In the world of Ars, watermelons were circulated under the name "shiika."
The insides were red and filled with seeds. While they weren't quite as sweet as the watermelons Jin remembered from his own world, they were still perfectly delicious.
"Shiika-wari? What’s the point of splitting a shiika?" Saki asked, sounding skeptical.
"Oh, you don't just split it normally. In the world I came from, it was a classic summer game. You wear a blindfold and try to smash the shiika with a stick, guided only by the voices of the people around you."
"Hmm?" Saki didn't seem to quite follow the concept, but Hanna was already beaming.
"That sounds like so much fun!"
"Alright then, let's get ready and head ashore."
Preparation was simple: swimsuits, a shiika, a sheet, a blindfold, and a sturdy stick were all they needed. They spread the sheet out on the sandy beach and placed the shiika on top of it to ensure that the fruit wouldn't get covered in sand once it was split.
"That's it, now spin around ten times..."
Jin decided to let Saki experience it firsthand since she still didn't quite grasp the point of the game.
"Ugh... My head is spinning..."
"That's part of the challenge. Now, walk straight... A little more to the right... Too far! Back to the left a bit. Good, two more steps... Stop right there. Swing!"
Following Jin's directions, Saki swung the stick down with all her might.
"Yah!"
However, the stick struck the sand about ten centimeters away from the target.
"Too bad!"
"Ah, I see. So that's how it is." Taking off her blindfold, Saki finally looked like she understood.
"Who's next?"
"Me! I'll do it!" Hanna raised her hand energetically.
"Alright, you know the drill?"
"Yup!"
Jin blindfolded Hanna and had her spin ten times a short distance away.
"Now, go!"
"Hanna-chan, a little more to the left!"
"A bit more! Keep going, keep going!"
"Okay, right there!"
"Hiyah!"
The stick Hanna swung down smashed the shiika perfectly.
"Yay!" Hanna hopped up and down in joy.
Reiko stepped in to replace the broken fruit with a fresh one. The split shiika was placed into a cooler box so they could all share it later.
"Elsa, a little more to the right! No, too far! Left, left! Ah, you overshot it again!"
Elsa seemed particularly susceptible to the dizziness from the ten spins. She wobbled toward the shiika, searching for the right spot.
"Hah."
She struck the ground about fifty centimeters wide of the mark.
Stearena and Vivienne declined to take a turn, so Marcia stepped up next. Even after spinning ten times, she didn't wobble in the slightest—perhaps her sense of balance had been honed to perfection by a life lived on the decks of ships.
"Just like that, two more steps... one step... Ah, half a step back! Okay, swing straight down!"
"Yah!"
"Splendid!"
Marcia also managed to smash the shiika with a clean strike.
Eventually, after everyone else had their turn, it was finally Jin's turn. He put on the blindfold as required and spun ten times.
"Jin-nii, to the right."
"Onii-chan, you're veering right!"
"Wait, now you've gone too far left."
"Four more steps... three... two..."
"Just a tiny bit more. Move forward."
"Okay, right there!"
"Hwah!"
"Ah... So close!!"
Jin's swing only managed to graze the side of the shiika.
＊ ＊ ＊
"That was actually quite fun!"
"Shiika-wari, huh? It's an interesting game."
"The best part is definitely getting to eat the fruit afterward."
The group sat in the shade of the trees, chatting as they snacked on the shiika. Jin had used "cooling" magic to chill the fruit to the perfect temperature.
"Chilled shiika is wonderful. Maybe I'll try introducing this in Port Rock Town."
With the spread of refrigerators, people had begun chilling their food, but they were still in a period of trial and error regarding which foods were best served cold. You couldn't just chill everything, after all.
Jin made sure they didn't scatter the seeds across the beach; instead, they collected them all on the plastic sheet. If left alone, these seeds had a high probability of sprouting. Back at the facility Jin used to live in, the garden had once been completely overrun by watermelon vines for that very reason. However, whether it was due to being an improved variety, a lack of fertilizer, or insufficient sunlight, not a single vine had ever produced a satisfactory fruit.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ah, we've really made the most of this trip..."
"Mhm. I agree."
Six days of the honeymoon had already passed. Both Jin and Elsa felt they had enjoyed this vacation to their hearts' content.
"I was originally planning for seven days. How do you feel about that?"
"Mhm. I'm satisfied," Elsa replied, her eyes narrowing slightly in a look of genuine contentment.
"I see. Then, shall we make tomorrow our final day?"
"Mhm. Of course."
"Good."
Jin gently hugged Elsa's slender frame and whispered into her ear. "I've had a wonderful time this past week."
Elsa leaned into him, her voice quiet and soft. "Me too. I'm very, very happy."
The two remained close as the night peacefully deepened.
But in the shadows of that peace, the Land squad investigating the Pleiades Archipelago had discovered something unusual.