Chapter 185: Cooling Down

When the student named Akiyama, who had symptoms of diarrhea and severe joint pain, returned, Lei Yin examined him and confirmed that he also had dengue fever.

To prevent more people from getting infected, Lei Yin found a plant within the forest that, when burned, emitted a pungent smoke. Although the smell was unpleasant, it was far more effective at repelling mosquitoes than merely applying the plant’s juice to the skin. At this critical juncture, survival outweighed any concern about the odor. Thus, students lit these plants near their campfires.

As for Seimura Haruko and Miyuyama, their high fevers were temporarily suppressed with herbal treatments and cold compresses.

At midnight, a student approached Lei Yin to inform him that the two had started burning up again.

When Lei Yin arrived at their resting area, he found both of them in a semi-conscious state. After carefully examining them, he noticed that several of Seimura Haruko’s lymph nodes were swollen, while Miyuyama’s condition was slightly better, showing rashes on his palms and soles. The differences in their symptoms were primarily due to the timing of their illnesses and their individual constitutions.

“Genai-kun, what should we do now?” Mitsuaki, who had accompanied him, couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the two suffering students.

Lei Yin thought for a moment and said, “Keep mashing the herbs with water and apply them to their foreheads to cool them down. I’m stepping out for a bit.”

Outside, he used thick branches to suspend the signal receiver, which resembled a pot, over the campfire. He added plants he had collected earlier during the day and boiled them with water from a nearby hot spring.

After some time, once the liquid had significantly reduced, he discarded the boiled herbs and carried the pot back to their resting area.

“Have them each drink half of this,” Lei Yin instructed a girl.

The girl immediately carried the “pot” over to them.

“Genai-kun, what is this stuff?” Mitsuaki asked as he eyed the greenish liquid inside.

Watching as the girl fed the concoction to the two patients, Lei Yin explained, “It’s a mixture of herbs with properties to reduce heat and detoxify. It might not cure them entirely, but it should help stabilize their condition temporarily. However, these herbs are meant to be dried before use; drinking them like this might cause diarrhea. But it’s the best option we have—better than letting them succumb to the illness.”

Mitsuaki didn’t fully understand what “reducing heat and detoxifying” meant, but he felt an inexplicable trust in Lei Yin and didn’t question further.

Amidst a fog of consciousness, Seimura Haruko slowly awoke.

She didn’t know how long she had been asleep, only that she had dreamed for what felt like an eternity. Although she couldn’t remember the dream’s details, she knew it hadn’t been pleasant. At one point, she even thought being stranded on the island was part of the dream. But when she opened her eyes and saw the tall treetops above, she realized it was all real.

She tried to sit up as usual, only to find that she had no strength at all. It felt as though her body didn’t belong to her. That’s when she remembered her high fever the previous night.

Why did this have to happen? Why did an ordinary trip turn into this nightmare?

If this hadn’t happened, she would still be at home, enjoying a pampered life with servants tending to her every need, rather than lying here, facing the very real possibility of dying from illness on this desolate island.

She had always thought she understood the boys who constantly fawned over her, but now she realized she had been wrong. Here, no one cared about her status or well-being. All anyone cared about was their own survival.

At that moment, she suddenly heard the faint sound of sand rubbing against shoes as footsteps approached. Then, she saw him again.

The little girl was playing with a wild rabbit nearby, while Lei Yin placed his hand on Seimura Haruko’s forehead to check her temperature. After taking her temperature, he lifted her eyelids to examine her eyes.

“Am I going to die?” Seimura Haruko asked quietly after he finished checking.

“The fever has gone down. Sit up and eat something,” Lei Yin said as he helped her sit up against the tree trunk, then walked out.

After a while, he returned holding the signal receiver and was followed by a female student.

“Feed her this soup,” Lei Yin said, handing the pot of soup to the girl. The girl quickly took the pot from him and walked over to Seimura Haruko.

“Th-thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” the girl said with a smile.

If it had been any other time, Seimura Haruko would not have noticed this plain-looking girl, but now she thought the girl’s smile seemed to glow.

