I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

She buried her face in her arms, her voice slurred and laced with resentment.

Just then, the terminal on the table vibrated slightly.

Without even looking up, she almost instinctively reached out to touch it—until she saw the caller's name, a flash of surprise and joy crossed her eyes for a moment, but the next second, that surprise and joy were replaced by a deeper resentment.

"You're only contacting me now?"

"So you finally remember I exist?"

"...I have a feeling it's not that simple. Am I overthinking it?"

She straightened up slightly, took a deep breath, and connected to the communication.

"Hey?"

……

……

Meanwhile, in Port Ricciardi.

Duanmu Yan was slightly taken aback when he heard Koleta's clearly resentful tone coming from the other end of the terminal.

"Second Miss, you sound... a little down. Are you too tired today?"

His tone was gentle, with his usual concern.

Koleta cast a subtle glance out the window, not wanting to let her inner thoughts surface: "Yes, a little. But it's not all work-related... there are other things too."

"Anything else?" Duanmu Yan pressed, following her words.

"Hmm." Koleta pursed her lips imperceptibly, still expressing herself in a subtle way, "I've been busy all day and haven't even had dinner yet. I just heard some employees excitedly saying... there's a restaurant on Bank Street that offers half-price dining for couples."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yan burst out laughing: "Don't tease me, Second Miss. At this time of day, bank staff are usually still working overtime. I know that, and Zanni just posted a status update saying she was in the office and no one had left yet. I bet she'll be working overtime again tonight."

"Besides, does the Second Miss look like someone who needs a half-price discount? Wouldn't that be beneath your dignity? If the Fesalie family saw this, they'd think we couldn't afford it."

"..."

Koleta bit her lip, her lips trembling slightly.

Oblivious to this, Duanmu Yan naturally steered the conversation to business: "By the way, Second Miss... regarding my bonus, when will it be issued? I'm currently in the Rijoli Islands, planning to rest here for a while, and my expenses might be quite high. So... could you transfer it to me as soon as possible?"

—That bastard Cat's Eye Stone!

So all he did was contact me for money?

So he's planning to use my money to have fun with other girls and then gradually win them over, right?

Koleta's fingers tightened silently, her knuckles turning slightly white, and her face gradually darkened.

"Hello? Second Miss?"

"Why is there no sound?"

Is the signal bad?

There was no response from the other end of the terminal, and Duanmu Yan assumed there was a communication problem. He was about to check the terminal when—

The call was abruptly and decisively ended.

"What happened? The call was disconnected?"

Duanmu Yan was still a little dazed and stared blankly at the terminal.

Phoebe, who had been quietly standing to the side, walked over gently, tilted her head, and asked with concern, "Mr. Duanmu, what's wrong?"

Duanmu Yan turned around and shrugged helplessly: "To be honest, I'm not quite sure either. The Second Miss just now—"

Before he could finish speaking, the terminal suddenly vibrated again.

—That's the notification sound for the bonus being credited to your account.

Moreover, it was transferred directly from Coleta's private account.

Duanmu Yan stared wide-eyed at the astonishing number on the screen in disbelief—Koleta had indeed mentioned that the bonus was substantial, but he never expected it to be this generous!

Not to mention a few days of vacation here, even living comfortably in the Rijoli Islands for half a year would be no problem at all.

only……

The transfer remarks clearly stated two words:

"asshole".

Duanmu Yan stared at the two words, momentarily bewildered.

Is she angry?

"Mr. Duanmu, why do you look so strange?"

Phoebe, completely unaware of the situation, asked innocently.

"It's nothing, I just got my bonus." Duanmu Yan put away his terminal. "Let's go, Phoebe. Let's get something to eat, then find a place to stay. We'll start investigating the Whale of the Sea again tomorrow."

"Yes, we'll do whatever Mr. Duanmu says."

Phoebe smiled and nodded.

……

……

Laguna.

Koleta slumped listlessly over the table, turning her head to gaze at the setting sun gradually sinking into the sea.

In the end, I still transferred the money to him.

They used their own private account instead of going through the official account process.

Logically, Duanmu Yan's bonus should have followed the regulations and would have taken at least a week to complete the approval process and be distributed from the company account.

but……

"Considering you did a pretty good job on this mission..."

