Reincarnated on a Deserted Island Episode 1: "I Reincarnated and It Was Seriously a Deserted Island"

When I woke up, there was an unfamiliar sky.
A blue, very blue sky. A perfect blue without a single cloud. And what I could hear were the sounds of waves and the chirping of birds.
"...Huh?"
Eri Tanaka (27), a scenario writer at a game company, I hurriedly sat up.
Where am I? And why am I sleeping on a sandy beach?

"Um... yesterday, I'm pretty sure I missed the last train again because of revision hell..."
The moment I tried to remember, the memories came flooding back. Section Chief Yamada had said that line again.
"Tanaka-san, about this scenario, can't you make the heroine cuter after all? Also, the protagonist's motivation is weak, so add a setting where their family dies. Fix it by tomorrow."
A scenario I had spent three weeks refining, completely rejected in just five minutes. And having the family die, how cliché can you get? But if I resisted, I'd be treated as "unmotivated."
"Why am I going through this..."
Thinking that, I suddenly looked at my own hands and was speechless.
"Huh? Haaah?"
These aren't my hands. Hands this white, slender, and youthful are not my hands. I hurriedly peered into a puddle, and there was the face of an unfamiliar beautiful girl.
A beautiful girl around 18 years old, as if she had jumped out of an anime. Long eyelashes, glowing skin, a perfect beauty from every angle.
"No way... is this me?"
"Wait a minute, wait, wait!"
I was panicking all by myself on the sandy beach.
"Reincarnation? Is this what they call otherworld reincarnation? But this isn't another world, it looks just like Earth!"
Looking around, there was indeed a beautiful sandy beach, a blue sea, and a lush forest. But there wasn't a single modern building to be seen. There were things that looked like palm trees growing, making it exactly like a tropical beach.

"Could it be... a deserted island?"

The moment that possibility crossed my mind, my instincts as a modern person kicked in.
"Smartphone! Where's my smartphone?"
I searched my pockets. None. In the first place, I don't even have pockets. What I'm wearing is some kind of white cloth garment I don't recognize, and it's torn in places.
"What about GPS? Wi-Fi? 4G connection?"
Naturally, there's nothing. I haven't gone a single day without a smartphone in years.
"Google Maps! If I ask Google-sensei..."
Reconfirming that I had nothing in my hands, I had no choice but to accept reality.
"Seriously... seriously a deserted island..."
"For now, let's organize the situation."
I sat down on the sandy beach and tried to calm down. I tried to trace my memories from before the reincarnation.

That night, having missed the last train, I ended up spending the night at the office. Like always, I intended to take a nap at my desk and go home first thing in the morning. But I was so tired...
"Could it be, death from overwork?"
I don't want to think I died in such a pathetic way, but it's highly likely. I had been living a life of working until the last train every day, working weekends, and not getting proper meals or sleep for three years.
"Uh, reincarnation checklist..."
I counted on my fingers.
"Became a beautiful girl, check. On a deserted island, check. Zero modern civilization, check. Survival knowledge..."
My hand stopped at the last item.

"Survival knowledge... zero. Absolutely zero."
I was stunned. My survival knowledge amounted to "buying cup noodles at a convenience store," "ordering preserved food on Amazon," and "ordering food via Uber Eats."
"Fire... start it with a lighter? No lighter."
"Water... turn the faucet? No faucet."
"Food... take it out of the fridge? No fridge."
"Toilet..."
Here I realized a major problem.
"Toilet... none."
This was an emergency.
When I stood up and checked my body, an even bigger problem was discovered.

"Waaaaah!"
The white cloth I'm wearing was more torn than I imagined. Especially around the chest and thighs, it was in a dangerous state.
"It's going to show! It's going to show!"
I hurriedly covered myself with my hands, but then I suddenly looked around.
"...Oh, I'm alone."
There's no one here. Obviously, since it's a deserted island.
"Ah, but embarrassing things are still embarrassing, right?"
For now, I tied the torn parts and managed to fix my appearance. But I was very anxious that the tears would widen every time I moved.
"Clothes... what should I do? There's no Shimamura or Uniqlo here..."
And then an unavoidable problem occurred.

