“W- wow! What is this place!? I had no idea a cruise ship would be so big.” The girls from the house and I arrived at a tall, open hall with multiple floors. A huge chandelier illuminated the blue of the soft, carpeted floor. Many white pillars held up various sets of stairs and higher floors. Gold-colored railings and miscellaneous details stood out against the white base. “Incredible! It’s like we’re in a mall!” With no one else around, my voice echoed through the tall ship.

  “Look, Iroha!” Narumi ran around without a care in the world and slammed open every door she came across. “They even got a cinema in here! And a gym!”

  “Can’t you two act like normal people? You’re not children anymore! Act like it!” Carol tugged on my sleeve while complaining about me and Narumi. You got the wrong girl, though, Carol. I’m just taking a look around. Nothing wrong with that. Narumi’s the one running around like crazy.

  Today was Friday, and just like we had planned, it marked the start of our mission. As soon as school ended, Katja, Carol, and I got in a car, and Katja drove the five of us southeast.

  “It’s an impressive sight… Even I didn’t know a ship could be so big…” Right? Even Katja, who always takes things more seriously than the three of us, can’t help but be impressed. See, Carol? I’m not the problem here.

  “…” Huh? Why is she staring at me? Did Carol read my mind? Was I getting smug? Before Carol could say anything else, Katja clapped and focused us on the task at hand.

  “But let’s leave the gawking for later. Iroha, Carol, come here. And…” Katja took a deep breath before Narumi ran off. “Narumi! Get your ass over here now!” Narumi recoiled and actually sprinted back right away. Damn… Katja’s got that drill sergeant in her.

  Once everyone got closer, she continued. “We have a lot to do, so let’s split up like we agreed. Does everyone still remember what they’re supposed to do?”

  “Huh? We have things to do on vacation? I never agreed to anything.”

  “…” We all stared at her, and Narumi tilted her head, confused.

  “Vacation, huh…? That’s what you think this is…” Poor Katja shook her head in disbelief.

  “*Sigh…*” Carol shrugged. “Yeah. Good luck with that one. I’m out here.” She waved and walked off with a purpose. She’s not the type to forget her job.

  “You two are together, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Katja looked at me and Hecate before grabbing Narumi’s hand. “I’ll tell you what to do again, so accompany me for a second.”

  “…” Hecate and I were left behind as Katja took Narumi with her. “Not off to a great start, huh?”

  “It’s too early to cast judgment, Iroha.” Hecate had a smile on her face the whole time we’d been here. Her black dress spun gently as she turned to face me. “Narumi will do what she must even if she’s like that. No need for concern.” With one dark and one bright yellow eye, Hecate was a serious cutie when she smiled honestly. Too bad she’s hiding a demon most of the time. Some of her smiles send chills down my spine…

  “That’s good then. We gotta do our part too. The bridge is our first destination, right?” Hecate nodded. “Do you know the way there?”

  “There was a map together with the documentation. Did you not see it?”

  “I saw the map, but it was too complex, and I didn’t have the time to memorize it.” Hecate and I started walking towards some stairs.

  “That’s alright, I suppose. I imagine you didn’t have time to read the rest then?”

  “Not really… Ahahaha…”

  “I’ll give you a quick rundown. From what we know, the foul creature we’re looking for is perfectly capable of moving freely around the ship. One of the two victims was found in a changing room near the pool area, and the other in a bathroom on one of the higher floors. Then there’s the PSF soldier that got wounded. He was attacked during his sleep. Since we don’t know where this beast could be hiding, we have to look to check everywhere.”

  On our way to the bridge, we entered a surprisingly cozy hallway. Bright wooden walls and a fully carpeted floor that still smelled fresh. “I remember that part. But the full search is only tomorrow, right?”

  “Katja taught you well. That’s right. Today is more of a set-up day. We can take it easy, but since we have the time, we might as well check the most unlikely spots off the list. *Sigh…* If it weren’t for a monster hiding around somewhere, we’d be allowed to rest our weary souls. What a waste…”

  “Ahahaha… Are you actually tired, Hecate? I’ve never heard you complain even though you’re always busy around the House. I can take care of the search if you wanna take a break.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  We arrived at the door leading to the bridge. Hecate put a hand on the handle while scoffing at my worries. “Please, Iroha. I’m an elite. It would be unbecoming of me to dump my duties on my junior.” Hecate opened the door, and we went inside.