She murmured to herself, her voice so soft it almost blended into the evening breeze.

"Consider that money... as a personal reward for you."

The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the window, illuminating half of her profile and falling into her somewhat dazed eyes.

After a long time, she added a sentence very softly.

"Hope Cat's Eye Stone... has fun."

"Take my share with you."

Volume 1: Chapter 58 Having an Affair with Phoebe [Please Subscribe!]

The seafood flavor was a little bland.

Floro doesn't like that flavor.

—This body has long since lost its sense of being human. If even the sense of taste cannot evoke any distinct feelings, what difference is there between it and sleeping in nothingness?

The restaurant was bustling with noise and laughter.

She sat quietly alone in the corner, like a forgotten shadow.

Floro doesn't dislike lively places; in fact, one could say—

She didn't have anything she particularly disliked.

Because I've lived too long, I've gradually lost my expectations and dissatisfaction with this world.

Whether it's noisy or deathly silent, it makes no difference to her.

"Floro?"

Ok.

Ultimately, she wasn't truly indifferent to the world.

Beneath those deeply buried memories and secrets, there remains someone special to her...

That "special" quality has silently fermented over the long years, and its original appearance is no longer discernible.

Is it love?

Or is it hatred?

Perhaps even she herself cannot give an answer.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Floro slowly raised his eyes and looked at the young man who had appeared beside him at some point.

A moment later, she frowned.

Why would he come here?

"Could it be that they've also come for the Kuroshio Current?"

"...A savior hero."

"What a coincidence, how come you've come to the Rijoli Islands too?" Duanmu Yan looked at the girl in front of him with a slight surprise.

In the noisy environment of the restaurant, he spotted the other shore flower, which seemed to linger outside the world, almost instantly in the crowd.

Phoebe, clutching her staff, leaned nervously against him.

It wasn't because of Floro, but because of the stares from all around—a priest from a religious order always seemed particularly out of place in this sea dwelling.

Fortunately, aside from some whispers and scrutiny, no one actually went up to make things difficult for them.

After all, there was only one priest here, Phoebe.

Even if the local residents had any opinions about the religious order, it wouldn't warrant targeting a young girl specifically.

Floro continued to look at him indifferently, without giving any reply.

—She was waiting.

Duanmu Yan had almost gotten used to this indifferent attitude.

Perhaps because he was hurt too deeply in the past, Floro is not easily trusting of others now.

Or rather, she simply cannot trust anyone but herself.

"Then... how about we share a table?" Duanmu Yan suggested. "This meal is on me."

Floro picked up her water glass and took a small sip.

She neither agreed nor refused, but simply continued to gaze at him quietly.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

Duanmu Yan sat down, and Phoebe, after a slight pause, sat down beside him, shyly whispering to Floro, "Hello, my name is Phoebe, I'm a priest from the Hidden Sea Order..."

Floro turned to her upon hearing the sound, nodded slightly, and then her gaze returned to Duanmu Yan's face—never looking away from it.

Even Duanmu Yan felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Um... Miss Floro, you've been staring at me, is there something you want to say?"

This time, Floro did not remain silent.

She smiled slightly, crossed her arms over her chest, and spoke in a leisurely and meaningful tone.

"I'm just curious... why, even if you sacrifice everything and choose to start over, you still step into similar vortexes time and time again—whether actively or passively."

"Has this kind of 'obsession' already been etched into your soul?"

"...I really don't understand what you're saying."

Duanmu Yan let out a long, helpless sigh.

He was almost, almost, getting used to Floro's roundabout, enigmatic way of speaking.

Although I never understand it every time.

“I originally planned to have a nice vacation in Rijoli. But I didn’t expect…” Duanmu Yan said, turning his gaze to the blonde girl beside him, “I happened to run into Phoebe, who was here to investigate the reason for the abnormal rage of the Sea Whale. Since I’ve run into her, I can’t just stand by and do nothing, right? So I decided to help her.”

"Oh? What an admirable act of heroism." Floro lightly covered his lips, a half-smile playing in his eyes. "Just as you always have. Always forming bonds with one new acquaintance after another, giving them promises and hope... and then disappearing quietly at the most crucial moment. What a heartless fellow, isn't he?"

"..."

Duanmu Yan opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.