CHAPTER 46: TOO CLOSE...

The lobby doors slid open with a soft chime as Serica stepped in, her sandals clicking softly against the tiled floor. She stood for a moment, scanning left and right. The worry on her face was clear as the sun above the island.

"Where’s the infirmary..." She muttered to herself.

Before she could take a step, a hotel staff member in a neat blouse approached her with a soft smile.

"Excuse me, miss. You look a little lost. Can I help you with something?"

Serica nodded quickly, grateful.

"Yes! I’m looking for someone, Kentaro. He said he wasn’t feeling well earlier, something about... his tummy," she said, blushing at the silly phrasing.

"Oh dear!" The staff member said with a kind smile. "Let’s get you to the infirmary. I’ll show you the way."

Serica’s face lit up. "Thank you so much!"

What she didn’t know... was that Kentaro wasn’t there yet.

The infirmary was tucked all the way in the back of the first floor, while Serica had just entered from the front.

Meanwhile, halfway around the hotel, Kentaro was clinging for dear life to the back of a suspiciously slow-moving utility cart. Haruka drove it like a senior citizen on a Sunday stroll. Shogo was practically on top of Kentaro due to the cramped space, elbows jabbing everywhere.

"Why the hell are you even sitting on me?!" Kentaro growled.

"No room! Blame Haruka’s ass for bringing the tiny cart!" Shogo shouted, munching on chips like this was a sightseeing tour.

Yumi’s voice crackled over comms from the nearby coffee hut:

"She’s moving fast. And... oh no. She’s being escorted by staff. Haruka, we’ve got under three minutes."

Haruka didn’t flinch. She calmly turned her head over her shoulder.

"Shogo. Message Tengen using Tenka’s number. Have him intercept Serica. Stalling protocol: Operation Honey Bun Activate."

Shogo saluted with a snap so hard he clocked Kentaro in the nose.

"GAH-JACKASS!!"

"Oops. Sorry. Battle injuries, you’ll live," Shogo grinned.

*

Elsewhere, in his room, Tengen was sitting at the edge of his bed, lost in thoughts of guilt. The weight of what he’d done to Kentaro was still fresh in his chest. He’d betrayed a friend. And maybe... his sister’s only real hope.

What if the new contact Kentaro promised couldn’t fix her? What if Spire really was the only way to keep her alive?

His phone buzzed.

TING.

He snatched it up.

Message from Tenka.

He expected grim orders. A warning. Maybe news about his sister’s condition.

Instead:

"🧡 Stop Serica from reaching the infirmary before Kentaro gets there, please, hunny Boo boo~ 😘"

He blinked.

"...Hunny Boo boo?"

Tengen stared at the message, baffled.

Then smirked.

"...Maybe she is into me..."

And with that thought powering his legs, he bolted out the door toward the infirmary.

*

Back on the move, Kentaro was sweating buckets as the cart made a sad wheezing sound up the hallway ramp.

"GOD, why is this thing slower than an old man in flip-flops?!" he shouted.

Shogo, still munching, shrugged. "This thing was made in the 1900s, bro. Be grateful it moves."

Just then, Haruka took a hard left, skidding them to a stop behind the infirmary. They had one shot.

"Ken. Window. Go," Haruka ordered as she pointed to the window.

Kentaro didn’t wait. He clambered out, yanked the window open, and tumbled inside with all the grace of a dying raccoon.

"OW!"

He hit the floor hard.

Following behind him, Shogo peeked through the window. "Try not to look like you broke in, Kenny boy. Oh, and tell Serica she owes me a coffee."

Kentaro stood up, dusting himself off. "Screw you, Shogo."

*

Down the hallway...

Serica and the staff woman were just a few meters away from the infirmary door when suddenly.

Tengen stepped into view.

Serica blinked. "Tengen?"

"Oh, hey!" he said, panting slightly. "Funny running into you here, haha..."

The staff member smiled. "Ah, you must know this gentleman?"

"I do, yes..." Serica narrowed her eyes.

Tengen quickly stepped up.

"Sorry, I actually just saw Kentaro earlier, and he said he’s feeling way better! Must’ve been something he ate," he said, giving the most fake reassuring smile he could.

