“On your marks, get set, go!”
With a sharp whistle, figures dove from the shore, slicing into the water with a chorus of splashes, each stroke propelling them toward the small platform marking the finish line.
The competitors, all women, were a vision of allure, handpicked by Hui to ignite the atmosphere with their fiery presence.
Their swimming skills were far from amateur, each movement a testament to grace and power.
Yet, what unfolded before the spectators’ eyes wasn’t merely a parade of elegant swimwear-clad women… or was it?
The leering onlookers squinted, their jaws dropping as a white-haired girl surged ahead, flailing through the water with an awkward dog-paddle.
Her frantic “huff-huff” echoed as she churned the sea, her clumsy strokes betraying a novice’s inexperience.
One might even venture she’d never touched seawater before this moment.
This breathtaking beauty, with a swimming style so comically unrefined, sparked a buzz among the beachside crowd.
They marveled at her stunning looks and figure while chuckling openly at her floundering antics, their laughter ringing without restraint.
Noi’s sharp ears caught every word, her proximity to the shore amplifying the crowd’s critiques.
‘Mortifying!’ she thought, her face burning.
‘I really can’t swim!’
Kicking furiously, Noi zipped past several of the poised women, her strokes a chaotic blur.
Shame fueled her, spurring her to break through the pack of competitors intent on showcasing their curves to the audience.
Though she lacked technique, her raw physical prowess was unmatched.
Even the strongest of these women barely reached a C-grade in overall ability, while Noi’s attributes, even without magic, placed her firmly at the top.
Her reason for joining this race?
Hui, much like Ahei before him, had dangled critical information about Andy as bait, tying it to the outcome of this contest.
Though their motives were murky, with no agents from the Demon Suppression Bureau present and their tokens useless, Noi and her companion couldn’t simply strong-arm the truth out of Hui in front of everyone.
Reluctantly, they agreed to play along.
The rules were simple: a women’s swimming race would decide who got to choose offense or defense in the main event—a yacht chase.
The defender had to pilot a speedboat within a designated area for three minutes, while the attacker used any means necessary to catch them within that time.
Despite never having swum before, Noi threw herself into the challenge for Lyte’s sake, determined to give him an edge.
‘It’s just swimming,’ she’d thought.
‘How hard can it be to flail a few strokes?’
And so began her humiliating journey of choking on seawater and dog-paddling her way forward.
“Hey, Braveheart, that nun you’re guarding has quite the figure,” Hui teased, dressed as a lifeguard, his whistleblowing bravado earning a sharp glance from Lyte.
Hui had been upfront during their earlier encounter: the “birdman” they sought was locked in a lounge nearby.
Lyte sensed a calculated scheme at play, its purpose unclear, but it was enough to put him on high alert.
When Lyte didn’t bite, Hui let out a disgruntled huff, tossing out a taunt for good measure.
“Don’t think beating that loser Third Brother means you’ll breeze past me. I won’t lose and make things easy for Big Brother.”
With a theatrical flex, Hui’s unrefined muscles bulged—not exactly aesthetic, but intimidating enough.
The display inflated his ego, and he extended a hand toward Lyte, eager to flaunt his B-minus strength.
“I hope your skills match that mouth of yours,” Lyte shot back coolly, slipping on a pair of garish pink sunglasses pulled from a mystery box.
His lean frame belied a torrent of contained energy as he gripped Hui’s meaty hand, squeezing until the man’s face paled.
“Ugh… let’s hope you bring something new to the table,” Hui muttered through gritted teeth, yanking his hand back while trying to save face.
Lyte smirked faintly, his focus returning to Noi, who was fighting her way through the race for him.
Her form was far from graceful, but her earnest heart shone through.
His only concern was the other competitors—too weak to pose a real threat to Noi.
Even combined, they couldn’t match her.
It made Lyte wonder if Hui had rigged something at the finish line, a trap that might harm her.
In the cordoned-off race area, the swimmers stretched into a long line.
A few of the stronger women in sleek swimsuits closed in on the floating platform, where a water-filled ball rested atop a foam-padded tower.
Noi’s lack of technique finally showed its limits.
As the better swimmers got serious, their polished strokes overtook her frantic paddling.
But the platform was still far off, giving Noi a chance to stay in the lead pack by sheer stamina and speed.
‘Almost there, almost there.’
Spitting out a mouthful of salty water, Noi squeezed her eyes shut and churned faster, finishing fifth by a mere two or three seconds.
‘What? Why are you blocking me?’
Barely catching her breath on the platform, Noi found herself surrounded by the other women—save the first to arrive—who seemed intent on stopping her from grabbing the ball, even at the risk of breaking the rules.
“You big-chested girl, why won’t you budge?” one woman huffed, shoving Noi.
The push felt like a tickle to her.
These women, exhausted from reaching the platform, had no strength left to challenge her.
Unlike them, Noi, who’d dog-paddled the entire way, was still brimming with energy.
“Move!” she barked, sucking in a deep breath and charging through the blockade.
The women toppled dramatically, some sliding back into the sea, their glamorous tumble almost cinematic.
Like a breeze through a field of flowers, Noi’s B-minus agility carried her past their defenses.
She nimbly scaled the foam tower and seized the water ball.
“Yahoo! I won!” she shouted, waving the ball triumphantly, her victory declared.
The crowd didn’t expect that the dog-paddling girl would win the game at the end.
The twist of events made them whistle with their fingers and cheer loudly.
On the shore, Lyte beamed with pride.
He stepped onto a temporary earthen bridge to meet Noi, but Hui’s sly grin stopped him.
“Hold on, let’s see who gets to pick sides first.”
“Isn’t it obvious…?” Lyte began, only to freeze as Noi’s beaming smile faltered.
The water ball slipped from her hands, plummeting to the platform with unnatural speed, bursting with a loud “pop”.
“?!”
A wave of gasps swept the crowd, unprepared for such a dramatic turn.
Noi’s face froze.
Her eyes locked with Lyte’s, silently pleading, ‘I didn’t mean to do that.’
Lyte offered a reassuring smile, waving her back to rest.
As the women returned along the earthen bridge, Lyte fixed Hui with a professional, tight-lipped smile, the kind he wore when displeased.
“Nice rule design. The ball falling wasn’t unexpected, was it?”
He recalled Hui’s sneaky addendum: if the ball dropped after being grabbed, the winner would pick second, letting the loser choose offense or defense first.
“Heh, thanks for the compliment. Just a little trick of mine,” Hui chuckled, using his ability to mold his orange juice into a floating orb, sipping it with smug satisfaction.
The women dispersed—some to change, some to leave, others to tend to guests.
Noi slipped through the crowd to Lyte, who was preparing for the second race.
Hui had chosen offense, leaving Lyte to pilot the speedboat in a three-minute defense.
“I’m sorry… I’m such a failure,” Noi mumbled, tugging at her swimsuit straps and the sheer shawl draped over her, guilt etched in her voice.
Lyte shook his head, inspecting the speedboat’s controls.
“It’s not your fault. Hui tampered with that ball.”
“But…” Noi started, ready to shoulder the blame.
“It’s fine. These things happen. All you need to do is trust me,” Lyte said, winking at her and ruffling her hair gently.
“Go back and wait for my good news.”
He was beginning to see her not as a witch, but as an ordinary girl—someone worth protecting with care.
Slipping on his pink sunglasses, Lyte pushed the speedboat into the designated waters.
Hui stood far off, poised on the sea’s surface, awaiting the referee’s call.
“On your marks, get set—go!”