August 31st, evening.
The red glow of the setting sun spread a thin crimson veil across the golden beach. The sea breeze, tinged with a salty scent, swept away the last of summer's heat.
The sky, slowly giving way to night, still retained the final fiery hues of sunset.
This was Haizaki and Utaha's last night in Qinggang City.
They planned to return to Wuhua City tomorrow, on September 1st. During their five days in Qinggang City, they had thoroughly enjoyed the pleasures of a summer beach vacation.
"This time, it's enough, right? We've experienced everything we were supposed to…"
Haizaki was busy lighting the charcoal, vigorously fanning the grill with the fan in his hand. The smell of burning charcoal spread clearly through the air.
"Yeah, more or less. We've done everything we needed to do."
Beside him, Utaha added firewood to the already burning fire.
"But we didn't get to surf. That's such a pity…"
"You said yourself you're not good in the water. How could I let you go surfing?" Haizaki replied flatly.
Seeing that the charcoal had ignited successfully, he immediately added more pieces and continued fanning. The red glow of the flames flickered and spread.
"But you're here!"
"My swimming isn't great either."
"At times like this, shouldn't the male lead, Haizaki-kun, say something like 'Leave it to me'?"
Because Haizaki was sometimes too honest, he came across as a bit uninteresting.
"First, I'm not the male lead. Second, telling the truth is the best option. I don't want avoidable accidents to happen because of my own arrogance."
Surfing was a water activity. If Utaha had experience, he might have reluctantly agreed and watched over her from nearby. But the key issue was that she had no experience at all, so it had to be abandoned.
He also wouldn't allow her to "just try it."
"But flying a helicopter is even more dangerous."
"That's different. The risks of flying a helicopter are within my control. At the very least, I carefully inspect and verify everything every time it's started and operated. Even though my maintenance knowledge and experience don't even reach an average level."
"Haizaki-kun, you're too… serious."
Utaha puffed out her cheeks and sighed.
That wasn't the kind of answer she wanted.
Still, she understood that this was just how Haizaki handled things.
"Uh…"
Haizaki could only reflect that girls really did think differently—or perhaps his own way of thinking differed from most people.
"Alright, the charcoal's ready. We can start grilling."
"That topic change was way too stiff."
Though she said that, Utaha didn't pursue it further.
She picked up the basket of ingredients and placed them on the grill one by one.
"But the fish are kind of small."
"Or maybe our luck was just bad, and we didn't catch any nice, fatty sea fish."
But one thing was certain—the sea had fish again.
One day, both the ocean and the land would once again be full of life and vitality.
"Next year, we'll definitely be able to eat the fattest saury. When that time comes, I'll have to trouble you, Haizaki-kun… If you could pilot a boat, we could go farther out to sea."
"You really think I can do everything."
Haizaki laughed helplessly.
If he could drive a boat, that would mean he couldn't fly a plane.
"In my heart, Haizaki-kun is omnipotent. So far, has there been anything you couldn't do?"
"There is. But unfortunately, I can't tell you."
He truly couldn't tell Utaha. Even if he did, she wouldn't believe it—and even if she did, it wouldn't matter.
She couldn't help him.
"Cheapskate…"
But Utaha didn't mind. To her, this was just Haizaki joking around.
"Then, after watermelon smashing, building sand sculptures, and playing in the sea, we officially begin beach barbecue…"
With her hands behind her back, the girl smiled brightly and announced the start of the barbecue. As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her right hand with enthusiasm.
"Let's begin!"
Haizaki felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Say it with me."
"Can we not…?"
Even if Utaha were alone, Haizaki still felt embarrassed.
"No. This is important content for my new volume…"
What made Utaha happiest was Haizaki's helpless expression after being 'forced' into compliance, along with the fun that came with it.
"Alright."
This was a trap Utaha had set before coming, and he had fallen right into it.
This beach vacation had another important purpose for her—gathering material for her novel.
She had used this opportunity to ask Haizaki to cooperate with some of her requests during the trip, to provide inspiration and realism for her work.
"Then—one, two, three, start…"
"Beach barbecue… let's begin!"
"Beach barbecue… let's begin!"
This was probably Utaha imitating the dialogue and actions of the female lead in her novel's barbecue scene.
And he—needless to say—was the so-called male lead.
"Eggplant, greens…"
"Ah, don't add chili sauce and pepper anymore. It's too spicy—I won't be able to eat it."
But Utaha then saw Haizaki vigorously sprinkling pepper.
Clearly, this was retaliation.
"I'm not happy, Haizaki-kun…"
"Eating a bit of spice is good. Try it—trust me."
Faced with the vegetable skewer Haizaki handed over, Utaha accepted it with a try-it-and-see attitude.
Three seconds later—
"Ugh… it's so spicy… hiss…"
Fortunately, she was prepared. She grabbed an already opened bottle of mineral water and gulped down several mouthfuls, finally easing the burning on her tongue.
"You have to eat it too. And it has to be spicier than mine."
Utaha retaliated by adding even more pepper.
"Sure, I'll try."
He didn't mind. At worst, it would just waste a bit of food.
Half an hour later, the barbecue finally came to an end, and the sunset was almost completely gone.
"Haizaki-kun, there's still one thing you haven't done."
"What…?"
"The swimsuit… how is it…?"
The black bikini perfectly outlined the girl's curvy figure. Her fair skin contrasted sharply with the black fabric, making her even more captivating. Her body was mature, yet still carried the unique purity of a seventeen-year-old girl.
"Very beautiful. Very sexy."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
"Just that?"
"Not moved at all?"
Her smile was slightly teasing, mixed with a hint of shyness.
"Speaking from my personal feeling… a meteor—"
Haizaki froze.
That streak of light cutting across the sky—wasn't that a meteor?
…