  “Seems clear… Unlucky…” The ship was anchored and wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. But it would have made our job easier if the monster was just there, sitting there behind the steering wheel.

  “Fufufufu… Everyone’s subject to whims of the fate, Iroha. Never expect fortune to be handed to you on a silver platter.” Hecate stepped forward, her heel clacking against the hard, metal floor. “Let’s take a look around. Keep an eye out for any scratches or dents you see. They may give us a clue about what we’re dealing with.

  I followed her lead and started investigating. The vibe of this place was different from that of the cruise. It wasn’t as spacious or as flashy, but the conditions weren’t bad. The machines were all very high-tech and there were a handful of high-quality chairs for the crew. The front side of the room was filled with windows, and we actually got a pretty nice view of the city from up here.

  “I don’t see anything. I think everything’s in good condition here.” Oh! These chairs spin nicely…

  “Don’t play with the chair just because there’s no one on board to tell you off.” That was my logic too, yet here you are doing just that. “I’m inclined to agree with you, though.” So that Hecate wouldn’t be too angry, I stopped the chair and sat down normally. Seems like she was fine with that, as she did exactly the same, only she chose the one that looked to be the captain’s chair. She’s having fun too, huh? “The crew was working until the ship was evacuated at Three Records. In this condition, I think it’s safe to assume no one’s been here since the ship docked.”

  “I guess we’re done here then?” Hecate thought while tapping her fingers on a machine. Her polished nails made a pretty sound.

  “We are. Let’s check with the others and see if we can help with their tasks.”

  The two of us got up at the same time and left the bridge. We headed towards the back, where Narumi was supposed to be. After walking for a couple of minutes, we passed through a glass door and arrived at a large outdoor pool. It really smells like the sea now that we’re outside. Now… where’s Narumi? She should be around here somewhere. Did something happen to her?

  I need to keep my guard up here. Miyuki predicted something would happen in a pool. I haven’t told the others yet, but my guess is that this is where we’ll find the monster. Probably in the water… In the pool…

  “Where is she? Do you see Narumi anywhere, Iroha? She better not be slacking…” Rather than a pool, it’d be more accurate to call this place a water park with multiple different types of pools. This area was big and busy enough that Narumi doesn’t stand out even without anyone else around.

  “No… I haven’t seen her…” Hecate swept the place with her head multiple times, but I couldn’t stop looking at the water. My sword’s ready… If anything suddenly jumps out, it’s dead! “Oh!” Then suddenly, something orange popped up between me and the pool. It’s Narumi’s head! She was lying down in one of the long beach chairs. “There she is.”

  “What’s she doing…?” Hecate followed my gaze and finally found our little friend. “What are you doing, Narumi?! Aren’t you supposed to be searching for clues?!”

  “Zzz…” When we got close to her, we saw her sleeping on her belly with a blue string swimsuit on. Wow… I wasn’t expecting such a nice sight all of a sudden. Did I call her ‘little’ earlier? I was wrong! Totally wrong! She’s as stacked as always! With a figure that nice, it’s no wonder that she’s bold enough to wear a swimsuit so sexy. “Ah…? Hecate? Good morning…” She absentmindedly rubbed her eyes while raising her head.

  “Don’t ‘good morning’ me! Why were you sleeping out here? We have a monster to track down. Wasn’t your job to look around the pool for clues?”

  “Yeah… Katja did say that, but… there wasn’t anything… and the weather was nice… and I got sleepy…” She rested her head on her arms like she was planning on drifting off to sleep again.

  “Wake up! Did you report back to anyone that you didn’t find anything? You can’t let your guard down until the creature’s eliminated. What were you thinking?”

  “You see, I thought I could stay here as a sort of lookout… Maybe bait it out of hiding by acting defenseless…”

  “Huh?” Narumi wasn’t thinking about what she was saying, as always, and she hit a nerve. “Using yourself as bait?” Hecate’s tone became creepy, and she started speaking faster. “Get serious, Narumi. You’re talking about your life—your well-being. What would you do if you got hurt? We’re a safety-first group. Our members aren’t allowed to get hurt on my watch. Have you forgotten about that? Do I need to teach you everything all over again?”

