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When it comes to having fun at the beach, there are really only a handful of activities.
For example: playing beach volleyball, building sandcastles, or burying someone in the sand with only their head sticking out—and then digging them back up again.
But before any of that, there was one important preparation everyone had to complete first: applying sunscreen.
That said, Shao Yun only applied sunscreen for Lumine. As for Clorinde and Navia, the two of them applied it for each other.
And Paimon… well, she was wearing a white dress—so she didn't need any at all!
Sunlight spilled across the golden sand as waves gently lapped against the shore, producing a soothing rhythm.
Lumine lay face-down on a soft beach chair, her eyes slightly closed, while Shao Yun's hands spread sunscreen gel across her back.
The cool, slick gel touching her skin sent a strange sensation through her body.
Combined with the warmth of Shao Yun's palms, Lumine couldn't help but feel her heart race, her whole body growing tense and awkward.
She could feel her cheeks gradually flushing red, like a fully ripened apple.
Noticing her rosy face, Shao Yun teased her.
"What's wrong? Is it that hot even under the parasol? Look at you—you're all flushed."
Hearing this, Lumine grew even more uncomfortable and muttered softly under her breath, "It just feels… really strange…"
Her voice was so quiet that only she herself could hear it.
Shao Yun didn't catch her murmuring at all and remained focused on what he was doing, carefully continuing to apply the sunscreen.
Just then, Lumine suddenly realized that the hand applying the gel had unknowingly moved downward from her back.
Startled, she quickly turned her head and glared at him, protesting coquettishly, "Hey! Behave yourself—no funny business!"
Shao Yun froze for a moment, then quickly squeezed out more sunscreen into his hand, putting on an innocent expression as he explained, "Hey, I really am behaving. I just want to make sure the sunscreen's applied evenly, that's all."
Ignoring Lumine's embarrassed glare, he reached toward her long legs and began carefully applying sunscreen there as well.
When his hand lightly brushed against the inside of her thigh, an indescribable wave of shyness surged through her.
Lumine bit her lip, struggling to suppress any sound, and said, "Mm… I hope it really is like you say…"
...
After an entire day of playing, it was already afternoon.
Everyone's stomachs began to growl.
And at that very moment, the barbecue party Navia had meticulously prepared finally kicked off!
Naturally, the task of grilling fell to Shao Yun.
Everyone else simply lounged comfortably on their beach chairs, waiting for the food to be served.
As Shao Yun flipped the sizzling, aromatic cuts of meat on the grill, Clorinde—dressed in her alluring swimsuit—walked over gracefully.
She picked up a pair of barbecue tongs from the nearby table and said, "I'll help you grill."
While skillfully turning the glistening, oil-dripping meat, Shao Yun kindly replied, "No need. Just wait and eat. I may not be great at other things, but I'm pretty good at grilling."
Hearing this, Clorinde showed a slightly awkward expression.
"Um… do you remember what I said over a month ago, about you not really knowing how to cook?"
Shao Yun pressed the tongs firmly against a juicy piece of meat. As he did, golden oil gushed out, dripping into the blazing charcoal below with a crackling sound.
At the same time, he replied casually, "When people have nothing to do, their memory tends to get surprisingly good."
Then Clorinde suddenly changed the subject and threw out an unexpected question.
"By the way… between Navia and me, who do you think looks better in a swimsuit?"
Hearing that familiar question again, Shao Yun asked offhandedly, "Oh? You actually care about that kind of thing?"
Clorinde shrugged calmly.
"Just chatting, really—finding a topic. But honestly, I am kind of curious."
Seeing the anticipation in her eyes, Shao Yun figured he might as well answer.
"Alright then, since you're so eager to know…"
As he spoke, he began carefully comparing Navia and Clorinde in his mind, both wearing swimsuits.
In terms of physique alone, Clorinde clearly had the advantage.
As Fontaine's renowned Duelist, her long-term training left her abdomen flat and firm, not a trace of excess fat in sight—and she even possessed an enviable set of defined abs.
