The three of them carried their luggage downstairs, where a sleek black Maybach idled quietly by the curb.
Ran paused by the car door, turning back to wave at the second-floor window of the detective agency.
“Dad!
The bento is on the second shelf of the fridge!
Microwave it for three minutes!”
Kogoro Mouri poked half his face out the window, still clutching an empty rice bowl in one hand.
He glanced at his biological daughter for a split second before his gaze snapped directly to the silver-haired beauty standing beside her.
Instantly, his face broke into a picture-perfect, ten-out-of-ten doting father smile.
“Yuekui, be careful on the road!
Call me immediately if anything happens!”
Even his own daughter’s safety was relegated to second place.
The survival instinct of a middle-aged man clinging to his meal ticket was truly a force of nature.
Tōhō Getsukai offered a slight, elegant nod and gracefully bent down to slide into the spacious back seat.
Sonoko scrambled in from the opposite side, leaving Ran squeezed right in the middle.
To be precise, it wasn’t exactly a ‘squeeze.’ Ran actively leaned into Getsukai, resting her head naturally in the crook of his shoulder.
The soft fabric of her hairband brushed gently against his chin.
“Departure!
Next stop, Izu!” Sonoko declared, slapping the back of the leather front seat.
The Maybach glided forward in near silence.
Falling into his usual relaxed routine, Getsukai kicked off his shoes and crossed his legs.
The hem of his ice-silk trousers slipped up past his knees, exposing a stretch of impeccably pale calves to the cool blast of the air conditioning.
He curled his ten toes, then lazily stretched them out.
Against the dark, luxurious leather of the seats, the faint nutmeg-pink tint at the tips of his toes was dangerously eye-catching.
Ran inadvertently glanced down.
Her breath hitched, and she immediately snapped her gaze toward the window.
I can’t look.
If I keep looking, I’m going to start having very strange thoughts.
Sonoko, on the other hand, possessed zero subtlety.
She stared openly at his feet for a full three seconds.
“Sister, do you soak your feet in milk every night?”
“No.
They were soaked in Ripple.”
“Ripple what?”
“Nothing.”
After two hours of smooth highway driving, Getsukai leaned his head against the headrest and drifted into a light nap.
When his eyes fluttered open again, an endless, glittering coastline stretched out beyond the tinted glass.
The brilliant midday sunlight seemed to cleave the ocean in two—a vibrant emerald green near the shallows, bleeding into a deep, crushing blue on the horizon.
He rubbed his eyes, blinking away the sleep.
Beside him, Ran was holding her phone up against the glass, recording the rolling waves.
Sonoko, however, had a selfie stick fully extended, the camera lens pointed squarely at his face.
“Candid shot.”
“Recording!
This is a documentary recording!” Sonoko corrected righteously, puffing out her chest.
“Sister Tōhō’s sleeping face is a piece of human cultural heritage.
Failing to preserve it would be a crime against future generations!”
Fine.
The Second Miss of the Suzuki family was letting her filter slip more and more every day.
The Maybach veered off the main highway, cruising down a private, carefully paved road for another ten minutes before rolling to a gentle halt in front of a pristine, white two-story coastal villa.
Getsukai stepped out of the car, his flip-flops lightly tapping against the stone pathway.
He looked up, taking in the architecture.
The villa offered an unobstructed, panoramic view of the sea.
To the left and right, the towering security fences of the Suzuki Financial Group stretched out for a full fifty meters, cordoning off the area.
The entire expanse of white sand was blissfully quiet.
Not a single tourist was in sight; there was only the rhythmic crash of the tide and the distant cry of seagulls.
The Suzuki family’s private beach was the absolute pinnacle of ‘wealthy and willful.’
Darned capitalism.
Actually, this is fantastic.
“Welcome to the Suzuki Family’s Izu Annex!” Sonoko stood at the top of the steps, hands planted firmly on her hips, looking thoroughly smug.
Ran had already dashed over to the edge of the terrace, leaning over the marble railing to gaze down at the water.
“It’s so beautiful!
Sonoko, your house is just too amazing!”
“Hehehe, it’s just average.”
Average, my foot.
Stepping inside the villa, Getsukai was greeted by gleaming marble floors and massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows that brought the ocean right into the living room.
The central air conditioning was purring away, precisely calibrated to a crisp twenty-three degrees Celsius.
A row of chilled, freshly opened coconuts sat waiting on the glass coffee table, accompanied by an elegant, handwritten welcome card.
To the Eldest Miss Sonoko and her distinguished guests, we wish you a pleasant holiday.
