"..."
For a moment, the atmosphere plunged into an extremely awkward state.
Ray stared blankly at Phrolova's expressionless face. The latter seemed to feel no tangible sense of reality or displeasure about what had happened.
She remained as aloof and indifferent as usual.
Even Phoebe beside them was slightly taken aback by this sudden, ambiguous scene, momentarily unsure how to react.
"Are you... not done touching yet?"
Until Phrolova spoke in her usual indifferent tone.
Her gaze shifted slightly, moving away from Ray's face and down to the hand that had been pressed against her chest all along.
Ray snapped back to reality, only then realizing his hand was still lingering in a place it shouldn't be.
He jerked his hand back as if shocked, quickly sat up straight, and feigned composure with a light cough. "Now that it's happened, it's too late to say anything. If you feel upset about it... do you want to try touching back?"
This sudden "apology" left Phrolova momentarily at a loss. She widened her eyes slightly, looking at him with great confusion.
Actually, she hadn't really taken that incident to heart.
After all, this wasn't the first time he had made such a move, nor was it their first intimate contact. They had even experienced more intimate, deeper interactions before.
She had long grown accustomed to it.
But...
What kind of apology was this?
"...Are you a pervert?" Phrolova tilted her head slightly, genuine confusion in her tone.
Was this perverted?
Alright, maybe a little.
"I was just approaching it from a mutual understanding perspective," Ray explained. "That was just an accident."
Phrolova's response remained calm, as if the earlier offense and contact were utterly inconsequential to her regardless. "I understand. Like random noise occurring during a performance, unstructured, but not worth minding. You don't need to explain, nor dwell on it."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Phrolova, as if suddenly struck by a thought, lightly covered her mouth, showing a trace of surprise. "Could it be... you actually wanted me to get angry and scold you? Do you have that kind of preference?"
Ray's face flushed. "How could that be? I just wanted to apologize sincerely."
"Apologize? No matter how you look at it, it sounds perverted."
"Do I seem like a pervert?" Ray looked toward Phoebe beside them.
The latter was slightly taken aback, then weakly nodded. "It... it is a bit."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the simple-minded girl immediately realized her mistake and hurriedly explained.
"I-I mean... what Mr. Ray just said sounded a bit perverted, but I don't mean you yourself are a pervert! Uh... that still doesn't seem right?"
"Wait, what I meant was—"
Finally, her words cut off abruptly.
She was like a stalled engine; though trying hard to run, she just couldn't produce a smooth explanation.
Ray looked at Phoebe, trapped in a logical vortex, and sighed helplessly. "Alright, Phoebe, I understand your good intentions."
"I..." Phoebe's face was bright red as she silently lowered her head, her voice almost inaudible. "S-sorry, Mr. Ray."
This sudden interlude made the atmosphere on the boat somewhat delicate.
To avoid the awkwardness from spreading further, Ray had to pretend nothing was wrong, picking up the fishing rod again and trying to refocus his attention on fishing.
But his thoughts kept drifting back to the earlier scene unintentionally.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at his right hand.
Though Phrolova looks slim and not very big... the texture was actually really nice.
Like... freshly baked bread?
Soft, and with a... special delicate fragrance? Or a milky scent?
Judging by size, probably a bit bigger than the Second Young Miss?
If Phrolova is a small bread roll, then the Second Young Miss would be a small steamed bun? As for Phoebe... probably about the same.
Wait, what am I randomly thinking about?
Focus, Ray. Focus on fishing.
...
...
Ragunna.
Carlotta had just woken from a nap in her room. She casually opened a bottle of milk but unexpectedly sneezed.
"Why did I suddenly sneeze..."
The young lady rubbed her nose, muttering softly. "I feel like I've been insulted somewhere... Is it my imagination?"
...
...
In the afternoon, Ray and his group finally reached their destination, Serene Bay.
This was the habitat of the Tidebreaker Whale, revered as a holy land by the archipelago residents.
"They say that those who barge in without the Tidebreaker Whale's acknowledgment end up becoming its food," Ray said, looking ahead at Serene Bay. It was a massive circular bay, and besides a solitary lighthouse, the island showed no signs of human presence.
"That's just a legend. The Tidebreaker Whale has no record of harming people," Phoebe refuted seriously.
Ray shrugged, clearly not entirely convinced by such claims. "But it has already harmed me."
"So that's why we're here to investigate the truth, right?" Phoebe tightened her grip on her staff, looking around at the calm sea surface, a bit puzzled. "But this place... looks no different from other sea areas. Wasn't it said that Remnants appeared?"
"Not sure," Ray shook his head. "Anyway, let's go ashore and check it out first."
The gondola gradually approached the shore.
They disembarked onto the island together.
The ecological environment here was clearly superior to other places, likely due to its long-term uninhabited status.
"This place has a great environment." After sitting on the boat for so long, Ray's body felt somewhat stiff. He stretched, letting out a long sigh. "Vacationing here would be delightful... Tsk, suddenly feel like casting a line again."
Phoebe softly reminded him, "Mr. Ray, we're not here to play."
"Of course, I know," Ray scanned the surroundings. "But there's no sign of anything unusual right now, and the Tidebreaker Whale is nowhere to be seen. Without a single clue, are we supposed to wander around aimlessly like headless flies?"
Hearing him say this, Phoebe also felt it made sense. Without clues, investigating truly was difficult.
"Then what should we do now?" she asked worriedly.
"Simple," Ray picked up his fishing rod and small stool, found a spot on a reef, and sat down. "Enjoy life. Wait for an anomaly to appear, then follow the trail to the source. Phoebe, to be a competent hunter, you need patience."
Phoebe blinked, looking at him somewhat dazedly, then turned her gaze to Phrolova beside her.
"Miss Phrolova, what do you think?"
Phrolova crossed her arms, her expression still indifferent. "Though that guy's behavior seems frivolous, right now... there really is no other way. Only by waiting for the 'Dark Tide' to appear can we follow its traces."
She paused for a moment, then slowly turned around.
"Until then."
"Let's wait, and keep hope in our hearts."