Landlubber and Seafarer

Tanegashima had lost count of how many times he had thrown up and the ship hadn't even left Tokyo Bay. He cursed the fact that he was born onto a tiny archipelago nation formed on top of a massive fault line between two tectonic plates. There wasn't any viable way to get from Japan to Australia for the upcoming World Cup that didn't involve flying—something he was terrified of. Unfortunately for him, skipping the World Cup was absolutely out of the question, so Coach Mifune came up with the next best thing: shoving him onto a giant cargo ship heading towards Melbourne with a pit stop in Manila.

"You better get there in one piece," the impatient head coach threatened.

"Aye aye..." was his weak reply as he tried to hold in what was left of the contents in his stomach.

Coach Mifune couldn't help but groan and mutter some minor profanities as he disembarked from the ship. The No. 2 rep of the Japanese U-17 team was curled up in the fetal position on the deck of the large vessel, unable to do anything but moan in agony.

"If I move from this spot, I think I might die..."

The disaster of a human being continued to lay on the dirty deck, trying to focus all of his mental capacity on not throwing up again. Just when he thought he had gotten over it, he felt a strange scratching on the back of his left ear. He jerked himself up, almost startling the person crouching down beside him. He instinctively reached up to touch his ear, noting that there was now something stuck to the side of his head. A girl was standing above him.

"What the heck are you doing?" he asked her.

"You seemed seasick, so I applied a motion sickness patch behind your ear," she explained. "Sorry, I know that was a bit out of line—"

"Whoa!" Tanegashima got back up on his feet. "Hey, this thing works! Wow!"

"I'm glad it helped," the person smiled. "You should replace the patch after three days if you find that you still need it. You can come and find me when you need a new one."

"Hold on," he interjected, "who are you?"

"Ah, I'm ," she introduced. "My mother captains the ship. I'm just here to help."

"-chan, huh? Nice name," he complimented. "I'm Tanegashima Shuuji—second best U-17 tennis player for Japan."

"It's nice to meet you, Tanegashima-san," she smiled. "Shall I show you where you'll be staying?"

"Lead the way," he winked. "This place seems cozy!"

"It may seem like that at first, but it won't remain that way for very long," she warned him as they approached the door that led into the body of the ship. With an aggressive twist of the door mechanism, the thing popped right open, revealing a dimly lit corridor.

"Hey, you're pretty strong," he noted.

"You have to be if you're going to work on a ship," she answered as she took a step in.

"You don't go to school?"

She shook her head. "I graduated middle school back in spring of this year, but I'm not sure if high school is the direction I want to go. My mom suggested I help out here and see the world at the same time."

"Oh, neat! Maybe I should do something like that."

"It wouldn't hurt to consider that," she mused. "It's just around this corner here..."

The two snaked through the narrow corridor until they reached a slightly open door. pulled on the heavy frame until it was wide enough for them to comfortably fit through the space.

"It's a little tiny, but you only really need this place to sleep in," she explained. "You're free to roam around the rest of the ship, just don't go into the areas where you need safety gear or are labelled as dangerous."

Tanegashima entered the room and spun around a few times, taking in the cramped quarters before collapsing onto the hard bed. The pinhole-sized window let in the tiniest sliver of light. The low ceiling made it near impossible for him to stand up straight. The room had a strange metallic smell to it and felt very claustrophobic.

"If you want to leave your belongings in here, I can show you where the galley and head are," said. "Unless, you want to look for those yourself."

He sat back up and turned to look out the door. "Well, I'm kinda hungry, so let's go together."

"Okay. Let's see what's on the menu tonight."

"Lead the way," he said cheerfully as she shimmied his way out of the room.

After shutting the door, they made their way further down the hall until they reached a door where a lot of natural light was pouring through the clear pane on the door. cranked the mechanism and opened the door, allowing all of their senses to be flooded by the hustle and bustle of the ship's kitchen area.

"This is the galley," she explained. "We have a chef on board that cooks most of the meals and puts them in those large fridges and freezers."

Tanegashima walked over and opened one of the fridge doors. "Dang, there's a lotta food here."

"When you're hungry, just take one of the containers out and heat it up in the microwave. I believe one of your coaches checked over the meals and they're adequate enough for your needs."

"Yeah, but eating healthy gets stale," he grumbled. "Do you have any snacks?"

"Canned fruit is all we can really keep on board," she admitted. "We can't have too much fresh stuff, since it does go bad rather quickly, but junk food of any kind is the responsibility of each individual crew member."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Damn, I woulda went to the store if I knew that..."

"It might be a bit too late to head back into the city to stock up, but we'll be arriving in Manila in about four or five days. You can grab some stuff from there while they exchange cargo," she mentioned.

Tanegashima looked at with the most pathetic baby-doll eyes, hoping that the girl would be his snack goddess from above.

"I don't have any to share. Sorry, Tanegashima-san."

He dramatically fell to the floor. "I'm doomed..."

"You are quite the actor," complimented, though in an unimpressed tone.

