Sunlight spilled over the Sabaody Archipelago, painting the enormous mangroves a warm gold.
Countless bubbles rose from their roots, refracting dreamlike light in the rosy dawn as they drifted slowly upward, finally vanishing into the azure sky.
A large Bubble Car laden with goods hovered unsteadily above the street. The bubble beneath it was squashed flat and distorted, creaking faintly, yet stubbornly supporting the entire load.
Rayleigh pedaled, steering at an unhurried pace. His flip-flops slapped against the pedals, their rhythm as lazy as the man himself.
He struggled to shift the mountainous pile of liquor, bread, vegetables, and fruit to make a little room, then adjusted the glasses on his nose. Their lenses reflected a sheet of gold in the setting sun.
"Squeeze in-" He casually opened a bottle of rum. The cork flew off with a pop and landed in the grass beside the street. He tossed the bottle to Boer behind him. "A delivery for Shakky."
Boer caught the bottle steadily and gently set Carina, whom he had been carrying, on a nearby barrel.
The barrel rocked slightly under her weight. Carina hurriedly gripped its rim, her black stockings gleaming softly in the sunlight.
Boer sat down on the floor, one leg stretched out and the other bent, his left hand resting on his knee, as casual as if he were in his own backyard. He raised the bottle against the mangroves to examine it, then tipped his head back and drank.
He let the liquor linger on his tongue, narrowing his eyes slightly as he savored it.
"Banana and pineapple notes-" He smacked his lips and swallowed. "The sweetness is nicely balanced, too. There's chocolate in the finish."
Rayleigh glanced back, a flicker of surprise passing through the eyes behind his glasses before he grinned.
"You