Paint & Treble: Reverse Side Canvas
	Chapter 5 - Discovered
	Written by: CS-Masyet
	Previous version: May 4, 2011 Uploaded on: April 12, 2017

Tear

Tear   W-what should I do...?

Despite it almost being October, it was really sunny and hot at the beach today. No one else seemed to mind it, but to me it was absolutely unbearable; especially since I was still wearing my sweatshirt. Even though I spent most of the day sitting in the shade, I ended up getting heatstroke.

Tear   Even if I take a shower, Ail still might stop me from wearing my sweatshirt... If that happens, then...

I heard Ail turn on the shower on his side.

Tear   T-there's no time to think about that now! If I don't hurry up and turn on the water, Ail might think something's wrong...

I took off my clothes as fast as I could, with what little energy I had left. I took the time to hang my sweatshirt on the door, but I decided to just leave the rest of my clothes under the stool on the floor.

Tear   J-just in case, I'll still leave this on...

I entered the shower area of the stall and turned on the water.

Tear   Aaah... The water feels so nice and cool...

Even though the water was doing a good job at cooling me down, it didn't make me feel as better as I'd hoped.

Tear   This isn't good... He definitely won't let me wear my sweatshirt now...

Tear   There's no way I can leave at the same time as Ail... I have to wait for him to leave first...

I took as much time as I could to shower, but even though I was there for a while, Ail still hadn't finished yet.

Tear   Why is he taking so long? The water feels nice, but...

It was just after that thought that Ail decided to finally finish showering.

 Ail   "Hey, you doing okay? You still not done in there?"

Tear   "U-um, not yet... B-but I'm feeling a bit better now, so you can go back without me."

 Ail   "You sure? This is kind of a big place, so you might get lost. Especially in your condition."

Tear   "I-I'll be fine. D-don't worry about me..."

 Ail   "Alright, if you insist... See you back at the room, then."

I then heard Ail leave the room.

Tear   Good, he's gone...

Tear   I feel strangely guilty about this... I'm sorry, Ail...

I turned off the water and left the showering area of the stall. I grabbed the towel on top of the stool to dry myself off, then put on the clothes that I'd left on the floor.

Tear   Alright, all that's left is to put on my sweatshir-...

All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my head, and all of the heat from before returned to it as well.

Tear   "O-ow... W-why did it c-come back...?"

I started to become dizzy, making it hard to see and even move around.

Tear   "W-where... M-my sweatshirt..."

I reached out and managed to grab it, but...

WHAM!

... I ended up falling over on my side, colliding with and opening the stall door on the way down.

Tear   "O-ouch..."

I felt myself slowly losing consciousness.

Tear   "N-no... I-I need to p-put it o-on... O-or everyone w-will found out... M-my s-secre-..."

~~

Ail   "Tear, what's the meaning of this...?!"

Tear   "N-no! U-um, I can e-explain; I..."

Ail   "Explain what?! You lied to me! You lied to everyone!"

Tear   "I-I'm sorry! I-I really am! P-please forgive me!"

Ail   "I'll never forgive you for this! I can't believe I accepted someone like you as my friend! You deserve to be punished!"

Tear   "N-no, please..."

Tear   "NOOO!!!"

~~

Tear   "AHHH!!!"

I screamed, all of a sudden feeling rather groggy. My head was hot, and my eyesight was blurry. I had apparently sat up, while surrounded by something really soft. It took me a while, but I realized I had been laying in a bed.

Tear   "O-oh... So that was all a dream..."

???   "So, you're finally awake, huh?"

When I had managed to regain my eyesight, I saw one other person in the room with me. It was Tech, sitting at a desk at the other end of the room with his laptop.

Tear   "W-what happened? Why am I here...?"

Tech   "You apparently passed out in the shower room. I was the one who found you in that state, so I'm also the one who brought you here."

Tech explained while still typing on his computer, not even bothering to face me while speaking.

Tear   "You brought me here?"

