Spy Classroom - Volume 9 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Islanders

It was the very first day of Lamplight’s vacation, and the girls let out a cheer at the spectacle laid out before them.

“““““““IT’S THE BEEEEEEACH!!”””””””

The Confezza Beach sat on Marnioce’s west coast. Its sand was as white and soft as fresh-driven snow, and beyond, there was a beautiful ultramarine sea glinting in the sunlight. The sand was dotted with large parasols hanging over wooden deck chairs and barrels loaded with cans of fruit juice chilled with ice water.

For the first day of their vacation, Lamplight had reserved an entire section of the beach all to themselves.

After whooping with glee, the girls stripped off their outerwear and dashed out dressed in the swimsuits they’d been wearing underneath.

The first one in the water was “Flower Garden” Lily. She was a silver-haired girl with a charming face and sizable chest, and she hurled herself headfirst into the waves, wearing a white bikini with a floral pattern.

“Hrahhhh! C’mon in, everyone!”

“Yo, I’ve never been to the beach before!”

“M-Miss Annette, your wounds haven’t healed yet, so you need to remember to take it easy!”

The next ones in were Annette and Sara.

“Forgetter” Annette was a girl with ash-pink hair, a large eye patch, and a messily tied-up pair of pigtails. Her swimsuit was a neatly fitting black one-piece, and she plunked her head under the salty water.

“Meadow” Sara was a girl with naturally curly brown hair and big round eyes like those of a woodland creature. She’d taken off her trademark newsboy cap and was dressed in a swimsuit adorned with frills. A hawk and a dog followed along after her with great excitement.

Lily and Sara cheered as they splashed water at each other. The water’s temperature was perfect. Thanks to the blazing sun, it was even a little warm.

A moment later, a cry of “Oop!” rose up from Annette’s direction.

“Yo! I can’t swim!”

““Wait, what?!””

“I can’t move right ’cause of my injuries! This is the biggest mistake of my life, yo.”

Bubbles rose as Annette sank below the surface, and Lily hurriedly hoisted her up. “Vacations are supposed to be restful!” Sara scolded her.

While some of the girls were enjoying the water, Thea smiled in exasperation from back on the beach.

“Dreamspeaker” Thea was a girl with long, glossy black hair, curves in all the right places, and a mature air about her. She gave a small nod as she readjusted the string on her risqué off-the-shoulder bikini with hardly any fabric at all. “They’re enjoying themselves entirely too much. They really ought to put on some sunscreen before they destroy their skin.” She took a bottle out of her waterproof bag and smiled. “Now, time for things to get hot and heavy.”

“In what way?!” cried “Pandemonium” Sybilla as she dutifully played off Thea’s typical antics. Sybilla was a girl with a gaze as sharp as a knife and a lithe, toned physique. Her tank top bikini left her prominent abs exposed.

Still holding the bottle, Thea glanced around. “Where’d Teach get off to?! How could he abandon me like this right at the moment I’d been waiting for?”

“Oh, just lie down. I’ll put your damn sunscreen on.”

Not intending to take no for an answer, Sybilla gave Thea a swift kick to the rump to force her onto the ground. She snatched up the bottle, but right when she was about to squirt some into her palm…

“Oh, I wouldn’t touch that if I were you. It has an aphrodisiac mixed in.”

“Then why the hell’d you want it on yourself?!”

With that, Sybilla took the bottle and sprayed its contents directly onto Thea’s back.

Monika had promptly left the beach, and she soon began rock fishing over on the bluffs beside it.

“Ashes” Monika, formerly “Glint,” was a girl of average height and weight who had few distinctive features, save for her asymmetrical cerulean hairdo. She was wearing a hoodie over her swimsuit with its hood hung over her face. “It’s nice to take a load off like this every now and then,” she said.

“I’m gonna reel in a big one.”

By Monika’s side, “Fool” Erna was sniffing at the air. Erna was a petite blond girl with skin as fair and pale as that of a delicate porcelain doll. She was wearing a cutesy swimsuit with a flared top made from patterned cloth, and she, too, was dressed for the water and clutching a fishing rod.

After raising and lowering her rod a couple times, Erna felt it catch on something and quickly yanked it up. “I got a bite!”

Hooked on the end of her fishing line was a leather boot.

“…How unlucky.”

“Wait, that old cliché actually happens?”

As Monika let out a chuckle, Erna puffed up her cheeks and cast out her line again.

“I got another bite!”

When she reeled it in, she found that her line had caught yet another boot. What’s more, it was the exact same model and size as the first one.

Monika goggled at her. “Wait, that’s actually impressive!”

“D-does that count as…lucky? I can’t believe I actually completed the pair!”

Aside from the water they’d taken on, the boots were practically brand-new. Erna made up her mind to try them on, but alas, they didn’t fit her.

After taking them off and lining them up side by side, she presented them to Monika.

“These are for you, Big Sis Monika.”

“………Thanks.”

Monika was deeply unsatisfied by the whole turn of events, but she had little choice but to take them.

MONIKA got LEATHER BOOTS!

Meanwhile, as the rest of the group made merry across the beach, one redhead gazed quietly at them.

The redhead was “Daughter Dearest” Grete, a girl with slender arms and legs and a glass-like fragility to her. She ducked under a parasol and spoke to the man sitting in the deck chair beneath it. “…Aren’t you going to swim, Boss?”

“My right leg isn’t done healing yet. I’m just here to keep watch.”

That man was Klaus. He had foregone his usual suit for once and had gone instead with a breezy combo of a shirt and shorts. There was something oddly seductive about the way his collarbone peeked out from beneath his shirt.

Klaus was sitting with his legs stretched out on his deck chair and sipping the iced tea he’d arranged for in advance. The look on his face was uncharacteristically relaxed, and there was the faintest of smiles on his lips.

“I’m going to take a short nap. It’s been years since the last time I got to take a proper holiday like this.”

As the greatest spy in the Din Republic, Klaus had more than his share of mental fatigue. He’d been busy even before Inferno was destroyed, and he’d had few, if any, opportunities to take an entire day off since.

He quietly closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep.

“………”

Mixed emotions swirled within Grete as she gazed upon her beloved.

She was happy he was getting some rest, but it would have been nice if he’d—

“You know, Grete.”

He opened his eyes for a moment.

“That swimsuit looks lovely on you. While we’re here, why not go for a swim?”

“______!!”

Those were exactly the words she’d been hoping to hear, and her whole body shivered.

The swimsuit Grete was wearing was a shade of orange as bright as the sun. It was on the modest side, with a high-necked design that covered her chest and a pareu tied around her waist. She’d gone out right before their vacation and excitedly bought it so she could show it off to Klaus.

He closed his eyes again and drifted softly off to sleep.

Boss…

Perhaps he found her needy, the way she was fishing for compliments. The concern crossed her mind, but the feeling was far overpowered by the warmth filling her heart.

“~~~~~~~~~ ”

She very nearly even started humming.

I knew it! Perhaps my feelings for the boss are requited after all!!

The truth was, there was no Lamplight member more full of joy than she was.

The impact of what Monika told her was starting to make itself clear.

“Out of everyone on the team, you’re the one Klaus loves the most.”

During their mission in Fend, Monika had betrayed the team for a time, and she’d kidnapped Grete knowing that that would give Klaus the biggest shock. Grete was overjoyed that that was why she’d been chosen.

I understand that it’s nothing more than a theory…

She cast her gaze over at Klaus’s restful face.

…but if Monika of all people believes it, then surely it must be true!

On an intellectual level, she knew better than to get her hopes up. Klaus had once rejected her and told her that he wasn’t interested in that kind of love. It would be little wonder if someone like that regarded her continued displays of affection with revulsion.

Despite knowing that, though, she couldn’t contain the exhilaration welling up inside of her.

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ”

The blazing sun and vibrant sea were melting her rationality away.

In her great wisdom, Thea taught me that heat like this draws men and women closer! We can spend all day playing on the beach, then eventually watch the sun set and have our hearts swell with the poignance of it all. We’ll take each other’s hands as we sit side by side, and when night comes, oh my…! The next morning, we’ll wake up wrapped in the sheets and bashfully tell each other, “I had a really nice time yesterday.” That’s what vacations are all about!

However, as Grete’s amorous delusions continued to unfold—

“Huh? Feels like I’m being watched, yo!”

—she heard Annette let out a hysterical shout.

The other girls were surprised by her outburst as well. When Annette cried “It’s him!” they all looked where she was pointing.

The man standing there couldn’t have looked shadier if he tried. He was standing right on the edge of the section they’d reserved, wearing a T-shirt, sunglasses, and an obscene smirk.

Annette puffed up her cheeks in discomfort. “That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies, yo.”