“Sister Tōhō, let’s go change into our swimsuits first!” Ran grabbed Sonoko by the wrist and practically dragged her toward the master guest room.
“Slow down—the floor is slippery.”
Before Getsukai could even finish his warning, the heavy oak door clicked shut behind them.
He sank into the plush, oversized sofa, picked up one of the chilled coconuts, and took a long sip through the straw.
Cold, sweet, and absolutely free.
He leaned back, crossing his long legs, and watched the azure sky meet the sea through the glass.
From the guest room, the muffled rustling of fabric drifted out, punctuated by Ran’s flustered voice.
“Eh, how do I tie this strap?” followed immediately by Sonoko’s loud instruction, “It’s backward!
You put it on backward!”
Getsukai drank his coconut water and waited with the infinite patience of a seasoned older sibling.
Three minutes later, the door creaked open.
Ran stepped out first.
She wore a pure white, ruffled two-piece swimsuit.
The top featured a delicate cross-strap halter that tied behind her neck, paired with high-waisted shorts trimmed with matching ruffles.
It wasn’t an excessive amount of fabric, but the tailoring was immaculate—covering exactly what needed to be covered while leaving just enough bare skin to tease the imagination.
Her waistline, sculpted by years of rigorous karate training, was taut and flawless.
The small, delicate expanse of skin just below her collarbones gave her an aura of unconscious, lethal charm.
Ran clasped her hands nervously in front of her stomach, her chin tucked down.
Both of her ears were burning a bright, cherry red.
“Sis…
Sister…
Is this okay?”
Getsukai lowered his coconut.
It works.
His fashion advice at the mall yesterday had been dead on.
A second later, Sonoko bounded out from behind the door.
She sported a vibrant, bright yellow three-point bikini—bold, aggressive, and entirely unapologetic.
The Second Miss Suzuki’s figure leaned heavily toward a Western aesthetic, and this particular cut maximized every single one of her natural advantages.
It highlighted her broad, elegant shoulder lines and showcased her incredibly long, straight legs.
She struck a pose, one hand resting on her hip while the other dramatically flipped her short hair behind her ear.
Her expression practically screamed, Praise me!
“How is it?
How is it!”
Getsukai leaned back into the sofa cushions, his gaze sweeping over the two of them with calm, measured appreciation.
On the surface, he maintained his flawless, composed elder sister persona without a single crack.
“Perfect.
It showcases all of your best features.” He paused, letting his tone soften into genuine warmth.
“Ran’s collarbone lines are beautiful, and the ruffles accentuate them perfectly, adding a touch of softness.
As for Sonoko, the bright yellow creates a stunning contrast with your fair skin.
The visual impact is even better than I expected.”
Professional.
Far too professional.
His delivery was so clinical yet supportive that the two beautiful girls standing half-naked in front of him felt absolutely zero unease.
There was no creepy sensation of ‘being sized up by the opposite sex.’ Instead, they were flooded with the immense satisfaction of being validated by their most trusted, stylish friend.
Ran’s entire face lit up like a sunbeam.
She hurried over, wrapping her arms around Getsukai’s arm and shaking it happily.
“Sister’s eye for fashion is truly amazing!”
Sonoko nodded so vigorously her bangs bounced.
“I knew Sister Tōhō’s choice would be right!
That clueless shop assistant at the mall yesterday actually tried to recommend some frumpy floral one-piece.
Her aesthetic sense must have been eaten by dogs!”
Two beautiful girls in bikinis were now clinging to him, one pressing against his left side, the other leaning over his right.
In their innocent eyes, this was just a normal moment between best friends trying on summer outfits and fishing for compliments.
Getsukai allowed himself exactly three seconds to enjoy the sensation of being sandwiched between them before he smoothly stood up.
“Before we go out, you need to apply sunscreen.
The UV index by the water is extremely high right now.
If you skip it, you’ll be crying from the sunburn tonight.”
He reached into his canvas tote bag, pulled out a premium bottle of sunblock, and popped the cap.
“Turn around.”
Ran obediently spun around, presenting her bare back to him.
Getsukai squeezed a generous dollop of the cool cream into his palm, rubbed his hands together to warm it, and pressed his palms flat against her shoulder blades.
The instant his fingertips made contact with her skin, the latent energy of Hamon Breathing surged outward.
It wasn’t hot, nor was it cold.
It maintained a perfect, constant thirty-six degrees, carrying an incredibly subtle, high-frequency vibration that hummed just beneath the surface of his skin.
Under this rhythmic frequency, the thick sunscreen melted and spread with flawless evenness.
