Chapter 2
* * *
"It's water! Where did you get it?"
Manager Han Jia, who had just returned, was surprised too.
"Don't be surprised. I can make water."
"Whaaat?!"
I grabbed the water bottle again and demonstrated the miracle of making it overflow.
"W-wait! I don't know what kind of phenomenon this is, but it's a waste to use the same bottle. Here, fill this one up instead!"
Seoyoon brought over another water bottle like an excited child and even lined them up in front of me.
All right. One after another!!
Create water!!
Glug glug!
I had only resonated with the pattern that meant 'water,' yet I could actually create water.
I could instinctively tell it was clean, unpolluted water, but Seoyoon tested it herself, too.
It was safe to drink.
"That's amazing~!"
Jia came over and sat down beside me.
"W-Woojin~~. Can I have some too? Can I?"
The assistant manager had practically plunged her face into the bottle to drink, but the manager fidgeted, torn between social dignity and her burning thirst, her ample backside shifting restlessly.
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Thank you…."
At first, the manager cautiously brought her lips to it, but after tasting it, she raised her chin and gulped down water, too.
Should I try some, too?
Gulp.
Wow, this is really good……
Even taking into account how thirsty I was, the water actually tasted good.
The difference was too great to be my imagination. The water made by magic was much higher quality.
"I don't know how you did it, but you've saved us, Kim Woojin."
"Think nothing of it."
Just then, the gyaru passing by noticed the full water bottle and came over.
Luca's pink eyes were fixed on the water bottle.
Like a stray cat spotting a Churu in someone's hand.
Sneak, sneak.
"お兄さん、お水いっぱいあったんじゃーん？
(Big bro, you had tons of water, huh~?) "
Oni… Oniisan!?
Didn't that mean "big brother"!? To hear a Japanese girl say "oniisan" with the real Japanese pronunciation…!
It felt pretty good.
"ね、ね、ルカにもちょーだい？
(Hey, hey, can Luca have some too?)"
Luca boldly squeezed herself between us.
She clasped her breasts with both arms and begged, gazing up at me with sparkling eyes.
"ちょっとでいいから。ほんとにちょっとだけ！
(Just a little. I really only need a little!)"
Even though I couldn't understand her words, I could tell from her gestures, coquettish expression, and sultry voice.
That Luca was pestering me to share.
"Do you need me to interpret?"
"She's asking for water, right?"
"Yes. It seems so."
お願いお願い、
お兄さん♡
ルカ、喉カラカラで干物になっちゃうってばぁ。
(Please, please, big bro♡ Luca's throat is so dry she's gonna turn into dried fish~.)"
……Why was her pleading tone so damn sexy!?
"Her way of speaking is unnecessarily indecent."
Seoyoon said disapprovingly with her arms crossed.
"It's Woojin's water, so do what you want."
I looked at the gyaru's bouncing breasts as she coquettishly begged.
Damn, this girl could probably survive being dropped naked anywhere as long as there were men around.
Her intelligence was rock-bottom, but she was just as friendly and adorable.
Luca seemed to take my gaze sneaking a peek at her breasts as a positive sign, and pushed them out even farther.
Wow!
"ルカ、いい子にするから。ね？ お水、ちょびっとだけ。
(Luca'll be good, okay? Just a tiny bit of water.)"
"M-mizu? Chotto?"
I managed to say it using the few words I'd picked up, holding up the water bottle.
“そ。ちょびっと。……でも、できればごくごく飲みたい。
(Right. Just a little. …But if possible, I want to gulp it down.)"
Luca opened her mouth with an "Aah."
I carefully tilted the water bottle toward her mouth and let her drink, gulp by gulp.
Though all I was doing was giving her water, Luca received it obediently, like a pet being fed by its owner.
She rested her hands neatly on the ground and sucked at it, as if she planned to drink however much I gave her.
"Drink as much as you want."
I poured water forcefully, sending it down Luca's throat without stopping.
"Mmm, gulp, gulp, gulp."