“Heh, can you blame him?” Thea said with a shrug. She was covered all over in lotion. “This is simply what happens when you gather a bunch of lovely young maidens on a beach. Perhaps he’s mistaken us for undines.”

“…You’re right, that is creepy. I’ll go drive him off.”

After opening his eyes, Klaus gallantly rose to his feet.

He put his nap on pause and strode over to the sketchy man. When the man saw Klaus coming his way, he winced in panic and quickly fled. He must’ve been some pervert trying to sneak a look at teenage girls in swimsuits.

“I swear. And on this precious first day where we’re all together, no less.”

Klaus sighed the words as much as spoke them, sending Grete’s heart astir.

That’s right. I mustn’t let my excitement get the better of me.

She looked down at Klaus as he went back to sleep in his deck chair.

The boss is grappling with something important right now.

She gazed at his slumbering form and squeezed her hand in front of her chest.

Grete wanted to use the vacation to understand Klaus a little better.

She wasn’t just some besotted little girl. Her desire to support him as a spy was near and dear to her heart, and it was obvious that Klaus had an agenda for their vacation beyond mere recreation.

On the morning of the first day of their vacation, while they were on the ferry to Marnioce, Klaus gathered the team in his room. The girls were champing at the bit to disembark, and they exchanged confused glances with one another as they assembled.

The look on Klaus’s face was uncharacteristically somber. “We’re going to be starting our remote island vacation today, and I have one rule I’d like you all to follow.”

““““Huh?””””

“The only times you can all be in one place are days one, thirteen, and fourteen.”

The girls looked at him in bewilderment, and it was hard to blame them. They hadn’t put together specific plans for how they were going to spend their time yet, but even so, the restriction made little sense to them. The fourteenth day was the one they were departing on, so that functionally only left two days for them to spend time together as a full group.

Lily took it upon herself to give voice to what everyone was thinking. “L-look, I get that there’s no need for everyone to hang together all the time, but…why?”

“I have my reasons,” Klaus said, “and I’ll tell you them on the thirteenth day.”

“………?”

Grete could hear a hint of darkness in his voice. He averted his gaze from the girls as though to avoid any follow-up questions. The sight had yet to fade from Grete’s mind.

Nighttime fell on the first day of their vacation in what seemed like no time at all.

After leaving the beach, the girls staggered their way to their lodgings with their backs hunched over in exhaustion. Most of them could barely even stay upright and looked ready to keel over at any moment.

Of the group, Lily was the most listless of all. “I-I’m so tired…”

“This is what happens when you spend all day swimming,” Grete replied. She was carrying Lily’s bag for her.

In the end, the Lamplight girls had spent the whole time from noon to sundown playing nonstop. They held swimming contests, played Beach Flags, and tried out surfing, and before they knew it, it was nighttime.

Their mission in the Fend Commonwealth had really done a number on them. Now that they finally had a chance to cut loose, they’d seized it with both hands.

Lily continued dragging her feet along lifelessly—

“But wait!!”

—but when she caught a glimpse of the boardinghouse, her back straightened right up.

“This night’s just getting started! GROUP DINNER, WHOO- HOOOOOO!!”

“…Are you really going to be able to keep this up for fourteen days?” Klaus said in disbelief as he walked at the front of the group with the aid of a cane. He hadn’t bought into the girls’ manic excitement, and his expression was composed.

Lily skipped up to Klaus. “C’mon, Teach. How am I supposed to not look forward to dinner?” She gave him a broad grin. “I mean, we’re talking about a meal from a boardinghouse with the Inferno seal of approval! This place is gonna be awesome. Rgh, if I hadn’t drawn that short straw, I could’ve even been staying there!”

Due to the size of the available accommodations, the plan was to split up into groups of four and five. Klaus, Grete, Annette, Erna, and Sara would be staying at a boardinghouse that Inferno once used, whereas Lily, Sybilla, Monika, and Thea would be staying at another equally respectable establishment.

“Saying that it has the ‘Inferno seal of approval’ is an overstatement. It’s just a normal boardinghouse,” Klaus said in exasperation. “We stayed there during a mission six years ago, that’s all.”

As they continued walking, a building with a balcony came fully into view. It was about the size of a larger house, just like Klaus had told them. The second floor was available to be rented out by tourists, and the family that ran the place lived down on the ground floor.

Out in front, there was a young girl waiting for them in an apron. Her brown, suntanned skin stood in stark contrast to her canary-yellow wolf cut hairdo. She had the hearty build of a girl who spent her time running around in the great outdoors.

“Hmm.”

As Klaus reacted, the girl noticed them in turn, and her entire face lit up as she came running over.

“Mr. Klaus! It’s been too long!”

“Hello, Raftania. You’ve really grown up.”

She and Klaus seemed to know each other.

The cheeks of the girl that Klaus had called “Raftania” went red with delight at being reunited after so long. “Sure have. But you’ve gone and gotten pretty big yourself.”

“I suppose that’s true. What are you now, sixteen?”

“Hey, you remembered! Heh, we sure have changed. You used to be so surly, but now you talk like a right proper gentleman. Six years is a long time.”

The people from the island had a distinct accent, and Raftania’s intonations differed from the way the Lylat Kingdom’s language was usually spoken.

Then she stared in confusion at the Lamplight cohort standing behind Klaus. “…Hmm? Who’re these, then?”

“They’re my students. I teach at a seminary these days.”

“Well, I’ll be damned! Look at you, fancy teacher man. I’m Raftania, and I work here at the boardinghouse. Pleasure to meet y’all!”

Raftania gave the girls a courteous bow. “It’s nice to meet you,” they said as they returned her greeting.

Their first impression of her was that she was a bright, cheerful girl.

At that point, they had no idea how massive an impact that young islander would have on Lamplight’s vacation.

The meal Raftania’s boardinghouse had prepared for them was a seafood barbeque with loads of locally caught marine life. The United States-style barbeque, eaten while sitting on the balcony overlooking the sea, was packed full of shellfish, shrimp, and fish of all sorts. Raftania, alongside her father who owned the boardinghouse, deftly completed all the preparations.

The grilled seafood was topped with garlic, paprika, and other fancy spices, and the girls wolfed it down in great quantities. “This is so good!” they cried between each eager mouthful.

As Lily and Sybilla immediately began stealing food from each other, Erna spilled some sauce on her clothes, and Sara had to console her. Annette tried to flee from the vegetables as Thea tried to gently coax her into eating them, and Klaus scolded Monika when she tried to sneak some wine.

“This right here, this is what it’s all about,” Lily said with a big sigh right when the festivities were reaching their peak. “Vacations are great. Feels like I just died and went to heaven.”

“I’m glad you’ve taken such a likin’ to our little island,” Raftania said, moving the cooked items off the barbeque and onto plates with deft tong work to prevent them from burning. “But I wouldn’t go ascendin’ after just one day. This place has more things to see than you can shake a stick at.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that. We don’t actually have any specific plans for how to spend the rest of the trip.”

“Fair enough. Then if you’d like, how ’bout I tell you about our most popular sights?”

Intel from a local was priceless, and the Lamplight members all turned their gazes to her.

Raftania cleared her throat in embarrassment. “Our most famous spot is Confezza Beach, over to the west. I know you spent the afternoon there, but remember that gorgeous sea? Just ask, and I can hook you up with a boat so you can do some offshore fishin’. There’s also some shops by the beach, if you’d rather take it easy and just walk around.”

An excited round of applause rose up.

Erna thrust a fist in the air. “This time, I’ll actually catch something!”

“Then there’s the area ’round that huge naval base,” Raftania continued. “Us islanders don’t much care for it, but it’s true that whole zone’s been doin’ well since the base went up. Clothing stores and restaurants from the Lylat mainland do good business there. Just don’t stick around too long. They’re starved for women over there, and they’ll catcall ya somethin’ fierce.”

The relationship between the islanders and the navy was a fraught one, but it could still be fun to do a little tourism.

“Dear me, that does sound intriguing,” said Thea, and Sara gave her a haggard nod. “I’m wiped from playing on the beach all day, so I think I’ll go check that out tomorrow.”

“Last up, there’s the caves over to the south.” Raftania’s voice swelled. “Back in prehistoric times, this whole island was a volcano. Don’t know if it was the lava or what, but the whole south side is like a big ol’ maze. It’s got grottos and hot springs all over. It’s a bit dangerous, but ya can’t do much better if you’re lookin’ for adventure. There’s even a local legend ’bout those parts.”

The corner of her mouth curled upward.

“The legend of the Great Pirate Jackal.”

“““The Great Pirate Who?”””

