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The sun was setting.
The evening glow was vast.
Because it was summer, the sky darkened slowly. After so much time, half of the sun was still above the sea and sky.
Looking out, the waves between the sea and sky were magnificent, and the brilliant sunset dyed the entire Sea golden-red.
A setting sun spreads across the water, half the river is dark, half red.
Splash!
Amamiya Natsuki emerged from the sea, looked at the Young Lady beside him, and saluted, "Reporting, Vice President, the surrounding area has been confirmed safe. Please give your orders."
Shinomiya Kaguya glared at him: "Where's Mama?"
When swimming, long hair can easily block vision and cause choking, so before entering the water, Shinomiya Kaguya had already put on a swimming cap, making her look much more childish now.
Amamiya Natsuki said, "Shimizu-nee is still in the sea, maintaining uninterrupted 24-hour vigilance."
As a ghost, Mrs. Shimizu didn't need to breathe at all and could stay in the sea indefinitely.
According to the previous plan, Mrs. Shimizu was the first line of defense. Once she detected any Sea nettles or jellyfish floating over, she would immediately alert Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya, allowing Amamiya Natsuki to clear the target.
The only thing to be wary of was that strange, unethical entity, whether it would secretly come to trick and ambush, for example, by bringing in swarms of jellyfish.
If such a situation occurred, Amamiya Natsuki would use Time Stop to take Shinomiya Kaguya out of danger.
If they couldn't escape, then he would use Dark Shadow.
If that still didn't work, then they would just have to give up the challenge—Hayasaka Ai had just left to bring a paddleboat, which was now floating not far from them.
In any case, the Young Lady would definitely not be allowed to encounter danger.
With Mrs. Shimizu below the sea, and Hayasaka on the paddleboat nearby, Amamiya Natsuki was quite relaxed at this moment, treating it as an ordinary Sea swim, and asked Shinomiya Kaguya, "Have you ever come to the sea before?"
"Of course I have," Shinomiya Kaguya replied while floating, "When we went to Kagoshima, we went to the sea."
Amamiya Natsuki said, "Besides that time in Kagoshima?"
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya turned her pretty face away, her cheeks slightly puffed out, indicating she didn't want to answer.
Thinking back on her past life, ever since Mama passed away, she had been confined to the villa, supposedly for care. Her third brother, Shinomiya Un'yo, was decades older than her, and she barely saw him a few times a year. She practically grew up alone. In her memory, every day consisted only of various studies, with no recreational activities at all. Coming to the sea to play was something she couldn't even dream of.
"Then there hasn't been," Amamiya Natsuki said gently, "Summer vacation is coming soon. When it starts, we'll come play alone."
Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes lit up, the golden sunset reflected in her wine-red eyes, and her voice couldn't help but carry a hint of anticipation, saying crisply, "Come play alone?"
"That's right," Amamiya Natsuki smiled, "Tokyo and Chiba are close, so it's perfectly fine for us to come play for a day alone."
Amamiya Natsuki no longer cared about other people's gazes. Since he decided to be a scumbag, he naturally had to take responsibility—
Refuse those who should be refused, like Mizuhara Chizuru, who had no intention of using her kindness for personal gain, just treating her as a business partner.
Be proactive when necessary.
Take responsibility when necessary.
Dating, of course, had to be initiated by him!
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face quickly flushed red. She turned to look at the sunset at the edge of the sea and sky, her pink lips curving upwards uncontrollably, but she said, "I-I'll consider it... I might not have time during summer vacation."
Is this a date invitation?
It must be!
The President actually invited her to the sea alone; it clearly meant a date!
"What's there to consider? Of course you should agree to Natsuki-kun," a sweet voice sounded behind Shinomiya Kaguya, her laughter joyful, "This is Natsuki-kun's initiative to invite you on a date. If you refuse, Natsuki-kun will be sad, you know."
"Mama!"
Shinomiya Kaguya immediately gritted her teeth, unable to help but shout in embarrassment, "Don't eavesdrop in the sea!"
"I wasn't eavesdropping at all," Mrs. Shimizu said with a smile, "It's just that your voices were too loud."
"Our chatting voices weren't loud at all," Shinomiya Kaguya puffed out her cheeks, "You said you'd be on alert in the sea, didn't you?"
