The two of them sat atop the flat stone. Seiun Sky's lips moved slowly, as if savoring the moment. She held that in her mouth, making soft gurgling sounds as she rinsed it again and again, only swallowing it down after a long while.
"Thank you for the meal."
After so long, she had finally vented all the frustration she'd been bottling up these past days. Watching the Trainer and Teio being so openly affectionate—on the surface, she'd shown no reaction at all, but inside, she'd been burning. Sooner or later, she'd decided, she was going to devour the Trainer completely.
And now, she finally had.
So what was the point of guarding him so tightly, Teio? In the end, hadn't Sky still gotten her hands on him?
Seiun Sky licked her lips, carefully cleaning the remnants from between her fingers.
Such a rich flavor.
Her expression was one of lingering satisfaction.
She lifted her head and opened her mouth.
"Trainer, ahhh—look, I ate it all up."
"Oh… y-yeah. Good job…"
"Heehee. Trainer, are you already hopelessly addicted to Aoi-chan?"
"A little, yeah."
"Trainer being this honest actually leaves Aoi-chan at a loss for words. Maybe next time we should put on a show right in front of Teio."
"That would destroy the whole team."
"I'm kidding~ Aoi-chan's not that malicious. Things like this are way more fun when they're done in secret."
Seiun Sky had clearly gained the effects of [Factor Inheritance] and [Stamina +10]—even without a UI, Kaito could tell.
Factor Inheritance.jpg.
"Trainer's been dyed with Aoi-chan's scent, and Aoi-chan's been dyed with Trainer's scent. We've both been dyed with each other's scent~." Seiun Sky flashed a V-sign with her fingers.
"Anyway, let's eat something proper. It's already past noon…"
"Aoi-chan's already eaten so much, and Trainer still wants me to eat more? That's really mean, you know."
"I mean real food. You made sandwiches? Salmon sandwiches… and what's this, milk?" Kaito rummaged through the tackle box she'd brought. Inside was their lunch.
"I couldn't bring anything too complicated out here, so I just made something simple." Seiun Sky stretched lazily. After all that exertion, she wanted to rest. Then she glanced at the fishing rod. "Hm? Wah—Trainer, the fish has been on the hook for ages. We didn't even notice."
Fishing was still the main objective today. What happened earlier was just an interlude.
Seiun Sky looked blissful when she reeled in the fish. She stowed it in the water tank and cast her line again. On Kaito's side, fish started biting one after another as well.
"Oh!" Feeling the tug on the rod, Kaito's eyes lit up. He pulled hard, hauling a big fish out of the pond. Watching its body twist midair, he shouted excitedly, "Sky, I got one!"
"Nice going, Trainer!"
She rushed over with the net.
The rest of the time, the two of them were constantly busy by the pond.
"A huge haul—this is really a huge haul today, Trainer. You don't often see fish gathering this close to the shore. Looks like it's going to rain soon."
"Huh? Rain?"
BOOM!
Without warning, a deafening clap of thunder exploded overhead. A fine drizzle began falling from the sky. Seiun Sky immediately started packing up the fishing gear and said, "Spoke too soon, Trainer. Let's go—this is why we should've checked the weather forecast."
As a veteran angler, Seiun Sky had simply been too eager to go out with the Trainer and forgotten all about it. Before the rain got any heavier, they needed to head back to Tracen—no, wait. The Trainer had said he didn't want to go back tonight. Then they could just find a hotel somewhere nearby.
In that case, there was no need to rush.
Seiun Sky slowed her pace.
"Why did you stop?"
"I suddenly feel like just enjoying the rain scenery for a bit."
"I think it's nice too—when you have an umbrella." Kaito grabbed her hand. "Come on, Sky. If you catch a cold from getting soaked, that'd be bad!"
Although Kaito was the one pulling her along, with an Uma Musume's leg strength, she could've been back ages ago. In truth, Kaito was the one slowing her down—but even so, Seiun Sky deliberately stayed just a step behind him.
When they finally burst out of the forest and the street came into view, the rain grew heavier, quickly soaking them both. Mud splashed onto Seiun Sky's slender legs, staining her thigh-high white socks.
Carrying several kilograms of fish, Kaito was panting hard. Luckily, there was an inn just ahead. He dragged Seiun Sky inside.
"One room, please."
"Certainly. A double room?"
"Yes."
"A double room…" Seiun Sky repeated softly.
Kaito turned his head and realized she was completely soaked. Her blue-green bangs clung to her cheeks, rainwater dripping from the tips of her hair. Her long lashes were wet too, refracting a beautiful halo of light under the lamps.
"With a bathroom."
"Understood."
After getting the key, Kaito led her upstairs. Outside, night had fully fallen. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and the rain only grew heavier.
Good thing they made it back quickly.
His phone rang—it was Teio calling. Seiun Sky snatched it away with lightning reflexes, hung up, and sent a message instead.
[I'm staying out tonight. Don't worry.]
Right up until the very end, Seiun Sky was still stealing from Teio's "home turf."
"Let's take a bath. There are yukata in the room."
"I knew you'd say that, Trainer." Seiun Sky slipped off her clothes, revealing her pale chest and smooth abdomen.
Turning sideways, she said, "Let's bathe together. You're soaked too, Trainer."
"I'll go in later."
"Oh my~ You're still worrying about propriety between men and women at a time like this? Isn't it a bit late for that? Or is Trainer already done for and doesn't want Aoi-chan to see? I was just teasing you a little, and you surrendered immediately."
"Hah? I just wanted to enjoy the sound of the rain. Since you're insisting, I won't hold back, Sky!"
"So scary~ what a small-fry Trainer."
"I'll show you who the small fry is!"
The two of them went into the bathroom.
By the time they came out, two hours had passed. Seiun Sky's skin glistened with moisture as she leaned against the utterly exhausted Kaito.
"Let's call this match a draw for now. Trainer, you idiot—how could you hit the cold-water switch?"
"Because you told me to lift you."
"And standing on tiptoe is exhausting! What were you even thinking, doing that in the bathroom?"
"I was too busy being mocked by you."
"Is that so? Aoi-chan already forgot~." Seiun Sky giggled.
"Then how about we make today a commemorative day for me and the Trainer?" Wrapped in a towel, she stretched her supple body and lay across Kaito's thighs. Droplets of water still clung to her blue-green hair.
"Sure."
But to Kaito, what made today worth commemorating wasn't holding Seiun Sky—it was the fishing. He'd felt a long-lost kind of joy, free of any extra thoughts.
He glanced at the clock.
"Trainer, what are you looking at?"
"My time might be running out… Today was really fun, Sky. Fishing was great…"
"Time?"
Click.
The second hand passed midnight, and the world turned black.
[Special Event: Fishing — Completed][Speed +3 | Power +2 | Guts +3]
When Kaito woke up again, he was back in his office.
On the desk sat a water tank, neatly filled with the fish they had caught.