Chapter 310: Registration

After waiting for another ten minutes, Lei Yin finally saw Takeda and Yoshikawa approaching, leading a large group of beautiful women.

As they walked over, many people stared at them openly. The scene was akin to sheep suddenly wandering into a wolf pack.

When the group reached Lei Yin, he was about to speak when a figure suddenly rushed toward him from the left at great speed.

For someone like Lei Yin, an expert in combat, there was no way he would allow a stranger to approach him so suddenly. Instinctively, he sidestepped, grabbed the person’s arm, and twisted it behind their back with a swift and simple grappling move.

No one expected this sudden turn of events, and for a moment, everyone was stunned.

Just as Lei Yin subdued the person, he realized it was a young woman. She immediately yelled, “It’s me! Let go! It hurts!”

Hearing her voice, Lei Yin was momentarily startled. At the same time, Naoko quickly walked over and said, “Lei, that’s your cousin.”

Lei Yin recognized that the person he had restrained was indeed Kurata Ryoko, and he couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated as he released her.

As soon as she was free, Kurata Ryoko angrily spun around, attempting to grab his neck. “You bastard! How could you treat me like that?”

Lei Yin gently pushed her hands away and smiled. “What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Amy quietly walked over and held Lei Yin’s hand, staring at Kurata Ryoko with her big, round eyes, unblinking.

Kurata Ryoko, still rubbing her arm with a huff, replied, “I’m here for an interview.”

“An interview?”

“I’m currently interning at a TV station. This time, I’m here with some senior colleagues to cover the beauty contest. Damn it, my arm hurts! How are you going to compensate me?” Kurata Ryoko glared at him fiercely.

Lei Yin patted her shoulder and said, “Calm down, calm down.”

“Calm down? I specifically took half a day off to surprise you, and this is how you repay me, you jerk!”

“Well, you suddenly rushed at me; it was a reflex. Anyway, let’s not dwell on that. How did you know we were here?”

Kurata Ryoko shot him a glare before answering, “I didn’t know you were here at first. Later, I saw Kazumi at the ‘Miss Beach’ contest venue, and that’s how I found out you guys were in Okinawa.”

Lei Yin glanced at Naoko. “So you went to visit the beauty contest. No wonder it took you so long to come back.”

Naoko smiled and said, “Not only did we visit, but one of us even registered for the beauty contest. Guess who?”

Lei Yin paused for a moment. He quickly noticed that although Naoko was smiling, there was a hint of concern in her eyes. He immediately realized something had happened.

Without revealing his thoughts, he glanced at the group of girls one by one, finally stopping his gaze on Aiko. “It’s you, isn’t it? Ms. Hasegawa Aiko?”

Aiko, who had initially been a little embarrassed, immediately showed dissatisfaction upon hearing his last remark. “Hey, I thought we were in the same grade! Actually, I hadn’t planned to sign up, but one of the staff members in charge of registration kept persuading me to join. I thought it sounded fun, so I did.”

Takeda, looking extremely excited, added, “Masashi, you weren’t there, so you missed it. When we entered the venue, a few reporters immediately came over, asking if the girls were contestants. The whole scene was amazing! And your cousin was there too, so she recognized Kazumi right away.”

Lei Yin asked Kurata Ryoko, “What happens after the registration?”

Kurata Ryoko replied, “According to the usual procedure, once the registration officially closes, there will be a preliminary round, eliminating about a third of the participants. After that, all contestants will undergo a week-long training in etiquette and posture, followed by the semifinals. Starting from the semifinals, the competition gets more intense, with each round being an elimination match. Only those with exceptional qualities or strong backing will make it to the end. But based on my observations over the past few days, with Aiko’s attributes, she should have no problem making it into the top ten.”

Hearing Kurata Ryoko’s comment, Aiko couldn’t help but show a pleased smile.

When most of the group dispersed to go swimming, Lei Yin asked Tani Akiko, “Where’s Kuang Dao?”