“He lived two hundred years ago and found a city of gold over in the New World. Every land under the sun wanted his treasure, but they never got it. The man didn’t show no quarter to those who tried to steal his wealth. He bore the legendary scimitar Bellmoon in his left hand and a hook on his right. He slew all who opposed him and fed their eyeballs to his pet parrot. Oh, he was terror incarnate. His tall tricorne and bloody cloak caused any who saw ’em to tremble, and they say that light shone down from the heavens when he stood atop his ship’s prow. In his twilight years, though, he grew weary of killing his foes. Instead, he took all his treasure and hid it away in the twisted caves of a cavernous island.”

After a dramatic pause, Raftania dropped the bombshell.

“Accordin’ to the legend, Jackal’s treasure is somewhere here on Marnioce.”

Three people immediately reacted.

Lily’s hand shot up. “Whoa! I wanna go looking for pirate gold!” she shouted. Sybilla clenched her fists, eyes twinkling. “Hell yeah, I’m in! There ain’t nothin’ that gets the blood pumpin’ like the thought of treasure!” Monika coolly nodded. “Huh, sounds interesting. Adventure calls.”

Raftania shrugged. “But hey, it’s probably just a tale. I been on this island a long time, and I ain’t never seen it.”

With that, most of the group had their plans for the following day locked in. Erna was going to hit up the beach, Sara and Thea were going to check out the area around the naval base, and Lily, Sybilla, and Monika were going to the caves.

The trio heading to explore the caves sounded especially excited, and they got right to work chatting about logistics. “We gotta buy us a map.” “We’ll need proper expedition gear, too.”

Erna, on the other hand, looked anxious. “H-hey, Annette. At this rate, I’m going to be all alone. Can you come with me?” she pleaded, but Annette shot her right down. “I don’t wanna. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Grete spent a moment in thought, then settled on a solution. “What if I were to accompany you to the beach, Erna?”

“Th-that would be great! Thank you, Big Sis Grete!”

Her worries assuaged, Erna snuggled up to Grete like a spoiled child.

Grete patted her head and shot a look over at Klaus. She did feel bad for Erna, but there was a much bigger reason she’d chosen to go to the sea. “Would you care to join us, Teach?”

She couldn’t very well call him “Boss” around Raftania, so she went with “Teach” instead.

Klaus readily agreed. “That’s not a bad idea. Sure, I’ll tag along.”

Internally, Grete did a little fist pump.

Klaus couldn’t go spelunking, with his legs still wounded, and taking it easy on the beach was a much better option for him than heading all the way over to the distant naval base.

Just as I expected! Now my perfect scheme is as good as enacted!

She began fantasizing about the whirlwind romance they were going to have—

“Hmm? Now hold your horses there.”

—but an interjection cut her right off.

The remark came from Raftania. She tilted her head in puzzlement and looked at Klaus. “Spendin’ time on the beach is all well and good, but I can’t have you takin’ Mr. Klaus. He’s got a million things he needs to get done.”

Why was she interfering with Grete’s plan?

It didn’t make a lick of sense.

“But why—?”

“Ain’t that obvious? For the wedding. Mr. Klaus has arrangements that need makin’.”

“The wedding? Between whom and whom?”

“What’s goin’ on, Mr. Klaus? Did you not tell ’em?”

Raftania set down her tongs and strode over to Klaus’s chair. Then, out of nowhere, she grabbed Klaus’s arm and pulled it in close.

“I’m Mr. Klaus’s fiancée.”

“………………………………”

Raftania affectionately wound her arm around Klaus’s and gave them all a self-assured smile.

The Lamplight girls were so captivated by the sight, all their conversations trailed off. The fact of the matter was, none of them had seen anything like this coming.

Grete could feel her veins bulging. “…I beg your pardon?”

It was the second day of their vacation, and a storm rolled into the island. Heavy rain and fierce winds buffeted Marnioce as though reflecting the tempest raging in Grete’s heart. It was rare for the island to get rain that torrential. There was even a landslide on the mountain to the west, forcing some of the islanders to evacuate.

The owner of the boardinghouse Grete was staying in was busy all day, aiding the evacuees, and Raftania left to help out as well.

As the storm raged on, Grete charged into the dining room where Klaus was taking a load off. “I would very much like an explanation, Boss! What’s this about you having a fiancée?!”

Klaus set down his coffee cup. “Settle down. I’m a little unclear on that point myself.”

The dining room was small, with little more than a table for four to its name. The beach they’d been playing on yesterday was visible through the window, but the sea was roiling from the storm and had taken on an ominous shade of gray.

Klaus gestured at the chair across from his for Grete to sit in. “Last night, I asked Raftania to fill me in on the specifics. By all accounts, she has every desire to marry me. She was going on about us getting engaged six years ago…”

“A-and did you…?”

“We most definitely did not.”

Klaus waved his hand back and forth to reassure her, then let out an exasperated sigh.

When the shocking news about Raftania the Fiancée came to light the night prior, the Lamplight girls had descended into a panic and forgotten all about the barbeque. After urging them to calm themselves, Klaus went to get the details from Raftania, and the group had dispersed for a time.

The next morning—which was to say, today—Grete, Erna, and Sara all gathered around him.

As for the rest of the girls, they’d already lost interest. “This is Klaus we’re talking about, so I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding,” they said, and, “This ain’t even the first time we’ve had to deal with him bein’ married.”

“C-can we start from the beginning?” Erna timidly raised her hand. “What exactly happened between you and Raftania, Teach?”

“Yeah. Were the two of you really close enough to get engaged six years ago?” Sara asked worriedly.

Klaus shook his head. “Nothing important happened at all. I spent about a month in this boardinghouse. We got to be on friendly terms over that time, but that was all.”

Then he went ahead and told them what had happened.

Six years ago, Klaus visited the island on one of his Inferno missions.

Accompanying him was a man named “Soot” Lukas and a man named “Scapulimancer” Wille. The three of them were there to investigate the local naval base. They spent their nights making contact with the navy seamen, and during the day, they masqueraded as ordinary vacationers, so as not to draw suspicion.

It was then that the young girl from the boardinghouse—Raftania—got attached to him.

Believing him to be nothing more than an average tourist, she took it upon herself to show him all around the island. She was ten at the time, and Klaus was fifteen. Due in part to how close their ages were, she was quite taken with him. Wherever he went, she would follow. She knew a lot about the local sights, so Klaus never bothered driving her off, and the two of them explored everything from beaches to caves together.

When they parted ways, Raftania broke down sobbing. She ignored both her parents’ scolding and clung to Klaus’s leg. “Don’t go, Mr. Klaus! Take me with you!”

“No. I don’t wanna.”

“Snff… Well, I won’t let go till you agree!”

“You’re in my way. What do I have to do to make you unhand me?”

“…How’s this! If we meet again, will you make me your wife?!”

“No. Who’d marry you?”

“You’re a meanie! I’m not lettin’ go unless you promise me!”

“Okay, fine. I’ll think about it. Now, could you please get off me?”

Klaus held no special feelings toward Raftania, and he’d put next to zero thought into his reply.

Those were the full details of his history with the girl.

By the time Klaus finished his story, Grete’s eyes were wide. “So you did promise to marry her!!”

The Klaus from back then had a roughness to him that the present Klaus lacked, but much as her heart was fluttering, she felt it was rather important to point out that when Raftania had asked if he would make her his wife, Klaus had told her that he would “think about it.”

“Look, I understand how someone could potentially take it that way.” Klaus frowned in embarrassment. “…But even so, it’s a bit of a leap to go from that to calling herself my fiancée, no?”

“Y-you have a point there…”

“I won’t deny that I chose my words poorly. Still, Raftania was ten. I wasn’t going to take anything she said while throwing a tantrum seriously. Nobody else did, either.”

Sara and Erna agreed with his interpretation. “You have a point. Plus, you mostly just dodged the question.” “Yeah. She’s being unreasonable.”

It was true that Raftania’s parents had both been present, as well as a pair of Inferno members who were basically Klaus’s family, but at no point had he actually agreed to marry her. There was a big leap between that and actual betrothal. On top of that, even if the ten-year-old Raftania did hypothetically misunderstand Klaus and innocently believe them to be engaged, it was hard to imagine her persisting in that belief all the way to age sixteen. The original conversation had started with Klaus rejecting her.

“Just to be absolutely certain,” Grete prefaced her next question, “but have you and Raftania exchanged any sort of correspondence over these past six years?”

“We haven’t done anything of the sort. This all came out of nowhere.” Klaus furrowed his brow. “I have to imagine that she had some sort of change of heart during that time.”

Not once during any of their missions had he ever looked so conflicted. He clearly felt a lot of guilt about the effect of his careless remark on a young maiden’s emotions—even though objectively, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I’ve been digging through my memories, but nothing in particular springs to mind.”

So that was why he was drinking coffee in the kitchen.

