Travel · Qiongzhou Arc (Twenty-Four): One Last Ocean

The wonderful time passed like flowing water, and the summer vacation has come to an end, as has Xiao Ling and her group's trip in Qiongzhou.

But it was at this time that a certain blue butterfly, who had never seemed to have any competitive spirit, extended an invitation to Hajiling to join her.

"A-Ling, would you like to go for a walk on the beach?"

This was the first thing the Shorekeeper said after entering Xiao Ling's room.

Hajiling, who was racking her brains over a half-finished manuscript on the computer, heard the Shorekeeper's gentle and refined voice and looked at her with a hint of doubt.

"Perfect timing, I have some free time right now." Xiao Ling casually saved and closed the manuscript, then smiled and turned her chair around to look at her. "But why did Shorekeeper suddenly invite me for a walk at this time?"

Because I have something I want to tell you.

Hajiling raised an eyebrow, realizing things weren't so simple.

If it were just a trivial matter, the Shorekeeper could have explained it to him directly. But since she chose to invite him out specifically, her intentions were obvious.

When the Shorekeeper came in, he didn't close the door. He could clearly hear the lively sounds outside the room: conversations, laughter, and the sounds of fighting from the game, all creating a lighthearted symphony in the living room.

"Should we say hello to them?" Xiao Ling asked the Shorekeeper for his opinion.

The Shorekeeper stared blankly for a moment, then turned his gaze to the open window behind Xiao Ling and gave him a meaningful smile.

beach.

As evening approached, the setting sun, like a shy maiden, quietly veiled its rosy cheeks behind the horizon, its golden light burning the entire sky a breathtaking sight.

"It feels like we're about to elope," Xiao Ling joked casually. "You actually thought of sneaking out the window with me."

The Shorekeeper merely smiled gently at Xiao Ling's teasing, offering no verbal response.

"Well, hopefully those girls at home won't bombard our phones with calls later," he chuckled.

"It's okay, I'll block the signal." Shorekeeper said this in a serious tone, which sent a chill down one's spine.

(In a place where no detection method can find it...)

"There's no need for that. We can explain it to them properly later." Xiao Ling quickly waved her hand, signaling the other party to stop.

After this little incident, the two continued walking along the beach, their shoes leaving deep and shallow footprints in the sand.

The Shorekeeper followed closely beside Xiao Ling, his violet eyes turning to the boundless sea, its surface shimmering like flowing gold under the setting sun.

As soon as she turned her gaze back to the front, she saw Xiao Ling squat down for some reason, and when she stood up a moment later, she had a pair of sneakers in her hand.

"This way, your shoes won't get wet, and it feels really comfortable when the waves go over your feet." Seeing the Shorekeeper's questioning look, Xiao Ling explained with a smile, "Why don't you try it?"

The Shorekeeper nodded, then followed suit, carrying her sandals in her hands. Her smooth, bare feet trod on the beach, and occasionally a wave would wash ashore with the tide, gently covering the soles of her feet.

"It was cool and had some mud and sand, but the moment the seawater didn't come in was really comfortable." She sincerely expressed her feelings.

Xiao Ling smiled and nodded, then said gently, "Let's continue exploring; we might find some interesting things."

"This is... a crab?"

The Shorekeeper squatted on the ground, looking at the sand crab that was brandishing its large pincers at her in front of the cave entrance with great curiosity. However, the sand crab was very small, and even its threat had no effect on it.

"These crabs don't look quite like the ones I remember?" Xiao Ling chuckled as she squatted down next to the Shorekeeper. "These are sand crabs. They're small, fast, and don't seem like much of a threat, but don't actually touch them; getting pinched can really hurt."

The Shorekeeper nodded seriously, then got up to leave, not wanting to disturb the little guy as he went about his business.

"Um?"

It was then that she noticed Xiao Ling was wearing an earphone in her left ear. Out of curiosity, she asked softly.

