Kamuro, and Shiranami instinctively pressed their lips together, a hint of admiration seeping into their eyes.

You En chewed a few times. At first, he was somewhat resistant, but the more he chewed, the more into it he got, and he reached out to grab another one.

Teacher Ed nodded and asked, "How does it taste?"

The other four girls were also curious about the experience.

After You En swallowed, he finally spoke, "Pretty good. The flavor is quite fresh. It would probably taste even better if cooked."

"Not bad. Everyone needs to eat ten. Keep at it."

You En nodded and continued cleaning. He felt a bit relieved inside.

He could only say that, fortunately, the free food he'd eaten these past few days had tasted terrible, so in comparison, he found this larva wasn't so bad.

Ibuki looked at You En, then at the larvae. A trace of struggle surfaced on her handsome face. Seeing that someone had already downed a second one, a stubborn, unwilling-to-lose spirit surged from within her heart.

She grabbed a larva, squeezed it hard, and started cleaning it haphazardly.

She could lose the bet, but she absolutely could not lose to him in spirit!