"Ah! Prepare a banquet?"
Xiao Hali was completely stunned, his face falling. He couldn't understand how humans had suddenly become benefactors.
He couldn't show any slackness in his attitude and had to be respectfully grateful. The extreme contrast in treatment severely impacted Pineapple Head's young mind.
"That's right, hurry and tell the kitchen, so the banquet isn't delayed."
Princess Wendini swayed her legs beneath her gauze skirt as she left, a faint smile on her face.
It was the first time someone dared to look her directly in the eye and say such words, and for her granddaughter, no less.
As for Queen Wendini's change in attitude, Doraemon found it very perplexing. He had thought a self-defense battle was about to break out, but it seemed he had overthought things.
"Phew, it seems everything is fine."
"Everyone, you can now freely visit our country! Let's go, Hiroshi, thank you for speaking up for me just now."
Sofia patted her chest. Her melancholic little face returned to a pleasing smile, and in high spirits, she pulled the young man along.
"Oh~ no… nothing…"
Looking at the Queen's retreating back, Nobi Hiroshi responded blankly to Sofia, pressing a finger to his chin.
So big, Pooh, such a perky peach. The dark purple gauze skirt actually had a trench, constantly attracting the eyes of gentlemen.
Putting other things aside for now, Princess Wendini should belong to the type of "Man, you have successfully attracted my attention," eager to be conquered.
So, Nobi Hiroshi decided to help this lonely and aloof queen feel loved, thereby allowing Sofia and him to be together.
As the saying goes, as long as you are bold enough, it's not impossible for both granddaughter and grandmother to take a vacation together.
"Alright, you tattletale pineapple-head, your wish didn't come true, did it? Hurry up and prepare our lunch banquet."
With a person on each arm, Nobi Hiroshi passed by the silent Xiao Hali and couldn't help but tease him.
"Xiao Hali, you were the one who told Grandma, weren't you! You're such an annoying guy, I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Sofia turned her head and huffed, then strode off with the others to go downstairs and play.
Although she was naive, she wasn't foolish; Princess Wendini's words and gaze earlier clearly indicated her desire to separate Hiroshi and her.
But how could Princess Wendini have known in advance? The culprit was Xiao Hali.
"Hey, Princess Sofia, I... I was doing it for your own good!"
Xiao Hali watched the girl's retreating back, wanting to cry but unable to, realizing he was disliked by the Princess, his young heart once again severely wounded.
He should have known not to tell tales, but now it was too late to say anything.
A dejected Xiao Hali yelled at the two guards beside him: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and notify the kitchen!"
"Yes, at once."
The two guards clasped their fists and left.
...
...
By night, Nobi Hiroshi and the others had already toured the entire Mermaid Kingdom and enjoyed a lavish lunch and dinner.
As expected, it was all seafood. Hiroshi devoured over a dozen oysters; they were plump and juicy, definitely the best he had ever tasted.
However, after eating, he felt a bit unwell, perhaps from over-nutrition poisoning.
"Mmm-hmm~"
"Mmm-hah~"
In the spacious and tidy room, two scantily clad girls knelt on the cold floor, their shoulders pressed close together.
Their fair knees were bruised red, but the expressions on their faces showed no concern; instead, they were fiercely vying for control over what was in their hands.
"Pfft~"
During the soft-to-hard engineering, what was in Sofia's mouth slipped away, and the main part of the business was bitten by Shizuka, who refused to let go.
"Shizuka, you've hogged it for half a day already, it's about time it was my turn!"
Sofia pouted in dissatisfaction, glaring at Tian Mei quite assertively in the current situation.
It was like eating a ginseng fruit; before she could even taste it, the item was snatched away, and the girl angrily bit the fruit under the tree.
"Hiss ah~"
Nobi Hiroshi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, immediately lay down. With the warm, soft jade swirling around, the project was proceeding smoothly, on the verge of reaching its peak.
His fingers tightly gripped the edge of the bedsheet.
Warm, soft jade swirled around. He hadn't expected mermaids to use snakes to crack walnuts; this method was much more difficult than using hands.
"Mmm mmm~ Just a little longer~"
His Adam's apple bobbed as Shizuka painstakingly uttered a few words through the gap in her mouth.