"Thanks! I'm not as good as my buddy Kanata, though. If you want drama, he's the best at it."

She laughed. "So, do you want to continue with the boat tour, or did you want to eat first?"

"I did say I was hungry, but I feel like I just lost my desire to eat," he sighed. "Let's see the rest of this place."

"Okay, then," she nodded as she began to walk out of the room. "Beside the galley is a mess hall of sorts. You can eat there or use the tables for work if you need to."

"All this boat lingo is confusing," he noted. "Galley is kitchen, mess hall is dining room? What's the head?"

"Where we're going next," she explained. "It's the bathroom area. The showers are communal and there's a schedule for who gets to go when."

"No tub?"

"We're already sloshing around at sea. Plus, that's an extra thing to clean and we don't have the staff for that." opened the door into the rather large shower area, fenced off by a bunch of shelving to obscure the view. "The room next door has the toilets and sinks."

"This is kinda neat. Reminds me of the camp," he remarked. "Speaking of that, where can I play? I don't think the big coach man is gonna be happy if I don't practice while I'm here..."

"Yes, my mother did set aside some space for you to do that," she remembered. "It's up on the deck, so let's head back."

By the time the two returned to their starting point, the vessel had just begun its long journey down south. headed towards the complex matrix of shipping containers with Tanegashima following suit. In the middle of the stacks was an area that was around the same size as half a tennis court. The containers had been placed in an arrangement that made it harder for a ball to fly straight off the ship and into the ocean.

"It isn't much, but you can use this space," she said. "You can use the walls of the containers to bounce the balls off of since they're mostly flat."

"Hope I don't break anything, then," he muttered under his breath.

"Well, if you need anything, don't be afraid to come and find me," she said. "I have to head back and do something, so if you'll excuse me..."

Once she disappeared, the slightly confused tennis player took another look at his reality and wondered what to do next. He could eat and do some light rallying with himself, but that could only keep him entertained for a few hours at most. He took his phone out of his pocket and noticed that the signal was already gone, meaning he didn't have access to the internet in any capacity.

"16 days, huh... Will I be able to survive?"

Trying to fall asleep later that night was difficult. He wasn't used to the swaying and rocking trying to lull him into a quiet slumber. Annoyed, Tanegashima got out of bed and put his whole body weight into opening the tightly shut door. The terrible screech coming from the old hinges sent a chill down his spine as he forced his way out. Now free, he ventured to the deck, wondering what he could do to occupy this newfound time.

A strong breeze and the ocean spray from the splashing water chilled him to the bone. He shivered as he pulled his representative jacket tighter towards his body—even though it did nothing to keep him warm. His feet shuffled along the damp surface until he found what appeared to be the command room for the entire vessel. The lights were on in the upper compartment of the room, which drew him in. Upon entering, that same girl from earlier was sitting in the corner, sketching away while staring out into the darkness.

"Oh, it's you," he greeted. "Whatcha doing here? It's late."

didn't look up from her sketchbook. "I'm on the night shift while my mother sleeps. I keep an eye on the ship's movements and controls."

"Doesn't look like you're keeping an eye on anything," he mentioned as he casually slid himself into the seat next to her. "What's all this?"

"Trying to keep myself occupied," she responded. "It's difficult to not get bored when you're out at sea without the internet."

"And the drawing?"

"Not sure," she answered as she continued. "Feel free to let me know."

Tanegashima took a gander at the sketch. Aside from the hyper-realistic shipping crates sitting on the deck, much of the composition was dark and murky. But within those depths, he felt like he could see the image of a grotesque sea monster ready to attack. The blood drained from his face as he took a peek out into the vast sea before them.

"D-do y-you draw e-everything you s-see?" he stuttered.

"Who knows?" was her unhelpful answer. "Are you scared?"

"N-not at all!" he lied. "It's not like that... thing exists!"

"Scientists say that we still have yet to identify more than 80 percent of species in the ocean," she replied in an ominous tone. "But, I'm sure it was just a whale."

"Y-you d-don't say..."

"What brings you here, Tanegashima-san?" asked the now-sickly pale man. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"It's kinda hard to sleep," he admitted. "And no, it's not 'cause of your story."

"Hard in what way?" she wondered. "Okay, the bed sucks, but aside from that?"

"The swaying, I guess?" was his confused reply. "It just feels strange that my bed moves."

"It's not that bad. Just pretend it's someone rocking you gently to sleep," she suggested.

"Can I pretend it's you rocking me to sleep?"

"I'll throw you overboard instead," she smiled coldly.

"Aw, that's no fun," he pouted.

"The last thing I'd do to keep myself entertained out here is you," she affirmed. There was a slight veil of disgust on her face.

"You're so mean, -chan," he fake cried. "I didn't even mean it in that way!"

The girl rolled her eyes before continuing with what she was doing.

The crocodile tears began to well up in Tanegashima's sparkly eyes. "-chan..."

"Don't you have better things to do with your time?" she asked. "You're on the country's national U-17 tennis team, aren't you?"

