Hearing that there was food, the entire group set off enthusiastically in the direction Sakuraba Ema had indicated.
On the way, Kiana spoke up to report on the situation from her side:
"The terrain in the area I explored consists of a grassland and several ponds. As for food, I also discovered some rabbits and frogs; we can go catch them together when we have time."
With Kiana's abilities, she was naturally capable of catching rabbits and frogs on her own.
However, Kiana's years of experience traveling through various countries had exposed her to many unreasonable people, making her lean toward caution in her actions.
Natsuyu was the leader of their small group, and Kiana acknowledged this.
Natsuyu had told everyone not to take risks by coming into contact with flora and fauna.
Although Kiana knew this was out of concern for everyone's well-being—and her brief interactions suggested that given Natsuyu's gentle personality, even if she brought back a few rabbits, it would be fine and she would likely be praised—she still chose to follow instructions. After some thought, she decided not to do anything that might disrupt the harmony of the team over such small matters, and instead focused more of her energy on exploring the terrain.
"Kiana, well done."
Natsuyu gave her a decisive thumbs-up in praise. Watching Sakuraba Ema's slender figure leading the way, and seeing Kiana's playful behavior beside him as she intentionally stepped on his shadow to walk in a straight line, he felt quite cheerful.
The problems of food, water, and exploration had been resolved.
As for tonight's Shadow Monsters, they could rely on Tokisaki Kurumi's protection to pass the night safely.
Natsuyu had originally thought that he would have to worry about the remaining matters and run around busily just to get through tonight.
As it turned out, Kiana and the others were all very capable and had already handled the rest.
It felt great to have reliable teammates.
A short while later.
The group arrived at the place where Sakuraba Ema had discovered the Berries.
This was a sun-facing spot on a small mound, not far from the Splendid Gate.
The berry bushes were already somewhat withered and yellow, and the round, bright red little fruits on them were overripe, some beginning to turn black and wrinkled.
Natsuyu looked out across the area.
This patch of berry bushes covered a large area, roughly the size of a football field, but the actual quantity of Berries was not that great.
Without systematic manual cultivation, the berry bushes grew wildly in scattered patches.
There were animal droppings on the soil, and many Berries had either fallen off or been eaten by animals.
However, the remaining amount was more than enough to provide Satiety for Natsuyu's group of five and get them through the day.
Maintaining his vigilance, Natsuyu stared at the Berries and first performed an Appraisal.
[Juicy Berries (65% Freshness, rots 2 days after picking): Low-grade Ingredient.
After consumption: Slight Satiety, slight thirst quenching.
Evaluation: Contains ample sugar and vitamins.]
[Juicy Berries (26% Freshness, rots 12 hours after picking): Low-grade Ingredient.
After consumption: Slight Satiety, slight thirst quenching, chance of diarrhea.
Evaluation: Contains sugar and vitamins, along with a large amount of bacteria.]
Having a clear idea of the situation, Natsuyu spoke up, "Everyone, pick some that look normal in color; don't pick the ones that are starting to change color. If you feel hungry, you can eat a few directly."
"Don't worry, my ability tells me that the Berries are non-toxic."
Natsuyu had originally planned to use Tokisaki Kurumi as a tool, bringing all the food back to her to confirm whether it was edible.
Now, with his Appraisal ability, Tokisaki Kurumi was no longer needed for that.
Hearing that the Berries were edible, the girls' eyes filled with joy.
"Yay!"
Kiana gave a cheer and immediately ran into the center to pick Berries and stuff them into her mouth.
Following closely behind was Sakuraba Ema. She seemed to be ambidextrous, using both hands to shovel them in. In the blink of an eye, she had cleared a bush like a whirlwind, yet her eating movements weren't crude in the slightest.
She looked like a veteran foodie at a glance, making Natsuyu feel a bit hungry himself just watching her.
Yukinoshita Yukino, who needed to eat the most, was the least efficient. Due to her concerns about her image and hygiene, she carefully wiped every berry she picked before eating it.
"Natsuyu-kun, how about I pick the Berries and you catch them?"
Kushida Kikyo walked over with a beaming smile, making a team-up request.
At the same time, her two fair fingers held a wiped-clean berry, offering it to Natsuyu's lips as she looked up at him with expectant, sparkling eyes.
Natsuyu saw no reason to refuse and opened his mouth. His teeth caught the berry, taking care not to touch Kushida Kikyo's fingers, as he held Backpack No. 2 against his chest to act as a basket.
"Thanks—Kikyo, you can just put the Berries in here."
Seeing Natsuyu's expression remain calm without the bashful reaction she had imagined, Kushida Kikyo felt a bit disappointed. She then picked the Berries in front of her and placed them into the Backpack. With a radiant smile and a finger touching her lip, she inquired:
"Um, I've been wanting to ask—is this Backpack something Natsuyu-kun made using your ability?"
"Yeah, I'll give everyone one later."
Natsuyu proudly introduced the effects of the Extra-dimensional Backpack while chewing the berry in his left cheek.
The berry was the size of a longan; biting into it released sweet juice, and the flesh was jam-like, similar to a persimmon. Gradually, the sweetness faded, and he began to taste a bit of tartness.
The overall taste was quite good, making for a decent little snack.
Hearing that the Simple Backpack could stack items and had no weight, Kushida Kikyo was greatly surprised. She immediately offered an admiring look like a devoted fangirl:
"Natsuyu-kun is so amazing!"
"With Natsuyu-kun's Backpacks, we can take all the Berries with us!"
Natsuyu shook his head, picking more Berries to fill his stomach as he spoke:
"Berry Freshness is an issue; if we take them all, they'll rot quickly. Just picking one batch is enough. We can't keep eating only Berries, either; we'll head to the place Kiana mentioned to hunt in a bit."
"As expected, Natsuyu-kun thinks of everything."
Kushida Kikyo offered another admiring look. In the next second, her expression turned to one of bewilderment as she saw Natsuyu smilingly offer a berry to her lips, opening his mouth and making a gentle, child-coaxing sound:
"Ah~"
"...Thank you, Natsuyu-kun!"
Kushida Kikyo suppressed the sudden burst of fluttery excitement and shyness in her heart. Maintaining her gentle, angel-like smile, she opened her delicate lips. Her pink tongue twitched uneasily as she leaned her face in, cautiously biting onto the berry.
Thump-thump.
Her heart rate accelerated.
After pulling away, Kushida Kikyo kept telling herself that Natsuyu was just returning the favor.
She absolutely could not let any improper thoughts arise just because of Natsuyu's Ikemen Face and excellent performance.
She just wanted to get on good terms with him first, and use him to make friends with that most troublesome Yukinoshita girl...
Natsuyu withdrew his hand with a smile.
He suspected that Kushida Kikyo's suggestion to take all the Berries was her acting dumb on purpose to increase his favorable impression of her.
Natsuyu did indeed like girls who were simple.
But on second thought, it seemed Kushida Kikyo really wasn't that bright; she was likely playing herself.
On the surface, she was a gentle little angel, while in reality, she hid the side of a dark "landmine girl," yet at her core, she was a simple idiot...
Kushida Kikyo truly had gap moe maxed out.