Bei Qiaojue left—with her blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel in tow.

In a water park like this, designed for amusement and recreation, a group of four is basically the sweet spot. Most of the attractions meant for groups—like rubber rafts and lazy river rides—are tailored for four-person teams.

Same goes for what was in front of us now: beach volleyball.

Since it was still only the trial opening, not many people were playing. Of the dozen or so courts, only three or four were in use. The place felt practically deserted.

“Kai-chan, didn’t think you were into beach volleyball.”

“Ah… I’ve just dabbled a little.”

“Onii-chan, you don’t mean that lewd beach volleyball game, do you?” Tangerine cut in.

She was talking about DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Back in her cat days, I’d cuddle her curled up and played that exact game. Can’t believe those she still remembered those moments… Though let’s be real—the focus of that game was not the volleyball. Marie Rose is the best.

With four people, we could split into two teams perfectly. But the problem was Zhao Zhao—the athletic basketball buff. Whoever teamed up with him was guaranteed to steamroll the match. Not much fun when it’s that one-sided.

“With Zhao Zhao the Muscle onboard, it’s hard to make fair teams.”

“Is that so?” Rinka said with a knowing smirk, stepping over to the other side of the net with a volleyball in hand.

He bounced the ball in her palm, tossed it up, leaped, and spiked it over in one smooth, practiced motion. Clearly, she wasn’t a rookie.

“Didn’t expect you to be a veteran. I guess I’ll team up with Zhao Zhao then.”

“I wouldn’t say veteran—just played a few times.”

“Tch. I wanted to team up with Onii-chan…”

“And we’ll definitely be cannon fodder…”

Tangerine caught Rinka’s serve and walked back across the court.

“Commander, you’re short. You take the backcourt—I’ll handle blocking up front.”

“Okay!”

I focused intently on Tangerine’s hands, waiting for her to serve… but instead of getting ready, she dropped her hands and stared warily behind me.

I felt it—something behind me...

“Lingmeng-chaaaaaan!!”

“Wah!”

A sudden shout right by my ear scared the soul out of me.

I turned around—and got a face full of cleavage. Wrapped tight in a white one-piece swimsuit, her bust practically pressed into my back with a dramatic boing.

Coach! She’s charging with the ball!

“Sis Xi!”

Tian Xi had apparently come running over to me, while Lei Meow Meow and the others strolled casually in the background.

“Bwahaha! Gotcha! Payback for scaring me at the beach shack!”

Tian Xi cackled like a villain whose plan had just succeeded. Was she still this petty now?

“But three chance meetings in a day—must be fate… Lingmeng-chan, why’s your face so red? Heatstroke?”

She slung an arm around my shoulder, showing zero concern about her assets squishing into my back. Maybe for her, that kind of contact between girls was totally normal.

“I mean, with those things pressing into me, how could I not blush?”

“But we’re both girls, right? Or are you blushing because I used to be a man?”

The issue is—I’m not a girl!

I could feel all the blood in my body rushing somewhere very problematic. A very dangerous Tower of Babel was threatening to rise.

“Ah, aren’t you that Mohawk fatty—”

Zhao Zhao started to blurt something out, then realized his slip and clamped a hand over his mouth.

He hadn’t met Tian Xi before, unlike Zhao Lei.

But it was too late.

The friendly arm around me suddenly became a death grip.

She leaned in and whispered, “Lingmeng-chan, you’re not going around telling people about me and my bro, right?”

“This is a misunderstanding! He already knew! I only asked the Divine Emissary to curse you two because you beat us up, remember?”

Honestly? That was a pretty solid excuse. At least, she bought it. Her face flushed, and she relaxed her chokehold a little.

“So I owe you two an apology, huh.” She said it softly—but loud enough for Zhao Zhao to hear.

His expression morphed into full perv-mode. “For those majestic knockers, I forgive you! Can I please squish one?”

“…Just once?”

She actually hesitated!

“One time is too many! Sis Xi, have some self-respect. Ignore this mountain gorilla!”

“Ah… okay…”

“Forget the apology. The one who hit us was that petty Mohawk fatty—not this pretty girl here.”

If you’d just decide to live as a girl for life, you’d fulfill one of my quotas. I'd be forever grateful.

“You cheeky girl, calling me petty again but in a roundabout way? That’s still me you’re talking about!”

Tian Xi blushed with faux anger, her arms clamping down again—those soft masses molding themselves against my back.

Her swimsuit was tight and thin. My rash guard was also thin. For a normal high school boy like me, that kind of contact was way too stimulating. Thankfully, my tight swim trunks were doing their best to contain the rising Tower of Babel.

Forcing a smile through the awkward tension, I mumbled, “You’re different now, Sis Xi. You definitely have changed.”

She paused, then smiled. “Yeah… I guess I have.”

Lei Meow Meow and her parents walked over. She was still wearing the Aqua World souvenir straw hat—probably to hide her idol identity. But let’s be real: with her current level of fame, no one would recognize her even without the hat.

“Lingmeng-chan, fancy seeing you again?”

“That muscle guy’s here too. Meow Meow, you should apologize properly.”

“He doesn’t even know who I am…”

“You’re Lei Laohu—I know who you are.”

“Gwah?!”

Tangerine suddenly rushed in from across the net and yanked Tian Xi away from me, shoving her back by the belly.

“Hands off my Onii-chan, you thieving cat!”

I froze—this was bad. Thinking back, I realized I really hadn't told Tangerine about Tian Xi or Lei Meow Meow. Sure, she was one of the first to know about the whole Bishoujo Notebook situation, but since she lived with Haitang, I’d never gotten around to filling her in on everything that's happened lately.

“Thieving cat’?” Tian Xi echoed, confused.

Lei Meow Meow glanced at me suspiciously, her sharp eyes seeming to read my soul. “Onii-chan? I thought that meant brother?”

“It was a slip! A slip, right, Tangerine?”

Out of their sightline, I rapidly blinked at Tangerine, silently begging her to play along.

She just tilted her head innocently. “Onii-chan, do you have sand in your eyes?”

Well I guess we’re definitely not Newtypes—there’s no way she got all that from one look.

Lei Meow Meow’s face darkened. She clamped a hand on my shoulder—hard. I couldn’t even budge.

“Lingmeng-chan… forgive me.”

In the next second, her other hand lunged downward—right between my legs, where “Little Chang Kai” was standing to attention thanks to Tian Xi’s earlier “attack.”

“Gghkk!”

A strange noise escaped my throat—like someone had grabbed my soul.

No, actually, she had grabbed something even more precious.

Like she was confirming something, Meow Meow gave the “jewels” a double squeeze. Her face went from stormy black, to flushed red, and finally ghostly pale.

A rising star of the idol world, Lei Meow Meow had just touched a guy’s dirty little secret with her dainty white hands.

I broke into a cold sweat. I was definitely gonna die.

“I just… hadn’t found the right time to tell you all…”

Driven by raw survival instinct, I tried to explain.

She kept her head down, bangs covering her face, and I couldn’t see her expression. But I could feel it—a dark aura seeping from her. Chakra? Haki? Spiritual pressure? Whatever it was, I’d seen it plenty from Haitang when she was pissed.

“So you didn’t confess… because you wanted to take advantage of Xiao Xi?”

“No! I never thought about it like that—!”

“Enough, Lingmeng-‘little bro.’ Don’t talk. Just grit your teeth.”

She cracked her knuckles.

“…What?”

“I SAID—GRIT. YOUR. TEETH.”

BOOM!

And then I went flying.