High winds and rough seas.
The sea surface was churning with furious waves, and crashing against the shore.
It was August, and the Polynesian islands were one of the origins of hurricanes in Europe and America. Under the influence of the hurricane, the waves were even tens of meters high.
Under such conditions, even fishermen who had grown up by the sea their entire lives were unwilling to go out to sea, but at this moment, two figures, carrying surfboards, stood before the sea.
"Extreme challenges are too dangerous. You won't be able to come back if you go surfing in this kind of environment."
At the last moment, the female coach still couldn't help but try to dissuade the two, wanting Natsuki and Yukino to give up the extreme challenge.
Of course.
The two naturally couldn't give up.
It concerned the mission reward, so it had to be completed.
Moreover, the current waves were a near-death experience for ordinary people, but for players, they were not that dangerous.
"Coach, stop talking…" Natsuki said faintly, "I'm charging for love."
"Eh?"
Natsuki pointed at Yukino, speaking nonsense with a straight face:
"She's a passionate surfing enthusiast. She said before that she'd only be willing to date me if I accompanied her through the Water Spirit Challenge, so I'm charging for love."
Yukino: "…"
Shameless!
It has nothing to do with me!
Playing with the coach with your eyes open, doesn't your conscience hurt?!
Yukino took a deep breath, not wanting to waste her breath explaining, and walked towards the sea with her surfboard:
"Let's finish the challenge quickly."
Natsuki turned and waved to Chika and the others, "We'll be back soon."
Moeha cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly:
"Go, Natsuki-kun! And Yukino-san, please come back safely!"
Sayu: "Natsuki-kun, go early and return early."
Haruno: "Natsuki-kun, take good care of Yukino. I'll give you a reward when you come back."
"…"
A moment later.
Natsuki and Yukino walked to the sea.
The cold seawater rolled over their feet, exceptionally chilly.
"Yukino, wait a moment." Natsuki took out an underwater breathing mask and handed it to Yukino, "Use this, just in case."
Yukino looked down at it and shook her head:
"No need."
Natsuki stopped and said, "Take it quickly. Safety first. It didn't seem like much from a distance just now, but now I realize that waves tens of meters high are indeed a bit scary."
The height of a six-story building is only twenty meters. An ordinary person jumping from the sixth floor would likely be in serious trouble.
And when surfing, one might accidentally be swept into the sea by a wave. Being hit by seawater as high as a six-story building is not a water festival, but a heavy punch that can instantly make one's head dizzy and disoriented. Yukino's physical fitness is decent, not as frail as an ordinary person, but if she were swept into the sea by a giant wave, she would probably be dizzy and disoriented for a while, so a breathing mask is very necessary.
Yukino bit her lip slightly: "Then what about you?"
Natsuki smiled upon hearing that:
"Yukino is concerned about me?"
Yukino slightly averted her pretty face: "You're thinking too much. I just don't want Moeha and the others to be sad."
"Don't worry." Natsuki said gently, "I can Time Stop, so I can completely adjust my posture. A breathing mask is more useful for you."
"…"
Yukino was silent for two seconds, then silently took the underwater breathing mask.
"However…" Natsuki suddenly changed the topic, "Time Stop can only be used for three seconds, which is too short. Being swept into the sea is still super dangerous, there's no hundred percent safety."
"Huh?"
Yukino tilted her head slightly and looked over, keenly noticing that Natsuki seemed to have other intentions.
Natsuki didn't beat around the bush and shamelessly said:
"So before the extreme challenge, if Yukino is willing to kiss me, then I'll have no regrets."
Yukino bit her teeth and turned to leave, saying:
"…Don't even think about it!"
They were about to continue the extreme challenge, and he still wanted to take advantage of her. Do boys really only have lewd in their heads?!
Natsuki stepped to follow:
"Then I'll take a step back, a hug is fine too."
Yukino: "…Shut up!"
"…"
After finishing a set of warm-up exercises, the two of them, holding their surfboards, officially began the challenge.
