Chapter 309: Sea Breeze

When Lei Yin stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered, there was a knock at the door.

Opening it, he saw Takeda standing outside with a mischievous grin on his face.

“What’s up?” Lei Yin asked as he let him in and turned on the TV.

Takeda, still grinning, said, “Masashi, I wanted to ask about what Aiko-san likes.”

Lei Yin glanced at him and asked, “What, you want to pursue her?”

Takeda nodded eagerly.

Lei Yin chuckled. “While you’re wasting time asking me these questions, Yoshikawa is probably already figuring out how to ask her out.”

Takeda pouted. “That’s exactly why I came to you. I’m no match for his speed. Besides, it’s better to be prepared than unprepared. Honestly, I didn’t expect your girlfriend to have such a beautiful younger sister. Both sisters are stunning beyond belief. And that Murashima Mami friend of hers? She’s gorgeous too—amazing figure. All of them are rare beauties. Seriously, how many more are you hiding from us?”

Lei Yin, drying his hair with a towel, replied, “You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t brought them here, you wouldn’t have even had a chance to meet them. As far as I know, Aiko does have quite a few admirers. As for her preferences, I’m not entirely sure, but I’d assume they’re similar to most girls’.”

“Does she have a boyfriend?” Takeda pressed.

“I don’t know. Maybe not,” Lei Yin replied casually. Feeling thirsty, he opened the fridge and pulled out two cans of beer, handing one to Takeda.

After accepting the beer, Takeda complained, “What kind of answer is that? It’s either a yes or no, not a maybe.”

Taking a sip of his beer, Lei Yin said, “Everyone has their own way of living. It’s not for others to interfere. But you guys sure got here quickly.”

“Ever since the holidays started, I’ve been bored out of my mind. I was waiting for your call, and the moment you finally called, I hopped on a plane and came over.”

Leaning against the headboard, Lei Yin asked, “What about Akira? Isn’t he coming?”

Takeda replied, “Yoshikawa said he’ll arrive tomorrow with his sister. I wonder what his sister looks like. If she’s on the same level as Aiko-san, I’d hit the jackpot.”

Lei Yin laughed. “I think your delusions are getting worse. Even if you meet countless beauties, what’s the point if you can’t win any of them over? Do you know why you’re so much worse at this than Yoshikawa? It’s because you overthink everything and take too little action, while Yoshikawa is the exact opposite. That guy is shameless, doesn’t fear rejection, and has decent qualities. By trying often enough, he’s bound to find girls who like his type.”

Takeda looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. After a moment, he gave Lei Yin a pitiful look and said, “Masashi, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I could’ve had a girlfriend by now.”

“Get lost. Blaming me because you can’t get a girlfriend. I’m not wasting any more time on you. I’m going to check how Naoko and the others are doing. Don’t forget to close the door when you leave.” With that, Lei Yin grabbed the room key and left.

When he reached Naoko’s room, he could hear crisp, cheerful laughter coming from inside. He recognized Amy and Bibi’s voices immediately.

After knocking a few times, Naoko opened the door in a white bathrobe. As Lei Yin expected, the two little ones were on one of the beds, bouncing up and down while laughing uncontrollably. They were having a great time.

“Finished your bath?” Lei Yin asked, looking at Naoko.

“Mm.”

“No wonder you smell so nice.” He leaned in and gently took a whiff near her neck.

Naoko blushed and softly said, “Amy and Bibi are here.”

At that moment, Amy saw Lei Yin and excitedly jumped off the bed, running over to hug him.

Picking up the freshly showered, fragrant little girl, Lei Yin chuckled, pinched her tiny nose, and said, “You and Bibi are like two little monkeys.”

Amy giggled and clung to his neck, acting affectionately.

Sitting down on the bed with her in his arms, Lei Yin noticed Bibi crawling over to tug at his shirt. “Masashi-oniichan, can Amy and I sleep here together tonight?”

“Up to you. This bed is big enough for you two little rascals, but you’ll need to ask your mom first,” Lei Yin said.

Bibi replied happily, “Sure, no problem!”

Turning to Naoko, Lei Yin said, “Looks like you’ll have to take care of another little troublemaker. Sorry for the trouble.”

Naoko smiled at him gently, then slowly walked to the window and opened it. Immediately, a light sea breeze carrying a faint scent of seawater wafted in.

※※※

“Damn, why are there so many people?” Lei Yin muttered as he looked at the packed beach, teeming with tourists.

Takeda chimed in from the side, “Most of them are here for the beauty contest, and a lot of them are locals.”

“What beauty contest?”

“Every summer, Okinawa holds a ‘Miss Beach’ beauty contest. This event has been running for almost ten years and is quite famous in the Kansai region. I’ve only seen it on TV before; this is my first time seeing it in person. I thought you knew about it, which is why you chose this time to come to Okinawa,” Takeda said excitedly.

“How long does the contest last?”

“I heard they’re still accepting registrations. It’ll probably be a few more days before the preliminaries, and with the semifinals and finals, it might take up to half a month. It’s organized to attract tourists, so it won’t end quickly.”

Lei Yin sighed. “If I’d known it’d be this crowded, I would’ve picked a different time to come.”

“What are you talking about? Look at all these beautiful girls everywhere! This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often.”

“Hey, enough chatter. Let’s grab a good spot before there’s nowhere left to stand,” Yoshikawa interjected, noticing the crowded beach and urging them to move quickly.

After searching around for a bit, the three of them finally found a less sunny spot. They set up three large beach umbrellas borrowed from the hotel.

