Following Okino Yoko's directions, Heiji turned left and right before arriving at a luxurious villa.
It turned out the swimming pool was inside Okino Yoko's private villa—a completely enclosed pool.
"This is my private villa. Not even Mr. Yamagishi knows about it."
Okino Yoko smiled as she led Heiji's group inside.
"Wow, it's so luxurious."
Envious amazement flashed in Kazuha's and Ran's pretty eyes.
"Sister Yoko is a big star, after all. A villa like this is incredible," Kazuha sighed.
"Of course. The amount of money Sister Yoko earns in a year is beyond what you can imagine."
Sonoko was used to it. After all, as the young lady of the Suzuki Group, she had stayed in places even more luxurious. There was no need to make a fuss.
"Sonoko, don't tease me."
Okino Yoko laughed gently.
Heiji watched calmly. In his previous life, he had lived in palaces, let alone villas.
"Heiji, do you think we'll be able to live in a villa this big in the future?"
Kazuha wrapped her arms around Heiji, her pretty eyes shimmering as she imagined their happy life together in the future.
Heiji smiled lightly and pinched Kazuha's nose. "Silly. As long as you want to, we definitely can."
In the future, I'll just open a detective agency and charge higher fees.
Seeing this, Sonoko—walking ahead—couldn't help feeling envious.
Okino Yoko's villa was decorated very simply, matching her calm, sweet, and elegant temperament inside and out.
The swimming pool was enclosed, surrounded by one-way glass: you could see outside from inside, but not the other way around. Above, a hemispherical dome of transparent glass panels covered the pool.
There was no need for one-way glass on top.
The pool had two sections: one one-and-a-half meters deep, and another two meters deep.
Splash~~!!!
Heiji jumped into the pool and swam as fast as a fish, as if there were no resistance at all.
Kazuha and the other girls came out of the changing room, laughing cheerfully.
"Where's Heiji?"
Kazuha looked around, puzzled, but couldn't find her boyfriend.
"Heiji's in the water!"
Sonoko suddenly shouted.
The girls immediately looked at the pool. Heiji was lying quietly at the bottom, eyes closed, completely motionless.
With a splash, Kazuha jumped straight in.
Another splash followed as Sonoko jumped in right after her.
The two girls dove down quickly, like mermaids.
Sensing the disturbance in the water, Heiji opened his eyes. Countless bubbles streamed from Kazuha's face; her tears carried bubbles as they flowed out.
He knew without thinking that she had misunderstood.
With a powerful kick off the bottom, he shot up like an arrow, wrapped an arm around Kazuha's body, lowered his head, and kissed her soft lips.
Kazuha froze for a moment, then hugged him tightly, responding with passion.
Sonoko held her breath, bubbles drifting past her pretty eyes. Her lips curved into a smile, tearful yet relieved.
On the poolside, Ran and Okino Yoko both let out a sigh of relief.
Whoosh~~!!!
Water sprayed everywhere as the three of them surfaced. Kazuha's face was bright red, and she hid in Heiji's embrace, not daring to look up.
"Sonoko, thank you."
In that situation just now, Sonoko's expression and actions had said it all.
"It's nothing. Kazuha and I are good friends. I really thought you were dead for a second—you scared me to death."
Sonoko spoke as if putting on a brave face.
Heiji smiled faintly and pinched Kazuha's nose. "This swimsuit is nice."
Kazuha was wearing a black one-piece, backless swimsuit that perfectly outlined her tall, delicate figure.
"Mm. I wore it specially for you to see."
Kazuha spoke shyly.
Heiji stroked Kazuha's head, then looked at the other three, his eyes lighting up slightly.
Sonoko wore a two-piece swimsuit. The bottom was an orange skirt with safety shorts underneath, and the top was a strappy bra, exposing part of her waist and her long legs.
Ran wore a small skirt-style swimsuit, like a one-piece dress—the most conservative type.
As for Okino Yoko, she hadn't changed into a swimsuit at all. She had simply changed into a fresher, more casual outfit, looking clean and simple.
Kazuha and the other two girls swam happily in the water.
After swimming with Kazuha for a while, Heiji lost interest. He was more used to swimming in the sea; this place was too small and boring.
He sat down by the edge of the pool and looked outside.
Okino Yoko's villa was surrounded by other villas, all on very large plots. In front of a villa not far away, there was even a fishpond, where three people were sitting and fishing.
"Mr. Heiji, are you not swimming anymore?"
Okino Yoko's sweet voice came, along with a light, fresh fragrance.
Heiji looked at Okino Yoko, who had sat down beside him. Her fair, long legs, clad in shorts, dangled in the water, swinging gently like a child's.
"I didn't expect Miss Yoko to have such a childish side."
Okino Yoko glanced at Heiji and smiled lightly. "Mr. Heiji, your reasoning ability is so amazing. I also didn't expect you to be such a gentle person."
"Is there a connection?"
Heiji asked, puzzled.
Okino Yoko smiled softly, her pretty eyes watching the three girls in the pool. Their cheerful laughter seemed to bring back memories.
"Is Miss Yoko not going for a swim?"
Heiji asked.
"Can Mr. Heiji try to deduce why?"
A playful glint flashed in her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Heiji looked at Okino Yoko seriously, then shook his head faintly.
"I never use my reasoning on the people around me."
"Why?"
Okino Yoko asked curiously.
"It's a form of basic respect."
A bright light suddenly flashed in Okino Yoko's eyes. "Mr. Heiji, I find that I admire you more and more."
"Ah! Heiji, someone over there fell into the water!"
Sonoko suddenly shouted, pointing outside with a shocked expression.
"Kazuha, you stay here. I'm going out to take a look."
"Mr. Heiji, I'll go with you."
Okino Yoko put on her baseball cap and followed him, still dressed in her loose shirt and shorts.
When Heiji arrived at the other villa, the person who had fallen into the water had already been pulled out. He was lying on the ground, while another person was performing artificial respiration.
Heiji glanced around. Three fishing rods were still set up, and several heavy, stone-like sinkers bobbed in the pond.
"We need to get the president to the hospital right now—his life is in danger!"
The middle-aged man giving CPR shouted.
Heiji looked at the man on the ground, stepped forward, and pressed firmly on the philtrum point.
"What are you doing?!"
The middle-aged man snapped.
"If you want him to live, stop yelling and let me work."
Okino Yoko stood quietly to the side, her eyes fixed on Heiji, a strange light flickering in them.
"Cough—cough—cough…!"
The man suddenly coughed violently, spitting up water again and again.