"There's nothing in the sea, so I just came up," Mrs. Shimizu's smile grew even more pleasant, "Well, you two continue chatting. You can pretend I'm not here."
"How can we pretend you're not here!"
"..."
After a couple of sentences, Mrs. Shimizu re-submerged into the sea, continuing her vigilance.
"Hoo..."
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a soft breath and looked at Amamiya Natsuki, whispering, "When we come to the sea during summer vacation, make Mama stay in the shadow the whole time. Don't let Mama come out."
It was supposed to be a date for two, wouldn't it be strange to bring Mama along?
Even holding hands would make her very conscious of Mama's gaze.
Since that was the case, she could only make Mama suffer a little...
"Kaguya-chan is so mean. You know Mama is afraid of the dark, yet you still want Mama to stay in the shadow."
A resentful voice sounded again.
Shinomiya Kaguya immediately got angry, unable to help but puff out her cheeks and shout, "Mama! You're still eavesdropping!"
"This time I really wasn't eavesdropping," Mrs. Shimizu waved her hand and turned to look at Amamiya Natsuki, "Natsuki-kun, a jellyfish floated over in the sea. It's up to you."
"Understood."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded, put on his diving mask, and quickly submerged into the sea. With Mrs. Shimizu's help, he soon saw a transparent jellyfish floating not far away.
Jellyfish are 98% water, mostly transparent, and move by drifting with the waves, making them truly inconspicuous in the sea.
This transparent jellyfish was only the size of a fist, drifting vaguely in the sea. Amamiya Natsuki couldn't identify its species, so he swam directly over, scooped it up with a net, and then surfaced.
Splash.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the paddleboat floating on the sea not far away and raised his right hand to signal.
Upon seeing this, Spy Maid quickly paddled the boat over to handle the subsequent processing:
"Senpai, leave this jellyfish to me."
"Mm," Amamiya Natsuki nodded, "Be careful, don't touch it."
Fishermen living by the sea, when they catch jellyfish, traditionally chop them up. Jellyfish are poisonous, inedible, and unsaleable, so chopping them up and discarding them is the most convenient method.
However, later, researchers discovered that chopped jellyfish thrown into the sea actually led to an increase in jellyfish numbers, so the best method is to take them ashore and dispose of them. These things don't have legs, so once on the shore, they can't escape and will quickly be dried to death by the sun.
"Got it~"
Hayasaka Ai waved her hand, placed the jellyfish properly, and paddled the boat away.
In front of Shinomiya Kaguya, this Spy Maid was quite well-behaved.
Another half an hour passed in a flash.
During this half hour, under Mrs. Shimizu's vigilance, Amamiya Natsuki caught a total of three jellyfish and two Sea nettles, all of which Hayasaka Ai took to the shore to discard. Among them was a small jellyfish with tiny blue spots, which clearly looked poisonous.
At the same time, the sun had completely set below the sea horizon, though the afterglow in the sky had not yet dissipated.
the sea surface was still manageable, and things could still be seen clearly, but underwater was a chaotic mess, and the entire vigilance task could only be handed over to Mrs. Shimizu.
"The wind is picking up."
Shinomiya Kaguya gently furrowed her delicate brows.
As the sun set, the wind and waves on the sea surface quietly grew stronger, with surging waves and frothing whitecaps, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty of vigilance.
"There are still over twenty minutes left," Amamiya Natsuki raised his voice, "Don't let your guard down until the challenge is completely finished."
"Mm."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded seriously, indicating she understood.
As the wind and waves grew, the physical exertion for swimming increased, and at the same time, the number of jellyfish and Sea nettles drifting in with the waves also noticeably increased.
Amamiya Natsuki would occasionally dive into the water to retrieve the drifting jellyfish and Sea nettles.
Time flowed by.
The wind and waves on the sea surface grew even stronger.
"Ten minutes left," Amamiya Natsuki looked at Hayasaka, who was constantly bobbing on the paddleboat, and shouted, "Throw down the lifebuoy. If there are any more jellyfish or Sea nettles later, I'll temporarily tie them to the lifebuoy. You stay on the shore and don't come over anymore."
Hayasaka Ai bit her lip, unwilling: "I'm fine..."
"Hanamori, you stay on the shore." Shinomiya Kaguya said, "The challenge is about to be completed."
