Harem Survival System: Stranded On An Island With Beautiful Women
Chapter 44: I’ll Protect You

Chapter 44: I’ll Protect You

Lucas rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He turned his head slightly, glancing at her. She was floating on her back, arms spread out, her expression oddly peaceful.

"You know," she said after a moment, "for someone who acts like he doesn’t care about anything, you actually seem to enjoy this stuff."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"I don’t know. You just seem... I don’t know, lighter when you’re not overthinking everything."

Lucas floated lazily on the water, letting the cool waves lap at his skin as the conversation settled into a quiet lull.

He wasn’t used to moments like this — so still, so calm.

Even though he had spent most of his time on this island keeping himself occupied with work, distractions, and the System, there was something about simply being here that made him feel strangely grounded.

He turned his head slightly to glance at Nina. She was still floating beside him, her arms stretched out, her body rising and falling gently with the rhythm of the water.

She looked different today. Not physically — her features were the same, her sharp eyes, the stray strands of hair plastered to her forehead — but something was different.

Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. He couldn’t quite place it, but it felt like there was a shift in her demeanor, something softer, quieter.

Nina was usually closed-off, more focused on training than socializing, and when she did speak, it was often short and to the point.

But right now...

"You seem different today," he murmured.

Nina let out a breath, her gaze fixed on the sky. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, tilting his head back. "I don’t know why, but you do."

There was a pause. Then, unexpectedly, she let out a sigh, the kind that sounded like she had been holding it in for a while.

"I’m just... worried," she admitted.

Lucas blinked. It wasn’t like her to say things like that so openly.

Nina never let anyone see her doubts — she was always training, always pushing herself, always acting like nothing could touch her.

But right now, in this moment, she sounded vulnerable.

He swam a little closer, treading water beside her. "Worried about what?"

Nina stayed silent for a moment, her fingers lightly tracing the surface of the water. "Everything."

Lucas frowned. "That’s a bit vague."

She let out a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, well, there’s a lot to be vague about. We’re stuck here. We don’t know when or if we’re getting rescued. And even though everyone’s acting like things are fine, we’re surviving by luck. It wouldn’t take much for that to change."

Lucas stayed quiet, letting her talk.

Nina turned her head slightly, her eyes searching his face. "And... I’m worried about you especially."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Yeah."

That caught him off guard.

She took a breath before continuing, her voice quieter now. "You act like you’re fine, like you have everything under control. But I see you. I see how much you take on, how much you try to deal with on your own. And it worries me."

Lucas didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t even sure how to process it.

He never thought of himself as someone who needed to be worried about.

But hearing Nina say it out loud, hearing the concern in her voice... it made something in his chest tighten.

He swam closer to her, making her tense slightly, as if expecting him to splash water at her again.

But instead of doing anything childish, he reached out and gently stroked a strand of her wet hair, pushing it away from her face.

She blinked, clearly surprised by the gesture.

"You don’t need to worry," he said quietly. "If anything happens, I’ll handle it."

Nina let out a small huff, her lips curving into the faintest of smirks. "That’s exactly the kind of thing that makes me worry about you."

Lucas chuckled under his breath. "Alright, fine. Then I’ll rephrase — if anything happens, I’ll protect you."

Her smirk faltered, her expression softening into something unreadable. For a second, she didn’t say anything.

Then, slowly, she turned away, looking out at the horizon. "You’re such an idiot," she muttered, but there was no bite in her words.

Lucas only smiled.

They left the water shortly after.

"So," he started, shaking some of the water from his hair. "What’s the plan now? We’re both soaked."

Nina, who had been squeezing water out of the ends of her hair, glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "You worried about catching a cold?"

Lucas scoffed. "No, I just don’t feel like walking around dripping like a lost fish."

At that, she smirked and reached for something near the rocks. "Good thing I planned ahead."

Lucas watched as she pulled up a small bag that had been tucked away from sight.

She unzipped it, rummaging inside before pulling out a neatly folded pile of clothes.

Lucas blinked. "Wait, you brought extra clothes?"

Nina nodded. "Of course."

"...For both of us?"

She shrugged, tossing a dry t-shirt at his chest. "Yeah. What, you thought I was just gonna walk back to camp looking like I took a dive off a cliff?"

Lucas caught the shirt, his fingers gripping the fabric as a question immediately popped into his head. "Okay, but why do you have men’s clothes?"

She froze for half a second, then rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?"

Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, smirking. "Depends. Should I be jealous?"

Nina let out a short laugh, clearly unimpressed. "Please. Like you’re the only guy I’ve ever talked to since we got stranded."

"Not making it sound any better."

"Shut up and change," she said, turning away from him.

Lucas smirked but didn’t push further. Instead, he took off his wet shirt and dried himself up with a towel, wringing it out before setting it aside.

The air was warm enough that it wasn’t uncomfortable, but it still felt good to know he wouldn’t have to spend the whole walk back soaking wet.

As he pulled the dry shirt over his head, he glanced at Nina, who was running her fingers through her hair, gathering it up into a ponytail.

And that’s when he noticed it.