Countless streamers showered down on Xia You as he smiled and waved to the crowd around him.
Behind him, Misty crouched on her aquaplane, looking a little discouraged. As she gently stroked Corsola, her eyes flickered toward Xia You.
She and Corsola had given their all in the race, only to lose to Xia You by a narrow margin. How could she not feel disappointed?
Even so, she was still happy for her Xia You.
Only a loss to Xia You could leave her completely convinced. Had it been anyone else, she would have been pouting and grumbling already.
Behind the two of them, only Rossi, the favorite to win, looked glum. His goal had been to defend his title, yet not only had he lost to someone younger and more handsome than himself, he had even failed to beat the young girl beside him, finishing in a mere third place!
The gap between his expectations and reality was easy to imagine.
But speaking of that young girl, she was a real beauty. She really was pretty!
At that thought, an idea struck him, and he took the initiative to speak to Misty. "You must be from out of town, right? To celebrate your second-place finish, how about coming aboard my boat for a tour of the city?"
His enthusiasm made him hard to refuse. Misty also gave it some thought: they had come to an unfamiliar city and really did need a guide to show them the sights. Wasn't this man named Rossi, who had offered himself up, the perfect choice?
"Sure." After a moment's thought, Misty nodded in agreement, but added, "You'll have to bring my friends along too!"
"Of course, no problem," Rossi readily agreed, then asked, "By the way, who are your friends...?"
With a radiant