“Incredible,” someone whispered.

Everyone nodded, wordlessly staring at the sight before them. The grove ahead was lush with trees, each heavy with round, plump fruits. They resembled peaches but were marked by deeper grooves, their skins shimmering in six distinct colors. Without hesitation, a few students began moving toward them until Kaede Tsukishima raised a cautious hand.

“Wait—something doesn’t feel right. Look around. With all this fruit, shouldn’t there be animals eating them? They might be dangerous, or maybe poisonous.”

She picked up a rock and hurled it at the nearest tree, striking a large fruit, which fell gently to the ground. After several tense seconds of silence, the group released a collective breath.

“Well, at least it’s not some sort of predator,” someone muttered.

“I’ll go check first,” Sakura offered. “I have quick reflexes.”

“Sakura,” Haruna Ichinose, the student council president, interjected gently but firmly, “did you hear what Kaede just said? Let me handle this.”

“Sorry,” Sakura mumbled, stepping back, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

But Haruna didn’t get far before Professor Sayuri Kubo calmly stepped ahead. “Let me do this. If anything happens, it’s my responsibility.”

Unable to argue, Haruna backed down respectfully. Sayuri walked cautiously to the tree, touched its bark, and, after a nervous pause, clipped one of the fruits with a pair of scissors before hurrying back to the group.

“Sato-san, please use your appraisal skill.”

Miho Sato nodded eagerly, scribbling her observations on paper. After a quick glance, her face lit up:

[Fruit of Abundance]
[Harvested from the Tree of Abundance. Safe. Highly nutritious.]

Cheers erupted around them. Safe, nutritious fruit within easy reach—only an hour’s careful walk through unfamiliar terrain, likely shorter once they became familiar with the route.

“Our food worries are solved!” Kanzaki declared excitedly.

“‘Fruit of Abundance,’ huh?” Sakura said thoughtfully. “I suppose the name fits.”

“Kind of peach-like,” Kyoko remarked, squinting at it. “Or maybe… like someone’s backside?”

The girls giggled, though Kaede’s expression remained serious.

“Still strange,” Kaede murmured softly, mostly to herself. “Why are no animals eating these? Maybe they’re edible only for humans? Something’s not right here…”

But hunger took precedence. After rinsing the fruit with water from her bottle, Sayuri bit into it tentatively. Her eyes widened slightly, and she smiled with relief.

“It’s delicious. Tastes exactly like peaches.”

Reassured, the students rushed forward, grabbing fruits of various colors, rinsing them, and tasting them eagerly.

“Oh, it’s sweet!”
“This one’s… okay.”
“Ugh, no, bitter!”

After some shuffling and swapping, each girl eventually found a fruit to her liking. They ranged from peach-like sweetness to refreshing citrus.

“They’re pretty juicy too,” Tsubaki noted. “Hydrating, even.”

“Perfect. Now, at least food won’t be an immediate worry,” Kaede conceded reluctantly.

Under the shade of the strange, abundant trees, their group enjoyed the simple luxury of being full, the relief easing tensions that had hovered over them since their arrival.

Mamori Kanzaki sighed dramatically. “I expected survival would be harsher. Maybe this will be easier than we thought.”

“Don’t get complacent, Kanzaki,” Sayuri gently chided, though she too was visibly more relaxed. “Still, it’s a relief.”

They rested for ten quiet minutes before Kaede raised her hand once more. “By the way, we tested Mamori’s interdimensional storage. It safely preserves food. We should gather enough fruit for three meals, to feed everyone at the campus.”

“Good thinking,” Sayuri agreed. “We’ll split the work. Three meals for roughly eighty people makes around 240 fruits. Divided by fourteen harvesters, that’s about eighteen fruits each.”

Harvesting was swift and effortless, taking less than ten minutes. Soon, they were heading back, buoyant from their success—until twenty minutes later, when voices carried from deep within the woods.

“HEY… HERE… SOME…”
“FOUND THEM… OVER HERE!”

The group froze instantly. Sakura and her kendo teammates instinctively formed a defensive line, while Tsubaki nocked an arrow, her fingers trembling slightly.

