"Is this staff member an idiot or what?"

I could unzip the rash guard to show him my chest—he’d cover his eyes.

I could pull down my swim trunks and show him my Armstrong Cannon—he’d scream in horror and yell, "Stop! Inappropriate! Look away!"

It took me a whole five minutes of explaining before he finally believed I was actually a guy.

The most infuriating part? Zhao Zhao and the others just stood there watching the show with their arms crossed.

Oh, except Rinka—he was hiding in embarrassment since she’d given me her rash guard.

Tch. Another side effect of his long-term crossdressing—he couldn’t mentally accept showing his own chest, but at the same time, he also couldn’t accept me showing mine. Weird.

A downward ramp led to the foot sanitization pool at the exit. Even from afar, I could already smell the sharp sting of disinfectant in the air.

Beyond that, the main area was bound to be even more crowded, and considering how much Rinka had already struggled in the men's locker room, he’d probably feel even more uncomfortable outside.

With that in mind, I took off the rash guard and handed it back to him.

"Hey, Rinka… maybe you should wear this instead?"

He shoved it right back without hesitation.

"Cut it out, Kai-chan, you’re the one who needs it more right now!"

"But I seriously don’t care?"

As we kept pushing the rash guard back and forth, Zhao Zhao butted in with an analysis.

"Commander, you really don’t get it, huh? If you keep it on, people will just assume you’re a really pretty girl. But if you take it off…"

Right as he finished speaking, a random guy walking past glanced at me—then immediately stumbled into the sanitization pool like he’d seen a ghost, probably drinking some lovely foot sanitizer in the process.

Zhao Zhao spread his hands smugly.

"See? That’s what happens. The contrast between your face and body shatters people’s perception of reality. It’s psychological damage."
Rinka nodded furiously, fully agreeing with Zhao Zhao’s logic.

Even if I wanted to argue, that poor dude was still frozen in shock in the sanitization pool.

Damn it… did Zhao Zhao plant a guy there on purpose?!

But I still had another plan.

"I still have my diving goggles."

"You can’t wear those all day, Kai. They’ll get uncomfortable and can even damage your eyes."

"...Oh. That’s a thing?"

Honestly, I didn’t know what it felt like to wear diving goggles for too long—I’d never been to a place like this before.

Actually… forget water parks, I’d never even been to a regular swimming pool.

Yeah.

I can’t swim.

Among all the kids in the urban village, I am probably the weakest.

In the end, I still ended up wearing the rash guard, feeling extremely guilty toward Rinka.

Stepping through the ankle-deep sanitization pool, my vision suddenly opened up—the sheer scale of the Aqua World park fully revealed itself.

Because of its semi-underground structure, the massive egg-shaped dome above us looked even higher than I’d expected. Sunlight poured in from the central glass ceiling, reflecting off strategically placed mirrors to brighten every corner of the park.

With towering palm trees and sandy beaches, I almost forgot this was an indoor facility—until the refreshing coolness of the air-conditioning reminded me otherwise.

The first area past the changing rooms was the artificial beach. Located on the west side of Aqua World, this nearly 100-meter-wide sandy shore was designed to replicate a real beach experience.

Wave machines constantly churned out rolling waves, golden sand stretched endlessly beneath shaded lounge chairs and beach umbrellas.

There were even several small, Japanese-style Umi no Ie (beachside food stalls) lining the area, making this the ideal place to rest and grab a bite after playing in the water.

Oh. Food.

I hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet. Before jumping into any activities, I needed to fuel up first.

"You guys took forever!"

"We had some issues along the way, but they’re sorted out now."

Due to the unexpected changing room fiasco, the girls finished changing faster than us.

Haitang looked visibly irritated.

But more importantly—

It was time.

The moment I had been waiting for.

The Great Swimsuit Reveal.

Haitang wore a frilly pink swimsuit with multiple layers of lace ruffles. A skirted bottom attempted to conceal her flat figure—which, to be fair, wasn’t a bad call.

But thanks to years of martial arts training, her legs were the real highlight—lean and toned, they were both deadly weapons and a work of art. I still got phantom pains in my backside just looking at them.

That being said…

Pink really didn’t suit her.

...Why do I feel like I’m sensing immense bloodlust?

