CHAPTER 43: THE ISLAND OF CHAOS.

After ten minutes of walking...

Ten minutes of internal panic, and pretending to be calm, Kentaro and Serica finally reached their destination.

Or rather, they stumbled into it.

It was... not what Kentaro expected. He was thinking more of a shop, maybe... some booths with stuff to do, something small, something that could be doable in the time they had.

"An... Outdoor arcade... Right as if this was here yesterday..." Kentaro muttered.

Half-fair, half-festival, it stretched along the beachside promenade with blinking machines, candy-colored booths, ring toss games, and an unsettling number of inflatable mascots.

Kentaro blinked. He looked at Serica, her face lit up with excitement.

Serica didn’t care about how this was built or who built it. She was already sprinting to the nearest claw machine like her life depended on it.

"Aaaaah! Kenny! Look! They have the pink alien duck plushie I couldn’t get last time!!"

"Wait, what? That’s a thing?" Kentaro mumbled, watching her dive into the game with laser focus.

A buzz came in through his earpiece.

"Don’t worry, Kenny-boy," Shogo whispered, somehow sounding louder than if he were to talk normally. "Some of this was, uhhhh, tactically deployed by the team last night. Yumi and Haruka wanted to create a ’custom vibe per girl’ and-hold up."

Crunch.

Pause.

Slurp.

"...Mmph-yeah, this one’s all Serica. Maximum chaos, maximum cute."

Kentaro sighed. "Shogo, how the hell are you still eating?"

"Man’s gotta protein up, bro, how do you think I keep these muscles of hottness. This mission ain’t easy on the jaw."

He turned back to Serica, who was locked in a battle with a claw machine that clearly wanted her dead.

Her face was scrunched. Tongue slightly out. She slammed the joystick. Hit the button with unnecessary force. Kentaro grimaced at the sound of the machine trying to hang onto dear life as the claw moved slowly. And... it dropped the plush at the last second.

"Nooooooo!" she cried, practically collapsing to her knees.

Kentaro chuckled. "That machine hates you."

Serica puffed her cheeks. "It’s okay. I’m used to being betrayed."

"That’s... kind of a heavy statement for a pink alien duck plushie."

She stood, dusted herself off, and pointed at another machine, the machine being an old-school rhythm game with glowing panels.

"Let’s duel," she declared, her tone suddenly dramatic.

"Wait, what!"

Without waiting for a response, she dragged him over, shoved tokens in that she got from a mysterious man who looked like drone, and took her stance.

And they played.

He was terrible.

She was worse...

By the third round, Serica had fallen over twice, accidentally grabbed Kentaro’s hand mid-game, and knocked both their scores into the negative.

But by the end of it?

They were laughing. Loudly. That was the main thing.

When Serica looked up at him, cheeks pink, she whispered, "I really like being with you, Kentaro."

He froze, feeling his face burn as he struggled to maintain eye contact.

"Y-Yeah. I, uh... I like this too."

Awkward silence.

More awkward silence.

A seagull squawked, as if mocking them.

Then—

KRAK.

The machine sparked and died.

"...I think we broke it," Serica whispered.

"Definitely not our fault," Kentaro lied.

They both ran. Their laughter was all you could hear in the distance.

*

Kira stood before her full-length mirror, brushing a stray lock of black hair back into place.

Her expression was unreadable.

On the dresser lay a carefully chosen outfit, not overly formal, but precise. Light blouse. Simple skirt. Minimal accessories.

Calculated effort.

Not too much. Not too little. And yet it was enough to seduce her man. (In her mind, anyways)

She checked the time again. It was getting slightly late, Kira guessed he should of been here by now.

"Kentaro’s taking his time..."

"Strange..." She narrowed her eyes at herself in the mirror

Something in her gut twisted. Not jealousy, just... suspicion.

She opened the door, slowly, stepping into the hall.

No one was there.

*

Yura stood by her open window, staring out toward the ocean. The sunlight glinted off the waves, painting her in silver-blue.

Her long, dark hair was brushed and straight. A soft black dress hung on the bed behind her, simple but elegant, styled by Haruka earlier that morning.

She placed a hand on her chest.

"Do I really want this...?"

The question echoed in her mind.

She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t know Kentaro from before. She hadn’t fought beside him. She didn’t even fully understand what these... feelings were.

But when she saw him smile?

When she heard him speak?

The emptiness inside her didn’t feel so heavy. In fact it almost felt familiar...

