Fantasy Stellar ARMOR Satellizer (Ranix Aurus & Admiral19)

[Ranix Aurus]

"Hmm... I see... I see..." Seiichiro went into contemplative mood as he wandered around the lab muttering eldritch scientific jargons.

"I guess that's that. So... Hotaru should stay here. It would be safer this way," what Akira didn't need to say was that he would stay as well. Where Hotaru go, he would go. Thankfully Mochizuki Industries didn't seem to cop out on their spending for the laboratory; everything looked clean and sleek, fitting for long-term stay.

Hotaru hugged Kanae's arm all of the sudden, rubbing her soft cheeks like a spoiled kitten. "Kanae is staying with me," she declared.

 

[Admiral19]

"Yeah, that's for the best, I think," Kanae said, "no way they're not gonna try to find my house after I gave them my name. I don't want them knocking on my door like a salesman."

Kanae laughed when Hotaru immediately went to nuzzle up on her arm. "Ah, there-there, Firefly, I wasn't gonna leave you here! I thought you knew that!" She pulled Hotaru into a hug. "That settles it: set aside a room for me and my adorable kitty, if ya'll would!"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"...There should be enough room for all of us, why do you need to sleep together-"

"I don't mind," Shiori walked in at an opportune moment, cutting Akira's disapproval short. She dropped a stack of cards on the table, enough for everyone. "Here you go. You can use these cards to access any rooms in this facility, except for the ultra-secret-prohibited-area, of course."

"Thanks, Shiori!" Seiichiro flashed her a goofy smile as he brushed past her to take a card.

"No problem," she replied cooly, but if one looked careful enough, they might notice a tinge of blush on her cheeks...

---

The next few days passed without any fanfare.

Mochizuki Industries indeed had a lot of money. The facility was well-stocked with food and drinks, and entertainment options were aplenty. Home theatre, game room, lounge... Mikawa once blurted out his doubt whether these amenities were necessary for a research lab, to which Shiori dryly replied,

"They're not. I just want them. Anyway my brother is the one paying so why should I worry?"

...Must be nice to come from a rich family. Then again, this research lab was indeed important for Mochizuki Industries' lucrative patents, so the investment was indeed justified. Somewhat.

Seiichiro was busy in the lab all day and night. With proper equipments, he was finally showing his merit as a researcher. His primary focus at the moment was what he called the de-monsterification formula. Shiori had taken a break from her proper job to assist him along with Akira, whose background of Biotechnology studies turned useful for the occassion. Meanwhile Mikawa, the virtually unemployed, was drafted to handle menial tasks.

Hotaru... was being the usual hermit. Aside from tailing Kanae around or dropping by the lab to get her samples taken, she mostly stayed in her room, playing with her phones or surfing the internet.

"...She's really going to grow mushroom at this rate," Akira commented to Kanae at some point.

 

[Admiral19]

"Yeah..." Kanae's noticed that Hotaru's somehow gotten more stationary since they've arrived. But they couldn't necessarily go out, either; what if something attacked them?

She put a hand on her chin in thought. "Mmm...well, maybe we'll be fine if we go out, then?"

Anticipating an objection from Akira, Kanae continued. "Think about this; if this organization was really all that bad, that Rui person would have come here to kill all of us and take our medallions. I'm not saying I trust them, but there's no way they'd be off to do something right now, of all times. We can take the opportunity to go out and do something fun! Right?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Still, I... hmm... you have a point," Akira rubbed his chin in deep ponder. She was right. If OLYMPUS, or whatever their "enemy" was supposed to be, was as evil as Uncle had made them to be, they would had had yet another fight under their belt. But so far the only real threat was from that strange man in a trench coat, and from Shouji. Shouji, whom that Rui fellow had disowned from their little merry gang of villains. So... maybe it wasn't that bad?

"I mean, you can transform. I can, too!" he proudly showed off his wristband. He hadn't showed it yet because a lot of things had happened, but Akira was just as much a transforming hero enthusiast as Kanae. Being able to transform into one was really a great boon. He unconsciously mimicked a pose he had seen in those shows, with one arm crossed over his chest diagonally while the other pulled into a fist on his side.

But realistically, nobody wanted to actually duke it out with monsters. Transforming was cool, but fighting? Now that was debatable.

"I guess we should be fine if we just go out for a little bit. Shouji was being quiet as well."

