A/N: Since the last two chapters were so long, I thought it was time for a short, low-key chapter or two to cool things off.

Fun Fact: Where did Ruri get Tyrant Neptune? It was a card she picked up in Academia; Leo had no problem placating her with some old cards they never use, and thought giving her cards would alleviate boredom. As for the Nightingale-Neptune strategy she used last chapter, that came from browsing online after being freed. As implied in Scale 10, Ruri browses Reddit.

Chapter Summary: With everyone else in the Xyz Dimension, the other Lancers decide to hang out.

Dear Diary,

My dad has his own room in Heartland Tower, and it's a floor above Yuzu's room, so we'll get to see each other whenever we want.

The Kurosakis live below, too. Shun and Ruri's parents talk to my dad sometimes; they all getting along really well. It's good to see that everyone can be happy and egao-ing.

My mom called my dad last night. They had an argument about something. I don't know what though. My dad asked me to step out and pick up some food. But he told me that they worked everything out, and that I didn't have to worry about anything.

We're going to visit Yuto's family sometime. I think it will be great for Yuto to see them again.

The Sawatari estate was a grand piece of land. Located in one of the richest and most exclusive areas of Maiami City, it stood proud even among the other lands and homes of the area.

It was also on the other side of town. And on an abnormally hot spring day, walking there on food proved to be an arduous journey for Gongenzaka. But he wanted to take on a tough trial in order to truly earn what was waiting for him.

A pool party.

Sawatari posted e-vites to all his online followers, inviting them to join him at his pool party to cool off from the heat. But since two thirds of his followers were in the Xyz Dimension now, Gongenzaka was the only one able to attend. And although the pool would have be a great relief from the weather, the man Gongenzaka was largely going to keep Sawatari from being lonely.

It took about two hours to get there, but the man Gongenzaka finally reached the front the gold-plated gates of the property. A gate that towered over him, and had several sharp prongs at the top to deter trespassers.

And beyond the gate, he could see an enormous hill before he could even reach the house. Even Gongenzaka wasn't looking forward to more exercise.

There was a speaker next to the gate. Gongenzaka pressed the button underneath it and waited for an answer.

"GONGENZAKA, MY MAN!" came Sawatari's voice. "THE GATE'S BROKEN, BUT YOU CAN JUST HOP OVER IT, RIGHT?"

After twenty minutes, Gongenzaka manages to hop over the fence (just as it was fixed, by the by. It was fixed by a repairman, and opened just as Gongenzaka hopped over the other side) and was allowed entry inside the house. He changed into his swimming attire in a washroom, then went out to the back yard to swim in the pool.

The man was impressed by the back yard: it was enormous, which a white cobblestone patio that surrounded the large, rectangular pool. Chairs, a minibar, tables, and massage tables decorated the area. Some pool toys (noodles, floatation rings, boys, inflatable toys and chairs, and volley balls) were piled up by one of the pool's ladders.

The water itself was crystal clear, and gleaming in the sun. Sawatari was on the floating chair, waving his friend over. A clear bottle of soda rested in a cup holder on one of the arms of the chair, while a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses rested on the top of the boy's head.

Gongenzaka walked over to the edge of the pool. He took hold of large, plastic floatation ring and put his feet through it.

"Glad you could make it, my main man!" Sawatari shouted.

He proudly lifted his drink up to his friend before taking a sip. "You read the poolside manners guide I sent you, right?"

Gongenzaka secured the ring around his waist. Now, he was ready to float in the water and enjoy some peaceful relaxation time.

"I did," he said to his friend. "And I thought you said we couldn't bring food and drinks into the pool."

"I said you couldn't bring food and drinks into the pool," Sawatari explained. "It's my pool and I'm super responsible, so I can do what I want."

The man Gongenzaka grumbled in annoyance. But nevertheless, he still walked down the ladder and joined Sawatari in the pool.

It was right then that Tsukikage and Hikage, clad in their normal ninja garb, uddenly appeared by the edge of the pool.

Their sudden appearance shocked Gongenzaka enough to make him slip on the final step of the ladder. Luckily, his ring kept him from falling.

Sawatari looked over to the ninjas. He brought down the sunglasses on his forehead and flashed the duo an egao.

"Tsukikage!" he exclaimed. "And... other!"

"Hikage," Tsukikage's brother answered.

"Yeah that."

Tsukikage lunged forward and leapt high into the air and over the pool. He fell feet-first into the water, making a surprisingly small splash, and landed on the other end of the pool. He stood in the pool for a moment, before slowly walking over to Sawatari and Gongenzaka.

Hikage, meanwhile, chose to walk over to one of the lounge chairs on the patio. He took a seat on a plastic lounging chair, then leaned back and overlooked the people in the pool.