"Training and practicing every waking hour ain't a good thing," he pointed out. "The body needs to rest too!"

"Do you not have hobbies?"

"There's always someone around to bother," he grinned. "Tell me what your dreams are, -chan."

"I'm sorry?"

"What?" He looked at her rather innocently. "I just wanna know you better, boat buddy!"

"...You're very strange," she commented. "Also, I'm not your boat buddy."

"Will you be my boat buddy?"

"No," she snorted. "But, since you're not going to stop bothering me, I'll answer your question."

"Aw, but I really wanted to be boat buddies," he pouted.

"Do you want me to answer your question or not?"

Tanegashima shut his mouth and gave his undivided attention.

"I suppose my dream right now is to be among the stars because they are far away from you," she smiled.

"Aw, that's mean!" he called out. "That's not a real dream, -chan!"

"You never said it had to be real," was her witty comeback. "And, how dare you judge my dream? How do you know I was lying? I could be telling the truth."

"You're no fun, -chan..."

"...And what about you?" she asked him. "What's your dream, Tanegashima-san?"

"Me?" he parroted back. "Hmm... To go on a cruise in the Mediterranean!"

blinked a few times before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"I'm serious!" the man pouted.

"I know you are," she wheezed. "You said it with such conviction too... You're hilarious."

"But don't you think it's a good dream?" he asked.

"For a landlubber like you, sure," she mocked. "I've been out at sea for far too long that the thought of going on a cruise to relax is grossly unappealing."

"Aw, guess I can't ask you to join me, then?"

"In your dreams," she groaned. "Speaking of dreams, you should head to sleep. It's almost dawn and I'm going to retire soon."

"I don't wanna," he whined. "Not unless you join me."

"So you want my mother to throw you overboard instead?" she asked. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"You're so mean to me, -chan."

"And you are being a little too lax around me."

"Fine," he relented as he got up. "I'll go to bed..."

"Good night, Tanegashima-san," she nodded.

By the time he made it back into his room and crawled into the hard bed, the tennis player felt strangely exhausted as he closed his eyes. He started to imagine himself being cradled in the arms of a giant, rocking him back and forth until his memories faded into nothing.

Tanegashima hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until he woke up at the crack of dusk when everyone else was making noise and getting ready for bed. He wondered if he was reading the clock wrong, but the sun really was setting in front of his eyes. After waiting for the bathroom to clear out, he splashed some cold water on his face before putting on his tennis gear and heading out to the makeshift court to attempt practice once again.

He found that the waters were a lot choppier compared to the day and adjusting was way harder. His footing was still shaky at best as he stumbled and tumbled around like a dandelion seed in the air. He would've continued practicing had it not been for a pleasant giggle in the background that detracted from his focus.

"Still can't figure out how to stand up?" mocked him. "The tides aren't that terrible right now. If anything, they're a lot calmer than last night."

"Hey, I'm just a landlubber, like you said," he frowned as he picked himself back up again. "What're you doing here? Don't you got a boat to captain?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" she responded sarcastically. "I'm just checking the temperatures on the climate-controlled containers to make sure they're within spec."

"Sounds annoying," he commented. "Don't they have computers that can do that?"

"Computers aren't always reliable, you know. The analog monitors are quite accurate but with the horrible, horrible inconvenience of not being connected to the internet," she wept sarcastically.

"Why don't I help you then?" he offered.

"I'll be fine," she declined. "Don't you have... this to get back to?"

"What? Tennis?" he asked for clarification. "I'm not gonna get anywhere with this today. Might as well give up now."

"That coach of yours isn't going to be happy if you start slacking now," she pointed out. "Aren't you supposed to be playing in a big tournament when we get to Melbourne?"

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "I got another 15 days to figure things out. A day off can't hurt me that bad."

could only roll her eyes as she continued with her rounds. It wasn't much longer until that annoying tennis player was following her from behind.

"What do they keep in these things?" he inquired.

"Corpses," was her monotonous answer.

"No way! Really?"

"Could be. I'm not allowed to open them to check."

"Aw, you're just lying to me," he pouted. "-chan, why don't you like me?"

The girl stopped on a dime and turned around to face Tanegashima, an unamused expression plastered on her face. The whiny man leaned back in an effort to not bump into her, but lost his balance yet again and fell to the ground. From his vantage point, was looking down on him with disdain.

"Guys like you are only in it for one thing," she coldly stated. "Sorry that I can see right through it."

"-chan—"

But the girl didn't stick around to hear his pathetic excuse as she went on her way to continue doing her job. Tanegashima sighed, wondering just how he was going to change her mind about him as he picked himself back up again.

"C'mon now," he pleaded, "I'm not like the other guys at all!"

"That's what they all say."

"Let me prove it to you," he insisted. "C'mon, I'm a great guy to be around!"

"You've been anything but," was her exhausted response. "Pray tell how you're not just some womanizer who wants a quick thing, no strings attached?"

"Geez, who hurt you?" was his slightly offended response.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she pushed past him. "That was out of line for me to say."