While applying sunscreen on her daughter, Tani Akiko replied, “He said he didn’t want to come because it’s too noisy.”

Bibi felt ticklish from her mother’s touch and couldn’t help but giggle, exclaiming loudly, “It’s ticklish! It’s ticklish!”

Tani Akiko playfully scolded her and gave her a light smack on her little bottom. Bibi immediately stopped, then mischievously made faces at Amy.

Lei Yin laughed and said, “He just doesn’t want to hang out with so many kids. That guy’s probably drinking right now.”

Tani Akiko, looking slightly worried, said, “Masashi, could you persuade him to drink less? I’m afraid his body won’t be able to handle it.”

“It’s useless. I can’t talk him out of it. But if you try, you might succeed. Just remember to use the right approach. For someone as stubborn as him, lectures won’t work.”

Tani Akiko nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing that Naoko had already finished applying sunscreen on Amy, Lei Yin picked up the bottle and said to her, “Your turn. I’ll help you.”

Naoko glanced at Tani Akiko and Bibi sitting nearby and, slightly blushing, said, “It’s fine. I can do it myself.”

Noticing her hesitation, Tani Akiko smiled and said, “I’ll take the two of them to the shallow water to play.” She then took Bibi and Amy’s hands and prepared to leave.

Amy, wanting to stay with Lei Yin, gave him a pleading look.

Lei Yin smiled at her and said, “Go play with Bibi for now. I’ll come over as soon as I finish helping Naoko.”

Only then did Amy relax, following Tani Akiko to the shallow water.

“She’s a smart woman. It seems Kuang Dao got lucky.” Over the past few weeks, Lei Yin’s impression of Tani Akiko had greatly improved. He found her to be a considerate and attentive person, far removed from the image of the woman who used to drown her sorrows in a bar.

“I really hope Tani-san and Kuang Dao-san have a good outcome. Both of them are lonely people,” Naoko said softly.

“Who knows how things will turn out? As outsiders, there’s only so much we can do to help,” Lei Yin replied, pouring some sunscreen into his palm.

Naoko suddenly glanced at him shyly, then stood up and slowly took off her shirt and skirt, revealing the swimsuit underneath.

When Lei Yin saw her swimsuit, he appeared a little surprised, but soon a playful smile crept across his face.

As if his gaze carried warmth, Naoko felt a burning sensation spread across her entire body. For a moment, she didn’t dare to meet his eyes.

“Come here,” he said suddenly, his tone carrying a peculiar softness.

Naoko obediently sat in front of him and turned her back toward him.

The moment his hand touched her back, Naoko’s body involuntarily trembled slightly.

“Is this new?” Lei Yin asked casually while applying sunscreen to her back.

Hearing his question, Naoko’s ears turned red, even though she wasn’t facing him. After a pause, she whispered, “Is it too revealing? If you don’t like it, I can go back and change into something else.” Feeling his expectations about her swimsuit earlier, she had deliberately chosen this one. For someone as conservative as her, it had taken a long time to muster the courage to wear it.

Lei Yin chuckled. “No need to change. I like it a lot. But if any man dares to come within a meter of you, I’ll beat him so badly his own mother won’t recognize him.”

Naoko pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.

Kurata Ryoko, swimming with Kazumi and the others, happened to glance back and see Lei Yin applying sunscreen on Naoko. Her face filled with surprise as she asked Kazumi, “Kazumi, what’s the relationship between Ms. Hasegawa and Masashi? Are they…?”

Kazumi glanced at Rumi, who was playing nearby, and said, “You’d better ask my brother yourself.”

Kurata Ryoko stared blankly at the two on the shore.

As they walked toward the shallow water, Naoko, clad in a thin, strappy bikini that accentuated her graceful figure, drew all kinds of stares from both men and women.

At the same time, Lei Yin beside her also caught the attention of many passersby.

For someone with ordinary facial features like Lei Yin, what drew people’s attention wasn’t his face but his physique. Unlike bodybuilders with overly exaggerated muscles, his body exuded a solid, explosive strength. The lines of his muscles conveyed a sense of raw power, like a dormant beast temporarily at rest.

