"Hehe, at this age, Carina still gets embarrassed easily," Arton chuckled. "Maybe in two years, she'll be more mature and open. Perhaps she'll even give me a passionate kiss in front of the other crew members. What do you think, Uta, Kaya?"
"I don't know," Uta stuck out her tongue playfully, pulling down her eyelid with her hand. "Besides, I need to prepare the ship for departure."
She let go of Arton's hand and quickly turned and ran towards the ship's helm.
Arton shook his head and looked at Kaya, who was still by his side. His focused gaze seemed to be silently asking Kaya for an answer.
"Ar... Arton-san, I'll also go prepare for departure," Kaya said shyly, her face turning red from Arton's intense stare.
"Alright then," Arton shrugged, his face showing a disappointed expression. "I guess I'm just unnecessary as the captain. The friendship between you three is the real deal. In the end, it's just me left alone."
Hearing this, Kaya looked up at Arton's sorrowful expression, feeling a pang of guilt. She quickly hugged Arton's arm and shook her head, saying, "That's not true, Captain Arton. You're not unnecessary at all."
"But Kaya, you don't even want to stay by my side."
"That's not true... okay, if you want company, I'll stay with you," Kaya said, her face still flushed.
"That makes me very happy, Kaya. I just want to close my eyes and rest for a while. Can you lend me a pillow?" Arton asked.
"A pillow? Okay, I'll go get one for you," Kaya replied.
"No need, you already have a pillow with you," Arton said with a smile.
"I don't have one!" Kaya said, confused.
"How could you not? Aren't those two soft things pressed against my arm perfect pillows? By the way, have they grown again?" Arton asked, glancing down at Kaya's chest.
"This, this is!" Kaya followed his gaze, her face turning bright red.
"No, no, you can't use those as pillows," she stammered.
"But you promised, Kaya," Arton reminded her gently.
"I-I didn't know you meant them," Kaya said, her face now as red as an apple.
"Hehe, you're really adorable, Kaya," Arton chuckled.
"Never mind, if that's not okay, how about a lap pillow instead?" he suggested, still smiling.
Although he wanted to test the comfort of Kaya's chest, he knew not to push too hard. Kaya was a friend, not an enemy, and her shy expression was something he enjoyed as well. So, he offered a more modest request.
"A lap... lap pillow?" Kaya repeated, taking a deep breath. "I-I understand. If it's just that, it's fine."
She sighed in relief, agreeing to the lap pillow. Though it still made her shy, it was less embarrassing than Arton's first request. And having already refused him once, she felt she couldn't refuse him again.
"Great, let's not waste any time," Arton said with a smile. He moved to an open area, lay down, and closed his eyes as if he were really planning to take a nap.
Kaya brushed her short blonde hair back, sighed lightly, and then walked over to where Arton was lying. She knelt down beside him, preparing to offer her lap as a pillow.
She reached out with her slender hands, gently lifting Arton's head and adjusting her sitting position to rest the back of his head on her lap.
As she looked at Arton's unusually serene and handsome face, Kaya's lips curled into a faint smile.
"A quiet Arton is so different from before," Kaya thought to herself. "But no matter which Arton it is, he's always so handsome."
With these thoughts, her delicate fingers started to rhythmically press against Arton's forehead. Tsunade's template contained a wealth of knowledge about massage and therapy, which Kaya had naturally absorbed.
At this moment, Carina emerged from the cabin. She observed Arton and Kaya and couldn't help but prop her chin up with one hand.
"Carina, you seem to be deep in thought," Uta said as she nudged Carina's waist with her elbow, smiling. "Are you perhaps jealous of Kaya?"
"Hehe, I'm not jealous at all," Carina replied.
"Then what are you thinking about?"
"I'm just wondering why Arton isn't lying face down to enjoy the lap pillow this time."
"Maybe he only does that with you, Carina. Perhaps you're special to him," Uta teased with a giggle.
"Uta, you're teasing me again. Watch out, or one day Arton might ask you for a lap pillow too, you have such beautiful legs," Carina laughed and glanced at Uta's exposed white skin under her short dress.
"Well, we'll see when that day comes," Uta shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, your legs are pretty nice too."
As Carina was about to engage in another playful exchange with Uta, a notification from the diary caught her attention.
"Arton is recording something new again?" she wondered. "Is he writing about Kaya's lap pillow? Of course, he would comment on that."
With curiosity gleaming in her eyes, Carina began to read the new entries. As time passed, her expression underwent significant changes.
"There's more than just Kaya's lap pillow?"
"What... This, could this be?!"
"Impossible!"
"Buggy's treasure hunt is related to the legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki?!"
Carina's eyes widened in shock as she looked fearfully at Arton, who was enjoying Kaya's gentle massage and lap pillow with his eyes closed.
***
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