Kai was at the beach beside Giulio. The two were building sandcastles, competing to see who could make the best one, while Camila, Valença, and Elaris drank orange juice and chatted peacefully.
"I'm still surprised that you agreed to come with us, President Elaris."
"I wanted to take a break from the work I was doing in Astrong, so I simply took the opportunity when they invited me."
'And I also wanted to get closer to you so I could recruit you... If Enrico joined me, I think it would be easier to convince you.'
As she drank her juice, Elaris noticed that Valença was unusually quiet and sighed from time to time.
"You seem to be missing something."
"Yes, I wanted to stroke Enrico's hair... Why did I come here in the first place? I should have gone to meet my future in-laws."
"You admit your feelings so easily that it's actually a little frightening."
They had been staying temporarily at an inn near the beach for a few days and frequently took the opportunity to visit the city of Vesparello. Watching the conversation, Camila decided to change the subject, especially since she wasn't having much luck in love herself.
"Indeed, this city is very beautiful and prosperous. I find it amazing that they care so much about keeping it clean, even down to the smallest details."
Elaris looked at her and replied quite calmly while drinking her own orange juice.
"That makes sense when you consider that the first king was a cleanliness fanatic. He established a rule stating that any citizen who littered the city would be imprisoned for a week. And just so you know, for people from other territories, the punishment is doubled."
"...I need to be more careful."
Camila remembered that she had almost let a piece of paper fall to the ground, but thanks to a premonition, she had ended up keeping it with her.
"Red Ink Magic!"
"Giulio, that doesn't count!"
"It's not my fault you're inattentive and let your guard down!"
Giulio had destroyed Kai's sandcastle. A cut in the sand, the result of his magic, ran through the structure, making the damage he had caused clear. Raising his hand, Giulio celebrated his victory, claiming that since his own castle was still standing, he had won.
"Crescent Slash!"
"Wait, Kai! It's just a game!"
Kai didn't attack Giulio's castle to keep the competition fair. Instead, he went straight after him, forcing him to flee from the slashes launched in his direction. After some time, Giulio ended up on the ground, with the tip of Kai's sword near his throat.
"If this had been a fair sandcastle competition, I would have won. Therefore, I won, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, sir. And I'm sorry."
Kai sheathed his sword and sat down in the sand, still wearing an irritated expression. After all, this was their last day at the beach before returning to their homes and spending the rest of their vacation on their own.
'Only a few minutes left before we part ways. What a shame... Anyway, now it's time to focus on my training for the rest of the vacation.'
He couldn't wait to see Enrico again when the vacation ended and show him his new magic. Of course, he was also eager to learn about the magic his friend had developed during that time.
'There are still two weeks before I see him again, and I'm not the only one in this situation. Valença is like this too.'
Sighing, Kai stood up and, as he turned around, noticed a silhouette approaching in the distance. Focusing his vision, he recognized Enrico, who looked as though he were on the verge of death as he made his way toward the beach. As soon as he arrived, he fell to the ground and raised one hand in celebration, as if he had just completed some extremely important task.
"Enrico!"
"Where?"
As soon as she heard that name, Valença immediately turned around. Upon spotting Enrico lying on the ground, she ran toward him, rushing past Kai, who was also running in his direction. She arrived first, knelt beside him, and immediately placed her hands in his hair, stroking it with a satisfied expression.
"Thank you for the affection, Valença."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Enrico settled down, resting his head on her thighs as he enjoyed the moment. During those three days of running, he had barely managed to rest, so he intended to enjoy this opportunity for as long as possible. He even seemed to have the expression of a lazy cat on his face.
[Have you no shame?]
'I don't care about shame. After these three days, I deserve this.'
With an impassive expression, Enrico continued enjoying the affection. Meanwhile, the others approached, surprised to see him there. Camila was the first to ask a question.
"Why did you come here, Enrico?"
"My father sent me to visit Vesparello, the homeland of my ancestors, as part of a test. So, I came."
"Did your father really send you here as part of a test?"
Enrico nodded and turned slightly so that Valença could stroke the other side of his hair. It was then that he noticed Elaris standing nearby. The elf looked at him and clicked her tongue.
"Tsk! I thought you had come because you had finally agreed to become my subordinate."
"I only have one leader. So, you'd have to talk to her first."
"Well... I guess I have no choice but to ask Serenya to share you with me."
Elaris didn't like the idea of sharing her subordinates and didn't even know whether Serenya would accept such a proposal, considering her personality. However, she really wanted to have Enrico's potential at her disposal, and since she knew convincing him wouldn't be easy, she needed to at least try.
'Tsk! I should have arrived earlier, when he was still overweight.'
Kai, who had fallen onto the sand when Valença pushed him to the ground to reach Enrico, finally stood up with an irritated expression.
"Hey, Valença, why did you push me? I wanted to talk to him too!"
"I don't care. When it comes to Enrico, I'll always be ahead of you. No man will get past me!"
"Whaaaat? Then, if I become a woman, I can do that too, right?"
Everyone decided to ignore Kai's words, except for Valença, who felt threatened. She hugged Enrico protectively, holding him close to her body while shooting a murderous glare in Kai's direction.
"Don't get any ideas, Kai! Remember that I'm your childhood friend, so stay out of my love life!"
"I don't care! Enrico still owes me several rematches, so I'll get ahead of anyone who tries to stop me!"
'I think Kai is interpreting things the wrong way.'
Giulio shook his head at the unnecessary argument. It was then that he noticed Enrico tense up as he looked upward. Intrigued, he raised his eyes and saw Angela flying toward them, an expression of displeasure on her face.
"Young Master, we still have many matters to resolve, and you've come here to have fun?"
"I'm sorry, Angela. It was urgent."
Enrico began to float in the air under the effect of Angela's magic, while Valença looked disappointed when she realized he would have to leave.
"Forgive me, but I'll have to take him with me immediately. Goodbye, students."
Angela immediately disappeared with Enrico, leaving everyone stunned, especially Kai, who hadn't even managed to have a proper conversation with his rival.
"Damn it!"