"Thank you for inviting us, sir Sawatari," Tsukikage said politely. "Your offer humbles us. We won't take your generosity for granted."

"So glad you answered by phone call, guys," Sawatari huffed. "But maybe if you followed me on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr or Twitter, I wouldn't have had to call you."

"Stop saying names," Gongenzaka said.

"But no. You follow Yuya. You follow Reiji. But neither of you follow me."

"My social media is strictly for business," Tsukikage said simply. "I only follow contacts and allies."

"We fought in a war together!" Sawatari cried.

"... We did?"

"This is pointless," Hikage stated. "Let us forget past transgressions and enjoy the party. I'm eager to get to know these people."

Sawatari nodded. "Right. Come on, guys. Let's party!"

Gongenzaka floated in the water, arms crossed. The water slowly made him dirft away from the others.

Tsukikage stood in the water. His face was soft and peaceful, suggesting to Sawatari that he was relaxed in what he was doing.

Hikage closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. He also seemed at peace with what he was doing.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"So, let's talk!" Sawatari shouted.

Awkward silence. Everyone just sort of sat, floated or stood in silence. For an uncomfortably long time. The most noise came from Gongenzaka coughing.

It was at this point that Sawatari realized how little time he spent with the ninjas brothers.

"So..." Sawatari said slowly. "Do you guys like... stuff?"

"What kind of 'stuff?'" Tsukikage asked.

"I don't know! What do gay ninjas like?"

"Well, I-" Tuskikage paused in his tracks. "What makes you think I'm gay?"

"Isn't the red one your boyfriend?"

"... That's my brother."

"We are brothers," Hikage added.

Sawatari's put a hand to his hair and pushed it back. "Ha! Single losers."

Nobody joined Sawatari in his laugh.

And for a moment, no one really talked. Gongenzaka merely floated in his floatie, Hikage sat in his lounging chair, and Tsukikage stayed perfectly still in the water, unmoving.

Sawatari bit his lip. So far, the party wasn't going as planned. If Yuya had been there, it would have been easier to get the fun started. But instead, he was stuck with three of the most untalkative people he knew.

"So, when you stab someone in the ne-"

"I noticed that you haven't even touched the water at all, Hikage," Gongenzaka stated. "and you're wearing a lot of layers. Aren't you burning up?"

Oh thank God, someone was talking now. "Maybe he's tanning? Not everyone can hafford to buy a natural glow like mine."

Hikage turned his head away from the group. "I just don't care for swimming... I'm working on my tan."

"But you're in full ninja garb," Gongenzaka said. "Your face, and most of your body is covered up."

"Hikage cannot swim," Tsukikage stated. "And he's mildly afraid of drowning."

"I'm not!" Hikage snapped. "I- I am not. I am merely chosing to use my time to tan and relax."

Sawatari slammed his fist against the arm of his chair. His drink shook from the vibrations and slid right off the arm, into the water.

"All in favor of teaching Hikage how to swim?" he asked.

"Nay," Gongenzaka said flatly. "Leave him alone."

"Nay," Hikage said.

"... Yae," Tsukikage stated. "It's for his own good. He should learn how to swim.

"Two against four," Sawatari stated. "And my vote counts as double."

"And it would be more interesting than anything else going on here."

"Hey!"

"DOHOHOHOHOHO."

In a flash, Tsukikage disappeared from the water. The water barely splashed when he left, despite his sudden movements.

Hikage rose from his seet, turning his head frantically as he searched for his brother. And just as he turned around, his brother appeared before him.

Tsukikage pulled out two orange arm floaties from his back. With incredible, almost invisible movements, he slipped them over his brother's arms.

"Brother, you haveve betrayed me," Hikage said.

"No, I'm saving you," Tsukikage replied. "I don't want you drowning."

"I am not going into the water!"

"But you are."

Tsukikage pushed his brother backwards. Hikage's limbs flailed wildly in the air as he found himself falling down. His hands vainly grasped at nothing in an attempt to somehow grab hold of something to save him.

He slammed into the ground. He wasn't close enough to the edge of the pool to fall in.

"... Oops," Tsukikage muttered.

Sawatari let out a howling laugh.

Tsukikage just sort of... poked his brother with his foot, then rolled him over to the pool's edge.

A/N: "DOHOHOHOHOHO" is Tsukikage's laugh. It's a loud, sharp pitch and it can be very annoying. He doesn't like to use it much, but it'll sometimes slip out.

You might remember that Sawatari was hailed as a hero for his actions as a Lancer, and his popularity helped his father's career. So why does he have so few follows online? Partly because it's funny, mostly because he keeps deleting and remaking most of his accounts to have a "fresh start" and change his image up a bit. It makes it very hard to follow him.

Next time: The Tides of Fortune turn for Shingo Sawatari and Yuu Sakuragi.