On closer inspection, he was drinking it with milk, something he never did. He had a little jar of sugar, too. He’d hoped that drinking the same kind of café au lait he did six years ago would jog his memory.

“I’m surprised.” Erna broke into a small smile. “I didn’t realize you were so immature six years ago.”

“…I used to do a sloppy job of just about everything,” Klaus said with a shrug. “In any case, I’ll be sure to explain that she has it wrong tomorrow. That should resolve everything.”

On hearing that, Grete, Sara, and Erna all breathed sighs of relief.

The storm made them loath to go outside, so the four of them decided to amuse themselves playing a board game. The game had been passed down over generations of islanders, and they all had such a blast, they completely forgot about the Raftania matter for a time.

After they’d played for a bit, Klaus told them that he had to go pay an acquaintance a visit and stepped away.

None of them had any idea just how rapidly the situation was deteriorating.

It was the third day of their vacation, and the change became clear in the morning.

The storm had come and gone, and Grete invited Klaus out on a morning walk. Sara and Erna were still sleeping, and Annette had disappeared off somewhere. The two of them stepped out of the boardinghouse to spend some time together at their leisure.

Upon doing so, they ran into a man delivering milk.

When he spotted Klaus by the boardinghouse entrance, a light bulb went off over the man’s head. “Ah. You must be Klaus, then, eh? You’re just the looker I done heard,” he said in a thick islander accent, before flashing them a hearty smile. “Be good to our li’l Raftania, y’hear?”

Before Klaus had a chance to ask him what he meant, the man rode off on his bicycle.

They pulled themselves together and made for the beach when an old woman islander called over to them.

“Oh-ho, it’s you. You’re the one Raftania is marrying.” She looked at Klaus’s face and nodded in delight. “Best of luck with the wedding in ten days. The poor lass has had a rough go of it. Nice to see something good come her way, I says. I was so glad when I heard about it last night.”

“…Ten days? This is the first I’m hearing of any of this,” Klaus replied, but the old woman was hard of hearing, and she simply went back inside her house.

As the gnawing feeling in their guts worsened, they came across a man carrying a fishing net on his way to the sea. Upon spotting Klaus, he strode over and clapped Klaus hard on the shoulder. “Huh, ain’t you Raftania’s fiancé? You keep walking ’round with other girls like that, people might think you’re two-timing. Better be on your best behavior till the ceremony, son.”

“You all seem to be misunderstanding something.” Klaus was starting to get seriously annoyed, and he denied the man’s whole premise. “Raftania and I don’t have that kind of relationship. There’s not going to be a ceremony of any sort.”

“Whoo, that’s one hell of a joke.”

“I assure you, I’m not—”

The fisherman raised a hand to cut Klaus off. “Say no more. I get wantin’ to fool around, I really do. But a man’s gotta draw a line in the sand sometimes, y’hear? I’ve known that girl since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.”

“Right…”

“And you’d best remember this. I know it ain’t likely, but if you’ve been toying with our poor little Raftania and try to ditch the wedding…”

The man hoisted his fishing net up onto his brawny arm and dropped his voice to a low growl.

“…then you and your students ain’t getting off this island in one piece.”

“……………………”

Realizing that reasoning with this man would be an exercise in futility, Klaus merely lapsed into silence.

“Is it just me, or have things gotten well and truly out of hand?!”

“I can’t believe I got caught so badly off guard.”

The more they walked around the boardinghouse, the clearer it became that people were treating Klaus and Raftania’s wedding as a matter of accepted fact. The locals had all been doting on Raftania for years, and the wedding had everyone’s blessing. When Klaus tried to deny that it was happening, people just assumed he was joking or began making veiled threats.

The wedding invitations were contained to the area on the west side of the island, around the boardinghouse, but a full thirty households had already received them. Klaus’s appearance and the details of how he met Raftania were common knowledge now, and a wildly exaggerated story of their romance had begun spreading as well.

“When did these machinations even begin? From the way they were looking at us, it doesn’t seem as though they’ll give us a boat home unless you marry her…”

“Yeah, there wasn’t a hint of this on the first day. It’s all happening too fast.”

“From the way everyone was talking, they all learned about it either today or yesterday.”

“There’s no way Raftania could have pulled this off on her own. This reads like the work of a first-rate operative.”

They continued dissecting the situation all the way back to the boardinghouse.

When they reached the entrance, they walked in on Raftania and another girl sharing a delighted conversation.

“Ms. Annette, I finished getting all the helpers we’ll need.”

“Good work, Sis! I just worked out a deal with a florist from the fourth arrondissement, yo. They’ll have an awesome bouquet ready for you the day before!”

““…I’m sorry, what?””

The girl standing beside Raftania was none other than Annette, who was hopping up and down with her hands stuffed full of wedding invitations.

At that point, Raftania noticed that Grete and Klaus were standing there in a daze. “Ah, Mr. Klaus. What’re ya doin’ here? Look-see, there’s a million things that need doing before the wedding.”

“I have…a question.” Klaus let out a long sigh. “What do you think you’re doing, Annette?”

Annette gave her reply without a moment’s hesitation “I’m helping Raftania get married, yo!”

“That’s right!” Raftania said, then grabbed Annette by the shoulder. “Ms. Annette is handling everything. She went and delivered invitations, she locked down a venue, and she did it all for us!” She patted Annette’s head in adoration. “She’s like an angel!”

Annette grinned, looking rather pleased with herself.

It would appear that she was the mastermind behind the situation’s rapid progression. Manufacturing romantic vignettes of Klaus and Raftania and winning over the islanders would be child’s play if she brought her full talents to bear.

However, why was she helping Raftania?

With that question yet unanswered, Raftania lovingly threw her arms around Klaus. “It’ll be a wedding to remember, Mr. Klaus!”

Annette clapped her hands together in celebration for her. “I’m a real wedding planner now, yo!!”

““_______________________””

Klaus and Grete were shocked at how completely they had been outplayed.

The narrative Annette had crafted during their brief moment of negligence was a masterstroke.

It was the fourth day of their vacation, and for Grete, it was like a day straight out of hell.

As Raftania and Klaus engaged in their prenuptial flirting, there was nothing she could do but tail them and watch from afar.

Raftania tugged at Klaus’s arm and dragged him around town.

“Mr. Klaus, we need to get you fitted for your tuxedo. As your bride, I’ll be right there with you.”

“…Uh-huh.”

At times, the two of them talked about moments from the past that not even Grete knew about.

“Should we go to that special place, Mr. Klaus? The one where we made our first memories together?”

“…You mean the spot where you followed me all on your own and then begged me to buy you ice cream?”

Then the two of them shared the physical intimacy that Grete herself never got to have.

“Hee-hee. We’re going to be wed, so we should have no problem linking arms.”

“…Can you get off me? It’s hard to walk like this.”

Each and every thing she saw chipped away at Grete’s sanity.

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!”

It took everything she had not to scream in anguish.

Grete could have avoided all that pain by just not following them, but she did so anyway. In disguise, she watched over them from a distance where Raftania wouldn’t spot her. It was unambiguously the behavior of a stalker, but she couldn’t afford to care about appearances.

What shook her to her core was how obediently Klaus was going along with Raftania.

He had explained the situation beforehand, of course.

“If nothing else, the islanders meant every word of it when they told me not to skip out on the wedding. If we rock the boat now, it could put the rest of the team in danger when they’re trying to enjoy a nice, peaceful vacation.”

However, everything about that, including Klaus’s reaction, was exactly how Annette had drawn it up.

Klaus wanted to give the Lamplight girls an opportunity to relax. He didn’t want them to run into any trouble with the islanders because of him. For now, his plan was to play along and wait for an opening to present itself.

Grete understood that he was just playing his part. She understood that, and yet…

I—I just have to be strong.

She ran his words back through her head over and over to force herself to accept them. If she didn’t, the jealousy was going to tear her apart.

Klaus and Raftania were walking with arms linked like lovers and talking about the past before her very eyes. It was a friendly conversation, one about how gorgeous the sunset they’d once seen was.

As they went on arm in arm, Raftania nonchalantly pressed her bosom against Klaus.

“~~~~~~~~~!!”

Another wave of agony washed over Grete. She knew that it would take far more than that to seduce Klaus, but that didn’t stop it from infuriating her. She couldn’t bear it.

Against her better judgment, she found herself comparing how flat her own chest was with how sizable Raftania’s was.

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!”

She fainted in anguish all over again.

It was the fifth day of their vacation, and the island was abuzz.

After being haunted by nightmares from the mental damage she’d suffered on day four, Grete slept in until she was woken up by the sound of angry shouting. There was a man reading someone the riot act right outside the boardinghouse.

“Quit your damn whining! I wouldn’t have to be here if you people would just tell us the truth about what happened last night!”