Serica squinted. "Then... why isn’t he back yet?"

"Oh, he’s... um... getting changed!" Tengen waved wildly. "He was in his sweatpants. Said he’d never let a girl see him in those."

The woman laughed politely. Serica smiled, but still looked unsure.

"Anyway!" Tengen said, inching toward the door. "I think he’s already in the infirmary now. Go ahead. I’ll... wait here."

Serica nodded and reached for the handle.

Click.

The door opened.

The room was quiet.

Too quiet.

Serica stepped inside slowly.

Nobody in sight.

Her breath caught. "...Ken?"

Then, her eyes landed on the far side of the room.

A curtain, half-drawn around one of the infirmary beds.

She stepped forward. Slowly.

"...Kentaro?"

Nothing.

She reached out.

And yanked the curtain aside.

Inside, Kentaro lay dramatically across the bed, his shirt halfway untucked, a cold compress on his head, and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

"Mmph..."

"Ken!"

He "weakly" turned his head.

"S-Serica...? You came..."

Shogo’s voice buzzed in his ear.

"GODDAMMIT, KEN, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK SICK, NOT LIKE YOU’RE IN A SOAP OPERA."

Kentaro coughed softly. "My stomach... it... betrayed me..."

Serica dropped to her knees beside the bed. "You poor thing!"

From his hiding place in the supply closet, Shogo grinned as he caught sight of Haruka, who peeked through the window, her eyes barely visible.

.

"Ken... are you sure you’ll be okay?" Serica asked, her voice soft, watching Kentaro slowly sit up like an old man who just lost a fistfight with gravity.

Kentaro winced, then flashed a clumsy thumbs-up. "Yeah. If it’s for you, Serica, I’ll crawl through hell on a skateboard."

Serica giggled, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "O-Okay... so... um, do you wanna keep going?" Her eyes sparkled with hopeful curiosity.

Kentaro pushed himself upright fully, brushing sand from his pants. "Of course I do. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with the cutest girl on the island?"

Her cheeks lit up. She twirled once with a bright smile. "Oki~! Where to next?"

"Smoooooth lines playa" Shogo muttered.

*

Meanwhile, on the other side of the resort...

Yura sat on the windowsill of her room, legs curled beneath her, arms hugging a pillow as she gazed at the setting sun. It dipped low, casting her room in hues of deep violet and soft firelight.

"Maybe he won’t come after all," she muttered with a small, knowing smile. "Those two must be a handful."

But until the sun disappeared, she’d wait. Because Yura will believe in Kentaro... even if no one else did.

*

As time ticked forward, Kentaro found himself caught in what could only be described as a dating sim speedrun from hell.

One second, he was trying to hold Kira’s hand without losing a finger. Next, he was watching Serica squeal over a coconut crab like it was a puppy.

His escape routes got increasingly desperate.

From "Operation: Sudden Seagull Attack" (Haruka with bird calls and a bag of chips)

To "Plan: Oh No I Dropped My Wallet In The Volcano"

To Shogo’s endless comms screaming:

"KEN, RUN! SHE’S USING HER CUTE VOICE! I REPEAT, SHE’S WEAPONIZED THE BABY TALK!!"

By 8:00 PM, the dates with both girls had finally reached their natural end. And Kentaro was miraculously still alive.

Back on the beach, Serica skipped a few steps ahead of him, arms swinging as she grinned back at him.

"Ken, thank you sooo much for today! I’m really happy."

The wind teased her hair. In that moment, with the orange sky behind her, she looked more like a dream than a girl.

Kentaro blinked, trying not to look too enchanted. "I-I had a great time too."

She stopped suddenly. He nearly walked into her.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She turned around slowly, and it hit him. That expression. Just like back on the cliff where they were transported thanks to Kira’s sudden appearance. Their first real date. Back then, she’d cried because she thought she didn’t deserve to live.

This time, her eyes shimmered again, but not with pain.

With gratitude.

"I... I can’t thank you enough, Kentaro. You saved me. Not just once. But twice. You saw me when everyone else looked away... or looked scared."

Kentaro’s throat tightened. He wanted to say something. Anything. But the words just... stuck.

