The would-be kidnapper that caused a global ruckus turns out to be an Anti-Shadow weapon named Aigis. To Minato's despair, she keeps hovering near him as the whole clique gets to the beach the next day, watching him like a hawk.
His sister is smirking at the spectacle; her brother loves to be inconspicuous and now he has a groupie. At least Aigis eventually relents and tries to mingle with the others, equally interested in how human interactions work between the members of SEES. There's an innocence in her inquiries that might be problematic though.
It's another beautiful day at the beach and the whole team is here. Ever eloquent, Iori is sighing dramatically, shuffling sand with his foot.
"Man, it's already the third day of our trip. It's too bad we have to go home tomorrow… I'd totally stay longer if I could. But, I can't complain… A lot of cool things happened while we were here."
Don't I know it.
They're staking a claim to a group of chairs with umbrellas when Aigis approaches them with curiosity.
"Do we have a mission at the beach today?"
Junpei grins at the robot in reply, unfolding his towel.
"Nah, it's nothing like that. We just came here to have some fun."
Fuuka, ever so curious about their artificial new recruit, chips in.
"Do you understand what it means to have fun, Aigis?"
The tone is clipped, like Aigis is reciting from a book.
"Of course. Recreation is the refreshment of one's mind and body."
Junpei nods, excited like a puppy.
"Exactly! Wow, you sure know a lot about us humans. Alright, let's take one last dip before we leave!"
He takes her metallic hand and runs to the water, the fact that she's a robot seems irrelevant to him. It takes less than a minute for her to come back to the rest of the group.
"It is best that we all engage in this activity together. An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal method to "have fun". Junpei-kun is not having fun because, abridged quote; the babes in bikini are not present so he can splash them."
Minako laughs darkly and shares a look with Mitsuru and Yukari. They seem equally peeved at the report: nobody forgot what occurred the first day. She turns back to their newest recruit with a mischievous grin.
"Aigis, I trust you know to obey your team leader on the battlefield."
The robot stands at attention sharply and Minako whispers something to her while pointing to her female teammates.
"Acknowledged. Battle parameters updated. Commencing operation."
"Good bot. Now get ready girls!"
Aigis turns suddenly and goes back to Junpei, all the girls in tow nearby. As she reaches him, she dips her hands in the water.
"Deploying water gun armament."
The robot raises her hands toward him; the fingers themselves are barrels. Iori screams in fright.
"Aigis, wait! That's not what water gun means!"
The oncoming barrage of water makes him sputter and fall bum first into the sea. Fuuka, Mitsuru, Yukari and Minako share a look.
"Junpei's down, get him! All-out Attack!"
Minako is pointing her finger to Iori like a general in the field and everyone else jumps into the fray at her command to get revenge with much splashing and gurgling.
Akihiko exchanges a glance with Minato; they're both watching from the umbrellas with amusement. The blue-haired teenager is smirking at the aquatic carnage and he puts his drink back on the cooler's top.
"I think I want a crack at him too, for yesterday, let's go!"
They both chuckle as they join the fray.
Akihiko is standing on the deck of the ferry, holding the railing and admiring the ballet of sunlight on the waves. Everyone's relaxing below deck, crushed with fatigue after an early rise and the promise of school tomorrow, but his musings keep turning him to the lull of the ocean. There's a weird association now between the gleaming foam and his skin that wasn't there before.
The wind is rushing through his ears as the boat slowly glides back from Yakushima toward Port Island and he only hears her approach at the last minute when she speaks up.
"Hey senpai."
Glancing over his shoulder he spots Minako, hands in her pockets, hair billowing in the air like it's alive. She approaches the railing to stand next to him and takes the view in with a wan smile. He supposes her usual perkiness takes a hit at some points, perhaps it's all this is.
"You okay?"
She purses her lips and sighs.
"Yeah, just lack of sleep, I guess… I have a lot of my mind sometimes."
Minako takes one of her hands out of her pocket and moves some of the hair from her face so she can look at him properly. Her eyes harden in seriousness.
"We got less than 2 weeks before the next full moon. We're not ready."
So that's what it is.
Akihiko watches her carefully as he turns his head to the right, taking in her rigid stance. She's not one to show weakness, but in that moment, he can see how she's not been relaxing quite like the others during the trip. Minako is focused on the team and everything it entails, at the expense of herself, and that won't do.
"We can take some time tomorrow, discuss it, anywhere you want. My treat."
She raises her left hand to the railing, close to his, timid.
"Thank you."
Her shoulders spasm in a shiver when the wind picks up. Something's tugging at his brain and this time Akihiko takes a leap of faith.
He sidesteps behind her and repositions his arms so they're on each side of her, both his hands lighting touching her lone one on the cold railing, shielding her from the wind with his larger frame.
It's not a hug, he's just cradling her in his space like a cloak and they're just tethered by his palms on her frigid fingers. It's not a big deal, he's just numb from the wind's bite.
Minako should be below deck, warm, with the others. Resting.
I'm selfish and I don't care.
Any little moment with her he can steal for himself he'll take. No matter how long they last.
Because they never seem to.
She sighs and leans her head backward in the crook of his right shoulder, just barely. Her ponytail is dancing in the air like windblown ribbons, tickling his face, so he closes his eyes, flattens them on her head with his cheek delicately and rests the tip of his nose on her hairpins.
It's so quiet.
His body differs, his heart is drumming like the gale of the sea in his ears and now she's leaning her back to graze his frame. Because she's cold, and Akihiko's boiling alive, and there's nothing but the two of them suspended between water and sky with the sun shining bright.
He doesn't move, and neither does she, until the port is in view and the threat of a search party intensifies.