The Search For The Perfect Chest

I disembarked the ship alone because the girls wanted to do something together. I didn’t probe; if they weren’t fighting, I was happy.

I looked around at the gorgeous scenery. The sand hills rolled, and the waves lightly lapped on the shore. To the right-hand side was a small cliff face, and below it were several red rock pools.

Back in my old world, I’d never been to a beach. I had nobody to go with. But the beauty of the land allowed me to appreciate its appeal.

But enough of that. I was here to find treasure.

“So, Lark, what do you think?” Túta’s voice startled me.

I turned to face her.

“I think…” I stopped speaking the moment I saw my crew. They were all wearing swimsuits.

How? They shouldn’t exist in this world, right? Also, why were they wearing them? We were here for treasure, right?

Túta was wearing a pale blue bikini that offset her orange hair, which was tied into pigtails on both sides.

Elora was wearing a green bikini that showed even more skin than her usual brown pelted gear. Although her blonde hair was always tied up, she had her ponytail to the side of her head this time, the ends draping over her shoulder.

Viola wore a black one-piece that criss-crossed her body. It was as if the fabric itself was clinging to her curves. The darkness of her feathers and the swimsuit only further extenuated her pale skin.

Melody, like her sister, wore a one-piece, but thankfully, it was just a plain one that covered her completely with frills. If she had taken after her sister, I would have had to give the girls a stern talking to.

Mel’s loose white shirt barely concealed the black swimsuit underneath. I couldn’t tell from her reaction whether she wanted to wear it or not.

Pippa wore a black two-piece swimsuit. It was plain, but it also fit her perfectly, showcasing her pale skin. Her pink hair was braided into two loose ponytails. She looked down and shuffled her feet.

“What do you think?” Túta asked, puffing out her chest, which was obviously padded.

“Hm?”

“Of our swimsuits?”

“Oh, yeah, they’re nice.”

“Just nice?”

What did they want me to say? Yeah, they all looked pretty. But if I offered compliments, I would be dragged into it for ages, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to find the hidden treasure. They might’ve forgotten, but finding treasure was the whole reason we came.

“I mean, the swimsuits are nice and all, but you’re all already the prettiest women in the world. So it’s pretty hard to get better than perfect.”

I expected that would satisfy them. But I hadn’t expected them all to turn bright pink. Mel elbowed me.

“That was pretty smooth, Cap’n. I can see why you are the ladies' man.”

“Really, you think we are pretty?” Túta asked, looking satisfied. I didn’t want to get dragged into this. The longer I was forced to compliment them, the less time I had to find treasure. Besides, as much as I downplayed it, those swimsuits were very nice on the eyes.

“How did you go about making those?” I asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

“Pippa used her web skills to make the thread, and then Túta and Viola stitched them together,” Elora added. In an awkward exchange, the girls attempted and failed to high-five each other.

Although I didn’t like them keeping secrets from just me, I was honestly impressed by their effort and the fact that they worked together as a team. It meant they trusted each other. I didn’t mind being kept out of the loop if they were getting closer together.

“Alright, let’s look for that treasure…” I turned to leave, but Mel grabbed my jacket.

“You’re not going to get away with wearing your jacket, Cap’n.”

“Why not?”

“Well, if we are all in swimsuits. You also need to strip down,” Viola added.

“No! We aren’t here to have fun. We are here to find treasure.”

“All in favour of looking for treasure, raise your hands,” Túta called.

“That’s a bit mean,” I joked, holding up my hook.

I raised my hand, but none of the others in my crew did.

“One. All in favour of having a day on the beach, raise your hands.”

Everyone else raised their hands.

“Is this a mutiny?”

“Sorry, but the majority rules. We are going to enjoy ourselves on the beach.”

I slowly unbuttoned my shirt and lifted it over my head. Thanks to Elora’s training, I’d built up some decent muscle, so I was somewhat confident in my body.

“How do I look?” I asked jokingly, shuffling my feet, looking at the ground.

“What? Do you want a compliment?” Túta snapped, as her face turned red.

Elora had a nosebleed. Viola covered Melody's eyes with her wings. Pippa kept her eyes to the ground, occasionally glancing up and then back down.

“Wow, Cap’n has a pretty hot body,” laughed Mel.

I was about to join in the banter, but I held myself back. I couldn’t get swept up by their antics. They could enjoy the beach if they wanted, but I was here to find treasure.

I began my search as the others soaked in the sun and played in the waves. After several hours of sifting through sand, checking banks and rereading the map, I still hadn’t managed to find the treasure.

“Hey, Mel?”

“Yeah, what is it, Cap'n?”

“You’ve got the best eyes around. Do you see anything odd where I might find this treasure?”

“Like the cave over there near the rock bed?”

“Cave?”

“Oh, ya didn’t see it?”

She pointed toward the cliff face. Other than the gentle lapping of water against the red rock pools, I failed to see any cave. Yet I also knew by now she was far more observant than anyone else. I trusted her judgement.

I wandered over to the rocks, and the rest of my crew tagged along, though they seemed more interested in looking in rockpools for small creatures than in helping me find any long-lost treasure.

Sure enough, there was a small cave entrance. It was hard to notice even this close. I was genuinely impressed by how nonchalantly Mel spoke of it. How good was her eyesight?

“Are you all coming to see if there is treasure in here?” I asked my crew.

“Lift up the rocks, you might find some critters hiding under them.” Viola was pointing at a rock pool, and the other girls were huddled around watching her crab-finding demonstration.

Guess I was going in alone.

I entered the cave, which thankfully wasn’t very large. It was just a small chamber with a single treasure chest. I thought back to my last experience with a treasure chest and how it was empty. I prayed this time I would finally be able to score some booty.

I took a step forward and instantly lost my footing on the wet rocks underneath. I slipped forward, crashing onto the treasure chest.

As I did, I felt something squishy in my hand.

“Kiyaa~”

Huh?

Instead of a treasure chest, my hand had landed on something far softer, the chest of a busty woman. She had dark brown hair and golden, round earrings. A large, long tongue stuck out of her jagged teeth, and her yellow and green heterochromatic eyes only further distinguished her. The treasure chest that had previously been there was now gone.

“You brute! How will I ever find a husband now?” she wailed, clearly faking it.

I felt several blades pointed at my neck. A wire, likewise, wrapped around it, and even a gun barrel was pressed to my head.

“Captain, care to explain why you are forcing yourself on this woman?” Túta asked, her eyes were twitching with rage.

The other girls all looked to be equally angry.

Huh?!?!

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End of chapter 32