"Who?" I asked, looking up.
"You. Eisha and Leigh want to talk to you," Maxson said, sipping his juice before plopping onto the couch. I raised an eyebrow.
"Now?"
"Yeah. They're outside."
"Okay." I stood, then paused, eyeing him. "And since when are you on a first-name basis with them?"
He just smirked and shrugged. I headed outside and found the two lieutenants waiting. They grinned when they saw me.
"Hello, Nyssa!"
"Uh, it’s kinda weird you’re here now. Is there a problem?"
Eisha giggled and pulled me closer.
"We heard about what Captain Zeid said yesterday. Wife, huh?" She poked my side teasingly. I squirmed away.
"W-What? He just said that to get rid of the women chasing him! He used me as a stand-in for his actual wife. Tsk."
"But it’s progress. HAHAHA!"
"What? What do you—"
"Nothing, nothing! But we’re not here for that. We came to invite you to our outing next week! Don’t worry, only a few captains and lieutenants are coming since the others are busy." She leaned in and whispered, "Captain Zeid’s going~"
"So what? Ugh. Do you really want me to come?"
"Oi, oi! You’re not saying you won’t go just because Captain Zeid’s coming, are you?" Leigh asked.
Pretty much.
"Fine. I’ll go. But don’t tease me about Captain Chen. Just because—"
"YAYYY! Alright, you’re coming shopping with us now!" They squealed, dragging me off like I was being kidnapped by ten horses.
Good grief.
These two were going to give me a headache. And what shopping were they even talking about?
I sighed and went along. Better than being dragged—which wasn’t unlikely, given how well they got along and how both were missing a few screws.
We arrived at a shop. I blinked when I realized it was a swimsuit store.
So the outing’s at the beach? I thought it was just a picnic or something. And Zeid was coming? He never joined stuff like this, especially beach trips. Unless he didn’t know the location—just like me.
Lieutenant Leigh turned to me with a grin.
"Since Eisha takes forever picking swimsuits, let’s just stick together. I’ll help you." She giggled.
"No. I already have one." I grabbed the first thing I saw from the rack without checking. Both of them stared at my pick—a one-piece. I smirked. She pouted and shook her head.
"Nooooo! Come on, let’s check this section." She pulled me toward the two-piece area.
Two-piece.
I sighed. Even though I wore sexy dresses and outfits, I’d never worn a two-piece in my life.
She picked out two—one black, one red.
"Which one do you like?"
Neither! But her eyes were practically daring me. I exhaled and pointed at a black two-piece.
"OKAY!" She cheered, asking for my size before rushing off to the saleslady. I waited on the couch, flipping through a book on the coffee table.
It took them forever. Mostly because of Eisha.
Afterward, we ate at a nearby restaurant, chatting about their academy training days.
"What about you, Nyssa? You’re good at fighting—did you train at Saido’s academy or take private lessons like other nobles?" Eisha asked between bites.
I sipped my tea. "I studied at Saido Academy. Maxson and I were classmates."
"Oh, Maxson! Were you two… involved?"
I nearly spat out my tea. "HAHAHA! Impossible. Maxson’s a womanizer, but I’m off-limits. Our parents keep pushing us together, but it’s never happening. We’re just friends. He knows that."
They nodded, looking relieved.
"About the outing…" Eisha continued, "We’ll handle the food—easy stuff to cook at the beach. There’s a beach house, and others can bring whatever they want."
The rest of the day was spent planning. By evening, I was exhausted. Tomorrow was going to be chaotic.
THE NEXT DAY
We were all at the beach, loaded with food. Honestly, it looked like we’d never finish it all—but who knew? Maybe someone here ate like a whale.
We didn’t arrive together—Eisha and I rode separately, while others came earlier. Zeid and Lieutenant Ren were the last to show up.
After setting up at the beach house, I collapsed on the couch.
"Eyyy, Nyssa~" Captain Masashi slurred, plopping across from me with a bottle of sake. He wasn’t wasted yet—just tipsy.
"Oi, Captain Masashi. You’re not drunk enough."
"Ahahaha! Wanna join? Let’s drink!" He magically produced a glass. Where did that come from?!
"Ahehehe, sorry but—"
"You’re not rejecting—"
"Ugh, fine, before your long speech." I drank with him. He was interesting—but lazy.
I noticed everyone else had already changed and were at the shore. Only Captain Masashi and I were still in regular clothes.
"They’re excited," I remarked.
"Yep. I’m just here to escape paperwork." He lounged back.
I laughed. "No wonder it piles up—you’re lazy."
"True, true. By the way…" His tone shifted. "We got a report on Kaito’s real motives with the artifact. We have leads on who’s behind it."
I froze. "Shouldn’t that be confidential? Why tell me?"
He smiled. "I’m not giving details. But you and Maxson have connections. Plus, you were involved. You deserve to know."
"Your call."
"Once it’s confirmed, I’ll update you."
"Thanks, Captain. I’ll go help cook now."
Outside, the smell of barbecue filled the air.
"Nyssa!" Eisha sprinted over. "Why aren’t you in your swimsuit yet? Change!"
I glanced at their two-pieces—except Captain Xu, who wore a one-piece.
My eyes flicked to Zeid and Lieutenant Ren approaching from the shore. Ren wore trunks, while Zeid had an unbuttoned shirt.
My eyes are sinning.
"Hoy! Go change!" Eisha insisted.
"Fine, fine. I’ll change."
I caught Zeid glancing at me but hurried back inside before my thoughts could wander further.