Beach Vacation

Moro went out to the lobby, and he hugged Rui. "Nice job, buddy. I'm proud of you."

Rui hugged him back. Yuzu, who was on Moro's head the entire battle, leaned over his head upside down and smiled at him as her tails wagged. "You both are getting so much stronger. Screw what the ranking system says."

Uvie, Calvin, and Milk came out to see him. "Congrats, Moro!" Uvie said while jumping up and down happily. "I can't believe you won!"

"Did you do all that just to disrespect her, dude?" asked Calvin.

"Maybe, maybe not." smirked Moro.

"So, how are you going to beat your next opponent?"

"I'm not."

"Huh?"

"I'm forfeiting the tournament?"

"W-Why?"

"Because, personally, I have better things to do. I only did this to prove a point to Valkyrie." Moro patted Calvin on the back. "Win it, Calvin. If you don't, I'll chop your balls off."

Calvin smacked Moro's hand away. "Yeah yeah, dude. Whatever you say. Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the serpent master. I got this in the bag."

Later, while the tournament was still going on, Moro rested on the roof of the school. He sat on Eternity's lap while she stroked his head. She was quizzing him for his next science exam.

"Why does time slow down near a black hole?"

"Due to gravitational time dilation—a prediction of Einstein's General Relativity. Massive objects like black holes warp spacetime. Clocks near them tick more slowly compared to clocks farther away, because time itself is stretched in stronger gravity."

"Why do atoms never touch each other in solid objects?"

"Because of the Pauli exclusion principle and electromagnetic repulsion. Electrons around atoms repel each other, and no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state... Hey, Eternity, what should I do with that massive dragon egg?"

"Oh. You're finally remembering the thing I told you not to bring?"

"Look, you can make fun of me later. I didn't think about it at the time, but you alone take up like 70% of my storage. I can't take another red rank kudo. I doubt I could even take an orange-ranked one."

"Why not give it to Calvin? Dragons are his specialty?"

"But Naruons are a bit of a different task than just serpents, don't you think?"

"No, I don't. I believe he would do fine. Now focus, Honey. What causes auroras?"

"Charged particles from the solar wind are funneled by Earth's magnetic field toward the poles. They collide with gases in the atmosphere, exciting them and causing them to emit visible light—green, pink, red, and more... Eternity, we're gonna get a 4-day weekend soon, as in the following week, both Friday and Monday will be off. Would you like to go to the resort with me?"

"The new one that just opened near the beach in the neighboring city?"

"Yeah."

"Do you just wanna see me in the hot tub?"

Moro blushed. "That... would be a bonus, but no. I just wanna do something fun. We could even invite the rest of our friends."

"Ok ok. I do owe you a reward for beating Valkyrie. I suppose a hot spring resort isn't the worst place to have our honeymoon and get me pregnant at." Eternity chuckled a little. It's been a long time since Moro saw Eternity crack a smile like that. And that made him smile.

"No matter how much you try to change, you're still the same, Eternity. But in a good way."

"I've never worn a swimsuit before."

"Why not ask the girls for help. I'll make this trip special to Uvie in order to make up for my missing her party."

"Smart. What about... Willow?"

"Well, she is my friend. I'd feel weird for not inviting her. Though I understand why you would want me not to."

"I am your servant, honey. I simply take your orders. If you want her to come, she'll come. I just worry about... us is all."

"Don't worry. She won't steal me away from you. Not even hell itself could separate me from you."

"Who knew you were such a romantic, honey?"

"Well, I am quite multitalented."

2 weeks later, they decided to go to the hot spring resort. They decided they would meet up at the beach once they checked in at the inn. Moro was setting up the beach, and Calvin came shortly after.

"Well, you're early."

"Eh, you know how long girls take."

Lymth came over shortly after, holding some corn dogs for all of them.

"Oh, Lymth, you're hear?"

"Yeah, Moro invited me. He said it was a thank you for carrying the project. And honestly, my parents have been really annoying me recently, so I'll take any excuse to get away from that house."

"Oh yeah." exclaimed Moro. "How did that whole thing go with your parents and the kudos?"

"Oh... I haven't told them yet."

"Fair enough. If you ever need help with a pep talk or with finding your own kudo companion, I'm only a call away."

