Harem Survival System: Stranded On An Island With Beautiful Women
Chapter 43: Your Clothes Are Dirty

Chapter 43: Your Clothes Are Dirty

"But why would he do that?" Lucas asked, pretending to entertain the theory. "Destroying the rafts puts him in the same boat as the rest of us — stranded with no easy way to fish or leave."

"That’s what I don’t get," Nina admitted, frustration creeping into her tone. "But I can’t shake the feeling that it was him. Maybe he has some kind of deal with the teachers. Maybe they’re planning something."

Lucas resisted the urge to smirk.

She was a lot sharper than most of the others, that was for sure. He didn’t know much about Brian himself, but if Nina was this suspicious, it meant something was definitely off about him.

Still, he needed to be careful. If he acknowledged her theory too much, she might start digging deeper. If he dismissed it entirely, she might get defensive.

"You could be right," he said instead. "But if it really was him, we’d need proof."

Nina exhaled, rubbing the side of her temple. "Yeah, I know. That’s the problem. I don’t have anything solid, just a gut feeling."

Lucas glanced at her hands as she lowered them to her lap. Without really thinking, he reached out and took one of her hands in his.

She flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.

"You should be careful," she murmured. "Your hands are in worse shape than mine."

Lucas let out a small chuckle. "I’ll live."

They sat in silence for a moment, their hands loosely touching before Nina finally pulled away with a small shake of her head.

"Just... keep an eye on Brian, okay?" she said. "I don’t trust him."

Lucas nodded. "I will."

And with that, their conversation came to an end.

But as Nina stood up and stretched, Lucas couldn’t help but wonder — if she was right about Brian, then what else was she right about?

Lucas exhaled, standing up from the rock and stretching slightly.

The conversation with Nina had been interesting — she was sharper than most people gave her credit for.

Her suspicions about Brian were reasonable, and even though Lucas already knew what had really happened to the rafts, he had to admit that she had a good sense for when something wasn’t right.

Besides it could be Brian that was the one, there didn’t seem to be anything proving otherwise but who was the woman with him?

"Well, guess I’ll get going," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "We’ll talk later. I need to get back to my pointless walking."

Nina snorted, shaking her head. "You really do just wander around aimlessly, huh?"

"It’s a great way to pass time," Lucas said with a shrug. "You should try it sometime."

She rolled her eyes, but before he could take another step, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Come with me," she said simply.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t resist as she tugged him along. "Where are we going?"

"You’ll see."

He let her lead him, his curiosity piqued. They walked past the camp, past the scattered tents and logs where the others were still finishing up a bit of lunch, until they reached the edge of the island.

He recognized this place instantly — the small, secluded part of the shore where he had sneaked up on her lifting.

The water here was clear, reflecting the sky in a deep shade of blue, and the waves were calmer than on the other side of the island.

Nina finally stopped, releasing his hand. Lucas flexed his fingers slightly, looking out at the water.

"Haven’t been here in a while," he muttered.

Nina hummed in agreement. "Yeah. We’ve been busy."

Lucas didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he took in the scene — the way the sunlight shimmered over the waves, the smoothness of the sand beneath his shoes, the distant sound of seagulls overhead.

For a moment, he almost forgot where he was.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt himself losing balance.

His body tilted forward, and in an instant, the water was rushing toward his face.

What the —

With a loud splash, he hit the surface, the shock of cold water spreading through his body in seconds.

His clothes clung to his skin, completely soaked, as he kicked his way back to the surface, gasping for air.

He wiped his face, blinking rapidly as water dripped from his hair. Looking up, he found Nina standing at the edge of the shore, arms crossed, a smug grin plastered across her face.

"What the hell?!" he spluttered.

"Your clothes were dirty," she said simply. "Figured I’d help you clean them."

Lucas let out a short, incredulous laugh, running a hand through his wet hair. "You pushed me!"

She shrugged. "Yeah. And?"

For a second, he just stared at her, dumbfounded. Then, without warning, he lifted both hands and sent a powerful splash of water in her direction.

Nina yelped, jumping back just in time to avoid the worst of it. "Oh, now you want to fight?"

Lucas grinned. "You started it."

"Fine."

And just like that, she ran straight into the water, sending her own wave of water at him. The cold spray hit him directly in the face, and he barely had time to retaliate before she splashed him again.

"Oh, you’re asking for it now," he muttered, crouching slightly before lunging forward.

Nina yelped as Lucas grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into the water with him.

She hit the surface with a splash, momentarily disappearing beneath the waves before resurfacing with a gasp.

Her hair clung to her face, strands sticking to her forehead, but she was laughing — genuinely laughing, her brown eyes bright with amusement.

"You are so dead," she said, pushing her wet bangs out of her face.

Lucas smirked. "Bring it on."

What started as a minor splash fight soon turned into full-blown chaos.

Nina tried dunking him under, but he was too strong, easily breaking free. He tried lifting her out of the water and tossing her back in, but she clung to his arm, making it impossible.

Eventually, they both ended up breathless, floating in the water, their energy spent.

The waves lapped gently against them, their bodies weightless in the current. Lucas exhaled, staring up at the sky.

"This was a dumb idea," he muttered, though there was no real annoyance in his voice.

Nina let out a small hum of agreement. "Yeah. But at least now you’re clean."