Mei lightly coughed and nudged him gently with her elbow, "Keep your voice down. Team-building is one reason, but the main thing is…"
"I know, it's work." Kevin interrupted her, but his face carried a satisfied smile. "But being able to travel with you is already enough for me."
Hearing this, the tips of Mei's ears turned slightly red, and she turned her face away.
"Don't say that kind of thing here…"
On the other side, Mobius walked toward the hotel they were staying at while listening to Klein's work report.
As she walked into the hotel, her gaze uncontrollably landed on the resort sign that read "Couples Hot Spring Discount."
The image of Van surrounded by several girls flashed through her mind, and the corner of Mobius's mouth lifted into a meaningful smile.
Seeing this, Klein instinctively stepped back.
Because she knew... whenever the doctor showed this kind of smile, someone was bound to have bad luck.
———
Van and the others were chatting as they walked to a quiet corner of the beach.
Tall palm trees cast dappled shadows, just enough to block the scorching sun.
"This spot looks nice, and there aren't many people either. Should we play beach volleyball?" Kiana suggested excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Raiden Mei glanced around. After confirming that there really weren't many people, she also let out a long breath.
It wasn't that Raiden Mei didn't like playing volleyball. She just wasn't used to playing while wearing a swimsuit.
Of course, if the person involved was Van… that was another story.
Thinking of that, Raiden Mei nodded and said, "I also think this place is nice."
After setting up the court, Ivana immediately raised her hand and said, "I want to be on a team with Old man!"
"No!" Sirin instantly objected, "Van should be on my team!"
Raiden Mei gently brushed her long hair and said, "How about we decide the teams by drawing lots?"
Seeing that the mood had been stirred up, Ivana held back a mischievous smile and said, "Or maybe let Old man choose his teammates?"
As soon as Ivana finished her sentence, Van instantly felt five pairs of eyes staring at him in unison.
In response, Van gave a dry laugh and said, "How about… I be the referee?"
"No!" five voices rang out at the same time.
The situation briefly reached a stalemate.
Ivana's eyes spun, and she made another suggestion, "Since Old man can't choose, how about we decide teams by playing a little game?"
"What game?" Sirin asked cautiously.
"It's simple." Ivana smirked and pointed at a coconut tree nearby. "Whoever climbs that coconut tree and picks a coconut first gets to choose teammates first! Of course, no powers allowed~"
Upon hearing that, Kiana immediately rolled up her sleeves and eagerly said, "This is my thing!"
"Wait…" Sirin frowned, "I haven't decided if I want to…"
Before she could finish, Kiana had already sprinted off like a cat, leaping up and climbing the tree trunk in a few swift moves.
Seeing that Kiana had jumped the gun, Sirin snorted coldly and quickly followed.
Raiden Mei hesitated but ultimately chose to stay and watch under the tree.
Ivana directly gave up on competing, lazily leaning on a chair as she looked at Van, "Old man, soon we'll have fresh coconut juice to drink~"
In response, Van helplessly knocked her on the forehead.
In the end, Kiana was the first to pick a coconut and proudly declared, "Hehe~ I'm number one, so I choose Van!"
Sirin jumped down from the tree angrily, "Unfair! You cheated, you started early!"
"A bet's a bet~" Kiana stuck out her tongue.
After the playful fuss, the teams were finally decided.
Kiana, Van, and Raiden Mei on one team; Sirin, Fu Hua, and Ivana on the other.
Seeing Raiden Mei and Kiana on the same team as Van, Sirin puffed her cheeks again, like a swollen pufferfish.
She glared at Kiana's smug smile and silently vowed in her heart, she would definitely teach that dumb white-haired idiot a lesson in this match!
The match began.
Kiana leaped high to serve, her long legs drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
The volleyball sliced through the air, aiming straight for the opposing court.
"Watch this!" Sirin shouted, charging forward to receive the ball with great momentum.
At that very moment, in her mind, Sirin was already fantasizing about punching Kiana, kicking Raiden Mei, and then winning Van's heart.
However, dreams are beautiful, but reality is harsh.
Not only did she fail to receive the ball, but the volleyball also smacked her right in the forehead.
After being hit, Sirin staggered back a few steps and plopped down on the beach.
"Pfft, hahaha!" Kiana laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight. "Sirin, your receiving pose is way too perfect!"
"S-shut up!" Sirin's face turned bright red as she scrambled up, a few grains of sand stuck in her hair.
She angrily glared at Kiana. "That was just a warm-up!"
"Sure, sure~" Kiana made a silly face. "Want me to toss a slow ball next time?"
"I don't need you to go easy!" Sirin jumped up like a puffed-up kitten.
On the side, Van watched the two bicker and shook his head helplessly.
He noticed that although Sirin's mouth was stubborn, the determination in her eyes was real.
This stubborn little girl genuinely wanted to prove herself in the match.
But thinking of Sirin's terrible athletic ability, Van could only silently mourn for her in advance.
The game continued. Fu Hua served the ball.
"Leave it to me!"
Kiana dove for a save, kicking up a spray of fine sand.
Raiden Mei received the pass smoothly, gave it a gentle bump, and the ball drew a perfect arc in the air.
Kiana seized the opportunity and spiked the ball beautifully.
Smack!
"My turn!"
Facing the fierce spike, Ivana shouted loudly but dramatically leapt aside at the last second, letting the ball land on the sand.
"Ivana!"
Fu Hua sighed helplessly and quickly moved up to recover the ball.
She gave it a light bump, and again the ball formed a perfect parabola.
Sirin scrambled to match the spike, but due to poor judgment of angle, the volleyball smacked her on the head again.
"Ugh…" She squatted down, holding her forehead.
"Sirin! Are you okay?" Van hurried over to check on her.
"I-I'm fine! I just… wasn't ready yet!"
Sirin was still blushing from her repeated blunders.
However, when she stood up holding Van's hand, she suddenly felt like… maybe it was worth it.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y