Chapter 214: The Battle For The Villa

"Today, we establish the official vacation ranking!" Lily announced, standing in the living room with a tablet held like a military commander preparing for battle.

Maki looked up from her schedule. "What ranking?"

"The ranking of who enjoys this vacation the most!"

"That isn’t measurable."

"Exactly! Which means I can win!"

Reinhard, sitting beside Emily, immediately became interested. "What does the winner receive?"

Lily raised her tablet. "The winner chooses tomorrow’s first major activity!"

Maki straightened. "Then I accept."

Yuna glanced up from the resort guide. "You’re turning a vacation into a competition?"

Lily looked at her seriously. "Otherwise, how will we know who had the best time?"

Yuna smiled. "By having a good time."

"That’s what someone afraid to compete would say."

"I’m not afraid."

"Excellent! Your name is on the list."

Yuna discovered that Lily had already added her name beneath Maki’s. She turned toward Reinhard, who immediately raised both hands.

"I’m only the sponsor," Reinhard explained. "I have no control over the competition."

Emily leaned against his shoulder. "You offered the prize."

"That’s sponsorship, not control."

"And what happens when the winner asks you to pay for something expensive?"

Reinhard smiled. "I’ll support the winner’s decision."

Emily returned his smile. "Then I hope I win."

Reinhard reconsidered his position. "Perhaps we need stricter regulations."

Nobody listened.

...

The first event was an obstacle course beside the recreational pool, featuring balance beams, padded slopes, hanging ropes, and floating platforms.

Maki studied the course for thirty seconds. "The objective is to reach the finish line quickly. There’s no reason to take unnecessary risks."

Lily grinned. "Or we could have fun."

"We can have fun after winning."

"That sounds like something a machine would say."

The whistle sounded.

Maki immediately took the lead, crossing the balance beams and clearing the barriers with precise movements. She reached the final section while Lily was still asking a staff member whether sliding down a padded slope counted as a shortcut.

Before the staff member finished answering, Lily launched herself down the slope.

She landed on the padded floor, grabbed a hanging rope, and swung toward the finish. She nearly lost her grip but managed to snatch the flag.

The spectators cheered.

Maki reached the finish almost simultaneously and stared at her.

"You used the rope incorrectly," Maki informed her.

Lily grinned. "But I used it successfully!"

"You could have injured yourself."

"But I didn’t."

"That isn’t the point."

Lily leaned closer. "You sound worried about me."

Maki crossed her arms. "I’m worried about the structural integrity of the course."

Reinhard covered his mouth to hide a laugh.

The staff declared Maki the winner by a narrow margin. Lily demanded an investigation into the rope’s official purpose, but Maki had already opened her schedule.

"The volleyball court is available in fifteen minutes," Maki announced.

Lily was about to follow when she noticed children trying to keep a giant inflatable ball airborne.

"Can we do that first?" Lily asked.

Maki shook her head. "It isn’t on the schedule."

"But it looks fun!"

"We have limited time."

"Exactly! We should use it for fun!"

Maki hesitated. "Five minutes."

Ten minutes later, she was desperately trying to keep the enormous ball airborne while Lily shouted instructions.

"Left! Your other left! Maki, the ball is escaping!"

Maki caught it just before it touched the ground. "The ball cannot escape!"

Lily laughed. "It’s doing a convincing impression!"

The children cheered when Maki pushed it upward again. She smiled and joined another round, completely forgetting her schedule.

Then she checked the time.

"We’re seven minutes behind schedule," Maki announced.

Lily placed a hand over her heart. "Tragic."

Maki immediately reorganized the afternoon. "There. We’ve recovered the schedule."

Lily stared at her. "You can reorganize an entire afternoon in thirty seconds?"

"Thirty-seven."

"You should plan my life."

"No."

"Please?"

"Especially not yours."

Lily laughed and pulled her toward the volleyball court.

Along the way, she noticed guests guiding magical rings through moving water currents.

"Can we try that one?" Lily asked.

Maki checked her schedule. "If we finish quickly, we can fit it in."

Lily stopped. "Did you just agree to an unscheduled activity?"

"I agreed to a controlled deviation."

"That’s even better!"

Maki tucked away her tablet before Lily could see her smile.

...

The volleyball match became more competitive than expected.

Maki’s precision made her an excellent player, while Lily compensated for her inconsistent technique with enthusiasm. They argued over positioning, blamed each other for missed shots, and somehow saved several points through desperate teamwork.

