- Dahlia's POV -
After returning from the tent, I headed back to the sea.
Is this far enough?
I was now walking further and further from the shore until the seawater reached my stomach.
I intended to let my pet fish play in the sea, but I didn't want anyone else to see it because Mama said it was very rare. Its body shape was very interesting, and it was also large. Maybe around 5 kg?
I looked down at the water below me, where the bottom was still quite visible. It seemed I should go further. But just as I was about to take another step, it suddenly jumped out of the bag.
Watching it swim around me, it seemed very happy.
Ah, I should have some fun too. But what should I do? I rarely go to the sea, and this was our first time going alone.
I began to dive and look into the water.
There were many things ahead, maybe I could find something good there.
And as expected, I did find many good things. I thought I could put them in an aquarium or fish pond at home.
"Sorry, little sister. You can't take those shells and flowers. They're part of the marine ecosystem. So please return them."
Eh? I saw uncle mermaid suddenly approach me. Disappointed, I returned them to the water.
"Ah, please don't be sad. I didn't mean to interrupt your fun. I'll give you this."
I looked at the blue and pink shell he had given me. It was large and beautiful.
"As long as what you take isn't alive, I won't stop you. But as for the healthy sea plants and living sea creatures, you can't take them. Understand?"
"No."
"Sorry, what don't you understand?"
"Why not?"
"Yes, that's obvious... Wait, how should I explain this to a child your age? Um... Look at all those coral reefs. They look beautiful, don't they?"
"Ahem."
"Think if everyone on this beach took one. Wouldn't they all be gone? Coral reefs are home to sea creatures; if they don't have a home, they'll go somewhere else. Imagine if the sea were empty and there was only sand. It would look ugly and boring, wouldn't it?"
Ooh~ I see.
After understanding what this uncle meant, I switched to looking for things in the shallow waters.
It was very difficult to find. Then, when I managed to collect enough, some unknown kids asked for them, and somehow now I was playing catch with them.
I didn't know them, but they knew me and called me 'Sis Dahlia.' Were they my juniors from before?
It was getting late, and the sun was getting hotter.
I decided to stop playing with them and return to Mama and Papa.
The three of us enjoyed the cold watermelon and snacks we brought from home.
It seemed I wasn't the only one exhausted.
I'd asked Hazel about this before, and she said they were making love. She said it was a loving thing adults do.
I'd seen Papa and Mama do it a few times, and they always seemed exhausted. Why did they like doing such seemingly exhausting things?
After resting and relaxing, we left our place and our things and went for a walk.
By the way, before we left, Papa had set up an invisible energy barrier to protect our place. He said it was to prevent wild animals from entering and messing up our place.
Were there many wild animals like that around? I remembered the lightning bolt symbol on the device Papa had activated and wondered what would happen to any animals that tried to get in.
With Papa and Mama with me, I could explore the beach area more freely. We could even go into the forest or climb the hills.
It felt fun, and I wanted to do more. But the sun was already high, and the day was getting hotter, so we had no choice but to turn back.
When we arrived, our place was still the same as before. It seemed nothing had happened. Papa was just overly worried.
Hm? Whose sandals are these?
******
After playing on the beach and resting at the inn, in the afternoon, we went to the zoo.
There we saw various animals we rarely see in the city, from silver wolves, horned snakes, fire eagles, to human-like foxes.
"Dahlia, she's not an animal! Let go of her tail. I'm sorry for my daughter's actions. She's never seen a half-animal human before."
We stroked them, fed them, and even played with them. And the more we explored, the more amazing things we discovered, like this giant turtle.
"Hey, the turtle took the child to the lake! Someone, call the zookeeper!"
The afternoon passed quickly, but that didn't mean it was over. That evening, we enjoyed the colorful cityscape.
I don't know if the city was meant to be like this or if it was just the holidays, but I saw many interesting things.
Today we only went to a few places, but when we arrived at the inn, I felt so exhausted I didn't want to get out of bed.
With Papa and Mama sleeping beside me, I felt the same comfort, even though this wasn't our original room.
I felt tired, but I also felt excited and eager for tomorrow.
Once again, a new day began. Unlike before, when I had trouble waking up because of the long journey, today I woke up enthusiastically... although I still woke up late because Papa and Mama didn't wake me up.
Just like yesterday, we went to the same places, only our activities were slightly different.
Papa and Mama spent more time playing in the sea than sunbathing or walking around. We visited places we hadn't had the chance to visit, had picnics, and so on.
Fun times always seem to pass quickly, and before I knew it, it was already evening again.
At an open-air restaurant, we had dinner together while talking about the day's events.
This place was beautiful. The restaurant was near the beach, and it was on a hill, so we had a bird's-eye view of the ocean and the city.
We were in the city, but I felt like I was in nature. The air was so fresh, the sound of the ocean could be heard, and the night sky was so calming... It felt so comfortable.
Just then, a beautiful aurora appeared and lit up the dark sky.
Everyone was amazed. They began to capture the sight and happily take photos.
As time went on, the aurora spread out, and its translucent colors became more and more vivid.
This was my first time seeing an aurora in person. I had no idea this sight would give me such an amazing feeling when I was there.
As if that wasn't enough, a pillar of light appeared in the distance.
The pillar of light looked breathtaking. Its sparkling light radiated into the sky and pierced the clouds.
As the light grew, the aurora seemed to transform into a kind of wave of light or colored mist that made some of us want to touch it.
I don't know how to respond to this, but I have to say... This world is beautiful.