In July, Shuuki Tsetse and his daughter Adriana traveled to the seaside together.
His lecture series was currently on summer break.
Taking a week-long hiatus, the two of them spent an entire day journeying to the coastal village of Futora.
Standing on a cape a short distance from the village, Shuuki and Adriana gazed out over the water.
"Wow, it’s incredible! So this is the sea, Father!"
Seeing the ocean for the first time in her life, Adriana was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Yes, that’s right. This is the sea."
He breathed in the salt breeze for the first time in ages. Shuuki narrowed his eyes, staring out at the vast blue expanse.
"It looks a bit like Ashizurizaki..."
The sight brought back memories of a distant home to which he could never return. Though no lighthouse stood here, the landscape bore a striking resemblance to Ashizurimisaki, the cape at the southern tip of Shikoku.
As a side note, back when Shuuki lived there, it had been called Ashizurizaki; the name was changed to Ashizurimisaki in 1965, the 40th year of the Showa era.
"Father, do you like this view?" Adriana asked, her golden hair fluttering in the sea breeze. Her brown eyes shone with a brilliant, sparkling light.
"Yeah, I’ve taken quite a liking to it," Shuuki replied, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Adriana watched his profile as he spoke.
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"It’s so salty!"
"Hahaha, I told you, didn't I?"
Shuuki and Adriana had made their way down from the cape to the shore to enjoy a swim. At thirteen, Adriana now wore a cloth wrap around her chest.
Watching his beloved daughter, Shuuki found himself indulging in idle fancies, wondering if some man would eventually appear to sweep her away.
"Hey, Father, let's swim!" Adriana called out, noticing Shuuki seemed to be lost in thought.
"Ah, right. There are waves, so be careful not to let them knock you over."
"Okay!"
Shuuki’s preferred style was the breaststroke. It was a practical way to swim for long periods in a vast body of water like the ocean.
"If your back gets sunburnt, we can just fix it with Healing."
"Got it!"
Since a sunburn is technically a type of burn, it could be easily cured with beginner-level Healing. The two began to swim side by side.
"Oh, you're right! It’s so much easier to swim with your head above the water!"
"Isn't it? This is the proper way to go for a long-distance swim."
When he was in elementary school, Shuuki had participated in long-distance swimming as a school event. They would swim roughly ten kilometers, the entire class moving together in formation. Local fishermen would kindly bring their boats out to flank them, so everyone felt safe even if they started to feel unwell.
However, those who dropped out halfway through would find themselves at the absolute bottom of the class hierarchy. They would sing the school song and perform roll calls while in the water. To do that, they had to keep their heads up constantly, which was how all the children became proficient in this particular swimming style.
"Since it’s saltwater, the specific gravity is a bit higher, right? That makes it easier to float."
"Exactly."
As they swam together, Shuuki felt a sense of pride seeing Adriana apply her knowledge so naturally.
Though they were located quite far north on the continent, the July sun was fierce, and the seawater was pleasantly warm. The two continued their leisurely swim for about an hour.
(I wish this could last forever...)
(Just the two of us... I wish time would stop right here.)
Coincidentally, father and daughter were thinking almost exactly the same thing.
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"Ow, ow, ow! My back is stinging!"
That night, Adriana’s cry echoed through the bathhouse of their inn.
"Cure! Cure! Cure!"
She couldn't see the sunburnt skin on her back very well, so she fired off the Healing magic in rapid succession until the pain finally subsided.
"I wish I could have gone in with Father..."
Ever since Adriana turned ten, Shuuki had stopped bathing with her.
"I wouldn't even mind if I never grew up..."
Adriana thought that if she stayed a child forever, she could have Shuuki all to herself. But she knew that was impossible. In that case...
"I have to make the most of this trip while it's just the two of us."
Meanwhile, Shuuki sat on a bench in the inn’s courtyard, letting the night breeze cool his flushed skin. He had already asked Adriana to cast Healing on the sunburn on his back.
In truth, however, Shuuki hadn't actually felt any pain.
Because he had been on the verge of death in a traffic accident before crossing over to this world, the damaged parts of his body had been reconstructed using magi. Those parts did not deteriorate. In fact, they resisted almost any form of change.
He could still be wounded, but he was immune to infections. And while he could suffer burns from actual fire, his skin was no longer capable of tanning or burning from mere ultraviolet rays.
(But I wonder how much longer this can last...)
Lately, Shuuki had been feeling a distinct decline in his internal organs.
(If I can just hold out for a few more years, until Adriana reaches adulthood.)
Shuuki estimated it would take another two years for Adriana to be fully ready as his successor. She would be fifteen then—the age of adulthood in this world.
(Until then, I must survive at any cost.)
Just as Shuuki etched that grim, almost tragic resolution into his heart once more—
"Father!"
Having finished her bath, Adriana ran up and hugged him from behind.
"Hey now, you're making me hot."
"Ehehe, just deal with it. For this trip, you're my father and mine alone!"
At Adriana’s carefree laughter, a smile finally touched Shuuki’s lips.
"No matter how old you get, you’re still a total clingy child, Ado."
"Only because it’s just the two of us."
Adriana let go of his back and sat down beside him.
"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"
Looking toward the eastern sky, the moon had just begun its ascent.
"Yes, it is. The air is unusually clear for summer."
Usually, the moon would look reddish when it first rose, but tonight it radiated a pure white light.
"That moon is a mysterious thing, though..."
"It waxed and waned in the world you came from, right?"
Adriana already knew that Shuuki was from another world. He had taught her about the moon there—how it changed phases and the reasons behind it—and she understood it well.
"Yeah. It looked much larger in the sky, too."
Adriana hesitated for a moment before asking the question she’d been holding back.
"...Do you want to go back?"
Shuuki quietly shook his head.
"No. There was a time when I wanted to, but now this world is my home. Because this is the world where you are, Adriana."
Despite his firm answer, Adriana caught a glimpse of something lonely in his profile. And so—
"Father, I'm going to work really hard."
Adriana Barbora Tsetse, the beloved daughter of the Magus Shuuki Tsetse, renewed her own silent vow.