Lei Yin walked over and squatted down beside the student named Miyuyama, who lay on the ground on the other side, to check on his condition.

It seemed that the herbs were taking effect; both of them had broken their fevers.

“Has he woken up at all since last night?” Lei Yin asked the girl, who was holding the pot and feeding Seimura Haruko.

“He woke up once around two in the morning, saying he was very thirsty. After I gave him some water, he fell back asleep and hasn’t woken up since.”

“No diarrhea?”

“No.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You must have had a difficult night. Go rest now, I’ll take care of them,” Lei Yin said, his tone unusually gentle, given that she was the only student from the medical department and had helped a lot.

“It’s nothing. I’m just happy to help you, Lei Yin-senpai.” (How’d you even know his Chinese name?)

“You’ll make a good doctor one day.”

“Thank you,” the girl said, smiling brightly.

Seimura Haruko watched their conversation with complex emotions.

“Excuse me, what time is it now?” Seimura Haruko suddenly asked the girl after Lei Yin walked away.

“It’s around two in the afternoon. I hope someone notices the distress signal today,” the girl said, her voice tinged with worry.

After drinking the soup, Seimura Haruko felt a bit of strength return to her body and couldn’t help but say gratefully, “Thank you for taking care of me so diligently.”

The girl smiled and shook her head. “Actually, it was Lei Yin-senpai who saved you two. He found some herbs to lower your fever. I was just helping out. Without him, we would all be dead on this island.”

Seimura Haruko fell silent.

At that moment, both of them suddenly heard loud commotion and shouting from outside.

As the noise and shouting grew louder, the girl said something to Seimura Haruko before walking over to see what was happening.

After a while, the girl ran back.

Seeing the look of joy on her face, Seimura Haruko felt surprised.

“A helicopter is flying over here! We’re going to be saved.”

Hearing those words, Seimura Haruko felt as though all the blood in her body rushed to her head.

“Are you serious?” She stood up on her weak, unsteady legs.

“It’s true. I saw it too. It’s really a helicopter,” the girl said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seimura Haruko slowly sat back down on the ground and buried her face in her hands as she cried loudly.

※※※

Upon learning that the missing students had been found after many days, the president of Teikyo University and the officials from the Maritime Bureau finally let out a sigh of relief.

Outside the entrance of a public large hospital in Kagoshima City, a crowd of reporters gathered to interview those involved, as the hospital was where the students and tourists found in the ferry disappearance incident were now staying.

On the balcony of the third floor of the hotel where the Teikyo students were staying, a young man and a young woman were talking.

“Amy?”

“She just finished her full body check-up and left the hospital this morning. She’s sleeping in my room now.”

“I knew my brother would come back safely.” Kazumi walked up to him and gently leaned into his embrace.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters,” Kazumi said, looking up and smiling at him.

Suddenly remembering something, she stared into his eyes. “Brother, I need to ask you something.”

“Is it about Naoko?”

“Yes.” Ever since Naoko had flown in from Tokyo a few days ago to ask about her brother’s condition, Kazumi knew that her relationship with her brother was not just an ordinary student-teacher relationship.

“As you suspected, she will be your sister-in-law in the future,” Lei Yin said solemnly.

Though she had already suspected, hearing his confirmation sent a chill through her heart.

“When did this happen?”

“Two years ago. It wasn’t that I intended to hide it from you; it’s just that Naoko wasn’t mentally prepared to face you. Even Maeda only found out by accident.”

Kazumi was silent, processing the shock of the news.

After a moment, she spoke, “Then what about Rumi? You must have noticed how she feels about you.”

Lei Yin slowly leaned against the balcony railing. “She’s still just a child. I know she has some feelings for me, but it’s normal for girls her age to have feelings for the opposite sex around them. I haven’t made it clear to her because I don’t want it to interfere with her studies. After all, she’s currently preparing for university entrance exams, and I don’t want her distracted by anything else.”

Kazumi, nervously gripping his hand, said, “Brother, it’s not like that. Rumi’s feelings for you are more serious than you think. She—” But before she could finish, Lei Yin’s phone suddenly rang.

