“BEACHTIMEEEE!!!” Nanaki leapt in excitement, slamming her bare feet into the waves pulling in and out along the sandy shore. It was only a matter of seconds until half her body was submerged in water.
Quickly following behind her were Fin, Tan J. Rene, Maria, and Yuna. Unfortunately for E-CAT, being made of paper, it feared the water for its life. The cat wasn’t aware of how it managed to come back every time, so entering uncharted territory was a no-go.
It was a moment of shock for nearly everyone at the dinner table, as they didn’t know the creature was capable of exercising restraint. Secretly, however, Yuna had constantly fed it misinformation and fearmongered to prevent it from coming.
Today of all days was crucial for her seduction plan for Fin, and she wasn’t going to let her familiar get in the way.
“Thanks for holding this nice party. It’s kinda crazy how you managed to reserve the entire beach for yourself,” Tan said, smiling ear to ear, referring to Yuna.
In response, Yuna flipped her hair confidently. “Hmph, of course. I’m the great Yuna Yuzu. There’s nothing in Flarenorice that’s beyond my grasp.”
Her eyes narrowed onto her primary target in the distance, who had already started setting up the grill. She and Maria were wearing long jackets to conceal their swimsuits. Though Maria wasn’t one to get shy over swimsuits, she wanted to save the reveal for when they were actually on site.
“Hey Finny!” she waved, readying herself to strip the moment he turned around. But before she could execute her plan, she felt a sudden stream of water shoot from behind her, sending her flying into the ocean.
“Hm?” Fin looked over his shoulder and was met with Maria’s blue swimsuit. It was a classic blue bikini with short frills along the edges. He had seen his crewmates in swimsuits various times, but something about Maria stood out to him.
“T-Thoughts…?” she asked, the sun hiding her blush.
“Ohhh! You look great!” Fin gave her a thumbs-up. Even though his reaction was quick and not what Maria would have liked, she still appreciated it nonetheless.
In the distance, Nanaki breathed heavily as she scribbled down their interaction into her notepad. She was wearing swimwear, so where did she even get her notepad in the first place?
Punishing her for throwing her off, another stream of water shot across the beach, landing squarely on Maria and sending her flying across the sand. The sudden action startled Fin, making him turn his gaze to the point of origin.
As if on cue, Yuna leapt out of the water, majestically swaying her head side to side, making sure each droplet highlighted her pristine swimsuit and body. Matching her hair, eyes, and overall aesthetic, she wore a golden yellow bikini.
Her chest and hips were especially emphasized due to the style of bikini she had deliberately chosen. It only took Tan one look for him to leap into the water, making sure nobody would see his reaction.
“What are your thoughts, Finny? And don’t give me a shallow response, tell me your honest thoughts!” she exclaimed, purposely motioning her upper body as much as she could.
“You look great too, Yuna! I can see you guys were really looking forward to this,” he grinned innocently. Internally, however, the cat’s words from the previous night echoed in his mind over and over again.
Leaping from the bushes like a feral animal, Maria attacked Yuna with as much ferocity as possible. They both tumbled in the sand, trying to gain dominance over the other.
“You stupid drill monkey, I’ve had it up to here with your idiocy!” Maria screeched, gripping Yuna’s hair and pulling as hard as she could. Placing her feet on Maria’s stomach, Yuna gave herself a strong push, sending her up into the air.
Of course, the pirate captain was no pushover, so she landed perfectly on the sand.
“You and your stupid cat keep flaunting your chest, I’m so sick of it!”
“What’s so good about them anyway? They just look ugly, they sag, and they make your shoulders feel stiff.”
“My,” Yuna smirked ominously, “I would ask if you know from experience, but it’s clear that you don’t.”
Compared to Yuna, Maria’s might as well have been non-existent.
“Even Finny likes mine more than yours. I think it’s about time you accept the truth.”
Before Maria could even reply, Fin stepped in between them. “I never said that, Yuna. Please don’t spread misinformation.”
His gaze then shifted from Yuna to Maria. “I think Maria’s is pretty cute too. I think it’s a bit unfair to compare the two when they each belong in different genres.”
Maria carried a smug expression, as if to claim her victory over the blonde tyrant. That small comment was all she needed to be satisfied for the rest of the day. However, the main event was just starting.
Grabbing a ball from the bundle of items they brought, everyone except Fin started working on setting up a makeshift court for a volleyball game. Thanks to Yuna’s abundant basement stash, everything they needed was readily available and required no purchases.
