4 4 301 AniZhuanchangEnd The gentle sways of a cradle wake you up. The tender breeze carries with it salted air, and you open your eyes to a bright blue sea.
5 5 301 Some people say that all lives on Earth began from the ocean. Back when the air and the land were lethal to all living things, water shielded lives from deadly radiation, giving them a chance to grow.
6 6 301 Billions of years of evolution took place in the ocean before chance sent one of its children to the surface with a wave, starting life on the surface.
7 7 301 Creatures on the surface have gone through rigorous challenges, adapting to their environment and evolving.
8 8 301 The best of their descendants established civilizations on these lands, but these civilizations are still infants compared to the ocean.
9 9 301 Now, the ocean is still stretching her arms, embracing and protecting the lone sail that carries Nanami and you.
10 10 301 Two fishing rods lean against the side of the boat.
11 11 302 We're fishing? 12
12 12 201 1 500091 1
13 13 301 1 Nanami Exactly. And Nanami won't be skipping anything this time. 1
14 14 301 Nanami takes the fishing rod on the left and says enthusiastically—
15 15 301 Nanami Let's see which one of us can get more fish, Commandant! 1
16 16 302 You're not going to cheat, are you? 17 Fishing takes a lot of patience. 18
17 17 20 301 Nanami I won't! There's nothing Nanami cares about more than a fair competition! 1
29 29 301 You swiftly hook up the fishing bait, and with your grip on the rod, you cast the fishing line—
30 30 202 1 1
31 31 301 It creates a small splash. The fishing bobber floats and drifts along the waves, and you sit down as well.
32 32 302 (Focus) 33
33 33 301 AniZhuanchangBegin 500 You lock your gaze onto the bobber, paying attention to every slight movement—
34 34 301 AniZhuanchangEnd You always lose track of time whenever you narrow your sight to one single thing. If it does not change, your drifting thoughts will instead extend your other senses, enhancing them.
35 35 301 It starts with your sense of smell. You peel away the layers of salinity and fishiness, dissecting them into individual strands.
36 36 301 They are the lawn, freshly mowed; your laundry, dried in the sun; a feast, and a bottle of beautiful wine; a fantasy, within which you can hide forever.
37 37 301 Next up is your sense of hearing. The calm waves play an everlasting, soothing melody.
38 38 301 The water whispers softly, like an entrustment from the past, or a call to the future.
39 39 301 It sounds like it is within your grasp while being miles away. Distance becomes ambiguous as your breath melts into the wind, flying off to the edge of the sky—
40 40 301 Your sense of touch pulls you back. The boat is too small for Nanami and you to sit next to each other, so you face opposite directions, sitting with your backs adhering together.
41 41 301 Instead of the warmth of her back, you can feel her hair most clearly.
42 42 301 Each strand of hair feels like the softest silk. It pierces your skin and your flesh, wrapping itself around your spine, sending you a slight tingle—
43 43 302 500 (Lean forward) 44
44 44 301 AniZhuanchangBegin You shake your head, focusing back on the fishing bobber, only to feel a light, sudden impact behind you—
45 45 301 AniZhuanchangEnd You were boastful with your claims to the commandant, but staying focused has proven to be more difficult than you imagined.
46 46 301 It might be easier if you were building something. Staring at a floating buoy is really trying your patience.
47 47 301 Restlessness creeps in quicker than normal. The urge to skip forward feels more alluring now.
48 48 301 You recall the commandant's words—
49 49 301 "It's not quantity that makes our memories valuable."
50 50 301 You want to create memories, but you are not seeking cold, impassive data to store in your hard drives.
51 51 301 You want to brand your companion into your consciousness. You want the commandant to "live" in your heart.
52 52 301 You suppress the sense of restlessness.
53 53 301 The ocean breeze tastes monotonously salty. You dislike that.
54 54 301 The waves sound dreary and bland. You would rather listen to the thrilling, changing tides if possible.
55 55 301 But the touch on your back—
56 56 301 Muscles more tender than artificial skin softly lean on your back. You can sense the commandant's ease.
57 57 301 You can feel the commandant's spine past your hair and clothes, unyielding and unbendable.
58 58 301 With Maple's great computational power, you can simulate the commandant's body temperature accurately.
59 59 301 Unlike you, a human body does not shift its temperature based on the power output.
60 60 301 It always stays within a certain range. Right now, your sensor indicates that it is 36.567℃.
61 61 301 It makes you feel warm, even when it is drastically lower than how heated your frame gets during battles.
62 62 201 1 500091 1
63 63 301 1 And so you relax, leaning more comfortably against the commandant's back...
64 64 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The commandant suddenly shifts forward slightly. Unprepared, you fall backward to the unexpected movement.