They hadn't truly felt it on the shore, but now, actually entering the sea, they genuinely experienced the terrifying power of the wind and waves. In the face of nature's immense strength, even a player seemed incredibly small.
Fortunately, Natsuki and Yukino had excellent mental fortitude, showing no panic or cowardice. They rode their boards, dodging waves while looking for opportunities.
A moment later.
A massive wave, nearly thirty meters high, appeared on the sea, its momentum so grand it seemed to threaten to overturn the entire sky.
"Yukino! Now!" Natsuki shouted a reminder.
"Understood." Yukino took a deep breath, her body tensing, preparing for everything.
Two small figures headed against the giant wave, moving in reverse.
Boom!
The wave crashed down, and the entire sea instantly turned white, directly engulfing Natsuki and Yukino's figures, leaving no trace.
A moment later.
Splash.
Yukinoshita, wearing a breathing mask, emerged from the sea and began to turn her head, searching for Natsuki's whereabouts.
After searching all around, she didn't see any sign of Natsuki, and Yukino's heart involuntarily tightened.
Even though she knew Natsuki wouldn't easily get into trouble, the emotion of worry instantly consumed her entire heart.
Yukino bit her silver teeth, just about to dive into the sea to search, when suddenly a soft splash sounded beside her, and a figure emerged.
"Cough, cough..." Natsuki spit out the seawater from his mouth and loudly complained:
"I had bad luck just now; I encountered an undercurrent in the sea. It was hard to break free... Was the challenge completed?"
"Not yet." Seeing Natsuki appear, Yukino quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the wind and waves were about to separate the two of them, she instinctively reached out and grabbed Natsuki's right hand.
"Hmm?" Natsuki was startled, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. He then unceremoniously moved closer and pulled Hiranoshita into his arms.
"You... let go of me!" Yukino's pretty face flushed slightly, and she bit her silver teeth, about to struggle.
"Don't move around." Natsuki held her tightly and shamelessly said, "The giant wave is coming again. Let's get through this first."
"..." Yukino looked up, and another wave, lasting more than ten seconds, roared towards them, crashing down on their heads.
Seeing this, Yukino immediately gave up struggling, letting Natsuki hold her, and the two of them submerged into the sea together.
The situation was urgent, so holding her for a while... it didn't matter.
The giant wave crashed down.
With an unparalleled force acting on her body, Yukino felt as if she had been thrown into a washing machine. Her body involuntarily tumbled, and in an instant, she lost all sense of direction. The entire world was dim and cold.
However, in the dimness and coldness, the warmth from Natsuki's body was exceptionally clear.
When she was just swept into the sea by the wind and waves, she was alone. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, panic and tension still inevitably surged.
But at this moment, being held in Natsuki's arms, tumbling together in the sea, her heart was inexplicably calm.
In a daze, Yukino recalled the dungeon they had cleared together a long time ago.
Blizzard Mountain Villa.
At that time, it was only their second meeting. In that bone-chilling villa, even fire was useless; only from Natsuki's body could she draw warmth. The warmth now was exactly the same as then.
Splash!
Natsuki emerged from the sea, holding Yukinoshita.
"Ptooey..." Natsuki spit out some seawater, looked around, then released Yukinoshita: "Let's continue the challenge."
"Mm." Yukino softly responded, quickly collecting her thoughts, preparing to face the extreme challenge again.
A moment later.
Another giant wave, dozens of meters high, roared towards them.
Natsuki and Yukinoshita rode their surfboards, going against the wind and waves. Their small figures were like arrows released from a bow, finally breaking through the waves.
A game notification popped up accordingly:
You have completed the challenge of the Water Spirit. Your base agility has permanently increased by two points.
You have completed the challenge three days early. You need to complete the next extreme challenge within ten days.
Two points of base agility wasn't a lot. For new players, they would feel a noticeable enhancement, but for veteran players like Natsuki, there wasn't a significant feeling.
"Yukino, how was it?" Natsuki shouted loudly.
Yukino looked over: "The mission is complete."
"Then let's go back to shore." Natsuki swam over with effort and grabbed Hiranoshita's hand.
