"No—n‑no, that's not it!" Kaya waved her hands furiously at Uta's teasing.
"Hehe, you're still as cute as ever, Kaya." Uta set her cleaning tools down, patted Kaya's shoulder, and cautioned:
"But if you keep dawdling like this, by the time you finally decide, Arton will already have a whole crowd of women. Put in a little effort now and maybe—just maybe—you can still take third place."
With a grin she headed for the door.
"Th‑third place?" A puff of steam all but rose off Kaya's head. "Wait—Uta, where are you going?"
"Back to write songs." She waved without turning.
"What about this handkerchief?"
"Give it to Tashigi. And while you're at it, talk to her—it might help you make up your mind."
"M‑make up my mind? I—I—" Kaya's voice faded into a sigh; at last she walked toward Tashigi's cabin.
…
Tashigi's Cabin.
Knock‑knock
Tashigi, still a bit tense, opened the door. Her hair was damp; she'd clearly just bathed. "K‑Kaya?"
"I-Is Captain Arton here?" Kaya, equally flustered, peeked past her.
"N‑no. The captain's in his own room." Tashigi shook her head.
"Oh, I see…" Kaya exhaled—and silence fell. The two women stared at each other, neither sure what to say.
"Uh, Kaya… did you need something?" Tashigi finally ventured; though logically Kaya couldn't know what had happened, Tashigi still felt nervous.
"Th‑this… is for you. A keepsake." Kaya thrust the white handkerchief into her hands.
"A keepsake? What is—"
But Kaya was already dashing away, vanishing around the corner.
That's odd, Tashigi muttered, closing the door. She unfolded the cloth—and spotted the faint red stain.
"My… mine? That's the keepsake?"
"So Kaya knows about what happened between me and the captain? Wait—did I forget to clean up?"
Flushing head to toe, she remembered she'd left the training room uncleaned before dragging Arton away.
Oh no… If Kaya knows, then won't Nami and Carina know too? How will I face them?
Panicking, she opened her diary and pinged Uta.
…
[Tashigi: U‑Uta, d‑do you all know?]
[Uta: Know what, exactly?]
[Tashigi: You know what! Please, just tell me—I'm dying here!]
[Uta: Hehe, relax. Only Kaya and I went to the training room. I cleaned every trace of your "battle" with the captain. Nojiko, Nami, and Carina won't notice a thing.]
[Tashigi: R‑really? Thank goodness…]
[Uta: But you owe me, Tashigi. When Arton comes looking for me next time, you'd better team up—my stamina can't handle the captain alone.]
[Tashigi: I—]
[Uta: What, still shy after what you two already did?]
[Tashigi: N‑no, that's not it!]
[Uta: Then what? You've experienced it—you know it feels good. Why refuse? Wait—don't tell me you're worried about babies already?]
[Tashigi: No! I'm just… not used to sharing with other women…]
At that moment, Tashigi felt her whole being wrapped in the emotion called shame.
If Uta hadn't pressed so relentlessly, she might never have mustered the courage to answer.
[Uta: Oh, come on—it's just being together with others. Don't tell me your doujinshis never feature multiple women. And don't you want to see what it's like? I'm really curious whether reality plays out like in my stories—so many interesting things could happen.]
[Tashigi: …]
The corner of Tashigi's mouth twitched; she was speechless.
Yes, her own works included group scenes—but those were fiction. Merely watching such a scene made her blush to the roots. Enacting one with Uta and Arton in real life? Unthinkable—especially now that she knew how uninhibited Uta could be, and that Uta World let its owner alter clothes, scenery, anything at will. If she went in there, things she'd never dare imagine would surely happen.
She was about to refuse when Uta spoke first.
[Uta: Don't even think of turning me down. I cleaned up your "battlefield." If you refuse, I'll tell Carina and Nami you secretly ate the captain. Imagine their reaction—they might haul you off to serve Arton with them. Then it wouldn't be just the three of us; who knows what blush‑inducing plans those two would spring on you.]
Tashigi's eyes widened. Little devil… she muttered, pouting.
Suddenly she felt that, in the whole Flame‑Blade crew, only Kaya counted as "normal." Even Nojiko lost her cool around Arton.
At length she gave up.
[Tashigi: …Fine. I understand.]
[Uta: Great! No time like the present—let's go now.]
[Tashigi: N‑now?! Uta, the captain burned himself out keeping up the Reality Marble. He might not get up.]
[Uta: Not get up? Impossible. Use our advantages and there's no such thing. The captain's a healthy adult male. Remember what our doujins taught us—our bodies come with plenty of tools. If your mouth‑work is good enough, fatigue won't matter.]
[Tashigi: ?]
[Uta: What's with the question mark?]
[Tashigi: Uta, is your can't get up the same as my can't get up?]
[Uta: How is it different? We're talking about the captain's little brother, right?]
[Tashigi: …I meant the captain himself—he might not wake up.]
[Uta: Hehe, you're adorable. Of course I knew what you meant.]
[Tashigi: Uta, you—!]
[Uta: Don't be mad. Anyway, I still say we go now. Even if he doesn't wake, certain parts will. Good chance to polish your craft!]
[Tashigi: I'm tired, Uta. I need to rest first.]
[Uta: Question? Don't sleep—get up and be happy! I'm on my way.]
[Tashigi: Eh?! Wait—you're really coming?]
[Tashigi: Uta?]
[Tashigi: Uta, are you still there?]
Bang, bang, bang!
A rapid knock rattled Tashigi's door.
She jolted, unlocked it with stiff fingers, and pulled it open.
Uta stood there with a bright smile. "Come on, Tashigi—let's go play in the Uta World."
She pressed her palms together before her chest; a lilting song wrapped Tashigi in sound and light.
Blinding radiance forced her eyes shut. When she opened them again she was beside an expansive swimming pool—and her casual clothes were gone. In their place was a stunning, daring swimsuit that covered only what absolutely had to be covered.
...
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