The conversation about life on the water was still ongoing.

"Even though we’ve strayed a bit from the topic, what I really want to say is that when people interact with different individuals for different purposes, they wear different masks. These masks are the so-called 'persona' da."

Suddenly dropping an obscure English word into the mix, even a top student like Rinka looked confused... or maybe it was just because my pronunciation was a little too Japanese.

Never thought I’d get to apply knowledge I picked up from video games in real life—thanks, Atlus.

"So, does Kai-chan wear a mask too?"

"Of course. Even though I live fairly true to myself, there are still times when I wear a mask."
I continued,
"To be accepted by others, we hide our flaws and show only the side people want to see. That’s what a persona is. The real self isn’t always pretty—none of us are perfect. If you don’t keep parts of yourself hidden, you might end up hurting yourself or others."

If I had to name someone I knew who lived completely true to themselves, it would be that mountain gorilla of a man—shamelessly indulging in his own desires, fully dedicated to his ero-loving soul.

"Then is it wrong for me to keep wearing my mask?"

"You’re different, Rinka. Like I just said, a persona exists for a purpose. Your mask was meant to make people see you as a real girl."
I locked eyes with Rinka, speaking with all seriousness.

"But after receiving the god’s blessing, and you realized you had truly become a girl, you discarded that mask yourself. The problem is, in doing so, you exposed a more negative side of yourself. And worse, that mask had already started shaping your nature, to the point that you lost sight of who you really are."

Wear a mask long enough, and you forget what your own face looks like.

"...And I hurt Kai-chan too."

"That’s already in the past, but the issues it revealed are very real."
I still felt a little annoyed thinking about it, so I paused before continuing,
"Honestly, Yan Liuzhuan really cares about you. He wants you to take off your mask and live more freely."

"Liuliu?" Rinka let out a wry smile.

"Yeah. He even asked me to talk to you about this. I do have a way to find that divine emissary, but I don’t want you turning into some twisted version of yourself. My goal isn’t just to remove your 'ideal girl' mask—I want you to understand the line between your real self and your persona. Leave it to me to perform some full body realignment massage for you."

"Kai, you really love meddling in other people’s business, huh?"

"Maybe, but honestly I think it's for your benefit."

"If I became a real girl, would you confess to me?"

Oh no—my heart... nah.

Maybe because he's dressed as a guy right now, but my heart isn’t racing or anything.

Duh, it’s not like I’m into dudes.

"The person I liked before… might’ve just been the mask you wore. Besides, aren’t you more into Yan Liuzhuan?"

As soon as I said that, his face turned bright red, like it was on fire.

Jeez, seeing a delicate-looking guy blush in front of me just gives me the creeps—it’s way too gay!

"When I turned into a girl before, for the first time, I felt like I had hope again."

Though, for that abstinent guy, gender probably doesn’t even matter… Yeah, better keep that thought to myself.

We had gone off-topic again, but I’d already said everything I needed to say. Might as well keep chatting.

"You know, Rinka, you always say I’m a coward, but when it really matters, I, Chang Kai, do have guts."

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

Seeing that I was about to start bragging, Rinka played along.

Arms crossed, eyes closed, I spoke in a deep and dramatic tone.

"Listen up. One time, Zhao Zhao and I were walking down a back alley when we ran into a gang of about ten or so thugs."

"Thugs?"

"Yeah, thugs! They were armed with metal pipes and chains. They jumped us, and man, Zhao Zhao got beat so badly—covered in bruises, rolling on the ground, groaning in pain. I couldn’t just stand there and watch, so I grabbed a five-foot steel rod, charged at their leader, and—BAM!—cracked his skull open—GUAH!"

Something hard and wet smacked against my face with a loud "splat."

My nose stung, and my ever-diligent tear glands immediately went to work.

"The hell are you talking about? Whose skull did you crack open, huh?" The voice wasn’t Rinka’s. It was deeper—and oddly familiar.

"What are you doing?!" Rinka’s anxious voice followed as our rubber raft wobbled.

Opening my eyes, I saw another four-person raft had drifted up beside us at some point. Sure enough, it was Lei Meow Meow and her group. Tian Xi had already joined back with them.

On the larger raft, a blonde girl in a yellow two-piece swimsuit, wearing a straw hat with the "Aqua World" logo, held the weapon that had just smacked me—a plastic paddle.

The other end of the paddle was gripped tightly by Rinka. The rocking of the raft must have been from them tugging at it.

