083 - The Place where All Oceans Meet

Mashu Kyrielight

The Third Singularity has received the codename Okeanos. It's an oddity compared to the previous Singularities in that it doesn't seem to match with a real location. Instead, Okeanos seems to be composed of elements of multiple different seas and eras, somehow mashed together into a relatively coherent whole.

It's also a beautiful place, the seas are everywhere the eye can see, stretching from horizon to horizon like a blanket of infinite blue. The breeze is rough and the air smells like salt, but Mashu finds it invigorating. The real thing is so much better than what recordings and simulations could've ever prepared her for!

Jeanne would've loved it here.

"Woah, this place is truly gorgeous. Maybe we should've brought our swimsuits?" Haku-senpai jokes by her side. "Or at least barbeque supplies, there's gotta be all kinds of delicious fish and seafood swimming around in a place like this."

That's… Strangely specific and well thought-out for a joke. It does sound pretty nice, though.

"I think I would've loved that, Senpai." She nods with a smile, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with salty air. "Maybe we'll have a chance to visit a place like this in our free time after we restore the Human Order."

Mashu is hopeful she'll have the chance to go on a long vacation to see the world before she runs out of time. Or at least a short one. That would be nice. She has been writing a bucket list and everything.

"If you two are quite done fantasizing about slacking off…" Olga mutters grumpily from Mashu's other side. "We have actual pressing matters to take care of."

Mashu holds back a giggle. Olga might be acting all pushy and grumpy now, but it's already been a couple hours since they arrived at the Singularity and this is the first time she's said anything at all. What a good friend, going out of her way just so Mashu could enjoy her first time at the sea.

"But I would've loved to see the Lady Director in a swimsuit!" Of course, Haku-senpai retorts with something incredible without missing a beat. "In return, I could've shown off this black bikini I really like to take to the beach…"

"Wha–! You idiot!" Of course, Olga's composure collapses like a house of cards under the teasing. It's starting to become a familiar sight. "I-I have no interest in such distractions! Focus on the mission!"

"A tough sell, eh?" Senpai hums, tapping her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "In that case, I'll have to break out the big guns!"

The sudden confident grin makes Olga take a wary step back. "What are you even talking about?"

"Two words." Without losing her smile, Senpai catches Olga and wraps an arm around her shoulders and presses their cheeks together so they're both looking in the same direction. "Slingshot Bikini."

As she speaks, she waves a hand and Projects something in front of them. It's a featureless mannequin wearing a wig that looks like Senpai's own hair and…

Well, it's wearing practically nothing else.

Just two strips of bright red fabric that go from her shoulders to her crotch, coincidentally covering the breasts… no, the breasts are very much not covered, they barely cover the nipples on their way down. The strips presumably circle around the back to reach the shoulders from behind too, barely covering anything else.

Is that even legal? Mashu can't help but wonder. Just thinking about Senpai wearing something like that is a bit…

"Guh." Ah, Olga agrees with her on that.

"But we're so busy doing our work that we can't really play around with swimsuits." Haku-senpai continues, dispelling the projection with a hand wave and stepping away. "Quite a shame, if you ask me."

"Abubu… Shame. Yes. I– I mean! No! I mean! Finally!" Olga recovers… not quite magnificently, but Mashu can't say she would do any better in her place. "If you're going to take things seriously, then just do it from the start!"

It brings a smile to Mashu's lips to watch the two of them getting close like that. Even though she's the one who already became Senpai's lover… No, precisely because she already became Senpai's lover. She'll quietly cheer for Olga to get her turn next.

It would be silly to feel neglected with just this much, anyway.

"Of course, I would love to see Mashu in a swimsuit too!" As if reading her mind, Haku-senpai is suddenly behind her, hugging Mashu's waist from behind and leaning her chin on Mashu's shoulder. "I'm thinking something cute but secretly naughty would suit you well. Like a white one-piece that turns see-through when it gets wet?"

"E–Eeh?"