This sentence intrigued the elusive man as he inched closer. "Why?"

"It's best that we don't get close," she said. "We're not going to see each other again after this journey, so it's better if we remain as is."

"You don't think we're gonna see each other again?" he asked. "You know, going to Australia is one thing, but I have to get back to Japan somehow."

"Fly like a normal person, then?" was her unhelpful suggestion.

"No way!" he protested. "I ain't getting on any flying machine!"

"Your aerophobia act is hilariously cute," she snorted, "but I'm sure you'll find a way back. You don't need us to take you back."

"But what if the other boats aren't as nice as you are?"

"Tough love," she shrugged.

"-chaaaaaaaaaaaan—"

But the girl did not stick around to hear him whine like a child and further. Annoyed, Tanegashima continued to watch her as she made her way over to one of the containers. He noticed her wince slightly when she pressed her hand against the side of the box, prompting him to head over.

"Did you hurt your wrist?" he asked, slightly concerned.

"I'm fine," she brushed off. "It's just a little—"

With a gentle, but firm force, the boy took a hold of 's arm. He gently pressed up against a tendon in her wrist, which made her yelp involuntarily.

"Stay here—I'll be back," he said before he ran off.

He headed back to his room, where he took out his first aid kit from his bag before sprinting back to where the girl was last seen. had continued to do what she initially set out to do before he interrupted her again.

"Gimme your hand."

"Am I going to get it back?" she asked rather sarcastically.

"I promise you will!"

let out an audible groan as she held out the same hand he had grabbed earlier. Tanegashima gingerly accepted it as he took out a cloth bandage and began to dress her wrist with it. Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he gave her wrist a playful kiss before letting go of it.

"Just something extra to make it heal faster," he winked.

"Thanks, I think?" was her confused response. "Is this even going to help?"

"It looks like a repetitive motion injury," he stated. "I get those a lot, so I learned how to deal with it from my coach. Figured it could help you as well."

The girl seemed skeptical of the bandaging, but was pleasantly surprised when she was able to grab a pen in her hand and write without much pain. Tanegashima smiled proudly in response.

"Take it easy, okay?" he grinned. "I'm not as terrible as you might think I am, by the way."

"Perhaps I have misjudged you, but your flirtatious behaviour doesn't necessarily help your case," she said.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked. "People say I am a great charmer."

"And I detest people like that," was her cold reply through an icy smile on her face. "How is your seasickness, by the way? It's almost time to replace your patch, but if you don't need it, then—"

"The only sickness I'm feeling is in my heart," he wept jokingly.

"Do people actually fall for that?" she asked him point blank.

"A lot do," he winked. "I'm fine, but I'll have to keep taping that wrist for you every day since it's not the best idea to wear that into the shower."

"You did this so you'd have an excuse to talk to me, huh?" she realized.

"You catch on quick."

"Well, there's always the choice for me to not have this taped up," she pondered.

"You don't wanna lose your ability to use your hand, -chan—it's important!"

"The real question is do I care enough about my hand to put up with you?" she questioned before she walked off. "You still need to practice, so get to it, Tanegashima-san."

"See you tomorrow!" he called out. "Hmph, she really is a tough cookie, huh?"

Tanegashima had made more progress in balancing on the large vessel while playing, but he was not used to the strain it put on his body and he promptly passed out after working up a sweat. The next night had already begun by the time he awoke from his comatose state, so he dragged himself out of bed again and sniffed out the rest of the vessel for another lifeform. He noticed that the lights were still on in the utility room after exploring and decided to head in there to see who else was awake.

"Oh, there you are," he greeted. "I was wondering where you ran off to."

"Good morning or evening, I suppose, Tanegashima-san," reciprocated. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see who else was here," he shrugged. "What's happening here with you?"

"I'm trying to twist that knob up there," she said as she pointed upward at the object in question, "but I can't reach it."

"Here, let me give it a go," he offered as he touched the knob with his own fingers. "Righty tighty or lefty loosey?"

"...What?"

"Which way do I turn it?"

"Left," she instructed. "Go until you feel the seal inside break. Don't open it all the way."

"You got it!"

After a little fiddling around, he managed to find the point the knob needed to be. He gave the girl a thumbs up and just nodded in response.

"Thanks," she said.

"What would you've done without me?" he wondered wistfully. "How's the wrist?"

"I didn't wake up in much pain, so that is a good sign," she began. "You'll have to wait if you want to change the dressing. This isn't the ideal location for that."

"Well, finish up what you're doing here and we'll go somewhere else," he nodded. "I'll go get my stuff."

"Meet me in the control room, then," she said before he left.

After running back to his quarters and grabbing the supplies he needed, Tanegashima headed over to the ship's control room, but was nowhere to be seen. Feeling like he was duped yet again, he was prepared to go search for her once more but got distracted by the blinking lights and buttons on the panels and gravitated towards them.

"Don't touch that," the girl warned as she entered the room. "The last thing we need is an accidental distress signal to go out."

"Oh! Thought you bailed on me," he laughed.