Hayasaka Ai had no choice but to agree, paddling the kayak towards the shore.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and extended his right hand.
Shinomiya Kaguya understood and also extended her hand, their fingers intertwined to prevent being blown away by the wind and waves.
"There are only a few minutes left." Amamiya Natsuki tightly held the Young Lady's soft hand, "Next, we'll see if that anomaly will secretly try to sneak attack."
As soon as he finished speaking, another half-meter high wave hit the sea.
Amamiya Natsuki and the Young Lady were swept into the sea together.
Splash.
The waves receded.
Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya resurfaced from the sea, and with a player's physical fitness, dealing with this level of waves was not difficult.
"Eh, eh, eh... how could this be?!"
Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly widened her beautiful eyes, a flustered expression appearing on her pretty face.
"What's wrong?" Amamiya Natsuki's expression immediately became serious.
Did that anomaly sneak attack?
Why didn't Mrs. Shimizu give a warning?
"It's, it's..."
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lip with her pearly teeth, and a blush of shame quickly surged onto her pretty face.
Seeing the Young Lady stammering and unable to explain, Amamiya Natsuki frowned, preparing to dive into the sea.
"Wait, wait a minute..." Shinomiya Kaguya quickly stopped him, stammering, "I didn't encounter jellyfish or Sea nettles, it's just, it's just..."
"Just what?" Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but say, "Hurry up and tell me."
Where is the decisive Vice President of the school? When did she become a timid girl who stutters!
"That..."
Shinomiya Kaguya took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and was about to speak when another wave rolled in.
This wave was stronger than before, and as the shockwave swept over, Amamiya Natsuki instinctively reached out and embraced the Young Lady in his arms, then quickly noticed something was wrong.
Something's not right.
Completely not right.
The sensation coming from his chest was not the sensation of a swimsuit at all.
Amamiya Natsuki took a light breath, instantly realizing why the Young Lady had been stammering and stuttering just now.
Where's your swimsuit?!
"Mm—!"
Shinomiya Kaguya was suddenly embraced by Amamiya Natsuki, too late to react, and their skin made intimate contact, an electric current-like sensation instantly surging through her entire body, making Shinomiya Kaguya let out a soft moan.
"Cough, cough..." Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't care less about choking on a mouthful of seawater and quickly said, "Don't, don't move!"
"I really didn't mean to move." Amamiya Natsuki took a light breath and quickly explained, "The waves are pushing us, we can't stop."
It wasn't until the waves calmed down that Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya, who were involuntarily moving, finally stopped.
Amamiya Natsuki quickly pushed the Young Lady away, keeping a distance between them. His head was already throbbing with blood, and his rationality was being forced back by instinct. If he continued to hold the Young Lady in his arms, he might lose his mind and become a zombie with nothing but the Young Lady in his head!
"Where's your swimsuit?"
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm.
"I don't know either..."
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face was like a cooked shrimp, almost dripping blood, and steam billowed from the top of her head. She felt completely drained of strength, only able to float by softly holding Amamiya Natsuki's arm. Her eyes were misty, and her voice was aggrieved, "Just now, a wave rolled over, and then it was swept away."
"Shimizu-nee probably didn't see it either, otherwise she would have come out and said something."
Amamiya Natsuki looked around, only to see the vast Sea and rolling waves. In such an environment, there was no way to see the swimsuit swept away by the seawater. Although that thing wasn't a needle, it was pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"There are still a few minutes left, let's hold on until the challenge ends." Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and said, "Later, I'll go ashore first and have Chika bring your clothes. We don't need that swimsuit anymore."
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lip with her pearly teeth and couldn't think of a better solution: "...That's the only way."
Splash, splash.
Another wave swept in from afar.
Amamiya Natsuki looked down at the Young Lady.
Shinomiya Kaguya's eyelashes trembled, and she looked up. Their eyes met, and then quickly moved away as if burned.
Neither of them spoke.
The waves rolled in.
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and once again embraced the Young Lady in his arms.
"Mm..."
An electric current-like sensation instantly swept through both of them.
The next moment.
The waves rolled in, sweeping them directly into the sea, where they bobbed up and down.
The last few minutes of the ultimate challenge felt exceptionally long to Amamiya Natsuki. He didn't know how long it had been until Shinomiya Kaguya finally said in a trembling voice:
"The, the challenge is complete..."