The guy was locked in a room without much resistance. He spent his days laying on bed, his meals barely touched. It seemed that getting kicked out of his group had broken his spirit.

 

[Admiral19]

"Well, yeah! Worse comes to worse, we can just get into a fight." Kanae had half a mind to ask Akira how he managed to get the Gemini medallion to respond to him, but he knew about as much as everyone else did, so there's no real point in asking. "I just think we could stand to get Firefly out in some air, put some color back on her face."

But what should they do...hm.

"Hey!" Kanae thumped a fist into her hand. "There's an aquarium not far from the station. We could head there for the day, walk around, see all the animals!" What's more, one of their first excursions as a friend group had been an aquarium, and although the one Kanae was thinking of wasn't quite the same one, but it'd be somewhere nice to go!

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Put some color... my good friend, I think she's born that way," Akira pondered. "But sure, whatever you say."

He wasn't sure if Hotaru enjoyed seeing marine life, but he was sure that Hotaru enjoyed Kanae's presence, so an aquarium, or a zoo, or mount Fuji, they were all the same. He couldn't fault that, as he wasn't any better. Taking the lead to the residential area, he stopped right before his sister's -and Kanae's- bedroom and gave it a knock.

The door slid open slightly, and a frowning face peeked out from behind.

"We're going to the aquarium. You coming?" He asked, as if getting her to come out wasn't the main goal of this operation.

"Nnnh..." the lazy kitten inside deepened her frown.

"Kanae's coming," Akira added.

"I'm going, I'm going," her attitude immediately turned a hundred and eighty as she slammed the door open.

 

[Admiral19]

"That's the spirit!" Kanae gave Hotaru a smile as she opened the door. "Trust me, you're not gonna regret making the trip."

One of the ways the trio could tell that they arrived at the aquarium was a smallish fountain out front, with a bronze electric eel spewing water from its mouth as its centerpiece. Once, Kanae saw the centerpiece from across the street, and that was one of the only times Kanae hid behind Hotaru when she saw something scary. It was adorable and embarrassing to remember at the same time.

Well, no more; now Kanae could simply throw coins at the fountain and wish for all sorts of things, like for a penguin to waddle up to Hotaru and for them to just play about.

Above the sign for the aquarium was an electric banner, bright blue, showing off all the creatures that they could expect to see. "Alriiiight..." Kanae smiled. "Since I'm such a graceful host"—she did a mock bow in front of the siblings—"I have even decided to pay for tickets in advance! Feel free to compliment me en mass~!"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The siblings clapped their hands halfheartedly to humor the day's host. Theatrics were normal when Kanae's present, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Their friend had never given them a dull day.

Now that they were out in public, Akira looked like he wanted to hold hands with Kanae, but reluctant to do so. The spirit is willing but the body remains weak, so to speak. Instead, Hotaru was the one who seized the chance to cling to the girl. She even shot her brother a knowing grin, exerting her superiority in this regard. The brother had a stiff smile on his face. Calm down, calm down, getting Hotaru out of the house was their real goal. This was part of the plan. Stick to it, Akira Tanaka...

"Where do you want to go, Kanae?" Hotaru looked left and right. She couldn't tell which fish was which when they looked and sized similarly. Akira could, part of the package in his study, but couldn't care less if it's not on their dinner table.

"Let's go somewhere less crowded. Maybe the underwater tunnel?" Akira suggested. He gave Kanae and Hotaru each a copy of the pamphlet in his hand.

 

[Admiral19]

"Underwater tunnel sounds cool..." Kanae took a studious look over her pamphlet as if deciphering an ancient scroll. "There's also the dolphin pool and shark area...and then there's the seabirds..."

Akira's internal conflict seemed to be completely lost on Kanae; she was the sort to get lost in her own musings, the sort to ponder for ages how everyone could have as good a time as possible. Oftentimes, she succeeds, even. In her own words, she considered herself "a genius, but only for dumb things", though that was her greatly diminishing the thoughts and ideas she could come up with.

Case in point: Kanae seemed to have found the most optimal aquatic excursion in her head in the space of a minute. "Ok. So, I think we should catch the closest dolphin show so that we're not scrambling trying to view it later in the day. We head a few meters away from that to the feeding area, then from there we make a big circle clockwise so that we can end by walking through the underwater tunnel and straight on to the gift shop!"