Luca smiled brightly, seeming delighted after drinking her fill.
"お兄さん、神？ もしかして水の神様系？
(Big bro, are you a god? Like, maybe the water-god type?)"
"…Heh…."
I couldn't understand her, but somehow I was happy?
Maybe I wanted to marry someone from another country?
Just before leaving, Luca gave me a smooch on the cheek.
"!"
The assistant manager stared at us, startled.
As if staking her claim, Luca didn't stop there, but gave me a few more smooches, then…
"お兄さん、だいすき！
(Big bro, I really like you!)"
Daisuki.
……I knew that word, too.
Heh-heh.
I'm embarrassed.
"ね、もう一回だけ。もう一回だけちょーだい？
(Hey, just one more time. Can I have just one more?)"
"Hm? You want more to drink? Sure."
Even after paying for those kisses, I still had change left over.
I gave Luca some more water.
……
Afterward, I refilled the water bottle.
Glug glug.
"How on earth are you doing that?"
"It's magic."
"I've seen it with my own eyes, so I can't exactly disbelieve it…."
"You're amazing, Woojin~~!"
Even the manager was praising me; I didn't know where to look.
Haha, I'd suddenly shot up to the island's most valuable asset?
"With Woojin around, we~~ won't have to worry about water anymore."
"Huh? I never said I'd give it to you for free."
Why did she assume, as if it were obvious, that I'd supply everyone with water?
"Y-you… That's a dirty trick, doing this at a time like this."
The assistant manager said.
But her tone wasn't as harsh as before, when she'd treated me like dirt.
There was a touch of anxiety, as if she worried I'd turn against them completely.
"Dirty trick? It's up to me how I use the ability I got."
"I know…. I was wrong to call it a dirty trick. But we have to help each other out. You said something about doing good deeds, too."
The assistant manager's attempt to persuade me was growing more desperate.
That contrast was oddly appealing.
Of course, I had no intention of suddenly withholding water and making enemies of the two of them.
But what I couldn't stand was the attitude that they could just take the water for granted.
What in the world was guaranteed?
Nothing was guaranteed. I was just making that clear.
"Manager, Assistant Manager, what are you going to do for me?"
"……Well… let's… let's wait and see how things go for now."
Maybe because she felt she had nothing concrete to offer me, Seoyoon turned away and dodged the question.
In a survival situation, the only things more valuable than an unlimited supply of drinking water are food and safe shelter.
Kang Seoyoon couldn't just hand over either of those.
"Woojin~! When we get back, I'll be sure to tell the CEO how well you took care of us on the island!"
The manager promised to repay me once we returned to society.
Unlike the assistant manager, at least she was trying to do something. I liked that.
"All right. I'll give you a bottle, Manager."
"Thank you!"
Pour pour.
Seeing me create water again right before her eyes, the assistant manager clicked her tongue.
She acted like it was no big deal since she wasn't thirsty at the moment and had nothing to lose, but…
When night came and she wanted a drink, Seoyoon's attitude changed.
"Um…."
"Yes? I can't hear you."
"Kim Woojin. Could I have some water?"
"You gulped down so much earlier."
"……."
Assistant Manager Kang Seoyoon gritted her teeth and glared at me, but soon turned away as if backing down.
Even so, she was still trying to act tough.
"At least ask me properly."
"…Please, Kim Woojin."
"I'm thirsty, so give me some water."
"…I'm thirsty, so please give me some water."
That's it, good girl~
If I pushed her any further, she'd probably yell and come at me, so this was enough.
I couldn't refuse the request of the proud assistant manager.
If she didn't think it was free, she'd appreciate it more.
"Here."
「Water Creation」
I filled the bottle with clean water and handed it straight back. It was nice that plastic bottles could be reused over and over.
"Gulp, gulp…."
Seoyoon drank the water so deliciously that anyone watching would envy her.
Just looking at her cheeks, relaxed with satisfaction after quenching her thirst, made it clear she'd already forgotten the humiliation.
"Thank you."
"I'm glad I'm your subordinate, Assistant Manager."
