One year later...
"A-Yuan, look, it's the seaside. This is my first time here."
Arriving at the railing by the beach, Airi braced both hands against it and looked at the already crowded shore.
"No, no, we stowed away on ships a few times. We saw the sea then too."
"Mm, we could only hide in our rooms back then. We couldn't see the sea at all, so that doesn't count."
Thinking of those pitch-black rooms during their days as stowaways, Airi subconsciously stretched.
If they had not lacked identification, they would not have had to go through so much trouble.
"So, do you want to go play?"
"Why not? Let's build sandcastles on the beach."
"...I-I'll go with you."
In the end, Chang Yuan did not refuse. After hesitating for a while, he agreed.
Though they would have to pick swimsuits that did not reveal too much later, or perhaps put on cover-ups.
However, Airi's final choice surprised Chang Yuan somewhat.
After taking off her shoes and socks, Airi walked barefoot across the sand.
She had no intention of buying a swimsuit at all.
"Hey, A-Yuan, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and come build sandcastles with me."
"Huh? Oh, okay, I'm coming."
Chang Yuan could not be bothered to think too much about it. He took off his shoes and socks as well, then hurried after her.
Finding a spot with relatively few people, Airi excitedly began building a sandcastle.
"Mm, why is it so loose?"
Watching the little castle she had painstakingly piled up collapse at once, Airi looked puzzled.
"Why not try adding some water?"
"Water? Right, adding water should work."
Airi went to the shore and began carrying seawater over little by little in her hands. Seeing this, Chang Yuan helplessly stepped forward to help.
They could clearly just buy a bucket. How troublesome was it to make trip after trip like this?
After wetting a large patch of sand, Airi started building her sandcastle again.
As expected, this time the sandcastle turned out exceptionally sturdy.
"Mm-hmm, it really was because I didn't add water before. Now that it's sturdy, I can make something more detailed."
Opening her backpack, Airi took out a small knife from inside.
Then she began carving a small mound of sand half a meter tall, glancing at Chang Yuan as she worked.
Chang Yuan had no idea what she was making, so he could only watch from the side.
Only at the very end did Chang Yuan understand what Airi had been carving.
"Ta-da! A-Yuan, who do you think this looks like?"
Stepping aside, Airi invited Chang Yuan over to see what she had made.
But Chang Yuan had already made out the general shape and guessed who it was.
"Airi, you're really impressive. You can make a sand sculpture that looks exactly like me out of sand."
"Of course. A cute girl can do anything."
"Then I'll try sculpting one of you to put beside it."
No sooner said than done, Chang Yuan piled up a mound of sand about the same height beside his own sand sculpture.
However, he had ultimately overestimated himself. Looking at the unrecognizable thing he had carved, Chang Yuan felt a little embarrassed.
"Pfft, hahaha! A-Yuan, it seems you have no talent for sculpting. Look at what you made—it doesn't resemble me in the slightest."
Looking at Chang Yuan's finished product, Airi could not help but snicker.
"Tch, then I'll leave it to you, Airi. I have no talent for this."
Setting down the knife, Chang Yuan had given up resisting.
All that stuff about transmigrators having cheat abilities was a lie. He only had a half-understood ability of his own.
"Sure. Then sit right here beside me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to use your eyes to look at myself. That way, I can recreate myself perfectly."
"..."
Looking at Airi's smiling, sparkling eyes, Chang Yuan was briefly lost in a daze.
When he came back to his senses, he shook his head slightly.
One of life's three great misconceptions: she likes me.
Then Chang Yuan obediently sat down in the designated spot.
And Airi truly did use Chang Yuan's eyes to sculpt herself.
However, compared to the first sculpture of Chang Yuan, Airi had to lean closer this time to look.
As a result, Chang Yuan could clearly smell an indescribable fragrance coming from her, one that calmed his heart and refreshed his mind.
Gradually, Chang Yuan became immersed in that scent and stared at Airi in a daze.
Seeing this, Airi merely smiled softly without saying anything.
It was not until an hour later that Airi put down the small knife in her hand.
"Ta-da-da-da! The flawless Airi sculpture is complete."
Hearing that, Chang Yuan immediately leaned over to take a look. To his surprise, it really was a perfect recreation, even down to details such as her collarbones.
"Seriously, Airi, with your talent, you might as well buy some wood, carve famous stars, and sell them. Who knows how much money you could make?"
"Hmph, no thank you. This can only be a hobby. I have no intention of making money from it. Once anything becomes tied to money, it loses its original flavor. I don't want anything to go wrong with my hobby."
Airi rejected Chang Yuan's suggestion almost without thinking.
Chang Yuan was not surprised by that.
At that moment, a married couple passed by Chang Yuan and Airi.
Seeing the couple's distinctive blue hair, a thought immediately flashed through Chang Yuan's mind.
These were Griseo's parents.
"Blanca, are you really going to Dr. Mobius's laboratory? You know there have always been rumors about her outside, and none of them are positive. They're all negative."
"Yes, because the benefits there are good. For you, for Griseo, and for this family. Besides, I don't think Dr. Mobius is truly as frightening as the rumors say."
"Sigh, I know. I can't change your mind, but if you ever sense that something is wrong, you must leave quickly. Whether for yourself, for me, or for Griseo. She's still young. She can't lose either one of us."
"Mm, don't worry, I will. I'll study hard there too. After all, being able to learn from a doctor like Mebius is an opportunity many people could only wish for."
Only after the two had walked away did Airi sigh. "A-Yuan, did you hear that? It really was a romantic promise."
"Yeah. For the sake of their family, what a touching promise it was."
"Hehe, why don't we make a promise too?"
"Oh? What kind of promise do you want to make?"
Hearing that, Airi pressed the index finger of her left hand against her lips and pondered.
After thinking for a while, she said, "Then let's promise each other that we'll definitely fulfill the other person's wish."
Before you continue