It was the exact kind of person that Grete was worst at dealing with.

As she instinctively clamped her hands over her ears, she heard an old man give his feeble reply.

“B-but I already told you the truth. I don’t know anything.”

“That’s funny, see, ’cause a little birdie told me that you’d been going around town complaining about the navy.”

“Th-that…that doesn’t have anything to do with last night…”

“Oh, forget this shit! You’re going on the list of suspects!”

Some sort of dispute had broken out.

By the time Grete got up and quickly finished her morning routine, the argument was over. There were fifteen-odd islanders gathered on the road, all glaring at the navy sailors as the latter group left. When the sailors disappeared from view, the islanders began offering words of sympathy to the terrified old man. The quarrel had been between the islanders and the navy.

“…What happened?” Grete asked a nearby old woman.

The woman let out a big sigh. “There was a murder.”

“What do you mean?”

“They found the body of some important person from the navy base called Ensign Mercier this morning. We don’t know the details yet, but they said he’d been hacked to pieces.”

The woman told Grete everything she knew. The night prior—so from Grete’s perspective, the fourth day of her vacation—Ensign Mercier had slipped out of the barracks and headed into town, but he never returned. That morning, a mangled corpse had been found by the water’s edge at the southern tip of the island and identified as Mercier’s by its personal effects.

“Ah, and so they want to find the culprit as quickly as possible. That certainly does sound like a murder…”

“It’s Jackal’s Curse.”

“…I beg your pardon?

“It all started when those seamen got greedy. They drove off the islanders to build their base, and even now, they’re plotting to expand it. Them showing up was when everything went bad. Those who harm our island get cursed. The great pirate seeks to protect his treasure, and his hatred lingers on the island to this day.” The old woman’s body trembled in fear. “Once every three months, someone on the island gets brutally murdered.”

According to the woman, the tragedies had started three years ago. Every three months, someone would die an unnatural death. The victims ranged from islanders to tourists to navy sailors. No one was safe. However, the one thing all the bodies had in common was the fact that they were shredded, contorted, and mangled in freakish ways.

Grete found it all rather hard to believe, but the woman meant every word of it.

The woman trembled once more. “You be careful now, missy. These are scary times we live in,” she said, before leaving.

Pirate curses and murder investigations were interesting and all, but none of that had any direct connection to her.

For the time being, she decided to go relax at the beach to take her mind off things. Tailing Raftania and Klaus would do nothing but continue the psychological damage, and she knew it. She decided to put her trust in Klaus.

Together with Erna, she began scouring the sand for seashells.

Whenever she found a nice-looking one, she put it in a clear glass jar with some sand. At first, she was afraid it would be boring, but once she gave it a try, she discovered a handful of shells that gleamed like gemstones and found that she was actually enjoying herself.

Meanwhile, Erna found an adorable peach-colored seashell of her own.

“Big Sis Grete, look at how cool this shell is!”

“That’s lovely. The whole thing is intact, and that mother-of-pearl is gorgeous. That’s quite the treasure you found.”

As the two of them shared a smile, they heard a cry of “Hrahhhhh!” from across the beach and spotted Annette holding a cylindrical implement. She made a mad dash across the beach, scooping up sand like a bulldozer as she went.

“I’m gonna collect up the shells, yo!”

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEP!”

During her charge, she ran Erna right over.

At that point, Annette stopped and inspected the shells gathered in her cylindrical device. From the look of it, it was designed to dig through sand and collect only the shells. “Ooh,” she said with a pleased nod. “This should be plenty to decorate the wedding venue with.”

She was taking her job as a wedding planner pretty seriously.

“Good morning, Annette.”

“Hmm? Oh, hey, Grete! What’s up, Sis?”

“I was just wondering why it was you were helping Raftania.”

Annette chucked her excess seashells into the sea and gave her a toothy grin. “That’s a secret, yo.”

“I see…”

“Why do you think I’m doing it?”

Grete hadn’t expected to have the question turned back on her.

When she found herself at a loss for an answer, Annette got right up close and peered at her face. “What would you do if I said it was to give you a push?”

“…I’m sorry?”

Grete froze, and her eyes went wide.

Annette nodded in satisfaction again, then said, “I’m kidding, yo,” stuck out her tongue, spun around, and ran off again. “I’m still waiting for an apology!” Erna shouted from where she’d fallen on her backside, but Annette paid her no heed.

As always, it was impossible to get a read on that girl.

It was unclear what Annette’s objective was.

Joking or not, though, her words had lit a fire in Grete’s heart.

No matter which way you sliced it, the fault for their current debacle lay largely with Raftania. The way she was using a dubious betrothal from six years ago to strong-arm Klaus into marrying her was absurd. What’s more, Grete didn’t care one bit for the implied threats to the Lamplight girls’ safety and the way Klaus was being forced into inaction.

If Annette wanted to give her a push, then Grete was more than happy to take it.

She squeezed her fists tightly, and upon returning to the boardinghouse, she found Klaus and Raftania in the dining room.

Raftania was wearing an apron and beaming as she carried some food over. “Hee-hee, Mr. Klaus. I cooked today’s dinner specially for you. It’s hamburger steak made from aged beef raised right here on the island! Dig in!”

“…If you say so.”

Making no effort to hide his discomfort, Klaus stared at the steak garnished lavishly with cheese and an egg.

Sara was sitting in the next seat over, but the fact that hers was topped with nothing more than some plain sauce made it clear where Raftania’s priorities lay. All Sara could do was awkwardly laugh it off. “Ha-ha…”

Grete felt that that was hardly professional behavior. “Excuse me, Raftania?”

“Hmm? What is it? The steaks might look a little different, but it’s just a trick of the—”

“There’s something I think I ought to tell you.”

Raftania raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Grete held her head high and made her declaration with pride.

“The truth is…I’m betrothed to Teach as well.”

If Raftania was going to spout nonsense about fiancées, then Grete was going to fight bullshit with bullshit.

Seeing Klaus’s tiny frown gave her a little bit of pause, but when Raftania dropped her plate of hamburger steak in shock, Grete felt a touch relieved.

An unkind smile spread across her face. This time, it’s your turn to lose your composure.

It was the sixth day of their vacation, and Klaus was livid.

“What exactly were you hoping to achieve by making the situation even messier?”

“…I’m terribly sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

Raftania’s reaction the night prior had been exhilarating to watch. The girl had flown into a complete panic.

“Wh-what do you mean?! M-Mr. Klaus is a two-timer? N-no, no, you’re just making things up! I—I can confirm this with Ms. Annette, you know. B-but if it’s true, my whole life is ruined! I-it can’t be… IT CAAAAAAAAAAN’T!”

After freaking out more than Grete had ever expected, Raftania knocked over the table in the middle of the room and stormed out.

It was sad seeing all that steak she’d made fall on the floor and go to waste, but in Grete’s eyes, that was an acceptable sacrifice for how much better she felt.

Klaus had his own reservations about the situation, so he chose not to scold her any further. He’d called Grete to his room that morning in order to discuss their plans going forward. “Your methods aside, I’m glad you were able to rein in Raftania. She took what you said pretty hard, and she’s cooped up in bed. That should buy me room to operate freely for the next day or two. Thank you for that.” He gave a firm nod, then shot a glance over at Grete. “All that said, I did bring this on myself. I want you to understand that you’re under no obligation to be part of this.”

“No, I want to help. After that full declaration of war last night, it’s too late for me to back down.”

“Magnificent. Understood. Then we’re in this together until the wedding is off.”

“I would love nothing more.”

With the two of them now fully on the same page, Klaus crossed his arms. “Now, if I were to apply myself, shutting down a wedding would be child’s play.”

“…I don’t doubt it.”

“But if at all possible, I’d like to find a peaceful resolution here.”

The main reason he wasn’t taking overt action was to protect the other girls’ vacations, but he did care about Raftania’s well-being, too. Grete had mixed feelings about that, but if that was what Klaus wanted, she had no choice but to respect his wishes.

“There’s something I want to look into on my own today, so I’m going to be flying solo, but leave your schedule open tomorrow,” Klaus instructed her. “I need to dig into Raftania’s past.”

It was the seventh day of their vacation, and when Grete came down to the dining room at the scheduled time, she found her housemate Sara slumped over on the table. She was using her trademark newsboy cap as a pillow and weeping into it silently. Her breakfast sat next to her, cold and untouched.

“I—I can’t, I can’t take it. I don’t want to think about it anymore… I don’t even want to go outside!!”

“What happened?” Grete asked with concern.

Sara shook her head. “…I got shouted at by a bunch of perverts.”

“How did that happen?!”

It sounded like Sara was having problems of her own—problems bad enough to make her break down crying.