"I don’t care if it’s a real date or if he comes to me last..." she whispered to herself.

"...I just want to be near him."

She turned back toward the dress.

Today would be her chance.

*

Serica and Kentaro continued their date in blissful chaos.

Between the claw machines, oversized plushies, an air hockey match Kentaro almost won, and Serica’s uncontrollable sugar-high from two bubble teas and cotton candy, things were actually going... Well.

Too well, Kentaro thought.

They were currently walking along the boardwalk, Serica happily licking at a double-scoop strawberry ice cream, while Kentaro trailed beside her, trying to ignore the alarm blaring in his chest.

Then.

"Pssst! Kentaro."

Shogo’s voice crackled in his earpiece, buried beneath more crunching and chewing.

"Tengen’s struggling. Kira’s starting to get restless. We’re getting red alerts on her emotional radar."

Kentaro glanced down at his watch. 10:30 AM.

He winced.

"It’s only been an hour?..."

He turned to see Serica pointing toward a slow-spinning mini Ferris wheel nestled between glowing lanterns.

"Ken!" she beamed. "Let’s ride that next!"

Kentaro smiled, but inside, he was screaming. His brain was racing, thinking about Kira, and what she was doing.

He tapped his comm.

"Shogo... I need an out. Like now."

"Roger that. Initiating... Operation ’I-Need-A-Lactic-Sh*t.’"

"..."

"...."

"...What?"

"Trust the plan," Shogo replied quickly, with full confidence.

Just as Serica turned to face him, her eyes bright with excitement, Haruka’s voice buzzed into his ear.

"On my mark."

Kentaro didn’t even have time to ask.

FOOM.

A small, high-pressure canister dropped from above, disguised as a balloon, and exploded harmlessly into glittery fog. From the mist, a Haruka-shaped blur zipped in and jammed a huge rice ball straight into Kentaro’s mouth.

A warm one.

A... suspiciously gooey one.

His eyes bulged.

"MMRRRRMGGHHH!!"

Serica blinked. "K-Kentaro!?"

His face twisted in horror. It was some ungodly mix of pickled octopus, wasabi, and... was that blueberry jam?

"HE’S HAVING A GUT ATTACK!" Shogo shouted over the comms, very much enjoying this.

"SQUAD MOVE IN! EVAC EVAC!"

Kentaro, now doubled over and groaning like a dying whale, clutched his stomach with dramatic flair.

Serica rushed to his side. "Ken?! Are you okay?!"

He gave her a thumbs-up... then a thumbs-down... then collapsed into a conveniently-placed bush.

Haruka popped up beside Serica, panting like she’d run a marathon.

Her face was still showing no sign of emotion though...

"Oh no! Kentaro always gets like this when he eats street eggs! I told him to be careful! Come on, I’ll take him to get medicine!"

"But we didn’t even have eg-" Serica looked like she’d just watched someone shoot a puppy.

Kentaro gave her a weak thumbs-up from the bush.

"Bwaahhgh-I-I’ve enjoyed today so far," he croaked. "I-I’ll be back with you soon, I swear..."

Haruka grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of sight, dragging him into a concealed side passage while Shogo blared trumpets through the comms.

"AND OPERATION LACTIC DISASTER IS A SUCCESS!"

Serica stood at the edge of the arcade path, ice cream in one hand, the other clutching her oversized plush dolphin prize.

She watched as Haruka practically dragged Kentaro away by the ankle, his hand still clamped over his mouth in agony, groaning like a man who’d just eaten a ghost pepper and betrayed his entire lineage.

"I hope you’re okay, Kentaro... And why was Haruka out of breath, like she just ran?" she whispered, her lips curling in concern. She took another bite of her strawberry scoop. "...Dummy."

Down the winding path behind a tree grove...

Haruka finally dropped Kentaro on the grass, wiping sweat from her brow and adjusting her glasses.

"Good grief," she panted. "We need to put you on a diet. You’re heavier than you look." She said into between breaths grabbing her knees.

Kentaro groaned and sat up, wiping his mouth. "Hey! I could’ve walked! You didn’t have to suplex me into the bushes!"

Haruka ignored the complaint. She stood up, pulled out her phone and began rapidly typing. "Yumi’s en route with a vehicle. ETA... 30 seconds. It’ll shave fifteen minutes off your travel time. Kira won’t wait forever."

Kentaro sighed, brushing leaves off his shirt. "Yeah... guess that works."