Lei Yin took out his phone, glanced at the number, and quickly answered.

“I’m on the balcony outside your room. I’m coming back now. Wait for me inside.”

After ending the call, Lei Yin turned to Kazumi with a slightly apologetic expression. “Naoko is awake. I need to go back now.”

Kazumi nodded reluctantly.

As Lei Yin entered the room, Naoko called out, “Lei!” Seeing him, she immediately rushed to him and threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” Lei Yin said softly as he held her close and comforted her.

“I… I just had a nightmare. I dreamed you were swept away by the water, but when I woke up, I couldn’t see you…” Naoko looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

Lifting her up and sitting her on the bed, Lei Yin held her close and gently rubbed her back. “Don’t worry anymore. I’m back now.”

Savoring the familiar scent of her lover, Naoko gradually began to calm down.

“Lei, I was so scared. I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.” Naoko said between quiet sobs. A few days earlier, she had seen on the news that tourists had gone missing in a storm in Kagoshima, which had given her a bad feeling. She had called his phone repeatedly, but it was unreachable. When she finally flew to Kagoshima, she learned from his sister that the boat he was on had indeed encountered the storm and gone missing. During those days, she had endured the same agonizing helplessness as Kazumi, feeling as if each passing day drove her deeper into despair. The sense of endless hopelessness had nearly caused a relapse of her old illness.

At that moment, words felt powerless, so Lei Yin could only hold her tightly, letting her feel his presence.

After she calmed down, Lei Yin kissed her on the left cheek. “Are you hungry? Should I go get some food for you?”

“Mm.” Naoko responded softly, barely audible.

After they all sat down, they noticed that Takeda and Takeshima Shinobu were staring at Naoko intently without blinking. Lei Yin cleared his throat loudly, and only then did they snap out of their daze, quickly pretending to look at the menu and not daring to stare any longer.

He turned to Naoko, whose face was red from being watched, and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

“Can you order for me?” Naoko said in a small voice, not daring to lift her head.

“How about I order a steak for you? The black beef here is quite famous.”

“Okay,” Naoko answered obediently.

Lei Yin then turned to Amy beside him. “Little one, what do you want to eat? Do you want steak too?”

The little girl pouted. “No.”

“But you usually love the steak here. Never mind, how about a set meal?”

“Okay.” While Lei Yin wasn’t paying attention, the little girl glared at Naoko, who was sitting on the other side of him.

After they all placed their orders, Takeda asked, “Masashi, did your family know you were missing?”

“Yes, they found out. Kazumi said they saw the news yesterday and called. They were planning to fly here today, but I managed to talk them out of it over the phone.”

“I never expected something like this to happen. Luckily, you’re back safe. Kazumi has been so worried these past few days,” Takeshima Shinobu said.

“Drifting at sea and then surviving on a deserted island—it sounds like an extreme adventure. I should have gone with you on that ship,” Takeda said with a regretful look on his face.

“If you really had gone through it, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Lei Yin said. “What about Yoshikawa?”

“He went to the hospital to stay with Haruko. I heard Haruko’s family is there too, so that guy probably didn’t even get the chance to visit her in the ward.”

As they talked, other students in the restaurant occasionally glanced over, but their eyes were inevitably drawn to Naoko. The beautiful woman suddenly appearing next to the “human weapon” made everyone envious. Compared to her, Seimura Haruko and Miyu Himeko seemed lacking.

The difference wasn’t just in looks or figure but in the indescribable, mature, feminine charm she exuded.

Her smooth, flawless skin exposed on her arms and legs, her stunning face, and the figure that contradicted her elegant, modest aura—all of it drew everyone’s attention.

Not only were the boys envious and jealous of Lei Yin, but even the beautiful girls felt an overwhelming sense of threat.

“Who is that woman?” Miyu Himeko, sitting at a distance, asked as she looked at Naoko.

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s Masashi’s sister,” a boy sitting next to her responded.

“Hmph, a vixen,” Miyu Himeko said with a cold sneer.