"A-Ling, are you wearing headphones the whole time to avoid missing important messages?"

"Huh?" Xiao Ling was taken aback by the question, then shook her head and denied it, "No, it's just a habit of mine. When I'm relaxing at the beach or somewhere, I play music for myself."

"Well, since we're on the topic, how about we listen to some music together?"

He took out the other half of the earphone and handed it to the Shorekeeper, who took the earphone and carefully put it into his right ear.

A song was playing in my headphones; a gentle female voice was softly humming a beautiful melody.

"The first day of the new year, the first day of the new year, Private party, private party, party party."

"Is it nice?" Xiao Ling asked the Shorekeeper was engrossed in the song, with a light laugh.

"It gives off a feeling of tranquil melancholy, like the sea," the Shorekeeper commented earnestly.

"That's good enough, as long as it sounds good."

Xiao Ling grinned and naturally took the slender hand of the Shorekeeper, leading her forward.

"We need to hurry! There are still so many places we haven't seen yet. We have to sneak back before they find us!"

The Shorekeeper looked at the rather childish young man in front of him, and a smile naturally spread across his face.

"Good!"

The tranquil melancholy is not the first impression the sea gives people; most people who arrive at the sea for the first time will first and foremost marvel at its magnificence and beauty.

But for the Shorekeeper, this is the feeling the sea evokes most.

Black Shores is surrounded by the sea, so Black Shores warriors must cross the vast ocean by ship to fight against the Screams of Threnody throughout Solaris.

Some people leave this island and stay away for years, while others return on a ship only to find themselves as skeletons.

And she herself, day and night, gazed at the boundless sea, silently hoping in her heart for the return of someone.

Fortunately, she waited for him, but unfortunately, when he returned, the Tethys System malfunctioned, and she was almost formatted by the system as a result—what humans would call a "sacrifice."

In the time since that person left, she explored the meaning of emotions and love in her own way, only to discover, in what she believed to be the final moments of her life, that she still loved that person.

Therefore, the fact that she can now spend these everyday trivialities with Xiao Ling is the greatest happiness for her.

Returning to the present, the two, somewhat tired from running on the beach, casually found a soft sandy spot, spread out a blanket, and sat down, quietly waiting for the sunset.

"A-Ling, do you like watching the sea?" the Shorekeeper asked softly.

"I don't like it." Xiao Ling shook her head resolutely. "At least I don't like watching the sea alone. Although the poem says 'facing the sea with spring flowers blooming,' watching the sea alone for too long can easily bring up all sorts of negative emotions."

"So, I prefer going to the beach with others, like beachcombing and playing games, to seeing the sea alone."

The Shorekeeper, seeing his cheerful smile, also smiled slightly.

That's wonderful. This is the person she knows best, the one who always strives to face tomorrow with her companions no matter what.

"Speaking of which, Shorekeeper, didn't you have something you wanted to tell me?" Xiao Ling suddenly remembered the important matter. "Now's the perfect time."

"I think I forgot." The Shorekeeper smiled mischievously.

"Hey~ You're kidding, right?"

"Who knows? But..."

She propped herself up, her gaze meeting Xiao Ling's eyes, and then, as if making a firm decision, pressed her lips to Xiao Ling's.

Naïve and innocent, yet filled with deep affection, this is how the Shorekeeper learned to express love from this world.

After a long while, their lips parted.

"At least I know one thing: I love you very much, I've always loved you." With a slightly flushed face, she made her most sincere confession to Xiao Ling.

As the saying goes, sincerity is the ultimate weapon; even a seasoned veteran like Xiao Ling had to blush with embarrassment.

He felt he needed to get his revenge, so he put his arm around the slender waist of the Shorekeeper and kissed her on the beach in the afterglow of the setting sun.

And the singing that filled the air reached its climax at that moment.

"もういっぱいあるけれど,もうつやしましょう."

"Can you give me one last kiss?れたくないこと~"