Serica took a step closer.

"Those people tried to control me. Hurt me. Make me hurt others. But you... You made me come back to my senses. Made me feel it was okay to be here."

Their faces drew closer. Breath mingled.

Closer...

Closer...

"KEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!"

Shogo’s voice detonated through the comms like a cursed foghorn made from suffering and cheap ramen. He could hear pots and pans falling in the background.

Kentaro had even lowered the volume because of earlier today. It didn’t matter.

It was still hell.

He twitched violently. Serica pulled back, confused.

"Ken? Are you okay?"

"N-no, bad head! Uh, I mean, headache! Sor-" But before he could finish, Serica leaned in, her gaze intense, and silenced him with a kiss. It was soft, tender, and utterly consuming, the kind of kiss that seemed to wrap them both in a cocoon of warmth, making the world around them fade away. Time slowed, and in that moment, all his worries melted into the gentle press of her lips against his.

When they finally pulled apart, a soft blush crept across Serica’s cheeks, her breath slightly shallow as her eyes sparkled with a mix of shyness and exhilaration. "I hope that helped your head... and your stomach," she murmured, her fingers nervously interlacing before her.

Kentaro stared at her, his heart racing, bewildered by the shift in their connection. He blinked, then nodded vigorously, a smile spreading across his face. "Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes. My head is now officially healed. And my stomach’s... spiritually upgraded."

She giggled. "Then, shall we head in? It’s getting late."

"You go first," Kentaro said, backing away slowly. "There’s something I need to do real quick."

She tilted her head in confusion for a second before she smiled, "Okay. I’ll see you soon then, Kentaro!" she said, waving as she walked off.

Kentaro smiled as he watched her run off, and once she was far enough away, he adjusted his comm again. "Shogo... WHY ARE YOU STILL THAT LOUD EVEN ON LOW VOLUME!?"

Shogo was panting like he’d just sprinted across the island. "KEN! KIRA’S JUST ACROSS FROM YOU. SHE’S LOOKING FOR YOU. DO SOMETHING BEFORE SHE DETECTS YOUR GUILT AURA!"

Kentaro looked left. His soul momentarily died.

Kira.

Scanning the beach like a hawk. Eyes sharp. Steps precise.

He glanced back. Serica had cleared the hill. Out of view.

Go time.

"KIRA! OVER HERE!" he shouted, waving like a used car salesman on discount day.

Kira appeared in front of him a second later. Like some teleporting anime final boss.

"Hello, Husband. Where did you go? Why are you... standing on the beach like an abandoned extra?"

Kentaro panicked, he was caught red-handed.

"UMMMM-BEACH! YES! THE BEACH! I THOUGHT IT’D BE NICE TO END OUR DATE HERE WITH... WAVES! SAND! SALT! ROMANCE!"

His hands flailed so fast they looked like they were summoning a spell.

She took a moment to size him up, her gaze sweeping from head to toe, even giving a little sniff like she was trying to determine if he was a fine wine or yesterday’s leftovers. Kentaro imagined she was searching for the scents of Serica or Yura, but after a small, theatrical sigh, it seemed she decided he had not been the presence of any other girls, just a peculiar blend of cologne and confusion.

She stared at him for a moment longer... then turned toward the ocean.

Until.

"Ken."

Kentaro’s heart froze.

That voice. That tone.

It wasn’t flirty.

It wasn’t flat.

It was serious.

"I remember you asked," she continued, eyes fixed on the churning sea, a storm brewing beneath her calm exterior. "Why do I want to eliminate all Alberlines?"

He straightened, tension coiling around him like a taut wire, all jokes vanished into the oppressive air.

"Yeah," he said, his voice firm yet edged with urgency. "I still want to know. I want to help you, Kira... but not like that."

She turned to him, her glare piercing, a silent tempest raging behind those fierce eyes.

There was no smile on her lips.

Only raw pain, barely concealed, a chasm of hurt threatening to swallow them both.

"I thought about it for a while and I’ve decided."

A tense pause hung between them, the world around them holding its breath, a gust of wind sweeping across them like a well-timed movie, carrying the weight of unspoken fears.

"I’ll tell you my story."