After approximately ten minutes, the court was all set and ready for gameplay. Seeing that the teams were uneven, Fin opted to focus on grilling meat instead, while everyone else played to settle the silly score between Yuna and Maria.
Drawing sticks, the teams were decided in a flash. Yuna and Tan versus Maria and Nanaki. In many ways, Maria felt like she drew the short end of the stick due to Nanaki’s naive, innocent, and young appearance. She already knew how strong Tan was in terms of raw intuition and strategy, and Yuna was no pushover either.
She let out a sigh of resignation, deciding it’d be best to simply have fun rather than try too hard. With an optimistic grin, she served the ball as high as possible, tossing it over to the opposing side.
Yuna immediately responded, using her forearm to toss the ball back into the air. Tan burst forward with explosive speed, kicking up immense amounts of sand behind him. He leapt upward and slammed down as hard as he could.
One could practically see the fire being produced from the air friction. To protect her teammate, Maria was the first to block the shot, tossing it back into the air. She expected Nanaki to return it with moderate force, but what she witnessed was beyond her expectations.
Contrary to her assumptions, Nanaki had spiked the ball so hard that not even Tan could perceive its speed. There was now a ball-sized crater in the sand. There was a brief moment of eye contact between Maria and Nanaki, coming to an agreement that they will secure victory.
Taking that as a sign to let loose, both sides unleashed their full strength. The ball no longer resembled a sports object, but a speeding projectile.
All the while, Fin hummed a tune he had heard somewhere in the city. The magical mark on his neck pulsed a light blue, conjuring a water shield to prevent excess sand from entering his vicinity. Normally, he tried to minimize his use of magic around Maria, seeing as it went against typical pirate code.
But currently, she was too busy to notice.
Points tallied up one by one, until nearly an hour and a half had passed. The sand they were standing on no longer existed, as their constant back-and-forth had dug the area deeper and deeper into the bedrock.
The net was all but gone at this point, and both teams lay sprawled on the ground, exhausted beyond reason. Poking his head down into the crater, Fin called them up to grab some food.
“Wait!” Maria exclaimed. “We still don’t know who won the volleyball game!”
“Hmmm,” Fin pondered. “I think you guys went even? I kinda lost track once you started digging into the ground.”
“But if I had to say, I think I saw Yuna score more.”
Yuna sprang up from the ground. “OOOOHOHOHOHOO! As expected from Finny, he knows a winner when he sees one.”
“Hey, he clearly said he wasn’t sure. It’s not a definite answer!” Maria shot back.
“Yeah, I’m not one hundred percent sure. But you guys should come eat before the meat gets cold.”
Like everything else, both Yuna and Maria leapt as high as they could, racing to see who could reach Fin’s side faster. Meanwhile, Tan and Nanaki were still sprawled on the ground, unable to move a single muscle.
Seeing he had no other choice, Fin went down into the crater to grab them. He dragged Tan by the collar with one hand and carried Nanaki like a sack of potatoes with the other. By the time he made it back up, Yuna and Maria were already well into eating the sausages he had grilled.
Upon regaining their composure, Nanaki and Tan quickly joined in. Standing in a circle around the grill, each of them became caught up in their own small, private conversations.
Yuna was talking to Tan. Maria watched in awe, as she never expected Yuna’s spoiled rich lady nature to clash with someone as loud and insensitive as Tan, but they were getting along surprisingly well.
Nanaki was too busy stuffing her face to join any conversation. Fin, who stood to her right, quietly ate his meal as well. Not because he didn’t want to talk, but simply because nobody had called out to him.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t participate.” Maria called out first, taking a sip of the alcohol they had brought. Juice for Nanaki, of course.
“Hm? I didn’t really mind at all.” he replied.
“I was just happy to see you having fun.”
Maria pulled her mouth to one side, wondering if he intentionally singled her out in his statement or if it was just coincidence.
“I see… I’m glad that made you happy.”
“Are you okay with that though? I feel like all we did was make you work.” she asked with a worried look.
“Yeah, I’m fine. You guys were looking forward to this, right? If you really think about it, I was just doing my job that Yuna requested from me.”
“Fin… I don’t think you need to take her that seriously. I’m sure you knew it was her way of getting you to come out today. I’m just saying, it wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world to have you join us.”
“We could have just grabbed a random person from the street to even out the teams or something.”
