Yukata, a hopeless workaholic that she is, earns a bronze gardening badge. Then heads right back to bed at the first sign of stomach ache.
Mikoshi doesn’t recover until evening. He’s rather disappointed neither of his friends bothered to drag him from there, but at least he was resting under a shade of a bush this entire time.
Matsuri tries to keep her temperature down to avoid Mikoshi’s fate. With both of her friends out for the count, she needs to step up…
They do find their way back. Only worse for wear and nothing to show for it.
After a modest breakfast, not minding the heat, they venture into the wild, in a desperate attempt to seek help or at least find a hint about their whereabouts.
May they return safely.
The Desert Challenge - day 4
It’s day four since they’ve been stuck here. There’s no sign of a rescue party coming, they’re running low on supplies and Yukata’s showing worrisome symptoms they are not equipped to deal with. Things aren’t looking good to say the least.
She takes cover inside the shed. She’s safe from the hail, however she wants nothing more but to lie down.
To nobody’s surprise, Yukata’s bad habits catch up to her eventually.
The illness knocks her off her feet and even though she tries to settle for the night in a sleeping bag (heaven forbid she throws up inside the tent), the stomach ache and the nausea prove overwhelming.
!!!!!
Just a day ago Mikoshi and Matsuri couldn’t share the same space together without butting heads.
Looking at the relationships panel, Matsuri’s living up to her irresistible trait.
Could she be hiding behind a facade of an angel the fact, that she’s actually a player? Matsuri just became a bit more interesting.
Yukata just wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t get up in the middle of the night. Her health be damned.
Mikoshi’s aware he’s going to catch a cold at this rate. But he’s just so tired, he hates moving from this spot, as if the tent was miles away and not just a few steps.
These two sure run hot and cold. But at least they started acknowledging each other’s presence again.
It was Matsuri’s turn to tend to their garden. Which was just as well as she needed to take her mind off things. So she gladly put on the unnaturally cheery smile and got to work.
Staying true to the sensible advice, Yukata made sure to rest for the remaining of the day. Although being idle had a way of putting her in a grumpy mood.
Meanwhile Matsuri was showing more disconcerting signs. That Rubik’s cube was clearly her sole source of comfort and the only thing standing between her sanity and hysteria.
To be fair, their dire situation was affecting everyone, no exceptions.
Yukata secretly wondered whether she could ever compete with that cube for her friend’s attention.
To her own surprise, Yukata has grew to love her work in the garden. But that aside, she couldn’t just wave away what she saw last night and act like nothing happened. Mikoshi was just the right person to share her worries with, first thing in the morning. If he couldn’t find the credible explanation then…
They were standing right behind me! And I could have sworn they were real!
I’m sure they seemed real, put in this context. But you need to understand, night has a way of playing tricks on your tired mind. That combined with hunger and the heat, and it makes sense why you’d conjure someone you desperately want to see.
Oh, they didn’t look like the rescue party to me.
Well, you don’t get to choose the particulars of what or who you hallucinate, I imagine. More importantly, are you drinking enough water? You might be dehydrated.
Erm, water, right.
It might be a good idea to put these all-nighters to stop, don’t you think?
I know, you’re right. Thank you. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without you.
Just try to take it easy from now on.
The Desert Challenge - day 3
Another day arrives, and with it the hot scorching sun, unforgiving and unrelenting.
After a while her ninja honed senses picked up on a strange presence - hovering behind her, burning holes in her back with their stare - she couldn’t resist a shudder. Yukata didn’t dare to turn back, afraid of what she could encounter.
Could it be she’s overdone it in her zeal and now she’s started hallucinating? Or did one of the desert spirits lurking among the sand dunes she’s heard so much about but never paid any credibility to, decide to pay her a visit?
At any right, this night was becoming unsettling and she couldn’t wait for the first rays of dawn to come.
Yukata could hear the tempting voice at the back of her head. Oh, she wasn’t going to listen to it. She knew better now.
I can’t believe the audacity of these weeds! She wasn’t a fan of this seemingly Sisyphean labour but it had to be done, if their work in the garden was going to bear fruits.
Oh, to be able to scrub off the accumulated sand and dirt off her skin. That was refreshing and she can’t bring herself to regret it the slightest bit. After all, what’s the harm in it?
…which means breaking some rules and taking a proper bath when there’s nobody around to scold her for it.
Right on cue, Yukata’s getting up.
She loves her teammates dearly, she does. But she values her alone time and she’s gonna make the best of it.
in average
are photos
are videos
are texts
are gifs
are audio