Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Tom's Joy Leads to Sorrow

The arrival of Vice Admiral Crane added some liveliness to the tavern, broadening the horizons of the patrons and giving them something to talk about. This slightly boosted the sales of drinks, leaving Adrian reasonably content.

However, Tom wasn't happy. He had brought out the iron, but he hadn't ironed any clothes or hit anyone with it.

Unhappy Tom wanted to go surfing and fishing.

Adrian waved his hand and agreed. They would head to the beach this afternoon. Those who wanted to surf could surf, those who wanted to fish could fish, and those who wanted to swim could swim.

This decision received unanimous approval from everyone in the tavern.

As for the afternoon exercise task, swimming could serve as physical training. After all, back in the day, Adrian was a master of the doggy paddle.

So, in just three seconds, Tom changed into swimwear and somehow managed to find a surfboard and a complete fishing set.

"Don't be hasty. We need to make some preparations first." Adrian chuckled as he patted Tom's cat head, secretly curious about where Tom hid his tail when he put on clothes.

Tom tilted his head, a question mark appeared above it. What else did they need to do? He was already prepared!

"For instance, I need to buy swim trunks." Adrian turned to ask, "Do you two have swimsuits?"

Artoria and Rui Mengmeng shook their heads. When they bought clothes before, they never thought about getting swimsuits.

"Then let's buy some together." Adrian started counting the things they needed on his fingers:

"Also, we can bring a barbecue grill, some drinks, fruits, ice... Well, since the large refrigerator hasn't been used to freeze assets yet, we'll let it continue its role as a refrigerator."

Artoria raised her hand, "Um... Adrian, actually, I don't know how to swim."

"Huh? But you have the 'Blessing of the Lake's Nymph,' which allows you to run on water, right?" Rui Mengmeng exclaimed in surprise.

Artoria explained, "Exactly because I have that blessing, I don't need to learn to swim. I can engage in water-based combat without needing to swim, so I never learned."

Rui Mengmeng seemed to have found a gap in her logic, "Can you take a bath then?"

Artoria nodded, "Of course, as long as I want to, I can enter the water."

"I see." Rui Mengmeng suddenly understood.

In his mind, Adrian summarized that the blessing wasn't a passive aura but rather an active skill. It could be turned on or off at will.

"In that case, it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit. Hmm... how about we get you a swimming ring?"

Artoria nodded. Even if she didn't learn to swim, she was interested in going to the beach. She just wouldn't bring up such requests for outings herself.

...

After discussing the plan, everyone packed up and rode the bubble car out.

They heard that a new model of the bubble car had been released recently. It didn't require pedaling and moved forward on its own, somewhat like a hoverbike. They wondered what powered it and decided to check it out another day.

When choosing swimwear, Adrian casually picked out an outfit and also bought a pair of goggles—he was the kind of person who couldn't open his eyes underwater.

"Tom, do you want a new set?" Adrian asked.

Tom shook his head. He quite liked his red swimsuit.

However, Tom wandered around the store, then held a water gun in front of Adrian with a pleading expression.

Adrian naturally bought it for him and ended up buying three more.

After a while, Rui Mengmeng and Artoria emerged from the changing rooms together.

Rui Mengmeng chose a very conservative one-piece black swimsuit, and even so, she blushed a little, embarrassed to show off her good figure.

Artoria didn't have as many concerns. Perhaps she simply didn't care, and she chose a white two-piece swimsuit.

Adrian didn't understand the specific styles, he just looked at Artoria and thought maliciously: She didn't even choose a child's swimsuit...

"What's wrong?" Artoria noticed Adrian's gaze and asked.

"Ah, nothing." Adrian felt a bit guilty, as if he'd been caught badmouthing someone behind their back. He tried to salvage the situation, saying, "It looks good."

"Thank you." Artoria smiled and graciously accepted the compliment.

With everything ready, everyone except Tom put on their outerwear and rode their bikes to the beach.

Because they chose different routes for their daily morning runs to familiarize themselves with the environment, the whole island had been covered. Finding a suitable beach wasn't a problem.

Adrian wondered whether a beach without sand like the Shampoo Islands could still be called a beach.

Tom held a surfboard and looked into the distance, but he couldn't see the big waves he was hoping for. He had no choice but to set the surfboard aside and warm up, getting ready to swim.

It was essential to warm up before swimming to prevent cramps. Even Tom instinctively followed this rule.

Adrian was responsible for parking and organizing things, allowing Rui Mengmeng and Artoria to warm up in the water first.

They laid out the picnic blanket, took out the large refrigerator from their inventory, arranged various foods and drinks, and set up beach chairs and parasols. Even though there was no sand, they aimed to create the atmosphere.

When Adrian finished his warm-up and started to get in the water, Tom had already "plunked" into the sea. He was swimming in a textbook breaststroke.

Rui Mengmeng tested the water temperature with her feet and then slowly entered the water in a very ordinary manner.

Artoria, on the other hand, was impressive. She first put on a swimming ring and then walked onto the sea surface. "Wow~ Oh..."

Artoria let out a cry that she wouldn't normally make, and her whole body quickly sank. She used the swimming ring to stay afloat on the sea.

As Artoria entered the water, her usual demeanor seemed to change. Her fluffy tail drooped down, and she lay on the swimming ring's surface, as if she had lost all her dreams. She looked somewhat adorable.

Adrian finished warming up and also "plunked" into the water. If you were to compare his diving posture with Tom's, one looked like a professional diver, and the other looked like a daydreamer.

Tom put his arms behind his head and swam over to Adrian with a butterfly stroke, ready to watch his performance.

Confidently, Adrian showed off his doggy paddle. Due to his continuously strengthening physique since arriving here, his speed was fast, and his endurance was good. He felt he might even be able to beat a world champion in doggy paddle swimming.

After completing a lap, Adrian asked Artoria if she wanted to learn.

But at this moment, Artoria, who seemed adorable, wasn't so. She shook her head, her fluffy hair almost struggling to keep up: "I just feel it might be better to learn regular freestyle with Rui Mengmeng or breaststroke with Tom."

In other words, she declined in an unsightly manner.

Adrian received a critical hit and had to retreat. Immediately afterward, he received mocking laughter from Tom:

"Oh hoho hoho hahaha~"

However, Tom's laughter was short-lived. He let out a pitiful scream and jumped out of the water onto the shore.

"Ah-ah hoho hoho~" Tom screamed pitifully as he plucked a crab from his behind. He glared at the crab angrily.

So, the crab waved its pincers and pinched Tom's nose.

"Ah hoho~ ah-oh hoho~"

Adrian couldn't help but laugh at Tom's antics, dispelling the slight frustration he had. Wherever Tom was, there was never a shortage of joy.