All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends-Chapter 248: Shijo Maki is Aho-Baka!

Her head felt unbearably heavy, as if it had turned into a block of lead.

Shijo Maki shivered, her entire body chilled to the bone.

She couldn't even tell whether she was awake or still drifting in a dream.

Fortunately, the discomfort didn't last long.

Soon, a warm presence appeared beside her, enveloping her like a kotatsu.

She found herself pulled into a familiar embrace, strong arms holding her tightly as if unwilling to let go.

When she finally woke up again…

Shijo Maki slowly forced open her heavy eyelids.

The first thing she saw was a young man, mere inches away.

Her pale violet eyes locked onto Yukima Azuma's dark ones.

In the very next second, Shijo Maki's eyes widened in shock.

(O_O)!!!

She wanted to lift her hand to point at Yukima Azuma.

But then she realized—

They were pressed so tightly together that her arm was still wrapped around him.

Even if she wanted to pull away, she couldn't.

A deep red flush spread rapidly across her fair face.

Up until now, the only time she had ever touched a boy—even just the tips of their fingers—was with Yukima Azuma.

And now… this level of physical contact was way too much!

Meanwhile, Yukima Azuma—who had woken up first—was counting his blessings.

At least he had woken up first.

Otherwise, he was pretty sure Shijo Maki would have killed him on the spot.

After all, he was used to hugging his Eriri body pillow to sleep…

So even upon waking up just now, his palm was still resting on a particularly soft curve of the girl's body.

"Let me explain first," Yukima Azuma said in a low voice.

(ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Shijo Maki glared at him. "Fine… ahem, go ahead and explain."

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

(눈_눈)

Her voice was slightly hoarse, but after clearing her throat, she quickly adjusted it.

Then, she looked at him as if waiting to see what kind of nonsense he would come up with.

But Yukima Azuma simply raised a finger and pointed behind her.

"Actually, I didn't move at all."

Shijo Maki struggled to turn her head and look back.

And what she saw was—

Not far away, on the pile of straw nearby…

Lying closer to the inner side of the cave, Shinomiya Kaguya was still fast asleep, completely unaware of what had transpired.

Shijo Maki's eyes widened in realization.

So it wasn't that Yukima Azuma had sneaked over to ambush her in the night.

It was her—she had voluntarily crawled into his arms?!

As this horrifying fact settled in, Shijo Maki wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the cave and bury herself in it.

( //>///<//)

Her pale toes curled tightly.

A wave of secondhand embarrassment so intense that she wanted to gnaw through an entire three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment flooded her mind.

Without a word, she lowered herself…

Quietly wriggled out of Yukima Azuma's arms…

And hurriedly scurried back to her sleeping spot.

Her movements caused Shinomiya Kaguya to stir awake.

She drowsily sat up, blinking in confusion.

First, she glanced around groggily.

Then, her gaze landed on Yukima Azuma.

"Did something happen?"

(っ˕ -｡)ᶻ 𝗓 z Z

Yukima Azuma chuckled and shook his head.

"Nothing at all."

Shinomiya Kaguya let out a soft "Oh."

But then, she suddenly remembered last night's conversation.

Her eyes darkened slightly as she gave Yukima Azuma a mildly reproachful look.

"You didn't wake me up? Didn't we agree to take turns keeping watch?"

(｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)

Yukima Azuma gestured to the dying fire beside them, where a faint warmth still lingered.

"I figured there was no need anymore, so I didn't wake you."

"Besides, we don't need to keep the fire going."

Hearing that, Shinomiya Kaguya understood his reasoning.

But she still felt a little displeased.

She couldn't shake the feeling that Yukima Azuma had dismissed her.

...

Outside the cave, the sky remained a dull, gloomy gray.

It looked like it might start raining again soon.

"I'll go to the shore and check if any fish got stranded, or if there's anything edible."

With that, Shinomiya Kaguya stood up and stepped outside.

Since it wasn't raining yet, she needed to take advantage of this time to get things done.

