Don't be fooled by how aggressive Veliona is every time she comes out; in reality, she might be the easiest one to handle.
There's no way, her defense is too low; with a little intimacy, Veliona's defenses crumble instantly. That desire for touch, for affirmation, yet expressed with awkward shyness due to her tsundere nature, is truly too cute.
"Well, that's your problem then."
He expressed his inability to help Seele with her predicament; after all, who told her to be mischievous first?
"But Brother was bullying the other me..."
Ignoring Seele's soft complaints, Nangong Yu pushed Seele aside and stood up to stretch.
It was a pity it wasn't afternoon, otherwise he could have taken a nap with Seele in his arms.
The volleyball match not far away had temporarily ended. Nangong Yu stroked Seele's little head and took over her job of delivering drinks for her.
No way, the child still needs to be coaxed. Seele's problem, of course, needs Seele to solve herself.
Nangong Yu carried a tray with several cups of juice and some cut fruit, and in his other hand, he held a large watermelon.
The dazzling sunlight outside the parasol made Nangong Yu squint, feeling warm all over.
"A Yu, over here, over here!"
Elysia, who had been watching his side, quickly spotted Nangong Yu approaching and immediately stood up, happily waving to him.
With both hands occupied, Nangong Yu could only smile and nod in acknowledgment, quickening his pace to reach them.
"Where's Seele?"
Bronya picked up a glass of orange juice, drinking it while looking suspiciously behind Nangong Yu.
It was somewhat unusual for that little tag-along not to follow.
"She's in a self-imposed isolation."
"?"
Noticing Nangong Yu's amused expression, Bronya frowned in confusion.
"Don't worry, she just dug her own grave; I didn't bully her."
Also picking up a glass of orange juice and clinking it with Elysia, Nangong Yu turned his gaze to Elysia, who was drinking heartily.
"Ha~ So satisfying."
After finishing a glass of juice, Elysia narrowed her eyes contentedly.
Looking at her slightly enlarged lower abdomen, and further down, Nangong Yu always felt a bit fleshy around her waist.
"What's wrong, A Yu? Are you mesmerized by Elysia's beautiful posture? Hehe, you can praise me anytime~"
With her hands on her hips, Elysia bent down and gave Nangong Yu a cute wink, a smile full of affection on her face.
Unfortunately, Nangong Yu's gaze was drawn to her fingers slightly digging into the soft flesh of her waist, and he didn't know if his brain was fried, but he subconsciously blurted out:
"Elysia, have you gained weight?"
"..."
Elysia's smiling expression froze.
"Pfft!!!"
Kiana was drinking juice and immediately spat it out.
Bronya's expression froze for a moment, then she showed a look of amusement.
Mei's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
Sirin was also silenced by this remark, looking at Nangong Yu with pity in her eyes.
"Hmph, hmph, what did A Yu just say? Elysia doesn't quite understand."
Lightly twirling a strand of hair at her temple, Elysia's faint gaze carried a hint of threat.
As a cute young girl weighing 54.8 kilograms (no rounding allowed), Elysia would absolutely not admit to gaining weight.
Nangong Yu, realizing his slip of the tongue, quickly put on a fawning smile: "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. How could Sister Elysia, so beautiful and pretty, gain weight?"
"Exactly, exactly, Elysia is so cute, how could she get fat? A Yu, don't talk nonsense."
His good friend Kiana immediately spoke up to help, and Nangong Yu instantly shot her a grateful look.
"It might just be a slip of the tongue, Elysia, you don't have to take it seriously."
Mei also eased the atmosphere.
"Exactly, exactly, this guy A Yu just accidentally spoke his mind, Sister Aili, please don't take it seriously."
Elysia's expression had already started to improve, but upon hearing this, it immediately darkened again.
Nangong Yu suddenly turned his head and saw Bronya, who was constantly snickering behind him.
Bronya, you schemed against me!
Unfortunately, before he could go trouble Bronya, Elysia's slender hand was already resting on his shoulder.
"A Yu~"
A faint voice came from beside his ear, instantly making him nervous.
"Sister Aili, I'm here."
"Would you like to play a game with me?"
"...Can I refuse?"
"Hmmph, what do you think?"
...More than ten minutes later, Nangong Yu was buried in the sand, with only his head exposed, and next to him was the large watermelon he had just brought over.
"Left, left!"
"No, no, it's right!"
Elysia blindfolded herself, spun around a few times in place from twenty meters away, then listened to the sounds and walked step by step towards Nangong Yu's direction, holding a long wooden sword kindly provided by Mei.
Kiana, Sirin, and Bronya stood to the side, happily directing Elysia.
Watching Kiana constantly pointing towards him, Nangong Yu silently sighed, thinking they were good friends, but realizing he had ultimately misplaced his trust.
Soon, Elysia slowly approached Nangong Yu, and the wooden sword in her hand began to hesitate between his head and the watermelon.
He strained to lift his head, but the trembling, towering mass blocked his view, preventing him from seeing Elysia's expression.
A moment later, Elysia finally made up her mind.
And the wooden sword was poised directly above Nangong Yu's head.
Seeing this, he could only sigh helplessly, then closed his eyes, waiting for death.
Elysia shouldn't be too harsh, right?
Thinking this, a sharp whooshing sound came from his ear. Elysia clenched her hands and swung her arm forcefully downwards.
Just as Nangong Yu was waiting for the pain to strike, he suddenly felt something was off. It had been so long, why hadn't it come down yet?
He opened his eyes in confusion, only to see a brown wooden sword mere centimeters from his head. Elysia was looking down at him, her face beaming with the happy smile of a successful prankster.
"Dong~"
Their eyes met, and Elysia playfully made an onomatopoeic sound, then lightly tapped his head with the wooden sword.
"Alright, I didn't hit the watermelon, so it seems I lost."
Throwing the wooden sword aside, Elysia plopped down onto the sand with a soft 'heixiu' sound, bending down to gently wipe away the few grains of sand clinging to his face.
The sea breeze blew, and her pink long hair brushed his cheek, making him feel a little ticklish.
Looking at her serious, smiling expression, feeling her fingertips gently touch his cheek and behind his ear, and listening to Elysia's gentle voice beside him, Nangong Yu's gaze became fixed, and his heart rate gradually began to accelerate.
Burp~
Kiana hadn't eaten anything, but she felt full. Beside her, Bronya's happy smile slowly faded, and she watched the scene in utter silence.