The waters surrounding Okinawa sure were a sight to behold.

Though Wonderlands x Showtime was here to train under a certain theater troupe, Emu had insisted that this trip wouldn't be complete without visiting one of the island's beaches, or at the very least, trying some andagi. One last-minute stop later, and here the lively group of five was, in Yomitan.

As Emu enthusiastically dragged Nene and Tsukasa into the sparkling blue water with her, Rui lingered closer to the shoreline, watching the trio with a fond look in his eyes.

"Fufu, they look like they're having fun," he commented quietly. Emu and Nene were both ganging up on Tsukasa, shooting the boy with a water gun as he did his best to evade the two girls' merciless attacks.

"Take that, Tsukasa!"

"GWOAAAH— I won't lose to you, Emu! Take this—!"

"Sneak attack...!"

"WOAAAH, nice shot, Nene! Wonderhoy~☆"

It was then that reality truly hit Rui: their week-long trip was coming to an end. The past week had flown by in a flurry of rehearsals and performances with other troupes, so fast that the purple-haired director hardly had time to step back and relax, to truly take in Okinawa's sights and natural beauty.

To watch the tide ebb and flow in against the rocks, to watch his friends shoot at each other with water guns made him feel oddly at peace.

He truly had found friends to cherish, hadn't he?

After a few minutes, his gaze flitted over to you, the group's playwright. You opted to do the same as Rui, to silently observe the 2v1 match unfolding in the water from the sidelines.

"Oh? You're not joining them?" Rui eventually asked, breaking the rather comfortable silence between the two of you.