"As if I would tell someone who was completely inexperienced in sailing to come to the room that controls the entire vessel unsupervised," she rolled her eyes. "Did you actually touch anything?"

"I swear I didn't!" he exclaimed as he held up both of his hands.

pushed the boy out of the way to look at the computer system. She let out a sigh of relief once she confirmed that Tanegashima did, in fact, not touch anything. "Seems like a false alarm from another vessel."

"Hope everything's okay, then..."

"Well, we're not that far off from the port in Manila, so they could probably turn around if needed," she pointed out. "We're travelling a bit faster than expected, so we'll probably hit the coast by this time tomorrow night."

"Where's Manila?" was his confused response.

"...I see geography isn't your strong suit," was her snide comment. "It's the capital of the Philippines and a port city. We're stopping there to drop off and pick up containers."

"How long are we gonna be there for?"

"Probably the whole day and night," she figured. "It's a decent time to stock up on anything you need."

"Can we go explore the city?!" he asked rather excitedly. "I'm gonna go find the weirdest-looking food and try it if we can!"

blinked a few times before shaking her head. "You're free to do what you want, but if you're not back on the ship before we have to leave, you're on your own."

"No, no, I want you to come with me!" he clarified. "You've been there a few times, right? You can't just leave a clueless foreigner like me alone in such a place."

"...Are you asking me out on a date?" she accused him.

"If you want it to be one, then sure," was his nonchalant response.

"No," she shot him down. "You'll survive on your own."

"-chaaaaaaaaaaaan—"

"Honestly, how are you part of the U-17 national team and you've never travelled?" she asked, confused. "I thought the whole point of the team was to travel to international tournaments."

"It's not my fault the coach doesn't wanna spend the resources or time to get me to places without air travel..." was his weak response.

"You're a child," she insulted. "Get over your fear."

"Aw, but I wouldn't have gotten the chance to meet you if it weren't for my terrible fear of airplanes!" he exclaimed.

"You'll live," she scoffed. "Besides, I still have obligations on the ship, so I can't leave."

Tanegashima furrowed his eyebrows as a pout formed on his puffy lips. "Hmph, we'll see about that."

"There's nothing to see," she groaned.

"That's what you think," he winked before he started making his way out of the room. "I got a great idea."

could only roll her eyes as she watched the overly energetic boy leave to tend to his own devices. A small smile crept onto her face.

It was late into the afternoon when woke up, which would be unusual if the giant vessel wasn't docked at the port of a major Southeast Asian metropolitan area. Realizing she couldn't bring herself to go back to bed, she took her time to crawl out and get ready for the day. It was only when she stepped out onto the deck and saw her mother conversing with the annoying teenage landlubber that she knew the day was not going to go as originally planned.

"Look who finally decided to get out of bed," her mother teased.

"Well, I have a lot to do, so it's now or never," managed to stifle a smile.

"Oh, don't worry about that," her mother continued. "We have enough people to handle it, so I want you to take Shuuji-kun around the city for the day."

The neurons in her brain stopped firing. "...What?"

"You know your way around, right? You can't just leave a clueless foreigner like me alone in such a place," Tanegashima pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

"I can't believe this is happening," she groaned as she pieced together the situation. "Mom—"

But 's mother didn't care to hear another complaint out of her daughter as she thrusted the weirdly flirtatious man towards her and shooed them off of the rocking vessel. "Be back before midnight!"

"Your mom's really nice," he grinned.

"Are you a child?" she accused. "You went to tell on me to my mother? Are you five?"

"Nope, but thanks for agreeing to take me on a tour of the city!"

"Well, at least you're not wearing that ridiculous red jersey," she sighed.

"Oh, your mom said something about looking nondescript so people don't bother us for money," he mentioned.

"You're almost twice my height and have white hair, Tanegashima-san. You're going to attract attention regardless," she rolled her eyes.

"Guess I'll be relying on you to keep me safe," he winked. "I'm dying to eat something fresh, though."

"I'm sure we'll find something in the market nearby," she pointed out. "It's pretty big and there are a lot of people, so try not to get lost."

Tanegashima got the brilliant idea to grab a hold of 's hand to prevent that from happening. "Now, we won't get separated!"

She wasn't amused in the slightest, but her cheeks were telling a different story. "Are you done?"

"Lead the way," he gestured. "I'm not letting go."

"I figured judging by how hard you're squeezing."

The walk towards one of the entrances to the market was rather short, but it became increasingly harder to move as the two were walking into a large crowd of people. Even with a guy that towered over a vast majority of the people, no one was paying much mind to either of them and kept going about their days without an ounce of consideration towards their surroundings.

"It's a bit difficult for me to see," mentioned. "You're going to have to guide us, Tanegashima-san."

"Oh! I see fancy fruit," he interjected as he jerked them both in the direction of his distraction.

The two found themselves in front of a stand that had dozens of tropical fruits on display for ridiculously cheap prices. Tanegashima instantly picked up a plastic-covered dragonfruit half and studied it intently.

