"Hey everyone! Having a good soak?"
"Gwaah?! M-Melt?! Wha—what are you doing in the men's bath?!"
"What do you mean 'why'? Since we're all here, we figured we’d wash the backs of the guys who’ve been working so hard. You’re happy, aren't you?"
"Ann?! Is everyone here?!"
Yugo let out a frantic scream as he watched the group of girls file into the men’s bath, the door rattling on its tracks as they entered.
They weren't naked, at least—they were wearing the same swimsuits they had worn to the beach on the first day of the school trip. Still, Yugo and the others couldn't hide their shock at the girls storming their territory.
"Wait! This is bad! I don't care if we have the place to ourselves, this is totally wrong!"
"It’s fine, it’s fine! We got permission from the hotel staff!"
"It is not fine! And based on that, you definitely didn't tell the teachers, did you?!"
"Now, now, don't sweat the small stuff. Here, let me wash your back."
"I am sweating it! This is impossible on so many levels!"
"Relax, Yugo. Fee is right here, so we won't do anything too extreme."
"I don't want you to do anything even slightly extreme! Just leave! That’s all I want!"
"Hmm... These sarashi and fundoshi are basically just clothes. It feels a bit odd wearing them in the water."
"Start by feeling odd about being in the men's bath!"
"Hah... hah... Master’s muscles... Gulp!"
"Misery? Why are you breathing so hard? Seriously, stop it! I can't even keep up with the commentary anymore!"
Yugo’s desperate shouts echoed through the room as he was tossed about by the girls' eccentric behavior, which by now left him with more questions than answers.
Marcos watched Yugo with a sympathetic eye as his friend was preyed upon by the rowdy girls, but it seemed he wasn't an innocent bystander for long.
"Hey! Marcos! We finally get to take a bath together! I'm so happy, so happy!"
"Wha—?! E-Elena?! You’re here too?!"
"Of course I am! Melt and the others invited me, so we decided to all bathe together! And since we're here, I'll just—"
"Wait! Stop! Don't get in the tub with your swimsuit on! That’s a total breach of manners!"
Marcos was stunned to see Elena joining the chaotic fray, despite her having been a help since the Decoy Operation.
While silently cursing Melt and the others for starting this mess, he tried to restrain Elena. However, she just looked down at herself and tilted her head.
"Oh, really? Then I guess I’ll just take it off!"
"No, stop! Why would you jump to that?! Hey! Don't you dare strip! There are men and children right here! Modesty! Have some modesty!"
"You people! Don't forget there’s a kid watching! A variant swimsuit episode like this would never air on Nichiasa!"
The protests of Marcos and Yugo rang out against the girls, who seemed utterly devoid of shame.
Melt and Setsuna continued their attempt to wash Yugo’s back, sandwiching him from both sides like a binaural recording, while Marcos struggled to stop Elena from discarding her swimsuit. Watching them from the corner of his eye, Fee quietly shuffled toward Ryuga, who appeared to be suffering the least amount of trouble.
"Um... Peewee? What should we do...?"
"He has a surprisingly good build... Lean muscle fever is one thing, but the sight of a beautiful shota next to a buff young man is quite an elegant and refined aesthetic..."
"P-Peewee? Hello? Are you there...?"
Fee thought he heard something terrifying for a split second, but he decided it was better not to dwell on it.
He slipped away and approached Ryuga, who was the only one maintaining a sense of calm amidst the storm.
"Um, Ryuga-san. Is it okay for me to stay here?"
"I'm more worried about whether you should stay. You might get caught up in the reverse sexual harassment, you know?"
"I trust Melt-san and the others on that front... plus, if I leave, I'm worried my brother and the others might end up in even worse trouble..."
Fee felt relieved when Ryuga answered in a gentle tone.
As they stood side-by-side watching the older boys deal with the chaos, Ryuga spoke again.
"This really is... a ridiculous scene. I don't mean to sound like those peepers from earlier, but I think they're being a bit too festive. And yet, there’s a part of me that doesn't think this noise is so bad."
"...Me too. A while ago, when my brother was disowned, I was so worried. But now, I can see he’s surrounded by so many friends."
One was a man who had lost his family’s favor and everything he owned after a single defeat.
The other was a man who had traveled from a distant land, abandoned his quest for vengeance, and found irreplaceable bonds.
Though their paths were different, both had known the depths of loneliness. Seeing them now, surrounded by so many companions, gave one a strange sense of destiny.
Ryuga, who had finally found enough peace of mind to appreciate the noisy daily life, closed his eyes and smiled at Fee.
"It doesn't exactly feel like a normal school trip anymore... but I hope that when this is all over, we can look back on these as happy memories. A scene of youth shared with irreplaceable friends."
"...Yes. I feel the same way."
They had fought monsters and Magic Armor Beasts and been dragged into one bizarre incident after another. As Ryuga said, their time on this island was a far cry from a typical school trip.
But with the crimes involving Clear Plates finally winding down, Fee allowed himself to believe that the end was in sight.
He imagined a bright future—the peaceful, happy days his brother and the others worked so hard to protect. The innocent boy smiled, wishing that this joy would last forever.
...However, it seemed fate had no intention of granting that wish.
At that very moment, most people were blissfully unaware that a man calling himself the Conductor was moving behind the scenes to complete his grand design.
And the Conductor had already begun his next move—intent on gathering those who had fallen to the absolute bottom as pawns for his final performance.