Yang Qi gave a gentle smile. "I'm really not that amazing. Chess follows strict rules, but reality is full of unpredictability and chaos."

"Come on, don’t be modest. Most people couldn’t reach your level no matter how hard they tried,"
Haitang cut in before Yang Qi could downplay her achievements any further. Then she turned to me.
"By the way, you’ve got two classmates meeting us there, right?"

"Yeah, they’re heading to Aqua World on their own. Should be there before ten."

I glanced at my phone—it was just past nine. With a private ride, we’d probably get there well ahead of time.

Hearing this, Zhao Zhao poked his head out from the front seat, looking just as dried-out and lifeless as ever.
"The school beauty, sure, I get that. But when did you start getting so close with Iron-Face Judge?"

I hesitated for a second, forcing out an awkward chuckle.

What was I supposed to say? "Yan Liuzhuan invited me over, wanted me to strip, but ended up getting naked first"?

Our quiet driver, Feng Wu, maneuvered the Wuling Hongguang effortlessly through the city’s elevated highways. His skill behind the wheel gave him an air reminiscent of that tofu-delivery legend from Akina Pass.

As we left the dense skyline behind, the view suddenly opened up. In the distance, a massive, egg-shaped white dome stood out against the horizon.

That was our destination—the sprawling, 60,000-square-meter indoor water park, Aqua World.

"Nyaaa~ I can see it!"

Tangerine, who had been bouncing in her seat, was now pressed up against the car window, tail wagging like a wind-up toy, occasionally flicking me in the face.

"That was fast. Gotta love highway access," I commented.

After exiting the highway, we drove down a tree-lined avenue leading straight to Water World. The closer we got, the more I was blown away by the sheer scale of the place. I couldn't help but wonder—how the hell was that massive dome structure even supported?

By the time the Wuling smoothly rolled into the underground parking lot, even Feng Cangyu—the one who’d seemed the least interested in all of this—had shut off her gaming console and was sitting upright, barely able to contain her excitement.

[Rinka: We’re here. Waiting at the ticket gate.]

Well, that was perfect timing. Just as we came up from the parking lot, I saw Rinka’s message pop up on my screen. No need to wait around—we’d just meet up and head straight in.

The pedestrian exit from the parking lot was conveniently located near the entrance. As soon as we stepped out, I spotted a familiar three-seven parted four-eyed nerd standing near the gate—with Rinka half-hiding behind him.

Yan Liuzhuan wasn’t in his usual school uniform today—which meant he at least had that much common sense. Wearing a uniform on a summer outing would’ve been peak social obliviousness. Though, that dark red button-up he had on… Sure, it complemented his pale complexion, but in this heat? Just looking at it made me feel warm.

But more than that, what surprised me most was Rinka.

A short-sleeved white dress shirt layered over a Mt. Fuji and Sakura-themed graphic tee. Black capri pants, leaving a stretch of smooth calf exposed.

If that description isn’t clicking yet, let me spell it out—he wasn’t wearing makeup.

No foundation, no eyeliner—just a clean, androgynous face with neatly tied-back black hair.

That’s right. Today’s Rinka was different. Today, he came in men’s clothing.

…Was this his way of rediscovering his true self?

Just as Zhao Zhao was about to loudly react, I stepped on his foot to cut him off, taking a second to steady myself before walking up to them as casually as possible.

"You guys got here early."

Yan Liuzhuan, ever the poker-faced statue, replied, "Not really. Didn’t wait long. Plus, there’s air conditioning here."

His gaze swept across our group before settling on Zhao Zhao.

Zhao Zhao noticed and shrugged. "Judge, are you here to enforce discipline even outside of school?"

"Even on break, you’re still a student. Don’t forget that."

Hearing him say that so seriously, I couldn’t help but remember that time in the attic—when this same stern disciplinarian (female ver.) had stood before me stark naked.

"Kai…" Rinka started to speak but hesitated.

"You look good like this," I said.

"Ah? Oh… Thanks."

Judging from his reaction, that wasn’t what he was about to ask me.

"Just for today—follow your instincts. Do what you want to do."

"…Got it."

Since we had an audience, I didn’t bring up our previous conversation, just gave him a subtle push of encouragement.

