The Sensation of Floating

The first thing Azu felt when she stepped into the ocean was the cold.

It was chilly, but not unbearably so.

Warm sunlight poured down from the sky, making the coolness feel pleasant rather than unpleasant.

She glanced down at her feet.

"You can see all the way to the bottom. The water's really clear."

"This area's famous for its beautiful seawater. Here, look—"

Elza scooped up handfuls of seawater and tried to splash Azu with it.

It would have drenched her completely, but Azu dodged effortlessly thanks to her sharp reflexes.

As a result, the seawater splattered right into Alexia's face, who was behind Azu.

Azu witnessed Elza's expression shift to an unmistakable oh no.

"Ah."

"Don't you 'ah' me. Acting like a child…"

"But—"

"No buts!"

With that, Alexia retaliated by blasting Elza with seawater enhanced by magic.

The sheer force of it knocked Elza onto her backside, submerging her up to the waist.

The seawater cascaded over her body, glinting in the sunlight.

"Are you okay?"

"Mm, thanks."

Azu extended her right hand, and Elza grabbed hold of it.

Then she smirked.

The moment Azu sensed something was off, she was yanked forward and sent diving into the sea.

She couldn't resist Elza's strength on such short notice.

She quickly stood back up and spat out the seawater that had gotten into her mouth.

Still as salty as ever.

"Geez, what was that for?"

"Ahaha! Feels great, doesn't it?"

When Azu wiped her eyes, she saw Elza beaming at her.

"Well… I suppose it does."

They were still in the shallows, but when she lay back, she felt a curious floating sensation.

It was gentle and relaxing—comfortable.

"My body floats here. I wonder why? I remember not floating at all in rivers."

"That's because—"

Elza put on a proud expression.

But it was Alexia who answered.

"It's the salt. I don't know the principle behind it, but people float more easily in saltwater."

"I was just about to say that! Why'd you have to jump in?"

"Because you were dragging it out."

Elza waded over to Alexia in protest, though the water made her approach slow and leisurely.

Azu watched them while gradually making her way toward deeper water.

Yohane had told her not to go too far out, so she decided to stay where her feet could still touch the bottom.

After going a little further, the seawater reached up to her chest.

Just breathing in was enough to make her body float.

Rocked by the rhythm of the waves, her silver hair spread out across the surface of the sea.

(These waves are strange too. Where do they come from?)

Looking around, she couldn't see any obvious cause for the waves.

She was curious about how they worked, but decided not to bombard anyone with questions on their day off.

After drifting on the waves for a while, she seemed to have been carried a short distance.

When she tried to return to where she'd been, Elza was shouting something at her.

She turned around. A larger-than-usual wave was heading straight for her.

She had some experience swimming in rivers, so she wasn't completely helpless—but the ocean was a different beast.

The large wave reached her before she could react. Yet it never actually hit her.

At the last moment, the wave gently shrank down, barely rocking her body.

As she stared at the surface in puzzlement, a Water Elemental appeared.

It seemed the Water Elemental had controlled the wave.

"Thank you."

When Azu said that, the Water Elemental slowly dissolved back into the sea.

Apparently, the Water Elemental was just as happy to be at the ocean as they were.

She swam back to where Elza and the others were.

"I was worried for a moment, but with the Water Elemental looking after you, I guess there's nothing to fear."

"When it comes to Azu, she'll never drown. Everything water-related is on her side."

"Really? Spirits are amazing…"

"You saw what the Water Elemental did before, didn't you? Compared to that, this is child's play."

She recalled the scene of a water giant walking through the streets.

When she thought about something that massive, this was hardly anything to be surprised about.

"I wonder what would happen if Azu-chan stood in the middle of a storm?"

"Only the area around her would be calm, I'd imagine."

"I don't want to test that."

She put a stop to that frightening line of speculation.

After soaking in the ocean for a while, the three of them agreed they were getting tired and slowly waded toward shore.

Azu was a little thirsty, and she wanted to talk with her Master, Yohane.

The seawater restricted her movement, making it impossible to move the way she normally could.

She was thinking she needed to at least get to knee-deep water when she sensed something.

Out of habit, her hand went to her hip—but she was in a swimsuit.

She wasn't carrying a sword.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I felt something unpleasant…"

"Behind you!"

Alexia was already casting a spell as she shouted.

Something came charging straight at Azu.

Azu grabbed it on reflex.

When she looked to see what had come flying at her, it was a fish with a sharp, horn-like head.

A species known as a Swordfish.

One that had turned into a monster.

It wasn't sharp enough to pierce her skin on impact, but it probably would have stung.

"Is this a monster?"

"Probably, yeah."

"And… there we go."

When Alexia struck the thrashing Swordfish monster with a small fireball, a savory aroma wafted through the air.

The flesh was cooked to perfection.

Drawn by the smell, Azu grabbed it by the head and tail and took a bite.

"It's delicious…"

"I bet. Fresh off the grill and everything."

"Did it wander in from the open sea? It's not dangerous enough to cause injuries, at least."

In the end, Azu and Elza polished off the Fish Monster between them.

Alexia watched with a withering look.

"At least wait until you're back on land—no, that's not even the issue. How unbecoming."

Despite that little incident, they finally made it back to shore.

They bought drinks and headed for their chairs, only to find Yohane enjoying a pleasant siesta.