Chapter 185: Ocean Romance
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
There were a lot of small islands scattered across this floor. Some were inhabited by people, others only had a few occupants. The island claimed by Pitee only had a population of ‘one’, which was Pitee herself. Still others were occupied completely by monsters. There were so many islands that not all were accounted for, even the Director of this Floor did not know all of them.
Our initial plan was to start our search on the uninhabited islands for Pitee, but the chance meeting with her changed our plans.
“So, why did you decide to live on this floor, Pitee?” asked Shui.
Intrigued, I listened in on their answer. I had nothing better to do anyway since nearly everyone was still waiting for the boat, and some were suffering from the after-effects of the food poisoning.
“He said… he wanted to… live where we could… look at the sea…”
“Really? Don’t you find it inconvenient?”
“Alone is… better… He’s different…”
It was a pretty sad confession, but Mishael was nodding vigorously on the side. Well, since he’s also pretty introverted, he probably would prefer this kind of living arrangement.
Shui went on to talk about this and that, with Pitee responding in her halting voice. Despite claiming that ‘alone is better’, it looked like she did not mind the interaction.
“With that kind of personality, it’s odd to see her getting along with someone as bright and cheerful as Shui,” Hyurumi observed. “Not to mention, it looked like she was having fun too.”
“It’s a mystery to us, but she and Shui had always been able to chat like this. Despite their quirks, they actually get along rather well,” said Hevoy.
Now that I think about it, it made sense for her to eventually join our party. With Hevoy employing his illusion skills to fake her lover and Shui, her one good friend from Whimsical Fools, we’re the only party she would join with any confidence.
“I wonder where the ship is?” [1] Ramis wondered as she swung her legs. “Surely they should be done with the negotiations now?”
“Ou, that kid Director was more than happy to lend one to us. He said something like ‘So long as you solve the strange phenomenon on this floor’ and was more than happy to let us have it,” said Hyurumi.
Lately, we’ve been depending on her to do all the talking and negotiating.
People often misunderstand Hyurumi thanks to her snarky mouth, but she’s by far the sharpest and most articulate person in our group. The best person to negotiate for things. However, since she tends to be a little too straightforward, it would be nice if she had an assistant.
Also, it was great that we could get hold of this boat so easily. Now that we have a vessel, we can deal with the weird phenomenon on this floor with a little more efficiency.
Since we will be going out to sea, let’s have a look and see just what kind of interesting products one could find from vending machines situated on ferries and fishing ports.
“Ah, that must be it!” Ramis stood up to point excitedly at a boat.
The boat was a cruiser type, with plenty of room for seven people plus a vending machine.
Although the hull was made from wood, it was reinforced with metal plates. I suppose if the sea is chock-full of monsters, boats would have to be reinforced against them, or be sunk in an instant. There was also a carved dog’s head at the bow of the ship.
“The dog carving looks really cool,” [1] said Ramis.
“It’s supposed to ward off monsters,” [1] said Hyurumi. “The idea behind that is to show the monsters that the ship was a monster’s ‘’comrade’. It’s modelled after the Rocky Mountain Dog.”
“Does it actually work?”
“Who knows? It reassures the people here, at least.”
So, it’s like a charm against monsters? As charm goes, it’s more for peace of mind than any real safety measure. Still, a mental defence is better than no defence at all.
“Right, enough chatting. Time to board the ship,” said Hevoy and the rest of us collected our luggage to get on the ship.
[2] Well, personally I’m part of the ‘luggage’ in question here… I eyed the boat bobbing on the sea and wondered if it would hold my weight. What if it breaks and I fall through? Well, I have plenty of points for now, even if I fall, I should have enough to maintain a barrier for some time while waiting for rescue.“Where would you like to be placed, Hakkon?” [1] asked Ramis.
Hmm, where would be good… Technically, vending machines should be placed indoors. However, I can’t miss the opportunity to enjoy the sea view, right?
If the ship starts to shake too violently, Ramis will surely bring me inside, but for safety, let’s stay near the entrance of the cabin.
I took out a plastic bottle and floated it over to my desired location by the cabin door with <Telekinesis>.
“Th-ere”
[1] “Okay~ got it!”Just to be extra sure, I took out a concrete slab and placed it on my location of choice for extra stability. That way, I can at least be sure I won’t tip over at the merest wobble.
Speaking of which, this ship came with three crew members, which means we don’t have to learn how to sail from scratch. As a thank you, I shall let them have everything at a discount.
