Endless Silver Machine

Dinner time at Sea Mist Fleet is like a party.

There may also be a restaurant in the cabin that can accommodate these thirty girls, but the place for dining is still the brightly lit deck.

Aika looked at the surrounding sea and saw that the decks of the ships around the flagship were also lit up with lights that were not inferior to those here.

"How many ships are there in the Sea Mist Fleet?"

"I heard there are eight ships in total... the people over there are also very happy..."

Wei Xi, who was sitting next to Aika, stared at the brightly lit sea with warm eyes.

"Didn't Captain Philly say that there are no adult crew members? Are the other ships controlled by children? It hurts!"

Aika suddenly felt her hair being pulled hard.

"Don't treat us like children!"

When he turned around, he realized that it was Zi Yue who was standing on the stool, bulging her cheeks and glaring at herself.

"Zi Yue, don't stand on the stool!"

One of the older girls tapped the edge of the bowl with her chopsticks, and Zi Yue's bunny ears that were shaking back and forth suddenly went limp.

She made another cute face to Aika before sitting back on the stool with great satisfaction.

"I'm sorry, please let me explain. I didn't treat you as children just now..."

"But you obviously said 'child'!"

"Ah, I did say that casually...Okay, okay, I sincerely apologize to Master Ziyue."

"Humph! Since you have sincerely apologized, I will forgive you mercifully!"

Ziyue crossed her arms and accepted Aika's apology like a mature adult.

Aika's apology was of course sincere, but it also contained a hint of teasing Ziyue.

Zi Yue was completely immersed in a small sense of satisfaction because she thought she behaved in a manner befitting a mature lady.

At this time, Aika felt someone gently tugging at the corner of her clothes.

"Brother Aika..."

"What's wrong, Wei Xi?"

"Um..." Wei Xi's eyes wandered for a moment, "Is the food here delicious?"

"Huh? I think it's delicious."

"Does it taste better than at home?"

"It can't be compared. If you want to talk about Luoluo..." Aika paused for a moment, and then changed the way of saying it, "It's just that the food cooked at home has a different taste."

"I think so……"

Wei Xi turned her head and chewed her dinner again.

Aika was confused for a while, still not sure why she asked suddenly.

It sounds like Wei Xi is simply homesick. But now that I have left Shimozuki Academy for less than a day, this is probably not the reason.

…………

After dinner time, the girls quickly cleared the deck.

The warm atmosphere just now was no longer visible on the deck with the lights turned off. All that can be felt at this moment is the tranquility of the sea breeze and the surging water.

Instructor Letika held on to the bridge railing alone, letting the salty sea breeze blow her hair.

"Teacher Letika."

Teacher Letika turned around and recognized the person walking towards her through the moonlight.

"It turns out to be Aika-san..."

Aika came to Mentor Letika's side and put her weight on the railing of the bridge.

"Aren't you going to rest?"

"It's hard to stay in that kind of place..."

He smiled sheepishly.

Except for Aika, all the people on this ship are girls.

The soundproofing effect of the room is not very good, and the sound of girls playing sweetly comes from the next door and the corridor.

In other words, the entire ship is equivalent to the girls' dormitory of Frost Moon Academy, and boys like Aika should have been banned.

Everywhere he looked, there were girls who had changed out of their swimsuits and put on pajamas. As a man, he looked out of place among them.

Even when walking in the aisle, you are filled with the olfactory stimulation of a mixture of fragrances that you can’t tell whether it’s shampoo or body wash.

The six girls who were traveling with them were quickly accepted by the girls on the boat, but in the end, only she escaped.

"Haha, just pretend to come out and see the rare night view of the sea."

“Can’t you see the sea in Aika-san’s hometown?”

"Ling, which is very close to my house, can see the sea level at any time."

"Eh? Are you and classmate Ling childhood sweethearts?"

"No, no, I just found out not long ago that our homes are very close to each other. We never met each other when we were children."

"Really? I thought the two families known as the 'Two Towers of Bisi' would have frequent exchanges."

"It was only after I left home that I learned that my family had such a history. I didn't even know the concept of magic costumes before."

"So that's it..."

Instructor Letika stopped talking and did not delve deeper into the issues of the two families.

She turned her gaze back to the horizon.

Driven by the sea breeze, the fluctuations of the sea surface divide the bright moon reflected on it into irregular small pieces.

"I seem to have walked into Principal Phyllis's trap."

"trap?"

"Principal Phyllis probably knew that this would be the case..."

She whispered. Although he didn't say it specifically to Aika, Aika heard it.

Teacher Letika is not just standing here admiring the night view on the sea, but hoping that the sea breeze can take away her worries.

"If Ruby hopes so much, I can't keep her waiting."

Instructor Letika has not yet made a decision whether to return to the God Clan to succeed the queen, or to return to Frost Moon Academy.

"Teacher Letika's sister... Ruby just wants to know that you can go home, but she doesn't necessarily want you to take over that position, right?"

"Going home and succeeding have the same meaning, so I never went home."

The responsibilities that Teacher Letika shoulders are far beyond what Aika can understand, so he cannot share them with Teacher Letika.

When she first entered school, the teacher Letika who came to greet her had no sense of maturity as a teacher at all, as if she was just a senior who was almost the same age.