Fin raised his eyes to the sky, pondering Maria's words. Then he lowered his gaze to meet hers with a smile. “Maybe after we’re done eating, we can go do something out in the water. We’re all the way out here at the beach, but none of you besides Nanaki went in, right?”
“I went in!!!” Tan shouted, somehow catching their conversation. Then, a pair of hands gripped his face, pulling him back into Yuna’s attention. She tolerated most things, but getting interrupted and ignored was an unforgivable sin in her eyes.
“She sure has that Velion pride,” Fin commented.
“You’ve been to Velion?” Maria asked. Come to think of it, despite being stranded on an island together, they barely had time to catch up on even the basics, like where they had been over the last ten years.
“Nah, I haven’t been to the mainland. I know someone through my teacher, though. She’s just like Yuna, except a bit less nice.”
Maria questioned his choice of words. “Yuna? Nice?”
“Maybe we can go someday,” Fin went on. “I feel like it’d be a great trip. I heard that ever since the rulership changed fifteen years ago, it’s practically a completely different nation now.”
“I’d like to go,” Maria replied after a moment, “but what about our crews? We should start looking for them soon, and I don’t know how they’d feel if the two rival captains were going on vacation together.”
She meant that in all seriousness, but Fin chuckled.
“In that case, we should get into another ship battle. If we force ourselves to work together, surely our crews won’t mind.”
“I seeeeeee. You want to spend time with me that badly, huh?” A smirk curled across Maria’s face as she placed her right hand in front of her mouth.
But as usual, Fin didn’t give her the reaction she wanted.
“Of course I do. You’re someone special to me. It’d be even more weird if I didn’t want to.”
Maria’s shoulders sank as shyness overtook her, her face slowly growing hotter, and it wasn’t because of the sun’s harsh rays.
“Idiot,” she mumbled under her breath, taking the last bite of her food. As the grill’s flames crackled and the sounds of other conversations took over, Maria stood still, pushing herself to ask Fin a question she had been pondering since they reunited.
“Hey…” she sheepishly called out.
It was a risky one. She knew it was. If she wanted to know what he meant when he said “special,” she had to ask. Was it just as a childhood friend, or something more? Knowing him, he would most likely give his most honest, heartfelt answer.
Sure, she was scared of rejection, but the longer she let this linger, the more painful it would be later. Realistically, this wasn’t the time or place, but if she whispered it into his ear, maybe it would be okay.
Just as she turned her head, she felt Fin’s hand grip her wrist tightly. Before she could process what was happening, her body was pulled backward, tripping over a row of bushes and falling flat onto the grass.
When she opened her eyes, Fin was directly on top of her. His face, no, his entire body, was too close for her comfort. For once, she was thankful she didn’t have large breasts, or else they would be pressed against Fin’s chest.
If she could breathe, it surely would come out white. Her eyes stared into his, making eye contact that felt like an eternity. The rising heat that was once only exclusive to her face now spread throughout her body. His lips, glistening from the sea’s reflection of the sun, were all too captivating for her not to inch closer.
Swallowing hard, she told herself this was a clear indication of how he felt. And yet, it still felt too soon. All she wanted was to confirm their feelings verbally, but getting physical so quickly was something she didn’t want.
Yes, she wanted nothing more than to meet his lips, but she wanted it to happen in an appropriate setting, after proper buildup. Placing her hands on his chest, she whispered, careful not to let anyone else notice them in such a state. If Yuna were to notice, she would explode in frustration.
“F-Fin…” she stuttered, but before she could say another word, his hand hovered over her mouth, preventing her from speaking. Anything she said now would be muffled. This was too bold, even for someone like Fin.
“Shh… don’t speak right now,” he whispered back. Maria’s breathing grew faster and louder, unable to contain her overflowing emotions. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if actual steam started gushing out of her ears.
“Excuse me.” There was another voice from behind the bush, near the grill they had just been standing by. It belonged to a man, one she didn’t recognize. Based on the sound alone, she deduced he was most likely tall and older.
“Yes, how may I help you?” Yuna spoke clearly, putting on her dignified noble tone.
His next words widened her eyes in shock. Her breath hitched as the reality of their situation finally settled in. They had been enjoying life on Flarenorice so much that they had forgotten one crucial detail. The island was still part of the Velion Empire. Remote as it was, it still meant the government had jurisdiction over the archipelago.
“We’re from the Velion Navy. Have you seen either of these two outlaws?”
He held up two pieces of parchment. The bounty posters of Fin B. Orangg and Maria Lemonia.