42 – Bad Timing For a Girlfriend, But Things Happen…
Melodie was bent over... she looked back over her shoulder at him, her face turning red. “Haha...”
I'd better wait outside.
He stepped back and closed the door, then leaned against the wooden wall beside it.
That girl’s been through way too much... and to think I’d see her in a state like that... poor thing. And Sharon had that angry look on her face, too... It’s not like I did it on purpose.
Crow put a hand on his forehead.
Alright, I need to figure out what to do. Try to forget what I just saw, and above all, don't mention her wet underwear... poor girl, and to think she wet herself... Julian and Makoto... only those two were in that room with me. I'm assuming there aren't any other transmigrators on this ship... unless... no, the odds are low. Makoto knows the characters, and he loves calling them NPCs himself, so he wouldn't make that kind of mistake, especially with his System... Right, in the middle of all this madness, I didn't even use the ring to check things while—
The door opened. It was Sharon. “Come... come in... let's talk.”
Hm, she still seems mad... I'll tell the truth, it wasn't intentional...
He stepped inside and closed the door, placing the nearby chair against the doorknob again, trying to lock it.
“W-why? You're locking the d-door!?” Melodie asked, panicked.
Crow approached Sharon and spoke softly to both of them. “So no one interrupts us.”
Wait... why did that give me deja vu? AH... right... this exact scene happened before with Sharon... I'd better rephrase that before—
“I-I know you saved me... b-but this is too soon!” She slumped onto the other elf's bed.
Oh, come on, man.
Sharon shot Melodie a sharp look, her cheeks flushing slightly as her eyes narrowed.
“I-I’m going to sleep... okay?” Melodie lay down, covered herself, and curled into a fetal position, staring at the wall with the blankets pulled over her face.
Hm? Why is she curled up into a fetal position over there?
Sharon stepped back, sitting on the empty bed, and tapped the spot beside her. “Sit here... Crow.”
This doesn't look like it's going to be very pleasant, since she seems pretty upset... does she really hate the idea of me helping that girl that much? Well, I'd better go over before she gets even angrier, and take the opportunity to bring up the plan...
He walked over and sat down next to her on the bed, practically touching her, and looked at her. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
Sharon snapped her fingers, and a small wave of magic swept through the room. “This is what you wanted before... isn't it? Now no one can hear us, except for Melodie...” She lowered her face, her hair hiding her expression. “Why... why do you keep saying those things?” She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
I was going to talk about the situation with Makoto, but... I'd better leave it for later...
Sharon continued, whispering this time, “I-I... I don't feel right seeing that... I didn't want to say anything, but... if I don't say this, it'll never...” She placed her hand over his, intertwining their fingers, her cheek still resting against his shoulder. “I-I don't know when it happened, but... I kind of, without meaning to... you know... you don't need to... give me an answer right now, but... just think about it.” She buried her face in his shoulder and fell silent.
A pair of eyes was watching them from the other bed, still in a fetal position. Melodie had just rolled over toward them from the wall, with a tiny part of her face showing from under the covers.
With his free hand, Crow lifted Sharon's chin so she had no choice but to look at him. “This is my answer,” he murmured before kissing her.
Without a word, Melodie covered her eyes, then parted her fingers slightly to peek at them.
Sharon squeezed his hand and rested her free palm on his waist, kissing him back deeply as she pulled herself closer.
After a quiet moment in a tight embrace, Sharon rested her head on his shoulder again, now with a soft smile on her lips as her eyes met Melodie’s once more.
Right... I need to bring this up now. I don’t trust Makoto for a second. He wants to eliminate the bard to cover his tracks, and once that's done, it's only a matter of time before some “accident” happens to Sharon too... That guy is completely out of his mind.
Still glued to Sharon and holding her hand, he started whispering, “Sharon... It's just us in this room... right? Can you sense anyone else?”
She replied, “No?”
He looked at Melodie and continued, “Girls, Makoto wants to kill you... and—”
“What!?” Melodie interrupted, still curled in a fetal position. “S-sorry... continue...”
He continued, “He killed the bald guy, and if Melodie dies, there’s no way to trace it back to him. Normally they’d figure it out, but I’m guessing he has magical artifacts to block truth magic or something like that...” He looked around. “Alright, my sword is over there... Tomorrow morning or afternoon, anything could happen. Be ready. Ideally, we should run, but honestly, I don’t know... we’re in the middle of nowhere, after all.”
