"It's a thorny issue, but there’s no reason to be so pessimistic. If this Blue Ever group doesn’t have the support of the local islanders, then you can safely ignore whatever they say."
"Huh...?"
"That sort of crowd is always hunting for someone to vilify. Once they grow bored of hounding your tribe, they’ll just find some other convenient target to attack. It might be irritating to hear this from a stranger like me, but... you just have to bear with it for now."
Though his tone was blunt and his phrasing characteristically stiff, Elena let his words sink in. She realized that Marcos was actually trying to encourage her.
Her sorrowful expression vanished, replaced by a bright smile as she looked at him, still standing there with his arms crossed.
"You’re actually a really nice person! I see why Poruru likes you so much!"
"Kani-ka-niii! Ka-ni-kani-kanii!"
"Gah! Not this crab again! Would you stop? You’re getting incredibly annoying!"
As if to show its gratitude for the boy who had cheered up its master, Poruru scuttled sideways, circling around Marcos in a rhythmic dance.
His companions watched on with knowing, warm smiles. They all knew that Marcos was surprisingly caring; he just had a hard time being honest about his kindness. While they enjoyed the spectacle, Yugo finally spoke up to address Elena.
"We haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Yugo, and this is my younger brother, Fee. And these are..."
Yugo went through the group, introducing each of his friends to Elena one by one. When he finally gestured toward the boy currently being circled by the crab, Marcos made a sour face before finally speaking up.
"Marcos Borg. Now, please, do something about your 'family member.'"
"Marcos! It’s Marcos, right? Got it! Poruru, stop for a second!"
"Kani-ka-nii!"
At Elena’s command, Poruru skittered back to her side. She gave the creature an affectionate pat for being such a good boy before turning her attention back to the group.
"So, you guys are students from Luminous Academy, right? I heard you were here on a school trip!"
"That’s right," Yugo replied. "Tomorrow is our first day of free time, so we were planning to explore different parts of Wind Island."
"In that case, you should definitely come visit our island! There are tons of cool things to see, and Poruru says he wants to welcome you too!"
"Kani-kani-kani!"
Poruru rhythmically snapped its pincers as it swayed back and forth, as if to confirm Elena’s invitation. Yugo crossed his arms, looking genuinely intrigued.
"An island where humans and monsters coexist... That definitely sounds like it's worth seeing!"
"I’d love to go too," Fee added. "I want to learn more about the ecology of the monsters on Wind Island."
"Come on over, then! We have plenty of other family members besides Poruru, and since they’re all used to people, you can play with them! Plus, we have all sorts of souvenirs!"
"Now that you mention it," Fee recalled, "you said earlier that you sell goods made from monster parts."
"Yep! We have accessories and food, and we even make weapons!"
"Weapons, you say?"
Marcos’s ears practically twitched at that. Seeing that he had taken the bait, Elena launched into a relentless sales pitch.
"Exactly! My papa is the island’s number one weaponsmith! He uses monster materials to craft all sorts of incredible gear. There are some weapons you can’t get anywhere else but our island!"
"Whoa! As a magic item engineer, that definitely piques my interest," Anhel chimed in. "I’d love to get a look at his work!"
"I feel the same," Sakura agreed. "I might even find some inspiration for modifying my shrine maiden robes... I would very much like to visit Elena’s island as well."
"Well, that settles it, then," Yugo said, looking around. "No objections here. We’ll be paying a visit to Elena’s island tomorrow. You’re okay with that too, right, Marcos?"
"Hmph. I have no reason to object."
"Yay! Then I’ll come pick you all up tomorrow! Just wait for me!"
"Kani-kani-kani-kani!!"
Elena and Poruru hopped up and down together, expressing their excitement with every fiber of their beings. As Yugo and the others laughed at the energetic display from the island girl, Ryuga kept a quiet watch on the beach.
"It looks like the Blue Ever crowd has finally moved on. Should we head back too?" Anhel asked.
"Before we do... let’s help clean up the beach," Yugo suggested. "The Sahagins made a mess of the place, so let’s do what we can to fix it up."
"I’m in! It’d be way too depressing if all we did at the beach was kill monsters. Let’s hang out here just a little longer!"
"I also wish to offer prayers for the fallen Sahagins," Sakura added solemnly. "I shall assist you, Yugo-dono."
"Thanks! As a local, Poruru and I should work extra hard too!"
With the plan for the next day set and the noisy protesters gone, the group headed down to the shoreline to tidy up the area damaged by the battle. As they worked, Yui walked alongside Fee, giggling to herself.
"School trips really are wonderful. You meet such interesting people and discover new things. I’m so glad we all came together!"
"Yeah, I agree," Fee said with a smile.
"I’ve already learned something today! Something I never would have known if I hadn't come to Wind Island!"
"Oh? What's that?"
Fee, who was looking forward to learning about the local culture and monsters, looked at her with curiosity. Yui puffed out her chest with pride and shared her new breakthrough.
"I never knew it until now... but crabs actually say 'Kani!', don't they? What a fascinating discovery!"
I'm pretty sure that's not right... Fee thought to himself. However, Yui looked so genuinely delighted by her "discovery" that he simply didn't have the heart to correct her.