She nodded to herself, a confirmation of her line of thought. "How's that sound to everyone else?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"I'll go where Kanae go," Hotaru murmured a confirmation.

Having the vote going 2 to 1, Akira had no objection either. "Then, we're going to the dolphin show first..." He pointed at a direction shown by the pamphlet. The show was held in its own building, encircled on one side by the seating area. They were right on time, with the next showing about to start in less than half an hour.

The aquarium was starting to get crowded, so Akira had to push his way past the sea of people, hoping that the gap was enough for the other two to get through.

Hotaru was humming some improvised tune. She disliked being amidst this many people usually, but it didn't matter much as long as she was with Kanae. She clung happily to her as the dense crowd nudged them back and forth.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae was glad that she was able to help Hotaru through the crowds of people; it's never been easy to get her out in the first place, and even harder to get her to go somewhere if there was the chance of a gigantic crowd. Kanae muttered the occasional pardon and excuse as she and Hotaru moved to a seat next to them, finally managing to grab a couple of seats beside Akira.

"This dolphin show better be good," Kanae joked, "considering we had to wade through a sea of our own. You feeling alright still, Hotaru?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Hotaru nodded at her. The seats were filling up all around them, showing the popularity of the show. People of all age were paying attention as the trainers entered the enclosure and started their customary explanation of the stars of the show.

"Do you know that Iru-chan here loves herrings the most? She'll come rushing the moment she sees them. Iru-chan, here's your fish!"

The trainer throw a fish into the air, and the dolphin immediately jumped out of the water, effortlessly catching the fish in its snout. Her energetic move splashed water all over the audience, prompting amazed screams and chuckles.

---

At the underground base, the researchers had created their latest breakthrough.

Alfred's team had finally stabilized the compound required to jumpstart the devolution of human genes -what Seiichiro referred to as "monsterification"- resulting in, hopefully, a more stable strain of creature that wouldn't mindlessly rampage like their previous experiments. All they had to do was testing it out. However, the random assortments of people they kidnapped off the streets, the rejects of society and people down on their luck, would no longer suffice. Tests had determined that not all humans were compatible with this compound. Rather than wasting their limited number of available serums, it would be better to take only those they were sure would be compatible.

It wasn't difficult to borrow OLYMPUS's influence in order to acquire medical data of the citizens, hardly right under the eyes of the law, but legality was a question that nobody here would bother to ask. They had come this far, and nothing would stop them from reaching their goals.

Alfred made his way to the lounge area to see whether any of the medallion holders were available. Some of their targets were quite renown in public, and thus having the holders standing by during the operations would do well as an insurance.

 

[Admiral19]

Fortunately, Aina was in the lounge. Unfortunately, she was the only one in the lounge. Where Rui and Aoi were right now was anyone's guess, but of the three of them, Aina was the most experienced...she would do just fine.

"Alfred." Aina regarded the butler with a nod of her head. "Do you need me for something?"

Foolish question; Alfred only ever came down here to ask something of whatever wielder was here. It wasn't a matter of if she was needed, but for what.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Alfred placed a suitcase on the metallic table. It let out a crisp clang as the lid swung open with a flick of his finger. Inside, protected by a thick layer of cushion, was a set of syringe filled with clear, shimmering liquid. It was similar to the one that Shouji had commandeered before, but there was something different about them. They were the latest iteration of their experiment, and the finest one yet.

"This is a stable version of the Jotunn serum. We have eliminated many problems within its composition. Hopefully, this time we will prevent cell deteriorations from taking place."

It was the defects of the previous versions that caused the monsters to go berserk. Nobody need a bio-organic weapon that they couldn't control. What they strived for were something beyond creating uncontrollable wild beasts.

"Unfortunately, that means we will require more stringent qualifications for our future test runs," the butler patted the suitcase with an almost loving gesture. "Only a select few are compatible with this serums. We have determined their identities based on the national medical records."

Obtained illegally, of course. Such was the power that Aesir held thanks to their connection with OLYMPUS.

He placed four photographs on the table. Three men and one women. All of them of varying looks and ages.

"We will not have you Holders dirty your hands for something this trite. Our field ops will deal with the acquisition of the test subjects. However, I would implore you to escort them from a safe distance, and provide assistance if necessary. Especially if that person dared to interfere."

He didn't say who it was, but surely a certain someone would come to mind. She who was playing hero without knowing the real stakes at hand.