When Maki dove across the sand to save a ball, Lily rushed forward and sent it flying across the net.

Their opponents missed.

Lily threw both arms into the air. "We’re unstoppable!"

Maki pushed herself upright. "We’re one point ahead."

"Unstoppable for at least one point!"

They eventually won, although neither could agree on whose contribution mattered more.

Their next activity, the magical water-ring challenge, proved surprisingly difficult. Participants had to guide floating rings through moving currents using small magical controls.

Maki failed twice because she kept calculating the most efficient path. Lily succeeded on her third attempt after accidentally pushing a ring into a current she hadn’t noticed.

Maki watched carefully before trying again. This time, she adjusted to the changing currents instead of following her original calculations.

Her ring passed through the final gate.

"I see," Maki murmured.

Lily leaned over. "See what?"

"A rigid plan is less useful when conditions keep changing. Adapting is more effective."

Lily nodded confidently. "Translation: my way works."

"That is not what I said."

"But it’s what you meant!"

Maki opened her schedule. She could still restore the original plan by canceling another event.

Then Lily pointed toward a beachside game.

"Last one! That looks fun."

"We’ll be late for our break," Maki warned.

"Then we’ll take the break afterward."

Maki looked at the attraction, then at Lily’s hopeful expression. After a moment, she locked her tablet.

"All right. One more."

Lily stared at her.

Maki raised a finger. "Don’t make me regret this."

Lily grabbed her hand. "I knew you had a fun side!"

"I have never claimed otherwise."

"You’ve never demonstrated it either!"

Maki opened her mouth, then closed it.

She had no reasonable response.

...

While the sisters competed, Yuna quietly slipped away.

Reinhard found her sitting on a wooden bench overlooking the ocean. The afternoon sun reflected across the water, and the waves drowned out the distant noise of the resort.

She wasn’t checking her phone or monitoring the people around her.

She was simply watching the waves.

Reinhard approached. "Taking a break?"

Yuna glanced up. "I suppose."

He sat beside her. "How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes."

Reinhard checked his phone. "Really? Because you’ve been gone for nearly an hour."

Yuna blinked and checked her own phone.

"I thought I’d only sat down for a moment," she admitted.

Reinhard shook his head with mock concern. "That sounds serious. You’ve been relaxing without proper supervision."

Yuna gave him a flat look. "You’re the one who told me to stop checking the villa’s security."

"And look at the results. You’ve become a public menace."

Yuna shook her head, although a small smile appeared.

For a while, neither spoke. Reinhard leaned back against the bench and enjoyed the breeze.

Eventually, Yuna looked toward him. "I didn’t realize how quiet it was here."

"Is that good?"

"Very," Yuna replied without hesitation.

Reinhard didn’t ask her to explain.

At home, Yuna was often responsible for security and handling threats before they became dangerous. Even when everyone rested, she tended to remain alert.

Here, she wasn’t watching entrances or keeping track of everyone.

She was enjoying herself.

Eventually, Yuna checked the time. "We should probably return."

Reinhard tilted his head. "Are you expecting someone to sound an alarm because you’ve been missing?"

"No."

"Then we have no reason to hurry."

Yuna considered his words before putting her phone away. "All right. Five more minutes."

They stayed for another fifteen.

When they finally returned, Yuna didn’t rush ahead to inspect the villa. She walked beside Reinhard, taking her time.

For once, she’d forgotten to be on guard, and she hadn’t regretted it.

...

The refreshments arrived just as Lily and Maki returned.

An attendant wheeled in trays of drinks, fruit, pastries, and desserts.

Maki stopped. "Why are there so many?"

Reinhard gestured toward the drinks. "Hydration."

Maki pointed at the pastries. "And those?"

"Energy."

"The desserts?"

"Moral support."

Emily looked at him. "You ordered three different kinds of cake."

"Different people have different needs."

"You ordered all three for yourself."

"I’m a complicated person."

Emily picked up a pastry and held it near his mouth. "Then this complicated person should open his mouth."

Reinhard obeyed.

She brushed crumbs from his lips. "How is it?"

"Excellent."

"Better than the cake?"

"I need to conduct further research."

Emily kissed his cheek. "Then keep researching."

Lily made a strangled noise. "Can you two stop being adorable for five minutes? Some of us are trying to enjoy our vacation."

