A Distant Reverie

Chapter 8

...

She opened her eyes. What laid before her was an unfamiliar, yet nostalgic sight. The coarse sands of the rustic coast. The pale blue ocean, and its unfathomable vastness as it stretched endlessly beyond this small seaside town. The stench of the watery breeze, thick with a salty fragrance, hung in the air. The slow ebb and flow of the ocean tide filled her ears, rhythmically clashing against the sandy beach. Marine leaned over the wooden railings, staring blankly ahead, listening to unceasing waves. Even though she was young, she had long grown tired of this unchanging scenery.

Unchanging?

Somehow, this sight of the ocean brought forth a wistful nostalgia that tugged at her heart. Her soul seemed to wail. The heaviness of this strange longing nearly drove her mad, as if this were a scene that she could no longer see.

"Hey, Marine." A young girl's voice suddenly addressed her. It was a gentle high-pitched tone, accompanied by a hint of mischievous curiosity. A voice that was painfully familiar. A voice that Marine had longed to hear again.

Ah. It's this dream again.

Marine spun around. The young girl was petite. Her hair, an unusual mint-green, was done up with two buns and trimmed neatly to her shoulders. Her face, however, was blurry, locked behind a memory lost to time. Nonetheless, Marine knew who she was.

"What's it, Ru?"

Marine had made a vow. Even if time and circumstances had long eroded her memories, the name of her dear friend was the one thing she could never allow herself to forget. Because the moment she forgot, the person known as Marine Houshou would cease to exist.

"You got an ugly look on your face. Thinking about nonsense again?"

"...Something like that," Marine replied. Right, this girl never had much manners. Still, the nostalgic quip brought a smile to her face. She knew this was a dream, a fleeting fragment of her memories and imagination, and yet she couldn't help but indulge in this mundane exchange. Because it was the only way she could speak with her friend again.

"Then surely, you'll have a good answer for me!" Ru skipped in front of the wooden railings and onto the sandy shores, stopping just in front of Marine's gaze.

"Say Marine, what do you plan on doing once we become adults?"

"Hm? That's a long time away."

"Just give me an answer!"

Marine thought pensively, trying to sift through her vague memories. Maybe it was her own sentimentality, but she wanted to give an answer that was genuine to her younger self.

"...Take over my parent's shop, I guess."

"Eh? Boring..."

"What do you mean?" Marine giggled, "What else is there to do in this small seaside town? The only thing we have is fishing."

"But that's boring. I don't want to smell like fish and salt every day."

"You have a point."

Ru picked up a flat stone amidst the sands. Narrowing her eyes, she flickered her wrist and tossed the stone into the ocean. The stone skipped two times along the smooth surface of the water, before disappearing beneath the waves.

"Say Marine," the young girl's eyes gleamed brightly with excitement.

"Yes, Ru?"

"What do you think is beyond this ocean?"

"Beyond this ocean..." Marine trailed off.

More than you can imagine. Memories flooded her mind. The tumultuous times she spent before and after becoming a pirate had opened her eyes to vastness of this world.