"Thanks."

"You two seem pretty close now." said a smirking Calvin.

"It's how we guys operate." said Moro while getting up. "Now, lock in, guys. The girls are coming out."

,

"You just wanted to come to the beach to see Eternity in a swimsuit."

"Don't judge me!"

"Hey, guys!" called out a feminine, bubbly voice. When the guys looked over to see who it was, they saw Uvie. She was wearing a celestial-themed two-piece swimsuit with a matching cover-up. The top was a navy blue halter with a front bow and star pattern, paired with matching high-cut bottoms with gold trim and tummy-flattering straps. The sheer purple gradient cover-up dress featured constellations, mesh sleeves, and a hem lined with dangling star charms. "How do I look?"

"Wow, Uvie, you look great."

"Thanks, Moro. I thought I'd take some of Eternity's celestial charm for myself."

Calvin smirked. "I'm just surprised that swimsuit suit could fit around a fatty like you."

"You wanna meet God early, Calvin?"

"Bring it."

"Calm down, you too." Moro said with a sigh. "Calvin's just messing with you, Uvie. That swimsuit looks good on you."

"Looks like Moro can appreciate my thick thighs, unlike some people."

Milk came out shortly after. She approached Calvin nervously. She wore a nature-themed swimsuit designed with earthy tones and floral details. The top was a green halter with flowers and vine patterns, paired with a brown corset-like midsection resembling tree bark. A sheer green mesh sarong skirt wrapped around her waist. "C-Calvin, do you think I look good?"

Calvin was shocked. His silence was out of genuine admiration for her beauty.

Then Moro spoke up. "You look hideous."

"No one asked you, jackass."

Moro grinned sarcastically. "Ay, just giving my opinion."

Calvin gulped. "You look wonderful, Milk."

Milk's shy demeanor returned. "Really?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm just a bit em-"

Suddenly, someone came out and speared Moro into the sand with a hug. He already knew it was Willow, but when she backed up, he was surprised to see how pretty she looked in her swimsuit. Her's featured a halter neck, heart-shaped chest design with wing-like details, and a sheer mesh panel on the upper back. The waist and thighs were decorated with long, flowy ribbons and detachable bows. Lavender ribbon garters wrapped around the legs in a crisscross pattern. "Moro, do I look good? I picked out this swimsuit just for you."

"Why are you even asking me? Of course, you look good. Considering how beautiful you are, you'd probably have to put in effort to actually look bad."

"Ah, you really mean it?! You're so sweet. Kiss me!"

"Absolutely not. Get the hell off of me, you crazy garden tool."

"Aw, why so mean?"

"Because my woman is about to come out of that dressing room, and I want to see her."

"Your woman is right in front of you."

"Ok... I should have seen that coming."

Finally, Eternity came out. And she walked over and punched Willow on the head. "Ow, what the hell was that for?!"

"Master, should I really be here?" asked Eternity. "After all, I'm not a human, I'm a kudo. And Uvie didn't bring out any of her... male kudos."

Moro turned to face Eternity. "Uvie didn't because she can't control herself around them. She turns into a pervert whenever... she sees... them..." Moro's brain practically melted when he laid eyes on her. Eternity was in a light purple one-piece swimsuit with a jellyfish-inspired design. The top featured a bikini-style neckline with lace-up detail down the center, decorated with bubble-like patterns. A flowing cape-like layer draped off the shoulders, resembling jellyfish frills in translucent blue with moon-like swirls. The lower half had layered ruffles and ribbon ties at the hips. "Thank you, God, for letting me wake up today."

"Honey, I don't think this will work?"

"Huh, but you look incredible." said Moro while grabbing Willow by the face and shoving her off of him.

"No, I mean... I think this thing is a bit too small. Is this how you're supposed to wear a swimsuit, or did I put it on wrong?"

"No, it's on right."

Uvie walked over and stared at Eternity's chest. "I'm so jealous."

"Why?"

"What's are your measurements?!"

"W-Why is that important?"

"Just answer the question. Top to bottom, in centimeters."

"108, 79, 105."

Uvie fell to her knees. "I've lost."

Moro was looking at the scene with a deadpan expression. "Maybe bringing everyone was a mistake."