The sweltering heat had arrived without warning. Just yesterday, Li Xuan had been sipping tea in the cool breeze. Despite a few mishaps, the weather had been pleasant. Who knew it would change so drastically the very next day?
The blazing summer sun hung high in the sky. Li Xuan and the Honkai yuri trio were sprawled languidly on the floor. Even Kiana, usually the most energetic and full of life, wore an expression that screamed 'I'm a salted fish now,' lying listlessly on the slightly cool ground. Outside, the heat warped the light rising from the streets. At a time like this, only the Honkai Zombies and Honkai Beasts were still dutifully patrolling back and forth.
"I miss ice-cold sashimi…" Raiden Mei, the young lady of the massive foreign enterprise ME Corp, reminisced about the days of eating seafood in the summer.
"Ice-cold sashimi… haha…" At her side, Kiana was already drooling, lost in some strange fantasy.
"Sashimi?! I can't get used to uncooked food. Summer is for all kinds of ice cream…" Li Xuan chimed in, fanning himself with a piece of cardboard.
"Fruit ice cream… hehe…" Kiana sank deeper into her strange fantasy, unable to pull herself out.
"Bronya system scan detecting—body temperature is too high… entering sleep mode…" Bronya lay quietly on the floor with her eyes closed, murmuring to herself.
Isn't that just sleeping? Li Xuan thought with a helpless sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"If you're hot, let's go for a swim. It's good exercise and a great way to cool off," Li Xuan said casually. He reached for his cup to take a drink, only to find it was already empty.
"Swimming? …Swimming!" Kiana, who had been playing dead, suddenly sprang back to life. She jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "That's right! Swimming!" She stood with her hands on her hips, her face alight with excitement.
"What is it, Kiana?" Mei asked, looking at the excited Kiana.
"Mei-senpai! Have you forgotten?! Nagazora City is by the sea! We've been there before, right? We even met Seele…" The excited Kiana suddenly realized she had said something she shouldn't have and stopped short. She turned to Bronya, who was still lying quietly, and said apologetically, "Sorry, Bronya… I didn't mean to…"
"It's fine…" Bronya's voice was a little subdued.
"Oh… we can go to the beach right now, can't we?!" Kiana quickly bounced back from the somber mood, her excitement returning.
"You're right!" Mei clapped her hands in realization. "We can go play at the beach, and maybe catch some seafood to eat…"
So, Japanese people really do love their seafood, Li Xuan thought to himself as he listened to the three of them. By the way, who is Seele? Why are they all so reluctant to talk about her?
"But there will be Honkai Zombies at the beach, right? And we'll need swimsuits to go…" Li Xuan reminded them in a timely manner.
"Mondai nai (No problem)!" Mei gave him a thumbs-up. "We made sure to grab a few nice swimsuits when we were out scavenging for supplies." As she spoke, she pulled out a black bikini-style swimsuit from behind her back.
So it was a conspiracy after all. Li Xuan thought. No wonder you guys are always so slow when you gather supplies. You were busy picking out pretty clothes!
"Then let's change into our swimsuits and go to the beach!" Kiana said eagerly. "Oh, and we need to bring weapons!" As she said this, two pistols appeared in her hands: one 'Mjolnir' and the other 'Fairy Bow Silven.' Kiana brazenly holstered the guns at her waist, grabbed Mei with one hand and Bronya's leg with the other, and started dragging them off to change.
"Sorry, Li Xuan, do you have a swimsuit?" Mei asked apologetically, noticing he had been somewhat ignored.
"Uh… I think so?!" Li Xuan smiled, sounding a little unsure.
"As long as you have one, that's fine. Let's hurry," the impatient Kiana urged.
Watching the Honkai yuri trio go inside to change, Li Xuan stood up. But instead of changing, he closed his eyes and mentally connected with the Stigmata hidden under the bandages on the back of his right hand. The red sigil glowed faintly, and the Divine Garb he was wearing—the Xuanyuan Festive Garb—began to transform.
The red-and-gold ceremonial garb slowly shrank and changed amidst the light, turning into a pair of somewhat tacky swim trunks, red with gold-embroidered patterns. It worked! Li Xuan opened his eyes and looked down at his new swim trunks with excitement. This was an ability of his Stigmata that was different from others. This power, 'Divine Garb Control,' allowed him to transform the Divine Garb he was wearing into other forms. However, it had a time limit and consumed a lot of stamina, so he rarely used it.
"Haha, we're ready!" Kiana pushed the door open. The other two girls followed behind her.
"..." Li Xuan stood facing them, completely frozen. The sight of the three girls in their swimwear dealt 100,000 points of damage to the 17-year-old otaku.
Kiana wore a blue and white striped swimsuit that revealed large expanses of her snow-white skin. Her long, slender legs and silver hair made her look as beautiful as a snow elf. Moreover, her chest was at least a B-cup, which came as a surprise to Li Xuan, who hadn't noticed before.
As for Raiden Mei, she wore a mature black bikini that perfectly showcased her stunning figure. Her smooth black hair was tied up in a bun, giving her the aura of a gentle and virtuous wife, which was incredibly alluring. Kiana was already staring at Mei with a fiery gaze.
Bronya, on the other hand, was wearing the world-famous school swimsuit. Her hair was still in its drill-like twin tails. The cuteness was too much for Li Xuan; his powerful right arm was itching for action.
"Alright! Let's go…" Kiana said, wiping drool from the corner of her mouth as she stared at the slightly shy Mei. She then noticed Li Xuan's tacky swim trunks. "Haha, what silly-looking pants…"
Hey, hey, that's enough out of you, Li Xuan thought, covering his face in exasperation.
Under the blue skies of Nagazora City, the silver-bell-like laughter of young girls echoed.