Chapter 5 – Hola Acapulco!

Over seven hours after they started off from LA, Adolfine started waking up.

"My heeeead…" Adolfine moaned while she was gaining consciousness. "Oh my god… What happened…"

"Twenty-two pints of beer happened, Adolfine." Toshiro said silently. "Coffee?"

"Oh… Right… We were drinking… Ugh… What's the time?"

"1700, same day."

"Okay, okay… Yes, please, I would like a coffee..."

"Already got one." Toshiro smiled and extended his hand with a cup towards Adolfine.

"Thank you…" She said with a tired voice and started drinking slowly. "Did you look inside my bag?"

"Nope."

"How nice… I want it to be a little surprise…"

"Let me guess – a new rag?" He smirked.

"Toshiro, don't be so petty… Yes, it's new piece of clothing. We should land about 1800, right?"

"Yep, I think so."

"Good. Since we're almost on the equator and it's August, the day is really long. I want to take a long walk along the beach encompassing almost all of the Acapulco Bay…"

"I hope you'll be fit to do so…"

"Don't worry, Toshiro. Sunglasses on my eyes and I can power through!"

"You know what?"

"What?" Adolfine asked curiously.

"You look sweet when you're sleeping…"

"T-Thanks…" Adolfine stuttered with her cheeks going red and sipped the rest of the coffee. "You look nice when you're sleeping too… Who would think such a soundly sleeping guy can wreak such havoc in Neuroi ranks…"

"And yet, I failed in Romagna… Two witches lost their magic powers on my watch… I didn't stop Mio from damaging her magic bit by bit every day, and I was stupid enough to get caught by the Neuroi core… That made Yoshika so pissed off, that she used up ALL her magic to save me…"

"Every tribunal would let you go with a slap on the wrist, Toshiro. Mio was already past her retirement age when she joined the 501st in Romagna. She had to sign release forms, so she could go there."

"As in "I Mio Sakamoto blah blah all my fault blah"?"

"Haha, in a brief summary – yes. And as for Yoshika… She is a hero, Toshiro. The first destroyed Hive core in history, and such a big one to boot! But being a hero means you need to sacrifice something. She sacrificed her magic, just as your mother sacrificed her life. Do you think your mother is a hero, Toshiro?"

"Yes… A hero without a medal or rank… A silent hero, not even mentioned on the last page of the worst paper…" Toshiro said quietly.

"A hero nonetheless. I recognize her as a hero, because she enabled you to live on through a selfless sacrifice only a mother would perform… There are plans already to honor your mother, Toshiro, but I can't tell you the details. In fact, you didn't even hear me mention anything…"

"I definitely heard nothing and I didn't thank you from the bottom of my heart…" Toshiro said with a big grin and patted Adolfine on the back.

"Say, Toshiro… Did you… Take a leak?" Adolfine asked suddenly with red cheeks.

"Where did that come from?"

"Because… Those beers are calling…" Adolfine said while rubbing her knees.

"Yeah, I did. Door open, hose out, off it goes."

"You seriously pissed out of a flying plane?!" Adolfine shouted surprised.

"Suuuure. It was fun." Toshiro grinned.

"Jesus… But I want to pee… Damn it!"

"You could tell Udo to land on the water, and you could just…"

"No, stop! Stop! I won't be mooning before my pilots!"

"Then find a bucket…"

"A bucket! Yes, that's it!"

Adolfine tried to move, but she only tensed up, and with a hopeless face she whimpered towards Toshiro.

"Is it that bad?" He asked.

Adolfine nodded so hard that her head could come off.

Toshiro sighed and rummaged the plane for a bucket. Finally he found a tin bucket, about six liters in capacity. He approached Adolfine and extended his hand with the bucket towards her.

Adolfine made a tense looks towards Toshiro. As seconds passed, the awkwardness grew. Finally Adolfine shook her head towards the door to the cockpit.

"Aaaaaah… You want to do it in private? Sorry, Yoshika and I are so tight knit with each other that we don't mind…"

Adolfine's eyes opened wide, and she was about to say something but Toshiro quickly went to the cockpit.

"Oh, Herr Oberst, what's up?" Udo asked.

"Adolfine is relieving herself…"

"Relieving herself…" Fritz looked at Toshiro suspiciously.

"Into a bucket…" Toshiro clarified.

"Ah, that must have to do with before…" Udo blushed and immediately looked forward. "How much did you drink, Herr Oberst?" He asked flustered.

"We both had twenty-two pints of beer."

"Monsters…" Fritz muttered.

"Wow, good that the Generalmajor was asleep, or she would blow up…" Udo said. "She isn't so bold as you, to just stick out your schlong out of the plane door and do it like nothing matters…"

"I guess that was a bit reckless…" Toshiro said.

"Getting trapped in a core is reckless, Herr Oberst. Pissing from a plane is just tomfoolery." Fritz said.

