The Second Day Aboard the Ship.
"Ah-wa-wa-wa—I'm really, really sorry about yesterday!"
Firefly, still in her pajamas, hadn't even bothered with her usual hair tie.
Barefoot, she rushed over to Sylvia, who was having breakfast.
Then, with a deep bow, her silver hair nearly swept right into Sylvia's face.
Firefly was both embarrassed and shocked—she'd never imagined her alcohol tolerance could be so poor.
The whole night had been a hazy, miserable blur!
And in her faint, fragmented memories, she seemed to recall clinging to Sylvia's tail, babbling all sorts of nonsense for who knows how long.
And that was just what she could barely remember. The parts she couldn't recall? Firefly didn't even dare imagine what might have happened.
Right now, she felt like she was about to die of embarrassment.
She'd only wanted to show Sylvia her cool bartending skills, so how had things ended up like this…?
Didn't Kafka say she could hold her liquor just fine?!
And even though she'd slept so little, how could she have gotten drunk just like that…?
Seeing Firefly too shy to even look at her, Sylvia reached out, took Firefly's clenched little hand, and gently pulled her down to sit.
"Feeling alright? I gave you some hangover medicine yesterday. Any discomfort?"
Seeming to have no strength at all, Firefly let herself be guided by Sylvia's hand and sat down beside her.
Her messy long hair looked like it hadn't been touched at all since she woke up.
"Mmm… I-I'm okay."
Firefly raised her free hand to fiddle with the bangs on her forehead, stealing a glance at Sylvia, who was looking at her with an amused smile.
"Then have something to eat first. You didn't get a chance to have dinner last night."
Sylvia pushed her own untouched breakfast in front of Firefly.
Then she stood up and moved behind Firefly.
Gathering Firefly's long hair in her hands, she began gently combing through it with her fingers.
The hair, slept on all night, was a little wavy, but thankfully still smooth without any tangles.
Firefly sat on the chair, head bowed, fists pressed on her knees, letting Sylvia handle her hair without a word.
This feeling was so strange.
Even lately, among the Stellaron Hunters—Silver Wolf went without saying, but even Kafka had never done something like this for Firefly, tending to her long hair.
For Firefly, this was also a first-time experience.
Embarrassing, but also… it made her heart feel warm.
Gradually, Firefly relaxed from her initial nervousness.
Her shoulders loosened, and a smile appeared on her face.
It was only then that the aroma of the breakfast placed before her finally caught Firefly's attention.
"Thank you… Sylvia."
Standing behind her, Sylvia saw Firefly gradually relax and start to eat, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Hearing Firefly's soft thanks, she casually ruffled Firefly's hair.
"It's nothing. Just take it easy and rest today."
After a pause, she added, "And… you really can't drink like you did yesterday from now on…"
Having two or three glasses to enjoy is fine, but you can't just guzzle it down like that.
Especially mixing different kinds of drinks—aren't you afraid of a stomachache?
"Mmm… I know."
With her mouth still full of breakfast, Firefly's face, which had just cooled down, instantly heated up again at Sylvia's admonition.
She really wanted to cover her face and escape reality.
Burying her head in her meal, she didn't dare look up at Sylvia.
After finishing with Firefly's hair, Sylvia, seeing how shy she was, decided not to say more, sparing the girl who seemed about to steam from embarrassment.
--+--
For the rest of the day, Firefly heeded Sylvia's morning advice.
She lazed about honestly on the sofa or idled around the rest area.
By the time the ship reached its target planet, the last bit of discomfort from her hangover had completely faded.
Her vitality fully restored.
"Ta-da! Look at this!"
Hearing the ship's broadcast mention they were about to land near the target island, Firefly eagerly pulled Sylvia along to the ship's changing room.
As the curtain of a booth was pulled aside, a rack filled with various swimsuits came into Sylvia's view.
"When the ship arrives, we can do a high dive into the waters near the island! Come on, Sylvia, let's do it!"
As she said this, Firefly pressed a button, and one wall of the changing room suddenly simulated the view of the waters around the island.
Sunshine, sandy beach, and crystal-clear seawater—it all looked incredibly inviting.
However, as the view zoomed out to the so-called 'high dive' project introduction, Sylvia realized this 'high' seemed a bit too high.
By her estimate, it was at least a hundred meters up.
Was this really an amusement activity?
"Sylvia, do I look good in this one?"
While Sylvia was still scrutinizing the activity details, Firefly had somehow already changed into a white and luminous green two-piece swimsuit.
The top had a perfectly placed cut-out design, allowing Sylvia a glimpse of a deep cleavage, while the bottom had adorable cords hanging down on either side of her thighs, looking particularly enticing.
Her slightly slender frame and overly pale skin gave Firefly a delicate, fragile air.
But her vibrant, full-of-life smile always made Sylvia overlook these aspects.
"You do look good… but why are you already changed?"
Sylvia openly admired Firefly's swimsuit, inwardly noting that her figure was indeed impressive.
"Well, I have to try it on in advance, right? Come on, Sylvia, you too!"
In her swimsuit, Firefly closed the distance in a few steps, grabbed Sylvia's hand, and pulled her toward the changing booth next door.
Unable to resist Firefly's enthusiasm, Sylvia also picked a swimsuit at random and changed into it.
Not long after, the ship arrived above the target waters and first deployed a jet ski.
Then it was time for Sylvia and Firefly to jump.
Standing at the open hatch, Sylvia looked out at the endless expanse of the sea.
The bright sunlight and blue sky almost made her feel like she was back on that planet from her past.
"Whoa—it still feels kinda high. Sylvia, ready? Let's jump!"
Firefly peered down excitedly. From over a hundred meters up, normal tourists probably wouldn't choose such a crazy height.
But neither Sylvia nor Firefly were normal, so a hundred-meter dive wasn't a big deal.
"Yeah, ready. 3—"
"2—"
"1—Let's go!" x2
Hand in hand, the two girls leaped from the hatch toward the ocean below.
But just as Sylvia was bathed in sunlight and falling with gravity, she suddenly realized something.
She sharply turned her head toward the excited Firefly and shouted:
"Firefly! Do you know how to swim—?"
"Huh? No, I don't—"
"…?"
Buffeted by the roaring wind, Sylvia stared at Firefly, her pupils shaking.
Her face was a picture of utter disbelief.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.