Eventually, Klaus came down to the dining room and shot a quick glance over at Sara. He nodded sympathetically before walking over to Grete.

“This is just a rumor I heard,” he whispered in her ear, “but some woman they call the Raven-Haired Succubus is the talk of the island.”

“…Right.”

“It appears that Sara’s gotten caught up in that mess. I feel for her.”

Grete had no idea what to make of that, but they soon had to quit the small talk anyhow when the person they were waiting for showed up.

A man with a thick beard came walking out from the back of the dining room carrying a tray of coffee cups. This wasn’t Grete’s first time meeting him. He was the owner of the boardinghouse, the Seagull House, as well as Raftania’s father. The man’s name was Kerrich.

“Raftania’s been gone all morning, if you were wondering,” he said.

Klaus had asked Kerrich to make some time for them. Sara was still in a daze, so after nudging her over to a different corner of the room, the three of them gathered around the table.

“I’m really sorry about this, Mr. Klaus. I don’t know what’s come over my girl.”

Kerrich’s speech lacked the unique islander accent, and he worded his apology courteously.

“I was surprised, too. All of a sudden, she started going on about us getting married. Did you know about this?”

“Not at all. It came out of nowhere,” Kerrich said with a pained smile. “I knew my daughter was fond of you, but I didn’t realize to what an extent.”

Not even her own father had seen it coming.

Grete fumed in silence. Some fiancée you are.

“I imagine this is a sensitive topic, so I was trying not to bring it up…” Klaus paused for a moment in hesitation. “But I’m told that the island is under ‘Jackal’s Curse.’ Once every three months, there’s a brutal murder.”

“Ah, so you heard about that.”

“Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but was your wife—that is to say, Raftania’s mother—?”

“She was killed, yes. Three years ago.”

Grete let out an inadvertent gasp.

Now that she thought about it, Klaus’s stories about Raftania’s past had featured both her parents. However, Grete hadn’t seen anyone around the boardinghouse who could plausibly be Raftania’s mother. So that was why the other islanders had described her as having had “a rough go of it.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Klaus mumbled in shock. “Can I ask what happened?”

“It was one of the serial unsolved murders, the so-called pirate curse. My wife was the second victim,” Kerrich said slowly. “One spring morning three years ago, she was found mangled at the bottom of the cliff just behind this house. Her limbs had been torn off, and her face was crushed so horrifically, they could hardly even identify the body. Raftania was the one who found her.” He bit down on his lip and shook his head in frustration. “They still haven’t found the killer.”

“What do the police think happened?”

“Oh, they’re at a complete loss. There’s something not normal about these murders. All the bodies turn up in bizarre states. There are people covered in burns in the middle of the road, people drained of all their blood… Some of them get hacked to pieces like that navy officer from the other day. What can they do but write it off as a curse?”

Kerrich clearly wasn’t satisfied with that explanation.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought back to the futility of it all.

“Us islanders have been doing everything we can to help the police and find the perpetrator, but we can’t catch them. Half the people who live here are seamen from the navy base. Some of us have tried pointing out how shady they are, but the island police can’t lay a finger on them. If they’re sheltering the killer, then there’s nothing we can do.”

“…I see.”

“It was around then that Raftania grew to hate the island.” Kerrich’s tone harshened. “She started begging me every day to leave the island. But to my great shame, I always assumed she would take over the boardinghouse someday, so I never thought to get her any special qualifications or put her through school. She doesn’t have the education to get off the island.”

At that point, he looked up and gazed at Klaus with an intense look in his eyes.

“For Raftania, that promise she made with you was the one ray of hope she had.”

“…And that’s how things ended up like this,” Klaus said. It all made sense now.

Just as Klaus had suspected, Raftania hadn’t seriously been planning on marrying him six years ago. But when the investigation into her mother’s murder went nowhere, she grew disillusioned with the island, wanted to leave, and latched on to her promise with Klaus. Now she was viewing their past through rose-tinted glasses.

“I recognize that none of this is your responsibility. As her father, I offer you my sincerest apologies,” Kerrich said with a bow. “But you’re the only way she has to get off this forsaken island. Is there anything I can do to convince you to marry her? Please, make my daughter happy.”

They were the words of a man who cared about his daughter as only a father could.

Klaus returned Kerrich’s fervent plea by giving him a quiet look. He offered the man no answer as such, but his expression was pensive nonetheless.

It was the eighth day of their vacation, and once again, Klaus said, “I have something I want to look into on my own,” leaving Grete with nothing to do. She and Erna started making their way to the naval base, but it started raining on their way there and forced them to hurriedly turn back. The rain was fierce, and they were afraid it would turn into another storm.

When Grete got out of the shower, she found Raftania waiting for her.

The girl’s feet were caked in mud. “I was getting the venue ready,” she explained. “Ms. Annette and I talked it over, and I wanna have an open-air ceremony. We’ll set up chairs on top of a hill, decorate the whole thing, and have an elegant garden wedding.”

She’d been spending the last two days in bed, but by the look of it, she’d made a full recovery.

“It’s impressive, seeing the bride put in so much legwork herself.”

“You heard about what happened from my Pa, right?” Raftania asked with a small shrug. “I ain’t looking for pity. I’m gonna marry Mr. Klaus, and I’m gonna get the hell off this island. That thing about you being his fiancée was just a bluff.”

“…So you realized.”

Grete’s lie was never going to survive a check-in with Annette. It had been nothing more than a hollow trick.

All of a sudden, Raftania tossed her something. “Here, this is for you. Take it.”

“Hmm………?”

“I know I’m bein’ unreasonable, the way I’m pushing this through. Consider that a token of apology.”

The present was a small burlap sack. It was just over a foot deep. There must have been some sort of machine inside, as the sack had a serious heft to it.

“It’s a good luck charm,” Raftania explained.

“I…see…”

“I ain’t backing down, you know. After Ma died, I started remembering my time with Mr. Klaus. He was surly, but he always slowed down enough for me to keep up, and he bought me drinks even when he didn’t want to… All those memories are precious to me now.” The words spilled from her mouth, as much for herself as for anyone. “Looking back, that was the happiest I’ve ever been…”

“In other words,” Grete said with a gasp, “you’re saying that your feelings for Teach are genuine?”

“Darn tootin’,” Raftania said with a merry laugh. “I wouldn’t just marry any old fella.”

Hers were the eyes of a maiden in love.

It was the ninth day of their vacation, and Raftania and Klaus’s wedding was just four days away—in other words, it was scheduled for day thirteen.

An idea struck Grete, and she headed into town to buy up large amounts of fabric. She also managed to convince the islanders to lend her a sewing machine. She didn’t have much time left to make her stand against Raftania, but there was something she desperately needed to make.

On her way back to the boardinghouse, she spotted a familiar trio on the beach.

It was Lily, Sybilla, and Monika. They were sprawled on the ground like they’d just been washed onto shore.

Worried that they might have fainted, Grete quickly rushed over.

“Whatever happened to you three?”

Fortunately, they were simply lying down.

However, Monika and Lily lifelessly shook their heads.

“I can’t. Just leave me be…”

“We don’t have the strength to make it back to our boardinghouse, so we’re taking a little rest…”

Grete couldn’t believe how tired out they were.

As she recalled, they’d been planning on going spelunking and looking for pirate treasure. Perhaps they’d gotten carried away in their search. They looked exhausted down to their marrow.

Sybilla had the most stamina left of the three, and she gave Grete a friendly wave. “What about you, Grete? Enjoyin’ your vacation?”

“…I’m not sure I know how to answer that question.”

“Huh?” “Hmm?” “What?”

“It’s just, I’m locked in a battle I can’t afford to lose. Just another day in the life, you know?” Her three teammates still looked perplexed, so she told them the truth. “It’s about the boss, you see.”

That was all the explanation they needed. They gulped, nodded, and looked at Grete with eyes full of compassion.

“Look, Grete.” Monika rose to her feet, then laid a sympathetic hand on Grete’s shoulder and looked her square in the eyes. “I don’t know all the details, but I’ve just got one piece of advice for you.”

“………”

“If something’s important to you, make sure you don’t lose it.”

Grete could hear the passion creeping into Monika’s voice. This wasn’t just an empty platitude. Monika was speaking from experience, and a glimmer of sorrow flickered in her gaze as she tightened her grip on Grete’s shoulder.

Lily and Sybilla nodded in embarrassed agreement.

“She’s right. There’s nothing sadder than only realizing what you had once it’s already gone. All you’re left with are regrets, and you spend every night sobbing into your pillow…”

“But no matter how hard you wish, you can’t make time turn back. Don’t you go fuckin’ your thing up, Grete.”

“Thank you, everyone…”

When she heard those words of encouragement, all the world’s colors started looking just a little bit brighter.