Tech   "That's right. I originally went there to take a shower myself, but since I've been watching over you this whole time, I never got a chance to."

Tear   "O-oh... Sorry..."

Tech   "Whatever, it's water under the bridge. Honestly though; if you didn't want anyone to see you without your sweatshirt on, you shouldn't have come to the beach in the first place."

Tear   "W-well, it wasn't really something I could avoi-..."

At that moment, I realized something was wrong.

Tear   "W-wait, my sweatshirt...!? W-where is..."

Without saying anything, or even looking away from his laptop, Tech pointed toward the bed I was sitting in. I looked behind me, and saw my sweatshirt hanging off one of the sides of the headboard. I immediately grabbed it and embraced it.

Tear   I-if he brought me here while I wasn't wearing this, he must've seen... A-and he most likely told everyone...

Tear   "D-does this mean... T-they all know now...?"

Tech   "About what?"

Tear   Eh? H-he didn't notice!?

Tear   "U-um, never mind. I-it's nothing..."

Tech   "In case you're wondering, once I brought you here I made Mac sleep in Ail's room, and haven't let anyone in since. So, at this moment..."

He stopped typing, and turned to face me.

Tech   "... I'm the only one here who knows you're actually a girl."

Tear   "E-EEHHHH!?"

Tear   "U-uh, what? Girl...? I-I don't know what you mea-..."

Tech   "I don't know any guys that have breasts."

Tear   "W-wha?!"

Realizing the blanket was no longer covering my chest, I nervously lifted it up to cover myself.

Tear   "..."

Tech   "You don't need to worry, though. I won't tell anyone what I saw."

Tear   "R-really!?"

Tech   "Yeah. I have no idea why you're hiding your gender, but it's none of my business, so I'll try to forget about it."

Tear   "Y-you really won't tell anyone at all...?"

Tech   "You aren't doing this to try and cause trouble for anyone, are you?"

Tear   "O-of course not!"

Tech   "Then my lips are sealed. Fortunately for you, everyone else seems to think you're just an effeminate boy, so I don't think they've become suspicious of you yet. But if something like this happens again, you may not be so lucky next time."

Tear   "Y-yeah, I know..."

Tech   "You should be especially careful of Ail, since he's your roommate. You've become rather close to him as well, haven't you?"

Tear   Ail...

Tech   "Or maybe... you should just tell him the truth?"

Tear   "I-I can't..."

Tech   "Fine then, do whatever you want. It's not my problem, anyways."

Tear   I-it's not that I don't want to tell him... I-I just... c-can't put him in danger like that...

Tech   "Alright then, you should go back to sleep. You've already been sleeping for almost half a day already, but you're going to need more rest. Heatstroke isn't something you should take lightly."

Tear   "O-okay..."

Tech   "I'll make sure no one comes in until you wake up again, so don't worry about someone finding out about your secret while you're sleeping."

Tear   "O-oh, thanks..."

Tech made no further response, going back to typing on his computer. I layed back down on one of the pillows, trying to fall back asleep.

Tear   I can't believe my secret was almost discovered... I just made it here, I-I can't fail already. I-I have to pull through to the end, for her sake!

I hugged my sweatshirt closer to me.

Tear   P-please, give me strength, Nana...

--

 Tech   "What are you doing? I told you not to come in here."

 Ail   "It's been forever! I want to see how Tear's doing!"

 Tech   "He's still sleeping. Let him rest."

 Ail   "Is he getting any better?"

 Tech   "Yeah. The color on his face has mostly returned to normal..."

 Ail   "Let me in. I want to see him."

 Tech   "Are you deaf?! What did I just tell you?"

 Ail   "I'm just going to look at him. I'm not going to touch him or anything."

 Tech   "Why are so concerned about him, anyway? It doesn't seem like you."

 Ail   "Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

 Tech   "Sheesh, calm down... What're you getting so upset about?"

 Ail   "... He reminds me of someone... Someone from the past. So I can't just leave him alone..."

 Tech   "Really? Someone from the past, huh..."

