Sylvan — Main Deck
"Carina, aren't you going to check on Arton? That Tashigi's stark naked down there. Aren't you afraid she'll gobble up the captain?"
" …And Chi‑sou!"—with that, Nami slapped the san‑pin tile onto the mahjong table and looked up at Carina across from her.
"Tashigi, eat Arton? Don't be ridiculous."
"If it were you, I might worry about you devouring the captain. But Tashigi? Impossible. Now put down that san‑pin—I'm calling pung. Wu‑tiao!"
Carina manipulated her wall without even glancing up.
"Tch, all you ever do is keep your eyes on me," Nami huffed.
"But haven't you been staring at Miss Carina the whole time?"
"San‑wan!" Nojiko chuckled and tossed her tile.
"Honestly—Nami and Carina aren't just eyeing each other; they've got us under surveillance too."
"Still, this mahjong set Arton made is pretty fun."
"Discarding er‑pin!" Uta giggled as she pushed her tile forward.
"True. On this ship, only Kaya and Tashigi get to move freely without Nami or Carina shadowing them," Nojiko added with a grin.
"Whose fault is that? You and Uta are just as sneaky."
"Especially you, Uta—I'm sure you're one step ahead already."
"Yi‑wan!" Nami drew an unwanted tile and flicked it to the table.
"Kaya's shy. Tashigi's even shyer—and she just left the Navy. She wouldn't make a move on the captain. Perfect watchdog, really; she'll keep him from posting our coords." While speaking, Carina calmly scooped up Nami's discarded yi‑wan.
"Exactly—of everyone, Tashigi's the least likely to eat Arton. If you won't let me have him alone, Nami, you don't get him solo either. Meanwhile, watch me clean out your secret stash."
"Wait—why are you taking my yi‑wan?"
Carina's lips curled as she spread her hand. "Pure One Suit, Dragon Seven Pairs! Sorry, Nami—looks like your hidden cash is the one going bye‑bye."
"Whoa—pure one suit and seven pairs? Classic Carina!" Uta's eyes went wide.
"Good thing I didn't throw yi‑wan," Nojiko laughed, turning to Nami, who sat frozen.
Clinking ice tea nearby, Kaya peeked over, curious.
"Pay up, Nami—thirty‑two fan, that's three hundred and twenty thousand Beri," Carina announced, extending a pale hand.
Nami eyed the hand, eyed the tiles—then vanished in a crackle of lightning.
"Ara‑ara, someone's trying to skip the bill."
"Bad habit." Carina became lightning herself and shot after her. In an instant the deck blazed with electric after‑images.
"Looks like those two won't stop anytime soon."
"Kaya, shall we keep playing?" Nojiko pulled out a deck of cards. "Three players—perfect for Fight the Landlord."
"I'm in, but… shouldn't we help Tashigi? I doubt she can keep the captain distracted forever." Kaya glanced at her diary copy, watching Arton—arms folded—talking to a blushing Tashigi.
"Relax," Uta waved. "Tashigi's shy, sure—but like you, Kaya, she acts when she must. If Arton really tries to post coordinates, she'll divert him. Her front assets have grown—she's probably ready to wash his face like you once did."
Uta's tease turned Kaya's cheeks apple‑red. "S‑stop, Uta… Let's just play cards." She began shuffling, while Nojiko and Uta burst into cheerful laughter.
…
"How about it? Want to learn?" Arton asked, glancing from Tashigi to the diary beside him. "It's a chance to polish your sword—and your state of mind."
Tashigi, still mortified, saw him lean toward the diary and panicked, thinking he meant to finish posting coordinates.
"I—I'll learn, Captain Arton!" she blurted, voice so small it barely carried.
Arton's ears were sharp enough to catch Tashigi's near‑whisper. "Good. In that case, we'll start now. And stop hiding your weak spots with those hands—your body's too big an area; two palms won't cover it. Hands are for gripping swords, not for shielding yourself. Besides, weren't you trying to let me enjoy the scenery'? If you keep covering up, I can't appreciate it properly."
With an easy toss he flipped Shigure, her treasured blade, toward her. Tashigi caught it on reflex—and in that instant Arton unabashedly took in her figure once more.
His frank stare made her stiffen; her gaze glazed in embarrassment.
"That won't do, Tashigi," he chided. "Water Breathing requires flexibility. You're tense all over… Start by breathing like this."
He stepped right up to her. Activating Transparent World, he projected an image of her lungs before her mind's eye—his way of teaching the rhythm.
Elsewhere, Smoothie, Gion, and the others leaned closer to their diary copies. Breath styles were weaker than templates, yet after seeing Sun‑Breathing's brilliance they couldn't deny the sword art's refinement; if Arton's lesson revealed anything useful, they'd happily learn—though watching a recording was never the same as having Arton in person.
"No—your exhale is too quick. Slower… slower. Still wrong; I'll help." Arton placed one hand on her chest.
"Y‑yah!" Instinctively she tried to back away, but his other hand pressed against her back, keeping her in place.
"Calm down, Tashigi. I'm compressing your lungs so your body remembers the rhythm. Come on, keep going. If you want freedom sooner, grasp Water Breathing faster." He added, voice low, "Master it quickly and I might open Unlimited Blade Works for you—let you study every sword inside."
"As a swordswoman bent on reclaiming famous blades from evil hands, you'd love to inspect them, right? Now you're my crewmate; I can give you access—let your own hands touch the weapons stored in that world." He punctuated the offer with a playful squeeze.
"R‑really?!" Excitement lit her eyes, her earlier shame forgotten.
"Really—if you master the technique soon. You know Unlimited Blade Works is my big move; using it costs stamina. If your training bears no fruit, I won't open it."
"I‑I understand. Let's begin at once." She drew a deep breath, determination overriding blush.
"Interesting," Arton chuckled. "Fine swords truly lure you—enough to mute your embarrassment." Seeing her flushed yet resolute face, he dropped the teasing and guided her hand‑over‑hand.
Whether thanks to her rare talent, her eagerness to escape Arton's grip, or her craving to see the blades of Unlimited Blade Works, her breathing gradually fell into a genuine Water‑style cadence.
...
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