The one who approached us was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, short sleeves and cut-off trousers. Simple clothing that’s easy to move in.
“Just leave the ship to us and let us know where you want to go!” he said with a bright smile that showed off a set of bright white teeth. Well, he certainly gives off a very trustworthy aura.
Now that preparations are all complete, let the voyage begin!
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“Seriously… I’m going to die…”
“Ships… Are tough…”
Hyurumi and Ramis were clinging to the side of the ship. I could hear them throwing up… with their stomachs now empty, all that came out of their mouths were complaints.
Well, well, looks like someone’s suffering from a severe case of seasickness. The others appeared alright, I guess they were more used to ships.
I tried looking through my products, but I don’t have motion sickness medicine. Still, I continued to comb through my inventory, wondering if I had anything that could elevate their suffering a little. I had heard that citrus fruits and mandarin oranges could make their sickness worse, but… I still think that it’s better to eat something refreshing.
In the end, I picked out some lightly carbonated juice and rolled the plastic bottles to their feet.
“Welcome”
Two very pale faces turned towards me. They weakly picked up the bottles and sipped at their drinks.
Looks like the two of them will be out of action for a while. I have quite a variety of food, but with their stomachs weakened like this, it’s best to eat plain food or some sort of sweet jelly.
“You girls looked pretty awful,” said Shui as she cheerfully slurped at her cup noodles. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get used to it in a couple of day-su.”
Her appetite was just as incredible on the boat. Seeing her eat made the girls sick, and they weakly demanded for her to please eat somewhere else. Shui’s eating face was actually quite endearing, like a hamster stuffing its cheeks, but I guess neither of them could stomach this sight at the moment.
“If you feel queasy, taking off your shoes will remove some pressure off your feet.”
Hevoy’s kindly worded advice was met with suspicion. Especially since he was staring intently at their feet.
Mishael was swinging his greatsword at the bow of the ship, unfazed by the constant swaying. Looks like his natural sense of balance made it so that he was immune to the constant swaying.
As his master, I have no comment.
“Having a sea is great! Should we dig up a sea in the desert?!”
The Scorching Sand Director was yelling something absurd as he perched on the dog statue’s head. He was not a bad person, but his personality was just a bit too much. To the point that poor Pitee struggled to even make eye contact with him.
In fact, there was a giant ‘clam’ nearby that someone had hidden herself in. The Director and the person in the clam could not be more different. Moreover, rather than the difference between light and shadow, the gap between these two was more like the scorching sun versus the deep abyss. I have a feeling neither would ever understand the other, even after a lifetime of communication.
“Oi, oi, come up and look at the sea, Pitee! Stop hiding in your shield!”
“Please… leave me alone…”
Well, the Sorching Sand Director does tend to push boundaries.
In front of me was a loud man in a Hawaiian shirt talking loudly at a massive clam… what a lovely day…
He’s right, though. Since we’re at the sea, I should take my time and enjoy the open waters now. As I gazed into the horizon, I noticed a small dot in the unbroken line of the horizon.
It was unclear what it was. An island?
“Oh? I wonder what that is?” Hevoy stared in the direction of the dot. He was probably using his Sensory Manipulation gift to enhance his vision.
It was hard to gauge distance at sea. Especially one that has no landmarks. So it was anyone’s guess how far it was.
“Goodness, it looks like we may have encountered some enemies. Prepare to be intercepted.”
Wait, so that’s not an island? Hmm, now that I have another look, it does feel like it was moving ever so slightly…
My friends all gathered on the decks, Ramis and Hyurumi too, but the way they were crawling on the deck was a little bit concerning…
“Can you tell what sort of enemy it was?”
“I can see several tentacle-like appendages. Its precise size is unknown, but it seems to be slightly smaller than this ship.”
Two possible candidates came to mind—a giant octopus or a squid, both iconic denizens of fantasy sea creatures.
“I… fought it… before…” the shell opened up a little, and Pitee’s voice could be heard.
For a moment, I wondered what kind of sea monsters we could catch if we bait our lines with a giant clam… whoops, let’s keep this thought to ourselves.
Let’s focus on the incoming battle. Although our party is good at fighting, this would be our first fight together on the deck of a ship.
Everyone, please don’t let your guard down.
[Gumihou: Ahh, this chapter is kind of troublesome…]
[1] Add dialogue tags [2] Add details
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