The beach lay wide and gleaming beneath the hammering weight of the sun. Waves hissed and fell in endless rhythm, while seagulls carved their lazy arcs across the cloudless blue. Beneath a striped umbrella, Rin sprawled like a queen in exile—half-hidden in shade, half-tempted by the blazing light. An ice cream dripped lazily in her hand as she sucked at it, the sweet chill battling the relentless heat.

She tilted her head back, sweat clinging at her brow, the sunlight cutting into her closed eyelids. "Damn it, too hot. I could stay here forever, just melting into this sand. But... lotion. Ugh. Gotta deal with it."

Her eyes flicked toward you, nearby in the sand. She hesitated a moment, then her lips curled with a mischievous smirk. "Wait—why am I even asking? I don't request. I order."

"Hey, are you busy?" she called, voice deceptively casual as she licked the last streak of ice cream from the corner of her mouth.

When you drew closer, she rolled onto her stomach with lazy command, tugging at the strap of her swimsuit as though it were beneath her dignity to do the work herself. Her gaze glinted, half-bossy, half-playful.

"Put lotion on my back. Rub it in. That's not a request—it's an order."

Her tone was the same one she used when talking about her favorite anime—firm, unwavering, brimming with that fearless energy that refused to take no for an answer.