 

[Admiral19]

Aina was unsurprised; she had hypothesized to Alfred before that a person's compatibility with the Jotunn serum may rely on the overall health of the person in question. So naturally, to test that, they'd need to go out and find proper subjects.

That said, they needed to be wary of her. Aina, though she hasn't seen her as of yet, knew of the Leo girl. A child playing with toys, treating this like it was some kind of game, some kind of hero show. This sort of power wasn't a toy, nor was it something to flaunt about like a badge.

"Of course. I can handle it." She couldn't rely on Aoi to assist her in this; too bold, too brash, would complain the whole way about how they should just grab the people and go. Rui was far more reliable, but Aina hasn't seen them, not since they returned to speak with the Kaiserin. That left her in charge of handling the escorts. That's just fine.

That said, one of the faces Alfred had laid out was...hm. A man with a mop of dull gray hair and a stubby scruff of a beard; she didn't recognize the man by himself. But it was a fairly recent photo, taken wearing a certain pin on his collar: a pin with the logo of OLYMPUS.

She didn't call it out, but still...interesting.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Alfred gave the woman in front of him another look-over. Among the Holders, Aina was the most stable. His confidence regarding the mission would be set in place if she was in charge.

"Understood. Then, as per usual, I will leave the details at your discretion. Fulfill it well, and you will achieve great deed for the Kaiserin."

Then, as if remembering something, his gaze turned a few degrees colder.

"I will need you to keep watch on the Holder of Cancer."

He pushed his glasses up slightly.

"That kid is too emotional --too attached. Their relation with the former holder of Gemini was starting to get problematic. I don't understand why the Kaiserin let them wander off unsupervised like that. That's why a corrective measure was necessary. You are the most fitting for this task. I have great hopes in you."

 

[Admiral19]

"I understand." Aina was actually just about to mention Rui. Cutting off Shouji had to be rough on them... and that was exactly the problem. Shouji wasn't doing them any favors by being in Aesir; even beyond the messes he made in the warehouse and the city, he's been constantly held back by his medallion and his horrid temper. Necessary evils are par for the course when you're trying to take hold of power, and dropping Shouji was going to help them in the long run.

Rui probably wasn't going to be back in the lounge for a good while. Aina wondered what they were thinking. She also wondered what this "corrective measure" was.

---

The Kaiserin watched the beast in the test room, studying it alongside two other scientists. This beast in particular was an owl-like creature, covered in deep black feathers, screaming in a terrible mixture of birdlike screeches and humanlike yells. Despite this, it seemed that the beast was doing this of its own free will, violently lamenting its circumstances, ramming itself into the walls to try and put itself out of its misery.

Beside her was Rui, watching the beast with a pained expression.

"What do you two make of this?" Kaiserin addressed the scientists. "You said that this subject could be compatible with a medallion as well?"

Rui's plan had failed; there was no two ways about it. Aesir was still where it was, with only Virgo and Libra to their names. So, if they wanted to get the other medallions, they'd have to turn up the heat. Aoi had hypothesized once that those that were possibly compatible with a medallion could be more receptive to the Jotunn serum...from what it seemed here, however...

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"The Kaiserin hasn't given her order. However, it is imperative for us to take initiatives in order to ensure that the Kaiserin's great ideals will come to fruition. No matter how great the cost."

Alfred turned around, showing a lonesome back to Aina.

"The human called Shouji will be eliminated. Sooner or later. He's too much of a loose end. Even if he know nothing about us, his very presence is a threat to Aesir. This is not an order, but if in the future you have the chance to perform this corrective measure..."

He let his words trailed off in the end before making his way out of the cafeteria.

---

"Y-Yes, my Kaiserin," the scientists replied with stutters. They could count the number of their encounter with this enigmatic leader with their fingers, so her presence alone was enough to bring them to their knees.

She was simply... different. No wonder their head scientist was so devoted to her cause.

"To be exact, Head Scientist Alfred had told us that any human who is compatible with the medallions will be compatible with the Jotunn serum as well. Based in this conjencture, we have a high hope that the opposite would work."

They eyed the monster trapped within the test room with a clinical gaze. The fact that it was once a human didn't seem to faze them even a bit. They were scientists, and this was a test subject. That was all there was to it.

"However, as you can see, attaching the ARMOR system, which was built specifically for human genotypes, into this test subject was impossible. They don't seem to be able to extract the energy of the medallions themselves. One idea that we have been entertaining as of late was to devolve them back into human... although that come with its own set of problems. Instability, for one."