Just then, Shogo’s voice chimed in, sounding like static mixed with loud chewing and something that resembled wet goo.

"Kenny boy! Be advised, Yumi’s bringing the ’transport.’ Get ready to jump in. This mission ain’t gonna date itself!"

Kentaro stood up and peeked through the trees, heart pounding. This was it, Date #2. With Kira.

His first one with her.

And she was... Different. Smart. Calculating. Slightly terrifying.

"Why am I more scared of her than of being assassinated?" he muttered.

VOOOM!

A blur of sound whipped past the trees, leaves fluttering. Something was barreling toward them.

It wasn’t a golf cart.

It wasn’t even a car.

It was...

"A tractor?!"

A beat-up, rust-specked, three-wheeled mini tractor roared down the path, its engine wheezing like a dying animal. Behind the wheel was Yumi, grinning like a mad scientist.

"GET IN, LOSERS!" She yelled, waving wildly.

Kentaro’s jaw dropped. "This looks like it’s from a horror movie."

Haruka pushed him forward, still sweating slightly. "It’s you who needs to make it, not us." She said as she wiped her sweat from her forehead.

Kentaro clambered into the passenger seat, wincing as the entire frame groaned under his weight. His mood didn’t seem to get better as he saw his passenger was Shogo, who decided to get in on the action.

Yumi threw a thumbs-up. "This baby tops out at almost 30 kilometers an hour! On a good day!"

Shogo chimed in.

"Don’t judge it by its looks, Kenny boy. That thing’s powered by pure delinquent spirit."

Kentaro facepalmed as they lurched forward.

It shot off like a bullet for exactly three seconds.

Then the engine coughed, wheezed, and the speed dipped to a casual 10 km/h.

"...This is literally slower than walking."

Meanwhile...

On the other side of the resort, Kira stood in front of her room’s window, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

There was no sign of Kentaro.

No message.

No shadow on the path.

"...Hmm," she muttered. "Strange. He normally wakes up before me."

She turned from the window, brushed down her skirt, and walked toward the door.

"As his wife, I suppose it falls on me to wake him up. Again."

She stepped into the hallway, but something was off, she could feel a presence.

Her eyes narrowed as she scoped out the area like she was still fighting in Cradle uniform until she spotted her culprit.

There, at the edge of the hallway where it bent around the corner, a scrap of fabric peeked out. A shirt sleeve. Someone was hiding.

Kira’s eyes sharpened into blades.

"...Who’s there?"

There was a sudden shuffle. Someone fumbled, hit the wall, and cursed quietly.

Then, sheepishly, awkwardly, Tengen peeked out.

"H-h-hey Kira! Wow! Long time no see, huh?"

She stared at him. "Tengen. Why are you hiding in a hallway?"

He laughed. Nervously. "Oh, you know, just passing by. Seeing how you’re doing! Nothing suspicious going on at all, hahaha... ha..."

She stepped closer, her gaze unblinking.

"I’m waiting for Kentaro," she said flatly.

"Oh, r-right! Yeah, about that, he’s just, uh, sleeping in! Trip fatigue, you know?"

Kira tilted her head. Her expression didn’t change, but the temperature dropped five degrees.

"Tengen."

"Y-yeah?"

Kira proceeded to speak without taking even a second break once.

"Kentaro wakes up at 7:43 AM he showers for approximately 11 minutes he brushes his teeth with his right hand, he uses exactly three pumps of that citrus cologne he thinks no one notices."

Tengen’s face slowly melted. "...I feel like I shouldn’t be hearing this."

She leaned in, eyes locked onto his soul.

"And if he were running late, I would be able to sense it always do."

Tengen was sweating now, "What the hell is wrong with this girl?" He said to himself.

"H-Haha! Y-you know, we’re on a trip!, he said, clicking both his fingers at her, "New environments disrupt routines! Jet lag! Island air! Maybe he switched things up?" He tried every excuse in his arsenal hoping that one of them would make sense.

She blinked, stared into his soul for a brief second. Then nodded, slowly.

"...You’re right. This is only day two. I haven’t accounted for external variables, or gotten a chance to see what he does abroad."

Tengen let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling as if he’d just dodged a disaster of world-ending proportions.

Kira smiled faintly, one that looked evil.

"But that’s fine. I’ll just go and collect more data."

Tengen’s smile froze; his brain began to go into shut-down mode...

"Oh no..."