Chương 190: Chapter 175-Chosen Traps

When life gives you coconuts, make coconade? That one is definitely better than the last one, but I'm not sure if I like it. I'll keep thinking about it. I'm not even sure that coconade is a real thing. I could make it a real thing. How hard would it be to make coconade? Actually, what is lemonade? It's just sugar, water, and lemon juice. I'll just replace the lemon juice with coconut water. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with that at all. Danger snaps me out of my thoughts as the volleyball comes from above.

I've done this before. I can do it again. With familiar movements, I hit the ball back over the net. Hopper hops us, intercepts my pass, and spikes it back over the net. This is where Ruby will slam it back. The ball falls flat on the sand. What? Looking over at Ruby, I watch as she is distracted by the sight of Viola in her swimsuit. This didn't happen last time. What the hells?

"Ruby, get your head in the game!" I yell. She looks over at me with embarrassment.

"Sorry. Thought I saw something shiny," she lies poorly.

"Just focus. We need to win this." Talon flies above me as he lets out a hearty chuckle.

"The battlefield has been set. Our match will be one spoken for ages." It's okay. We lost this point last time anyway. So things haven't gone terribly out of sorts just yet. Time to serve some justice. Ball in hand, I cut my thumb on my sharp teeth and wipe a little blood on it. With a swift serve- A fucking seagull slams into me. It freaks out, pulling at my hair. I freak out as I try to survive. The ball goes over the net. Hopper hops high into the air and slams it straight into the sand.

The bird flies away as everyone looks at me. Blowing a feather out of my mouth, I say, "That bird hates me."

"Are you okay?" Hopper asks.

"Just fine. On an unrelated note. Anybody want bird for lunch?" I ask as Ruby gets ready to serve. Ruby throws the ball high into the air and then slams it with a vine. The force of the ball rockets through the air and straight at Julian. He tries to slow it using his wind magic, but it isn't enough. The ball sends him into the ground, scoring us a point. Maybe I should let Ruby serve from now on. Garus floats the ball up and then thinks for a second.

All of a sudden, an explosion appears right behind the ball, sending it at Talon. With his rippling muscles, he tanks the hit, but the ball is going to stop just short of the net. Rushing forth, I leap into the air and nick it with the edge of my fingers. It barely tips over the net and into the waiting hands of Julian. With a simple gust of wind, he sends it sky high. Hopper then hops off the back of Julian, sending him straight at the ball. Shit! He reels his leg back, readying to strike onto our side.

Then the ball disappears. Hopper looks around in confusion before landing his sights on me. Ah, I love [Disguise]. He misses the ball completely as it lands squarely on their side. Garus tries to catch his breath as he puts his hand up.

"Let's call it a tie?" Ruby, who's still sneaking glances at Viola, absentmindedly says, "Sounds good to me." Without missing a beat, she not so subtly rushes over to Viola's side. What a pair of love-sick idiots. They should just get it over with already. Everybody knows they're both into each other. Well… everybody, but them.

"You done?" Penelope asks as she leans against a palm tree.

"Why, keep you waiting?" I ask with a wink. Penelope rolls her eyes.

"So, I was going over some maps of the island. Based on the general description you gave me, I have a good idea where we have to go. After we learn how to chant, we'll be going out into the jungle. That will be the perfect time to go searching." My eyes linger on her clothes. She's still wearing the school uniform. That's a shame. Wait! No, it's not a shame. It's not like I was hoping to see her in that swimsuit again. Gods, what am I doing?

"Sounds like a plan. One little problem. What do we tell Hopper?" I ask as I gesture behind me. Penelope looks over at Hopper, who is currently talking with Julian.

"I can handle it. Trust me."

"Okay. By the way, don't you feel hot in that?" I ask as I put my hand out. A coconut lands perfectly on my head. With a pained groan, I grab my head. What in the fuck!? Wasn't that supposed to fall into my hand? Penelope gives me a worried look.

"Are you okay?"

"Yup. Things are just a little different than I expected."

"What were you expecting?" she asks in confusion.

"The coconut to fall perfectly into my hand without any rhyme or reason." A rogue wind from the sea floats in as I nurse my head. Penelope's drills sway gently in the warm atmosphere. For a second, I get lost in the endless green of her eyes. Her gaze shifts from the sea back to me.

"I can handle the heat. Also, try not to get hit by more coconuts, Charlatan. Although, with how hard-headed you are, it might not make a difference," she says with a sweet smile. Before I can say anything, Professor Stargazer steps out from Daisy Hall.

"Am I interrupting?" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Of course not, Professor. I was actually about to go inside for a quick second," she says, giving me a subtle smirk.

"Ah. This time of year is my favorite. I get to enjoy the sun and teach all of you about magic circles. A specialty of mine. Are you having fun, CJ?" Professor Stargazer asks as she lowers her shaded glasses.

"You could say that." We walk aimlessly towards the beach.

"I may not have much romantic advice, but I will say this. Many sit idly by, scared of what might be. Paralyzed by the fear of moving forward. They lose before they even begin. Their love, lost to time. You should be more upfront. You never know when things might change."

