Ten Days of Katsuki (Todobaku)

Day 9, Part 3

It may be because this is our last night on The Unity, but my soba tastes even better at this dinner than it has during previous ones. It's as if heaven was crafted into one perfect little dish.

Katsuki smiles at me as I slurp my noodles. I smile back at him as I eat, which results in me eating a lot messier than I usually do. He taps his foot against mine as he finally breaks eye contact to eat his curry. Attempting to be as subtle as possible, I scoot my chair closer to him so our legs press against one another. I know we're being ridiculous with all these secret displays of affection. If anyone were to notice I'll probably combust from embarrassment. But Katsuki's been my boyfriend for all of seven hours. That more than qualifies for the honeymoon phase. And I want to take advantage of being in the honeymoon phase while we're still on this cruise.

We've already departed Aikojima and will be at sea all night. By the morning, we'll be back in Naha, ready to go home. It's sad, but I'm trying not to think about it.

It gets even harder when Rody and Pino arrive at our table again to check on us. At least when this cruise is over, I'll still see my friends, at least until graduation. But there's a strong chance that after tonight, I'll never see Rody or Pino again, and it sucks. They both played a huge part in what made this vacation so enjoyable for me.

"Did everyone's food come out okay?" Rody asks.

We tell him yes. We always tell him yes. The dinner served in the dining hall is never short of exceptional.

"Glad to hear. Now, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's a surprise in store for all of you very shortly. Promise you won't laugh at me, okay?"

Denki perks up in his seat. "What kind of surprise?"

Rody lets out a nervous chuckle. "Well, um, it's something all the servers do for the patrons the last night of the cruise. Some have more fun with it than others. It's not my favorite thing, but I don't get paid if I don't do it."

Sero grins. "Now you have to tell us what it is. Don't leave us hanging!"

Pino, perched on Rody's shoulder, chirps at high volume. Her wings fully expand. Rody massages her head with his index finger before directing his attention back to us.

"You'll find out soon enough," he says, and then he escorts Pino to the table beside us.

Well, he's right about that. All of three minutes pass before we hear a voice from the front of the dining hall. Turning my head, I spot a blonde woman with glasses speaking into a microphone. I don't recognize her, but she's dressed all official, so she must be important.

"Hello everyone," she says. "This is Melissa Shield, your cruise director."

Oh, that makes sense. I've heard her voice over the intercom plenty of times on this cruise, though not nearly as much as Present Mic's. I just never had a face to put to the name. Until now, at least.

"I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for making this voyage on The Unity such a pleasant experience. It's been wonderful having you on board with us, and we hope you've enjoyed your time here just as much as we loved having you here."

I cast a quick glance at Rody. He notices me staring and offers a quick thumbs up before fidgeting with his clothes.

"As a token of our appreciation, and because it's tradition, our servers have prepared a special surprise for you all. Everyone get in your places!"

Apparently, Rody is already in place. He's standing between our and Aizawa's table. Pino flies off his shoulder and hovers over the center of our table. The sound of feet shuffling fills the dining hall as all the servers get in proper formation.