Once everything was in place, Yoshikawa turned to Lei Yin and said, “I’m going to check if the beauties are ready.” With that, he headed back to the hotel.

“Yoshikawa, you bastard, sneaking off again? Aren’t you pursuing Seimura Haruko?” Takeda shouted, chasing after him.

“Who said this is a single-choice question? Options lead to progress, idiot.”

“You shameless jerk.”

“Shut up.”

The two bickered as they walked away.

Lei Yin yawned, walked to a nearby stall selling cold drinks, and bought a can of beer.

After finishing his beer, no one had returned yet. Even with the shade from the umbrellas, it was the hottest time of the afternoon, and he grew increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, unable to bear it, he took off his T-shirt and headed toward the sea.

Diving into the water, Lei Yin felt a slight warmth from the sun-heated sea, but it was far better than the sweltering beach.

After swimming a bit, he lay flat in the water, letting it support him as he floated on the surface.

The gentle waves rocked him back and forth, and his mind grew calm.

It felt like ages since he’d had a quiet moment to himself. Since his reincarnation, he’d rarely been alone; there were always people around him. Even when he was by himself in his apartment, he was either meditating, training, or sleeping, with little time to reflect.

But he liked being busy—it kept him from overthinking.

Although he consciously tried to forget the events and people of his past lives whenever he reincarnated, this time was different. The interval between this life and the last was only ten years, an unprecedentedly short span. Perhaps because of this, memories would occasionally surface in his mind during quiet moments, vivid as though they had happened just yesterday.

As he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt water splash onto his face. A small voice nearby said apologetically, “Big brother, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

Turning, Lei Yin saw a little boy with a float ring less than two meters away. The boy looked timid and scared of being scolded.

“It’s nothing,” Lei Yin replied before swimming back to shore.

When he returned to the beach, he saw a group of strangers occupying the spot they’d reserved. Two men in short-sleeved shirts were laying down mats and reclining chairs, while a young man in swim trunks and a beach shirt was chatting with two women in bikinis.

As Lei Yin walked up to them, he said, “Excuse me, but we were here first.”

Hearing the voice from behind, the five people turned around simultaneously.

After briefly sizing up Lei Yin, the young man among them frowned and asked, “Isn’t this a resting area provided by the hotel for its guests?”

While he was speaking, Lei Yin suddenly noticed one of the women remove her sunglasses. She looked at him with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

When Lei Yin recognized her face, he was also slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected to run into Miyu Himeko here.

Seeing Lei Yin staring at Himeko without blinking and noticing the familiarity between them, Nishijo Ichiro’s expression shifted.

He beckoned to one of the men beside him, who immediately stepped forward. Nishijo Ichiro said, “Get my wallet.”

The bodyguard quickly retrieved a leather wallet from his pocket and handed it over. Nishijo Ichiro opened it, took out two ten-thousand-yen bills, and held them out to Lei Yin without even looking at him. “Take this as compensation for the spot. You and your friends can find another place to rest.”

Lei Yin, who had been watching him calmly the entire time, smiled and took the bills.

Seeing how easily Lei Yin accepted the money, both Miyu Himeko and the other woman wearing sunglasses looked a bit surprised.

Just as Nishijo Ichiro smugly handed his wallet back to the bodyguard, he suddenly heard a lazy voice from behind.

“Hey, that’s not enough.”

Nishijo Ichiro immediately turned around and asked coldly, “What did you say?”

Lei Yin flicked the two bills in his hand and replied nonchalantly, “I said it’s not enough.”

Fuming with anger at this greedy man, Nishijo Ichiro was about to explode, but he restrained himself in front of the two women. Taking back the wallet, he pulled out two more ten-thousand-yen bills and threw them on the ground in front of Lei Yin. “Get lost.”

Lei Yin smiled, picked up the money, and after inspecting the four bills in his hand, said casually, “Still not enough.”

Nishijo Ichiro glared at him furiously, and the two bodyguards stepped forward, ready to act.

“How much do you want?” Nishijo Ichiro asked, enunciating each word with suppressed rage.

Lei Yin smiled faintly. “Until I say it’s enough. But it seems you can’t afford what I want.”

Completely losing his temper, Nishijo Ichiro abandoned all pretense of civility. He signaled to the two bodyguards with a glance.

The tall bodyguards began moving toward Lei Yin, their intimidating presence enough to scare off most people.

In truth, Nishijo Ichiro wasn’t looking for a fight; he merely wanted to frighten this infuriating man away in front of Miyu Himeko.

Amid the tense atmosphere, Miyu Himeko and the other woman saw Lei Yin smile. It was a faint smile, but his eyes held no warmth at all. The peculiar expression reminded Miyu Himeko of certain things she had heard about this man.

“Stop,” Miyu Himeko said sharply, halting the two bodyguards. She then turned to Nishijo Ichiro and added, “Since this spot is already taken, let’s move somewhere else.”

Seeing her defending Lei Yin, Nishijo Ichiro grew even angrier. “Himeko, you know this man, don’t you? What’s your relationship with him?”

Himeko frowned and replied, “He’s a fellow student at Teikyo University, just like me. We have no relationship. I just don’t want this to escalate.”

Hearing her explanation, Nishijo Ichiro’s expression softened slightly.

“Nishijo-san, let’s find another place to rest. It’s too hot here,” the other woman interjected.

Not wanting to lose face, Nishijo Ichiro shot Lei Yin a venomous glare before leaving with the two women and his bodyguards.

Watching them walk away, Lei Yin chuckled, casually stuffed the forty thousand yen into his pocket, and murmured to himself, “A safe pocket is a full pocket.”