What stood out even more were the faint scars scattered across his body. These scars weren’t noticeable under normal circumstances, but in the sunlight, they became vividly clear. Although he didn’t have the intimidating tattoos typical of Japanese gangsters, the sight of his scars was enough for most people to categorize him as someone dangerous and avoid looking at him for fear of causing trouble.

To Naoko, these scars were all too familiar. Two years ago, she had accidentally seen the full extent of the wounds covering his body and had broken down crying uncontrollably. It was then that she understood why he always turned off the lights whenever they were intimate. Before that, he used to enjoy admiring her body and caressing her in dim light.

The scars from that time were far more severe and striking than they were now, so much so that they could be described as horrifying. Over the past two years, many had faded, and most were no longer visible unless under strong light. However, some scars near major arteries and veins remained prominent.

Under the intense sunlight, seeing the scars on her lover’s body once again, Naoko couldn’t help but feel a deep ache in her heart. She gently reached out her fingers to trace one of the scars on his chest.

Seeing the faint glimmer of emotion in her eyes, Lei Yin realized she was thinking about the past again. He deliberately changed the subject, saying, “You don’t support Aiko entering the beauty pageant?”

Naoko took a deep breath, calming her emotions, and said, “I’m afraid that after participating in this pageant, she’ll lose the peace she has now. I don’t want her to become famous. I just hope she can live freely like an ordinary girl.”

“Everyone has their own preferences for how they want to live. For most girls, participating in a beauty pageant or becoming a celebrity is a common dream. If she really has the chance to take that path in the future, I’ll do my best to help her.”

“But the entertainment industry is a messy place. I’m afraid she’ll get hurt,” Naoko said worriedly.

Lei Yin smiled. “Life is full of choices. Some decisions might lead to regret, but if it’s something she truly wants and she doesn’t pursue it because of us, she might regret it even more in the future. We can guide her, but we shouldn’t interfere, because this is her life, and she has the right to decide what to do. Besides, she’s only signed up; it’s not like she’s won the competition. It’s too early to worry about all this.”

Naoko felt reassured after hearing his words.

As the two were nearing the shallow water area, they ran into Takeda, who was carrying a pile of cold drinks.

Just as Takeda greeted his friend, his eyes unconsciously locked onto Naoko, staring at her.

It wasn’t until he heard a cough that he snapped back to reality. He immediately noticed a pair of eyes looking at him with a playful yet dangerous expression.

He knew very well that when the owner of those eyes looked at him this way, it was a warning sign. Embarrassed, he coughed awkwardly and tried to act nonchalant. “Where are you two headed?”

Lei Yin replied, “Ms. Tani and Amy are waiting for us at the shallow water area. What about you?”

“I’m headed there too. Actually, everyone’s playing in the shallow water area. The girls rarely swim in the sea, and they’re all afraid of deep water, saying there might be sharks or something.” Takeda handed them each a can of cold drinks as he spoke.

“By the way, do you know who I just ran into while buying these drinks?” Takeda asked excitedly.

“Miyu Himeko, right?” Lei Yin responded casually.

“How did you know?” Takeda asked in surprise.

“Because I saw her before you got here.”

“That explains it. I just saw her with someone. Looks like she has a new boyfriend. Also, there was another really beautiful girl with them. I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Every time you see a pretty girl, you say that,” Lei Yin teased.

Takeda protested, “I don’t always say that! I really feel like I’ve seen her before. Unfortunately, she was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn’t see her eyes. Otherwise, I’m sure I’d remember where I’ve seen her.”

“Maybe she’s one of the countless girls who dumped you back in the day, and that’s why she feels familiar,” Lei Yin joked.

“If I weren’t no match for you, I’d definitely teach you a lesson!” Takeda grumbled, looking as if he wanted to strangle him.

Naoko chuckled quietly as she listened to their banter.