Chapter 123: Trying to Steal My Home Base? No Way!
Okinawa, at a certain private beach.
The warm sun was already bathing the surface of the sea. The light blue water sparkled, and a gentle breeze rippled its surface, the tiny waves stretching to the horizon.
"Woohoo—!"
"This is awesome! There's really no one else here!"
Jashin-chan, wearing her light-blue swimsuit, bounded out of the spatial portal. She landed on the soft white sand, looked around, and threw her hands in the air with a gleeful shout.
"The human world's ocean is so beautiful! And this beach is amazing!" Minos said, striding out of the portal with her long, full legs. She faced the sea and spread her arms wide, taking a deep breath. A satisfied, joyful smile lit up her face, and her silver-white cow tail swished gently behind her.
Medusa, wearing her white floral-print bikini with a matching sarong tied at her waist and a straw hat with a white ribbon, followed them out of the portal.
Then came Yusa, Koji-kun, Poporon, Pekola...
And finally... Yurine, holding a black parasol, her hair tied up in twin-tails, but not wearing her eyepatch.
'Yet another demon...' Poporon thought, sneaking a glance at Medusa. The two angels had been invited as well. Poporon had been hesitant when she got the invitation; she felt this could be a good opportunity to get her halo back while everyone was gone. But then she worried that they might take her halo with them. In the end, she decided it was safer to tag along.
Yurine discreetly glanced at Yusa's chest. 'So she's a hidden bombshell...'
At the same time, Ryohei had Lucoa pull all the parasols, beach chairs, canopy tents, and other items they bought yesterday out of her storage. He directed everyone to help set up the canopy and the parasols and arrange the beach chairs. Once it was done, Ryohei clapped his hands in satisfaction and announced with a smile, "Alright... from now on, everyone just cut loose and have fun!"
"Oooh!"
"Charge—! Let's go swimming!"
The moment Ryohei finished speaking, Jashin-chan eagerly spun around and, with a wild yell, sprinted toward the ocean.
"Yeah!" Minos kicked off her sandals in a flash, clenched her fists, and ran after her, her pale, full legs bounding across the sand.
Medusa took off her straw hat and bent her graceful waist to pick up a pool float from the sand—she couldn't swim.
"Poporon, let's go swimming too," Pekola said, looking at the idol angel beside her. She was wearing a white T-shirt-style top with black sleeves, paired with a black pleated swim skirt. As an angel, she was naturally more comfortable sticking with Poporon. It was a subconscious behavior.
"Mhm." Being at the beach in a swimsuit on a hot day always made one feel unconsciously relaxed and carefree. Poporon agreed with a cheerful tone, slipped off her shoes, and walked lightly toward the shore. Pekola followed.
"Kori-kun..." Yusa said, looking down at her little sister.
Koji-kun, wearing her blue shark floatie around her waist, just said "Mhm," and turned to look at Yurine, who was walking under a large parasol.
"You guys go ahead. I need to put on some sunscreen," Yurine said, sensing Koji-kun's gaze. She shook the bottle, then handed it to Ryohei Tanaka, who was right next to her. "Tanaka-kun, you put it on for me."
"Mhm." Ryohei had been planning to offer anyway. He took the sunscreen, unscrewed the cap, and said, "Lie down on your stomach first."
"Okay."
"Tanaka-kun, put mine on, too!" Lucoa called out, raising her hand. As she did, the generous curve of her chest swayed with the movement.
Before Ryohei could answer, Yurine looked over at her with narrowed eyes. "You probably don't need that, do you? UV rays shouldn't have any effect on you."
"That's true..." Lucoa said, tilting her head. She clasped her hands gently, her fingertips touching, and smiled. "But I'm very interested in human customs and just want to experience them."
"Is that so? Then I'll help you put it on later," Yurine replied. She gracefully bent her slender white legs, her knees touching the soft beach mat. She then lay down on her stomach, her body stretching into a soft, beautiful arc.
...
While Yurine and Lucoa were bickering, Yusa had already led Koji-kun away. It was better for a child's mental health to stay away from that kind of jealous bickering.
"I just think this is a great chance to increase the intimacy between a master and his familiar," Lucoa declared, puffing out her chest as she looked at Yurine, who was waiting to have sunscreen applied.
'All the more reason I can't let him apply it for you!'
'You think I'm going to stand here and watch your intimacy level go up?'
Yurine, lying flat, was so annoyed she almost laughed. She lifted her head, her face darkening as she glared at Lucoa.
Ryohei, who was kneeling on the mat, felt his mouth twitch. He turned his head and said to Lucoa, "I think our intimacy level is already plenty high just from all the feeding I do. We don't really need to do extra things."
"Eeh? So Tanaka-kun, you were aware of that?" Lucoa asked, her left eye snapping open in surprise.
Stare—!
Feeling the resentful gaze Yurine was drilling into him, Ryohei quickly cleared his throat and squeezed a dollop of sunscreen into his palm, rubbing his hands together. He placed his hands on Yurine's slender, pale shoulders. Yurine's shoulders instantly flinched, probably because it tickled.
"Ms. Yurine is so possessive!" Lucoa said, lying down on her stomach next to her. Her world-class bust pressed against the beach mat, creating its own beautiful arc.
"I am, by nature, a very petty person," Yurine admitted frankly, resting her pale chin on her arms, her eyes closed and lips pressed lightly together.
"Oh, I won't steal him from you, you know," Lucoa suddenly whispered, leaning in very close to Yurine's ear.
The warm breath tickled Yurine's ear, making her instinctively pull away. She opened her eyes, looked at Lucoa with surprise, and then pouted. "Don't think you can make me lower my guard!"
'Trying to steal my home base? No way!'
"What are you two talking about?" Ryohei asked curiously, his hands busy spreading sunscreen over Yurine's slender, soft waist. 'Lower her guard about what?'
"We were just talking about how Tanaka-kun secretly stares at my chest all the time," Lucoa replied, turning her head to look at Ryohei with a bright smile.
Ryohei instantly froze. This was clearly not what they were talking about! He wasn't an idiot; he could tell...
In less than a second, Ryohei pointed an accusing finger at Lucoa and fought back. "Yurine, she's slandering me! Lucoa is slandering me!"
"I'm not so sure it's slander," Yurine said, turning her head to look back at Ryohei, her gaze hauntingly flat.
Ryohei gently pinched her soft waist. "Shouldn't you believe me unconditionally?"
"I want to believe you unconditionally," Yurine replied, her voice just as flat as she squirmed slightly. "But... I've also noticed Tanaka-kun secretly staring at her chest sometimes."
Ryohei: "..."
This was extremely awkward.
"Did you just say I was 'slandering' you, Tanaka-kun?" Lucoa asked, rolling onto her side in a sultry pose, propping her head up with her hand. She opened both her eyes and watched Ryohei with a playful grin.
Ryohei: "..."
He really wanted to punch her. What should he do? He needed advice, urgently!
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