Akane Resort.
The most popular seaside holiday destination in the country, boasting fully equipped facilities, including a large theme park and an adjacent luxury hotel.
But its greatest selling point is without a doubt the beach of Akane Resort — once you step foot there, you'll never want to leave.
From the shore, one can gaze upon the vast and endless expanse of the beautiful sea.
"So beautiful!" Noel couldn't help but exclaim.
It was all thanks to the free admission tickets given by Loke that he was able to enjoy a place like this, even if just for a short while.
Natsu was dashing about the sand, brimming with endless energy — but at least he was clearly having fun.
Erza was basking in the sun, lying on a beach chair. Her figure looked simply breathtaking, somehow even more alluring than usual.
Lucy, surprisingly, was busy building a sandcastle. No one would have guessed she'd be interested in such an activity, but her skills were unexpectedly impressive.
In no time at all, the sand before her had become an elegant castle, complete with a sense of design that seemed informed by architectural theory.
Gray, meanwhile, was sipping on a chilled fruit juice, savoring the beach atmosphere.
Happy, as always, couldn't forget about fish — he had ordered a grilled one and was happily gnawing away at it on the sand.
Noel decided to go diving, never having experienced the world beneath the sea before.
Sunlight filtered through the water's surface, dyeing the rocks, plants, shells, and corals below in rainbow hues.
Creatures basked in the warmth of the illuminated waters, as curious little fish swam among dazzling coral reefs, while peculiar yet adorable clams, starfish, jellyfish, and sea grasses of all colors danced gracefully with the current.
It was beautiful. Who would have thought that beneath such a calm sea lay such a magnificent sight? Truly breathtaking.
After marveling at the wonders of nature, Noel returned to shore. While diving fascinated him, the novelty soon wore off, and he found himself feeling a little fatigued.
As soon as Noel stepped back onto the beach, Natsu came running up to him, full of excitement.
"Noel, let's play beach volleyball!" Natsu suggested.
"With who?" Noel asked.
"I invited Gray, Erza, and Lucy…" Natsu counted on his fingers.
Noel's face darkened with exasperation. Beach volleyball only needed four people — so why did they need him too?
And with Erza joining, he had a sinking feeling the game would devolve into some kind of "monster-strength volleyball."
He suddenly recalled the terrifying memory of the pillow fight they'd had before. Truthfully, he still hadn't recovered from the trauma of that monster-strength pillow battle.
"Uh… how about I be the referee instead?" Noel offered a compromise.
"Then we'll leave it to you!"
"Don't worry, I'll be absolutely fair," Noel promised.
Erza and Gray were paired as one team, while Lucy teamed up with Natsu.
The opening serve was Erza's. However, she struck the ball too hard, and it exploded instantly.
Noel glanced at the handprint left on the deflated ball, shuddering. That kind of power was terrifying.
The four insisted on continuing, so Noel had to pay for a new ball out of pocket.
This time, Lucy served. Her serve was better, but lacked any real offensive power.
Noel couldn't help but notice Lucy's chest — her figure had developed remarkably well.
Erza easily received the ball and sent it back across the net.
Fortunately, the ball didn't burst this time — it seemed Erza had begun to get the hang of controlling her strength.
If she kept destroying balls, Noel thought, he'd really be in trouble.
"Nice one!" Natsu shouted, charging up to the net for a powerful spike.
The ball moved so fast that Erza and Gray couldn't react in time. When it hit the sand, it spun fiercely, leaving a small indentation in the ground.
"Natsu and Lucy score one point!" Noel declared.
Next, Gray served. His technique was far more professional than Lucy's — perhaps he'd trained in volleyball before.
But Lucy and Natsu set up a human wall. Lucy stretched out her hands to hit the ball back, but accidentally bumped into Natsu, disrupting his timing.
Natsu missed the ball completely.
"I didn't mean to!" Lucy apologized in a hurry.
"It's fine. We just need to work on our teamwork," Natsu said, brushing off the mistake.
If anything, it only made him more fired up — he wasn't about to lose, not even to Erza and Gray.
As the game went on, Natsu and Lucy's coordination improved, while Erza and Gray's teamwork was formidable as well.
The match turned into a close battle, drawing a crowd of curious beachgoers.
"Look at that red-haired girl — what a figure…"
"No, no, the blonde one is way more developed…" the spectators whispered among themselves.
The score was neck and neck, until it reached match point. From here, the outcome would be decided by the smallest details.
Natsu served, but Erza and Gray intercepted it. Natsu moved in for another spike, but his nerves got the better of him, and he misjudged the ball — his hand didn't even touch it.
Lucy rushed in, managing to send the ball back into play.
A great save. Erza seized the opportunity for a finishing spike. "The match is decided!"
But just then, Natsu leapt in front of the net.
The ball slammed directly into his head. The force was so great that the ball burst apart on impact.
A red mark bloomed across Natsu's forehead. Noel shuddered at the thought — if that had been him, he'd probably be in the hospital.
With Natsu knocked out cold, the match ended abruptly.
Afterward, the group tried out various other activities.
They rented a rubber boat to admire the sea views and enjoyed the seaside sunshine. Before long, they all drifted off to sleep.
When Noel awoke, only he was left on the boat, and the sky was already tinged with sunset.
He glanced down at his skin — it seemed noticeably darker. The seaside sun was brutal, Noel thought.
But being a little tanner wasn't bad either; it gave him a more masculine air.
Back at the hotel, just as he was about to return to his room, he bumped into Gray.
"Gray, where are your clothes!?" Noel stared, face dark with annoyance. Had Gray stripped down absentmindedly again?
"They were just here a second ago!" Gray muttered, scrambling to look for them.
At that exact moment, a waitress happened to walk by.
"Excuse me, miss, have you seen my clothes?" Gray asked.
But the sight of a half-naked man left the waitress horrified. She promptly punched him. "Pervert!"
Noel didn't bother getting involved. It wasn't something he could explain away anyway.
Back in his room, Noel changed into fresh clothes. There was still more fun awaiting them at the amusement facilities that night — and he had to be properly dressed for the occasion.
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