I turn my attention to the front.
“Mama~! Look! Look!” There, as if exactly waiting for me to look at her, is Sora, standing on top of one of the big structures, shaped as a colorful blue pirate ship. Sora cutely holds the huge helm with her small hands while calling out to me. I wave my fingers at her to show that I’m paying attention, which causes her eyes to spark in excitement.
“‘Kay! Lily! Let’s go!”
“Yes! Captain Sora!” Lily, as if waiting for that exact moment, suddenly pops out of nowhere while making a salute. Then, after receiving a nod from my baby girl, Lily turns over some blocks that were attached to the wall, and…
“Shwoosh, whooosh, shwooosh!”
…start making noises with her mouth, as if to show that the ship really was sailing over the seven seas! Sora swipes her hand over her forehead, as if she’s working really hard to control the direction of the ship! Her focus is out of this world! How cute—I mean, terrific! What an incredible show of concentration! And how daring! The two girls are challenging the seven seas! How brave!
“Captain! Careful!! Monster!” Oh no?! What is that standing in their way?! An octopus?! N-No, t-that’s the kraken! The terrifying creature that’s known for being a ship-wrecker! Lily awaits for Sora’s orders as the silhouette of the legendary monster can be seen under the water! The tension in the air is so strong that it’s palpable, how will Captain Sora deal with this situation?!
“Nn! Lily! Go fast when Sora says!!”
“Mhm! Captain!!”
After closing her eyes to consider the situation, Captain Sora gives her orders as she runs away from the helm. What is she planning to do?! N-No way, is she trying to take the monster one on one?! T-There’s no way! That’s impossible! Nobody has ever engaged with the monster in combat and lived to tell the tale! ‘Who cares!’ As if to say that, Captain Sora runs toward the center of the ship with determination on her face, and loads the iron cannon that had grown rusty from not being used in a long time. It was finally time to change that!
“Boom! Boom! Roooooar! Roooooar!“ The enormous monster peeks its body out of the water while the Captain takes aim. The kraken cries in pain as the massive lumps of iron penetrate its skin. However! It isn’t enough to kill it! If it was that easy, it wouldn’t be feared as a legendary monster! But that’s ‘kay! ‘Cause Captain Sora’s intention wasn’t to kill it, but to win some time!
The monster retreats back into the ocean, looking for time to heal its wounds, just as Captain Sora had planned!
“Lily! Now!!”
“Mhm, Captain!! Swhoooooooooosh!”
Following Sora’s orders, Lily accelerates the ship to the max. Both of them stumble a little as the speed tries to knock them over, but they hold on to the ship with all their strength to make sure they don’t fall off the ship. Standing up with much effort, the Captain makes her way to the helm, and steers the ship away, far away, leaving the injured kraken behind. That’s right! The Captain’s plan was to escape all along! She knew from the beginning that a direct confrontation was no good! How cute—I mean, wise! Captain Sora used her intellect to come up with the best option available for the situation! Truly an exceptional individual!
As expected of my baby gir—I mean, of the Captain!
““Phew…”” Both Sora and Lily sigh in relief as they notice they’re finally out of the monster’s territory, and high five each other, celebrating their victory. They encountered the monster, and lived to tell the tale…how cute—I mean, exceptional! They fought against their fate, and managed to grasp a miracle! This day shall go down in history as the legendary tale of Sora and Lily, the best pirates in all the seven seas! ..Or that’s how it’s supposed to be! But no!
““Oh?!”” Captain Sora and pirate Lily stumble on their feet as they feel the ship shake. The girls’ faces pale as they easily guess the nature of the situation. They were in the middle of a storm! Sora had been so focused on getting themselves away from the beast that she didn’t notice they were sailing in the direction of a thunderstorm! It is too late now; water droplets have started falling from the sky, making an eerie sound as they splash against the wooden deck. The thunder is not making the situation any better.
“Crack! Crack! Captain! What do we do?!” Amidst the cries of thunder, Lily tries to keep the sails from flying off while waiting for her captain’s orders. In the meantime, Sora tries to come up with a good solution to their current predicament. They aren’t in a good position by any means. If they continue ahead, they will have to push their way through the storm, while enduring the many risks that would entail, including the possibility of being directly struck by lightning. However, if they decide to turn away to get away from the storm, it would be possible for them to encounter the kraken once again, which would also spell their doom. Captain Sora and crewmate Lily were between a rock and a hard place.
After a few couple of seconds, Sora seems to finally make her mind about what to do, and starts running with all her strength toward the helm. …But she doesn’t make it.
“…Ah!?” Halfway through her sprint, probably thanks to the water accumulating on the deck, Captain Sora loses her balance and slips on the deck, which sends her flying backwards. Just then, a powerful wave hits the ship from the right side, which causes it to shake violently. Having lost her firm foothold, Sora can’t do anything as the ship’s momentum sends her flying toward the cruel ocean.
“Captain?!” Lily instantly notices her friend is in a dangerous situation, and rushes toward her, not caring at all about holding her position. Both of them had set out to sail the world, and both of them would get back home together. There was no meaning to be found in having only one of them survive the ordeal. They would get out of this situation, together! …Unfortunately, the world isn’t as nice. Even though she’s running with all her strength, there’s no chance for Lily to reach her hand out towards Sora. It is simply impossible. Both of them know that.
