The base of the Stellaron Hunters.
Not long after Kafka sent a message to Firefly, she received a photo reply.
In the picture, Firefly was leaning forward, gripping the handlebars of a speeding jet ski as it raced across the waves.
Sylvia, meanwhile, had her arms wrapped tightly around Firefly's waist, holding up her phone to capture the moment.
The backdrop was an endless expanse of ocean, and both of them were dressed in fitting swimwear.
On Firefly's face was a happy smile, one rarely seen in her day-to-day life.
It was completely different from her usual gentle, subdued smile.
Back at the base, Firefly always spoke softly and smiled sincerely enough, but none of those expressions carried the vibrant energy she had in this photo.
Kafka even had the feeling that if Sylvia weren't holding onto her from behind, Firefly would probably have been standing up while driving.
Because in the second photo, Firefly was already steering with just one hand, raising her left hand to flash a peace sign at the camera with a cheerful 'Yeah~'.
Behind her, Sylvia looked utterly startled, eyes wide with alarm as she stared straight ahead—who knows what she was seeing.
'They look like they're having a great time.'
Kafka felt reassured.
She then turned to Silver Wolf, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa without looking up, and said with a smile:
"Sweetie, Firefly and Sylvia have arrived at their destination. Let me forward the photos to you."
Without waiting for what would likely be a stubborn refusal, she sent both pictures over.
"Tch… I'm not interested."
Silver Wolf glanced at the notification on her phone, tossed the device aside without opening it, and went back to her game.
But after Kafka got up and left the living room, Silver Wolf's hands suddenly stilled on her controller. She then picked up her phone and lit the screen.
--+--
Meanwhile.
Firefly safely delivered Sylvia onto the sandy beach.
Their starship had already docked at the designated spot, and service AI robots had set up umbrellas, lounge chairs, a cooler, and a barbecue grill.
Inside the cooler were fresh ingredients and an assortment of chilled drinks.
Alternatively, guests could choose to catch their own seafood straight from the ocean.
Since Firefly had opted for unmanned service and a private trip far from crowds, the entire setup was prepared by AIs—not a single living soul in sight.
"Mmm—"
Sylvia stepped through the shallow seawater, following behind Firefly, and raised her arms in a long, satisfying stretch.
Even though Firefly's driving was scary, the ride had been surprisingly steady—none of the capsizing Sylvia had braced for.
Their long hair, initially soaked by sea spray, was now half-dried by the wind.
"It's so beautiful here, the scenery."
Firefly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed out at the azure sea and clear sky.
A pristine, undisturbed little island.
Everything here breathed an atmosphere of serene ease.
"It really is gorgeous. Want to watch the sunrise together tomorrow morning?"
Sylvia looked at Firefly, who suddenly turned, flashing a bright smile over her shoulder:
"Of course! Didn't I promise I'd show you the sunrise? I'll wake you up super, super early."
"Why sleep at all tonight, then?"
"Huh? But Sylvia, won't you be tired?"
Firefly didn't mind either way—she hardly slept much anyway. But Sylvia was someone who could easily sleep half the day away.
"One night without sleep is fine. We haven't decided where to go yet—we can figure it out tonight. Maybe explore the main island."
The larger island naturally had places like shopping centers. Even though they'd chosen unmanned service, they could always take the starship over for a visit.
"Alright~ I heard the shopping center here is an entire floating city on the sea."
Firefly nodded, then reached out to take Sylvia's hand.
"But first, let me make you some barbecue! You know, I've cooked for the other Stellaron Hunters before. I've got a real feel for the heat."
As she spoke, Firefly flipped her hand over, producing a device that somewhat resembled a cicada.
It had a mechanical body and four glowing green, wing-like structures.
She held it up, waving it gently before Sylvia's eyes.
Sylvia's gaze fixed on the device. Could this be SAM's transformation gadget?
"What's that?"
"Hehe, you'll see in a moment."
Firefly led Sylvia under the shade of the canopy, held the device near her lips, and winked at Sylvia.
Then, flickering flames materialized around Firefly.
A gentle breeze swirled alongside, dispersing the heat so it wouldn't ignite the canopy overhead.
The fire enveloped Firefly in her swimsuit, transforming into a tall, silver-white mech.
At the same time, her voice shifted into SAM's signature synthetic tone.
"So, what do you think? That was SAM's summoning device."
As SAM spoke, they already reached into the cooler, pulled out the pre-prepared ingredients, and deftly set up the grill.
"You can really use SAM for barbecue?"
Sylvia watched as SAM's mechanical hand skillfully gripped a wooden skewer.
"Heh! Of course! I shall—set the seas ablaze!"
Firefly held a skewer in one hand, struck a cool pose, shouted her line dramatically, and extended her arm.
A flame burst forth—about the intensity of an ordinary gas burner.
Then she crouched down by the grill, focusing intently on roasting the skewers.
"…"
Sylvia stared at Firefly's chuunibyou-esque performance, momentarily stunned.
Judging by the familiarity, she must do this with SAM quite often.
"You didn't exactly set the seas ablaze. You almost ignited the cumin, though."
"Hehe, don't worry. I've got great control over the barbecue heat."
Hearing Firefly speak in SAM's mechanical voice created a strangely delightful contrast.
"Sylvia, could you help sprinkle the seasoning?"
"I'll handle the seasoning, and you focus on grilling."
After all, she couldn't leave all the work to Firefly alone.
Watching SAM crouched on the sand roasting meat was undeniably comical, but after a good laugh, Sylvia rolled up her sleeves and joined in.
As the first batch of skewers neared perfection, Sylvia suddenly pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures.
In the photos: the sleek SAM, Sylvia, the grill, and the skewers.
A beautifully chaotic mix.
"What is it?"
"Just feels pretty surreal. Wanted a photo to remember this."
After all, using a Glamoth Iron Cavalry unit for barbecue was an experience almost as abstract as having the Divine Foresight slice meat.
Looking at the photo, Sylvia suddenly remembered Silver Wolf. Why hadn't she projected herself over to join the fun?
She kinda wanted to see Silver Wolf in a swimsuit too.
Both she and Firefly were fairly tall with decent figures.
Someone petite and cool like Silver Wolf, squeezed into a cute kids' swimsuit—that would definitely be amusing.
Of course, actually doing that would probably get her hunted down by Silver Wolf.
At that thought, Sylvia smirked and shared the idea with Firefly.
"Pfft— If you really did that, Silver Wolf would be livid."
"But don't you think it'd be cute to see the always-cool Silver Wolf get all worked up?"
"Whoa— That's just mean."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.