Otherwise, if another storm rolled in, who knew how long it would last?

If they didn't make use of this window, they might be forced to venture out in the middle of a downpour.

"In that case, I'll gather all the coconuts from the beach."

Yukima Azuma said.

There were several coconut trees by the shore.

Considering how long it might take for rescue to arrive and the amount of fresh water the three of them needed, they would have to collect those coconuts sooner or later.

Might as well do it now and be prepared.

"Then I'll… go gather firewood."

Shijo Maki spoke up.

But her eyes were still darting around in a slight panic.

(๑/////๑ " )

The three of them split up to carry out their respective tasks.

However, as soon as the other two left, Shijo Maki's expression collapsed.

She raised a hand to her throat.

Even swallowing her own saliva sent a dull pain radiating through her.

Her head felt light, slightly dizzy.

She wasn't sure if she had a fever.

But one thing was clear—she was definitely sick.

Realizing this, a wave of fear rose in her heart.

Falling ill on a deserted island like this was practically leaving one's life up to fate.

No medicine. Not even a proper place to rest.

Whether she could recover or not depended entirely on her own body.

Shijo Maki recalled the past few days.

It was highly unlikely that she had only gotten sick after arriving on the island.

By the time symptoms started to show, it usually meant the virus had already reached its peak.

If she did the math… she might have been infected back when they were still in Hawaii.

Thinking back, there were some warning signs.

For instance, when she was playing volleyball, she had run out of stamina much faster than usual.

At the time, she had simply blamed it on her recent string of sleepless nights.

Gathering a small pile of dry firewood,

Shijo Maki slumped down inside the cave, unwilling to move.

She curled into herself, hugging her own body tightly.

The early morning wind swept through, cutting into her skin like a sharp blade.

—Meanwhile, outside the cave—

Yukima Azuma was weaving strands of palm fiber into a simple net.

Afterward, he hauled back a pile of coconuts.

The moment he stepped back into the cave, he spotted Shijo Maki lying down in her spot.

"Shijo-san, slacking off at a time like this?"

He teased.

But there was no response.

Immediately, Yukima Azuma sensed something was wrong.

He set everything down and rushed over to her.

Lifting her up, he examined her condition.

Her pale skin was now flushed with an unnatural reddish hue.

Recalling the small signs he had noticed earlier that morning—

Yukima Azuma unconsciously clenched his jaw.

This damn tsundere brat!

Being sick—something that could literally be life-threatening in this situation—

And she actually hid it?!

Was she an idiot?!

He pressed a hand to her forehead.

Burning hot.

In fact, even without touching her, he could tell she was running a dangerously high fever.

The girl in his arms was practically a furnace.

Taking two deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down.

He needed a solution. Fast.

Finally, Yukima Azuma turned toward the cave entrance and raised a hand.

The creature he had summoned for hunting and fire-making instantly dissolved into specks of light before vanishing.

This freed up a summoning slot.

Then, he grabbed a scrap of metal that had been used as a makeshift knife.

And began carving symbols into the cave wall.

This time, Yukima Azuma wasn't sure if the summoning would work.

But—

It had to.

Unlike the creatures he had summoned before,

The entity he was attempting to call forth now was completely beyond the realm of ordinary beings.

As he carved the final symbol—

A searing pain exploded in his skull.

It felt as if someone had slammed a hammer into his head.

Then, a clear, melodic cry echoed throughout the cave.

Golden and crimson hues intertwined, painting a scene of dazzling radiance.

A creature wreathed in divine flames descended into existence.

—A Phoenix. ☬

A being of legend and mythology.

Possessing extraordinary powers, capable of rising anew from its own ashes.

Its feathers could be used to craft magical staffs.

And its tears—held the miraculous ability to heal wounds.

Yukima Azuma shook his head, trying to push through the pain.

Then, he gestured toward the newly summoned Phoenix.

The Phoenix immediately perched on his outstretched arm.

A single, crystal-clear teardrop traced a graceful arc through the air—

And landed gently upon Shijo Maki's lips.