We set our sails, to the rainbow arching up high.
Once, there was a bird, swam around the oar.
Then we had to stop, to hear it's secrets unfold.
The sea's quieter the farther we go.
The salty air was also blowing, filling up our nose.
Shimotsuki sits near the bow, her hair swaying with the wind, silver in the reflection of the sea.
Under the pale moonlight, her reflection couldn't be any clearer.
A calm, yet genuine smile had formed on her face.
I clear my throat.
"Shimo, there's something I wanted to tell you."
She turns slightly, surprised.
"Oh, I do too."
We both pause for a while.
I hesitate for a moment, then exhale.
"I met someone earlier."
"Me too, I- wait what?"
My brows knit. "Hm?"
She looked away, avoiding my gaze.
"Ah, nevermind. What do you mean you met someone earlier?"
"At the lighthouse," I tell her. "I caught someone stalking our group, and he was not an ordinary person either."
Shimotsuki straightens a little, her voice quieter now. "Continue..."
"He called himself Death." I say. "He and the 1st Seat, along with two others, are trained by a man called Apocalypse, whoever that is."
Shimotsuki's gaze lingers on me. "Did he hurt you?"
"He did, but it was more of a showcase of his ability. Then, he left." I shake my head.
I glance her way again. "Shimotsuki… have you ever heard of terms like Death and Apocalypse?"
She blinks, frowning slightly. "No. Not in that context. Are those… people?"
"Most likely." I admit. "He talked about them like they were not to be mess with. Maybe like a Syndicate, something similar to The Middle... And he hinted that the 1st Seat is one of them."
Shimotsuki's eyes narrow thoughtfully. She doesn't dismiss it.
"That's… strange. I've never heard of anything like that before."
"Then, do you know about three other school that's kind of similar to ours?" I asked her.
She nods slowly.
"It might not be exactly the same, but… I've heard of three other academy being slightly similar to ours, if we're talking about its uniqueness."
"I see, anything else?"
"Yes. Each one exists under a different kind of regulation and different purpose, but there's definitely a connection. Something that ties them together. That something is, money...."
"What are the names of those schools?" I asked again.
Shimotsuki hesitates, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "You really want to know?"
"I wouldn't ask otherwise."
She exhales through her nose, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Then, after a pause, she shakes her head. "Not now, Faulk."
"Not now?"
"Our focus," she says firmly, "is still the 1st Seat. Whatever those other schools are… whatever Death meant... they can wait. We're taking one step at a time, Faulker."
Her tone is calm, but resolute.
If anything, I should listen to her. She probably just wishes the best for me. Always had been.
I let out a quiet sigh and nod.
"Yeah," I admit. "You're right."
She looks at me again, the moonlight flickering in her eyes.
"Still, I'll look into those terms. Death and Apocalypse. If I find anything, I'll tell you first."
I meet her eyes. "Sure, thanks."
For a while, neither of us speaks.
I steer the boat back toward the dock, the faint lights of the beach house slowly growing clearer. The night air feels softer now, like the sea itself has exhaled.
Halfway there, Shimotsuki breaks the silence.
"Faulk," she says quietly.
"Yeah?"
"What will you do, after you beat the 1st Seat?"
I pause at the question for a few moment, before giving my answer.
"Honestly? I haven't thought that far."
She tilts her head. "Then think about it now."
I glance at her, then back at the path of shimmering light on the water.
"I guess… I'll just take school life easy for once, living a normal student life. After all that's happened, I'll probably have a lot of work to do. But…" I smile faintly, tightening my grip on the handle.
"I'll make sure to treasure the very little time I have. Just like right now."
Shimotsuki watches me for a moment, and then, quietly, she smiles.
The waves lap softly against the hull as the boat drifts toward shore.
Neither of us speaks again, but the silence feels oddly warm.
"Night, Faulk."
"Yeah. Good night, Shimo."
The morning sun spreads gold over the water.
The sea's calm today.
Just enough breeze to ripple the surface
Just enough warmth to make it perfect.
The boat hums quietly as it glides forward, leaving a foamy trail behind us that sparkles under the light.
Shayne's at the helm, grinning like he owns the ocean.
"Relax, I've got this," he says for the fifth time.
Mari crosses her arms beside him. "You said that last time, and we almost hit a few buoys earlier."
"Almost, but we didn't." Shayne says, steering one-handed.
Clara laughs through a mouthful of food.
Probably chips she's been munching nonstop since we left shore. "If we crash, I'm blaming you, Mari! You jinxed it!"
