Finally, it was the day we had all been anticipating—the day of the sailaway.
Most of the passengers awoke early in hopes of heading to the sundeck and being the first ones there to see the ship leave the port, but of course, most of them were met with disappointment. Some of the earliest risers had arrived before we did.
Fukase was alright with the early start this morning, since it wasn't in vain. We quickly gathered with the others and headed to the sundeck after eating breakfast. The ship would set sail mid-morning, but Rana, Miki, and I wanted to see what was left of the sunrise.
Yohio was nowhere to be seen until 9:00, when he appeared on the balcony of the bridge above us.
"Look, it's the man!" Miki said excitedly when she noticed him. "What's he gonna do?"
"Probably make some weird speech or something," I replied, unamused.
"Don't laugh at the poor man too much," Piko piped up unexpectedly.
Once most of the passengers on the sundeck noticed the captain standing above them, they turned to see what he had to say with curious, oblivious expressions.
"Good morning and welcome, everyone! For those of you who boarded yesterday, I hope you enjoyed your first day aboard the ship. For those of you who boarded this morning, well, I hope you don't mind the early start. Cruises are for relaxing, you shouldn't have to be up this early." Some of the passengers let out a soft chuckle at that. "Anyway, thank you all so much for joining us on Hime Cruises. I hope you all enjoy your stay for the following few weeks!"
The passengers all clapped politely, and I reluctantly played along. Bogus, I thought, talking as if he's worked for Hime since the dawn of time.
He disappeared into the bridge, and after some time, the foghorn blew and the ship began to move. Rana and Flower rushed to the edge of the deck to peer out at the shore, and the rest of us followed suit. The water was a pure, clear blue as it reflected the bright sky.
After around half an hour, the passengers began to disperse. People went back inside to eat, sleep, unpack, and kill time however possible on the first day of the cruise.
"Alright, to the pool!" Flower decided with boisterous finality. "We didn't go the day before yesterday, we didn't go yesterday like you promised, so we are going right now."
"Whatever you say," Piko sighed.
"Yes, I agree with Flower! To the pool!" Miki exclaimed.
"Are you two coming?" Rana asked Fukase and I.
"Sure, I guess...?" I turned to Fukase but his expression was unreadable.
"Alright, to the big, pretty pool then! How does fifteen minutes sound?" Flower asked.
"Make that twenty," Rana replied.
"Alright, twenty, whatever. See ya then!" With that, Flower left us, dragging Piko closely behind her.
"See you guys then!" Miki said, tugging along Rana in a similar fashion.
"Shall we go?" I asked once the others were out of earshot.
Fukase only smiled and nodded awkwardly.
"So... what are our thoughts on swimming?"
"For one, I haven't done it in forever," Fukase chuckled lowly, "and for two, I have no intention to do it again."
I looked at him in surprise. "So you're not coming with us?"
"Oh no, I'll come along. But I'm not getting wet. I'll just hang out on one of the lounge chairs or something."
YOU ARE READING
The Boy by the Shore (Olikase Vocaloid AU)
FanfictionWhen Oliver meets a mysterious boy along the coast after a long voyage, his interest is instantly piqued as to why this boy refuses to speak. It's only after Oliver truly opens up to him that Fukase finds his own voice. Cover by @FandomsAreMyFuel (+...
