"Island hopping?"
Everyone murmured something in response to Usami's offer as the boat that had suddenly appeared that day rocked gently with the ocean waves.
"Yep! I'm not sure if you all know this about Jabberwock island, but before the bridges were built, the only way to travel between islands was by boat!"
Hiyoko scoffed. "Then why would we want to ride some dingy boat when those bridges already exist?"
"Well, there's more to see here than just the islands, you know? The sea is beautiful too, and the experience of seeing the full beauty of the islands will bring you all closer together!"
Of course the stupid rabbit was trying to bring them closer together. She had been for what, three weeks now? With no way out of the situation, all of them had been forced to collect hope fragments with the promise of leaving the island after gathering them all in their minds.
At least, that was the point at the start of the trip. But now that the shock of being suddenly thrust into the school trip had worn off, they were all enjoying the sunshine and the tropical atmosphere, and thoughts of leaving were slowly disappearing, along with most malice towards each other.
Keyword being most. Hiyoko, despite Mahiru's best efforts to contain the dancer's sharp tongue, still continuously insulted and belittled everyone she met, with poor Mikan being the primary target. So when the chance to become closer to the rest of her classmates appeared, her reply was obvious.
"I'm not going."
"Hiyoko-chan, I don't think you have much of a choice." Mahiru sighed as she dragged a pouting Hiyoko to the supermarket to look for swimming suits. "Usami really wants us to go on this trip, and we can't exactly say no to her. Besides, it's going to be fun! Everyone else is going."
"That's exactly why I don't want to go!" Hiyoko said as they entered the supermarket. "Everyone here is so annoying, especially that dirty pig!"
As she said that, a small "I-I'm sorry!" was heard behind a shelf before a terrified Mikan stumbled out of the supermarket.
"Aww, Hiyoko-chan isn't going?" A voice came from nearby, which turned out to be Ibuki, her head poking out of a clothing rack.
"But it'll be so much fun! Everyone will be in their awesome swimsuits swimming with the corals and fishies-Oooh! Maybe Ibuki can catch a big fish! Then Teruteru can grill it for everyone to eat! Oh! Then we can have a big bonfire by the beach and Ibuki can-"
"I don't care, I'm not going!" Hiyoko snapped, but the musician was in too much of a good mood to be affected by it. Ibuki hummed a small tune as she walked towards the two girls holding a hot pink bikini.
"Do you think this one suits Ibuki?"
"I think the pink really brings out your eyes. You'll look great in my photos!" Mahiru replied before slightly nudging Hiyoko for a response.
"...It's nice."
Ibuki's eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled and grabbed Hiyoko's hands.
"H-Hey! What do you think you-"
"Ibuki wants Hiyoko-chan to go swimming too!"
"I already told you, I'm not interested!"
"Come on, please? Hiyoko-chan will get to see Ibuki in a cute bikini! And we can pick out a cute swimsuit for Hiyoko-chan too!" As she said that, she showed Hiyoko an orange one piece that she had apparently pulled out of nowhere.
"See, look! Hiyoko-chan will look super cute in this! Don't you agree Mahiru-chan?"
"I think you'd look great in it!" Mahiru smiled at the dancer. "Come on, Hiyoko, just give it a try. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself."
After looking between the expectant looks of both the photographer and the musician, Hiyoko finally sighed before grabbing the one piece.
"Fine, I'll go if it'll make you happy."
She rolled her eyes as the two girls gave a triumphant cheer at their success. I mean, big deal. She had decided that she wanted to go on some stupid boat trip. It couldn't be that bad, could it?
It was horrible. In Hiyoko's mind anyway, since everyone else seemed to be having fun. The engine was too loud, the boat kept swaying because of the waves, and seawater kept splashing onto her face. But that wasn't even the worst part. No, by far the worst part of the ride were the idiots surrounding her. Nekomaru and Akane's arm wrestling rocked the boat even more, Gundham's insistence on bringing his hamsters caused him to take up even more space in the few seats the boat had, Nagito was just plain annoying, and even Mikan nearly falling off the boat for the 5th time wasn't enough to entertain her for too long.
And then, of course, there was the person she was stuck next to.
"Hey, hey Hiyoko-chan." Ibuki said as she poked the shorter girl's cheek again and again.
"What."
"How long do you think it'll be before we get to see some corals?"
"How the hell would I know?"
...
"Hey, Hiyoko-chan?"
"What now?"
"How big of a fish do you think Ibuki can catch?"
"I. Don't. Know."
...
"Hey, Hiyo-"
"WHAT."
"Do you think Ibuki should get a tan?"
"Could you shut the hell up for five minutes!?"
