My consciousness drifted up from the depths of sleep. I slowly opened my eyes to find Shiro-san peering down at me with a look of quiet enjoyment. Behind her stretched a vast, transparent blue sky... No, wait. A blue sky? That didn't make any sense.
"Good morning, Kaito-san. Though, perhaps saying 'good morning' is a bit of a mistake..."
"Huh? What on earth... I mean..."
Still confused by her cryptic greeting, I sat up and looked around. A brilliant, blazing sun, an ocean view stretching to the horizon, and a beautiful white sand beach met my gaze. I froze, my brain unable to fully process reality.
I was certain I had fallen asleep on the sofa in the rest room. Why was I lying on a beach? And for that matter, why was I in a swimsuit? I knew it would be easy for Shiro-san to move me and change my clothes while I slept, but why would she do such a thing? Visiting the ocean in the middle of my birthday party was beyond unexpected.
"Sh-Shiro-san, where... where are we?"
"At the sea," she replied.
"Yes, well, I can see that. But which sea?"
"Who knows?"
"Eh? Why are you tilting your head? You’re the one who moved me while I was sleeping, right?"
Answering "Who knows?" to a question about our location was far too unnatural. Shiro-san didn't lie, so her answer meant she truly didn't know where we were.
"No, you haven't moved at all, Kaito-san."
"Huh? Then what does this mean...?"
"To be precise, you are still sleeping right now. This is a dream. I simply chose a seaside setting for the moment, so there is no geographic answer. If I must label it, we are inside a dream."
"...Oh. I see. That’s why you said saying good morning might be a mistake..."
"Yes. As a matter of fact, you are currently asleep, so 'good morning' is technically incorrect. However, I couldn't find a more appropriate greeting, so I said it anyway."
That explained everything. It certainly made sense of her strange phrasing and her lack of knowledge regarding our coordinates. Essentially, she had created a Virtual Space within a dream and pulled my consciousness into it, just as Machina sometimes did.
"That is correct. I didn't have a specific reason, but since the Earth God has done this before, and I had the opportunity to be by your side while you slept, I decided to try something similar."
"I see, that makes sense... but why the sea?"
"A good question. Talking within a dream was a sudden whim, but upon further reflection, I concluded it was the optimal solution. In this state, I can flirt with you to my heart's content while your physical body rests. Thus, I chose the sea."
She had certainly resorted to a drastic measure. I wondered if my mental fatigue would truly fade even if my physical body rested... but then again, I hadn't originally intended to sleep; I’d just wanted a change of pace. If I looked at it that way, perhaps this was... acceptable?
"It is acceptable. You can enjoy a change of pace while your body rests, and I can flirt with you as much as I want. It’s a Double WIN system where both parties benefit."
"I-I see?"
There was no doubt it would be refreshing. With that thought, I turned to look at Shiro-san. She was also wearing a swimsuit, but it was different from the one she’d worn when we went to the beach together before.
She wore a See-through Loose Overgarment over a simple Dark Gray Simple Bikini. As always, her visual allure was overwhelming. No matter what she wore, she remained a peerless beauty.
"Your swimsuit has a different vibe today, Shiro-san. Your previous pareo suited you perfectly, but this combination of the see-through top and the bikini is mature and lovely."
"Thank you. You may praise me more, you know? It makes me happy when you do."
As she spoke her usual refrain, the sand behind her surged upward, forming a Doyaaa Sand Text in the air.
"...Still, the sensations are so realistic I can hardly believe it's a dream. Can I really swim like normal?"
"There is no problem at all. Since we’re here, let’s play in the water together."
"You're right. It should be a nice change of pace. Shall we?"
Since we were already here and there was no changing the situation, I decided to make the most of it. I headed toward the water with Shiro-san, ready to enjoy our unexpected Sea-bathing Date.