Since the extreme challenge was completed, there was no need to continue surfing. Being tossed around like a ball in the sea was not comfortable at all.
"It's Natsuki-senpai and Yukino-san!"
"They're back! They're back!"
"Finally, we can relax."
"..." Chika and the others stood on the sea, eagerly awaiting. Seeing Natsuki and Yukinoshita return on their surfboards, they immediately cheered.
A moment later.
Natsuki and Yukinoshita returned to the shore.
"They actually... really succeeded..." The female coach's expression was dazed. Looking at the two unharmed individuals walking back, her face was full of disbelief.
Rookies with only two and a half days of practice time actually passed the extreme surfing challenge without a scratch. It's unscientific! It's utterly unscientific!
"Coach, you've worked hard." Natsuki looked at the dazed female coach. "Thank you for your guidance these past few days."
Yukino followed, thanking her: "We are immensely grateful."
The female coach opened her mouth and couldn't help but complain:
"Even if it were another coach, you would have passed the challenge. You don't need to thank me at all..."
"Anyway, thank you." Natsuki waved his hand. "Mission complete, let's go back."
"..." The group boarded the special bus and returned to the villa estate.
As soon as they got off the bus, an assistant came forward, bowed slightly, then handed over a document, respectfully saying:
"Natsuki-kun, this is the upcoming itinerary. Please take a look."
Natsuki took the document and looked at it with Yukino.
The Ozaki Eight consists of eight challenges, with locations distributed all over the world. Just traveling would take a lot of effort.
So, the best course of action was to sweep through them all in one go and then return to Tokyo after everything was completed, rather than rushing back to Tokyo after each challenge, resting for a few days, and then flying out again.
"No problem." Yukino nodded gently. "This way, we can make it back just in time for the start of school."
Natsuki complained from the side:
"At a time like this, you're still thinking about the start of school. As expected of the top student in the entire school, impressive, impressive."
Yukino's gaze shifted, and she glanced over: "Shut up."
"..." "The next location is high-altitude downhill skiing in the Alps, is it?" Haruno leaned on Natsuki's shoulder, not avoiding physical contact, and said with a breath like orchids, "Another tourist destination."
"Eh." Chika's eyes lit up. "I've been to the Alps."
"I've been there too." Moeha followed, "Dad and Mom took us there to play."
"No problem." Natsuki agreed, "Next stop, we'll go to the Alps to challenge skiing."
The surfing challenge was actually quite difficult, but Natsuki and Yukino had successfully passed it. Among the next few challenges, some could actually be described as easy.
For example, the upcoming Alps downhill skiing, Amazon jungle rafting, and free climbing Niagara Falls, etc. For ordinary people, these would naturally be extremely difficult, but for players, there was difficulty, but certainly not at a hellish level.
The last item on the itinerary, however, was Mount Everest wingsuit flying. The difficulty came from various aspects; even successfully climbing it was a super challenge.
There was a news report before about a sixteen-year-old girl who successfully climbed Mount Everest. The report said it brought inspiration of life and dreams to young people, which was complete nonsense.
Climbing Mount Everest requires a permit, hiring a guide, various specialized equipment, and several months of preparatory training in advance. The whole package costs at least 600,000 RMB. The true inspiration it brings to young people is that ordinary people shouldn't think so much and just play games at home.
Assistant asked again:
"For the upcoming downhill skiing challenge, do you need to hire a coach?"
Natsuki turned to Hirano and said:
"I have skiing experience. What about Yukino?"
"No need for a coach." Yukino gently shook her head. "I also have skiing experience."
Japan National Middle School high schools often organize winter campus activities, and one of them is skiing.
Simply put, most students can ski. As for whether their skills are good, that's another matter.
Natsuki's skiing level was actually average, but it was nothing more than reaction and agility. He was very confident in this regard and didn't need a coach at all.
"Understood." Assistant pushed up the glasses on her nose, looking very capable. "Everyone, rest for a day. I will book tomorrow morning's flight."
"..." With tomorrow's departure confirmed, the remaining time today was naturally rest time.
