Chapter 91 Late Autumn Seaside
A gentle breeze blows from the boundless distance, dispelling the lingering summer heat, ruffling the calm surface of the blue waves, and bringing a slightly salty scent to the air. It causes pale white foam to gently lap onto the golden sand, leaving damp marks.
Tourists from afar walked barefoot on the soft, fine sand, frolicking with the dampness that kissed their feet, leaving behind bright smiles.
The waves near the shore weren't too big, and tourists dressed in colorful clothes paddled in light and reliable small boats, scooped up refreshing shaved ice, and some even set up fishing rods, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
Without a doubt, this is the most famous Fisherman's Wharf in Mermaid Harbor.
Leaving the small garden with a joyful expression, Hikari didn't linger and headed straight for the beach, rushing towards the receding waves without a care in the world, completely disregarding the fact that doing so would get her clothes wet.
"Travel! Beach!"
Hikari kicked off her shoes, cheered, raised her arms high, and then turned her gaze to me, her clear eyes sparkling as if countless glittering stars were twinkling within them.
Most of the people around who heard the commotion cast curious glances, while a few responded with smiles, filled with goodwill and a kind of gentle nostalgia.
Being gazed at with such gentle eyes left me momentarily at a loss. After a moment's thought, I could only steel myself and mimic the girl's actions: "Tourism, beach?"
"Too quiet! Mr. Yumi—!"
Hikari laughed heartily and rode off on the waves again, her outstretched arms like those of a fledgling bird about to take flight, tender yet fearless.
The fledgling didn't glide very far, perhaps because it wasn't used to flapping its delicate wings yet, or perhaps because its feathers hadn't fully grown. In any case, after a burst of cheers, a surprised cry followed. The bird lost its balance and fell headlong onto the soft sand. After a brief moment of stunned silence, it smiled again.
The tide rises, whispering sweet nothings in your ear; the foam lingers at your temples, and brings with it a few seashells and conches that shimmer with beautiful colors in the sunlight.
Crabs foraging for food hurriedly took steps as the tide receded, while starfish lazily clung to the rocks.
Every now and then, ivory-white birds would fold their wings from mid-air, land lightly, crane their necks and look around, calling out to their companions who were still circling, before taking flight again after a brief pause.
Stopping my hurried steps, shaking my head, I slowly reached out to help Hikari, who was lying on the edge of the shallow sea. I pulled the laughing girl up and handed her the spare towel I had brought.
However, the girl refused.
Curious, she squatted down again, inserted her fingertips into the damp sand, and slowly lifted them up. The crystalline particles cascaded down like fine streams of water, reflecting the midday sunlight and leaving tiny, pure white marks in her palm.
Those are shellfish and conches washed ashore by the surging waves, swept away by the periodic waves before they have a chance to grow much. A lucky few may be brought back to the sea with the next wave, but most are buried under the soft, damp sand, becoming a meal for foragers, or perhaps found by tourists sometime later.
Wow! It's a seashell that sparkles with iridescent colors!
Hikari, delighted by her unexpected discovery, sprang to her feet. However, perhaps due to the numbness in her legs from squatting for so long, her movements veered off course in mid-air, and she fell backward with a thud.
Luckily, I caught it in time, otherwise I would have been covered in sand again.
"Wow! Mr. Yumi! Look, look! It's a colorful seashell! I have no idea how it appeared, it's so beautiful!"
Well, the little fool didn't care about any of that. Instead, he carefully hid the seashells he had just picked up in a crevice and then rushed to another corner where crabs were gathered.
So am I actually taking care of a child who is a bit too curious?
...Although that's what I thought, the girl's call and the atmosphere around me made me want to join in this long-lost childish game.
After a short rest, she seemed to finally notice the fine sand clinging to her body. After rubbing it several times and confirming that she couldn't easily remove it all, the girl, who was staring down at the hem of her skirt, pondered for a moment, then suddenly took off again and ran towards the depths of the near sea.
Stepping into the knee-deep blue waves, I didn't care about the wrinkled hem of my dress clinging to my body. The water I scooped up flowed through my fingers, bringing a refreshing coolness as it splashed onto my face.
Autumn is drawing to a close, but the lingering summer heat still clings to the beach, leaving a thin layer of sweat on your back. A warm breeze blows in your face, but the slightly salty seawater still has a coolness that is slightly less intense than that on the shore. The moment it flows over your body, a refreshing sensation is transmitted from your open pores.
The glistening water droplets splashed in the air, creating many beautiful arcs. Her long, light golden hair, wet with water, seemed to shimmer with a sparkling light, with water droplets still clinging to the ends.
She scooped up another handful of water, her supple waist bending backward, and streams of water slid down her face, past her neck and collarbone, merging into the large stream piled up in front of the crevice. Having finally overcome the obstacle, the water then flowed rapidly from between her clothes, over her fluttering skirt, and finally returned to where it had come from, leaving only faint traces on her translucent skin.
There's really nothing I can do about her.
Perhaps a bird with beautiful feathers, freed from its ornate cage, feels the same way she does now the moment it flies out of the cage.
Even though the summer heat still lingers, extra care should be taken in the late autumn days.
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