After passing through the strange situation of looking at each other in our swimsuits, we all jumped into the sea together.
However, unfortunately, unlike in my previous life, I had never swum in the sea with this body, so I hesitated to jump right in and was just observing the waves.
…
Hmm…
In the situation where everyone was already playing as they pleased, I found myself dipping my feet in and out of the water on the beach when suddenly that thought crossed my mind.
‘Drowning and dying wouldn’t be so bad…’
Drowning!
Now that I think about it, I’ve died a lot so far, but I don’t think I’ve ever drowned in water before.
Well, that makes sense since I’ve never been to the sea or a deep body of water since coming to this world.
In the past, living in the realm was so stimulating for me that I never paid any attention to it, but now that I’ve arrived at the beach and wandered around the water’s edge, I find myself curious.
Maybe I want to experience what it feels like to drown in the sea.
But then again, if I do drown, unless someone goes to rescue me, I wouldn’t be able to breathe underwater, and I wonder what would happen to me in that case.
Ah, I’m not saying this because I’m looking forward to how much pain it would feel.
I’m simply saying this out of a desire to understand the limits of my abilities.
Of course…
‘It’s a ridiculous thing to consider…’
Dying here feels wrong.
Above all, to confirm such a thing, I’d need to repeat drowning while having someone nearby who could save me just in case…
Even though I’m already uncomfortable with the thought of dying in front of others, showing them my drowning for the sake of verifying my abilities is just absurd…
Everyone is here on vacation, and while they all have their own reasons for wanting to become stronger, the most important reason is to take a break… If I were to repeatedly drown just to see what would happen to me, would I really be able to enjoy this vacation?
It’s unfortunate, but it seems I have to endure today…
‘Hmm…’
Still, I can’t help feeling a bit regretful…
‘Well… If I think about the holy relic, it’s not like there won’t be any opportunities.’
If I want to obtain the healing holy relic and the water god’s holy relic, I would eventually have to go into the water.
It might be good to aim for that moment.
For now, I should focus on having fun rather than worrying about such things.
‘If I’m at the beach, I have no choice but to play in the sea…’
In any case, I have to go in…
‘Something feels strange…’
Especially for someone like me, since I have a visibility and auditory impairment that make my senses feel more sensitive…
Just getting close to the sea and dipping my feet in feels amazing.
Even though I’m constantly observing my surroundings with divine power, no matter how good I might be at it, it can’t make up for the fact that I can’t see.
I can only perceive the thoughts of those around me when they speak, so the sound of the waves crashing on the beach is just natural sounds that don’t reach me.
In some ways, not being able to see or hear may feel better, but if my divine power decreases, I won’t be able to use it anymore.
And…
‘What a shame…’
While I’m here to have fun, I can’t feel that emotion. After all, to me, the sea looks like an unrendered 3D model with crashing waves.
The only thing I can feel about the sea is the countless minds of sea creatures I sense beyond and the sea breeze blowing directly against my body.
Not being able to see or hear is the same; it’s only natural that my senses become more sensitive.
While I was repeatedly dipping my feet in and out of the water, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“What… eh? Evan?”
I blinked, realizing it was Evan.
What brought him here all of a sudden?
I thought everyone had jumped into the sea to play, so this was unexpected. As I smiled and asked what was going on, he appeared fidgety, unsure if he should share whatever it was.
What’s his deal?
“If you have something to say, you can tell me…”
“Ah, um, I was wondering if you were scared to go in…”
“[… What?]”
What did he just say?
His sudden question about whether I was scared made me tilt my head in confusion.
“Hmm… I just thought it looked hard to go into the sea, so I asked.”
“[Ah…]”
Did I look like I was struggling that much?
For me, jumping right in felt awkward, and since I couldn’t see at all, I was feeling a strange anxiety, but to Evan, I must have seemed too scared to go in.
Looking back, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.
“[That is true…]”
“… Do you want me to help?”
“[If you offer to help…]”
“I was thinking of holding your hand…”
Hmm.
Sure, it would ease my anxiety if he held my hand, but I had a suspicion that there was something else behind his intentions.
I stared at Evan for a moment, but he didn’t seem to notice my gaze and merely looked back at me without responding.
…
Was my suspicion unfounded?
Since Evan had been looking at me in my swimsuit, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had such a ‘taste’ regarding me.
There was no way that was true in this situation…
‘Right?’
If I recall the heroine from the game who loved girls with ample chests, the possibility that he would like me just makes no sense…
Still, seeing him take an interest in me felt strange, but it definitely couldn’t be that.
‘Well, whatever.’
He might have been approaching me purely out of a desire to help… so it would be rude to doubt Evan over this.
For now, I decided to push my suspicions aside.
“[Then, if you wouldn’t mind, may I ask for your assistance? The truth is… I can’t see the sea with my divine power.]”
I said this with an awkward smile.
In reality, I genuinely couldn’t see the sea, which is why I’d repeatedly dipped my legs in and out.
Someone might say, since I’ve been to the sea a lot in my previous life, what was there to be scared of, but it’s an emotion you can’t understand unless you experience it yourself…
In moments like this, I feel acutely aware of my disability.
‘Even at the sea… it doesn’t feel like I’m here…’
Except for the salty smell in the air and the sea breeze blowing against my whole body, there was nothing that indicated to me that I was at the sea.
‘Let’s stop thinking about that.’
The more I recall such facts, the more depressed I become.
In any case, since I came out to have fun, dwelling in this gloomy state would only trouble the other kids who came for fun, so it’s better to act like I’m okay.
Thinking this way, I looked at Evan, who smiled and took my hand with an expression that said I could count on him.
‘Is this the first time I’m holding hands with Evan?’
I may have stumbled on that, but I’ve also experienced being caught like a princess.
There might have been some distance because of my past experiences.
I never expected this kind of hand-holding to happen.
‘It feels… rough…’
Having become more sensitive, I could feel the calluses on Evan’s hand quite clearly.
Well, it makes sense since he wields a sword…
But knowing something intellectually and feeling it directly are worlds apart.
It really is that kind of feeling.
“Um… shall we go in together?”
“[I would appreciate that.]”
But wait, are there jellyfish around here?
Suddenly curious, I wondered what it would feel like to get stung by a jellyfish.
Getting stung by jellyfish is very dangerous in my original world, so I couldn’t help but worry, but now, getting stung wouldn’t even be life-threatening, so I found myself somewhat intrigued.
‘Ah, here we go again…’
I’m really going down this line of thought again.
Having promised myself not to think about such things today, and not even ten minutes had passed since making that promise, here I was again.
I lamented silently about myself and awkwardly smiled as I walked into the sea alongside Evan.
‘It’s cold.’
Cold, but…
I could feel the waves flowing beneath my feet and the sensation of the wet sandy beach and stones scattered here and there.
Even without sight, this much… was certainly felt.
‘It’s the sea.’
I recalled the memories of the sea I had seen in the past and gave a small smile.