"…Ugh…. Y-yes, I suppose so."
"Wow, you don't have to suck up that much. Haha."
"……Ghk!"
The assistant manager was fun to tease.
"Let's get ready for bed. There's no point hoping the rescue team will come at night."
"Yes."
Simple toiletries and lighters were easy to get from passengers' bags, so starting a fire was easy.
Before bed, the two of them saved a little water, then rinsed their mouths after washing their faces and brushing their teeth.
I even washed my hair with shampoo.
It was easy to rinse it out by making water flow from both my hands.
Seoyoon looked at me as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
A castaway on a deserted island wasting water!
It doesn't get more luxurious than that.
Actually, if there hadn't been so many women around, I'd have stripped naked and taken a damn shower already.
"Why? Assistant Manager, do you want to wash your hair too?"
"I do, but…."
Water wasn't free.
Thanks to me teasing her, the assistant manager could have just asked me to let her wash her hair, but she hesitated.
"Does making water tire you out or anything?"
"Not sure. I haven't tried using it to my limit, but…."
"Wouldn't it be better to conserve it a little?"
She seemed worried my ability might suddenly cut out at some point.
I didn't think she needed to worry about that…
"Ah, I can't take it. My hair feels gross. I want to wash it."
"Manager, you should come too, then."
I opened a deserted-island hair salon.
"All right, shampoo coming up, ma'am."
"H-hng. Haaaah──."
I slid my hands, enveloped in water, into her long, sweat-matted hair and poured water over it. The assistant manager trembled happily, making a sound like a moan.
Standing beside her as she crouched with her head bowed, I washed her hair, pressing my fingertips firmly into her scalp.
"Mmm, ah─ aaah─."
How good did it feel?
The assistant manager forgot that I was the one washing her hair and let out lewd moans.
It must have felt that good.
"It feels good…. So good. More. More, there too…. The back, too…."
"Here? Here?"
Press, press. Press, press.
She seemed to love the pressure-point massage at the nape of her neck.
"H-hng. Ah."
I wondered if she was really getting off on it.
Seoyoon swayed her hips, just barely enough to show me her butt.
"Don't stop. Keep going…."
When I showed signs of stopping, Seoyoon cried out plaintively.
"Keep going."
"It's already been five minutes…."
"Just a little longer, please. I'm begging you."
After spending another ten minutes carefully washing her hair, my forearm muscles started to ache.
"All right, next."
"Hng! Ah…!"
Manager Han Jia twisted her waist with a nasal moan.
"Hey, don't make weird noises."
"Ah…… aaah. The scalp massage feels so good…."
Every inch of her scalp.
Rinsing the sweat-matted hair cool with water, shampooing it, then washing it while giving her a scalp massage…
"Ah. Aaah. Ah. Aah."
"All right, pressing the back of your neck now."
"Mmmmmm… haaah. That feels good."
After washing their hair, I used a towel we'd found in the luggage to dry it.
Since there was only one, we all had to share it, but in this situation, just having a towel was a blessing.
"Phew…."
Both of them were damp and looked thoroughly refreshed.
With the sea breeze blowing coolly, their hair would dry naturally.
"It'd be nice to have a hair dryer, too."
"What, are you at a hotel?"
"I just mean it'd be nice. That's all."
Hmm, but a hair dryer….
Could I make the wind blow harder?
'I can see something like a pattern in the direction the wind blows.'
I still didn't understand what it meant.
But I had a feeling I might be able to use it once I figured it out.
Even just the most basic water magic had already eased so many inconveniences today.
My hope for survival burned even brighter.
"The other survivor groups are staring at us."
Seoyoon said.
Well, it made sense. We were washing our hair with precious water in a castaway situation.
"They're all thirsty. Should we share some of our water?"
"Manager Han Jia. Did getting your hair washed make the world look pink?"
"……W-what? Pink?"
"We're not here to volunteer. Everyone for themselves. Why would we share our water?"
"That's true, but… I do feel a little self-conscious using it just for ourselves…."