"Toilet... need to go."
I went deep into the forest to find a suitable bush. The forest was deeper than I thought, with giant ferns and flowers I'd never seen before blooming. I could hear birds chirping, and small animals would occasionally dash through the grass.
"Is that a squirrel? Or a different animal?"
But for a modern person like me, using the toilet outdoors was nothing but terrifying.
"What if someone sees me..."
Even though I'm alone, for some reason, I feel like someone is watching me.
"Toilet paper..."
Naturally, none.
"Leaves? Do I use leaves? Which leaves? What if they're poisonous?"
In the end, I chose the largest leaf that looked the safest and finished my business, but as expected, my skin started to sting.
"I got a rash... definitely got a rash..."
My butt is itchy and painful. But there's nothing I can do.
"What about Oronine? Muhi?"
Of course, none.
The next thing I was concerned about was inside my mouth.
"Brushing teeth... haven't done it."
My mouth feels sticky. Usually, I'd feel refreshed with a toothbrush and toothpaste, but I have nothing.
"Toothbrush?"
None.
"Toothpaste?"
None.
"At least mouthwash?"
As if.
I had no choice but to rinse my mouth with seawater, but it was just salty and didn't feel refreshing at all.
"Ugh, salty..."
I tried rubbing my teeth with my finger, but it was far from the refreshing feeling of a toothbrush.
"There's no one here so it doesn't matter, but it's still gross..."

Just when I was in despair, I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my palm.
"Hm? What's this?"
As I stared at my palm, a small flame was flickering and floating there. At first, I thought I was seeing things, but a flame was definitely coming out. A strange sensation that was warm, but not too hot.
"Eeeeeh! Fire! Fire is coming out!"
I hurriedly shook my hand, and the flame went out. But when I concentrated again, the flame appeared.
"Magic? Is it seriously magic?"
I was excited. With this, life will be easier! If I can use fire, I can cook, it'll be bright at night, and I'll be okay even if it's cold!
"Alright! I'll become a magic master!"
But how do I use it? I knew it came out when I concentrated, but I didn't know how to control the size or intensity.
"Uh, burn, burn?"
I tried giving instructions with words, but there was no particular change.
"Fireball!"
I tried chanting a spell from an RPG game, but still no change.
"Hmm, is it about feelings?"
When I thought about wanting to be warm, the flame got a little bigger. When I thought about wanting to make it bright, the color of the flame changed.
"Oh, I'm starting to get it."
Getting carried away, I decided to try various things with magic.
"First, let's dry my hair."
After washing my body in the sea, my hair was wet and uncomfortable. If I use magic instead of a hair dryer, it'll be perfect.
"Hiyah!"
I brought the flame in my palm close to my hair. Imagining drying my hair with warm air...
"Waaaaaaah!"
The flame became larger than expected and hit my hair directly.
"It's burning! My hair is burning!"
I hurriedly jumped into the sea to extinguish it. Looking at the water surface that served as a mirror, a miserable figure was reflected.
Half of my bangs were burnt, and my forehead was completely exposed. And my eyebrows were caught in the crossfire, with one side gone.
"No way... even though I'm a beautiful girl..."
Tears came out. I finally reincarnated as a beautiful girl, but this ruins it.
"Magic is... dangerous..."
But I can't give up. Because magic is my only weapon.
"Let's practice with a weaker flame."
This time, I'll try making a really small flame. About the size of a match flame. This should be safe.
I tried lighting a tree branch. It worked. But when I tried to adjust the strength of the flame, it got big again.
"Controlling it is hard..."
I tried practicing many times, but I couldn't control it as I wanted. I thought magic would be easier than this.
"If I concentrate too much it gets big, and if I relax too much it goes out..."
It seems like an exquisite balance is needed. But I can't grasp that balance.

Since nothing will be solved just by crying, I decided to look for food for now.
"There must be fruit or something, right?"
I entered the forest and started exploring. The forest was bigger than I thought, and various plants were growing. Large ferns, colorful flowers, mushrooms I'd never seen.
"Is this a poisonous mushroom? Or an edible one?"
I can't tell. I feel like I might have heard my mother say something, but was it "poisonous mushrooms are flashy colors"? Or "dull colors"?
"I can't remember..."
After walking for a while, I discovered fruit that looked like bananas. Since it was growing on a tree, it was probably fruit.
"What if it's poisonous..."
But I was hungry, so I tried eating just a little of what looked the safest. It was sweet and delicious.
"This seems okay."
But one piece didn't satisfy my hunger at all. When I looked for more, I found fruit that looked like oranges. This was also sweet and sour and delicious.
"I guess I've secured some fruit for now."

But I also need protein.
"Let's catch fish."
I headed to the sea and executed a plan to catch fish.
"How do you catch fish with your bare hands again?"
I feel like I've seen it on TV, but I've never actually done it. Colorful fish are swimming in the transparent seawater.
"Beautiful... but I have to catch them."
"Hiyah!"
I reached out my hand toward the fish in the sea.
Naturally, the fish swam away quickly.
"Ah, it got away."
I tried many times, but I couldn't catch any fish at all. On the contrary, I ended up soaking wet from the splashing water.
"Are fish... this fast?"
I thought about whether I could immobilize the fish with magic, but I can only use fire magic, so it's pointless. Or rather, it would be a disaster if I used fire magic in the sea.
"Boil water with magic and boil the fish?"
But I don't think I can make that much hot water. I need to practice magic.