The group left the villa estate and started eating, drinking, playing, and checking in at various places.
"Moeha, don't eat so much ice cream and cold drinks today." Chika earnestly instructed.
"Got it, big sister." The junior high girl obediently nodded. The discomfort of her fever last night was still vivid in her memory. She held up her pinky finger, "I'll only eat a tiny bit today."
After the eating, drinking, and playing ended, they returned to the estate in the evening, and it was past ten o'clock again.
"Good night, everyone."
"See you tomorrow."
Everyone returned to their respective rooms.
Natsuki came out after showering, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Chika.
"Help, help, help!"
"Meow?" Chika replied, "What's wrong, President?"
Natsuki: "There's a super terrifying evil spirit in the room, urgently needing Chika-sama's help to eliminate it."
"President is so perverted!" Chika was taking a bath with Moeha. Seeing the message, her pretty face immediately flushed, and she couldn't help but lightly spit.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Moeha asked curiously.
"Nothing, I just saw a joke," Chika said, shaking her head with a blush. "Let's continue our bath."
Saying there was an evil spirit invasion, that excuse was too bad!
Chika had already seen through Natsuki's sinister intentions; he clearly just wanted to trick her into coming over.
As for what he wanted to do after tricking her… it definitely wouldn't be anything good.
But Moeha was still beside her, how could she possibly agree to him?!
"I'm not coming over," Chika replied to the message. "You solve it yourself."
Natsuki: "I can't eliminate it; only Chika-sama can help."
Chika: "Anyway, I'm just not coming."
Natsuki: "Then I'll come to your room?"
"No!" Chika immediately refused. "Moeha is still here!"
Natsuki: "Moeha was also here yesterday…"
Chika: "President, don't go too far!"
She had intended to tell Natsuki to go find Sayu, but after typing out the words, Chika quickly puffed out her cheeks.
She cared.
She cared a lot.
She couldn't bring herself to tell the President to go find other girls.
Jealousy was a girl's instinct, unless she didn't like him at all.
"What's wrong again, Sister?"
Moeha asked curiously.
Chika shook her head: "I'm fine."
Moeha said: "But Sister's mouth is all puffed up like a Koromon."
Chika: "…"
"Then wait until Moeha falls asleep," Natsuki sent a message. "Without secretary Chika at night, I can't sleep, completely can't sleep."
I never saw you unable to sleep before!
Chika threw her phone aside, got out of the bathtub, and helped Moeha dry her hair.
After drying her hair, Chika walked to the bed and sat down, debating whether to launch a night attack.
"Sister, we can turn off the lights and sleep now," Moeha reminded her.
"Ah… okay," Chika raised her hand to turn off the light, lay on her back, "Sleep, sleep."
Moeha turned to her side and said:
"Sister, Dad and Mom will be home in a few days. They'll probably be angry if they know we've been running around everywhere. Should we go back earlier?"
Chika frowned upon hearing this: "We do need to go back earlier."
So far, besides Moeha, the matter of the players had not been told to Fujiwara's parents. The reason was simple: Chika didn't want her parents to worry.
Staying out all night previously had already worried her parents. If she spent the rest of the summer vacation running around the world, it would definitely make her parents suspicious.
After thinking for a while, Chika whispered:
"Once the Alps skiing challenge is completed, we'll go home first."
"What a shame," Moeha said with a tone of regret. "After returning home, I probably won't see Senpai for a long time…"
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.
Chika had originally planned to sleep well tonight and ignore Natsuki's messages, but hearing Moeha say that, she couldn't help but become conflicted again.
After returning home in a few days, she indeed wouldn't see the President for a long time. Even if they could video call and message, it wasn't the same as being by his side.
After a moment of internal struggle, Chika quietly clenched her small fists and glanced at the time on her phone:
"It's decided! If Moeha falls asleep before 11:30, then I'll go over. Otherwise, I won't!"
In a flash, it was 11:30.
Listening to Moeha's even breathing beside her, Chika, with a flushed face, quietly got up.
"…It's all Moeha's fault for falling asleep too fast!"