 

[Admiral19]

The Kaiserin clicked her tongue. "I see."

"Ahm, my Kaiserin..."

Everyone's eyes turned to Rui, who prior to this had not said a single word.

"If you can't attach the ARMOR system to the subject once it's transformed, then...what if the subject uses the serum as they were using the ARMOR?" The hand in their pants pocket tightly grasped their medallion.

The Kaiserin raised a brow.

"Explain."

Rui cleared their throat. "The last time I used my finisher, the ARMOR system detected my strain and deactivated. No matter how many times one can use a finisher, the moment that strain is detected, it turns off. But...what if we could override that? What if, using the Jotunn serum, we could keep the armor working and make it more powerful?"

The Kaiserin's face gradually changed throughout Rui's explanation, slowly going from skeptical to intrigued.

"Interesting! Although, if we want to learn if this theory is true, Rui..." She trailed off. Rui was a smart person; they should know what's expected of them.

And indeed they did. "I'm willing to help you test it."

Behind them all, the beast screeched again.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"That's... an interesting proposal..." The scientists looked at each other with sparks in their eyes. They quickly flipped through the data in their tablets. Indeed, they hadn't thought of this possibilities yet, mostly due to safety issues. Perhaps they had been too complacent? No wonder they hadn't been progressing as of lately.

At that moment, the blast door slid open, accompanied by an audible click.

"Ah, head scientist!" The scientists exclaimed.

Alfred made his way inside with his usual stoic expression. Only a flicker of emotion flashed on his face upon seeing the Kaiserin, whom he immediately greeted with a deep bow. "Glory to the Kaiserin," he declared before walking closer to the obversation window. A sense of disgust filled him at the sight of the rampaging monster. Yet another Eldriari... a failure. Even though this one was so close. It seemed that this base was too unstable, unless-

"I've overheard your discussion," he turned his attention back to the topic at hand. "The Finisher system utilizes the medallion's true power with the price of the user's vitality. The strain detection module was added to the ARMOR system by its designers to prevent the unfortunate event of the user perishing during usage. However, the Jotunn and the medallions intrinsically suppresses each other. In other words..."

He pushed up his glasses.

"...Injecting the Jotunn serum into a compatible vessel while wearing the ARMOR system would grant them improvements all across the board, while suppressing the serum from taking over their humanity. The problem is that we will be walking on a tight rope, metaphorically speaking. The medallion's power drawn by the ARMOR system could only suppress the serum so much. If you overused it, the serum will finally turn you into a Jotunn, ejecting the ARMOR system and, in turn, the medallion. While the benefit is great, the risk is equally as dangerous. Are you willing to bear that?"

Alfred coldly stared at Rui, as if challenging them.

 

[Admiral19]

Rui flinched when the door opened behind them, revealing Alfred walking in. Ah. Of all people, he was the last one Rui wanted to see right now, but this was a matter concerning the Jotunn serum, so of course he'd arrive. They didn't need to hear his warning either; there was gonna be risks to using the serum to override the ARMOR system, because of course there were! It's putting more strain on the human body than could reasonably be taken! And Rui, of the three of the wielders, was the most flexible, but the weakest of them(though not nearly as weak as Shouji was).

If Rui didn't know any better, they'd mistake Alfred's question for an expression of concern. But Alfred, just like the Kaiserin, just like everyone else here, didn't express concern for tools. If they were to make themselves useful, then they had to push down their own humanity. They couldn't be selfish.

"If it's me trying to serve the Kaiserin, then the benefits always outweigh the cost."

The Kaiserin placed a hand on Rui's shoulder(they felt a slight spark of pride, felt the slightest affirmation that this would all be worth it). "Good to hear, Rui. As always, Alfred will be spearheading this project; when you are not being sent out, you'll be left in his care for the sake of testing. Have Aina and Aoi been training you properly?"

"Yes...for the most part." There have occasionally been days where Aoi was meant to train them and chose to...well, skip out. They were expressly told not to rat Aoi out about it, and so they wouldn't, but...well, it's not snitching if the staff end up questioning her themselves, right?

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Yes, my liege!" Alfred replied his affirmation immediately, followed by the two scientiest at the side.

