Qin Yu pulled Luo Shangyu away from the Beach Volleyball Court.
Along the way, she saw many others still fiercely engaged in their matches.
No wonder—after Qin Yu and her team had scored two points early on, the Zhang Brothers had felt invincible, but then they lost confidence and didn’t score again.
The final score was seven to zero.
Qin Yu’s team had only played seven rounds total, so their pace had naturally been quick.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu left the noisy court behind and headed toward the seashore.
Along the way, several vendors were selling cold drinks and sweets.
“Let’s buy some ice cream!” Luo Shangyu suggested.
Qin Yu stopped and glanced at a nearby Ice Cream Stand.
It was an Ice Cream Cart equipped with a magic-powered Ice Cream Machine inside.
The front of the cart had a crossbar and other fittings for a horse to pull it.
The vendor was a middle-aged man with dark skin and a friendly demeanor.
Seeing Qin Yu stop to look, he called out loudly, “Young ladies, delicious ice cream here! We’ve got all kinds of flavors—what would you like?”
Perhaps it was the man’s enthusiasm that moved Qin Yu, or maybe it was the heat making her restless; she found herself walking over to the cart without realizing it.
Qin Yu studied the menu carefully.
The prices were reasonable—most cones were three or four copper coins each, with the pricier ones costing six or seven.
“Hmm… Luo Shangyu, which flavor do you like?”
“Me? I think strawberry sounds good.”
“Boss, two strawberry cones, please!”
Luo Shangyu raised an eyebrow, “You like strawberry too?”
“Is that a problem?”
“What a coincidence,” Luo Shangyu said, impressed.
“As friends, isn’t it normal to share many tastes?” Qin Yu shrugged.
“Many shared interests?” Luo Shangyu seized on the phrase.
“Do we have other things in common?”
Qin Yu counted off on her fingers.
“First, when we eat bread, we prefer cheese over butter or jam.”
“Yeah,” Luo Shangyu agreed.
“Second, compared to other teas, we prefer black tea.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Third, we like to fall asleep with deep breathing!”
“Mm… huh?” Luo Shangyu sounded shocked.
“How do you know all that? The food stuff I can understand, but how did you observe my sleeping habits in such detail?”
“Aren’t friends supposed to observe each other? Besides, our breathing and heartbeat synced last night while we were asleep. How could I not notice?”
Luo Shangyu blushed when Qin Yu mentioned their synchronized breathing and heartbeat from last night—that had been troubling her too.
She wasn’t sure why it had happened—maybe it was some kind of rapport or a deeper bond?
Thinking about it made her uneasy, and she muttered, “You observe people like a little girlfriend watching her fiancé…”
“Eh? Y-you…” Qin Yu was about to reply when the vendor’s voice interrupted them.
“Your ice cream’s ready. That’ll be eight copper coins total. How would you like to pay?”
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu looked at each other.
Wearing their sports uniforms, it was impossible for them to carry any money.
They had impulsively ordered ice cream without thinking about payment.
Just then, Qin Yu’s Maid appeared, handing over eight copper coins to the vendor and helping carry the ice cream.
“Thank you,” Qin Yu sighed with relief.
If not for the Maid’s timely arrival, she really wouldn’t have known how to handle this.
The Maid smiled warmly, “No need to thank me, Your Highness. Gaining your approval is my greatest wish.”
The delicious, sweet ice cream allowed Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu to temporarily set aside their earlier quarrel.
As Qin Yu enjoyed the cool treat, much of the heat she felt on her skin faded away.
***
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu reached the seashore and found far fewer swimmers in the water than they had expected.
Probably because of the Beach Volleyball matches—many were more interested in spectating and betting than enjoying the sea.
The Maid kindly helped Qin Yu remove her shoes, socks, and sun-protective jacket, placing them together nearby.
Qin Yu slowly stepped into the water; the sea, carrying the slight chill typical of autumn, crept past her ankles, causing her to shiver.
From the shore, Luo Shangyu called out, “You need to warm up properly before getting in!”
Feeling the cold water and worried about cramping, Qin Yu decided to listen to her advice and stood still, carefully performing warm-up exercises.
After finishing the last stretch, Qin Yu couldn’t wait any longer and dashed forward into the water.
As she moved deeper, the sea reached past her calves.
“It’s time,” Qin Yu whispered to herself.
She leapt gently forward and plunged into the shallow water.
The sea was just deep enough for Qin Yu to lie back and submerge herself entirely, her body slightly buoyant about ten centimeters above the sandy bottom.
She lightly stirred the sand beneath with her hands and used it to guide herself toward deeper waters.
