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Sunshine, beach, sea breeze.
After roughly an hour of sailing, Bokue Keikain and Sayaka Kirasaka finally reached their destination.
It was a natural island in the Pacific Ocean. With an area no larger than a single Tokyo district, plus the lengthy sea voyage required to reach it and no way to build an airport, it remained undeveloped to this day, maintaining its pristine natural state.
"So this is the place."
Waves continuously washed against the speedboat's stern as Bokue leaped from the bow onto the sun-baked, scorching sand, surveying his surroundings.
A genuine primeval forest.
But—
No sooner had he spoken than several semicircular protrusions on the distant beach caught his eye as he turned his head.
As expected, though an undeveloped island, people had still set foot here before, leaving their marks.
These were beach bunkers made of reinforced concrete poured directly onto the sand. From the outside, they resembled enlarged macadamia nut shells—thick, hard hemispheres inverted over the beach. At about head height were horizontal slits through which one could observe the entire coastline from inside.
These were defensive structures from the last century, designed against beach landing operations. When attackers charged up the beach in landing craft with rifles and artillery, defenders hiding in the bunkers would fire outward through the seaward-facing slits.
But because of this history, these bunkers looked extremely weathered. Even the thick concrete walls showed extensive wear from years of sea wind erosion.
While Bokue was considering whether to explore them out of adventurous curiosity, a certain War Dancer girl had already taken the lead, brushing past him. Her high ponytail swishing, she headed toward the distant beach bunkers without looking back.
She waved dismissively over her shoulder.
"See? These bunkers can serve as shelter for the night. That's why I said supplies and equipment were completely unnecessary."
"..."
Though he couldn't see her face from behind, Bokue could clearly hear the irrepressible pride in the War Dancer girl's voice.
But using these beach bunkers—abandoned for who knows how many decades—as overnight shelter? Was she serious?
Setting aside the gaps that would let wind through, after all these years of sea and wind erosion, the bunker floors had probably rotted through completely.
Moreover, the seaside humidity meant that when temperatures dropped at night, the walls and floor would be covered in condensation—cold and damp. Starting a fire for warmth would turn the moisture into steam, creating a sauna.
From any angle, they looked completely uninhabitable...
Bokue shook his head internally.
Meanwhile, after about a minute, Sayaka—who'd gone to investigate the beach bunkers—returned after a quick survey, holding her chin thoughtfully as she walked and muttered.
"Seems Princess La Folia didn't land at this location."
"...What's wrong?"
Bokue hadn't caught her self-directed mumbling.
"Well, how should I put it."
Sayaka looked up at the youth, her train of thought interrupted.
"I thought since Princess La Folia escaped in a lifeboat, she'd at least leave some traces on the beach. But there's nothing here. Perhaps the Princess didn't land from this direction, but from somewhere else... uh..."
Her words cut off abruptly, as if suddenly realizing something. The War Dancer girl's mouth twitched, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! This was all wrong! How had she naturally started explaining things to this guy?
She'd just been touched by him twice in succession. Psychologically, she should be extremely repulsed, so why had she started conversing with him so soon after?
Could she already be... No, impossible, absolutely impossible!
Various blush-inducing speculations flashed through Sayaka's mind. She shook her head rapidly, forcing a fierce tone as she stomped her foot.
"Forget it! Why am I even telling you this? Anyway, Princess La Folia isn't in this area—that's all you need to know! The search and rescue has begun. You go that way, I'll go this way. If you find anything, return here to regroup. Even if you find nothing, you must return to this beach before five PM!"
Without giving Bokue any chance to respond, she clenched her small fists, turned, and left without looking back.
But not three seconds later, Sayaka automatically returned to stand before the youth again.
Bokue: "...What now?"
"..."
Sayaka stared at him wordlessly for a moment, then uncertainly threw out:
"You actually have abilities like teleportation and instant transmission, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
Bokue wasn't surprised the War Dancer girl brought this up.
After all, he'd teleported them from the bus stop directly to the dock earlier.
"So if you wanted, you could appear beside Yukina right now, correct?"
"You could say that."
"...I see."
As if receiving an answer she both wanted and didn't want, Sayaka took a deep breath, seeming to reach some internal resolution.
"I understand. I won't let you act alone. We must stay together."
"?"
"You're not allowed to object. After all, I brought you along to protect Yukina and Miss Nagisa. If you teleported back to Itogami Island while we're separated and did something to them, that would be disastrous."
Sayaka crossed her arms over her chest with an "I've seen through you completely" expression.
"So you must stay with me. I'll be watching you constantly."
"Oh really~"
Bokue was amused.
Though the War Dancer girl spoke with unwavering determination, given their power differential, even if he teleported away right in front of her, Sayaka would be completely helpless, wouldn't she?
Pat.
The sensation of skin contact came from his arm. Bokue made a questioning sound and looked down.
A girl's pale, slender hand was now tightly gripping his wrist.
The one grabbing him was naturally a certain War Dancer girl.
Sayaka's blush deepened, her voice trembling slightly from nervous tension. Her palm felt cool with a hint of moisture, her gaze drifting elsewhere evasively.
"A-anyway, give up. I won't give you any chance to escape."
Indeed, even with physical contact, she still felt no revulsion whatsoever.
What exactly... was going on?
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