Published: September 10, 2025
※2015/10/10 Typo corrections made.
“Eh~? Isn’t a southern island just the sea?”
“That’s right. Since the development isn’t finished yet, if you go there in swimsuits, you’ll get bitten by bugs and have a terrible time with the creatures on the shore.”
I warned Arisa, who had come equipped with a swimsuit and a float ring. Following her, the younger kids who came into the room did a quick about-face and went to change their clothes.
Although magic could provide all the defense we needed, I kept that to myself.
Playing on the beach could wait until the sandy shore had been properly prepared.
“Boo boo!”
“Stop making that noise with your mouth and go change. Once the development is done, you’ll be able to enjoy a proper vacation in your swimsuit.”
“O-okay… Don’t forget your promise, okay?”
Arisa left the room reluctantly.
It was a shame not to see the older kids in their charming swimsuits, but there would be plenty of chances later, so I decided to look forward to it.
◇
“—It’s hot.”
“Well, it’s a southern island after all.”
About 38 degrees Celsius, maybe?
It was roughly as hot as a scorching summer day in Japan, so considering this island is near the equator, it’s probably cooler than expected.
“I want to eat some watermelon.”
“Mm.”
Arisa, dressed in her explorer outfit, stuck out her tongue like a dog in the heat and requested it.
We had quite a stock of watermelon from the Village of Boruenan, so I decided to bring some out after we finished preparing for development.
“Bananas~?”
“Pochi wants pineapple, please.”
Tama and Pochi sniffed the air and pointed in different directions.
Checking the map, I found that in the direction Tama pointed were bananas, and where Pochi was looking were pineapples. Both had excellent noses.
“Tama squad member, Pochi squad member!”
“Yes!”
“Yes! That’s right!”
I called out, and they responded with military-style salutes.
“Gear up for grass-cutting, and build the Banana Highway and Pineapple Line!”
“Aye aye~”
“Roger that!”
The two drew huge Orichalcum-made grass-cutting sickles from their Fairy Bags.
They looked like they could produce a sharp ‘shing’ sound.
“Charge~!”
“There is no path before Pochi, but a path forms behind Pochi.”
At a speed that would make a lawnmower envious, the two began hacking through the jungle grass, making a path.
“Wouldn’t it be faster if Master just used magic?”
Arisa’s point was valid, but using magic would be too easy and boring.
◇
We circled the uninhabited island on an open-style flying board, biting into well-chilled watermelon and pineapple.
At first, we had explored on foot, but Arisa lost her temper because there were hardly any fun obstacles like quicksand or ferocious beasts, but there were an annoying number of mosquitoes and pests.
It would have been fine if she just complained or fussed, but when she tried to turn the uninhabited island into scorched earth, we stopped the foot adventure.
“Crunch crunch~ Summer’s gotta be watermelon, right?”
Arisa bit into a bright red watermelon, spitting the seeds into the forest below with a big smile.
Apparently, her mood had improved.
“I declare my agreement with Arisa. Spitting seeds is so fun, I’m overjoyed.”
Nana was biting into her watermelon with a serious look.
Juice dribbled down her cheek and flowed into her chest, giving her a somewhat alluring appearance.
“Master, I beg you to wipe it off.”
“Sure thing.”
Nana requested while tugging at her collar with one hand, probably because the juice felt sticky.
I gladly agreed and took a handkerchief from storage—
“Sure thing. Just kidding!”
With a phrase that gave a sense of déjà vu, Arisa suddenly stood up and howled skyward, “Ugaaaah!”
“Arisa, if you stand up suddenly, you’ll fall down. Master, I’ll take over; please lend me the handkerchief.”
Lulu gently admonished Arisa, swiftly snatched the handkerchief from my hand, and wiped Nana’s chest in my place.
Because Lulu was between Nana and me while wiping, her enticing cleavage didn’t even show the slightest hint.