"It's finally over!"
Amamiya Natsuki bit the tip of his tongue hard, then took a deep breath, finally willing to gently push the Young Lady out of his arms.
The first page of the sword manual was indeed correct: No women in the heart, and the sword will be divine.
Girls are indeed too terrifying. After holding the Young Lady in his arms, Amamiya Natsuki almost forgot about the challenge, his mind filled with nothing but that.
Terrifying.
Indeed very terrifying.
"Since the challenge is complete, let's go ashore quickly."
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and swam towards the shore, holding the Young Lady.
There was no other way; he still had some strength, but the Young Lady Kaguya was truly completely out of strength and could only let him do as he pleased.
"Mm..."
Shinomiya Kaguya's head was dizzy, and she was in a confused state where she couldn't think of anything. She would agree to whatever Amamiya Natsuki said.
The two quickly reached the shore.
"Stand still." Amamiya Natsuki helped the Young Lady steady herself, reached out and touched Kaguya's head, and whispered, "Wait for me here, I'll go get your clothes."
"Oh..."
It wasn't until Amamiya Natsuki left that Shinomiya Kaguya's brain, which had shut down due to the high temperature, finally cooled down slightly and regained consciousness.
"Oh dear~" A joyful voice sounded behind Shinomiya Kaguya. Mrs. Shimizu's voice was cheerful, "Don't worry, Mama didn't see anything just now."
Shinomiya Kaguya's delicate body trembled, and she couldn't help but cry out in shame:
"Mama, don't always talk behind people's backs!"
"What do you mean, you're even scolding me." Mrs. Shimizu deliberately showed a wronged expression, "Just now, several jellyfish appeared, and to avoid disturbing you two, I worked hard to chase them away."
Shinomiya Kaguya swayed as she listened, and steam once again billowed from the top of her head.
Just now, when she was held in Amamiya Natsuki's arms, her brain couldn't think at all. Now that she had finally calmed down, she remembered that Mama was in the sea.
In other words...
Did she see it?
Was it seen from beginning to end?
And the President went to the shore to get clothes, so everyone will know, right?
The girl's sense of shame exploded again, and she almost couldn't stand it.
Fortunately, after a short while, Fujiwara Chika came running towards the sea with clothes in hand:
"Kaguya-chan, I'm here!"
Shinomiya Kaguya calmed down again, covering her chest with both hands, turning her body to the side, taking a deep breath to prevent her voice from sounding unusual: "...Give me the clothes."
"Here, take them." Fujiwara Chika handed over the clothes and asked curiously, "How did Kaguya-chan's swimsuit get washed away? Was it not tied properly when you applied the ointment earlier?"
Don't say it.
Don't talk about things that have already happened!
Chika Secretary's voice was clear as she continued:
"Speaking of which, Mama also had an experience where her swimsuit was washed away, but Mama's was because it was too big, and Kaguya-chan is clearly only..."
"Chika-chan, what about me?"
Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head and smiled as she looked over.
"I won't say it, I won't say it." Fujiwara Chika quickly raised her hands and covered her mouth, "Kaguya-chan, hurry up and put on your clothes. Although this is the shore, jellyfish and Sea nettles might still be washed ashore."
Shinomiya Kaguya simply wiped her body and hair with a towel, not caring that her body wasn't dry, and quickly put on her clothes. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, biting her lip as she rejoined everyone.
"Kaguya-chan, you weren't hurt by jellyfish or Sea nettles, were you?"
"After dark, the wind and waves suddenly got stronger, I was so worried."
"The challenge is finally complete, Kaguya-chan, hurry up and drink some water."
Everyone gathered around to express their concern and ask questions.
Shinomiya Kaguya answered one by one. Fortunately, except for Chika, everyone else was very taciturn and did not ask about the swimsuit being washed away by the waves.
Amamiya Natsuki had also changed his clothes and walked over to Kaguya, saying:
"Check your phone, what's the content after the challenge is complete."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded lightly, picked up her phone, and said softly:
"It says there's only the final ultimate challenge left, and it's extremely difficult. It tells me to choose carefully, and if I give up now, I can end the challenge game... The consideration time is still twenty-four hours."
"It's actually tempting people by saying they can end the challenge." Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly, "Sure enough, as long as the ultimate challenge is completed, you can face that anomaly directly."
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