Sora smiles in resignation as she sees her friend trying her best to save her even in this situation. It was a shame she wouldn’t be able to thank her personally. They had been through so many adventures together, and yet it would all end this way. How cruel is life, really. As if thinking that, the captain closes her eyes as she braces herself for the impact…
“...Hm?” …but said impact never arrives. Sora timidly opens her eyes, not understanding the situation. Then, she starts doubting her eyes, not really believing the scene in front of her. Instead of falling onto the wild, and cruel sea, she had fallen into a warm, and soft embrace. That’s right, it was like being caught by the arms of your mother…
“...!!! Mam—”
“Shhhh! Fufufu! I’m the Goddess of the Sea, bab—ahem, I mean, Captain! I saw you and your crew’s fight against the monster, and have decided to reward you for your bravery.” The Goddess praises the little captain as she holds her in her arms. In her many, many years guarding over the seven seas, it was the first time she had seen such courage. It is only common sense for the ruler of the sea to reward its most fervent sailors. “As such, I shall return you to your ship, and get rid of this storm. Both of you shall return home safely.”
Captain Sora blinks confusedly as she processes the words coming out from the mouth of the avatar of the sea. The Goddess smiles gently at the little captain, and without waiting for her response, carries her off onto the ship, where a both concerned and relieved Lily lies in wait. After seeing the Captain reunite with her crew mate through a sentimental hug, the Goddess waves her hand toward the stormy skies. Within seconds, the skies start to clear, and the heavy raindrops turn into bright sun rays. The violent, massive waves that were aggressively rocking the ship slowly disappear, and are replaced by calmer, smaller ones.
Sora and Lily stare in shock at the skies, amazed at the incredible feat the Goddess is weaving with seemingly no effort. She truly is a Goddess, they seem to think as they stare wide eyed at her.
“Fufufu!” The Goddess laughs, amused at the innocent behavior of the two girls. Then prepares to leave, intent on allowing the two pirates to continue their journey on their own. They are from different realms; though the Goddess would’ve liked to accompany them, she belonged to a world completely different from theirs—she couldn’t invite herself into their world that easily. She could, however, look over them as they travel, and perhaps give them some sailing tips here and there. That is her role, to ensure they reach land safely, even if that is territory outside of their reach; they couldn’t remain sailing the ocean forever, after all.
“Ah, wait!” As she turns around to leave, one of the girls calls out to the Goddess. It’s the little Captain, who the Goddess especially respects due to her bravery and adorableness. She gently urges the Goddess to approach the ship. Though a bit bewildered, the Goddess doesn’t doubt following the instructions of Captain Sora, and so lines up beside the ship. Then, the Goddess feels something warm on the side of her face.
“Thank you, Mam—Nnn, Goddess! *Mwah*! Wuv you! Ehehe!” It’s the small girl, who gave the Goddess a kiss on her cheek, thanking her for her assistance in their times of need. The Goddess, though initially shocked, starts feeling something fizzy inside of her, something warm.
“...Wuv you too…*mwah*!” The Goddess, not really understanding the feeling, pats the girl on the head, and gives her a kiss on her forehead. She had no experience dealing with human emotions, but she somehow knew that was the right thing to do in the situation. “...Be careful not to fall again, alright?”
And just like that, the Goddess leaves the two girls behind, and returns to her world. In other words, she leaves the world of illusions, and returns to the boring, all too real world of humans—no, of adults.
…
…
…WAWAWAWAWAWA! Thank God I was able to get there in time, I thought she was going to fall and hit her head! Leaving the character of the ‘Goddess’ behind, I break into a cold sweat, imagining what would’ve happened had I not been able to rush in to catch her. I mean, it’s all right they’re happy playing in their small little world and all, but can’t they be a bit more careful? LIke, that fall right there could’ve been really dangerous, you know?!
“Geez…kids, you really can’t keep an eye off them, right?”
“Ha, you don’t have to tell me. My Lily can really have no sense of danger sometimes, she really makes me worry.”
“Ah, Achilles.” I look very composed on the outside, but the truth is that what the hell’s up with this guy?! Like, he didn’t even make a sound as he approached me, you know?! Is he a ninja or something?! Haaaaaah…just forget it. I feel I’ll get a headache just from thinking about it. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Just arrived. How about you? Have you waited for a long time?”
“Not really.”
“Haha, I’m sorry to keep you here. I’ll tell Lily to not hold you back next time.” Hmm, I haven’t explained anything to him, and he already knows more or less what happened. I guess he knows his daughter pretty well. Although he’s wrong if he thinks that she was the one who told us to wait. Like, she might’ve agreed, but I was the one who brought up the idea in the first place.
“Don’t. I don’t really have anything to do, and I was the one who asked her if she wanted us to wait with her. Plus, Sora wanted to play with Lily a bit longer, so all’s good, right?” If it was that much of a bother, I would’ve just left, really. I’m not that good of a person, you know?
“...Thanks.” Hmm? What is this? Are you being shy? Aww, what a cutie.
“Don’t mention it.”
“That aside, Ms. Goddess…you really are good at acting, aren’t you?”
…What…did you just say? Ms….Goddess? No…no…don’t tell me you…no…wait, no…hahahaha…no, there’s no way, you…you…you—
“You heard that?!”
“Hahaha! I sure did. Everyone else did, too. All of us parents were admiring how you were playing with the kids, you know? Hahaha!” I turn to look around, and actually notice some adults looking at me with amused expressions. I can feel my cheeks blushing in embarrassment as I try to look away.
…Ah, I want to crawl into a hole and die.
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