On a somewhat remote stretch of beach, Xiaolan looked at the scene before her with disappointment. She had been so looking forward to playing by the sea, even choosing a spot that looked relatively secluded and less crowded. But reality was completely different from what she had imagined! Forget any summer atmosphere; there wasn’t even a single person in sight! Her high spirits had completely deflated.
Laura and Laine stood beside her, watching as Xiaolan stared silently at the pitch-black sea.
Seeing Xiaolan so dejected, Laura wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but the words that reached her lips turned into a sneeze.
“Don’t be so disappointed, today is just… Ah, ah-choo!”
Rubbing her shoulders, Laura suddenly felt that coming out in just a swimsuit, carried away by the moment, might have been a bad idea. If she had known the weather would turn this bad, she would have worn more clothes!
“It was all sunny this morning, so why is it so overcast now? And it’s a bit chilly!”
Laura complained about the weather, rubbing her hands together from time to time, seemingly unwilling to stay any longer. Laine, on the other hand, was fine. Unlike these two who had run out in just swimsuits, he was wearing normal casual clothes, so he didn’t feel particularly cold.
“Who told you two to just run out like that? You didn’t even plan ahead, at least wait until Kolin and the others were ready and come out with them! After all, they are the hosts of this vacation and the ones who invited us! How could you just leave them behind and come out on your own? It’s really inconsiderate!”
Laine frowned, criticizing Xiaolan and Laura, which only made Xiaolan, who was already in a bad mood, feel worse.
“I! How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this… I, I just got excited and…”
Xiaolan’s voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke, seemingly aware that what she did was indeed a bit wrong. She lowered her head in shame, looking at the ground.
Seeing Xiaolan like this, Laine, who had more to say, couldn’t bring himself to continue. He could only close his mouth. But that meant the atmosphere fell back into silence.
Sensing the awkwardness, Laura wanted to say something to ease the tension, but she didn’t know what. After racking her brain for a moment, Laura suddenly noticed something on Laine’s right hand that wasn’t usually there. Once she saw what it was, she couldn’t help but gasp.
“Th-this, this, this! Laine, why are you wearing that on your right hand! Could it be…”
Following Laura’s words, Xiaolan also looked at Laine’s right hand. But with just one glance, Xiaolan froze completely. She stood rooted to the spot as if time had stopped.
On Laine’s right ring finger was a ring!
Noticing both of them staring at the ring on his right hand, Laine remained rather calm. He showed no sign of panic, just offering a simple explanation.
“Don’t get any weird ideas, it doesn’t have any special meaning. This ring is something I bought for a high price myself back when I was still a merchant; no one gave it to me. As for why I’m wearing it on this finger? It’s just where I wanted to wear it, no extra meaning. Why are you two always thinking about such things?”
After hearing Laine’s explanation, Xiaolan’s anxious heart settled down, and she emerged from her petrified state. As the one who had caused the misunderstanding, Laura felt very awkward, not knowing what to say, so she simply kept her mouth shut.
Xiaolan, having just recovered from the terrifying possibility, also had no desire to speak. As for Laine, he couldn’t think of any topic to discuss anyway. Thus, the scene returned to its previous silent atmosphere. But unlike before, although it was still silent, the mood now felt much lighter than earlier.
After sneezing once more, Laura really wanted to return to the villa Miss Lavinia had rented and curl up under the blankets in her room. But since she had come out with Xiaolan, she felt she should ask for her opinion first.
“Um, Xiaolan? How about… we head back for now? We can come to the beach to play tomorrow, right? It’s not like we’re short on time. Look, the weather is so bad now, and there’s this chilly wind blowing constantly! There’s nothing fun to do here anyway, is there?”
Laine also agreed with Laura. Staying here really wasn’t interesting; it would be better to return to the villa first.
Hearing Laura’s words, Xiaolan looked a bit puzzled. She carefully looked Laura over, especially focusing on her fluffy ears, which made Laura’s face turn slightly red with embarrassment.
“Wh-what is it? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”
Faced with Laura’s embarrassed question, Xiaolan shook her head and explained, “I’m just a bit curious. You’re a beastman, so why are you so afraid of the cold? Look, your ears and tail are so fluffy, shouldn’t they be very warm? Aren’t beastmen supposed to be a very cold-resistant race?”
Hearing this, Laine also felt a bit puzzled. Although fox-type beastmen like Laura didn’t have full-body fur to greatly resist the cold, they shouldn’t be this sensitive to it, right? It was just a light breeze, and the sky was only a bit dark; the temperature was still quite high. Could she really feel cold? …Though, it did feel a bit chilly now.
Maybe it was Laine’s imagination, but after hearing Laura talk about being cold, he also started to feel a bit cold. Even though the temperature wasn’t that low, he suddenly wanted to put on a few jackets.
After hearing Xiaolan’s words and seeing Laine’s somewhat inquisitive look, Laura’s face grew even redder. But this time, it wasn’t from shyness, but from shame.
Xiaolan was right; most beastmen were indeed cold-resistant. But she was different! She was very sensitive to the cold! Although she hadn’t been like this back in her village, ever since leaving, she had become very afraid of the cold. Even if this temperature couldn’t really affect her, she didn’t want to stay in such a place any longer. And she definitely didn’t want to run into the sea to play in this kind of weather!
So, to get Xiaolan to hurry back, Laura straightforwardly admitted that she was very sensitive to the cold. Seeing this, Xiaolan couldn’t say anything more and could only prepare to go back with her. Laine, witnessing this, naturally supported Laura’s idea and prepared to return to the villa together.
But just as they were about to leave, Xiaolan felt a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. She had run out here with such high expectations, only to get this result. How could she accept that? No! She had to at least do something before going back!
Thinking this, Xiaolan looked around and suddenly spotted a few reef rocks in the distance. Staying behind them should provide some shelter from the wind. Moreover, she saw many pretty shells beside the reef. Even if she couldn’t swim or play properly today, she should at least take a few nice shells back! Otherwise, today would be a complete failure!
Having made up her mind, Xiaolan immediately called out to Laura and Laine, who were about to leave, and told them her idea.
Although Laura really wanted to return to the villa quickly, Xiaolan’s idea wasn’t too unreasonable, and she had no real reason to refuse, so she agreed.
Laine had some reservations, but unable to withstand Xiaolan’s enthusiastic pleas, he compromised somewhat.
“Fine, we can go pick up those shells, but I’ll go alone. You two head back first; no need to stay here in this cold wind. Look, Laura is shivering all over. It’s better not to stay any longer.”
Hearing Laine’s words, Xiaolan realized that Laura was indeed shivering from the cold. So, she gave up on the idea of going together and agreed to let Laine go alone while they returned first.
Seeing Xiaolan agree to his suggestion, Laine immediately set off, aiming to collect the shells quickly and return to the villa.
Watching Laine leave to gather shells, Xiaolan turned to Laura and apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so cold. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come out.”
“It’s fine.” Laura smiled lightly, indicating she was okay. “It is a bit cold, but the weather change was just too sudden. You didn’t know beforehand, right?”
After briefly checking on Laura’s condition, Xiaolan prepared to return to the villa with her. But just then, Xiaolan suddenly noticed that next to her own shadow on the ground, another eerie figure had appeared.