The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Having come to the village of the Cat Spirit Tribe, we trained every day…
And then, a week passed.
“Is tomorrow a day off?”
After finishing training, drenched in sweat, and just as I was about to head back home…
Suzu-san called out to me and told me that.
“Yes. It’s been a week since you all arrived here, so everyone must be tired, right? You need to rest a little.”
“But we’re already getting proper rest at night…”
“It’s important to take a full day to relax and do nothing. Even with the power of Elfin, you can’t completely eliminate fatigue. If fatigue builds up, it can lead to unexpected injuries or illness.”
“That’s…”
What Suzu-san said was completely reasonable, but even so, I couldn’t immediately agree.
We had been training for a week, yet there was no visible progress.
Everyone still hadn’t reached free awakening, and it seemed like they were growing impatient.
And yet, is it really okay to take a break from training?
Shouldn’t we keep pushing until we see results?
“Impatience is forbidden.”
As if she could see right through my thoughts, Suzu-san warned me.
“If you try to force things forward, it usually doesn’t end well.”
“That’s…”
“Of course, there are times when you have to push through forcefully… but those are exceptions. This time isn’t one of them. Working hard and overexerting yourself are not the same thing, you know?”
“Am I overdoing it? Does it look that way?”
“Very much so.”
“…I understand.”
After being told that by Suzu-san, I decided to relax my shoulders a little.
I hadn’t been aware of it…
But apparently, I looked like I was pushing myself too hard.
I wanted to become stronger, and I never wanted to repeat something like that again…
That’s why I decided to work hard…
But if that only made everyone worry about me, then it defeated the purpose.
I’ve still got a long way to go.
I let out a sigh in my heart.
――――――――――
“Rain, let’s go play in the sea!?”
That night.
While eating and discussing plans for tomorrow, Kanade suddenly said that.
“At the sea?”
“Yeah! We can swim, play with a ball, build sandcastles, smash watermelons… there’s so much we can do! If it’s a day off, I think that’s the best way to spend it.”
“The sea, huh…”
Come to think of it, I’d never played in the ocean.
My hometown was deep in the mountains, far removed from the sea…
And after leaving it, I was traveling with Arios, so I never had the chance.
“But I can’t swim.”
“Then I’ll—”
“I’ll teach you!”
“Funya!?”
Pushing Kanade aside, Tania stepped forward.
“You can swim, Tania?”
“Hmph, of course I can. Who do you think I am?”
“A melon.”
“With those melons, you can float in water, right…”
“Tania is from the Melon Tribe. I learned something new.”
“Hey, Sora, Luna! Rifa is learning weird things because of you!”
When everyone is together, the conversation doesn’t move forward.
But even so, it’s fun like this.
If possible, I’d like moments like this to last forever.
“Hehe, playing at the sea sounds very appealing.”
“But none of us brought swimsuits, did we?”
“I-I don’t even have a swimsuit to begin with… a-and my body is so plain, it’s not even worth looking at… I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Fufuun, that’s not a problem!”
The one saying that with a smug look was Milua-san.
With a sparkling smile, she suddenly pulled out swimsuits from somewhere.
“Here, this is Tania-chan’s swimsuit!”
“Huh?”
“And I have everyone else’s too. There are a few different designs, so I think you’ll find one you like.”
“You’re well prepared… when did you do that?”
“I knew there was a sea near the Cat Spirit Tribe’s village. So I figured Tania-chan would definitely get a chance to go swimming! Cute, adorable Tania-chan in a swimsuit! There’s no way I could miss that!”
Is this the power of her love for Tania?
Should I praise Milua-san, or be exasperated at her going overboard?
It’s a difficult call.
“But will the sizes fit?”
“No problem! I know Tania-chan’s size perfectly♪”
Milua-san whispered something into Tania’s ear…
And with a surprised “Eh!?”, Tania’s face turned slightly red.
“W-Why do you know my size!?”
“There’s nothing a mother doesn’t know!”
“You didn’t measure me while I was sleeping or something, did you!?”
“…I didn’t?”
“Mom!!!”
Putting aside Milua-san’s behavior…
It seemed swimsuits wouldn’t be a problem, and preparations for the sea were complete.
“Then, let’s go play at the sea tomorrow.”
“““Oooooh!!!”””
We came all the way to the Cat Spirit Tribe’s village for training…
But just like Suzu-san said, a break is probably necessary.
Tomorrow, I’ll relax—
And fully enjoy the sea.
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