Mashu is still a novice lover whose heart isn't ready for advanced displays of affection like getting hugged by surprise, but when you add on the things Senpai is talking about on top of it all…

Wouldn't it be very bad to wear something like that? Swimsuits are worn without anything underneath. If it becomes see-through, wouldn't that make it even more obscene than the slingshot bikini from earlier? It wouldn't be any different from going around naked! B– But if it's Senpai asking, and it's only Senpai and Olga around, then maybe…

"Of course, it needs a few strategically-placed frills that would cover the naughty bits." Senpai continues in a thoughtful voice, filling Mashu with (disappointment) relief. "It would be way too much otherwise."

"Senpai… please stop!" Mashu begs, feeling her face burn and hurrying to cover it with both hands as soon as Haku-senpai pulls away. "Y-yeah, that would be too much."

In spite of the embarrassment, Mashu can't quite stop smiling either. So that's the sort of swimsuits that Senpai thinks would look good on her? Heeee~!

Olga Marie Animusphere

It's bothersome when your subordinates get carried away. Olga would be the first to acknowledge she's grown somewhat soft ever since the Grand Order started… no, even since Haku arrived in her life. Now that she's finally making genuine connections with people, it's becoming increasingly harder to see them as mere tools whose only job is to keep Chaldea functioning.

A– and even beyond that, she has definitely developed an extra soft spot for Haku and Mashu.

This truly can't be helped, after all the things they have gone thorugh together in such a short span of time. If you ask her, it would be weirder if she hadn't ended up developing a crush the size of the moon on the two of them. Lately, she can even contemplate that fact without immediately growing too flustered to put two thoughts together, which is definitely more progress than she once thought possible.

But this is this and that is that.

They have just landed in a new Singularity and this isn't the time for flirting. Even if their arrival was strangely peaceful this time. No enemies, no fires, no chaos… beyond the chaotic nature of multiple oceans and times being brought together to make up the Singularity, of course. This is just a small, uninhabited island surrounded by sea.

For once, they could set up to contact Chaldea without issue and have a proper, peaceful initial evaluation without any pressing matters getting in the way. It was somewhat boring, but they managed to figure out their next step. There are two power signatures within the Singularity that might match a Holy Grail and their first priority is, of course, to investigate them.

Considering they failed to recover the Grail in the previous Singularity, this might be their chance to recover from that. Though that feels like a bit too lucky for them, maybe one of the sources is unrelated. It's not like the readings were conclusive.

In any case, the first step is getting off the island.

"You didn't have to throw a shoe at my head, you know?" Haku pouts sulkily by her side. "Why did you have to throw a shoe at my head?"

Olga's first impulse is to give Haku's complaints all the attention they deserve, which is none, but there's something strangely satisfying in having the upper hand over that girl for once.

"Tohsaka-senpai taught me the trick." She can't quite hold back the urge to gloat. "She called it her 'secret Haku-wrangling countermeasure'."

"That Rin, passing on her bad habits to my boss…" Haku grumpily kicks a pebble into the ocean waves. "Her ass is grass next time we meet."

Olga blinks at that comment, something very much not PG flashing through her mind for a moment. And that isn't fair, because… Because that mental image doesn't have any business being as hot as it is. If she wasn't feeling so flustered herself, maybe she would've given second thought to the fact Mashu just happened to trip on perfectly flat ground at exactly that moment. But she was, so she didn't.

"Enough of that, we need to secure the means to move around this waterbound Singularity." Olga pushes the topic forward to avoid dwelling in such thoughts. "By now, I know better than to assume standard procedures are our best option. What manner of nonsense will you surprise us with this time?"

"To think the Lady Director would one day rely on me without complaint or suspicion!" Haku makes a weird face, taking her hands to her heart. "It should warm up my heart to be trusted so much, right? So why does it hurt instead?"

"Because your heart is secretly rotten." Olga huffs while rolling her eyes. Like she's going to fall for such a blatant pity trap. Again. "Now stop sulking and get to work."