Melodie didn’t say a word; she was in shock.
Sharon replied, “We’re close to the North. I’ve sailed through here before, and even with my cold resistance, it was really hard. I don’t know if you two could take it... especially if we get wet...” She buried her face in his shoulder again.
Think... what can we do... think...
He continued, “Makoto and Julian came from another world—”
“What!?” Melodie bolted upright, then lay right back down on the bed. “Ahh, e-er... Julian... sorry, I’ll be quiet now.”
Crow spoke up again, “Makoto and Julian are the most dangerous people on the ship, so stay away from them. A very powerful monster will come here tomorrow, and you should try not to fight it, and because of the attack, most of the people here on the ship will die for sure... it’s all Makoto’s plan.”
The girls didn’t say a word.
Yeah... this is ridiculous. Too much happening too fast. Sharon’s probably the only one who actually believes me, but whatever happens, if I can save the bard girl, I will. Maybe I should try talking to some of the other crew members... No, they seem totally fanatical about Makoto. Could it be some kind of item? Or maybe—
Sharon pulled her face back from his shoulder just enough to speak, making sure Melodie could hear her too. “Maybe we should... fight them and take control of the ship.”
Crow looked at her, then over at the bard girl. “No. I haven’t been able to gauge his exact strength, but even if we somehow beat Makoto... which seems impossible on its own, and there’s still Julian. And those elf women. They might be strong too. He wouldn’t keep weaklings around him...”
Honestly, I think he just picked them for their looks... but better keep that to myself. I need to prepare for the worst and make sure we can win regardless. That’s the safest approach.
Noticing the silence, Crow continued, “Well... we’d better get some rest. Be ready for anything.” He untangled himself from Sharon, walked over to his sword in the corner, picked it up, and set it right beside the bed. “Alright, I think that’s everything I needed to say. Unless you two have anything to add...”
They looked at each other, and Sharon spoke up, “Well... there are only... u-um, these two beds, and... well... this one is bigger... so—”
He lay down on the left side of the bed. “Yeah, sleeping together again isn’t a problem.”
Melodie simply turned toward the wall and muttered, “Man, I’m sleepy... wow, so super sleepy... sleepiness... really, really heavy. I think I’m gonna fall asleep in like, five seconds...”
I really don't want to say anything, but I think this bard girl has a problem... because this isn't normal... Stop, I can't be thinking about this. I need to pass out as fast as possible.
He simply closed his eyes, and no one said another word.
To be honest, I can't even rest properly... even though I need to. Ever since I met Makoto, it feels like my problems have multiplied at least fourfold. I think maybe taking out the boss and leaving... I don't know if I can convince the guy to leave the girl alive, and even if I do... what's stopping an “accident” from happening? You can't trust this guy... and also... I have to... to... to—
He fell asleep.
A few hours later...
Hmm... what is this soft feeling on my face? And what's this weight?
He opened his eyes. Sharon had somehow flipped completely upside down during the night. Since she was nearly as tall as Crow, her body was stretched diagonally across his, with one of her thighs over his face, her chest pressed squarely against his stomach, and her head resting on his thigh.
Okay, this is... hm... different. How do I get her off me without waking her up? Even without moving, I can tell from that tiny window over there that it's still night outside, or maybe early morning... nothing happened either, so I should probably just go back to sleep. Must be the classic 3 a.m... and to be honest, it's not even that uncomfortable... yeah, I'm just gonna go back to sleep.
He closed his eyes, and after a few moments of quiet with Sharon's thigh over his face, he fell asleep again.
A few hours later...
It’s dark... my body feels too heavy... I can’t think... straight... Where... what? Why is she... what is she doing?
He ended up coughing up a spray of water straight into the bard girl's face.
Yeah... I knew things would go this way. The ship is sinking... Makoto, you... blessed... Where is Sharon? I can’t see her in—
“You almost slept with the fishes...” The bard girl wiped her face, her body dripping wet. “It’s not like I like you or anything... okay!? You almost drowned... I didn’t have a choice, so I started... that thing that’s like kissing... I forgot the name, because I didn’t know how to do it... so it took a while... so don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t taking my time because I wanted it!”
