"Little shop manager? You're praising me too much." Suzune Rin suddenly felt embarrassed.
"Do you want to come fish over here? There are still plenty of empty seats." Liu Ming suggested.
The sun was very strong now, and it would be easy for something to happen if Suzune Rin, a little girl, stood exposed to the sun.
He already had a good impression of this positive and optimistic little girl, so of course he would take care of her when he saw her.
"Eh, really?" Suzune Rin's face lit up. Perhaps because of the dish from yesterday, her impression of Liu Ming was quite good.
From Liu Ming, she felt a long-lost sense of family.
Seeing Liu Ming call her over, Suzune Rin didn't refuse. After a polite moment, she happily trotted to Liu Ming's other side.
Liu Ming took a bottle of drink from the icebox and handed it to Suzune Rin.
"Eh?" Suzune Rin fumbled to take it.
But she didn't open it; instead, she looked steadily at Liu Ming.
"It's for you to drink, no need to be polite. Besides, look, there are still many in the box." Liu Ming gestured with his eyes; there were still seven bottles of drinks in the icebox.
"Thank you, Uncle." Suzune Rin accepted with a smile.
"Call me Xiao Ming Gege." Liu Ming corrected her again.
"Xiao Ming, Gege." Suzune Rin blinked, then called out very, very softly.
"Hehe, good girl." Liu Ming freed one hand and gently ruffled her small head.
"Hehe." Suzune Rin narrowed her small eyes.
"Xiao Ming, can I go down and catch fish?" Kanna stared with wide eyes, looking angrily at the sea in front of her.
More than half an hour had passed, and she hadn't even caught a small fish; it was too much for a dragon to bear. Even a child like Kanna had her pride.
"Of course not. We're here to fish, not to catch fish. Let's call our competition a draw, and you eat something first." Liu Ming rummaged through the box behind him, found a bag of dried meat, and handed it to Kanna.
With snacks, Kanna stopped fussing. After taking it, she began to eat.
Xiao Hina was already asleep, and Liu Ming didn't intend to wake her.
As for Xiao Lingyin, she seemed busy at the moment, so he didn't want to disturb her.
Holding the cold drink in her hand, Xiao Lingyin felt a warmth in her heart.
She pressed the drink against her small face; the cold sensation instantly made her shiver, followed by a refreshing enjoyment.
"So cold~~" Xiao Lingyin narrowed her eyes, muttering to herself.
Another half an hour passed.
Liu Ming, with a small piece of dried meat in his mouth, gazed eagerly at the sea. He turned his head and asked, "Xiao Lingyin, is it impossible to catch fish here?"
"It should be possible. I've seen people catch quite a few big fish here before; he even gave me one." Xiao Lingyin imitated Liu Ming, also with a small piece of dried meat in her mouth.
"Then why can't we catch any?" Liu Ming was unwilling to give up.
"Maybe they don't like chocolate." Xiao Lingyin's expression was almost twisted; she could only think of this reason.
"Chocolate?" Liu Ming looked at her blankly, feeling as if their conversation wasn't on the same wavelength.
"Chocolate!" Xiao Lingyin took a small candy packet from her pocket, carefully opened it, revealing a piece of grayish-black chocolate with a small bite missing.
"You're not using this as bait, are you?" Liu Ming was utterly speechless. Using chocolate as fishing bait? What a creative idea; he really wondered how she came up with it.
"Is that not allowed? It's so delicious." Xiao Lingyin blinked blankly, then broke off a small piece and handed it to Liu Ming.
Seeing her expectant gaze, Liu Ming couldn't refuse. He took it and put it directly into his mouth.
'Hmm~~~, it's just ordinary chocolate, nothing special,' Liu Ming thought to himself.
"Isn't it delicious?" Xiao Lingyin's small eyes twinkled like stars as she looked at Liu Ming.
What else could Liu Ming do but nod in agreement?
"Right? Chocolate is very tasty." Xiao Lingyin also broke off a small piece for herself, enjoying it with narrowed eyes.
"Xiao Lingyin really likes chocolate. It was the same yesterday; there was chocolate in the stir-fried noodles too."
Xiao Lingyin's face instantly turned bright red, and her head seemed to be steaming. This was a very embarrassing thing; why did Xiao Ming Gege just blurt it out?
At this moment, those who were snorkeling also returned.
Seeing their excited expressions, Liu Ming understood their feelings at the moment.
He had felt the same way the first time he went snorkeling.
To be completely immersed in the ocean, having intimate, face-to-face contact with marine life. That feeling, that emotion, is unimaginable to those who haven't experienced it.
"Xiao Ming Ge, we're back!" Before the small boat had even stopped, Miyu's voice came from it.
Soon, Sotoue, Sora, Miyu, and others appeared by the boat, waving their small hands at Liu Ming and the others.
"Welcome back." Liu Ming gently picked up Xiao Hina, smiling as he looked at the returning group.