It is currently summer here in the Vermine Kingdom, and today was the hottest one yet.
(Cricket Noise)
"I-It's so hot!" Komraad yelled, slumped on the balcony, covered in sweat and dangerously close to passing out.
Everyone felt the same. Air conditioning and fans hadn't been invented in this world, which meant I was suffering too, especially since I was currently covered in fur.
I could actually transform back into my human form anytime I wanted, but it was a hassle and drained my energy, so I usually didn't do it unless necessary.
We were trying to catch some nonexistent fresh air on the balcony when Amalia showed up and offered us some relief.
"Everyone! I prepared some cold drinks for all of you to enjoy."
"Thank you, Ms. Amalia," the girls said in unison, gratefully accepting the chilled beverages.
We were enjoying the drinks, but the heat and the boredom still lingered. It felt like something was missing.
"Ugh… this sucks! I wish we could do something fun!" Komraad shouted, kicking his feet.
"Mom, I'm bored," Fae whined, bothered by the oppressive heat. Rein and Astrid agreed instantly.
I sighed.
"Yeah, me too. During this time of the year, most people are on the beach, enjoying the water. But I guess a proper beach isn't really a thing in this world," I answered, feeling nostalgic for Earth's summer traditions.
"What do you mean, Ina? We do have a beach here," Amalia said, surprising me.
"Ehhhh?!? For real?!" I asked in shock.
"Yes, it's just a few hours away from the kingdom," Amalia confirmed.
"R-Really?! T-Then would you guys want to go there and have fun?!" I suggested, looking completely excited.
"Do we!?" Komraad and the girls shouted, their excitement overwhelming their heat exhaustion. It was obvious they desperately wanted to go.
"I mean, we don't have anything else planned. Let's just go and have fun for the day. I'll tell my husband to help with the preparations," Amalia agreed with a warm smile.
"Yeah, let's do this!" We all cheered in unison.
I helped Amalia and Miguel prepare everything we needed before heading out. We also asked Keith to arrange some extra carriages because we were bringing all the orphans with us so they could enjoy the outing too.
Everything was set. Everyone had packed their things and was ready to depart. The only thing we were waiting for was the carriages.
It took a while, but the carriages finally arrived from the kingdom. Stepping out were May and Raya. It seemed they wanted to come with us too.
"Ms. Ina!" Raya shouted, waving her hand enthusiastically.
"Hi Raya. Did you guys bring the things I asked Keith to prepare?" I asked.
"Yes, Ms. Ina, we brought a ball and a net, but may I ask why you need them?" Raya asked, tilting her head.
"I'll tell you later when we get there," I said, winking.
"Okay, tee-hee."
As soon as they arrived, everyone piled into the carriages and started the journey toward the beach.
I just hope we don't encounter something that might ruin our fun, like monstrous sea creatures, I thought nervously.
It took a few hours, but we finally arrived at our destination. The ocean was gorgeous, and the entire setting was very different from Earth, truly feeling like a fantasy world.
Everyone was amazed by the place, but the one who was the happiest was Raya. She was overwhelmed with joy. After all, this was her first time getting out of the Kingdom, and her first time seeing the ocean.
"I-It's beautiful," she said, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes.
"Yeah, it is, and I promise I'll show you more of this," I told her while patting her head.
Everyone quickly changed into their swimwear. Amalia began preparing the massive amounts of food while Miguel took care of the dozens of excited orphans. The girls helped out briefly, but I excused myself to prepare something else.
Komraad, meanwhile, immediately sprinted and dove into the ocean to swim.
With the net and ball Keith had provided, I began setting up a beach volleyball court. I guessed they didn't have this game in their world, so I was going to teach them how to play.
It took a while, but I finally finished setting up the net. The girls noticed what I was doing and approached me.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Rein asked curiously.
"Yeah, is that some kind of a game?" Astrid added.
"Oh, girls, I'm glad you noticed. This is a game I used to play back in my old life. I want to show you some of my culture, that's why I'm doing this," I explained.
"Are we all going to play then?" Fae asked, already bouncing on her toes.