Sybilla sprang to her feet and wrapped Grete’s shoulder in a hug. “Now, let’s go play our hearts out to pray for Grete’s success!” she said, then raced off across the warm sand she’d been lying on just moments before.

“What, you mean now?” ““But I’m not done resting yet…,”” Monika and Lily protested, but Sybilla held firm. “Nah, screw that!! We’re on vacation, remember?!” The other two gave her a pair of exhausted smiles, then dived at Grete.

All three of her teammates grabbed her, and though Grete cried, “Wait, what?!” and tried to resist, they dragged her across the beach and into the water. They didn’t even give her a chance to change. It took everything she had just to remember to let go of her bag full of fabric.

“Let’s play like there’s no tomorrow!” “Preach it!” the three strangely enthusiastic girls cheered as they splashed Grete with seawater and continued screwing around all the way to sundown.

It was the tenth day of their vacation, and as thanks for spending the day with her yesterday, Grete gave Sybilla some of the fabric she’d bought. Grete figured that they might be able to use it in their spelunking, and the girls had gratefully accepted it.

Grete still had plenty of fabric left, and she immediately got to work constructing her desired item.

Thankfully, Erna had volunteered to help her out. Grete hadn’t been able to hang out with her like she’d promised on the first day, but as Erna put it, “A lot’s been going on, but I’ve been having a great time!” During Grete’s absence, she’d been walking all over the island, gazing at the sea, and spending her time relaxing. The islanders adored her, and she’d been enjoying a traditional island vacation.

The two of them cooped themselves up in a boardinghouse bedroom and got to work.

“There’s something I think about sometimes,” Erna said idly as she handled the cloth-cutting job Grete had assigned her. “The truth is, I love Teach, too.”

Grete froze. “You…don’t say…”

“Yeah. But I think it’s pretty different from the way you do, Big Sis Grete.” Erna gave her an affectionate smile. “So that’s why…I want to help your love come to fruition!”

A feeling of warmth spread through Grete’s heart. “I really appreciate it,” she said.

The other Lamplight girls were far too kind to her.

It wasn’t the first time Grete had realized that, and she couldn’t contain her smile. She had no idea how she was ever supposed to repay them for all their kindness.

As the two of them made brisk progress on their work, they heard someone loudly tromping in the hallway outside. There was only one person whose footsteps would sound so noisy.

“Huh? Annette, is that you?”

When Erna opened the door, she found Annette standing right outside, tilting her head and going, “Hmm?”

Erna immediately clamped down on her nose. “Something stinks!”

“I just went to a hot spring, yo!”

Her entire body reeked of sulfur. That was right—Raftania had mentioned there being a hot spring on the southern side of the island. However, it didn’t sound like that had anything to do with the wedding.

“And how are your duties as a wedding planner going?”

When the question fell unbidden from Grete’s lips, Annette gave her a booming reply. “I got bored of that, yo!”

“What…?”

Grete was struck speechless at the capriciousness of Annette’s answer. She’d gone to such lengths to throw Grete’s and Klaus’s vacations into disarray, but now she’d simply hung Raftania out to dry.

Annette squeezed her fists tightly. “I found something even more interesting,” she said, then noisily scampered down the stairs. “I gotta go investigate, yo!”

Without letting Grete and Erna get so much as a word in edgewise, Annette abandoned them and took off like a one-girl storm.

It was the eleventh day of their vacation, and thanks to the encouragement from her teammates, Grete was able to use the time she spent engrossed in her work to steel her resolve.

Now all she had left to do was face Raftania.

The girl was sleeping in. According to her father, she’d been out late last night. Then, when she finally woke up, she immediately left to go shopping, and Grete didn’t get a chance to talk to her.

After waiting until midday, she finally heard Raftania’s voice over by the back of the house.

“Excuse me, Raftania, would you mind if we—?”

Raftania was carrying ingredients through the back door. When Grete saw her, the words got caught in her throat.

There was a purple bruise all over her left cheek.

“………!”

Grete instinctively reached up and covered her own cheek. The bruise was risen and swelling against Raftania’s skin.

As she stood there speechless, Raftania gave her a chilly look. “Oh. It’s you.”

“What happened to your face…?”

Raftania flashed her a playful grin. “Huh? I took a hit last night, that’s all. Ain’t nothing special.”

The girl was obviously putting up a brave front, and Grete was at a loss for what to say. As far as anyone on the island was concerned, she was a bride whose wedding was just around the corner. Hitting her would be unthinkable.

“Who did that to you…?”

Raftania hung her head in hesitation, then let out a small sigh. “…It was them navy punks.”

“………”

Grete couldn’t believe it. She knew there was tension between them and the islanders, but how could they raise a hand against a teenage girl like that?

Raftania covered up her cheek in embarrassment. “I can’t take it… I can’t live on this island anymore…”

She bit down on her lip. As she squeezed her eyes shut in distress, faint tears began welling up in their corners.

Seeing her tremble, Grete was struck by a sudden urge to comfort her.

After listlessly dropping her hand from her cheek, Raftania got to work unloading the groceries from her handcart. “But I’m right as rain now. My wedding’s in two days. I’m gonna marry Mr. Klaus, and I’m gonna get off this island for good.”

“Raftania…”

The joy in her voice was clear.

After her mother died, she’d given up on the island that had failed to find her killer. That was what had drawn her to Klaus, a man from outside it, and the hope she found drove her to marry him by any means necessary.

Grete sympathized with her to a certain degree. That said, she couldn’t condone Raftania’s actions.

“Are you sure there isn’t something you’re losing sight of?”

She took full advantage of the words Monika had left her with.

Raftania grabbed some carrots and glared at her. “What’re you on about? Your threats ain’t gonna—”

“I’m talking about Teach’s heart.” Grete held her head high. “You’ve done a stellar job of using an ambiguous promise from the past to bulldoze through every obstacle in your path, but have you ever once stopped to ask Teach how he feels?”

“What?”

“It looks to me as though all you’re doing is running away.”

“…So, what, you think you know me?” Raftania hurled the carrots back in the handcart and glared daggers at Grete. After looking her up and down, she said, “Ha-ha, I think I got the gist,” with a hollow laugh. “You’re sweet on Mr. Klaus, too. That’s why you’re so flustered an’ all.”

“You’re right. I’m in the same boat as you are.” Grete didn’t deny it. Her thoughts had been turning that whole time she’d been observing Raftania, and this was the answer she’d arrived at. “I suspect the two of us have a lot in common… We’ve both overlooked something important.”

Grete had put her own desires above all else and had made passes at Klaus over and over. As someone who’d continued coming on strong to the point of being a nuisance, how was she any different from Raftania?

Realizing that filled her with pain.

“Just like you, I haven’t asked—haven’t been able to ask—how Teach really feels.”

It wasn’t right to keep running away.

“Out of everyone on the team, you’re the one Klaus loves the most.”

If she wanted to check the veracity of what Monika told her, then her only option was to ask him directly. Staying in love with him without bothering to find out the truth was no less foolish than clinging on to an engagement for six whole years.

Raftania’s eyes went wide.

She knew what Grete was about to say. She could feel the weight of Grete’s conviction.

“I asked Teach to meet me at your wedding venue tomorrow.”

Raftania flinched, and Grete pressed on.

“What do you say we both summon up our courage and face his feelings together, Raftania?”

It took a good long while for Raftania to reply. Grete had thrown down the gauntlet, and Raftania had no immediate answer. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she stammered, “I, I, uh,” and, “Tomorrow?” trying to find a way to avoid the question as her face grew progressively redder.

Grete understood her hesitation painfully well.

In all honesty, she was scared herself.

Ultimately, though, Raftania ended up nodding. “Okay…”

Now there would be no more running away.

It was the twelfth day of their vacation, and despite having insisted that she was “bored” with her job, Annette still carried out the bare minimum of her duties. The outdoor venue she’d set up was elegant in its simplicity.

There was an installation resembling a gate stationed atop a hill with a great view. That was where the bride and groom were going to pledge their love to each other. It was painted white and decorated with beautiful seashells and leaves from the island. The bell hanging from its top was likely there for dramatic effect. When the newlyweds rang it together, its chime would sound out across Marnioce. There was also a set of wooden benches sitting in front of the installation. They were little more than shaved-down logs, but even they had a certain appeal to them.

Ultimately, though, the biggest draw the location had to offer was the landscape. The hilltop had a clear view of the sea, and an invigorating sea breeze blew over it. The sky was overcast that day, which was unfortunate, but tomorrow, the sea was expected to be brilliantly blue.

For a homegrown wedding ceremony, the whole thing had an unmistakable charm to it. It was obvious how much passion Raftania had poured into it.

In the end, though, her love was unrequited.