The waves surged toward the shore and then receded, carrying Qin Yu farther into the ocean.
The water grew deeper until she had to stand to touch the seabed.
Not venturing farther, Qin Yu splashed around nearby.
Sunlight illuminated the clear water, revealing every detail: the white sand grains shifting with the waves, creating tiny sandy ripples; small black fish darting like streaks of lightning; strange-shaped shells embedded in the sand, some barely visible on the surface.
Qin Yu tried holding her breath and diving underwater.
Thanks to her magical barrier, she could open her eyes beneath the surface and observe the ocean floor closely.
She swam freely beneath the waves until breathing grew difficult, then flipped over and broke the surface, greedily inhaling air.
Just then, Luo Shangyu flew from the shore to Qin Yu’s side.
“The first round of the Beach Volleyball matches is over. For the second round, we drew a bye and advanced directly to the next stage. The third round starts at noon—almost an hour and a half from now.”
“A bye? So lucky!” Qin Yu said, wiping seawater from her face while floating on the surface.
“That’s the Maid’s luck. She drew the lot,” Luo Shangyu said, pointing at two Maids playing in the sand on the shore.
“There’s still plenty of time. Why don’t you come swim with me?” Qin Yu invited warmly.
“No, I think building sandcastles on the beach sounds more fun,” Luo Shangyu replied.
“You’re so childish!” Qin Yu complained helplessly.
Left alone in the sea, Qin Yu tried to stay afloat, using her feet to paddle slowly forward.
She carefully scanned the sandy bottom for beautiful shells buried beneath.
Following the sun’s direction, Qin Yu soon spotted a pink arc glinting in the sand.
She immediately recognized it as a shell.
Taking a deep breath, she dove downward.
The water was deeper than Qin Yu expected—perhaps because she hadn’t measured the depth with her height before diving.
She frantically paddled to sink further.
Soon, her eardrums ached slightly from pressure, and despite her efforts, she couldn’t descend any deeper.
“Hm… is this the limit?”
Qin Yu stretched out her right hand, trying to hook the arc and grab the shell.
Pain radiated to her fingertips—that was the hard edge of the shell.
She pinched the edge between her index and middle fingers.
Pulling back with her two fingers, Qin Yu clutched the shell in her palm, pushed upward with her legs, and used the water’s buoyancy to break the surface.
Opening her palm, Qin Yu examined the shell she’d just retrieved: it was a perfectly shaped shell, exactly like the pictures in the Encyclopedia, but with different colors.
The shell was mostly pale white, with concentric pale pink markings along its edges, interwoven with white rings, giving it a delicate, rosy appearance.
“What a cute little thing!” Qin Yu exclaimed sincerely.
She held it in her left hand, freeing her right to hunt for more shells.
***
Qin Yu’s energy gradually waned after multiple dives, and she began to feel tired.
She turned and swam back toward the shore.
Once on land, Qin Yu eagerly rushed to Luo Shangyu and displayed her finds.
Besides the first pinkish-white shell, she had found many intriguing others—some pale yellow and white, some gradually shifting to brownish hues, and even one covered in a strange membrane that made it shimmer with colors, refracting light in a dazzling display.
Luo Shangyu examined each shell carefully and commented, “You picked ones with unique features. Such refined taste.”
Qin Yu brightened at the praise and asked, “What about your sandcastle? Let me see!”
Luo Shangyu smiled slightly and led Qin Yu to her sandcastle.
It was a massive Gothic-style structure covering over ten square meters and nearly four meters high.
Qin Yu sneered, “Clearly, this was built with magic!”
Luo Shangyu smiled again, “Don’t look down on magic-built things. Bet you couldn’t make one like this yourself!”
Qin Yu felt seen through.
She wasn’t lying when she said she envied the sandcastle—it was just that she couldn’t build one herself and wanted to tease Luo Shangyu.
Luo Shangyu seemed to read her thoughts.
“Do you like it? If so, it’s yours now!”
“Eh? You just give it away like that?”
“Not exactly giving it away. We’re good friends—what’s mine is yours too!” Luo Shangyu looked puzzled by Qin Yu’s surprise.
“Isn’t that a concept from married couples sharing property?” Qin Yu found Luo Shangyu’s logic odd.
“Why can’t good friends share property like married couples?” Luo Shangyu asked.
“…” Qin Yu gave up trying to explain.
It was fine as long as Luo Shangyu was happy.
A moment of silence fell as Luo Shangyu seemed lost in thought.
Then the Maid’s voice rang out, “It’s getting late. Only twenty minutes left before the next match…”
“Ah, right, right! We still have to play!” Luo Shangyu hastily ended the awkward conversation.