Chapter 1222: Azure Paradise
Even in this November season, the island located in the tropical Pacific showed no signs of cooling down.
Fizaki Kiriya remained dressed in her sailor uniform, her long hair flowing gracefully in the wind. Though she appeared elegant, her personality was actually quite assertive.
Walking along the edge of the beach, she let the sea breeze wash over her, feeling her restless mood somewhat soothed.
"When you're in a bad mood, take photos!"
She retrieved her camera from the portable tripod case and began casually capturing the surrounding scenery. Despite her seemingly random approach, her photography skills were impressive—she always managed to find the perfect angles and moments.
Fortunately, this wasn't that cold, metallic city but a newly constructed artificial island located eighteen kilometers southeast of Itogami Island. The scenery here was quite beautiful.
Though called an artificial island, unlike Itogami Island's main landmass—built using resin, metal, carbon fiber, and magic—this one was developed from a purely natural, fan-shaped islet in the Pacific, no more than two kilometers in length.
Moreover, the artificial island was still under construction, with only a few facilities and employees belonging to private enterprises. It was rare to even spot a tourist.
The island's name was "Azure Paradise."
It was a tourism island still under development, with magical beasts as its main attraction.
Aside from ordinary facilities like restaurants, swimming pools, and amusement parks, the island's most distinctive feature was the "Magical Beast Garden" built at its center. It housed a wide variety of magical beasts and frequently hosted performances that captivated audiences.
"Tasks keep coming one after another. What a hassle. Do they think I'm some kind of perpetual motion machine?"
Fizaki Kiriya grumbled to herself as she continued taking photos.
A few days ago, the Prison Barrier incident on Itogami Island had just concluded.
In the end, the incident was officially attributed to "the Fourth True Ancestor's attempt to usurp the Prison Barrier using LCO's witches."
However, the most critical question—where the Fourth True Ancestor himself was—remained a complete mystery.
It wasn't just her; everyone in the world trying to uncover the Fourth True Ancestor's true identity had come up empty-handed.
That Fourth True Ancestor really seemed to enjoy playing hide-and-seek.
Originally, she had been on vacation on Itogami Island... no, she had been carrying out missions without issue, but then her superiors suddenly assigned her a new task.
An unprecedented magical beast disaster was about to occur on this tourism island, Azure Paradise.
Since such incidents fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Demon Agency and she currently had nothing else to do, she was dispatched here.
"Hmm?"
Fizaki Kiriya suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
Her camera captured a group of people gathered not far away.
Looking closer, they were all women in swimsuits—their faces vaguely familiar, likely employees of some company. They were clustered around someone, chattering incessantly.
"What are you all doing here?"
Fizaki Kiriya approached, exuding the authority of a company president.
"Mi-Miss Fizaki?"
"Nothing!"
"We'll get back to work right away!"
The female employees panicked at her appearance, scattering in an instant like startled birds.
"Slacking off during work hours? Since my slacking failed, none of you get to succeed either."
Watching their retreating figures, Kisaki Fuyune thought with secret delight.
"Oh my?"
Just then, a surprised voice suddenly rang out.
"Isn't this our bodyguard miss?"
Who are you calling bodyguard miss?
Kisaki Fuyune's expression visibly soured as she glared at the man surrounded by others.
This man has an incredible physique!
Her attention was immediately captured by his tall, slender frame.
He wore sunglasses and a brightly colored beach outfit with his chest broadly exposed.
His towering stature displayed perfect golden proportions that were pleasing to the eye. His abdominal muscles formed eight perfectly symmetrical packs, and his entire body showcased flawless, streamlined muscles that clearly required immense dedication to develop.
The whole person exuded a captivating, outwardly confident charm.
Even the well-traveled Kisaki Fuyune found herself momentarily breathless.
"You are...?"
After a long moment, she finally regained her composure and asked tentatively.
How strange.
If she had encountered such a handsome man before, her memory shouldn't have failed her.
"You guess!"
The man responded with a broad, dazzling smile.
Though it was a smile bright enough to dazzle anyone, Kisaki Fuyune sensed an intensely punchable quality about it.
Such a shameless attitude immediately triggered her memory.
"So it's you - with a mouth that invites life crises whenever it opens. You're Eiji, aren't you?"
Kisaki Fuyune had an epiphany.
Along with understanding came considerable astonishment.
So beneath his usual disguise, this guy actually possessed such outstanding looks?
Though the sunglasses made it hard to see his face clearly, even the visible parts were enough to make anyone's heart flutter. Ordinary young girls would definitely lose their composure.
"Was Princess Lavelia also attracted by his face?"
Kisaki Fuyune recalled the kiss Princess Lavelia had left before departing two months ago.
The recipient had been this man.
At the time, she'd been quite puzzled about what could possibly attract a princess to this man. Now she finally understood.
To be honest, even she felt somewhat moved.
This guy's physical appearance was simply too exceptional!
And this was only half his face.
Too bad his personality left much to be desired.
"Why are you here?"
Kisaki Fuyune composed herself and asked Eiji.
"Blue Eden isn't open to the public at this stage. Only internal staff should be vacationing here."
According to the plan, this resort island needed at least two more months of construction before it could barely open to visitors.
"How do you know all this so clearly?"
"My apologies - I'm currently the executive secretary of Kyusuki Happiness Enterprise."
Kisaki Fuyune proudly straightened her chest, which was quite impressive for her age.
"So just an employee?"
"..."
Kisaki Fuyune clicked her tongue and fell silent.
Kyusuki Happiness Enterprise was the contractor and investor for this Blue Eden project. All island construction was managed under this corporation's supervision.
They publicly claim to be a charitable enterprise, with all income dedicated to the protection and preservation of magical beasts on the verge of extinction worldwide. They also operate numerous subsidiary organizations related to magical beasts, making the entire company deeply intertwined with these creatures.
In just a few days after arriving, she had become the CEO's secretary—an undoubtedly impressive achievement, even if she had leveraged the name of the Taishi Bureau.
But for Nan Gongli, it seemed that unless she became the boss herself, there was little worth boasting about.
"From what you're saying, it sounds like you own quite a few companies?"
"Not bad. Definitely wealthier than you, at least."
"Really?"
Feiqi Wuye wore a skeptical expression.