Ah, that's social animals for you.
We wash our hair and have a water party together, and our consciences start bothering us?
And so we should share our water?
What if we do that and they start taking it for granted, trying to exploit us every day?
At worst, the women might end up fighting over me.
"I've got an idea, Kim Woojin. Could you fill up some water first?"
I duplicated the full water bottle, just as Seoyoon asked.
Seoyoon took it and went over to──
"Here you go."
She handed us an energy bar.
"Assistant Manager Kang, how did you do that?"
The manager asked in surprise.
"I traded water for it. Water's valuable right now. We can trade it for things we need like this."
"I didn't know there were energy bars…."
"Before Kim Woojin woke up, some people had already scavenged the wreckage and kept quiet about it."
"…Oh. So everyone has different stockpiles?"
"Yes. But water takes up a lot of space, is hard to hide, and everyone is already experiencing an absolute shortage."
So we had the upper hand because we had plenty of water?
"I'll go trade for food. You agree, too, right, Kim Woojin?"
I immediately joined forces with the assistant manager.
"As expected, you're good at your job, Assistant Manager."
The assistant manager smiled.
"All right, then make some water."
I decided to trust the assistant manager's judgment.
Soon, the groups short on water began lining up to get some from us.
This should solve the water shortage for a while.
And what we got in return was beyond our expectations.
From small, high-calorie snacks like candy, gummies, and chocolate to jerky, dried fruit, snacks, single-serving seasonings like salt and pepper, and instant coffee…
"Please pay something in return, even if it's just a little."
Our water business was a success.
Everyone opened the bundles they'd been hiding and offered up their emergency rations.
Even if the amounts were pitiful and would run out in a few days, with no guarantee of making it to tomorrow, they were priceless.
"Let's set aside things like salt and pepper that will keep, and use up the things closest to their expiration date first."
Seoyoon carefully sorted through the small amount of food.
Sweet snacks seemed to seep into my empty stomach, soothing the hunger that crackers alone had only dulled.
As sugar hit my undernourished brain, I felt my mind clear up instantly.
"Well? Wasn't it a good idea to leave it to me?"
"You're right. Well done, Assistant Manager."
I praised Seoyoon.
It was kind of a strange sight. A subordinate praising a superior.
"Should we go into the forest tomorrow and see if there's anything to eat?"
"Hmm. We should look, but……"
Seoyoon hesitated.
Probably because she still hoped the rescue team would come.
The only reason we were all huddled together on a conspicuous beach, staring out at the sea, was that hope.
But relying on the food we had now and just holding out would be suicide.
Seoyoon seemed to know that, at least intellectually.
"We won't miss the rescue team. Let's leave Manager Han Jia behind."
"…Should we? What do you think, Manager?"
"Woojin… the jungle is dangerous. Can't we all just wait here together?"
The manager spoke anxiously.
"We should move while we still have some strength."
"But we have food, and if things come to it, we can make more water and trade it."
"That's exactly why."
"Huh?"
There's a limit to bartering.
Food doesn't just grow out of nowhere.
"Everyone knows we have plenty of water, and now we have food, too. If we start starving in this situation, they might attack us."
"Woojin's right, Manager. This supply run was a one-time trade. In the end, the total amount of supplies on the beach hasn't changed."
After the assistant manager and I persuaded her, the manager nodded as if convinced.
"I see…."
"Still, we're probably the luckiest of all the castaways. None of us are seriously injured, and we've got plenty of water."
"……We have to survive. Then the rescue team will come!"
The manager forced a smile, but that night we heard her sobbing bitterly.
When I opened my eyes to the faint glow of her phone, shielded by her palm, I saw her crying as she looked at the wedding ring on her finger.
"Manager…."
"I'm sorry. Sniff, I was being noisy…."
"It's all right. Just let it all out."
"Wait…."
Han Jia grabbed me as I started to move away.
"Just stay with me for a little while."
……
I lay down beside her, and Jia buried her face against my chest and cried quietly.
Pat, pat.