When taking care of students on weekdays, she is more like a kind sister. Even the love issues between girls will be discussed with tutor Retika, even though she herself has no experience in this area.

"Teacher Letika, it was only when you saved us from the fourth-level monsters at the ruins that you made me realize that this power must be used to protect important people."

"Eh? Thank you, thank you..."

"I think that for Teacher Letika, Ruby and we may be in the same important position. Is it because you want to stay in Frost Moon Academy that you refuse the position of Queen?"

"Although the thought of escaping from trouble must be mixed in, it is indeed my wish to stay in Shimozuki Academy. Aika-san, do you know..." Letika looked far away to the turbulent sea level. The scene at that time may have appeared in front of my eyes. "When I was the tutor of the twin class, it was the most fulfilling time in my life."

Instructor Letika, who had just graduated from Frost Moon Academy, had been assisting the previous teacher in the Twin Class for a year, which was the last year of the previous Twin Class.

After the graduation of the previous twin class, the new first-year students were entrusted to tutor Letika.

At that time, Teacher Letika had not yet had time to get over the sadness of separation, and her work was not going well.

"Am I not suitable for this job? For the first time, I have realized my long-held dream, and I have students worth cherishing for the rest of my life. Why did it become like this... All I can think about is this kind of thing."

During the period when Teacher Letika was frustrated, it was the students she taught who encouraged her.

Qiu Ke, who is also the student council president and class monitor, leads the class and brings new hope to Teacher Letika.

She got here with the support of students she will cherish throughout her life.

"As a mentor, I am encouraged by my own students. Although it is not glorious, I can still be proud of it..."

The flashing phosphorescence on the sea cast light and shadow on the side of Teacher Letika's face, with a faint smile on her lips.

Perhaps Teacher Letika didn't notice that she was still confiding to her students the voice she treasured deep in her heart.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with this."

"Eh?"

Aika did not look in the direction of Teacher Letika, but just interpreted her confession without authorization.

"Isn't it a great blessing to have people you can rely on and a privilege that you can be proud of?"

Teacher Letika didn't seem to have recovered from Aika's words. She stared at Aika's profile in confusion.

Speaking of someone she can rely on, the first thing that comes to Aika's mind is her face.

"I am Luoluo's brother, but Luoluo rarely acts coquettishly towards me. On the contrary, if I had not spent the same time with her and been encouraged by her countless times, I would not be able to become strong now. Although I I don’t know if I can be called strong as I am now, but in order not to let Luo Luo down, I must become strong.”

Recalling everything she had with Luo Luo, Aika had endless things to say.

After meeting Ling and Wei Xi during the journey, different colors were added to the memories.

As his footsteps reach more and more places, he meets more and more companions along the way, and more and more bonds are formed along the way. Aika realizes that people must support each other to move forward.

But at this time, he just wanted to tell Teacher Letika: If there is someone you can rely on, there is no need to feel guilty about it, just feel and cherish this precious gift.

New footsteps appeared on the deck behind the two men.

Ruby was no longer wearing a navy blue one-piece swimsuit, but instead put on a pale white animal nightgown. Her exposed feet under the nightgown were wearing plush slippers for indoor use.

"elder sister……"

Ruby called to Teacher Letika softly and looked at Aika timidly.

Are you afraid of yourself? This small animal-like behavior reminded Aika of Wei Xi, and a feeling of intimacy suddenly surged in her heart.

Now that Ruby has come out to find her sister, he shouldn't stay here and disturb them both.

"Teacher Letika, I will go back to the room first."

"Yes, Aika-san. Tomorrow... I will definitely make a decision."

The haze from a few minutes ago was gone from Teacher Letika's voice, and Aika was honored to be the one she could rely on.

He left the space behind him to the two sisters. Unexpectedly, Ruby suddenly took a step forward and hugged her waist tightly.

"No, don't go!"

She tried her best to convey this sentence to Aika. With her strength, she could not stop Aika, but Aika had to stop.

Even Teacher Letika was frightened by Ruby's sudden move.

"Ruby, let go of Aika-san!"

"I heard what the eldest brother and sister just said over there..."

But Ruby didn't let go, and her words made Aika understand what was going on.

"Ruby, what I just said doesn't have any special meaning. I just thought of it..."

"Please don't leave my sister! Even if my sister returns to the God Clan, she will never see her big brother forever. Please don't abandon her for this reason!"

"Wait, Ruby, what are you talking about?"

"Ruby, don't bother Aika-san anymore!"

Even though Teacher Letika tried to pull Ruby away from Aika, Ruby had no intention of relaxing her strength.

However, in the end, she was separated from Teacher Letika and Aika, and tears immediately burst out of her eyes.

"I...I don't want my sister to break up with my eldest brother for me...My eldest brother must be able to help my sister better than me..."

Ruby said with a cry while wiping her eyes. After hearing these words, instructors Aika and Letika only had question marks in their minds.

The first person to realize that Ruby had misunderstood something was Teacher Letika. Her cheeks could be seen turning red even under the moonlight.

"Ruby, Aika-san and I don't have that kind of relationship!"

"...Wait a minute, Ruby! The relationship between me and Teacher Letika is not what you imagined!"

While the two of them were scrambling and stammering to explain this subtle misunderstanding, most of the other girls in the cabin had already fallen asleep.