Golden sunlight spilled across the beach. Van lounged lazily under a sun umbrella, lying on a beach chair with a glass of iced Solada in hand.
Kevin sat beside him, discussing something with Su.
"The annual Game of the Year is about to be announced. Which game do you think will win the honor?"
"I think the odds are high for White Myth, Homu to win."
"True, but Clockwork Boy and His Companions also has a good chance..."
"It won't be Origami Bird Pop Match, right?"
"Huh? What even is this Starry Sky Robot thing?"
Cosmo, "Cool..."
Under a nearby coconut tree, Kalpas let out an impatient grunt.
"If you've got time to talk about this boring crap, how about deciding what to eat for lunch so I can prep the ingredients..."
Van sipped his chilled Solada and said lazily, "Master Kalpas, relax. We're on vacation, you know..."
"Say that again. Stop calling me that!"
"Alright, Master Kalpas. Got it, Master Kalpas."
"You ████ looking for trouble, huh?"
Meanwhile, not far away, Kiana and Ivana were huddled together, whispering conspiratorially.
"Kiana, do you think we should give the old man a little... 'surprise'?" Ivana grinned wickedly, pointing toward the umbrella.
Kiana's eyes sparkled. "I've got a great idea! But we'll need Mei's help..."
The two exchanged a knowing look, then tiptoed toward Raiden Mei, who was playing on the beach.
At that moment, Raiden Mei was with Sakura and Rin, playing a game of blindfolded watermelon smashing.
Rin, blindfolded and gripping a wooden stick, carefully shuffled forward.
Sakura guided her gently, "A bit more to the left... yes, right there!"
Raiden Mei smiled, cheering her on, "Go, Rin! You're almost there!"
Just then, Mei felt someone sneaking up behind her.
Turning her head, she saw Kiana and Ivana frantically winking at her from not far away.
"What is it?" Mei walked over and whispered softly.
Kiana tried to contain her excitement. "Mei, we need your help~"
"Yeah, you're the only one who can help us with this~" Ivana chimed in.
Seeing the two of them like that, Mei instantly understood. "You two... plotting something against Van again?"
"Hey~ what could we possibly do to the old man~" Ivana said solemnly, "We're just helping him get some exercise. Lying around all day is boring!"
Thud!
On the sand, Rin suddenly swung and missed, the watermelon rolling away.
Sakura quickly ran to reset it, too distracted to notice the plotting going on nearby.
Mei sighed helplessly, shaking her head. "You two... don't go too far, okay?"
"Relax! It's just a harmless prank~" Ivana said with exaggerated confidence. "I mean, what bad intentions could I possibly have~"
As they plotted, Elysia suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a beach bucket filled with water. "Hi~ need a hand?"
"Elysia? When did you..." Kiana blinked in surprise.
"Mmm... probably around the time you called Mei over," Elysia said, poking her cheek with her finger, her expression full of innocence.
"So you've been listening from the start?" Ivana deadpanned.
Elysia winked playfully. "Hehe~ how could I miss out on something this fun? Count me in~"
At that very moment, under the sun umbrella, Van suddenly sneezed.
He rubbed his nose, a strange chill creeping up his spine.
"What's wrong? Catch a cold?" Kevin asked casually.
"No..." Van subtly shifted a little farther away from Kevin, his eyes scanning the area warily. "Just... got a bad feeling all of a sudden..."
Before he could finish the thought, Raiden Mei walked gracefully toward him. "Van, could you take a look at this shell for me? I think it might be a rare one..."
Without suspicion, Van started to rise, but then...
Splash!
Two buckets of seawater were dumped over him by Elysia and Kiana, while Ivana tossed an inflatable dolphin filled with water straight at him from the side.
"Surprise!" the three of them shouted in unison.
Van was soaked through, from head to toe.
Kevin and Su had already made a smart retreat to the side, while Kalpas burst into loud, gloating laughter. "Hah! Serves you right, kid!"
"You three..." Van wiped the water off his face helplessly. "That teamwork was a little too perfect, don't you think?"
"That's called tactics~" Kiana ran up, poking at his soaked T-shirt mischievously. "Mei was the decoy, and we were the attackers!"
"What is this, a boss raid team?" Van muttered, shaking his head. "Forget it, I'm going to the changing room to grab a dry shirt..."
"Wait~" Elysia suddenly whipped out a waterproof camera. "This moment deserves to be captured for posterity~"
Van tried to dodge, but Kiana and Raiden Mei held his shoulders firmly as Elysia pressed the shutter.
"Perfect~" Elysia grinned at the photo on the camera.
Van shook his head, sending droplets flying everywhere. "Just wait till I've changed, then I'll deal with you lot..."
But as Van turned and walked away, the smiles on the girls' faces faded instantly.
They exchanged glances, the same worry reflected in each other's eyes.
"You noticed it too?" Raiden Mei asked in a low voice.
For once, Elysia's playful smile was gone. She nodded slightly. "Van's reaction time... it's way slower than we expected..."
"And when we held him just now, he... he didn't have any strength at all..." Kiana bit her lip, her voice tight.
Ivana's expression grew serious. "The old man's condition... it's worse than we thought..."
The others nearby, sensing something was off, began to gather around.
"What's going on?" Eden asked quietly.
There was a brief silence before Raiden Mei finally spoke. "We might need... to have a serious talk."
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