The Dolphin, with Jin and the others aboard, cruised through the wide-open waters.
"Alright, Rubina, you take the helm for a bit."
"Really? Thanks, Jin-sama!" Rubina replied, her face lighting up with excitement.
"Okay, let's swap," Natalia said, stepping aside.
The two switched places at the controls.
"Adjusting this here changes the seat height, and this lever moves it forward or back."
"About here, I think." Rubina adjusted the seat to fit her smaller frame.
"Alright, here I go!"
Full of energy, Rubina suddenly slammed the throttle wide open.
"Whoa!?"
The Dolphin let out a jolt before lunging forward like a launched projectile.
"S-Sorry!"
In her panic, she yanked the throttle completely shut. The sudden, violent deceleration sent everyone pitching forward.
"I’m so sorry!"
Rubina flustered, looking mortified. Jin reached out and gave her head a gentle pat.
"Calm down. You have to open the throttle slowly."
"Y-Yes..."
Watching her, Jin realized that Rubina had never actually piloted a craft like this before.
"Rubina, you're still young, so it's only natural. But I think if you keep gaining experience like this, you’ll become an incredible technician one day."
Jin told her exactly what he was thinking.
"Y-You think so?"
Rubina’s face turned bright red, and she looked down sheepishly.
"Watch out! Look ahead!"
"Huh? Eek!"
While they were talking, a reef surrounding Onogoro Island had loomed dangerously close.
"That was a close one."
Rubina froze in terror. Fortunately, Reiko instantly engaged the force generator to pivot the Dolphin and adjust its course, narrowly avoiding a collision.
"Th-Thank you... thank you so much, Reiko-san."
A pale-faced Rubina managed to squeak out her thanks to Reiko.
"Think nothing of it. Please, don't worry," Reiko replied.
Jin chimed in to encourage her as well.
"Rubina, just try to be a bit more careful with the controls."
"Y-Yes!"
Relieved that she wasn't being ordered out of the pilot's seat, Rubina applied herself to the task with newfound focus.
She experimented in her own way, gingerly turning the rudder and testing how the boat responded to different speeds. Jin remained quiet for a while, letting her learn through trial and error.
Eventually, he spoke up.
"Alright, why don't you try some bolder maneuvers now?"
"Yes, sir!"
Rubina gave an energetic response and began to put the boat through its paces.
She performed turns with a ten-meter radius, executed zigzagging patterns, and pushed the craft into a full-speed sprint. However, even she knew better than to try a sharp turn while at maximum velocity.
Finally, she brought the boat to a stop.
"Jin-sama, thank you! I think I've finally got a feel for it!"
"Are you satisfied for now?"
"Yes. This was very educational. Thank you so much!"
"I’m glad. I hope you were able to take something away from it."
Natalia took over the controls once more. Her handling was several levels more stable than Rubina’s. After a moment, she turned to Jin.
"Jin-sama, if only for a short while, could you set the Dolphin to race specifications?"
"I can... but are you sure you want to experience that?"
"Yes!"
Natalia explained that she wanted to feel a "severe" setting—one that aimed for the absolute limits of the craft rather than the mild, user-friendly handling it currently had.
"Understood."
Jin spent about a minute adjusting the cockpit controls and the propulsion system at the stern.
"There. All set."
Both Natalia and Rubina were floored by his speed.
"Y-You're finished already!?"
"Yeah. The necessary parameters were already stored in the auxiliary control core, so I just had to call them up."
"Wow..." Rubina breathed, sounding utterly dazed.
"Now, keep in mind that this setting is right at the edge of the absolute limit—at about the eighty percent mark. Give it a try."
"Y-Yes!"
Natalia started the Dolphin with a mix of excitement and trepidation.
"Kyah!"
Despite her best efforts to be cautious, the hull jolted violently under her touch. The boat made a ferocious dash. It was similar to Rubina’s first attempt, but the sheer force of the acceleration was on a different level entirely.
"I-I didn't think it would be this difficult to control! Eek! Kyaaaa!!"
Even the normally composed Natalia couldn't help but scream. She quickly brought the boat to a halt.
"Phew... Jin-sama, I understand perfectly now. T-That's enough for me."
"Finished so soon?"
"Yes. This setting is far too sensitive to handle without proper training."
"I see. Alright then, Reiko, your turn."
"Yes, Father."
At Jin’s request, Reiko took the pilot's seat. After adjusting the position, she looked back at the passengers.
"Please fasten your seatbelts."
"Already ahead of you," Jin replied.
Once Jin, Natalia, and Rubina were all buckled in, Reiko nodded.
"Then, we shall begin."
With those few words, she opened the throttle.
In sharp contrast to Natalia’s jerky start, the Dolphin surged forward with incredible smoothness.
"First, maximum speed."
Reiko announced her intention briefly before steadily pushing the throttle to its limit.
"W-Wow! This is incredible!"
The Dolphin tore across the water at an estimated speed of over 150 kilometers per hour.
So this is eighty percent...
Realizing that her absolute best didn't even reach eighty percent of Jin's work, Natalia felt a wave of self-reflection about how much she still had to learn.
As the Dolphin carved a wide arc, it seemed to slow only slightly before leaning into a sharp curve.
"Kyaaaa!"
The passengers were hit with massive lateral G-forces, but thanks to their seatbelts, they remained securely in their seats as the Dolphin maintained its stability through the turn.
"Was that about a 20R...?"
Natalia was stunned that the craft could turn so tightly at such high speeds. Rubina was equally wide-eyed.
Reiko continued to put the boat through its paces, whipping it left and right.
"Wa-wa-wa!"
"Kyah! Eeek!"
As the boat’s direction changed dizzyingly, so did the direction of the G-forces. The unfamiliar sensations had Rubina on the verge of vertigo. Natalia, meanwhile, was doing her best to endure the ride.
As for Jin...
"...『Healing』."
He was quietly casting healing magic on himself to stave off motion sickness.
After thoroughly enjoying their high-speed excursion, the group finally headed back to the pier as the sun began its descent toward the horizon.