Chapter 313: The Ship Will Depart in Ten Minutes
Aoki and the others then saw the old man, Captain Midorikawa.
The old man's face was wrinkled, with a thin, unkempt gray beard, and his sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned them from afar.
Captain Midorikawa wore a faded brown long coat with worn bronze buttons, and his slightly tilted sailor hat added a charismatic air to his aging figure.
"You're finally here! The ship will depart in ten minutes, so get ready!" The old man, Captain Midorikawa, said with a faint smile, but it was as warm as sunlight breaking through the morning mist.
Captain Midorikawa's voice was hoarse from speaking for so long against the sea breeze, but it remained firm and authoritative. Captain Midorikawa waved goodbye before walking to a wooden ship. Captain Midorikawa's steps were slow but sure, like a man who had experienced thousands of voyages.
Captain Midorikawa quickly climbed aboard, pulling on his long coat to prevent it from getting caught on the narrow stairs, which were starting to become slippery with morning dew.
Meanwhile, several crew members were carrying some items onto the ship. They worked deftly—two men lifted large crates filled with food supplies, another adjusted the anchor rope, while another checked the sails. Their voices echoed, breaking the tense silence between Aoki and Mei.
"Looks like this will be our goodbye..." Aoki said with a faint smile. It was a fragile smile, like clear glass cracking under the pressure of emotion.
Aoki's eyes stared out at the gently undulating sea, but his gaze seemed to be unseeing. The sunlight falling on his face cast subtle shadows under his eyes, accentuating the gloomy expression he struggled to hide.
Mei, hearing this, fell silent for a moment, her gaze lowered, and her eyelids slowly drooped, as if she were holding back the emotions surging within her.
Mei's breath caught in her throat, then escaped shakily through slightly parted lips. Finally, she hugged Aoki tightly. Mei's body pressed against Aoki's chest as if trying to stop time from moving forward.
Mei's face was hidden in his chest, and her small hands gripped the back of his shirt tightly, holding on like an anchor refusing to be swayed by separation.
To Aoki's surprise, his body reflexively stiffened. His eyes widened slightly, and his right hand hesitantly lifted, before slowly and cautiously returning the hug.
Silence enveloped them. The sea breeze gently blew through their hair, as if sharing their unspoken sadness.
Tetsu, seeing this, blushed. His face turned as red as a boiled shrimp, and he hurriedly covered his mouth with the back of his hand, stifling a nervous laugh.
He then hurriedly turned around before pulling Ajisai back with him, his movements as hasty as someone who had just witnessed something inappropriate.
Although Ajisai grumbled as Tetsu pulled her back to Aoki and Mei—"Hey, hey! What's this, Tetsu!"—he didn't care, because he didn't want Ajisai to see something as immature as what Aoki and Mei were doing.
Tetsu's cheeks were still flushed, and Ajisai glared at him in annoyance, but she couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"Sorry..." Mei suddenly said in a low voice. It was almost drowned out by the crashing waves and the scraping of the ship's wood, but Aoki heard it. His heart trembled.
"For what?" Aoki then hugged Mei back and asked. His voice was soft, but there was a faint firmness in it.
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