落とし穴１２８堀：朝と次なる夜明け (Part2)
"That’s right. It’s already morning, though. For now, I’ll wake up Taizo-san and the others so we can pack up and head back."
As my husband spoke, gazing at the morning sun beginning to crest over the horizon, he looked truly dashing...
"I agree."
"What about you, Seraria? Do you want to walk along the shore a bit longer?"
"..."
"Seraria?"
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I’ll head back first. If I don't tell the others and the children that you're safe, it'll turn into an uproar."
"True enough. I’ll leave it to you. Once I'm back, I'll whip up breakfast with all this seafood."
"Yes, I’m looking forward to it. See you later, then."
*Ohohoho.* I got to see my husband’s handsome profile, and this morning’s breakfast is going to be delicious seafood. This is exactly what they mean when they say the early bird catches the worm, isn't it?
And so, in high spirits, I made my way back to the cottage...
"B-B-Big brother is gone!?"
"It’s a kidnapping! Another summoning-kidnapping, I just know it!"
"...Yuki, Yuki, Yuki."
"Everyone, please calm down! And Labyris, put that kitchen knife away! Didn't the men say they were all getting together to go night fishing yesterday!?"
As I expected, Aslin and the others were in a state of total panic. It was because Yuki wasn't where he usually was.
Well, Shera was exactly right. Once I explained that I had just seen him, they finally calmed down. Yuki returned shortly after, and the situation was resolved without further incident.
"Big brother!"
"Dear brother!"
"Yuki, Yuki."
"Sorry, sorry. I was prioritizing cleaning up and didn't check my messages. That was my mistake."
I see, so it wasn't entirely Aslin and the others jumping to conclusions. They had panicked because they couldn't get a hold of him.
"But his signal was showing up normally on the Map, wasn't it?"
When I pointed that out, the three of them froze.
"...W-We... might have forgotten about that."
"Big brother usually replies to messages immediately."
"That’s right! It’s not our fault!"
"...My apologies. I completely forgot to check as well."
It seemed even Shera had overlooked checking the Map.
"Well, I usually jam the Map signal during emergencies anyway."
"Don't say things like that. More importantly, aren't you going to make breakfast?"
"Oh, right. Aslin, girls, I’m going to cook the fish we caught today. Can you help me out?"
"""Yes!"""
With that, Yuki and the girls immediately headed off to prepare breakfast. While they were busy, I decided to head to the bath to wash away the sweat from sleep and my morning walk.
"They even have an outdoor bath attached here..."
How luxurious. Normally, you can't just build a hot spring wherever you want, but the Dungeon Master’s territory creation ability really is convenient.
Lost in thought, I stepped into the outdoor bath to find Soel and Airi already there.
"Oh? You two are up early."
"Yes, for some reason, I found myself wide awake."
"So, I asked Airi-sama to accompany me to see the morning sea."
"My, we had the same idea. Though we didn't run into each other, did we?"
"Is that so?"
"We were walking along the sandy beach; where were you, Seraria-sama?"
"Ah, I went all the way to the breakwater where the men were fishing. That’s probably why we missed each other."
I began washing up as I answered. Soel, being a merchant’s daughter, had adapted to this cottage and the sea remarkably quickly. The same went for Weed. Her adaptability was truly impressive. It had taken the rest of us three or four days just to wrap our heads around being in another world.
"Come to think of it, Taiki-sama wasn't there."
"I thought perhaps he was giving us some space, but was he really fishing?"
"You look skeptical. He wasn't just playing around, you know. He was having a meeting with my husband, Taizo, and Souta—the other Japanese men."
"My, such an important matter..."
"I had no idea."
The two of them looked impressed.
...Well, in reality, it was probably just a night of fishing. But if I didn't frame it that way, Taiki would likely be walking on eggshells later.
"Besides, I saw the catch, and it was incredible. Look forward to breakfast. After that, shall we go shopping in Weed?"
"Yes! I intend to study the products and trade of Weed to my heart's content. I shall use it as a reference."
In this manner, our sightseeing tour for the guests from the other continent proceeded smoothly, serving as a stepping stone toward the next world. Though, we certainly had our fair share of fun as well.
It has been a long journey, but thus, Yuki and Taiki’s summer vacation drew to a close.
Perhaps one day, I’ll have the chance to tell the story of the gaming tournament.