Yan Liuzhuan must have overheard, but he didn’t react—like the person who’d spoken to me in the attic that day was someone else entirely.

Wasn’t it you who told me to strip away Rinka’s mask?

"Oi! What are you guys standing around for? You can chat all you want inside!"

Haitang had already passed the ticket gates, standing next to the staff, yelling back at us.

A group of five guys and five girls—compared to the smaller clusters of other visitors, we definitely stood out. And considering the overall attractiveness of the girls in our group, we were drawing quite a bit of attention.

We walked in past the ticket gates, following a broad pathway that led up to an observation deck.

That’s when I realized—Aqua World is partially underground.

Standing here, you could take in the entire water park at a glance.

Sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling at the top of the dome, bouncing off mirrors strategically placed around the structure, illuminating the entire facility in a soft, natural glow.

There were pools of varying depths, lazy rivers winding through lush artificial palm groves, towering high-speed water slides, and an artificial beach lined with umbrellas and lounge chairs.

But the real centerpiece was the half-submerged Ferris wheel.

Situated in the northernmost part of the park, this massive rotating disk extended from the water up to the very top of the dome, making it the tallest structure inside Aqua World. The bottom half of its sealed cabins dipped underwater as it turned, offering a view of the aquatic world beneath.

Just looking at it made my heart race with excitement.

"Go̲d̲d̲a̲m̲n̲… This place is insane. Huge thanks to Haitang for scoring those trial-run tickets."

Even Zhao Zhao, who normally didn’t care about much beyond his studies and perving, was impressed.

Though, judging by his gaze, he wasn’t admiring the architecture.

He was admiring the bikini-clad beauties everywhere.

Not even hellish cram school could extinguish this man’s pervy soul.

And now that I thought about it… I kinda missed Xiao Lei. But she had no reason to appear here right now.

The men’s and women’s changing rooms were located on opposite sides of the observation deck, serving as the official entrances to the park.

Haitang led Tangerine and her student council trio into the women’s changing room on the right.

That left me, Zhao Zhao, Rinka, Yan Liuzhuan, and Feng Wu heading into the men’s side.

Honestly, thank god Rinka hadn’t come in a dress today—would’ve been real awkward deciding where to go otherwise.

I’m someone who gets embarrassed pretty easily, so I changed as fast as I could. Since I felt that square-cut swim trunks were a bit too form-fitting, I threw on a pair of army-green camouflage board shorts over them.

Zhao Zhao and Yan Liuzhuan, being the thick-skinned guys they were, didn’t care much about this kind of thing. They just threw on a pair of swim trunks and called it a day.

The only exception was Yan Liuzhuan, who had brought along a rectangular waterproof bag—inside were a sketchbook and a pen. So he was really here for art reference rather than fun.

Feng Wu-ge also wore a pair of board shorts, but Rinka, on the other hand, not only had his own board shorts but also zipped up a sky-blue rash guard over his torso—even though this was an indoor water park with zero sunlight.

Glasses weren’t ideal for this kind of place. Not only could they get washed away by the water, but if they fell onto the slides, they might cause trouble for the next person coming down.

After little internal debate, I left my chunky “Dork Glasses 2.0” in the locker and instead grabbed my blocky, ridiculously unstylish diving goggles.

"Kai! No—Kai-chan! You absolutely can’t go out like that!"

I hadn’t even had a chance to put the goggles on when Rinka let out a panicked yelp.

Before I could react, he whipped off his own rash guard, threw it over my shoulders, and zipped it up for me.

...What the hell was this move supposed to be?

"Yeah, he’s right, commander. With your glasses off, you really shouldn’t be walking around shirtless—it’ll freak people out."

Even Zhao Zhao agreed with him.

Rinka’s exclamation must have been a little too loud, because now I had a bunch of dudes staring at me. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, as if something slimy was slithering across my skin even through the fabric of the rash guard.

Come on, guys—I’m not a girl! Is it really necessary to look at me like that?!

"Fweeeeeet!" A sharp whistle.

A lifeguard with deep bronze skin dispersed the crowd and strode toward us, a whistle dangling from his lips.

"I gotta ask… Why is a little lady like you in the men’s changing room?"