A glance at Haitang’s face told me she was this close to using my blood to dye her swimsuit red.

Tangerine was shy, opting for a conservative tank-style swimsuit.

The beige cat paw prints on the front were adorable, but let’s be real—this barely counts as swimwear!

Even so… it was cute. It was really, really cute.

Her high-waisted boyshort bottoms had a cutout in the back, allowing her orange tail to poke through. It hung limply, making it look like just another decorative accessory.

In contrast, the sporty and confident Beiqiao Jue wore an open white button-up shirt over a plain black bikini.

I had doubts about how well a middle schooler could pull off such a bold style…

But her flawless muscle definition made up for it.

Her tight, sculpted abs and subtle yet well-toned curves radiated raw athletic energy.

Yan Liuzhuan’s eyes lit up—he was clearly intrigued by her.

No surprise there. She had that natural charisma.

Only downside? Her chest was… still a bit of a tragedy. Probably got trained out of existence.

Meanwhile, the tiny, timid Feng Cangyu chose the classic Japanese "school swimsuit"—or sukumizu.

These didn’t even exist in our country—she must’ve ordered it online.

For some reason, she also wore a thin hoodie over it—maybe she was worried about the cold?

This outfit perfectly matched her aesthetic.

No doubt, a hardcore otaku like Wu Qinglan would be moved to tears seeing this.

But… she was still clutching her handheld console. Was she really not worried about water damage?!

But out of all the girls, the undisputed winner was Yang Qi.

I hadn’t noticed in the car, but—wow. She was stacked.

She’d been hiding some serious assets under her school uniform.

Considering she was still growing, it wasn’t impossible for her to reach Tian Xi’s level someday.

Her light azure swimsuit perfectly complemented her fair skin, and the flowing skirt helped balance out her slightly thicker legs.

Yeah, she had a bit of extra weight—but I’d rather call it voluptuous. In my opinion, voluptuous meant “a little chubby, but in all the right ways.”

Zhao Zhao probably agreed, considering the way his eyes were practically burning a hole into her.

And then Haitang jabbed him straight in the eyeball.

Now he was rolling around in the sand, clutching his face in agony.

“Alright, listen up, everyone!” Haitang clapped her hands, calling the group to order. “There’s too many of us to stick together the whole time, so we’ll split into smaller groups. If you want to go solo, that’s fine too—but make sure you’re back here by noon for lunch!”

“I’m not going in the water. I’ll just rest here.”

Xiao Cangyu was the first to opt out, immediately climbing onto a lounge chair and pulling out her gaming console.

Not a surprise. She didn’t even bring a waterproof case for that thing—it was way too big to fit in one anyway.

Feng Wu hesitated for a moment before reclining on the chair next to her. Classic siscon move.

Yan Liuzhuan took out his sketchbook, settled into a chair facing the beach, and just… sat there, quietly observing.

Rinka, who was already feeling awkward, glanced at him, hesitated—and then sat down too.

…Seriously?

Four people, and none of them were going in the water?! Why did you even come?!

I checked my waterproof phone case—just after ten. If I didn’t eat something soon, I’d never make it to noon.

“I’m heading to the Umi no Ie for a bite. Haven’t eaten anything all morning.”

Tangerine had been planning to stick with me, but hearing I was going for food, she decided to go play with Haitang and Yang Qi first. We agreed to meet up later once I’d taken care of my stomach.

Meanwhile, Bei Qiaojue chose to head off on her own. She didn’t say where she was going—just turned around and left without a word, leaving only a stylish silhouette behind.

Haitang and Cangyu watched her go, clicking their tongues in unison.

“Tch.”

“Commander, if you’re not going in the water yet, let me borrow your goggles. I’m heading to the deep pool for a swim.”

Zhao Zhao took my swim goggles and ran off toward the pool area.

But let’s be real—he wasn’t going there to swim. He was going there to spy on girls underwater.

I just hope he doesn’t get caught by the staff.

Before I left, Haitang stopped me with a final warning.

“Just grab a light snack, got it? Don’t say I didn’t remind you—we’re having a BBQ feast for lunch. You better leave room.”

A barbecue party, huh?

That actually sounded pretty tempting.

But can you even have BBQ inside a water park?