They had seen the development of the Jotunn serum with their own eyes from its inception. They had certainly noticed the effect it had on a human being. It wasn't just about turning into monster; the Jotunn serum was breaking down humans in their genetic level, forcing a destructive regrowth of skeletons, organs, body tissues... it was a miracle that they had managed to reach this far. The number of subjects who had lost their lives... not to mention the pain accompanying this excruciating process...

The two sneaked a glance at Rui. Such a young child. At least they had selected only dregs of society before, rejects who wouldn't be missed by anyone. It was better for them to sacrifice themselves for the sake of humanity, but this child? Was it... worth the cost-

"Do not concern yourself with useless thoughts," Alfred's chilling whisper brought them back from their daze. "Prepare the required experiments immediately. Head over to the ARMOR division to request for additional attachment."

"Y-Yes, Sir!" They nodded, partly in fear.

"Holder of Cancer... I truly admire your bravery and dedication to the Kaiserin," Alfred eyed down Rui. For a moment, a sadistic glee flashed within those dull, gray eyes. "Do not worry. I will be sure to meet the Kaiserin's expectation."

 

[Admiral19]

"I don't think anyone would doubt you, Alfred," Rui said, "you're probably the most loyal out of everyone in Aesir." And that meant Rui had to convince him of their resolve the most. Aina and Aoi didn't think much about them. They've shown their worth to the Kaiserin almost constantly. But Alfred...Rui couldn't place it, but there was something about the way he talked to them that made them think that he would have no problems sending them out the second they underperformed.

Rui couldn't afford to be cut off like Shouji was. They wouldn't be able to take it.

The Kaiserin began to exit the room. "I'll be returning to my study. Rui, when next you are able, find Aoi and have her speak to me. Aina won't be questioning anything, but I simply can't have Aoi know about these experiments just yet. So, in the meantime I'd like to give her some...busywork."

"Yes, my Kaiserin."

"And Alfred..." She contemplated her words briefly. "If you do end up breaking Rui, be discrete about it. The girls care enough about them to be a little disgruntled if they found out, and that will affect their performance."

Rui shuddered at the use of the word "breaking", as if they were some kind of...

Tool? Yes, exactly. Until the Kaiserin's world is as she likes it, that's what they are, what they'll be.

---

A full day's worth of aquatic ambling was made a lot easier with a dedicated route. The dolphin show was fantastic, Kanae got to feed a penguin, the trio watched jellyfish lazily float in a tank, Hotaru and Akira had the (dis)pleasure of hearing Kanae go off about orcas for five minutes, and above all, they watched a seal roll about and clap its flippers, which was going to fuel Kanae's life for the next decade at least.

And so here they were, on their final stop before the gift shop; the underwater tunnel. There was a sign above the entrance that directed visitors in, an arch that was decorated with fish-shaped silhouettes of all sort of sizes and builds. Not too many folks were in there, and the path down was fairly wide, so it didn't feel too crowded.

"Alright, last stop! Who's excited!?" Kanae, somehow still energetic, raised a hand into the air.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Alfred kept Rui at arms length. He always did with everyone. Unlike the Kaiserin who had no qualms of getting up and personal with her personnels, Alfred maintained a sense of distance, as if he viewed other people as unworthy. Perhaps only the Kaiserin could enter his eyes.

"I have misjudged you," He addressed Rui. "I have been... disappointed with your performance as of late. You haven't proved yourself much during your short stay, and the only results you could give us recently were failures. But now... great work with your suggestion. Perhaps this will open up a new chapter in our progress toward a better world. The Kaiserin's world."

A rare smile slowly formed on his face. A sickening one at that.

"I'm looking forward to work with you."

---

""Yaaaay...""

Hotaru lifelessly raised her hand just to mimic Kanae, while Akira didn't even have a pretense of following suit. He was wearing a shirt with a dolphin picture on it, which he bought at a nearby stall. His previous shirt was dripping wet from shielding the girls during the dolphin show. Twice. Somehow they had the bad luck of sitting right at the splash zone. Iru-chan kept throwing pool water at them with her fin.

Thankfully the tunnel wasn't as active as the rest of the attractions. It had a quaint feel to it, with bluish glow from the arching, transparent roof above filtering sunlight through deep water. Shadows would pass by from time to time as schools of fish passed by.

"Feels nice..." Hotaru murmured. There was another dolphin show scheduled at this time, so there wasn't many people walking through the underwater tunnel. It was as if they had rented the entire place for their own.