"I thought these things had white flesh inside," he remarked. "This one is purple!"

"The purple variety is less common, I think," commented. "I think they taste better than the white flesh variety."

"You've sold me!" he nodded. "Can't believe how much fruit costs here. You could never find them for these prices in Japan."

"I'm sure that's because Japan has stricter food importing laws," she added. "Drives the cost up."

Tanegashima picked up a large neon red and yellow mango in his other hand. "This is so big!"

"They taste a lot better than the ones you can buy in Tokyo for tens of thousands of yen," boldly claimed.

"We'll see about that," he smirked. "Gosh, should I just try everything?"

"It's your money," she shrugged. "Do you even have any local currency to spend?"

He nodded as he set the fruits back down on the stand and reached into his pocket to procure a singular bank note that was rather large in denomination. "How much do you think I could get with this?"

"Enough to feed the whole crew for two days, maybe."

"Hmm... I don't like them that much," he concluded. "Guess I'll just get a mango and the funny purple dragonfruit!"

"Don't give the guy running the stand that bill," she sighed as she took out her own money to cover the costs. "They might pocket a majority of it."

"Aw, do you not trust people that much, -chan?"

"The world isn't always kind, Tanegashima-san," she warned. "If you're done staring at fruit, let's keep moving."

"What's the rush for?" he asked. "Oh! I see an opening."

Without even asking for her opinion, Tanegashima dragged the girl over to a narrow alleyway off the side of the main pedestrian pathway. Contrary to her expectations, the area was still well-lit and did not give off a crime scene vibe. It was the perfect spot to take a breather—or in Tanegashima's case, a bite out of the overripe fruit in his hand.

"Wow! The skin is falling off," he remarked. "Wanna bite?"

"I'm okay," she declined.

"Come on," he egged her on, "you were the one who convinced me to try both of these! You're equally responsible for eating some of it. The dude running the stand even cut it up for us!"

let out a sigh of defeat as she forced herself to humour him by accepting a rather large piece of the diced mango. As mouth-watering as it was, the juices for the piece dribbled down her lips, making a mess of her face.

"Here," Tanegashima ran his thumb over her lips to wipe off the excess. "All gone!"

The girl was at a loss for words as her tongue tied itself into a knot and her face flushed red with embarrassment. Tanegashima took that as another opportunity to shove another piece of fruit into her agape mouth.

"There's still a lot more left, -chan," he smiled as he ate one piece himself. "Wow! This really is better than the mangos they have at home."

"You're unbelievable," she coughed. "Wow, I haven't had fruit this fresh in so long."

"It's good, right?" he nodded. "Never knew I'd miss fresh fruit after four days of not being able to eat it."

"You wouldn't be having this problem if you just flew like everyone else," was her snide remark.

"You can't make me do that ever," he pouted as he stuck out his tongue. "Anyway, where should we go next?"

"You're the only one who can see over the crowd, so it's on you."

"Oh, I see a bike!"

"Huh?"

But before could get in another word, the elusive man disappeared and returned with what was definitely not a rental bike that would certainly not fit two people on a good day. At a loss for words couldn't even begin to describe how aghast was feeling.

"Let's go for a ride!" he grinned.

"And how do you expect me to keep up with you?" was her only response.

"Sit in the basket," he suggested. "I'm a great driver—trust me!"

"I'm not sure I can," she said with a heavy amount of exasperation behind her tone. "There's no way you rented this."

"Ah, worry about the technicalities later," he brushed off. "I promise I'll return it."

"Why do I not believe you...?" she mumbled. "Please return that from where you got it, Tanegashima-san. I don't want to be arrested for petty theft in a foreign country."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiine," he whined as he hung his head down.

"I better come with you to make sure you do—"

Before she could even blink, Tanegashima had managed to scoop her entire body up with one arm, placed her into the basket on the bike handles and started pedaling fast, swerving around all of the pedestrians with sharp and precise movements.

"Hold on tight!" he shouted.

"T-Tanegashima-san?!"

There was next to nothing for to hold onto—except for Tanegashima's sculpted forearms. She shut her eyes and picked a deity to pray to until she felt herself come to a halt. The insanely reckless man was smiling down at her when she slowly reopened her eyes again. They appeared to be on a walkway that followed the coastline with the bustling market they were just in far off into the distance. The sun had begun its descent over the horizon as the skies started to transition into an orange-purple affair.

"I'll take it back after this," he promised. "Don't worry—they won't even know we took it!"

"You're unbelievable," she spat as she tried to climb out of the basket. "Why do you do the things you do?"

"'Cause I can get away with a lot," he answered, "buuuuuuuuut, I want you to have fun, -chan! You seem really lonely and I wanted to try and change that."

"...Why?" was her confused rebuttal.

"Well, you're out at sea all the time, right? You don't really have the chance to talk to many people—especially people our age," he pointed out. "Also, your mom may have said some stuff to me—"

"Of course she did," scoffed defeatedly. "Ugh, this is so embarrassing..."

