The next day, I was awoken by the sunlight directly on my face. I left my hiding spot in the rocks and looked at the shore.
“I’m not dreaming. That’s a relief.”
I had been worried that when I opened my eyes, it would be as if the previous day’s events and my inspiration had never existed, that I would wake up in the same old room and continue to experience the same monotonous days. However, sprawling before my eyes now was the huge forest, and the vast ocean with its endless, unbroken horizon. There was no room for doubt that I was still on the same island.
“I thought that sleeping on those rocks would make me feel stiff, but I guess not.”
I was in such good condition that it was almost scary. I knew I had been made younger, but this was just too abnormal. Perhaps my god-given, healthy body was emitting some sort of mysterious power. I was somewhat thirsty, but not to the point I could no longer do anything—it would probably be fine for me to move around all day.
“All right, why don’t I take a stroll on the beach before I go into the forest?”
There could very well be something edible on the shore too, and I might also find some plants that stored water. It had been a total mistake to go into the forest without even considering those possibilities.
I continued on with that in mind, but I then caught sight of something far away lying on the beach.
“What’s that?”
I cautiously approached, only to find that it was the one thing that shouldn’t have been here: another human. Surprised, I hurried over to them, and I saw that it was a girl who was young enough to still be a high school or college student.
She had the slim figure of a model, and fire-red hair that went down to the middle of her back. The outline of her chest was clearly visible in her wet, clinging clothes, and her slender legs beneath her short skirt were oddly captivating. Typical of someone from a fantasy world, she was wearing a white cloak, but it was soaked with water and looked incredibly heavy. At any rate, she was more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen in my life.
“Umm...could she be a castaway?”
I looked around, but I couldn’t see anyone else. There was nothing resembling a ship on the horizon either.
I was the one who had asked to be reborn in a place without any other people, so it made sense that I was alone. But then, why was someone else here, lying on the beach? That god had seemed quite careless, what with her accidentally killing me, as well as her other unreliable aspects. She had been undependable, like a new employee who earnestly listened and took notes but didn’t really comprehend what was going on.
“Wait, now isn’t the time to be thinking about that!”
I rushed over to the girl and got on my knees.
Out of all the various videos I’d watched thinking that I’d go camping one day, I had seen one on how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Relying on my memory, I checked the girl’s condition and verified that she was in danger—she was unconscious and without a pulse, and she couldn’t breathe. It looked like she had swallowed a lot of water, and some of it was dribbling from her mouth. At this rate, she would drown. I didn’t know how long she’d been in this state, but there didn’t seem to be any time to lose.
“C-Can I really do it?”
Needless to say, I didn’t have a defibrillator on hand that would list all the steps in detail. I was faced with the fear of having to do something urgent while relying on just my own knowledge.
“But that’s no reason not to try.”
I slightly elevated the girl’s chin, and was about to bend her head back when I remembered a warning I’d heard in the past.
“Right... If the victim has been swallowed up by ocean waves, it’s possible that they have a neck injury.”
I vaguely remembered that in such a case, one had to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with them still in their regular position, without bending their neck. After a moment of stressing out about what I should do, I decided not to risk doing something stupid from my lack of expertise. I lifted up her chin just as I had pictured at first. I would be stealing a kiss from an unconscious girl, but there was nothing else I could do to save her life.
“Sorry! I’ll listen to you complain as much as you want after this!”
Pinching her nose and placing my lips on hers, I spent a long second breathing air into her lungs, and her chest visibly expanded. After seeing that, I placed my hands on her chest and tried performing chest compressions. I recited the steps in my head—secure an airway, breathe in air, and chest compressions. Though this was my first time, and I was worried whether I was really doing it correctly, I frantically moved my body in order to save the girl.
Then, finally, she threw up water.
“Whoa,” I exclaimed, surprised. But I couldn’t stop now, otherwise the water she had spat out would clog her throat again. I quickly tilted her head slightly to the side, letting the water flow out, then repeated mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions.
“Ahh...” The girl let out a breath.
When I put my hand to her lips, I could tell that she was breathing, though only faintly. I tried waiting for a bit, and her distressed expression gradually softened.
I sighed. “What a relief.”
I observed her for a while, and the fact that she had stabilized made me lose focus. But then, I abruptly remembered that her clothes were drenched.
“It won’t be good to leave her like this.”
Although the warm sun was shining, the wind on the beach was somewhat chilly. In her weakened state, these clothes would sap her body’s warmth.
“This is to save her life...”
Reining in my impure motives, I took off the girl’s clothes while endeavoring not to look at her as much as possible. It’s hard work to undress someone who is completely limp, but luckily she was light—or maybe my body was just strong—because I didn’t have to exert myself all that much.
Her underwear was red, matching the color of her hair. It would’ve been impossible for me to not feel excited by someone so attractive, but I averted my eyes as much as humanly possible. Actually, it would have been best to take off her underwear as well, but I obviously didn’t have the courage to go that far. Eventually, I managed to successfully dress her in my own dry clothes. Next, I took her wet clothes and lightly shook out the water, then set them out to dry on some driftwood that was lying around. The sun’s rays weren’t quite as warm as they would have been during the height of summer, but they would be enough to dry her clothes in a few hours. Finally, I gently laid her on her side, sat down, and looked up at the lovely azure sky with its white clouds.
“Phew.”
The sunlight felt pleasant. I closed my eyes and tried focusing my hearing in order to feel at one with nature. The birds chirping and the din of the waves were relaxing, and they reminded me that I was in a place that was cut off from the society I’d lived in up until this point.
When I opened my eyes again and looked at the girl, her condition seemed to have stabilized. I was a bit afraid that she would have some lasting complications, but at this point I couldn’t do anything more than watch over her.
It had been hectic all morning, but things had finally calmed down. After I spent a while enjoying the sounds of nature, the girl stirred while letting out a quiet groan.
“Ngh, ah...”
“Oh?” I murmured.
She faintly opened her eyelids and squinted at me, perhaps because she was blinded by the sunlight. Then she spoke, briefly and softly.
“Who...are you?”
“My name is Arata Toudou,” I replied.
“Arata...Toudou?”
“Yeah. Before I knew it, I was here on this island, but I don’t actually have too many memories of anything before that. So, what’s your—”
I paused, reminding myself that the girl still hadn’t fully recovered. Right now, it would be better for her to get some rest than to share introductions.
“You seemed like you were a castaway, so I took care of you,” I said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Huh... So you saved me? Thanks.”
“It’s good that you’ve regained consciousness, but you should still rest for now. I’ll keep watch.”
The girl was silent for a moment. “Thanks, I think I’ll take you up...on that offer,” she said sleepily.
She must still be tired, I thought. I gently patted her on the head like one would a child, and she closed her eyes, her energy spent.
I was silent. Then, I unintentionally glanced at her mouth. It might have been an emergency, and I had been trying to save her life, but there was no man out there who wouldn’t feel conscious of such a beautiful girl after coming into contact with her lips.
“A life in another world that starts with a kiss, eh?”
Making a quip was the only way I could hide my agitation.