"Thank you for having us!"

"The pleasure was all mine!"

...

After seeing Kobayashi and her group off, it was already past 8 PM. Lucoa, who had walked them to the door, returned to the counter seating area to thank Ryohei Tanaka.

Ryohei looked up at her and chuckled. "Why are you being so formal?"

"You're right," Lucoa said, resting her right hand on her left arm, which was crossed over her chest. She tapped her fair cheek with a finger, tilted her head, and added thoughtfully, "After all, I've already paid you for your services..."

"Huh? What did you pay him with?" Jashin-chan asked curiously. Was it gold and silver treasures? She knew Lucoa had given Ryohei a small mountain of gold before and was never stingy. Her vassal must have made a killing this time. Jashin-chan was envious.

"Stay out of grown-up business," Ryohei said, his eyes narrowing as he gave Jashin-chan a look.

"Who are you calling a child?!" Jashin-chan's cute little face twitched. She muttered under her breath at Ryohei, "So stingy, it's not like I'd ask for a cut," but didn't press the matter further.

"..." Ryohei felt like she had gotten the wrong idea about something, but he didn't explain. How could he possibly explain that?

...

The next day, during his morning run, Ryohei noticed that the sky was filled with clouds. There were an unusual number of them today, layered on top of each other. This reminded him of an item he had yet to claim from his system: [Water Conversion Gas (White)]!

And so, later at the breakfast table, Ryohei made a suggestion. "Does anyone want to go swimming later?"

"Where? Are you treating? I'll go if you're treating," Jashin-chan blurted out without a hint of shame.

Minos's eyes lit up, and her silvery-white bull's tail swished excitedly. "I'm in!" she declared without hesitation. Playing in the water during the summer was so much fun. The last time they had done it was at the beach at the end of May.

"I don't have a swimsuit, um..." the Second said, clearly tempted. The desire to go was written all over her face.

"I'll go!" Lucoa leaned forward slightly and raised her left hand, the bountiful curves of her chest wobbling with the movement.

"Where are we going swimming? A public pool? Or the beach?" Yurine asked, her gaze resting on Ryohei. Next week was exam week, but she had been studying hard recently, so a short break to balance work and rest would be fine.

"To the sky!" Ryohei said with a proud smile, pointing a finger straight up. Before anyone could ask, he stood up, opened his system panel, and retrieved the [Water Conversion Gas (White)].

"With this, we can swim in the clouds. And it's a good thing there are so many of them today."

He felt a sudden weight in his hand, and a red and gold object that looked like a scuba tank appeared.

"Huh? What's that? Where did you get it from?" Jashin-chan gasped, her eyes turning into perfect dots as she stared at the object in his hand. A snot bubble even popped from her nose.

The others were also looking at Ryohei in surprise. Yurine quickly made the connection to Ryohei's "golden finger"—the ability he had that gave him a new power or item every week. This must be the item for this week.

"This is called Water Conversion Gas," Ryohei explained simply. "It can turn clouds into water, and the outermost layer of the cloud will contain the water, keeping it floating in the air. The effect lasts for three hours." He then turned to Lucoa. "Lucoa, could you gather and cluster some clouds for us later?"

"No problem, leave it to me!" Lucoa's eyes had widened in surprise the moment he had produced the tank. Hearing his request, she straightened up, puffed out her chest, and patted it confidently.

"That sounds like so much fun!" Minos laughed, and Yurine couldn't help but nod in agreement. It did sound interesting. A swimming pool in the clouds—just imagining it was exciting.

"..." Ryohei set the tank down, sat back in his seat, and picked up his chopsticks. He looked at Persephone II. "Second, I'm going to the supermarket later to buy some fruit. You should have Minos go with you to look for a swimsuit. The supermarket should have some." The department stores wouldn't be open this early. The selection at the supermarket might not be great, but they should at least have all the sizes.

"Okay!" The Second's beautiful eyes lit up, and she agreed with a smile that bloomed like a flower.

Yurine, after taking a bite of rice, figured that since so many people were going, a few more wouldn't hurt. She looked at Ryohei and asked, "Should we invite Koori-san and the others?"

"Sure, you can contact them," Ryohei replied with a smile. He had been thinking the same thing.

He then thought of Medusa and turned to Jashin-chan. "Is Medusa coming over today?" It was Saturday, and Medusa often visited on weekends, sometimes even staying the night.

"I don't know," Jashin-chan said, pulling her phone out of her snakeskin pocket. She looked down and started typing with one hand. "I'll ask." After about ten seconds, she looked up with an answer. "She's already on the bus."

"Okay," Ryohei said as he ate his breakfast. "Then remember to bring your phone up with you, otherwise she won't be able to reach us when she gets here."

"Got it," Jashin-chan replied.

...

Time flew by, and soon it was past 8 AM. Ryohei returned from the supermarket, washed and cut the fruit into platters, and mixed two large pitchers of cocktails. Everything was ready. By this time, the Ice Sisters and the two angels had arrived. Lucoa had also gathered a vast expanse of white clouds, forming a sea in the sky.

"Everyone can start changing into your swimsuits. Lucoa and I are going to go treat the clouds," Ryohei said, walking out of the open kitchen and picking up the Water Conversion Gas tank.

"I want to go, too," Yurine said. She felt that this was a fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime event and wanted to be a part of it.

"Me too, me too!" The Second raised her hand eagerly, wanting to join in on the fun.

"In that case, take me along as well," Jashin-chan said, pointing a finger at herself.

"..." Ryohei didn't make a decision right away. He looked at Lucoa, who just smiled and clasped her hands together. "Since everyone wants to go, let's all go together. We'll use magic to take you up."

"Yeah—!"

...

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