When Klaus arrived, she poured her heart out to him. She told him just how much she loved him and how much comfort her memories from six years ago had brought her. She knew that there was still a lot they didn’t know about each other, but she politely reminded him that they would have all the time in the world to rectify that.

Grete watched over the whole thing from a short distance away.

“I—I got this bouquet for the ceremony.”

Raftania pulled out a bundle of white flowers. Grete remembered Annette mentioning something about that.

Raftania bashfully held the flowers up. “Will you escort me and my bouquet tomorrow?”

Once she was done saying her piece, Klaus leaned in toward her ear. “Raftania, here’s what I have to say to you…”

Grete couldn’t pick up the rest of what he told her, but he must have made his position crystal clear. Klaus had prepared a statement precisely for this moment that would shatter her heart to pieces.

Raftania’s eyes went wide with shock, and her legs wobbled as the strength drained from her body. She took a step backward. Then, after wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeves, she turned her back on Klaus and fled from him.

By the time she got to Grete, her face was drenched with tears.

“I failed… He shot me down in the worst way…” Her smile was one of self-loathing. “Looks like my fate is set in stone…”

She wiped her eyes dry again, then ran off before Grete had a chance to stop her.

Grete’s romantic rival had just had her heart broken, but that brought her little joy. If anything, she was filled with sympathy at how valiantly Raftania had fought.

Now it was her turn.

Klaus remained motionless atop the hill for a long while after Raftania left. He didn’t turn to see where she’d gone, instead fixing his gaze on the fog rolling over the sea. There was no emotion on his face. He looked equal parts lonely and exhausted.

The girl who was supposed to be his bride had left the wedding venue, and now he stood there alone.

The humidity in the air was climbing. It was liable to start raining soon. Grete took another look at Klaus’s expression. They needed to get going before that happened.

Klaus said nothing; his eyes were melancholy.

It was impossible to say how much time passed.

Grete spent the entire time watching him, and eventually, he turned toward her. “You did a good job egging her on, Grete,” he said, sounding detached. “The wedding is off. She’s going to tell everyone that it’s been canceled.”

“…What did you say to her?”

“That I knew her secret. It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

In other words, he’d found a way to blackmail her. It felt a little cruel, but it was the most peaceful way for them to stop the wedding.

Without saying any more than was necessary, Klaus began walking. “Come on, Grete. There isn’t much of it remaining, but we are still on vacation. We should spend what’s left of it relaxing.”

Grete called to him from behind. “…Would you mind waiting a moment, Boss?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m quite adept at changing quickly.”

After giving him the briefest of explanations, she headed for the tree line.

In her hand, she was holding a large bag. She’d prepared its contents specifically for that moment. She hadn’t had much time to construct it, so she’d just modified a dress she already had. It had taken sleepless nights and Erna’s help to get it done in time.

After hiding behind a nearby tree, Grete got to work changing. Disguises were her specialty, so she’d long since mastered the art of swiftly swapping outfits, and she was already wearing the corset.

After donning the pure-white dress, she revealed herself.

“…That’s a wedding dress,” Klaus said softly.

“I wanted to see what standing by your side with this on would feel like.”

It was an A-line dress, one that was fitted at the hips and had a large skirt that flared out by her feet. Grete wasn’t fond of showy ornamentation, so its sole adornment was a simple decoration in the shape of a white rose on her chest. She had a silver tiara on and a veil that covered her face.

Klaus gave his response without hesitation. “Magnificent.”

A heart-soaring happiness rushed through her body.

Vacations were for making memories, so this was something she’d desperately wanted to wear. She did feel a little bad for Raftania, but with a venue like that already prepared, it would be a shame to just let it go to waste.

She wondered if Annette had foreseen this, though she knew that any attempt to figure out what that girl was thinking was doomed to failure.

“Boss,” she said before the installation modeled after a chapel. “There’s a big decision you’re trying to make on this vacation, isn’t there?”

“You noticed, did you?”

“That’s why I wanted to take this moment to ask about your feelings as well.”

Klaus gave her a small nod and stepped closer.

Once he was right in front of her, Grete spoke. “I told you once that I was in love with you, and you replied that you were unable to reciprocate my feelings. I’m aware that you might very well give my next question the same answer.”

The torrent of emotions surging within her made her want to cry, but she fought back the urge and pressed on.

“But even so, I have to ask…would it be too much to hope that you’d changed your mind?”

Nine months.

That was how long it had been since the day Grete and the others had beaten Corpse’s coconspirator, Olivia, and since Klaus had told her about how he felt. Despite accepting that her love was unrequited, she’d pined after Klaus, and her feelings for him had refused to fade ever since.

During that time, she’d begun fantasizing. Begun getting greedy for him to change his mind—for her love to come to fruition.

“………………………………………………”

It took her a long time to get her answer.

Klaus slowly reached up to lay a hand on his own face and sank into contemplative silence before sluggishly lowering his hand back down and turning his focus to Grete.

“I suppose I need to be honest with you, don’t I?”

Klaus chose each word deliberately.

“…There are times I’m conflicted.”

“……?”

“It’s not that I don’t want it… The idea of falling in love with a woman someday, getting married, having children, and building a happy family… It does strike me sometimes…”

His voice was so soft, she nearly missed it.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t dream about it.”

“What…?”

Klaus was looking Grete straight in the eye. Grete could see herself, bated breath and all, reflected on his eyes’ inky surfaces.

Not once had he ever shown her such uncertainty. To him, she’d always just been one of his spy team subordinates. One of his pupils. Either that, or a beloved family member—something akin to a little sister.

Had something changed?

Had some transformation begun taking place in Klaus, one that not even he himself could have envisioned?

Grete was so astonished, she forgot to breathe.

“No, it’s not fair to you for me to phrase things so inconclusively. Forgive me. I really am no good with words.” Klaus apologetically averted his gaze. “It’s just…I have these selfish dreams, and they fill me with this feeling of emptiness.”

“………”

“Because I know that that’s all they are—a fantasy.”

He let out a resigned sigh, and Grete felt her heart tighten.

She understood exactly what he was saying. It was his job as a spy to save his nation, and the responsibility of that rested heavily on his shoulders. He needed to carry out the duty he’d inherited from his beloved Inferno and protect his homeland. He needed to uncover the full details of the Nostalgia Project that had led to Inferno’s ruin.

He had no time to waste getting distracted by love.

But most importantly, he—

“……………”

The things she wanted to say to him surged up in her heart like a torrent.

I want you to be unfair to me. And I want to be unfair to you. After all, we’re the same. Our emotions are at the mercy of the fantasies our weak, cowardly hearts show us. We knew they can never come to pass, but try as we might to fend them off with resigned smiles, we kept on trying to grab hold of them. Like hunting down fragments of a dream. It’s an unsettling sort of feeling, but I want to bask in it forever. I want you to impose on me so much, I feel like I’m drowning. I want you to keep clinging to those fantasies.

All those tumultuous feelings melted together within her, and she couldn’t find the words to express them aloud.

Right as her frustration at that fact began mounting, she spotted something bizarre out of the corner of her eye.

“Is that a pirate ship…?”

“What?” Klaus said in a rare display of genuine bafflement.

The whole thing happened so abruptly.

It arrived out of nowhere, with no warning whatsoever.

However, she could definitely see it. Behind Klaus, floating in the water to the southwest of the island, there was a pirate ship. Between the clouds covering the sun and the white fog rolling in, she couldn’t get a great look at it. That said, the ship, with its three sky-piercing masts and tattered black sail, was slowly moving.

There was no way that ship had been built any time recently. It was a bona fide pirate ship.

Klaus whirled around. “Wait, how is that possible—?” he stammered.

Not even he could make sense of what he was seeing.

The two of them stood there in shock, and before long, the pirate ship vanished onto the foggy seas. All that remained was water so tranquil, it was like the vessel had never been there in the first place.

“…Perhaps it was a trick of the light,” Klaus murmured in bewilderment.

That was the most logical explanation. The light could have simply made a passing warship or ferry look like a pirate ship. It was what any reasonable person would conclude.

However, Grete refused to accept that.

“It doesn’t have to be…!” she insisted.

“Just because you think something is a fantasy doesn’t mean it can’t be real!”

Grete’s claim rang with conviction.

She was so shaken that tears began welling up in her eyes. She wanted to scream that the pirate ship was real.

She needed him to admit it. She didn’t want to dismiss it as a mere fantasy.

There was still a chance her love would bear fruit.

After all, hadn’t a two-hundred-year-old pirate ship just appeared before their very eyes?

“It’s not…a fantasy…”

Her vision grew blurry with tears, making it impossible to see Klaus’s face. She clutched at her pure-white dress, and as she trembled, she repeated “It’s not a fantasy” over and over again.