"Yawn~"
When Van woke up from the bed, it was already nine in the morning.
The sunlight outside the window was shining brightly, but he felt completely exhausted.
Recalling the situation from last night, Van subconsciously rubbed his throbbing temples, thinking that he could never drink that much again.
After washing up, Van had just opened the door to his room when he heard Kiana's energetic voice coming from the hallway, "Mei~ Today we have to try that ocean slide! I heard it's super exciting!"
Following closely was Raiden Mei's gentle, doting reply, "Alright, we'll do whatever you want."
The two walked hand-in-hand past Van's door. When Kiana saw him, she immediately waved with a grin,
"Good morning, Van! Mei and I are heading to the beach for some couple time, so we won't be taking you along today~"
Van froze for a moment, feeling something strange.
Based on that lively and hyper personality of Kiana's, for something this fun, she'd definitely drag everyone along to play together.
But right now…
Raiden Mei seemed to sense Van's doubt and explained apologetically, "Van… actually, this was my idea…"
Watching the two of them leave, the hotel hallway became quiet again.
Van stood there, lost in thought, feeling that something was just… off.
He subconsciously touched the back of his neck, where there was a faint, subtle sting, like some invisible presence was secretly watching him.
The hotel restaurant was spacious and bright, with elegant decor.
Van chose a seat by the window. Soon, a waiter came to take his order.
After ordering breakfast, Van lifted the cup of coffee by his hand and took a sip. The temperature was just right, but the taste… felt oddly familiar.
Just then, a clear, melodious voice sounded from behind him.
"Van!"
Van turned toward the voice and saw Sirin running toward him.
Her long purple hair swayed slightly with her light steps, cheerful and lively.
"Morning~" she naturally sat down opposite him, her golden pupils sparkling. "Let's have breakfast together!"
Van nodded, but his gaze instinctively swept around the empty restaurant.
At this time of day, the resort's restaurant shouldn't only have the two of them.
It was supposed to be peak dining time, but strangely, it was eerily quiet.
Except for a few busy waiters, there were no other guests at all. That… was far too unusual.
At the self-serve dessert counter, a uniquely decorated strawberry cream cake caught Van's attention.
He picked one up, surprised to find it was exactly the type Sirin loved most.
Back in the illusion, whenever he wanted to surprise Sirin, that strawberry cake was always the essential choice.
He thought it had become rare to find, but unexpectedly, here it was again.
"Sirin, do you still remember this?" Van placed the cake in front of her, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "Back in that little town, you'd always pester me for this."
At those words, Sirin's eyes lit up instantly as she happily accepted the cake.
"So you still remember…"
"Of course I remember. After all, it's part of our memories."
"Hehe~"
Sirin lowered her head happily and took a small bite. Some cream accidentally smeared at the corner of her lips.
Van noticed and smiled as he used a napkin to gently wipe it off.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the two of them, making the interaction between the young man and girl feel especially warm. Even the aroma of the cake in the air seemed just a little sweeter.
After breakfast, Van thought of contacting the others to ask about the day's plans, but found that his phone signal was cutting in and out.
After much effort, he finally managed to call Fu Hua, but only received a brief reply, "Everyone went out to sea to play."
Van lowered the phone, his brows furrowing.
Although Fu Hua's tone sounded exactly the same as usual, he still felt a subtle sense of wrongness.
After all, someone as meticulous as her would usually tell him exactly where they were going and when they'd return, not just say one vague sentence and hang up.
'Strange, why does it feel like everyone's acting off today…'
'Forget it…'
Van pushed down the doubts in his heart and turned toward Sirin. "Sirin, how about we just wander around nearby?"
"Okay… okay!" Sirin's eyes sparkled as she responded, "I heard there's a huge amusement park not far from here. Should we go check it out…? Um… Van, would you think that's too childish?"
"Of course not~" Van smiled, ruffling her hair.
Jokingly, he said, "Maybe for someone Kevin's age it might feel a little childish, but for me, it's just right."
Overjoyed, Sirin hugged Van's arm and excitedly shouted for them to set off.
But Van didn't notice the fleeting look of struggle that flashed through the girl's eyes.
———
Even though Van had just said earlier that at his age, it was still the perfect time to enjoy an amusement park…
When he heard Sirin say she wanted to ride the carousel with him, he still subconsciously rubbed his nose.
"Uh… I suddenly feel that for someone my age, the carousel might be a bit too thrilling. How about you ride it alone, Sirin…"
And yet, one minute later...
With a lively tune of 'Planting a seed in my heart, ta-la-di-da-la…' playing, two joyful figures appeared on the carousel.
And you know what, surprisingly…
Van, sitting atop a tiny rainbow-colored pony, rising and falling with its rhythm, found himself unexpectedly having a bit of fun.
Leaning lightly against his back, Sirin softly hummed along with the music, a sweet smile curling at her lips.
———
Perhaps riding the carousel had somehow released his playful side, because after that, Van had no psychological resistance to joining Sirin on other rides.
In the bumper cars, Sirin drove with skillful ease, darting around as she rammed Van, the self-proclaimed "vehicle slayer", until he was dizzy and disoriented.
Her silver-bell-like laughter rang out across the field, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Leaving the bumper car area, Sirin immediately pulled Van toward the pirate ship ride.
"This one! I want to ride this one!"
While they were waiting, Sirin clutched Van's arm a little nervously.
But the moment the ship began to swing, she completely changed, not a trace of that earlier nervousness remained.
After the pirate ship, Sirin seemed to have flipped some hidden switch and impatiently dragged Van toward the roller coaster.
When the coaster climbed to its highest point, Sirin suddenly grabbed Van's hand and whispered, "Van, I'm a little scared…"
But as soon as the roller coaster plunged downward, her fear instantly turned into an excited scream, her small hand gripping Van's tightly the entire way.
When they finally got off, Sirin's cheeks were flushed, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Let's go to the haunted house!" Sirin suggested out of the blue.
Van raised a brow. "You sure?"
"Of course!" Sirin puffed out her nonexistent chest proudly. "I'm not afraid at all!"
———
Three minutes later...
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"
"Damn it! Monsters, ghosts, get away from me, get away from me!!"
"No… no, I can't take it anymore! I can't!!"
"Van, save me!!!"
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