"What?! Speak up! Ibuki can't hear you over the engine, even though Ibuki has excellent hearing!"
Hiyoko buried her head into her hands. She was having a terrible time, and she couldn't even talk to Mahiru because she was too busy awkwardly flirting with Hajime to notice how annoyed she was with everything. Why did she ever think this was a somewhat ok idea?
The boat shook, and Hiyoko thought that someone had finally won the stupid arm wrestling competition, but when she felt the boat slow down, she looked up to see some people getting ready to dive into the water.
"Cannonball!" Akane yelled as she jumped into the water, her splash getting nearly everyone wet.
"Akane, be careful! The water isn't that deep!" Nekomaru shouted before jumping in after her. Slowly, more people joined them, laughing and splashing in the water.
"Hey, I'm gonna go dive in. Are you coming?" Hajime asked Mahiru, who was holding her camera.
"No, go ahead. I'd rather just stay here and take pictures of people swimming. Don't worry, I'll make sure to get a good photo of you." She said as they both turned a bit red at her last remark. Hiyoko rolled her eyes and pretented to gag at their interaction.
"Ugh, why don't they just kiss already?"
"Now, now, Hiyoko-chan. You can't rush young love, you have to watch it blossom!" Ibuki exclaimed as they watched Hajime dive into the sea, Mahiru quickly taking a photo of his figure.
"Anyway, why isn't Hiyoko-chan swimming with the others?"
"I don't feel like it. Besides, it's not like I'm the only one not swimming."
Hiyoko was telling the truth. Chiaki was still sleeping, Mahiru was taking pictures, Kazuichi was busy checking on the engine, Mikan was on standby in case someone got injured, and Ibuki was, well, talking to her.
"Why aren't you swimming, anyway? You were the one telling me how much you wanted to swim and catch fish."
"Aww, Hiyoko-chan was listening!" Hiyoko turned a bit red and muttered a small "Shut up." before Ibuki continued.
"Ibuki wanted to swim with Hiyoko-chan."
Hiyoko stared at the musician for a moment. "Why would you want to swim with me? You know I don't even want to be here."
"Because Ibuki wants Hiyoko-chan to have fun! Hiyoko-chan's been such a party pooper ever since we got here-"
"I have not!" Hiyoko protested.
"Yes you have! Hiyoko-chan keeps calling people mean names and making fun of them, Ibuki included!"
"Well that's because you're so fucking annoying! I just want you to shut your mouth for once!"
Ibuki stopped speaking for a moment. Hiyoko mentally cursed herself for saying that out loud. Wait, since when did she regret telling people off? Mahiru's work must've finally paid off.
"Oh." Was the only thing that escaped the musician's mouth. Her hyperactive demeanor was gone, and was suddenly replaced with uncomfortable silence.
"Listen, I didn't mean to say that. You are annoying, but-"
"Does Hiyoko-chan want Ibuki to leave now?"
The silence was heavy, but it seemed as if it only existed between them as the others in the water continued laughing cheerfully.
"...No." Hiyoko finally said, breaking the silence between them and leaving Ibuki with a surprised expression. "You're a pain in the ass sometimes, but I kind of like how you're so cheerful and make everyone smile, including me." Hiyoko concluded before making a face of disgust. "Oh god, that's the cheesiest thing I've ever said. Can we just pretend I never said that and-" Hiyoko was cut off by Ibuki glomping her, causing both of them to end up on the floor of the boat.
"I knew you cared!" Ibuki was grinning from ear to ear, and Hiyoko couldn't help but give a sincere smile at the musician.
"Aww, that is so sweet!" Souda sniffed as he wiped a tear away from his eye. And just like that, Hiyoko's smile faded.
"Did all of you hear that?"
"Yep." Mahiru smiled as she quickly snapped a picture of the two girls still laying on the floor.
It was getting dark by the time they arrived back on solid land. After a quick shower and change of clothes, they all gathered back at the second island's beach to celebrate the day's catch with a giant grill and bonfire. Hiyoko was sitting near Mahiru and Hajime, who were laughing at each others failed attempts at roasting marshmallows, when Ibuki plopped herself in the seat next to the dancer, carrying a guitar and a few packs of sweets.
"Mahiru-chan told Ibuki that these are Hiyoko-chan's favorites." The musician smiled as she offered the shorter girl a pack of gummies, which she gladly accepted.
Ibuki began tuning her guitar as more people gathered around the bonfire. Eventually, she started to play a song that gathered everyone's attention, including Hiyoko's.
The light from the bonfire bathed Ibuki in an orange glow as she continued strumming her guitar, softly singing the lyrics to her song.
"So, how was today?" Mahiru asked Hiyoko, as she continued to stare at the musician.
"Perfect."