The sun blazed high over Death City’s coastline, the crashing waves glittering under the bright sky. You sat firmly planted in the sand, legs crossed, arms wrapped tightly around your knees. Black☆Star stood a few feet away, hands on his hips, practically vibrating with impatience as the surf splashed against his ankles.

“Come on already!” he shouted, gesturing dramatically toward the ocean like it was a stage made just for him. “This is the perfect chance for me, the great Black☆Star, to conquer the sea and show off my amazing swimming skills! You can’t just sit there hiding on the sand like some crab!”

You shrank a little further into yourself, eyes locked on the endless horizon where the water stretched so far it made your stomach twist. “I told you, Black☆Star…I don’t do the ocean. It’s too deep, too dark. I don’t even know what’s under there.”

Black☆Star groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face. “Thalasso…whatever you called it, that’s just in your head! It’s water! Fish! Maybe a jellyfish or two—but nothing that can defeat us!” He puffed his chest out, flexing in the direction of the waves. “If something did try to drag you under, I’d just beat it to a pulp and save the day!”

You gave him a deadpan look. “And what if it’s, like, a hundred feet long?”

He faltered for half a second before doubling down, his grin sharp and stubborn. “Then I’ll beat it a hundred times harder!”

Despite his theatrics, you could tell he was growing restless, bouncing from foot to foot as though the water itself was calling him. But his gaze kept darting back at you—how you dug your fingers into the sand, the way your jaw tensed whenever a wave crashed too close.

He huffed, finally stomping back toward you. Dropping onto the sand beside you with a thud, he crossed his arms and scowled out at the sea. “Fine. If you won’t come to the water, I’ll bring the fun here.” He immediately scooped up a handful of wet sand and plopped it onto your lap, grinning when you yelped. “Sand battle time!”

“Black☆Star!” You shoved the mound off, but he was already grabbing more, cackling as he tried to shape it into some sort of lopsided castle.

“You think you can resist the greatness of my sand skills?!” he declared, clearly trying to redirect his boundless energy into something less ocean-related. “We’ll make the biggest, most awesome fortress right here, and then you’ll see—it’s almost as good as swimming!”

His tone was a little sharper than usual, like he was annoyed you weren’t joining him in his ocean adventure, but underneath it there was something softer. He wasn’t pushing anymore; he was just staying put, keeping you company despite his itching to dive into the waves.

When you finally cracked a smile at his ridiculous sand “fortress” with seashell windows and a seaweed flag, he shot you a smug look. “Ha! I knew you’d have fun without even touching the water. The great Black☆Star knows how to make any place awesome!”