"You don't have to remind me of that one…" Toshiro mumbled.

The door opened behind him and Adolfine entered with a radiant smile.

"Hey, Toshiro, you can leave the pilots and return to me now."

"Crisis averted?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the idea."

"We'll be landing soon, Frau Generalmajor." Udo said and pointed forward.

One could already see the Acapulco Bay from this distance.

"Oh, come on, Toshiro!" Adolfine shouted and pulled him out of the cockpit.

"Whaaa!"

Adolfine ran up to her bag, she grabbed it and said, "Turn around!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Toshiro mumbled and did as he was told.

He waited for a minute or two, listening to rustling and Adolfine humming the Königgrätzer Marsch.

"Okay, finished!" She giggled loudly.

Toshiro turned around, and saw her in her skimpy bikini, but one thing was different. She had some kind of half see-through cloth wrapped around her slim waist, covering her legs just above her knees.

"See, I told you that you've bought a rag." Toshiro said with a wry smile.

"It's a pareo you dingus!" Adolfine pouted.

"A parawhat?"

"Pa-re-o."

"Ah, okay. Well, good choice. Seeing your almost naked butt through the whole stroll along the beach would tip me over, if you know what I mean…"

"You hopeless perv… How does Yoshika put up with you?"

"She puts it in…" Toshiro shrugged.

Adolfine slammed her face with her open palm and started murmuring foul curses. She then sighed and said, "Get dressed…"

He pulled of his shirt and said, "Ready."

"Already? Not planning on taking a dip?"

"Are you implying you'll allow me?"

"A few minutes, maybe…"

"Well okay then… Turn around."

"Awww, but you can do it the fast way…"

"You're telling me to turn around all the time, now it's my turn."

"Remember not to tell you to bend over…"

"You want to bend over?" Toshiro asked with a devilish smile.

"Hell no!" Adolfine shouted and turned around.

Toshiro changed into his trunk, and placed his necessities into his watertight pouch.

"Done." Toshiro said.

Adolfine turned around.

"You really… really… REALLY should change those trunks… They're so… plain compared to the rest of you…"

"What, should I get briefs or something? Adolfine, please…"

"Yeah, maybe that would be overkill…" She said with a slight blush. "But at least change the color, add a pattern or something…"

"Buy me new ones. Continue the tradition or something…"

"Tradition?"

"Of my superiors buying me clothes. Minna literally showered me with uniforms, and she also gave me the trunks I have on me now. And you only bought me a coat up till now… Not that the coat ain't nice…"

"Aaaaah, Minna is better than me in this competition… Okay, I'll buy you new trunks once we arrive in Buenos Aires."

"We're landing now, Frau Generalmajor." Udo said through the intercom.

A few seconds later, the airboat shook slightly as it made contact with the calm oceanic waters.

Udo exited the cockpit and opened the door. They could see a small pier painted white.

"Ugh... We can't exit here, it's too high..." Udo said.

"No problem, Udo. Toshiro, care to swim?" Adolfine asked with a smile.

"How about diving?"

"Only half a minute at most, my buoyancy is too positive, heh..." She giggled slightly.

"Oh I see... Haha!"

"Udo, you know what to do, right?"

"Yes, Frau Generalmajor. I'll be back in two hours. Have fun."

"Thank you, Udo. So, Toshiro? Dive time?"

"First!" Toshiro shouted and jumped outside in the emerald waters of the Acapulco Bay.

The water was very warm and crystal clear. Toshiro looked up and saw Adolfine jumping out of the airboat. She dove into the water like a rock, turned down and swam to Toshiro. The pareo made her look like a jelly fish. Toshiro giggled visibly, to which Adolfine tilted her head. He pointed out her pareo, and tried imitating a jellyfish with his hands. Adolfine burst out with laughter, but unfortunately, since it was underwater, it cost her her precious air supply and she had to surface immediately. Toshiro sighed in his head and followed her.

"Toshiro, I'll kill you one day..." Adolfine said between coughs.

"Hey, you really looked like a jellyfish..." Toshiro pouted with a sour face.

"Your impression is what almost made me drown, not the fact you compared me to a jellyfish..." Adolfine pouted with equal force.

"Sorry, Adolfine..."

"Ah, don't sweat. Let's go to the shore."

They swam to the beach and the first thing that Adolfine said was, "My pareo is damn wet now..."

"I can dry it up for you..."

"Oh really? Pleeeeaaaase!"

Toshiro grabbed the pareo with his hands and after a few seconds it was bone dry.

"Wow, thanks!"

"Maybe I should also dry up your bikini?" Toshiro asked with a sly smile.

"You'd wish you goddamn hopeless perv! Remember who the boss here is!"

"No sense of humor at all..." Toshiro sighed.

"It's not that the girls let you rub their breasts just like that, with a few exceptions, right?"