The pores on Ran’s back micro-expanded, drinking in the lotion and pushing its absorption efficiency to the absolute limit.
Ran’s entire back went rigid.
“—Mm!”
She slapped both hands over her mouth, her ears practically steaming.
“Sis…
Sister, your hands…
it feels so strange…
it’s tingling and numbing…”
“Relax your shoulders.
Sunscreen needs to be massaged in fully to form a proper protective layer.”
His technique was steady and unhurried.
His hands glided down along the curve of her shoulders, tracing the line of her spine, and sweeping across her narrow waist, ensuring every inch of exposed skin was covered.
The soothing warmth of the Ripple penetrated deep beneath her skin, quietly dissolving the accumulated muscle fatigue from her karate practice and the stiffness of the two-hour car ride.
The lingering exhaustion from packing late into the night was washed away by the gentle, vibrating current.
Ran’s rigid posture melted into pure putty.
Her knees weakened, her legs feeling dangerously floaty.
“So comfortable…
this is even better than a hot spring…”
Sonoko stood off to the side, staring wide-eyed at Ran’s flushed, blissed-out reaction.
She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing.
“I…
I want it too!”
“Get in line.”
The second Getsukai finished with Ran, Sonoko practically vaulted into position, turning her back to him and sweeping her hair over her chest to keep it out of the way.
“Come on!
I’m ready!”
Getsukai squeezed out a fresh dollop of cream and pressed his hands down.
Same technique.
Same Ripple.
The moment the vibrating warmth hit her skin, Sonoko’s entire spine gave a visible, violent shudder.
“Ha—!!”
She bit down hard on her lower lip, a furious blush spreading up her neck and consuming her entire face.
“What what what?!
This sensation is totally cheating!!
Even the luxury poolside SPAs in Tokyo don’t have this kind of treatment!
Sister Tōhō, what kind of black technology do you have hidden in your hands?!”
“Stop squirming, or the cream won’t apply evenly.”
“I’m not moving on purpose!
My body is moving on its own!
My spine completely short-circuited!”
Ignoring her dramatic shouting, Getsukai smoothly finished coating her lower back and waist.
He gave her shoulder a light, dismissive pat.
“Done.”
Sonoko spun around, her chest heaving, her breathing shallow and hurried.
Her entire body was flushed a light pink.
The very next second, she lunged forward, wrapping both arms around Getsukai’s right arm and burying her hot face against his shoulder.
Ran, not wanting to be left out, immediately mirrored her, clinging tightly to his left arm.
“Sister Tōhō’s technique is just too amazing…” Ran mumbled, her eyes half-closed in lingering bliss.
“I want Sister to help me apply sunscreen every single day from now on…
every day…” Sonoko babbled, her brain clearly still rebooting.
[Ding—]
[Contrast Bonding System Prompt: Host has performed high-density physical interaction with two beautiful girls in the capacity of a caring best friend, successfully triggering double emotional fluctuations.
Rewards are being distributed—]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Advanced Aquatic Mastery.]
A massive torrent of muscle memory and technical knowledge flooded directly into his brain.
Freestyle, butterfly stroke, professional diving techniques, underwater breath-holding limits, ocean current judgment, deep-water pressure adaptation—even advanced surfing and windsurfing mechanics.
It was maxed out.
Truly, instantly maxed out.
Standing there with two beautiful girls draped over his arms, Getsukai’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smirk.
Another excellent haul.
“Alright, alright, let go, you two.” He gently patted the tops of their heads, his voice returning to its gentle, sisterly cadence.
“Weren’t we going down to the beach?”
Ran reluctantly unlatched herself, her hand reaching back to secretly touch her own shoulder blades.
The skin where the sunscreen had been applied felt impossibly smooth and supple.
The three of them pushed open the heavy floor-to-ceiling glass doors and stepped out onto the wooden deck leading to the sand.
A heavy, suffocating heatwave slammed directly into their faces.
June in Izu was notoriously brutal, and the midday sun was glaring down with unreasonable malice.
Getsukai’s off-white, long-sleeved sun-protection shirt instantly felt like a sauna.
The fabric began to stick uncomfortably to his skin, a greasy layer of sweat rapidly forming along his collarbone.
He took two steps down the wooden stairs and wrinkled his nose in distaste.
Without thinking, his hand naturally reached up toward the first button of his high collar.
Ahead of him, Ran and Sonoko turned back at the exact same time to call out to him.
His long, pale fingers were already pinching the edge of the button, ready to pull it loose.
[Akarin’s Note:
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