 Ail   "J-jeez, why am I even telling you this!? Let me through, dang it!"

Tear   "U-uhn..."

Tech   "Nice going, Ail. Your yelling woke him up."

Ail   "D-don't blame this on me..."

I woke up and sat up out of bed. When I noticed Ail was in the room, I immediately grabbed the covers to prevent them from falling below my chest again.

Ail   "Are you feeling okay, Tear?"

Tear   "Y-yeah, a lot better. Thanks, Ail."

Ail   "Is there anything you need?"

Tear   "W-well, um..."

My stomach started growling.

Tear   "I-I could use some food. I'm pretty hungry."

Tech   "Makes sense. You've been asleep for a while."

Tear   "Do you know if Barry's making us breakfast?"

Ail   "Breakfast? It's already 2 in the afternoon."

Tear   "A-already!?"

Ail   "Yeah. But I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask him to make you something. Are you alright to get out of bed right now?"

Tear   "Y-yes, but can you give me some time to change first?"

Ail   "Change? Just throw on your sweatshirt and you'll be all set..."

Tear   "Actually, I'm kind of sweaty, so I'd like to change my shirt, too..."

Ail   "Your bag is still in our room. Did you pack some extra shirts in there?"

Tear   "Uh, yeah..."

Ail   "Alright. Go get it and change so we can go see Chef Boy."

Tear   "O-oka-..."

Tear   ... Wait a minute! If my stuff was already here, I could just ask Ail to leave the room so I could change, but if I get up now to get my things...!

Tech   "... If you're going to have to wait anyways, wouldn't it be easier if you went to ask Barry yourself while he changes?"

Ail   "W-what? Why do I...?"

Tear   "C-could you, Ail? Please? I-if it's not too much trouble..."

Ail sighed.

Ail   "Ugh... fine. I'll be back in a bit."

Apparently not happy to have to ask Barry for a favor by himself, Ail groaned and left the room.

Tear   I'm sorry, Ail...

Tech   "It'd be pointless for you to put on your sweatshirt to leave the room, only for you to take it off again to change. So I'll get your stuff for you."

Tear   "O-oh, thank you. And for before, too..."

Tech   "... Don't mention it..."

--

Once Tech brought me my bag and left the room, I changed my shirt and put back on my sweatshirt.

Tear   "Phew... I finally have this on again. Even after what just happened, I love how warm it feels..."

 Tech   "I'm assuming that means you're done changing, then?"

Tear   "U-uh, yeah. You can come in now..."

Tech entered the room, eyeing me curiously.

Tech   "You don't feel too hot with that on?"

Tear   "A-actually, it's the opposite. I've been wearing this for so long, I almost feel naked without it..."

Tech   "Thanks for that mental image..."

Tear   "E-eh!?"

Tech   "Anyway, you're all set in here, right? There's a lot of work I need to get done, and I'd prefer to do it without anyone else around, if possible."

Tear   "O-oh right, of course. Thanks for all of your hel-..."

All of a sudden, I heard a knock on the door.

Tear   "Is that you, Ail? You can come in..."

I opened the door for Ail, who then entered the room. But to my surprise, someone else entered as well...

Tear   "H-huh!?"

???   "Greetings, comrade!"

Tear   "B-Barry?! Why...?"

Ail   "Chef Boy insisted on seeing how you were doing for some reason..."

Barry   "Naturally! Is it not normal to worry about your comrade if they suddenly become ill?"

Tear   "I'm feeling a bit better now. T-thanks for worrying about me, Barry."

Barry   "That's wonderful news! It's already unfortunate that you could not enjoy the breakfast the Master Chef had made this morning; he would not want you to miss this night's event as well!"

Ail   "Event? What event?"

Barry   "The Master Chef is talking about the cave expedition, of course!"

Ail   "Cave expediti-... Oh, you mean that Grit Cave tour?"

Barry   "That's exactly right, comrade! The Master Chef put a lot of work into preparing for it, so he guarantees that it'll be an exciting and memorable experience for all!"