Oh no... anyway, I think... I’m thinking straight, at least more than before now that I have some air... Where is Sharon? Looking around... the room is half underwater now. This is bad, a big hole in the ship, wait, she isn’t here—
Carried by the rising water, a piece of cloth slapped against his face. He tried to pull it off, but it somehow got entangled around him.
A pair of panties? Wait a moment... aren’t those from yesterday?
She snatched the panties off his face. “E-er!? S-sorry about that!” Then she shoved them into her pocket.
“Relax, they’re clean now, after being washed in the...” He realized it, but it was already too late.
The little bard didn’t say another word, her face turning red.
Alright, I’d better go look for her... Maybe the boss is already attacking the ship. I can’t think of anything else that could do this much damage, the ship was apparently very strong. Man, what a situation. I can see the sun over there... What is it, early morning? Just my luck...
He stood up. Since the bard girl was on top of him, she ended up coming up with him. Using his right arm, he set her down at his right side, since she was short and light. Then he looked at her. “Why were you on top of me?”
She replied with a straight face, “Your chest was hard as a rock, so I needed to use my weight to do the... the thing there to revive you, I don’t remember the name! That’s the only reason I had to climb on top of you and use my knees on your chest... okay?! Then I did the kissing thing until you started breathing again...”
Alright, where’s my sword? This is bad, I don’t see it anywhere... don’t tell me... ah man, are you serious? No way... did it really slip out through that hole over there? If it did, it’s gone, out in the open ocean now... I’d better go look for Sharon.
He headed straight for the open door. “Come on, Melodie, this room is going to be underwater soon... what are you doing?”
Melodie opened a wardrobe and grabbed some clothes from inside. “Well... at least you didn’t notice then...” She pulled the clothes on over her wet ones and looked at him. “Well, it’s cold and all... just a moment, I’ll put a few more on...”
He stepped out of the room and looked both ways down the corridor; the water was already up to his waist. “There’s no one here...”
Think. I’m unarmed, and this girl is apparently weak based on what Julian said... she can’t even use buffs properly... Sharon is nowhere to be found... Yeah, looks like I’ll have to fight bare-handed. Not that it’s hard, but... blocking a blade with my arm isn’t exactly... ideal... If they were weaklings, I could just catch their arms mid-swing, but if I end up fighting Makoto... No, I’m wasting time. I’d better just ask her, maybe she saw where my sword went.
He turned back. “Did you see my sword?”
She stood up from the wooden wardrobe that was floating sideways on the water and said, “U-um...” She held out her arms to him and closed her eyes. “Could you carry me? I just changed into these dry clothes...”
Crow gave her a confused look. “Wait, how? That fast? I literally watched you pull those clothes on over your wet ones.”
She replied, “I only changed my panties... come on, just until we get upstairs...”
How did she change so fast? Nevermind... Well, we’re wasting time here, so I’d better speed things up. Besides, if I’m carrying her, at least it’ll be easier to keep her safe if Makoto spots her, preventing him from taking her out to “cover his tracks” or whatever it was he said before. I can’t even remember anymore. Not to mention this northern seawater is freezing, I don't even know how I haven't died of hypothermia... must be my high CON stat. Better carry her in my arms before she makes any more contact with the water.
He walked in her direction. “You know I’m soaking wet, right?”
“I know, it’s just so I don’t get wet from the waist down.” She kept her arms stretched out, waiting to be carried.
Right... wait, she didn’t even answer my question from earlier.
He stepped closer and picked her up in his arms. “Have you seen my sword?”
She looked into his eyes. “No?”
He stepped out into the corridor and headed for the stairs. “Yeah, no way through here... It makes no sense for this section to be broken too...”
“Oii, walking wardrobe, over there!” She pointed off to his right.
Honestly, I’m amazed this ship hasn’t completely sunk. Must be top-notch quality. Well, at least I can climb up that broken section over there, it looks like a ramp.
He walked over to a piece of timber resting at a sketchy angle, though manageable enough to climb. As he made his way up, he saw it.
You’ve got to be kidding me! A dragon? Must be... There’s smoke coming out of its mouth, and it looks like it’s armored. Honestly, I have no idea what that thing even is...