Tanegashima gently placed his hand on the younger girl's shoulder. There was a genuine sense of sincerity behind his tone as he spoke. He smiled softly, but his eyes showed glimmers of sadness behind them.

"-chan, everyone gets hurt by others at times, but not everyone is as horrible as you might think they are," he began. "I mean, I ain't helping myself either, but I'm not just a dumb flirt as you might think I am."

"Being bullied by your classmates for something you didn't do isn't the same as whatever you're trying to imply," she said.

"Is that why you didn't start high school?" he asked rather bluntly.

couldn't believe how bold he was for even asking such a thing. Still, she felt weirdly comfortable nodding silently in response.

"Rumours are nasty, huh?" he empathized. "Still, why does that matter? By the time we're in university, no one will remember."

"The scars stay, no matter how much time passes," she stated. "And, don't you think it sucks that people can be so cruel to others and then not remember it at all?"

"True, but you know there are people out there who'd wanna help lessen the impact of those scars," he nodded. "I being one of those people."

"We're never going to see each other again after this," she reminded him. "Why even get close, knowing that?"

"Uh, the internet exists, you know," was his sassy reply. "We don't need to see each other every day to be friends."

"I am out at sea for long periods of time with no internet," she reminded him. "It's going to be a very difficult friendship to maintain."

"You don't have to be out at sea," he pointed out.

"My mom doesn't even know the full story... I don't know why she even bothered to try and get you to convince me to go back to school—"

"Why would I do that?" he interjected. "Okay, your mom did say something about that, but that's not my job. It's your choice, -chan."

"Huh?"

"I don't care about whatever happened," he shrugged. "I just wanna have some fun with you! Though, you can tell me if you wanna. I am capable of listening if I choose to."

"Why is that your only concern?" she asked again. "You carry the hopes and dreams of an entire nation's U-17 tennis team on your shoulders and all you care about is trying to have fun in a foreign country?"

"I mean, that is a concern, but it isn't my current concern," he stated. "Why worry about the future when we're in the present? I'll worry about my obligations as the No. 2 rep of the Japanese U-17 team when the time comes, but I'm just Tanegashima Shuuji right now."

wasn't sure what to think of Tanegashima's lax attitude. There was something comforting about it the more she allowed herself to think about it. The boy did have a genuine interest in her feelings, but she had to wonder why she hadn't actually noticed this until now.

"It's not every day that people like us can travel the world and see all these neat things, right?" he remarked. "Why not just enjoy what we can?"

felt her eyes well up slightly. "Tanegashima-san..."

"Aw, it's Shuuji to you," he pouted as he reached up to gently brush her tears away. "Come on, it's not even a hard name to say! You don't need to cry over it."

couldn't help but laugh. "I'll never understand you, Shuuji-san—and I also refuse to be arrested with you for theft, so can we please return this bike to where you got it from?"

"Fine, fine," he relented. "You're still gonna have to sit in the basket, though."After returning to the market with the bike and putting it back where he originally found it without the owner ever realizing it was gone, the two teens continued to snake their way through the crowd of people, only stopping at interesting food stalls to try out the local cuisine. They talked about everything and nothing at all, but would likely never remember what was said in the conversation at all. There was something enamouring about the way laughed that Tanegashima couldn't quite explain, but it warmed his heart to know that she was enjoying herself for once.

As the crowds began to disperse throughout the evening, the pair used that as their cue to return to the port and prepare for departure. The last person Tanegashima was expecting to see was Coach Kurobe when the two made their way back to the ship. He looked as if he had grown impatient waiting for him to return. The boy and girl exchanged a confused look as they made their way over.

"Coach! Wasn't expecting to see you here," he joked.

"I'm glad to see that you're still in one piece, but we need to get going," he sighed. "Get your belongings. We need to hurry if we want to make it in time for the opening matches."

"What do you mean, Coach?" he asked, confused. "I thought -chan's boat was taking me there."

"Change of plans," 's mother explained. "I have to take this ship over to Jakarta, but adding another stop will push back our arrival in Australia by a few days. Your coaches tell me you won't make it in time for your match."

"Match? When am I playing?"

"We were drawn in a group with Greece, Switzerland, and Australia," Coach Kurobe continued. "You've been selected to captain the team for Greece."

"Greece?" Tanegashima wondered why that team in particular was memorable, but he couldn't formulate the thought in his head. "Why can't you get someone else to do it?"

"You are the No. 2 representative," Kurobe stressed. "This isn't negotiable."

"How are we gonna get there, then?" he postulated.

"Kimijima-kun sent for a high speed cruiser," Kurobe answered. "We need to head over to the other side of the docks to board it. Make haste with packing."

"Why is Sansan splurging out now for me?"

"He is not; Kimijima-kun is merely arranging it, but the funding is from the camp itself," Kurobe said as he rolled his eyes. "If you're done asking questions, get to it."

"Aye, aye, sir," he saluted. "Let's go, -chan!"

felt a strange tightening in her chest as she followed the annoying boy back to his tiny broom closet of a room and watched him pack his nomad life back into a little carry-on. It was strange how she couldn't stand this guy several days before, but now felt lonelier than ever knowing that he was leaving.