  “Guhh!” Narumi continued lying down, but her eyes were wide open. Hecate’s scary mode woke her up right away. “I- I said act defenseless, Hecate. I wasn’t really defenseless… I was paying attention, I swear.”

  “Oh yeah, and what’s the swimsuit for? Where did you even get that?”

  “I borrowed one…” Narumi pointed to a door with a ‘Rentals’ sign over it. “The swimsuit is just to make things fair! It’s not fair that Carol and Iroha are the only ones who got to go on a vacation! I want a vacation too.”

  “It wasn’t a vacation, we were training-” I tried to explain, but Narumi interrupted.

  “Shut up, Iroha! It’s unfair! Unfair!” She suddenly thrust a white bottle my way. “Put sunscreen on me. You got to rest, so you have to make up with extra work!” Ehh? She shoved the sunscreen onto my hands and lay back down. I get to touch her all I want? I mean, she wants me to spread sunscreen on her back? Seriously?

  “Stop acting spoiled, Narumi. And don’t take it out on Iroha. If you just want someone to spread sunscreen on your back, I can take care of that.” Hecate gracefully pulled her sleeves slightly back.

  “No! Iroha’s gotta do it! It’s only fair! You stay out of this, Hecate!”

  Without reaction, Hecate backed off and turned to the pool. “Alright… I’ll let Iroha take care of it then. Since you’ve finished the work you were assigned, I’ll let you take a rest for now.”

  “Really? Hehehe… I knew you’d understand, Hecate… Now, Iroha, get to work!”

  “Yessir!” I quickly spread sunscreen on both hands and reached for Narumi’s back. Wow… Her skin’s so soft, but there’s a nice spring to it. Is she more toned than she looks? It’s not easy to tell by looking at her, but you can definitely feel it. “How is it?”

  “Hmmm…” She said with a grave voice. “You’re doing good, soldier, but you’re not done yet. Keep it up!”

  “Understood!” If only she knew how much I’m enjoying this… She doesn’t know, right? I finished taking care of the top part and moved onto the lower back. Guhhh… It’s gonna be over soon… I could go for her sides next… I could get away with poking her boobs a little. Or the legs… Her plump butt could use some sunscreen as well…

  “I’m done, Narumi.” In the end, I decided against doing anything else. She only asked me to spread some sunscreen. I don’t wanna take advantage of her.

  “Thank you~ Now I can sleep in peace…”

  “Don’t get too relaxed, or you’ll get in trouble with Hecate again…” Narumi didn’t pay too much attention and laid her head down. Hecate was still staring in the pool’s direction. Looking up at a jumping board and moving her head like she was trying to find something. “Hecate?”

  *Boing~*

  A sudden noise caught our attention. Did someone just jump into the pool? In an instant, Hecate burst forward while staring at the sky. Where’s the monster? I can’t see anything! The sun was too blinding to say for sure, but it really doesn’t seem like anything’s in the air. Hecate’s too focused on the air to pay attention to where she’s going. At this rate, she’s gonna fall into the pool. That’s too dangerous!

  “Watch out!” Agility Burst!

  “Huh?” Hecate barely had time to react before my arms were around her waist. I pulled her back with all my might and stopped her momentum.

  *Splash!!*

  Whew… Hecate’s safe… I’m the one in danger. I forced my eyes open despite the slight sting of the water and grabbed my sword while floating sideways. Where are you…? Which side are you going to attack from? The cold yet refreshing feeling permeated my skin, but I ignored it to focus on my target.

  “…” Any moment now…

  …

  Nothing?! Wasn’t there supposed to be a monster here? “Brblrlbblr!!!” Breathing! I almost forgot! Gotta get back to the surface! “Bwuah!!”

  “Iroha! Are you alright? I thought you were drowning.” I held onto the edge of the pool with my other hand still on my sword. Where’s the enemy…?

  “I’m fine! What about you?” Hecate looked fine at a glance. I had to focus on the water and couldn’t get a proper look.

  “Thanks to you. Come on, let’s get you out of there.” Hecate reached for my hand and helped me out of the pool. Now! If I were the monster, now’s when I’d attack!

  “Eh?” Hecate finished pulling me up, and nothing attacked me. What the hell? There’s nothing there? Really? Was Miyuki wrong? *Sighh…* Did I get drenched for nothing?