While I was at it, since I was soaking wet, I decided to wash my body in the sea.
"At least I have to keep clean."
But with seawater, it's not like soap or shampoo. Even if I wash my hair with salt water, it feels kind of stiff.
"I want to use conditioner..."
Besides, even if it's the sea, it's embarrassing to wash my body.
"Even though there's no one here, why am I embarrassed?"
Looking at my own figure reflected in the transparent seawater, my cheeks turned red. My 18-year-old body is clearly different from when I was 27. The firmness of the skin, the beauty of the body lines. But that makes it even more embarrassing.
"A getup like this... I could never show this to anyone."
But since I'm alone, it's fine. Thinking that, I washed my body thoroughly.
Coming out of the sea and putting my torn clothes back on, I think.
"Underwear... I want some."
I never knew the concept of underwear was this important.
I decided to explore the island a little more. From the sandy beach to the forest, from the forest to the rocky area. The island is bigger than I thought, and it doesn't look like I can go around the whole thing in one day.

In the rocky area, I discovered crabs and shellfish.
"Maybe I can catch these."
I reached out to a small crab, but this also ran away quickly.
"Crabs are fast too..."
But since shellfish don't move, I was able to pick up a few.
"Eat them raw? It's better to cook them, right?"
I used magic to light a fire and tried grilling the shellfish. It was surprisingly delicious.
"Magic is coming in handy."
Little by little, I've also started to understand how to use magic. To burn for a long time with a weak fire, you have to be relaxed but not lose focus. When you need a strong fire, put your emotions into it all at once.
"If I practice more, I might improve."

Evening came, and the problem of where to sleep tonight surfaced.
"Hotel... none."
"House... none."
"Bed... none."
"At least a futon... none."
In the end, I decided to lay leaves on the sandy beach and make a makeshift bed. I gathered a lot of large leaves in the forest and stacked them to be as soft as possible.
"Sleeping outdoors... my first time sleeping outdoors in my life."
But the sandy beach was colder than I thought, and leaves alone weren't warm at all.
"Blanket... I want one."
Besides, when it gets dark, scary sounds start coming. The sound of insects, the sound of something moving, the sound of the wind. Everything felt terrifying.
"Electricity... I want some."
"TV... I want one."
"Air conditioner... I want one."
I felt the benefits of modern civilization deep in my bones.
I tried making a small flame with magic to use as a light. I felt a little relieved, but it's tiring because I have to keep concentrating the whole time.
"I have to practice magic to make light too."
Watching the sea as the sun set, I looked back on today.
"My hair burned, I couldn't catch fish, my butt is chafed..."
It was a disastrous day.

"But... I didn't die."
That alone might be a miracle. Because a modern person with zero survival knowledge survived one day.
"Tomorrow... I'll do a little better."
I found out I can use magic, and I found edible fruit. It's not perfect, but I secured a place to sleep.
"I'll just get used to it little by little, right?"
Watching the sunset, I thought about that. It was a beautiful sunset. Since when was the last time I watched the sunset so slowly?
"If I were at the company, this is a view I'd never be able to see."
Thinking about the days of overtime hell, I started to feel like this deserted island life wasn't so bad. At least there are no unreasonable revision requests.
"I don't have to see Section Chief Yamada's face anymore..."
That alone might have made the reincarnation worth it.
"Well, I guess I'll manage."
That was my catchphrase. Today, too, I end the day with those words.
At night, while lying on my bed of leaves, I was organizing the day's events.
"Reincarnation, it really exists..."
I still had feelings of disbelief, but this youthful body and the flame coming from my palm told the reality.
"Magic... I'll practice a little more. But this time, carefully."
I smile bitterly while touching my burnt hair. Tomorrow, I'll try using magic more safely.

"What should I do tomorrow? Build a house? Look for more food?"
While I was thinking, the sound of the waves started to sound like a lullaby.
"Surprisingly... it might not be bad."
Thinking that at the end, I entered my first night of sleeping outdoors.
Tomorrow, too, I'm sure I'll manage.
With that groundless conviction in my heart.
The next morning, I woke up to the chirping of birds. And from across the sea, I discovered something approaching.
"Is that... a person?"
Finally, an encounter with the second inhabitant!