I think the sea breeze has a unique atmosphere to it. However, I have
heard that the sea breeze contains the saltiness of the sea, but I still
couldn't exactly tell what's so different about it. The only change I could
feel was that this feels more refreshing than the air in the cities.
With the wind blowing towards us, I walked alongside Fate-san through
the crowded harbor.
[Hmmm. With all the people around here, it doesn't seem like there are
that many large ships, isn't it?]
I muttered to myself as I gazed at the harbor, having regained my
composure compared to when our date just started. A harbor in the
royal capital of the Hydra Kingdom, where fishing is thriving… The size
and vibrancy of this place is truly amazing.
However, one thing that made me wonder was that most of the ships
docked were not very large. No, of course, I understand that there are
some differences in shipbuilding technology and such things from
Earth, but even if we put such things aside, there seemed to be only
small ships docked here.
[Unnn? Ahh, speaking of which… There were no monsters in the world
Kai-chan lived, right?]
[Ah, yes.]
[Most of the sea monsters live offshore. Of course, there are plenty of
fish among those waters, but fishing offshore isn't very profitable for
the average fishermen. Just so that a ship could fish along the offshore,
they would have to hire adventurers to fight off the monsters and a ship
that could handle attacks.]
[I see… Since fishermen don't sail very far, they would only need small
boats that's easy to maneuver?]
[Well, of course, there are also some fishing boats that catch monsters…
but the mainstream fishing method is to use small boats that allows
them to easily move around and go to fishing points in the coastal
waters. The fish often escapes from the monsters to the nearby waters
anyway, so the fishermen can still catch a good amount of fish.]
I have often thought that if the world is different, common sense would
also be different. In this world, there is a certain culture that has been
cultivated through their history, and knowing the differences in culture
is really interesting.
[Do monsters not chase after the fishes to the nearby waters?]
[It's not like such things don't happen, but monsters basically like living
in places where the natural magic power is abundant. Magic power is
found all over the world, but it can be more or less intense depending
on the terrain and environment. When it comes to seas, the distant
oceans and its deep waters tend to have denser magic power. That's
why there aren't many monsters in the coastal waters.]
[Fumu, it seems like there are differences here huh.]
[Meanwhile, when it comes to lands, high mountains and deep forests
tend to have denser magic power. Well, this is just a feature of the
Human Realm. If you're interested in it, I think you might want to study
a little bit about it.]
[Yes.]
How should I say this… Fate-san seems to have lost some of her
nervousness and her expression is becoming softer. Now that we chat
like this, we can both relax and enjoy our date.
[Speaking of which, it's almost lunchtime, so what should we have?]
[…Ahh, you're right. I'm fine not eating, but it's hard for Kai-chan not to
eat, right?]
For Fate-san, who is a God, eating and drinking is just a matter of
preference, not something of necessity. She doesn't need to eat anything
at all. However, that isn't the same case for me.
I was pretty hungry, especially since I was so nervous on this day, so I
wanted to eat something.
[Errr, do you know any good restaurants, Kai-chan? Even though I eat
sweets, I rarely eat those foods that you eat on meals, so I don't know of
any good places to eat…]
[Let's see, I know some… Ah, but wait…]
[Unnn?]
I'm also not very familiar with the Hydra Kingdom, but I've read Kuro's
Eating Tour in its Entirety Guide, so I can think of a few restaurant
candidates.
The problem here, however, is Fate-san's presence. This time, she seems
to have manipulated fate so that the people around her would be
unaware of her presence, so there won't be any commotion when she
goes to the store.
But if I'm not mistaken… Fate-san doesn't like places with a lot of
people.
She didn't do anything like that today because we were on a date, but
usually, when she goes out, Fate-san doesn't want people around to
notice her, manipulating fate in a way that "no one comes near where
she is".
This is the reason why there were no people around when I first met
Fate-san. That means, in a situation like this…
[Fate-san, is there a beach near here?]
[There is, but why are you asking?]
[We can indeed eat at a restaurant, but why don't we just buy
something from a food truck and eat at the beach, looking at the
ocean?]
[…Kai-chan.]
When Fate-san heard my suggestion, she looked as if she was thinking
about something for a moment, before she softly spoke.
[Unnn. I like that too.]
[It's decided then.]
[…Kai-chan. Thank you for thinking of me.]
[…It's a date after all, the both of us should be having fun together.]
I've been told by many people that I tend to wear my emotions on my
face. That's why it was easy for them to know what I was thinking. Well,
Fate-san seemed to be happy about it, so there's no problem at all.
Since the decision was made, I was about to head for the stall when
Fate-san pinched on the hem of my shirt.
[Fate-san?]
[…Hey, Kai-chan. Ummm, errr… can we… hold… our hands?]
[Yes, of course.]
[…Thanks.]
Responding to her request, I gently offered my hand… and grasped her
small hand that perfectly fits in mine. We just normally held hands
though, not interlocking our fingers with one another.
However, the warmth being transmitted from Fate-san's hand, and the
feeling of her grip on mine… not only makes me feel embarrassed, but
affection towards her.
Dear Mom, Dad—— One step after another, we began to enjoy our
dates together. And I began to feel more composed to think… that I
noticed it. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she also grasped
my hand—— And the affection I felt from within my heart.