"I guess this is the end for us, boat buddy," the boy pouted.

"I'm not your boat buddy," she scoffed. A silly grin formed on her lips that she couldn't hide, but her eyes began to well up.

"Aw, don't be sad," he frowned. "Maybe we'll see each other again!"

"Maybe..." Her tone of voice did not seem very hopeful.

"Close your eyes for me," he instructed.

did as she was told without really questioning it. As she subconsciously moped about losing her only interaction with someone her age, she felt a tingly sensation on her face. It didn't register in her head that Tanegashima had leaned down and gave her a kiss on her left cheek. When she opened her eyes again, they were looking right into his mysterious gaze. Miscellaneous bandages were now in her hands.

"I promise you we'll meet again," he winked. "Laters!"

She instinctively reached up to touch her burning face where his supple lips were just barely touching. The ache in her chest only seemed to get worse as she watched the boy disappear into the night with his coach closely following behind.

Getting to Australia felt like the blink of an eye on the cruiser. Tanegashima couldn't even put in time to think about his last week as he quickly shifted gears into making sure he was in tip top shape to represent his country at the World Cup. His focus quickly shifted to making up for the lost practice hours, but thoughts of ended up in his mind every night before he knocked out from exhaustion. Even as the tournament went on, he would have fleeting thoughts of that girl before reverting his attention back to the matches.

After his semifinal match against Germany, the only thought in his head was of that girl. He even hallucinated that she was standing in the hallways as he emerged from the locker room all showered and slightly rejuvenated. What surprised him was when his hallucination grabbed him by the wrist.

"Whoa! You're real?!"

"Of course, I am," she rolled her eyes. "I'm glad I found you."

"You were looking for me?"

"Yes, I was," she confirmed.

"What for?"

The girl leaned in and aggressively planted her lips on his. The kiss conveyed a sense of longing, frustration, and tenderness that neither of them had experienced before. Tanegashima didn't know how else to react, other than to jump back and break it off.

"-chan...!"

"And that's how you're supposed to do a goodbye kiss," was her sassy comment. "A peck on the cheek does not count."

"I thought you didn't like me," he gasped.

"I didn't like you," she reiterated. "You just got me to change my mind. People aren't as awful as they seem."

Tanegashima couldn't contain himself as he instantly wrapped his arms around the girl and squeezed her until she could barely breathe.

"Shuuji-san...!"

"I missed you!" he declared. "Well, I mean I've been a bit busy with this tennis stuff, but I didn't forget about you."

"I can't... breathe," she struggled to say. "Let go..."

"Oh!" He released his vice-like grip as he laughed sheepishly. "My bad. How did you get here? What took you so long?"

"Well, if you recall, we were supposed to come to Melbourne anyway," she began. "Jakarta was nice, but then we got held up in Perth for a few days."

"Are you leaving after this?"

"No," she shook her head. "We're stuck here for a while—plus my mom promised your coaches that we'd take you back since you still seem to hate flying."

"I really do," he nodded. "So, you're gonna be here until the end of the tournament?"

"Yes. How can I not stay for the whole thing, knowing Japan is only one match away from advancing to the finals?"

"So..." He started tapping his index fingers together, "does that mean we can go on a date after this?"

"I don't know," she huffed, "are you going to leave me right after we're done?"

"No way!" he denied. "That wasn't my choice back in Manila, okay? I would've stayed the entire time, but they just had to use their aces all in one go."

"Did you win, though?" she asked. "The match against Greece—I mean. Not the one I just watched you play."

"I wasn't even supposed to play, but the Greek captain challenged me and I couldn't say no," he shrugged. "Of course I won. Piece of cake!"

"Even with a lack of practice, you were able to defeat a team ranked higher than you?" she asked, rather impressed.

"Oh, I worked my butt off once I got here to try and make up for it, but it's all done and dusted now," he yawned. "I wanna nap, but I have to stay and watch the Boss play his match..."

"There's plenty of time to sleep later," she chuckled. "Go and support your teammate. We can catch up later—"

"Where are you going?" he questioned as he grabbed onto her wrist. "Courtside seating is this way."

"But, I'm not—"

"My girlfriend ain't gonna sit in the bleachers with everyone else," he huffed. "There's plenty of space. Don't even worry about it."

"Since when did I agree to be your girlfriend?" she wondered.

"You kissed me, so that sealed your fate," he grinned. "You can back out, but not right now. Now, come!"

"Okay, alright."

knew resisting wasn't going to do much good for her, so she relented as she let herself be dragged around by the elusively annoying boy. But before they entered the area, she snuck another playful kiss, which made Tanegashima blush slightly.

"Maybe when we get back to Japan, you could help me pick out a high school to attend?" she asked rather innocently.

"Does that mean I get to have your number?" he asked in return.

"If you rebandage my wrist for me," she demanded. "and if you get me ice cream after this as well."

"I'll give you the whole world if you ask me to," he promised.