"A place where four oceans converge into one… You could even say this is a place where all blues become one." As expected, Haku recovers from her 'pain' in the blink of an eye, a smile spreading through her face as she reflects on her task. "Yes, I have just the thing to navigate these waters."

Without another word, Haku jumps off the cliff towards the waves down below, drawing a startled gasp Olga, who immediately curses the girl's flair for dramatics. Of course, such a fall is nothing for a magus of her caliber, but it's still an unnecessary scare she's been subjected to for the sake of looking cool.

"Watch and learn." Haku's activation spell is uttered halfway through her fall, causing a burst of wind to throw around her hair and clothes. This is followed by an amber glow surrounding her whole body and a sense of pressure blanketing their surroundings as her magical energy starts flowing freely.

With our sights set on the farthest shore
And joy drumming within our hearts
We shall become the freest crew to ever sail!
"[Going Merry - Writing a Tale of Laughter!]"

An entire, honest-to-goodness, two-mast pirate caravel materializes on the water right under Haku. The crazy girl grabs hold of the rear mast on her way back, turning her freefall into a controlling descent where she spins around it to bleed off speed, until her feet finally touch down on the wooden floor deck with a light tap.

Without missing a beat, Haku releases the mast to bow in their direction and sends a cheeky wave in Olga's direction.

(It did look a tiny little bit cool)

Since Olga isn't crazy and feels no need to assert her own superiority through theatrics and bluster, she grabs Mashu by the scruff of her neck before she can jump after Haku and simply makes her way on foot down and around the cliff to reach the ship through the small beach on the other side.

Soon enough, they're welcomed on board and she's examining their new ship with a critical eye.

"An entirely Projected ship, Haku?" She questions. It's not that she doubts Haku's bullshit, but… "Are you sure it won't fail us halfway?"

There's a reason why Projections aren't normally used long-term. No matter how you look at it, a Projection is an object that shouldn't exist and the common sense of the world will slowly erode it unless additional measures are taken. Even then, the costs of such measures tend to grow exponentially and quickly become untenable.

Sure, it wouldn't be an insurmountable problem even if their vessel suddenly disappeared in the middle of a storm or something like that, but trying to make it to land under her own means would certainly end up being an utterly miserable experience.

"The Going Merry won't desert her crew so easily, Lady Director!" Haku answers confidently, fondly running a hand over the ship's wooden handrail. "As long as we treat her with care and respect, we are in good hands."

… For a moment, Olga feels a vague sense of smugness radiating out of everywhere around, aimed towards her. Is the ship trying to pick up a fight?

"Amazing, the Going Merry looks amazing." Mashu utters in wonder, eyes practically sparkling as she tries to take the entire ship at once. If you ask Olga, Mashu is the adorable one here. "I'm a bit surprised Senpai went for a wooden ship, though."

"Well, Going Merry works particularly well with the nature of this Singularity, and that matters a lot for long-time Projections." Haku's explanation makes Olga perk up and pay attention. "Something like an airship wouldn't fit at all and the mystery erosion would be insane. And there are few modern vessels that fit my magecraft at all. The last time I tried to Project a Shipgirl I almost exploded."

Ah, so it's like that. Of course, Singularities have their own common sense. And there's also the Grand Order's effect in the common sense of the world to consider. If one puts both facts together, it might be possible for a thematically-appropriate Projection to persist for a long time without becoming troublesome to maintain. Maybe they aren't doomed to doggy-paddle their way through the waves, after all.

More importantly…

What the hell is a shipgirl and why does the mere word make her feel jealous?

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Writing a Tale of Laughter - Going Merry (Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece): The first ship of the infamous Straw Hat Pirates. A reliable, stubborn lady who withstood an inordinate amount of damage to see them through the East Blue and beyond. Even though the ship was never rated for the treacherous, oftentimes nonsensical waters of the Grand Line, she bravely defied them for her crew until finally giving up the ghost after their legendary escape from Enies Loby

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