“You’ve never gone shopping for yourself in this sort of place, right?” Emily said. “Y’know, splurging on snacks, that kind of thing.”
“I... Erm...”
“C’mon, don’t hold back. We’re at a resort! The whole point of this place is indulging yourself!”
Astrid couldn’t help but chime in. “Mm, but there’s such a thing as too much indulgence. That outfit, for example.”
Emily wore a red aloha shirt, linen shorts, and sandals, to which she’d added a necklace of bright blue beads and a colorful flower crown. It was anyone’s guess how she’d thrown the ensemble together so quickly.
“You’re getting a bit carried away,” Astrid told her.
“What’s wrong with enjoying myself at a resort, huh?”
“I mean okay, point taken. But maybe wait until we’ve found an inn and dropped off our things...”
“I understand, Astrid. I understand,” Emily said. “You feel left out!”
“What? No! Don’t act like you know what I’m thinking!”
“Ta-daaa! I bought this shirt just for you!”
“Ugh, did you pick that? That yellow is blinding.”
Tien, who’d been watching from the sidelines, said, “Emily does not have good taste.”
“Don’t think I forgot you, Tien! Ta-daaa!”
Emily thrust a shirt into Tien’s hands.
“Ch-Chi does not want this!”
“Your shirt’s sky blue!”
“Best to give up now, Tien,” Astrid said over her shoulder.
“A-Astrid?! When did you get behind Chi?!”
“Once Emily sets her mind on something, there’s no reasoning with her. Just let her see you wear it. That should satisfy her.”
The two of them changed into their aloha shirts. As Astrid had expected, Emily nodded happily. She had all her colors now—red, blue, and yellow.
“Oh my, you all look lovely!” Nina said, her eyes bright.
“You must have something for Nina too,” Tien said to Emily.
“She bought me this juice!” Nina said quickly. “It was delicious!”
“You are probably worried about falling victim to Emily’s fashion sense, but it is not fair that you only get juice.”
“N-Not at all! It really was very tasty!”
“This is for you, Nina.” Emily held out a light undershirt and a bottle of coconut oil. “I mean, I know I’m never gonna get you to change out of that maid uniform.”
Nina laughed sheepishly. “Well, I am a maid. But Emily, I can’t accept all this.”
“Sure you can! If you’re not going to change your outfit, you can at least wear something underneath that breathes. Everyone who’s got to wear heavy uniforms in Côte Sud swears by these undershirts from what I hear. And as for the coconut oil—you looked like you wanted it.”
“Emily...” Nina was touched by this thoughtfulness. She accepted both the shirt and the coconut oil and hugged them tight.
“Just so we’re clear,” Astrid said drily, “the only thing Emily paid for was the juice. I bought the shirt, and Tien bought the coconut oil.”
“Thank you... Thank you! I’ll treasure them forever!”
“Wait, didn’t you already finish the juice?”
“Plus shirts are made to be used and worn out.”
“Chi cannot wait for you to cook with the coconut oil.”
“Very true!” Nina said, nodding so seriously that the other three burst out laughing.
“Anyway,” Astrid said, “I think we’d better start thinking seriously about where we’re going to stay.”
The main street that ran along the coast was full of people, but there were no street stalls; only high-end boutiques which faced the hotels. The street stalls and eateries were concentrated a few streets back from the beach.
They had their eye on the third and final of the recommended inns, but as they made their way there, a very different side of the town came into view.
“I didn’t know there were streets like this here...” Nina murmured. As they went along, they met fewer and fewer people. There were hardly any tourists, and the buildings were low and dingy. Girls and boys in grubby clothes stared at them intently from alleyways.
Just then, a man in a loud shirt appeared before them, holding up an odd necklace.
“Well hello there, girls! Where might you be from? Here, I’ve got souvenirs that’ll blow your socks off.”
He was visibly disheveled and had the look of a gangster—nothing like the hawkers on the previous street.
“This can be yours for just one silver.” They saw the glint of a blade in his hand. “I’d think twice before saying no if I were— OWWW!”
Tien twisted his arm around then flung him down the street like a rag doll. There was no sign of any accomplices coming to his aid.
“Tien! Are you all right?!” Nina cried.
“She’s fine,” Emily reassured her. “You’ve gotta show thugs like that who’s boss or more will just come sniffing around.”
Emily’s words proved true—once everyone saw that Nina and the others, far from easy marks, were dangerous in their own right, no one bothered them. Something seemed to be bothering Nina, however. She kept glancing around and didn’t say a word.
Their destination was the Sable Fin Inn, a two-story wooden building. The doors rattled on their hinges and wind probably whistled through all the gaps.
“Uh-uh, I don’t think so,” Emily said.
“Let’s at least take a look inside before we make our decision,” Astrid suggested. “This place is closest to the beach, and I heard there are hot springs nearby too.”
“Ugggh...” Emily looked agonized.
The truth was, that was the main reason Emily had wanted to come to Côte Sud. The Yupiter Empire was vast, and this was just one of its many beach resorts. There were even some close to the capital, though they were too cold to swim at. The reason they’d spent days on the road to get to Côte Sud in particular was because of the hot springs.