Mari sighs. "You can't jinx incompetence."
From behind them, Alejandro's voice cuts through the noise, calm as always.
"Shayne, keep the angle steady. Wind's pushing west, so follow the coastline, not the current."
"Aye aye, captain. Argh!" Shayne calls as if he's a Pirate obeying his Captain, though he still looks like he's guessing half the time.
Sera's sitting on the side bench, phone out, recording everyone.
The camera pans past the ocean, over Clara's crumbs, then lingers a second too long on Alejandro.
Nayuta's the opposite.
He slumped near the back, half-asleep with his head tilted back, sunglasses sliding down his nose. Probably fatigue's catching up on him.
Maybe he doesn't prefer mountain over beach with no reason...
Lyna's in her corner, texting someone with a faint smile on her face, the glow of her phone lighting her expression.
Wait a second... that shouldn't be possible. There's no internet service provider that could reach us at the middle of the sea.
Whatever, I guess.
And then there's Shimotsuki, standing by the railing, watching the sea.
The wind moves through her hair, silver in the sunlight. She looks calm and composed, but her gaze drifts toward me once, and I can tell she hasn't forgotten last night.
Neither have I.
"…Hey," I call out. "Where exactly are we heading?"
Shayne looks over his shoulder with a grin.
"There's an island up ahead. Pretty famous among tourists. Apparently their seafood's top-tier. Something about perfect tides and ridiculous harvests."
Clara's eyes light up instantly, like she just heard we are crusading to heaven.
"Seafood?! You mean like fresh crab, grilled fish, those squid skewers—"
Mari sighs. "You just ate."
Clara waves a hand, unbothered. "And I'm still eating right now."
Sera, who's still filming, glances toward the horizon. "It's also a good photo spot." she says lazily. "Clear water, nice lighting, and less crowd if we go early."
I look from her to Shayne. "Okay, but… are we even allowed to dock there?"
Alejandro answers before Shayne can.
"No. We don't have a license to dock on that island. It's under local maritime control."
I blink. "Wait—then why are we still heading that way?"
Shayne laughs, one hand still on the wheel. "Relax, I'm not that reckless. I'm not docking at the pier. There's a small cove on the east side. Quiet, no patrols, barely used by locals. We'll anchor there instead."
I raise an eyebrow. "This idiot. That's still illegal."
"'Illegal' is a strong word, Faulker." Shayne says, smirking.
"It's only illegal to dock at the pier without a license..."
I looked over from the couch just in time to see Mari throw her cards onto the table with a sigh.
"You know what, I don't even care anymore. Shayne's not listening anyway," she said.
Alejandro followed right after, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm done too."
Across from them, Sera slapped down a +4 card at Lyna with a grin that screamed revenge.
Lyna didn't even flinch.
She just placed another +4 right on top.
Sera froze. "You can't do that!"
"House rules, we definitely can." Lyna replied without missing a beat.
And just like that, Clara was forced to draw eight cards.
She groaned so dramatically, even more so than when her food gets taken away.
....Hey, wait a second.
"Since when did you guys start playing?" I asked, staring at Sera, Clara, Lyna, and Shimotsuki, all seated at the table like they'd been there for hours.
None of them looked up.
They had gotten too invested to notice me. The air around that table felt like a reenactment of a meeting with the higher ups.
A few minutes later, Clara asked, "Lyna, what color are we switching to?"
"Orange," Lyna said confidently.
I blinked. "...Orange?"
The three of them stared at her. Shimotsuki tilted her head slightly.
Shimotsuki dropped her cards upside down on the table.
"Lyna, could you name all the colors in Uno?"
"Sure," Lyna said, counting on her fingers.
"Blue, green, yellow, and orange."
Sera groaned. "No, it's red, not orange."
Lyna frowned, dug into her hand, and slapped a card onto the table. "Tell me that's not orange."
Everyone leaned in.
It was orange.
Alejandro raised an eyebrow. "Since when did Uno add a new color?"
Shimotsuki stared, puzzled. "Where did that even come from?"
"It's always been in the deck," Lyna said simply.
Everyone started checking their cards after that.
For a second, I could've sworn they were right. Every red card seemed a little too warm, too bright, too… orange.
Then I noticed the sun lowering behind them, its golden light spilling through the boat's canopy and tinting everything in sight.
I chuckled quietly. "It's the lighting," I murmured.
Alejandro glanced at me, smirking. "You sure?"
"Yeah," I said, smiling faintly as the sea breeze brushed past.
"Guess even light can mess with us sometimes."