Faced with the salty sea breeze, Bronya's heavy mood lightened slightly. At the very least, today was the day she would finally find "release."
Under the vast blue sky, she stretched her arms, showing off her slender waist. It was a pity she hadn't reached her physical peak yet, and combined with her one-piece swimsuit—a school swimsuit, or sukumizu—the pose was more cute than sexy.
Even so—
Slap!
A crisp sound echoed. Luo Hong couldn't help himself and gave her petite "duck-tail" a light smack.
"So Otto just handed Wendy over to you that easily?" Luo Hong started the conversation with a smile, not giving Bronya a chance to get angry.
"How... else?" Bronya glared at him, annoyed, but knowing she couldn't do anything to the scoundrel, she could only express her dissatisfaction with a sharp retort.
"And as for you two—" Luo Hong turned to the sisters, who were wearing black and white bikinis. "You went to World Serpent instead?"
"Yes," Cangxuan nodded naturally. "There is definitely something wrong with Otto. He's either been replaced by another entity or something unexpected happened that we don't know about. But for now, being inside World Serpent, we can't investigate further. Their executives don't fully trust us yet."
She looked out at the endless ocean, her blue eyes unfocused as she pondered the situation.
"However, we've started researching the Elysian Realm," Danzhu interjected excitedly. "With the 'Simulated Memories' Hua left there, we might be able to restore a large portion of her past. Sadly, she won't be able to recall anything after the start of the New Era for now." She looked a bit disappointed. At least not until Fu Hua entered this world herself.
"Using simulated memories?" Luo Hong rubbed his chin. "After 50,000 years, even if they started as the same person, they are different entities now, aren't they?" He wasn't entirely sold on the idea.
"You're overthinking it," Cangxuan explained. "I'm only using the stored memory data, not trying to merge the simulation with the real Hua."
"Fair enough." Seeing Cangxuan had a plan, Luo Hong didn't interfere. He turned to the grumpy Bronya. "Since the business talk is over, let's have some fun!"
He stepped into the water and splashed Bronya.
"..." Soaked, Bronya stared at him in silence.
A moment later— "Project Bunny, go!"
Unseen until now, Project Bunny 19C emerged from the void behind Luo Hong and sent a massive wave crashing over him.
"Bronya, we'll help too!" Danzhu dragged Cangxuan into the surf, splashing Luo Hong as well. For a while, Luo Hong was overwhelmed and could only splash back blindly.
Afterward, the four played beach volleyball, built sandcastles, and smashed watermelons—all the beach classics. Admittedly, Luo Hong took plenty of opportunities to "touch" the three girls, but until the sun began to dip below the horizon, he hadn't made a serious move.
While this was technically a good thing, the three girls felt uneasy. There must be a catch! However, they couldn't exactly bring it up, so the atmosphere grew awkward.
"I had a lot of fun today," Luo Hong said under the golden twilight, handing freshly opened coconuts to the three. "How about you?"
"It was... alright," Bronya replied expressionlessly, though a spark of joy flickered in her eyes. Playing at the beach with friends while healthy was a simple luxury she had only dreamed of before meeting Luo Hong. Her only regret was that Seele wasn't there.
"I was happy," Danzhu added.
Though she spoke in a cold tone, Cangxuan's words were undoubtedly sincere.
"Playing at the beach with Sister is, of course, happy!" Danzhu clung to Cangxuan's arm and stuck her tongue out at Luo Hong. It was a classic case of 'protesting too much.'
"As long as you're happy." Luo Hong took in their expressions and said with a satisfied smile, "Should we call it a day then?"
Danzhu: "→→!" Bronya: ( )! Cangxuan: "←←!"
Faced with this unusual behavior, the three girls exchanged glances.
"Hmph!" Bronya snorted coldly. "Playing hard to get."
"Is our mutual trust really that fragile?" Luo Hong smirked, his tone turning serious. "I'm giving you a choice now, Miss Bronya—you only have [9] points left."
"By the way," he added playfully, "you'll naturally wake up in about ten minutes. Going nine rounds in ten minutes... I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it." He looked at Bronya with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Don't forget about us!" Danzhu rolled her eyes and said fearlessly, "You know there are only ten minutes left? If we cooperate, we won't let your scheme succeed!"
With [11] points left, she wasn't much better off than Bronya, but she stood tall and proud—though who knew if she'd still be standing straight in a few minutes.
"We don't need a victory given out of pity," Bronya said, meeting Luo Hong's gaze without fear.
"You two..." Cangxuan sighed, rubbing her forehead. She looked at Luo Hong and said, "I suppose I have no choice but to join in then." She wore a look of resignation.
At this point, regardless of the outcome, Luo Hong had clearly won. Bronya and her foolish sister were already deep in his trap.
"Don't act so reluctant," Luo Hong smirked. "If you really didn't want to, you could have just stayed out of it, couldn't you?"
"Heh," Cangxuan let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I suppose you're right." Despite her words, she didn't move to leave. She looked at the beach mat under the sunshade. "Right here?"
"Tight schedule, heavy mission," Luo Hong replied without hesitation. He opened his arms, embraced the three girls, and led them toward the shaded mat.
Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the waves, the "tides" on the mat began to rise, one higher than the last.