Ail   "Sure... Whatever you say, Chef Boy..."

Barry   "Anyway, Ail here told the Master Chef that you would like something to eat. Would you like the Master Chef to make anything in particular, or do you prefer to wait until he finishes preparing lunch for everyone?"

Tear   "U-um, when are you making lunch?"

Barry   "Well, it is already past 2 in the afternoon... The Master Chef supposes right now would be a good time to start cooking, actually."

Tear   "Alright, I guess I'll wait for that, then..."

Barry   "Are you certain? Very well. It is a bit cloudy at the moment, but you should still not be outside for very long in your condition. Not until you've eaten, anyway. It would be best if you waited in your room until the Master Chef is done."

Tear   "O-okay, I'll wait here, then. Thanks again for your concern."

Barry   "Think nothing of it! And with that, the Master Chef shall take his leave to begin lunch preparations!"

Barry left the room, heading to the area that he had made food at yesterday. I glanced over at Tech, sitting at his computer, typing away as always.

Tear   He's been patiently waiting all this time... I should probably leave this room too...

Deciding that I didn't want to bother Tech any further, I grabbed my bag and quietly left the room, Ail following behind me.

Tear   "He's such a nice guy."

Ail   "Who? Chef Boy?"

Tear   "Yeah. I'm glad we have his help to defeat the monsters."

Ail   "Oh, really...? If you like him so much, why don't you try making friends with him?"

Tear   "Making friends? With Barry...?"

Tear   ... A-as much as I'd like to, with the way things are now... I-I just can't...

Ail   "Is something wrong?"

Tear   "N-no, it's nothing. I'm fine..."

Ail   "Oh, okay then..."

--

After waiting in our room for about a half hour, Betty came by and told everyone that was in the building that the food had finished being prepared. I headed outside immediately after hearing that, as I was still really hungry. When I had got there, almost everyone was there already, so I didn't have to wait very long for the rest to arrive.

Barry   "Welcome, everyone! Star Beach is home to a great variety of fish, so the Master Chef thought it was a fine idea to catch and prepare some for today's lunch! The Master Chef has done his best to grill them to perfection, so he hopes you all enjoy!"

Betty   "Ooh, it smells wonderful, Master Chef! I can't wait to try some of it!"

Chelsea   "I hope you made a lot of it chef guy, 'cause I'm totally ready to stuff my face!"

Mac   "Let's dig in, buds!"

With Betty's help, Barry set down all of the food at one of the tables. Along with the fish, there was also some grilled corn and onions as well. We all took what we wanted and took a seat at the other table, which already had forks and knives set down for us.

Tear   "I kind of feel sorry for them..."

Ail   "What, the fish?"

Ail asked, taking a seat next to me.

Tear   "Yeah, the fish..."

Ail   "Then why did you take one...?"

Tear   "I'm really hungry, and I don't think corn is going to be enough to fill me up."

Ail   "What about the onions?"

Tear   "I don't like onions..."

Ail   "It's not Chef Boy's fault you're picky."

Tear   "T-that's not what I..."

Tear   "... Oh, never mind..."

I looked down at my fish, trying to cut it with my fork and knife.

Tear   There's so many bones... How can I possibly take them all out? What if I accidentally swallow one...?

I looked over at Ail, him effortlessly taking out all of the bones while eating the fish.

Tear   "H-how are you doing that!?"

Ail   "What, eating the fish?"

Tear   "Y-yeah, I'm having a lot of trouble with it..."

Ail   "It's easy. You take your fork, jab it into a piece of fish, and bring it up to your mouth..."

Tear   "I-I know how to eat food! I'm talking about the bones!"

Ail   "Heh, I know; I'm just messing with you. I ate a lot of fish before coming to Neturus High, so I'm used to this. Do you want me to help you?"

Tear   "I-if you wouldn't mind..."

I watched Ail take my plate and use my fork and knife to remove all of the bones.

Tear   "T-the poor fishy..."