"Little Lingmeng, long time no see… you alright?"

Even at a water park, Sis Yuanyue looked incredibly youthful. Her skin was as smooth as a hard-boiled egg—hard to believe she was in her forties. Even though she was wearing a rash guard, the fabric was semi-transparent, revealing a rather revealing bikini underneath.

"Do I look alright to you?"

"Oh? ‘Little Lingmeng’?" Rinka shot me a weird look—part confusion, part disdain.

"Hey, kid, didn’t you say just to scare her? You actually made her cry!"

At least somebody is getting angry for me, it’s Uncle Lei Luo.

I rubbed my nose. It didn’t actually hurt that much—getting hit in the nose just makes you tear up automatically, and I just happen to have very active tear glands.

Maybe she really thought she hit me too hard, because Lei Meow Meow’s sharp red eyes kept darting away, avoiding mine.

She really had beautiful eyes—like deep red gemstones.

"It’s her own fault for spewing nonsense! Listening to that crap pissed me off—ow!"

Lei Luo smacked her on the head with his own paddle. She lost her grip, and Rinka immediately snatched it away.

"Alright, Rinka, we’re all friends here. No need to be so tense."

"Just because you know each other doesn’t mean it’s okay to hit people."

"Fair point… How about this?"

I took the paddle Rinka had seized and lightly bonked Lei Meow Meow on the head with it.

"There. We’re even."

I half-expected Lei Meow Meow to flip out, but instead, she just lowered her head, the brim of her hat hiding her face.

Was she… crying because of my kindness?

Yeah, right. No way.

Tian Xi, who had been quietly watching from the side, suddenly looked at Rinka with interest.

Wait—does she have a thing for this type?

Then she suddenly clapped her hands in realization. "You two rowing a boat together—don’t tell me this guy is Lingmeng-chan’s boyfriend?"

"No!" My immediate denial.

Her words reminded me of something.

I’d seen this on TV before—rowing a boat together was supposed to trigger the ‘suspension bridge effect’ and make people fall for each other.

So that’s why Bei Qiaojue was smirking at the dock earlier!

Rinka glanced sideways, then suddenly threw the paddle back and grabbed my hand.

"That’s right. I’m Lingmeng-chan’s boyfriend."

What the hell is this guy doing?!

"Cut it out! We’re not like that!"

I protested loudly, but in this situation, it just sounded like a flustered girl denying her crush.

Upon receiving Rinka’s affirmative response, Tian Xi’s gaze turned playful, and the others also wore expressions of sudden realization.

"Then what about that sturdy guy from last time who was desperately protecting you?"

Uncle Lei Luo was probably referring to Zhao Zhao. So he actually thought Zhao Zhao was my boyfriend… Wow, I feel insulted.

Lei Luo scrutinized Rinka and shook his head. "No way, kid. You don’t have even a bit of manly charm. I can’t approve of this marriage!"

Are you my dad?! And who said anything about getting married?!

However, a comment like "lacking masculinity" was something Rinka would simply take as a compliment.

"So Lingmeng-chan likes this kind of fresh young meat, huh? Tsk tsk." Lei Meow Meow also chimed in with gossip.

"Let’s not talk about me anymore."
Explaining would only make things worse, so I swiftly changed the subject.
"How’s your idol career going? Don’t tell me you’re still struggling to gain popularity?"

"Don’t bring that up either."
At my question, exhaustion flooded her face, making her look like Zhao Zhao after a cram school session.
"Being an idol requires too much learning. Vocal training and dance are just the basics—there’s also emotional management, posture training, and more. Every day is completely packed."

"Stop complaining. This is the path you chose. I’m sure Sis Xi is also learning everything she needs to be a manager, right?" Tian Xi nodded, but Lei Meow Meow immediately flared up.

"Then don’t even mention that! I’ve participated in a few small-scale performances lately, and while I did gain some fans, somehow, Xiao Xi is even more popular than me! Those jerks actually said the manager is cuter than the idol?!"

As Lei Meow Meow vented, Tian Xi scratched her head awkwardly at the side. No doubt, it was just a bunch of shallow men blinded by her oppai.

"Speaking of which, where does Lingmeng-chan go to school? This fall, I want these two girls to go back and resume their studies."

Sis Yuanyue’s question put me in a tough spot. I could tell she wanted Lei Meow Meow to attend the same school as me, but… no school has a student named Chang Lingmeng!

"Biyang Girls' Academy."

Rinka took the liberty of answering for me.