The next morning, we arrived at the beach. Empty.
"Did we come too early?" Miyuki asked, looking around.
"Maybe," Ai said. "Aren't we a little too excited?" She laughed.
I looked at her. Our eyes met.
"Is that a problem?"
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Not at all."
We stood there, soaking in the quiet—the waves, clean sand, endless sea. Ai and I exchanged a grin, then pulled off our jackets, revealing our swimsuits proudly.
"Yay! Beach time!" she cheered.
Miyuki smiled awkwardly as we ran toward the water, laughing like kids.
"Hey! Hurry up!" Ai called back.
Miyuki chuckled and slipped off her kimono. She glanced at Tatsuya. "You're not coming?"
He gave a slight bow. "I'll stay here, Ojou-sama."
"Suit yourself," she muttered.
We played in the waves for a while before heading back to Tatsuya, who was still under the parasol.
"Phew... that was refreshing," Ai said, wiping her face. "Wait—I forgot sunscreen. I need to dry off first."
"That won't be a problem," Miyuki said, pulling out her CAD. "Hold still."
With a flick of her fingers, a spell cleaned and dried all of us instantly.
"So cool! Was that magic?" Ai asked, amazed.
"Just a simple one," Miyuki replied.
Note to self: learn that spell.
I sat under the parasol to rest, but Ai waved me over.
"Sasaki."
"What?"
"Do that thing."
"…What thing?"
"Put the cream on me."
The way she said it... definitely suspicious. But I got the message. Miyuki was asleep, Tatsuya wasn't paying attention, and—well—she did ask me. Not like I had much of a choice.
"Alright, turn around," I said, pulling off my jacket.
Ai's face went red. "W-What are you doing?!"
"It's hot. What did you think I was doing? Just turn around."
"Jeez… so mean." She lay down on her stomach.
I poured sunscreen into my hand and rubbed it between my palms before applying it to her back.
"Damn, this strap's in the way…"
"W-Wait!—kyaa!"
"Stop making weird noises. People will get the wrong idea."
She just nodded, ears bright red.
I untied her bikini strap and kept going. Her back tensed at first, but as time passed, her muscles started to relax. Gotta hand it to Alfread—his massage techniques are god-tier.
"Umm. You're… surprisingly good at this," she mumbled.
"An old guy named Alfread taught me. Kinda like a life skills master."
"Could've just said you didn't want to tell me—ahhh…"
"I said stop making noises, damn it!"
"I can't help it!"
I sighed. Props to Alfread. The guy really was a legend. By the time I was done, Ai had fallen asleep. I covered her with my jacket and sat back down.
That's when I noticed Tatsuya watching a group of guys walking toward us down the beach.
"You gotta relax, man," I said, tossing him a cold soda.
He caught it, nodding. "Thanks. I'm enjoying the scenery."
"That's not what I meant. Stop using Elemental Sight and chill."
His eyes widened. He turned sharply to face me, clearly alert now.
"How much do you know?"
"Relax. Ease up on the killing intent," I said, grinning. "Not much. But I could feel you scanning me earlier. I've got a sense for that kinda thing."
"Fair enough," He hummed. "I always keep an eye on people around my sister."
"So you really are her brother... Anyway, we can talk later. First, let's deal with those creeps."
Tatsuya stood. "Agreed."
And that was the start of a strange but solid bro moment.
No backstories. No speeches. No need to ask what kind of women we liked or the color of our Bugatti. Just a beach, some creeps, and two guys who didn't feel like letting it slide.
Sometimes, that's how it starts.
Sometimes, all it took was a cold soda and a beach brawl against a bunch of idiots who picked the wrong girls to mess with. No long story arc needed—sometimes, that's just how boys become friends.
---
I slid onto the deck just as the sun started its slow dive into the sea—gold bleeding into orange, then pink. Damn, Okinawa really knew how to put on a show.
"Miyuki-chan, did you get the shot?" Ai buzzed beside me, practically vibrating with excitement.
Miyuki shrugged, cheeks warm. "I… yeah."
Ai snatched the camera and went, "OHH!" Her grin was wide enough to swallow her face.
The screen displayed a ridiculous, almost blasphemous pose: Ai, arms wrapped behind my waist, mimicking the famed Titanic stance—reversed, chaotic, and undeniably stupid.
"Perfect! Thanks, Miyuki-chan. Hey, wanna try it with Tatsuya?" Ai waved the camera at Miyuki, who promptly turned fifty shades of red.
"W-What? No way!" Miyuki snapped, glaring right at me. "You player. Go die!"
I chuckled and turned back to the horizon. My chest tightened with that weird premonition again.
"Maybe we shouldn't have done that pose," I murmured. "Something feels… off."
Tatsuya, ever silent, caught the edge in my voice. "You sensing something?"
"Probably just my imagination," I lied, though my gut was doing flips.
CRACKLE– static burst from the radio.
"Mayday, mayday! Unidentified submarine detected in these waters!"
The chill that ran down my spine had nothing to do with sea spray. Everyone froze.
"A submarine?!" Miyuki's gasp was so loud seagulls scattered.
