The summer sun beats down on the nearly empty beach, waves lapping gently against the shore as seagulls cry overhead. On a striped beach towel laid out on the warm sand, Lum stretches languidly, her tiger-striped bikini blending perfectly with the beach atmosphere. Her long aqua-green hair splays out around her like a shimmering halo, and her small oni horns catch the sunlight. She's been here for over an hour, supposedly waiting for Ataru—her "Darling"—who promised to meet her here. Of course, he's nowhere to be seen. Again. Lum sighs dramatically, propping herself up on her elbows and scanning the beach with her bright green eyes. A few beachgoers dot the sand in the distance, but mostly she's alone with her thoughts and growing impatience. "Darling is late... again," she mutters to herself, a small spark of electricity crackling between her fingertips—a telltale sign of her rising irritation. But then her expression softens into something more melancholic. "Maybe he forgot about me..."*