Emily smiled. "You’re welcome to find someone to feed you."

Lily immediately turned toward Maki. "I have Maki."

"No," Maki replied.

Lily clutched her chest. "Betrayal!"

"You asked me to calculate the optimal pastry distribution earlier. That isn’t the same thing."

"It is if you love me!"

"I can distribute a pastry without loving you."

"Cruel."

Reinhard reached for another dessert, but Emily caught his wrist.

"You’ve had enough," Emily informed him.

"I’m still conducting research."

"You can research later."

She stole the dessert and took a bite.

Reinhard stared at her. "That was my research material."

"Then you should have protected it better."

He leaned closer. "I’ll remember this when you want me to share tomorrow."

Emily smiled. "Then I’ll simply kiss you until you forget."

"An effective countermeasure."

She kissed his cheek again.

Maki watched them with a troubled expression. "I’m beginning to understand why the resort’s service fees are so high."

Lily looked confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Reinhard is incapable of controlling his spending when he’s happy."

Emily nodded. "That’s true."

Reinhard placed a hand over his heart. "I’m being attacked in my own villa."

"Our villa," Emily corrected.

"Our villa. My mistake."

An attendant approached with the bill. Reinhard signed without hesitation.

Maki caught sight of the amount. "That could fund several more days of activities."

Lily’s eyes brightened. "Then tomorrow’s activities are looking promising."

Maki turned toward her. "Don’t encourage him."

"I’m encouraging the economy!"

Reinhard leaned back. "At least someone appreciates my contribution to local business."

Emily rested her head against his shoulder. "I appreciate it. Especially when the contribution comes with cake."

"Then tomorrow, we shall contribute again."

"Absolutely not," Maki replied.

...

By evening, the family gathered on the terrace overlooking the ocean.

Lily brought up the competition before anyone had finished sitting down.

"Time to announce the winner!"

Maki placed her schedule on the table. "I won the obstacle course and water-ring challenge. We also won volleyball."

Lily protested. "You didn’t win volleyball alone! And I discovered half the activities!"

"Discovery wasn’t one of the original categories."

"Then the original categories were poorly designed."

Yuna sipped her drink. "I didn’t participate in most of the competition."

Lily immediately turned toward her. "Exactly! Which means you can be our judge."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Just tell us who had the best day."

Yuna glanced toward the ocean before smiling. "I think I did."

The others fell silent.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "You sat on a bench."

"For almost an hour," Reinhard added.

"That isn’t a competition!"

Yuna remained calm. "It was an extremely difficult challenge. I had to resist the urge to check my phone."

Maki considered that. "That does demonstrate progress."

"Thank you," Yuna replied.

Lily pointed toward Reinhard. "Fine. You decide. Who won?"

Reinhard looked at all three before folding his hands together.

"After careful consideration, Maki wins Best Planning. Lily wins Best Discovery. And Yuna wins Best Relaxation."

Yuna blinked. "I didn’t know there was an award for that."

"There is now."

Maki frowned. "That means all three of us won."

"Correct."

"Then the competition has no meaningful result."

"Incorrect. It has three meaningful results."

"That is not how competitions work."

Reinhard leaned back. "It is how competitions work when I’m paying for them."

Lily slapped the table, laughing. "I knew sponsoring the competition was a mistake!"

"You proposed it!"

"And you enabled me!"

Reinhard nodded solemnly. "A terrible failure of leadership on my part."

Emily smiled. "You should resign."

"Who would replace me?"

"Someone with better financial discipline."

Reinhard glanced at the empty dessert plates. "Then I’m irreplaceable."

Maki remained dissatisfied. "If we’re all winners, we need a tiebreaker."

Lily immediately pointed at Reinhard. "The sponsor should participate!"

Maki nodded. "Agreed. He can complete all three challenges tomorrow."

Reinhard’s smile vanished. "That’s not how sponsorship works."

Maki returned his earlier words with a straight face. "It is how competitions work when you’re paying for them."

Lily nearly fell out of her chair laughing. Yuna covered her mouth, and Emily turned away to hide her smile.

Reinhard looked around the table.

There wasn’t a single ally in sight.

Finally, he sighed. "Fine. I’ll participate. But I’m choosing the prize."

Maki immediately became suspicious. "What prize?"

Reinhard smiled. "The winner gets to select tomorrow’s dessert."

Lily raised her hand. "Deal!"