"Great Asian Alliance invasion?" Sakurai Honami's face blanched.
Panic rippled through the crew—everyone except Miya, Tatsuya, and me.
Ai tugged at my sleeve. "Sasaki, what's happening?"
I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, Ai. The world isn't as peaceful as you thought. But I've got your back."
She nodded, wide-eyed, as the boat's bow swung around. Bubbles fizzed up behind us.
"Torpedoes incoming!" the captain yelled.
"Without warning?!" Miyuki screeched.
Everyone tensed—except Tatsuya, who just stared, calm as a statue.
Miyuki's brain short-circuited. I could practically hear her thinking, No CAD? What the hell is he—
Before she could finish, the torpedoes halted mid-water, then poof—they literally unassembled, parts floating apart like a broken Lego set.
I let out a low whistle. "Impressive. Very nice."
Even the old salts on deck looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"The sub's changing course!" someone shouted.
"Cowards," Miya muttered.
Ice crept into my hair and along my cheek—my Hie Hie no Mi giving me that chill edge.
"Permission to capture them, ma'am?"
Miya stared, then cracked a grin. "You don't need permission. Go."
I leapt off the deck. CRACK! The sea beneath me froze into a crystalline platform.
Miyuki squeaked, "What's he doing now?"
Ai's voice trembled: "I… I don't know."
I knelt, palm pressed to the ice, senses flicking out like radar—Observation Haki sweeping through the depths. "They're diving," A cluster of auras, sinking fast.
I inhaled. "Ice Ball."
A torrent of frosty energy shot from my hand into the deep, rippling outward—BRRRT!—so hard the sailboat shuddered.
I stood back up, gave a casual wave. "Yay! Got them!"
Miyuki, Ai, Honami, and Miya just stared. Only Tatsuya's eyes glowed faintly—Elemental Sight picking up what was coming.
"Brace for impact!" he warned.
Moments later, a massive shape burst from the sea. The boat rocked, but Honami's barrier held.
"Lower the shield," Miya ordered. The glow faded.
Right in front of us floated a colossal iceberg—inside it, the submarine, frozen mid-dive like a fossil, propeller jutting out like a horn.
Deep silence.
"Did… he just trap a sub in ice?" someone whispered.
I strolled back across my ice bridge, hands in pockets. "Miya-san," I said, voice chill. "I've got the sub. Now what?"
She folded her arms, eyes glittering. "That was a Strategic-Class Spell, you know. The military, the government—the whole world—will want answers, young man."
I scratched the back of my head. "So… am I in trouble?"
She smirked. "Trouble? No. You are the trouble."
I let out a laugh that sounded a little hollow.
---
Night had fallen, and moonlight spilled across the ceiling like a faucet someone forgot to turn off—steady, silver, and uninvited.
As expected, the military eventually showed up at Miya's villa. All stiff collars and grave expressions, poking around the frozen war machine I left.
I couldn't really blame them. World War III had ended only recently in this world. Peace felt more like intermission—everyone catching their breath, already bracing for Act Two. The submarine, apparently, belonged to the Great Asian Alliance.
And, by total coincidence, ran into Miya's sailboat.
They hadn't expected resistance, let alone magic strong enough to freeze steel mid-missile launch.
So yeah… they were rattled.
I'd spooked them without even meaning to. But thanks to Maya—Miya's twin sister—my name stayed off the record. For now. Also, since I'd been talking to Maya virtually, I found out Miyuki's real identity, the Princess of the Yotsuba—one of the strongest clans among the Ten Master Clans.
Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling and murmured, "Should we go back to Tokyo…?"
War was coming. I have bad feeling about this.
Knock. Knock.
A soft knock at the door cut through my thoughts.
"Who?" I sat up.
"It's me."
The door opened, and she slipped in. Pajamas on. Eyes tired but bright. Her hair was slightly damp, probably from a shower she didn't finish drying from.
"I couldn't sleep," she said quietly, settling on the edge of my bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I really thought I was a goner back there."
"Hey," I said, shifting closer, "You're safe now."
She hugged her knees. "What you did… it was insane. Like… in a good and bad way. Thank you."
I shrugged. "Friends look out for each other."
"Friends, huh…" she echoed, voice tinged with something wistful. Her smile was crooked—bittersweet. "Don't tell me you're that oblivious."
I gave a half-grin. "I might be."
She laughed under her breath. But it faded too quickly. "Sometimes, I'm not even sure what's real anymore. Or what lies I've been telling myself just to feel okay."
I watched her quietly. The moonlight caught the shimmer in her eyes.
"Maybe that's what growing up is," I said. "Learning where the lies end and real life starts."
She hesitated, lips parting like she was weighing every word. Then:
"Sasaki… do you… not fancy me?"
That caught me off guard. "Huh? Where'd that come from?"
The air had changed. Like someone lowered the room's volume and left us in this fragile, breathless silence.
She looked away. "Never mind."
I sat up straighter. "Okay, no—wait. What are you trying to say?"
Then she looked at me. Dead serious. A faint tremble in her voice.
"…Do you... want to have sex with me?"
My brain short-circuited.