Suddenly, small, green-skinned creatures wielding crude stone weapons emerged from the bushes—thirteen in total.

Kaede shouted urgently, “Those look like goblins! Everyone stay close!”

Haruna’s voice was sharp and controlled. “If we move carefully around them, we can escape!”

The goblins watched carefully, blocking one side of the wide path, grinning confidently. Carefully, the students shuffled sideways along the opposite edge, the kendo and archery club members keeping guard.

Then, abruptly, more goblins emerged further down the path, blocking their escape route. Sayuri stumbled, terrified, as one reached for her wrist.

“They’ve got me!” she cried.

Sakura’s pulse quickened. She stepped forward decisively. “President, take everyone else—I’ll hold them off!”

Haruna hesitated for just a moment, eyes full of conflict. “Stay safe, Sakura. We’ll come right back!”

Most retreated swiftly, but Tsubaki remained at Sakura’s side, determination overcoming fear. “We have no choice now.”

She fired an arrow, striking a goblin squarely. Enraged, the rest charged.

But something had awakened inside Sakura—a clarity she’d never experienced. She pivoted smoothly, striking down one goblin with her wooden sword and quickly stepping away to avoid the next. Tsubaki’s arrows flew accurately, another creature falling to the ground.

Four goblins lay defeated, and the remaining creatures hesitated.

Sakura’s hands trembled. She’d never taken a life, not even that of an insect. She despised violence, even now, seeing these goblins as unsettlingly humanlike. Yet Tsubaki showed no hesitation, releasing another arrow.

The surviving goblins began to retreat, cursing and yelling as they fled.

“Tsubaki!” Sakura gasped. “They were already running away!”

“If they come back with more, it’ll be worse. We have to scare them off now.”

“You might be right, but still—”

Sakura fell silent, conflicted, as they rushed to Sayuri, who was shaken but unharmed, save for dirt smudging her shirt.

“I’m so sorry… I was careless,” Sayuri said softly, wiping tears away. “Thank you, both of you.”

“It’s alright,” Sakura reassured her gently. “Let’s hurry back.”

“From now on, I’ll use my X-ray vision to keep watch. Everyone, be ready to use your abilities.”

Kaede noticed something glinting near the fallen goblins. Small, purple stones were embedded in their chests.

“These weren’t here before,” Kaede pointed out.

One goblin was still breathing, and notably, it lacked such a stone.

“Looks like they form after death,” Tsubaki observed coldly.

Kaede winced. “Let’s just leave it. We’ve had enough for today.”

---

Back at the campus, everyone quickly heard about their fruitful discovery—and their narrow escape. By 2 p.m., the group dispersed, experimenting carefully with their newfound abilities.

That evening, some second-year students announced their ability to create items from the strange purple stones. Sakura volunteered to test the first item they created—a small, glowing gemstone labeled simply, “Defense Gem.”

Pressing it to her skin, Sakura joked nervously, “Nope, not suddenly superhuman.”

After gentle teasing and discussion, Haruna lightly struck Sakura’s arm with a practice sword. To everyone’s surprise, Sakura felt only mild discomfort, but her shirt had burst open around her stomach.

“Whoa! What happened?!” Sakura exclaimed, mortified.

Kaede tilted her head thoughtfully. “Maybe the stone redirects impact onto clothing?”

“Class rep, exactly what kind of novels are you reading?” Sakura demanded.

Kaede blushed, pretending sudden deafness.

Sayuri reassured Sakura, “Don’t worry. We have spare clothes. Some students can even craft garments using their abilities.”

“I’d prefer a gem that doesn’t explode my wardrobe,” Sakura grumbled, prompting laughter from the group.

As evening fell, discussions turned practical—obtaining water and fuel, securing better gems, and eventually sleeping in their own rooms rather than the crowded gym.

Despite their relief, Sakura couldn’t shake the nagging feeling they were underestimating this new world.

She was right.

Because tomorrow would bring disaster.

---

Translations Provided By: Kinsei Translation – kinseitranslation@gmail.com

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