"I never asked."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. But you probably think that with Yoshika's small breasts I have the urge to grope anything that's Minna size or bigger, huh?"

"Don't jump into conclusions, Toshiro..." Adolfine mumbled.

Toshiro sighed and looked around.

"How long is this beach?" He asked.

"About seven kilometers, Toshiro."

"Shit, nice beach..."

"It's one of the favorite vacation retreats for us Karlslanders." Adolfine explained.

"What about the Neuroi in this region?"

"There are two hives in Amazonia, but that's about it when it comes to all the Liberions."

"Only two hives..." Toshiro mumbled.

"Toshiro... Are you perhaps thinking about doing something reckless?"

"Yes."

"Don't. Until you're new gear is finished, you're banned from sortieing."

"But moooooooom..."

"Shush! That's final!"

"Okay..."

"Let's walk down the beach, shall we?"

"Kay..." Toshiro mumbled.

And so they ventured forth on a slow stroll along the Acapulco Bay. The sand warmed their feet in a pleasant way, and the waves crashing on the beachhead relaxed them. Despite it being the evening, there were still many people occupying the beach on towels, hidden under parasols, drinking cold beer or eating ice cream, both sold by well-tanned individuals walking around and advertising their wares loudly. Adolfine gave into the mood and halted one of the salesmen.

"Two beers please." She said.

"Coming right up, señorita!" He cheered and reached into his portable cooler, pulling out some local beer brand.

"Toshiro…" Adolfine looked at him with deer eyes.

Toshiro sighed and paid the man a shilling. He almost exploded out of joy, running around like a madman.

"Nice, Toshiro. You just gave him a hundred percent tip."

"You should be the one paying anyway, that's one. Secondly, you should stop drinking for today."

"Fight fire with fire, Toshiro."

"I prefer fighting fire with water. Did I tell you how I sobered up the girls back in Britannia?"

"No…"

"Well… Here's what I did…"

And Toshiro told Adolfine about the cold shower treatment after Shirley's sonic boom party.

"You monster…"

"I had to, Adolfine. Worked for me, worked for them."

"Maybe I should have undergone the same…"

"I didn't think of it, since its summer and the waters of the Pacific are rather warm now…"

"Ah, enough rambling…" Adolfine said and uncapped her bottle with her fingers. "Let's drink."

Toshiro followed her and shouted, "Trost!"

Their bottles clanged together and they started drinking. And at the same time, they spat the beer out.

"What is this scheiße?!" Adolfine shouted.

"Bleh, I know the line between something that needs acquired taste to like and simply inedible…"

"Where's that peddler?!" Adolfine shouted furiously and started scanning the surrounding area. "There he is!" She yelled and activated her magic.

She took a swing and threw the almost full bottle at the salesman. It hit him right between the shoulder blades, knocking him off his feet. He started spouting some curses in Hispanian, flailing his arms around wildly, but when his and Adolfine's stares met, he turned around and started running so fast that he produced a dust cloud ideally concealing his retreat.

"Hurrrrgh… I'll reimburse you, Toshiro."

"Pah, don't sweat it, Adolfine. If I cared about money, I would leave you without your money, without your clothes and maybe without your dignity back before we landed in LA…"

"But you were close…"

"I was… But you seriously didn't think I would force you to strip from your panties, which by the way are nice I have to admit?"

"Oh, thanks… Ah, well, you know, I'm a bit in the dark regarding some matters concerning you behavior and personality so… Don't be mad if I'm a bit stuck up, okay? I simply don't know where you draw the line between horseplay and "Let's get down baby"..."

"Hahahaha! You said it as if you were a Liberian!" Toshiro laughed and with a serious face he added, "Adolfine, it will always be horseplay, until I visibly signal it."

"Okay… Let's continue, or we'll be some kind of tourist attraction…"

"Yeah, the people are looking weird at us now…"

Evading the curious looks of the beachgoers, the continued in a counterclockwise direction along the arc that formed the beach. Time quickly passed as they silently trotted forward, and soon, after the whole sky turned orange, Adolfine asked, "Do you know what time it is, Toshiro?"

"Do I look like I have a watch?"

"Hmmm…"

"2000 dead, Toshiro. Don't be such a grump towards Auntie."

"Sheesh…"

"It's 2000. At least that's what Yuki told me."

"How nice of her. We should signal Udo as soon as we see him… Any ideas?"

"You didn't tell me to bring a light or flares… But I have an idea…"

They waited a few minutes, and soon they saw the airboat skimming into the bay. Toshiro summoned Aganaimaru, raised it over his head, pumped magic into it so it started glowing brightly and waved the sword around.

"Hahaha! How ingenious!" Adolfine applauded.

Udo managed to get as close to them as possible, but they still had to swim a bit. After getting inside and drying off, Adolfine said, "Next destination – Lima."

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