Why is the Demon King like this?

The morning light was warm and gentle, the sky was wispy and the clear blue stretched to the farthest point of the field of vision, interspersed with the buildings rising and falling in a staggered pattern.

In the distance, between the city and the sky, two planes are climbing.

The tram rumbled into the station, and from some passageway entrance came the melodious sound of a violin, its tune light and romantic, as if a row of children were sitting on a high roof, blowing colorful soap bubbles down.

The sound of the tram about to depart, the footsteps around me, and the weary voices of office workers all rushed into my ears.

"So you're saying this isn't my responsibility!"

Where are you planning to go today?

"Wow, this photo is so suggestive~"

"I'll be at the company soon."

Finally, there was a sound that remained clear amidst the noise, as if gently whispering in my ear:

"Get ready to board the train, be careful not to get separated, Arisugawa-kun."

"Um!"

The girl pursed her lips, pulling herself out of her dreamy, poetic world, and unconsciously reached out and grabbed one of the straps of Qing Guijie's backpack.

"That way you won't get lost."

Noticing the weight on his shoulders, Aokiji smiled and said, "Let's go, let's set off."

The train bound for Chiba Prefecture is about to leave the station.

Because they boarded the bus early, both of them were able to get seats.

Asuka Arisugawa maintained a suitable distance and sat next to Keisuke Ao. Today, she was wearing a white floral dress, and when she looked down, she could see her calves and bare feet.

Keisuke Ao wore beach shorts with a short-sleeved shirt printed with seagulls and the beach.

The baseball cap he was wearing was put into his backpack as soon as he got into the train carriage.

The Demon King smoothed his hair, which was weighed down by his hat, and said, "My hair seems to have grown a bit long."

Her slightly wavy, wispy hair was almost covering her eyes, so wearing a hat on top of that would be quite uncomfortable.

"You're still very handsome," Arisugawa Asuka praised.

"Do you need me to praise you too?"

Upon hearing this, Arisugawa Asuka pursed her lips, smiled, and shook her head.

The train slowly started moving, and the scenery outside the window was gradually left behind. It would take more than an hour to get from Shinjuku to Chiba.

After exchanging a few words with the still somewhat nervous Arisugawa, Keisuke Ao took out the book he had "snatched" from Hoshino and began to read it.

The book is titled "The Moon and Sixpence".

Asuka Arisugawa had clearly already read the book, and the literary girl couldn't wait to ask him for his opinion on it.

Qing Guijie waved the book around, indicating that he had only just gotten through the tedious and boring first chapter and hadn't even seen the protagonist's life yet in the second chapter.

However, he shared a sentence he had just seen with Arisugawa—

"To find peace of mind, a person should do at least two things each day that he or she does not like."

"President Hoshino, after recruiting me into the company, you must have been comforting yourself with this sentence, to the point that you even took out the book to review it several times."

"Seriously!"

Asuka Arisugawa was amused by Keisuke Ao's serious judgment, and then realized that the book in Keisuke Ao's hand actually belonged to Fujiko Hoshino.

"This book?"

"Ah... I borrowed it from the president."

To some extent, we can't say that the Demon King is lying, can we?

Although she sensed that the truth might be more complex than what Keisuke Ao had described, Asuka Arisugawa didn't press the matter further. Instead, she pulled a thin notebook out of her bag.

The cover and contents are all in English, and it appears to be a collection of poems by an unknown foreign author.

The light and shadow reflected in the car window shifted, and when the light was dim, they would stop reading and chat occasionally. Keisuke Ao shared his reading experiences, while Arisugawa would select a few poems that he liked and read them to him.

"A poem for summer?"

"Hmm, how are you feeling?"

"I don't really understand it; it always feels different from seeing it with my own eyes."

Aoki closed the book and looked out the window. The tram had already left the city and was traveling through the summer fields.

Today is a rare good day; the sun is not yet scorching, and the sunlight on my skin gives me a warm and drowsy feeling.

In the distance, there were scattered villages and winding roads. Although the sea was not visible, a sense of anticipation arose spontaneously.

He looked out the window, and Asuka Arisugawa looked back at him. Another unspoken lyric poem from the collection flashed through his mind.

The sun is about to set again this day.

Birds skimmed across the river bend, bathed in the setting sun.

It's going to rain tonight; the rain will cover the entire lake.

You said you would come back in the summer.

Is it tonight?

She clutched the poetry collection in her hand, looked out the window, and echoed it with a slightly deliberate tone.

After a journey that seemed both long and short, the two finally got off the train in Onyokachi.

Onjuku Beach, where they visited today, is roughly the fifth most popular beach in Chiba Prefecture. It has abundant waves, making it perfect for surfing, and it's also great for family trips.

During the peak tourist season in summer, there are quite a few tourists.

Keisuke Ao didn't want to crowd into the free facilities on the beach, so he simply rented a room nearby.

"This...this is...!"

Booking a hotel room?!

Asuka Arisugawa gripped the drawstring of her bag tightly.

"What?"

When Aokiji opened the door, he glanced back at her and said, "Go inside and change your clothes first. I'll go buy some drinks."

He handed the room key to Arisugawa Asuka and casually tossed his bag onto the bed.

"No...no need," Yamato Nadeshiko said, blushing.

Keisuke Ao waved his hand and turned to walk towards the beverage machine in the lobby downstairs.

While waiting on the first floor, Qing Guijie thought of a question that no man could ever understand—what is the difference between a swimsuit and underwear?

Despite being such a shy girl, she later became able to confidently play on the beach in a swimsuit and even play volleyball.

...I can't understand it.

After rejecting the advances of four or five groups of tourists, Ao Keisuke finally received a message that Arisugawa had finished changing. He took his drink and returned to his room, rang the doorbell, and heard Arisugawa's shy voice from the other side of the door.

"Qinggui-kun?"

"Yes, it's me."

Upon opening the door, Keisuke Ao's gaze involuntarily fell upon Asuka Arisugawa—the girl wasn't wearing the school swimsuit he had assumed, but rather a light-colored women's swimsuit with white lace-like trim, slightly conservative, but undeniably adorable.

Her fair and translucent shoulders, her round and full breasts, her slender and supple waist, and her legs, faintly visible beneath a silk scarf, all made it impossible to look away.

Asuka Arisugawa blushed, her hands slightly covering her skin, unable to bear Keisuke Ao's blatant stare.

Is that strange?

"No, to be honest, it's more like it's too cute." Ao Keisuke praised sincerely.

"Is that so..."

Asuka Arisugawa smiled gently, hooking a strand of her hair with her index finger, and suddenly felt that she wasn't so shy anymore.

(It will probably be available next week)