Ail   "What was that? 'Fishy'...?"

Tear   "Um, n-nothing! It's nothing! I-I didn't say anything!"

Ail   "Suuure, whatever you say..."

While Ail was still busy with my fish, I decided to try the corn that I'd grabbed as well.

Tear   Hey, this corn tastes really good! Almost the best I've ever eaten, even!

Betty   "Hey girls, did I ever tell you about an amazing dream I had about the Master Chef?"

Ally   "An amazing dream about the Master Chef? It, like, must be pretty special, then! Do tell, girl!"

Relly   "Yeah, like, do like, tell, girl~☆!"

Betty   "Well, in the dream, I was preparing a delicious dish with the Master Chef, when all of a sudden the food came alive and gobbled me up!"

Tear   She must be talking about the monster we fought the other day. So she thinks it was a dream?

I could see Ail's and Barry's rather uncomfortable reactions to what Betty had said.

Betty   "But then, the Master Chef heroically and valiantly slayed the monster and saved me!"

Ally   "Like, no way! What a crazy dream, girl!"

Relly   "Like, wow! I, like, totally had a dream like that, like, too, girl!☆"

Betty   "Really?! What a coincidence!"

Ally   "Like, I wonder what made you both have the same dream? And, like, why didn't I have it, too...?"

All of a sudden, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me, and saw that it was Barry.

Barry   "Pardon me. I wish to speak with you about something, Tear."

Tear   "E-eh? With me?"

Barry   "It's rather urgent. Would you please accompany me back to the beach house?"

He told me in a quiet voice, as if he didn't want the others to overhear him.

Tear   Why does he look so serious? And the way he's talking sounds kind of strange...

Ail   "What's the matter? What do you need to see Tear alone for all of a sudden, Chef Boy?"

Barry   "You can come along as well if you'd like, but please hurry. It's very important."

Ail   "I don't really get it, but whatever... Let's go, Tear."

Tear   "B-but I haven't finished eating yet..."

Ail   "You can finish it later. C'mon."

Leaving some of my food behind, I followed Barry and Ail to the beach house.

Ail   "... Tear, why did you bring the corn with you?"

Tear   "It tastes really good... I didn't want to leave it behind..."

Barry   "The Master Chef is flattered that you are that fond of it comrade, but now is not the time to appreciate his cuisine..."

Ail   "So, what do you want then, Chef Boy?"

Barry   "I would like to know how Tear is feeling at the moment."

Tear   "U-uh, are you talking about my heatstroke? I'm feeling a bit better, I guess..."

Barry   "Hm... I hope this doesn't cause any problems..."

Ail   "Hey, it's pretty obvious that something's on your mind. You mind filling us in?"

Barry   "It's just... What Betty said reminded me of why I invited you both to the barbeque in the first place..."

Ail   "The reason you invited us to the barbeque...?"

Tear   Wait...

Barry   "You heard what Ms. Reachet told us, right? We must stay together as much as possible. The Master Chef is planning on being away for the whole weekend, so if a monster were to appear while you two are still here..."

Tear   "Ahhh! That's right!"

Ail   "W-wha! What's with the sudden shouting?!"

Tear   "A-are you worried that I might not feel well enough to help fight any monsters that might appear, Barry?"

Barry   "Precisely. The Master Chef is glad that you finally understood."

Ail   "That's right... I completely forgot about that..."

Tear   "B-but I'll be okay! So you don't need to worry. U-uh, probably..."

Ail   "Wow, that sounds encouraging..."

Barry   "The Master Chef shall take your word for it, comrade. But hopefully, we won't have to worry about another monster encounter during our time together her-..."

 ???   "EEEEEKKK!!!"

Suddenly, almost everyone came rushing into the beach house in a panic.

Betty   "M-M-Master Chef, i-it's terrible!"

Barry   "W-what's the matter?! What happened?"

Chelsea   "M-M-Mac... A-and the w-water... A-a-and Mac w-was...!"