"As wise as ever. Things can change in the blink of a second," I say, remembering the past, twice.

"A little birdy told me you were involved in taking down those Purists. How are you holding up?" She asks something different than last time.

"I'm okay," I [Lie] as I remember the sound of The Chosen Blade stabbing into the back of the man I killed. A small wave blows in from the sea, wetting my feet. Warm, but this time I'm not shocked. The sea foam bubbles away at the sand.

"I know it's difficult to talk about. Even after all these years, I find it hard not to separate my emotions from the memories. They're intertwined like a knot. It's only recently that I've started to pull away at it. You don't have to talk to me, but you should talk to somebody. Getting caught up in the past can easily eat you up," she says, staring at the horizon.

"Sometimes it's not that you can't let go of the past. It's that the past won't let go of you," I say, remembering this very conversation. Professor Stargaze turns towards Daisy Hall with a smile.

"Then you just need to hold onto the future with all your might," she says as she pats me on the shoulder and walks away. I turn to say something only to find Penelope standing there with a long shawl wrapped around her shoulders, wearing the same swimsuit as last time. Damn it! My face heats up as I'm caught off guard. Why is she in that now? I didn't do anything this time… Unless… was she always going to wear this?

"Fashionable as always, Penelope," I say, poorly hiding my embarrassment. A cocky smile graces her lips, causing a warmth to spread in my chest.

"Of course. If I have to wear a swimsuit for chanting practice, I might as well look my best." Even with her overall cocky attitude, she's still red as a tomato. She's expecting more. The first time was easier. I was surprised, but at least I hadn't seen it before. This time though…

"You look stunning, Penelope."

"Of course I do. Well, try to get a good look now. I'm not wearing this in the jungle," she says with a smirk as she walks away. I hate the jungle. Hopper leads the way into the jungle.

"I can't believe there was a tornado. Who knew Adiline was that strong?" I knew. Just like I remembered, Adeline messed up during magic circle practice and interrupted chanting training. Again, like last time, I had an argument with Martin that led to us becoming [Cooking] buds. Even had that conversation with Axel again. So far, nothing has changed. So far.

"She is fairly strong. I can tell from the few times we've interacted, but sadly I would say that it's her personality that's holding her back," Penelope says. That's honestly impressive. As far as I know, Penelope and Adiline have barely even talked, but she has her pegged to a T. What I would expect from the person who can tell when I'm [Lying].

"You're not entirely wrong, but believe me when I say this. My student will soon exit her cocoon as a beautiful butterfly." Penelope and Hopper give me an odd look.

"Are you okay?"

"Focus on finding the waterfall." Hopper shakes his head.

"First Penelope tells me to not ask questions, and now you're being rude to me. Why am I even doing this?" he asks, stopping by a tree.

"Because you're a good friend?" I ask with a smile.

"Because I promised I would help you with your Luna problem," Penelope answers.

"Why was I not consulted on this? What's the problem? You love her. Go confess," I say with a shit-eating grin.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to ask you. It's not that simple. I need to find the right moment and… make it romantic. You know… something that Penelope can help me with."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying? Me, not romantic? Please, I'm the most romantic man around. First you're going to need three thousand roses, a group of musicians, and a properly worded love letter that you will read aloud to her on one knee," I joke.

"This is why I didn't want to ask you." Penelope hides a small smile.

"Let's get back on topic. Did you find the waterfall?"

"Yeah. Well, at least a waterfall. It's over there," he points past the foliage. Pushing past the foliage, I find the very familiar waterfall.

"That's the one. Time to go nab myself a necklace," I say as I sprint past the two of them and right into the water. With ease, I swim under the waterfall and right up to the edge. Pulling myself up, I spot the hidden cavern. Now to take a nice and calming walk. Penelope and Hopper surface from the water.

"Wait for us, CJ. There might be traps," Hopper says as he rushes to catch up with me.

"Oh, please, Hopper. There aren't any-" My foot steps on a plate. Before I can even notice, a bolt sinks straight into my head. As my vision fades, I fall to the ground. Oh, that's not good. Am… I… I'm Dead. Tick. Tock. Soul Damage Detected. Skill <Soul Res. > has removed the Soul Damage. With a shaky breath, I sit up from the sand. My breathing quickens as I feel around my head. What in the fuck?! Why did that happen? There weren't any traps… Something's wrong.

"You're showing signs of stress," Brown chimes in.

"No fucking shit," I say as I look around at the eerily familiar beach.

"Are you okay?" Brown asks in confusion.

"No. Nothing is okay. Brown, do you know anything about dying and coming back-" A sudden and familiar sense of danger comes from behind me as a blue claw rests on my shoulder.

"Man, this is a real bore. You're not supposed to remember. No wonder it ended early. You interrupted my nap. Let's try again. ~Yawn," a woman sleepily says from behind me. Before I can even swing my sword, a crunching sound rips through the air. Looking down, I find my heart in her hand and a hole in my chest. The pain pulses through me as everything begins to fade. That's my… What is… Who… I… I'm Dead.