Ayla, the Girl
*Splash! Splash!*
We were playing around here, right?
...Cannot confirm.
After that, we waited for the beach restrictions to lift, then spent hours searching for the wallet Luna might have dropped into the ocean.
Nnngh... I can't find it anywhere!
Obvious upon consideration. Coins made of metal alloy are too dense to float.
Th-then you're saying we'll never find it?!
Waaah... No way... No waaay!
At that, Luna's shoulders drooped.
...Guess I have no choice.
I'll do a reading to find it!
Not recommended. Unscientific methodology. Accuracy decreases when Luna is the practitioner.
Wh-what are you talking about?! My prophecies are always perfectly accurate!
It's just... reading your own fortune is kind of taboo among oracles...
...So I may have occasionally pretended I saw the future without doing a reading.
...At least I detect self-awareness. Good.
Ngh... But still! This is an emergency!
This is way better than wearing ourselves out without even knowing if we can find it!
Please, dear Moon...! Show me a future where I get my wallet back...!
With a desperate look, Luna clasped her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
...Yes. I can see it. A future where I find my lost wallet.
...Mm-hm. And after that...
Ah...!
Luna's eyes suddenly flew open. She shook her head a few times, then closed them again.
No, no. That must've been the wrong future. Again...
...Mm, this part seems right...
Yeah...
...
No! Again!
Hmm...
......
Again!!!
Yeah...
..................
...D-don't tell me...
This time, Luna slowly opened her eyes, saying nothing as a strangely benevolent smile spread across her face.
...Um, when people say they can't see the future, that's usually a figure of speech, right?
But when I actually can't see a future where I find my wallet, it usually means that future really doesn't exist.
...Yeah. It's been a while since I've actually run into this situation, so I'm kind of thrown off. That's all.
...Luna...
What do I do, Captain?
...
It's overrrr!!
We're never gonna find it!!!!
...Looks like our fate won't let us get the wallet back.
Since there's nothing we can do... I think we'll have to give up!
You gave up way too fast!
But come on! I'm not dumb enough to bet on something with no chance!
Correction. Probability is approaching zero, but has not reached zero.
No, no. That future doesn't exist, so it's exactly zero.
Look at it this way! We were fated to lose the wallet from the start!
What kind of fate is that...
Huh? I'm serious! Don't underestimate the power of fate, Captain.
After all, every little thing in the world is driven by the power of a fixed future.
But if everything in the world only ever unfolds according to it...
Wouldn't that make hoping for something, struggling for it, or trying to live life to the fullest feel meaningless?
Ahaha. If they were meaningless from the start, then realizing they're meaningless doesn't mean you've lost anything, right?
...But...
Okay, okay! We'd be better off finding something else fun to do instead of thinking about this stuff!
Now, how should we enjoy the rest of our vacation? Huh? Huh?
We can't buy new swimsuits now, but we can still play in the ocean all we want!
...Regrettably, Luna's wish cannot be realized.
What?! Why not?!
Outstanding charges accumulated since our arrival in Flora are enormous.
Without the wallet, full payment is impossible.
Has Luna already forgotten?
Oh, right! We had all those tabs to settle, didn't we?
I got so carried away spending that I totally forgot...!
Uuugh...
...Ahhh...
...
...Oh! Captain, do you have any money? Even a little would help!
What for...?
Well, to fix this, I think our only option is to hit the casino and win big like last time.
So please, just spot me some cash this once!
Try actually working to pay what we owe!!
Ugh... Not this one, not this one either...
*Flip, flip*
In the end, to pay off all the tabs we'd run up, we stopped by Candle Square's Flora branch to look for any quests worth taking.
Urgently Hiring Swimsuit Laundry Staff
Easy work. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an easy little side gig they can do while kicking back...
Rejected. Nowhere near enough to cover what we owe.
Hmm... Then what about this? Resort Staff Needed
The pay is pretty good, isn't it?
Rejected. They're looking for someone who can work for at least a month.
Then what about this?
I pointed to a poster hanging in the corner.
Help Me Find the Pirate King's Treasure!
Seeing the large lettering, Smile stood on tiptoe, took down the poster, and examined it closely.
...A quest asking for help finding treasure using a map the client happened to acquire.
No other details or time frame listed.
A treasure hunt?!
Likely left posted in the far corner of the quest board for a considerable time.
Details unclear. Reliability unclear. Possible bait ad disguised as a quest.
...Let's look for something else.
We went through every quest on the board, but...
We didn't find a single decent quest after all.
At this rate, our only option is to work off the debt through unpaid labor.
As we trudged along, wondering how we'd ever pay the enormous bill...
Please... help me!
A frail-looking girl was being chased by a group of rough-looking men.
Stop right there!
*Whoosh!*
One of the pirates chasing her swung his blade. It missed her by a hair.
P-please, save me!
Agh! If she'd been even a second slower, she could've gotten seriously hurt...!
...Captain.
Yeah, let's help her!
We rushed in and blocked the girl's pursuers before things got any worse.
Hey, what are you guys doing?! That's dangerous!
Can't you see she's terrified?!
Multiple armed subjects threatening a single target. Clear act of intimidation.
Requesting you put away your weapons and withdraw.
What are these punks babbling about? Get out of the way!
Hey, don't get so worked up.
Looks like these amateurs want to play hero and end up crying their eyes out...
No need for a long speech. Let's teach them a lesson.
We'll make sure you never forget just how terrifying the Flora Pirates are!