However, when it came to aura and presence, Navia was undeniably superior.
After all, she was a genuine noble lady. Even in a simple black backless swimsuit, her innate elegance was impossible to hide.
Shao Yun weighed the comparison back and forth in his mind for quite some time.
In the end, he decided that since Navia's golden hair resembled Lumine's, she would be the winner.
He answered rather casually, almost perfunctorily, "Navia looks better."
The moment the words left his mouth, Navia suddenly popped out of nowhere and shouted excitedly,
"Whoa! Really?! Hahaha—I won?!"
The sudden cheer startled Shao Yun badly.
He spun around in shock, staring at the overjoyed Navia, and complained nervously, "Navia! When did you show up?! You almost scared me into knocking over the grill! You want sand in your barbecue?"
But Navia had no intention of paying attention to his complaints.
She quickly extended her right hand toward Clorinde, palm up, grinning.
"Hehe, Clorinde, you lost this time! Hand over the 100 Mora!"
Hearing this, Clorinde first glanced down at herself in her swimsuit, then sighed helplessly.
Looking back up, she shook her head with a wry smile.
"Navia… do you really think I brought my wallet to a beach vacation?"
"How about this—once we're back in the Court of Fontaine, I'll pay you then, alright?"
Standing nearby and watching the two tease each other over a mere 100 Mora, Shao Yun felt utterly speechless.
Fed up with being used as entertainment, he waved his hand irritably.
"Hey, you two—can you stop fooling around? Shoo, shoo. Don't get in the way of my grilling."
Navia could tell he might actually be a little annoyed.
But ever mischievous, she simply smiled playfully and moved behind Clorinde.
Placing her hands on Clorinde's shoulders, she gently pushed her away while calling back, "Alright, alright, Master Chef~ Take your time grilling! We'll go sit comfortably on the beach chairs and wait for the delicious food!"
With that, she giggled and left the barbecue area.
...
Time passed bit by bit, and just as Shao Yun was about to finish the first batch of grilled meat—
Suddenly, a system notification popped up without any warning.
[You are being observed by a cute little penguin.]
The unexpected message made Shao Yun pause.
"What does that mean? A penguin? Since when does Fontaine have penguins?" he muttered, his mind racing through possibilities.
Moments later, his gaze drifted instinctively toward the sea.
"Oh, I get it now," he said, nodding in realization.
"Could it be… that this so-called 'penguin' is actually little Freminet? Yeah, that's probably it."
Thinking this, Shao Yun shook his head helplessly.
...
At the dining area, Lumine, Paimon, Navia, and Clorinde were enjoying the freshly grilled meat.
Meanwhile, Shao Yun quietly picked up a fishing rod and headed toward the shoreline, clearly determined to flush out the Freminet who was secretly spying on them.
Reaching the water's edge, he took a deep breath and skillfully cast the hook into the shimmering sea.
Just seconds after the hook hit the water, Shao Yun felt a strong tug on the line—
The "penguin" had bitten!
With a sharp pull of the rod, Shao Yun swiftly yanked Freminet out of the water and let him drop onto the sand.
Freminet awkwardly removed his diving helmet, first looking at the conspicuous fishhook hanging from it, then slowly lifting his head to stare at the towering Shao Yun before him.
Extremely embarrassed, he stammered, "U-Um… h-hello, Mr. Shao Yun…"
Shao Yun looked him up and down with amusement and teased, "Freminet… do you really do nothing all day but soak in the water?"
Caught off guard, Freminet panicked. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.
"Uh, I…"
Shao Yun pressed further, testing him.
"Be honest—did Arlecchino send you to secretly keep an eye on me?"
After all, surely Freminet wasn't here just to sneak a peek at Clorinde, Navia, and Lumine in their swimsuits… right?
At that, Freminet was utterly shocked. He shook his head furiously like a rattle drum and hurriedly explained, red-faced, "No! No, absolutely not!"
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