"Yeah, we're all going to play!" I confirmed.
"Can I join?!" Raya asked eagerly.
"Of course!"
After everyone was ready, I called them all over to explain the rules of the game.
I felt pretty confident in myself. I was genuinely good at playing volleyball. My professor kept asking me to play during intramurals when I was still a student, making me quite experienced. It was also one of the few things I did when I started rebelling from my parents.
After explaining the game and its basic rules, we divided into teams by playing rock-paper-scissors.
My team consisted of Raya, Astrid, and Miguel. We were up against Komraad, Rein, May, and Amalia. We were short one player, so I asked Fae to watch in the meantime and look after the orphan kids while we played.
"Go, Mom, Sisters, everyone!" Fae cheered from a safe distance.
"So all we have to do is hit the ball and not let it touch the ground, right? That's pretty easy if you ask me," Komraad boasted confidently before starting the game.
"I mean, t-that's the gist of the game, but the rules indicate that-"
I was interrupted before I could finish.
"Rules, rules! Let's get started already!" Komraad shouted, looking entirely too excited.
T-This dog never changes, sigh.
Komraad was the first to serve the ball. He used his beast strength to send it flying hard towards our side.
"Miguel, yours!" I relayed quickly.
"On it."
Miguel managed to hit the ball back over the net, but May was fast enough to hit it in return.
The ball was directed toward Raya, traveling so fast that she had no choice but to dodge it entirely.
The first point went to Komraad's team.
"I-I'm sorry, Ms. Ina," Raya apologized immediately.
"Jeez, don't worry about it, we're just getting started, tee-hee," I assured her, smiling.
Round two started. May served the ball. It was a normal serve and was directed at me.
"Mine!" I shouted, hitting the ball back. I applied a technique where the ball curves sharply upon impact, a move none of them expected.
The second round went to our team, tying the score at one-one.
"That was amazing, Mom!" Astrid cheered.
"Hehe, I'm not the champion of volleyball for nothing," I boasted.
It was our turn to serve the ball. I used another technique to catch them off guard. The ball was about to hit the ground on their side when Amalia suddenly summoned a mud puppet out of the sand and used it to redirect the ball back toward us.
"W-What! That's not fair! No use of magic!" I shouted in protest.
"Huh? It wasn't indicated in the rules that magic isn't allowed in the game!" Komraad shouted back, grinning.
"U-Ugh… fine! If that's how you want to play it, then so be it!" I said, my competitive spirit igniting.
"Astrid!" I instructed.
"Got it, Mom!"
Astrid used her sword as a bat, striking the ball back to their side, but Rein was able to bounce it back using her magic, creating a small water bubble around the ball. The ball went flying high into the air.
"I-I got this!" Raya said. She suddenly flew up, using her newly awakened angelic wings to reach the ball.
"Take this!" Raya hit the ball with everything she had. May could have easily deflected it, but seeing how motivated Raya was, she just let the ball hit the ground.
"Good job, Raya!" I praised, patting her head.
"You did it, Princess!" May cheered happily.
"Gah! You're on our team! Stop cheering for the enemy!" Komraad shouted at May, bewildered.
"Shut up. I'm on the Princess's side no matter what," May responded with a menacing look that silenced him.
The score was now two-one. It was Miguel's turn to serve the ball.
"Honey, good luck," Amalia said to him with a perfectly poker face.
Miguel visibly shivered, losing all focus. He hit the ball without any force, and it didn't even reach the net.
Miguel had lost on purpose because he was clearly scared of his wife. I couldn't blame him, Amalia could be scary when she wanted to be.
The score was tied up again. We continued playing until the afternoon. In the end, no one technically won because no one followed the rules, resorting to various magical shenanigans and blatant rule-bending. But playing with everyone was so much fun. Just doing something casually without a care in the world was a nice change of pace for us all.
After the game, we ate, talked, and bathed in the ocean until sunset. Our bonds together felt stronger than ever.
We came home tired but overwhelmingly happy and satisfied.
I promise that every day will be like this for us, and I'll protect this family no matter what.