The next morning.
Whether in his previous life or this one, Makoto was accustomed to waking up early.
In his previous life as a failing online novel writer, he woke up early because he felt his inspiration was best in the morning.
In this life, he was used to early morning exercise.
His usual morning workout partner, Yotsuba, couldn't get up because she had been too enthusiastic and expended too much energy the day before.
Yu was also gone.
And among the women who hadn't yet reached that stage with him, few woke up early today… probably because they had exhausted themselves last night.
So today, Makoto was the only one who woke up early.
He came to the deck and stretched his limbs.
The surrounding seawater had become very dark. The Otherworlder-Go, encased in the Susanoo armor, was sinking deeper.
Tok, tok, tok.
Makoto twisted his waist and was just about to warm up when he suddenly heard the sound of chopping from the kitchen.
Makoto paused for a moment, then pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen.
Then, what came into view was a cascade of golden hair that reached her buttocks.
A small curl of hair sticking up on each side like elf ears revealed her identity.
Nakiri Erina.
"Erina, why are you so early..."
Makoto was about to walk up and greet her.
However, as he reached Erina's side—
He froze.
There was no helping it.
When you see a girl cooking wearing nothing but an apron, you'd make the same face.
Because Erina's long hair had almost completely covered her back, Makoto hadn't noticed at first.
Now that he walked over and looked, the scene was indeed a bit too stimulating.
The front of the apron barely covered the critical areas.
Large expanses of snow-white skin were exposed under the morning light. The lines of her shoulder blades were as beautiful as artwork.
Looking from the side, that curve...
Makoto's eyelids twitched.
Erina's fair face had turned almost as red as a boiling kettle.
She didn't look back. The kitchen knife in her hand was still chopping something, but the rhythm of her chopping had clearly gone awry.
"Do... don't stare."
Erina's voice was as small as a mosquito's.
Makoto snapped out of it.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
"D-do you like it?"
Erina's voice carried a hint of stubbornness.
If male crew members like Yu and the Four Gay Bros were still on the ship, she would never have dared to do this.
But now, the only male on the entire ship was Makoto.
That guy Beam, under Hisako's persuasion yesterday, had already headed to Fish-Man Island ahead of time.
So finally, Erina had made up her mind to do this.
She had had enough.
She was tired of Alice showing off every day about how happy she was every single night.
"All those days gone by... do you still remember?"
Erina put down the kitchen knife, turned around, and looked at him with resentful eyes.
"It's been almost fifteen years..."
Makoto scratched his head awkwardly.
In fact, he really didn't remember.
The main problem was that there were too many women... he couldn't keep track of everyone.
Seeing the expression on his face, Erina knew that this bastard had completely forgotten.
The princess of the Nakiri Family's eyes reddened slightly. She pressed her lips together but ultimately said nothing.
She just turned around in a huff and continued chopping vegetables.
But the hand holding the kitchen knife trembled slightly.
Makoto looked at her back and was silent for a moment.
Then, he stepped forward.
From behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Erina's body stiffened for a moment.
The kitchen knife stopped in mid-air.
"Then let's get to it quickly, shall we?"
Makoto asked.
Erina didn't answer.
She just put down the kitchen knife, turned around, and looked at him with those red-rimmed eyes.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes.
After more than ten years, the two embraced and kissed again.
Erina's arms hooked around Makoto's neck, and she pressed her entire body against him.
Beneath the apron, her body was soft and scalding hot.
Makoto scooped Erina up in one motion.
The apron's strings had come loose during the movement, and the white fabric slid down, revealing the unblemished skin beneath, without any covering.
He carried her, ready to walk towards the kitchen door.
However, after just a few steps—
"Go to Alice's room."
Erina whispered in his ear.
Makoto's footsteps paused.
"...You two are definitely sisters."
Erina buried her face in the crook of his neck and said nothing.
But a faint, barely perceptible hint of smugness hung at the corner of her mouth.
Erina's first time did not cause much of a stir on the ship.
On one hand, the soundproofing on the Otherworlder-Go was indeed very good… Erina's voice alone was ultimately limited.
Secondly, most of the women on the ship had expended too much energy yesterday. When Makoto was making his final push with Erina, most of them were still deep in sleep.
Finally, as the broadcast from the various rooms on the ship announced Erina's voice calling everyone to come eat breakfast, all the women woke from their slumber.
Some rubbed their eyes, some yawned.
But when they saw the time on the wall clock—
"Ah?! It's already this late?!"
Yukiko was the first to shriek, her beautiful eyes wide open.
Kayoko also looked regretful, holding a hairbrush and sighing at the mirror.
The members of the MILF Group were all annoyed one after another… if they had known, they wouldn't have used their own hands last night. Waking up, they had already missed their appointed time with Makoto.
The reactions of the younger women's group varied.
Some teased their friends about their performance last night, while others savored the aftertaste.
Only Nayuta, holding Pochita, was the first to arrive in the dining hall. There was still a faint, barely noticeable smile at the corner of her mouth, which surprised Makoto a bit.
'This girl had been throwing a tantrum for the past few days. Why was she suddenly in such a good mood?'
In the dining hall, Alice was doing what she loved most every day as usual… teasing her cousin.
"How was your sleep last night, all alone?"
Alice walked up to Erina with a smile, emphasizing the words 'all alone', her eyes curving into two crescent moons.
In the past, Erina would have been furious at her cousin, either ignoring her with a cold face or snapping back, then wearing a sour expression all day.
But this time—
Erina showed a brilliant smile.
"Pretty good."
Alice's smile froze on her face.
She blinked and just stood there dumbfounded, then watched her cousin turn around and continue serving food to everyone, her smile still brilliant.
"Th-this isn't right..."
Alice murmured to herself.