Ail   "Calm down! I can't understand a word you're saying!"

Tech   "... Something came out of the water suddenly and pulled Mac into the ocean. We all ran here to seek shelter from... whatever that thing was."

Ail   "W-what?! Seriously!?"

Tear   I-is it a monster? So one really did show up!?

Chelsea   "T-Tech! How can you be so calm at a time like this...?!"

Tech   "Well, none of us will be able to do anything if we keep panicking, will we?"

Ally   "L-like, what'll we do, Master Chef?!"

Relly   "Y-yeah, l-like, what'll we, l-like, do, Master Chef!?☢☣</3☠"

Barry   "Don't fret, ladies; leave this to the Master Chef and his comrades! The rest of you stay here where it's safe!"

Betty   "B-be careful, Master Chef...!"

Ail   "Alright guys, let's go!"

--

We left the beach house and ran toward the ocean as fast as we could. When we got there, we saw a strange lump of some clear liquid floating on the water, but it wasn't really doing much else. It was surprisingly... calm. Almost disturbingly so...

Tear   "U-um, so is that the monster...?"

Ail   "Most likely. It feels kind of strange..."

Barry   "'Feels'...?"

Ail   "I-it's nothing. Anyway, we need to do something to get its attention, before it's too late for Mac..."

Tear   "W-what should we do?"

Ail   "Hm..."

After thinking of what to do for a bit, Ail suddenly looked over in my direction, and began to look at me strangely.

Tear   "U-uh, what is it?"

Ail   "..."

All of a sudden, Ail grabbed the corn out of my hand.

Tear   "W-whuh?! Hey!"

Ail   "This could work... Eat this!"

Ail stretched his arm, the one that was holding the corn, then flung the corn at the strange blob in the ocean.

Tear   "M-my corn!"

Ail   "Don't be a drama queen."

Barry   "Excuse me, Ail! The Master Chef does not tolerate the act of wasting food in such a manner!"

 ???   "ROOAAaaa..."

We suddenly felt some vibrations coming from the water.

Ail   "It wasn't a waste. I think it's working..."

Then, the strange liquid rose up, now towering above us as it splashed water all around it. Even though we were still pretty far from it, I still got a little bit wet.

Ail   "... See? Told you."

 Liquid Monster   "RROOAAARR!!!"

Barry   "Inside the monster... I see Mac!"

Tear   "And my corn..."

Ail   "Would you get over the stupid corn already...?"

Barry   "You look to be a fearsome foe, monster, but... You shall be no match for the Master Chef! Especially when you attempt to bring harm to one of his guests!"

Barry   "Culinary!"

Barry took out his spatula, all ready to battle the monster.

Tear   "Mac is still inside that monster, Barry. Be careful not to hurt him..."

Barry   "Worry not, comrade! The Master Chef has got this under control!"

Ail   "Yeah, I have such high hopes for you after the last battle..."

Barry   "The Master Chef has yet to show you both his true power! Behold, comrades!"

He held his spatula out in front of him with both of his hands, putting on a more serious face.

Barry   "Art of the Master Chef..."

Barry   "... Hot Shot!"

Barry shot a ball of fire from his spatula, causing the monster to cry out upon being hit. It didn't seem to do much to it, though.

Ail   "So much for 'true power'..."

Tear   "W-well, that monster seems to be made of water, so it makes sense that fire doesn't really hurt it... Can you do more than shoot fire, Barry?"

Barry   "Unfortunately, at the moment, the Master Chef cannot. He may be able to do more damage to it if there was a way to get closer to the monster..."

Tear   "It's too bad that none of us have any water-related powers. It would make this so much easier if at least one of us did..."

Ail   "..."

Tear   What are we going to do? It was hard enough to think a way to beat the monster last time, but we can't even do this the same way as before... Not with all the water there...

Tear   ... Wait, what if we think about it the other way around, and use the water to our advantage?

Tear   "That's it!"

Barry   "Hm!? What is it? Have you thought of a way to defeat this monster, comrade?"

