"Oh my~? Rokuhara-kun, you sure know a lot about me."
Kurumi's golden eye sparkled with amusement.
"Of course, I even know your three-s—"
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!"
Souta shut his mouth immediately.
Kurumi smiled as she watched him struggle in the water.
"It seems like I'll have to be the one to carry you through the air."
With that, she slowly descended toward him.
As she got closer overhead, Souta glanced up—
And was immediately blessed with a breathtaking view.
Kurumi's long skirt billowed in the wind, revealing—
Sleek black garter stockings,
A glimpse of creamy white thighs,
And a delicate lace-trimmed undergarment, both adorable and enticing...
Souta rarely blushed, but this time, his face burned bright red.
He immediately looked down.
[Kurumi Tokisaki.jpg]
"You saw, didn't you?"
Kurumi's teasing voice suddenly sounded right next to his ear.
"...It was an unavoidable circumstance! Completely out of my control!"
Souta's heart nearly stopped as he instinctively defended himself.
At some point, Kurumi had appeared behind him,
Casually grabbing both of his arms and lifting him out of the water.
Without hesitation, she fired a Fourth Bullet at him.
A soft golden glow surrounded Souta—
His clothes instantly dried,
His body was completely restored,
And he was back to his pre-teleportation state.
Now he wouldn't catch a cold from being in the freezing ocean.
"Rokuhara-kun, tell me..."
Kurumi whispered, still holding him from behind.
Her soft breath tickled his ear.
"Did you like what you saw under my skirt~?"
Was this a trap question?!
He had no idea what the correct answer was!
"Never mind," Kurumi chuckled.
"If it's you, I don't really mind."
Her voice was playful yet seductive.
"After all... I still owe you a kiss, don't I?"
Souta nearly choked on air.
He quickly changed the subject:
"Ahem... Good thing you can fly. If we had to swim to find the ship, we'd probably have to give up and go home."
Kurumi let out a soft giggle but didn't push further.
Instead, she increased her altitude and began scanning their surroundings.
The dense fog made visibility terrible.
"I can't see anything..."
"Maybe we should fly around the area," Souta suggested.
He frowned at the thick mist, then added:
"The system said the teleportation error isn't too big, so the ship should be nearby—it's probably just hidden in the fog."
Kurumi nodded, accepting his plan.
She tightened her hold on Souta, then began flying in circles, keeping a low altitude to avoid getting lost in the fog.
Meanwhile, Souta was internally cursing the system.
"This damn system... the Travel Card is so unreliable!"
"What the hell is this nonsense?!"
If Kurumi wasn't here,
And if he had fallen into the ocean alone...
He'd be royally screwed.
...Well, okay. He wouldn't die.
He could still choose to return to his world.
But that would mean wasting the Travel Card.
And that pissed him off.
Kurumi's voice suddenly carried a hint of excitement.
Her vision was far superior to a normal human's.
After flying for a bit, she had finally spotted a sailing vessel in the distance.
Since there was only one ship around,
It had to be the Advena Avis.
Souta let out a relieved sigh.
A Lonely Ship in the Vast Ocean
As nightfall approached, the gentle waves of the ocean broke the silence.
A lone sailing ship drifted across the calm sea.
A few oil lamps flickered on the deck,
But there wasn't a single soul in sight.
This ship was called the Advena Avis.
Onboard, dozens of alchemists had gathered.
All of them shared a common goal:
The Elixir of Immortality.
They had embarked on this long journey with only one purpose—
To create a potion that would grant eternal life.
This had always been the greatest dream of alchemists.
Onboard the ship, the leader of the alchemists was Maiza, a man willing to go to any lengths to obtain the Elixir of Immortality—
Even if it meant summoning a demon.
To his fellow alchemists, summoning a demon was an unforgivable taboo,
A betrayal of their principles,
A step too far into the realm of black magic.
Because of this, Maiza and his companions had to abandon their homeland,
Leaving behind their old lives,
Sailing deep into the ocean,
Beyond the reach of watchful eyes.
When Souta and Kurumi arrived at the ship,
They didn't reveal themselves immediately.
Kurumi had her "Shadow Space." (Shadow Manipulation)
This unique ability not only let her turn invisible,
But also allowed her to store clones, imprison targets,
And even teleport herself and others.
Using this ability, Souta and Kurumi infiltrated the ship's interior,
Completely unnoticed by anyone onboard.
They had no intention of introducing themselves or making conversation.
How would they even explain their presence?
They couldn't exactly say, "Oh, we just swam here."
They chose the sneaky approach.
Inside the Shadow Space, Souta turned to Kurumi and asked—
"Kurumi, can you hear what's happening outside?"
"Of course. And the voices are being translated into Japanese."
Since Kurumi controlled the Shadow Space,
She could still listen in on the outside world with ease.
She smiled slightly and remarked,
"It seems like the translation feature isn't limited to 'Friend Group' members. That'll make things much easier."
"What's the situation outside?" Souta asked.
"Let me listen... Hmm... A large group of people is gathering in one location."
"They're discussing someone named Maiza."
"Maiza is the one who summons the demon."
"He's the first person to obtain the Elixir of Immortality."
"Where are they gathering? We need to follow them!"
Hearing this, Kurumi activated her Shadow Space's teleportation ability,
Secretly trailing behind the largest group of people.
Before long, they arrived at a large chamber inside the ship.
Even with dozens of people inside, the room still didn't feel crowded.
At some point, Kurumi had swiped two black cloaks from the ship's storage,
Handing one to Souta.
She whispered softly:
"We're going out, Souta. Put this on so we don't stand out."
After pulling on their cloaks and pulling up their hoods,
The two blended into the back of the crowd.
The dimly lit chamber was filled with the flickering glow of oil lamps,
Casting shifting shadows across the wooden walls.
Most of the people in the room wore similar cloaks,
So no one noticed Souta and Kurumi's arrival.
At the front of the room,
Three men stood over a wooden floor,
Carving strange symbols with their daggers.
Souta craned his neck, trying to get a better look.
The carvings formed a twisted geometric pattern—
A design eerily similar to magic circles from fantasy stories.
Once the carving was complete,
One of the three men stepped forward.
He was a bespectacled man with an air of intellect,
A figure that matched Souta's memory—