"A little longer~ *sizzle*~ How long is 'a little longer'? It's already been several 'a little longers'."
Sofia tilted her head, looking at Shizuka who was enjoying the 'meat.' They were all business people, yet Shizuka wouldn't even let her have a sip of the 'soup.' How stingy!
"Mmm... Anyway, it'll be done soon!"
Shizuka said in a hurried tone, vaguely sensing the impending surge in stock prices.
The stock market was currently fluctuating.
"Gulp... Gurgle..."
Shizuka closed her eyes in enjoyment, fully benefiting from the market's 'oil and water,' greedily swallowing it down.
Satisfied, Shizuka quickly vacated her position for Sofia, continuing the unspoken understanding between business partners. Nobi Hiroshi felt a different technique—the mermaid compressed towel.
It was magical alien technology; with powerful compression, it forcibly shrunk the inflated item by a full circle, reducing its diameter by about 1cm.
"Ha ah~"
"You two continue, I'm out of energy, so sleepy. I'm going to bed first."
Stretching lazily, Shizuka brushed her teeth and then lay on her side on the bed. Due to the day's tiresome activities, she fell asleep the moment the back of her head touched the pillow.
Meanwhile, Sofia was still working hard, using her mouth and tongue to promote her 'product' to the client.
After half an hour of effort, the businesswoman finally got to drink a sip of 'soup,' ending her 'journey' contentedly, sprawling on the soft bed.
"Sofia, your grandmother doesn't seem to be very supportive of us being together."
Lying in the middle, Nobi Hiroshi, now in sage mode, stared blankly at the ceiling.
The 'poison' from eating too many oysters earlier had all been thoroughly absorbed, leaving only a body so comfortably blissful it felt like his soul had floated away, not wanting to move a single finger.
"Mmm, but Hiroshi, don't worry, I'll try my best to persuade Grandma!"
"I don't think it'll be that simple. She probably thinks I'm a scumbag, so she's worried."
"Who said that? I think Hiroshi, you're not a scum... Uh, even if that's the case, I still have to convince Grandma!"
Sofia hesitated, then leaned on Hiroshi's arm, her blue eyes exceptionally firm.
Was the person next to her a scumbag?
Of course not. If he was responsible, he wasn't a scumbag; he just wanted to give every good girl a home.
"Cough cough, I think things aren't that simple. It'll be a bit hard to convince her."
"However, I have a plan!"
Nobi Hiroshi patted his shoulder confidently.
Sofia leaned her head in surprise: "What! What kind of plan?"
"Cough cough, let me explain in detail."
"Although this plan is a bit strange, it's actually very normal, and if successful, it can warm Princess Wendini, helping her understand human love..."
Nobi Hiroshi covered his mouth with one hand and leaned close to Sofia's ear, outlining the plan.
Hearing this, the girl's eyes suddenly widened, and her pretty face was filled with disbelief.
"What, this... this isn't good, is it...? Hiroshi, aren't you afraid of getting the short end of the stick?"
"Ah! Me getting the short end of the stick?"
He reached up and scratched his ear, confirming he hadn't misheard, then continued: "Cough cough, I might indeed be at a slight disadvantage, but that kind of thing isn't important. As long as we can be together, that's all that matters."
Embracing Sofia's slender back, Nobi Hiroshi's lips curved into an inexplicable smile.
He didn't seem to have led her astray. Perhaps the girl's thoughts were too avant-garde, or there was some other reason. In any case, the outcome was good.
"That's great! Grandma will definitely be happy too and won't be so lonely anymore."
Good granddaughter Sofia approved of Nobi Hiroshi's grand plan, closed her eyes, and sweetly fell asleep, a silver thread still hanging from the corner of her lips.
The girl only wished for her grandmother to find happiness; what was wrong with that?
A century ago, when Sofia was old enough to remember, she saw Princess Wendini secretly doing things with coral in her room.
She was too young then to understand, but now, she gradually comprehended how painful and difficult her grandmother's feelings must have been at the time.
For so many years, she had been so busy with state affairs that she had no time to think about such matters. How pitiful!