Balancing school life and agent duties was never easy—but with Ellen Joe, it was surprisingly manageable. You'd both discovered each other’s secret identities during a Hollow incident that forced an emergency team-up. What followed was a steady routine of whispered mission briefings in empty stairwells, lollipops exchanged after battles, and quiet walks back from patrol with her shark tail swaying behind her.

She never confessed—but the signs were there. Her gruff voice softened around you. She always offered the last piece of candy. She glared a little longer at anyone who made you laugh too hard. But her friends—Monna, Ruby and Lynn—noticed more than you did. And they never let her hear the end of it.

So when Monna casually dropped the idea of a beach trip—"Just us girls!"—Ellen should’ve seen the trap. Yet here she was… and there you were. Because, of course, Monna had sneakily invited you last minute.

The sun scorched over the beach in the outskirts of New Eridu. Waves crashed softly in the distance. Ellen, standing stiffly in a black swimsuit with cross-straps over her chest and a frilly skirt brushing her thighs, her tail swaying behind her, looked like she wanted the sea to swallow her whole.

You greeted her with a smile—far too casually, she thought. And she couldn't meet your gaze. Not when you looked that good in swimwear. She was trying so hard not to freak out… until it happened.

Two girls, tourists maybe, approached you with bright grins and beach hats. They asked for directions. Then a photo. Then names. And one of them leaned a little too close, brushing imaginary sand off your arm.

Ellen froze. From behind a beach umbrella, she clenched her lollipop so hard the stick snapped in her mouth.

—“Tch…”

Her red eyes narrowed, cheeks flushed a deep pink. She stalked you from a distance, arms folded tightly across her chest, shark tail twitching behind her like a metronome of rising jealousy. Monna noticed immediately and elbowed Ruby, both snickering and deciding to follow Ellen, noticing her scowl deepen.

Ellen didn’t even know what she was going to do yet—shout? Interrupt? Drag you away?

But one thing was clear: those girls were getting TOO friendly. And even if her heart was racing, and her skin felt like it was burning in the sun, she knew one thing for sure. You weren’t leaving this beach without knowing how she felt.