Tear   "W-well, I mean, even though it's the ocean, it's still water, right? That means it can be frozen!"

Barry   "Are you saying you have the power to do something like that?!"

Tear   "U-uh yeah, although I've never actually tried using it before..."

Barry   "The Master Chef has full confidence in you! Go for it, comrade!"

Tear   "U-um, okay..."

Tear   "P-Paint!"

I took out my paintbrush, and pointed it toward the monster.

Tear   Now, concentrate on the brush... Imagi-...

Barry   "L-look out, comrade!"

 Liquid Monster   "RROOAAARR!!!"

Before I could finish my incantation, the monster roared and began to charge power in its mouth.

Tear   I-it's aiming that right at me! D-did it realize what I was about to do?!

Before I had time to run, it shot a large glob of water-like fluid toward where I was standing. I instinctively braced myself.

Tear   I-it's too late...

 Ail   "Treble!"

Instead of being hit by the monster's attack, I heard a sharp pining sound above my head instead. I looked up, and saw Ail front of me, holding his sword above his head.

Ail   "You alright, Tear?"

Tear   "Y-yeah. Thanks, Ail..."

Ail   "Do what you need to do. I'll cover you!"

Tear   "Okay. T-thanks!"

Tear   Concentrate, and imagine... purple!

Tear   "Purple Paint!"

I swung my brush, shooting purple paint at the ocean, creating a path of ice between the sand and the monster.

Barry   "Ail, cut the monster in half with your sword to separate it from Mac! Leave it to me to finish it off!"

Ail   "Alright!"

Using the path I'd created, Ail ran toward the monster. Before it could react, Ail jumped in the air and sliced its head in two.

Barry   "Art of the Master Chef..."

Once Ail had finished his job, Barry began to walk along the path slowly, while charging power in his spatula.

Barry   "... Roast, foul beast! Jalapeño Cannon!"

Aiming at its falling head, Barry shot at it with a much larger ball of fire than before, incinerating it.

 Liquid Monster   "RRRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!"

It roared one last time, before its body began to fall apart, destroying the icy path in the process.

Barry   "Huzzah, the monster has been vanquished! All in a day's work for the Master Chef and his comrades!"

Tear   "O-oh no, I think Mac's still unconscious! He might drown in there!"

Barry   "Wha!?"

Ail   "Leave it to me!"

Using the remaining bits of the icy path, Ail leaped into the ocean to look for Mac.

Tear   Ail...

In almost no time at all, Ail returned to the surface, holding Mac on his back. He brought him ashore and laid him down face up on the sand.

Barry   "Oh, thank goodness!"

Tear   "W-wow, good job, Ail! You really are a good swimmer!"

Ail   "Yeah..."

Tear   "E-eh?"

Ail stared off at the ocean, with an expression on his face I hadn't ever seen before.

Tear   "U-um, Ail?"

Ail   "... Mac's doing okay. But we should still bring him back to the beach house to rest."

Ail grabbed Mac again and began dragging him back to the beach house, Barry eventually deciding to help him.

Tear   Ail, what's wrong? What happened that made you so sad...?

End of Chapter 5

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Writer's Comments:

I can't believe it! It's finally done! I started this last month intending to finish it then, but because I ended up being preoccupied with so much other stuff lately, this got put on hold sooo many times... But I finally managed to finish it! Yay.

Now, for anyone who read the previous version of this chapter, you may be surprised that Tech found out that Tear was a girl instead of Ail. Why did I change it? Well... you'll see. Why did I bring up that question if I'm not even going to answer it? Who knows! I'll tell you this though; I didn't do it for no reason, that's for sure. It'll be important later, I promise!

I know this chapter ended kind of weird, but I think it went better than last time. To be honest, I'm not really fond of the previous version's outro; I thought it sounded kind of awkward.

Anyway, there's some more stuff I want to take care of before May rolls around, as I won't really have time to do things that month. So, until next time... bye, I guess.

- CS-Masyet