"So the seabed survey has once again detected an abnormal Catastrophe aura?"
Tsukiyomi Fuya listened to the report from the researcher beside her. "Did the armored equipment pick up anything?"
As expected.
Ordinary seabed television cameras and survey equipment simply could not capture the source of the Catastrophe aura.
This was one of the important reasons why Imperial Capital University and Keigunen Private Academy chose to bring the girls along.
Aside from training the girls—giving them combat experience against treacherous environments under relatively safe conditions—there was another very important point: within a Catastrophe Domain, much of the normal equipment simply could not operate.
In such circumstances, the human eye was often the best equipment of all.
If Tsukiyomi Fuya were ever to meet Feng Ke, she would probably marvel that someone could be so wildly imaginative as to create an Aberrant that practically served as a mobile filming device.
And then... she would also understand why the conversation and battle between Little Yuzu and that Aberrant back then could have been recorded so clearly.
She might even want to borrow Feng Ke for a bit.
But unfortunately~~~ the Ishikawa family was now keeping a very close watch on Feng Ke.
It wasn't that they were wary of her because of her identity as a girl Aberrant—on the contrary... it was because of the earlier Event involving Zero and Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, something the Ishikawa family could not tolerate happening again.
So they protected Feng Ke a little more tightly.
Fortunately, apart from being unable to meet Miss Yuzu, Feng Ke was still very obedient.
Auntie Asumi had also made a promise with Feng Ke.
Once she finished learning how to disguise herself, how to adapt to human society, and mastered the etiquette of human society, she would take her to Keigunen Private Academy to find Miss Yuzu.
Tsukiyomi Fuya set down the half-grilled giant squid in her hand.
It was bigger than the squid sold at night on the academy's commercial street—something Tsukiyomi Fuya had carefully picked out from the catch she'd hauled in on the side aboard the academy's survey ship... to grill for Little Yuzu.
It was simply because Tsukiyomi Fuya herself didn't like eating seafood.
Her interest in seafood was nowhere near as intense as her interest in Feeding Little Yuzu.
Mm... that was all.
Tsukiyomi Fuya analyzed the situation.
If this had been the past, she would probably have urged the girls to dive back into the water.
Or she'd have Akiyama Yo dive down to survey the area, or have Soga Yura try to see whether she could spy out anything.
But Tsukiyomi Fuya recalled the urgency on Little Yuzu's face earlier on the deck... when she'd given Sakura mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Expressionless, Tsukiyomi Fuya flipped the squid over.
"Deploy some more armored probes.
"Don't send anyone into the water for now."
"Also, don't tell Akiyama-sensei about this..." Tsukiyomi Fuya was a little worried that Akiyama Yo would volunteer to dive down. She believed in Yuzu's premonition.
After all... the girl had even foreseen that there was a mole on the side... the side... of Akiyama-sensei's breast.
Judging by Akiyama-sensei's bashful reaction at the time, Yuzu must have hit the mark.
Tsukiyomi Fuya chose to believe.
[But...]
The woman's gaze grew hazy. [Has Little Yuzu... ever foreseen anything about me?]
Imagining the bashful way Little Yuzu would look at lewd pictures of her, Tsukiyomi Fuya inexplicably felt the tips of her ears grow slightly warm.
[Probably not.]
[And besides, that sort of thing... if Little Yuzu wanted to see it, she'd have already sneaked a look last night.]
"Understood—" the researcher nodded to show she understood.
Just then, the door onto the deck was suddenly pushed open.
Tsukiyomi Fuya saw Yuzu clinging to Soga Yura's arm, all but shoving Soga Yura along as they stepped onto the deck.
The sight of two girls—strikingly alike in appearance yet subtly different in figure—pressing and nuzzling together was truly a feast for the eyes.
For a moment, Tsukiyomi Fuya felt she understood what some of her other students meant when they said they'd... 'shipped it.'
But—
Compared to watching the girl cling and snuggle up to Soga Yura,
Tsukiyomi Fuya seemed to prefer that well-behaved girl who curled up in her arms, holding her hand, holding her star.
She watched Su Yuzu rest her chin on Soga Yura's shoulder and break into a big smile at her.
"Tsukiyomi-senpai~~~" Even the little rabbit had already started calling Tsukiyomi Fuya "sensei."
But... Su Yuzu still stubbornly called Tsukiyomi Fuya "senpai."
"Yuzu, you've come at just the right time~" Tsukiyomi Fuya rose from the grill.
Honestly, the image of a serene beauty like Tsukiyomi Fuya standing before a grill was truly bizarre.
Su Yuzu always felt that a gorgeous big sister like Tsukiyomi Fuya ought to be sitting at a piano instead.
As for... what senpai would wear while sitting at the piano.
That would depend on what was inside senpai's Favorability Gifts.
If all else failed~
The little rabbit's Favorability Gifts didn't seem entirely out of the question to make do with, either.
Just imagining that scene, Yuzu suddenly felt herself getting all worked up, and the arms wrapped around Soga Yura tightened.
Flustered as she was, Soga Yura had no idea just how awkward the situation was for her right now.
She even took hold of Yuzu's hand.
"Come see how this squid is~ I grilled it especially for Yuzu."
[So Tsukiyomi-senpai was actually sitting at the grill for my sake?] With her eyes shimmering and watery, Su Yuzu was instantly overcome with a delighted feeling.
She let go of Soga Yura, whom she'd been clinging to all this while, switching instead to holding Soga Yura's hand, then stepped forward and took the thick wooden skewer from Tsukiyomi Fuya's hand.
Su Yuzu took a small bite.
"How is it?" Tsukiyomi Fuya awaited the girl's verdict.
She saw Yuzu's eyes seem to light up all at once. "It's delicious!"
"As long as it's delicious." Tsukiyomi Fuya wiped her hands clean and, propping her chin on one hand, gazed at the girl. She loved the pleasure that Feeding the girl brought her.
But... with Tsukiyomi Fuya pleased, Soga Yura was none too happy.
"I... I grilled something for Yuzu too!" Soga Yura scrambled off to the side in a panic and picked up a tentacle-like stingray tail that looked like it was already on the verge of being burnt.
Cold sweat beaded on Su Yuzu's forehead.
It wasn't because of Soga Yura's cooking—rather... it was as though she could see a familiar tragedy about to play out all over again.
"Senpai, senpai! I grilled eel for you too, senpai! It's really tasty!"
"Yuzu... what do you like to eat?" Unohana Chiyo—who had transformed from a lonely battlefield ghost into a domestic housewife—had gone so far as to fill an entire grill.
Su Yuzu already wanted to flee.
She instinctively took half a step back, only for a hand to steady her shoulder.
Su Yuzu stiffly turned her head, just in time to catch Sakura Mai's wicked, vengeful grin.
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, you have unlocked a new achievement: Scene Recreation.]
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, you have unlocked a new achievement: Keeping a Foot in * Boats.]
She didn't know if it was her imagination, but Yuzu couldn't shake the feeling that the familiar mechanical woman's voice in her ears carried a slightly malicious tone.
"Nooo!!!"
"Yamete!!!"
____
________________________________________
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