Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 8: Sunshine, the Sea, the Sand… and More
“As I thought… only when you stand before the sea can you truly understand what it means to feel vastness.”
Treading lightly over the soft, powdery white sand, Marlon shaded his eyes with his hand, squinting toward the horizon where the sky and sea met in an endless, blurred line.
The surface of the ocean lay calm and serene. Apart from the occasional lone seagull gliding low over the waves, there was nothing but endless stretches of azure water and sky, blending seamlessly into one another.
Even before his journey across worlds, Marlon had visited the seaside. Yet, never had he experienced this sense of grandeur paired with solitude. It was unlike anything he had felt before, a quiet majesty so pure it seemed almost impossible to describe.
Why was that? He thought, almost amused at himself for needing to consider it.
Ah, of course—before, when he’d gone to the beach, the scene was always filtered through throngs of people, each jostling for space. The polluted sand, the crowded waves… if he had managed to feel any grandeur or loneliness through that chaos, it would have been nothing short of a miracle.
But now… blue skies, white clouds, and the silver sands stretching under a cobalt sea—everything opened up into a panorama so wide it was almost dizzying in its expansiveness.
For Marlon, there was only one lingering regret: why had no one in this world yet invented the bikini?
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he let his gaze drift from the distant horizon to the playful figures not far from him—Amy and Adela, the two girls splashing each other gleefully, laughing like children freed from all worries.
Clad in what could only be called “dense swimsuits” that covered nearly their entire bodies, both girls—tiny fox-girl Amy, still not fully grown, and the perfectly proportioned Adela—looked more like beachgoers from a black-and-white photograph of the 1930s than the vibrant, captivating figures Marlon might have hoped to see.
“Cousin Marlon! I found a rainbow shell! Look, I found a rainbow shell!”
Behind the two girls, little Anvi—bare-chested and clad in shorts—waved frantically at Marlon, holding up a large, colorful shell he’d dug out from the sand.
A short distance away, near the edge of a mangrove grove, the master druid with clawed hands lounged leisurely in a foldable beach chair, engrossed in a book. On the small table beside her lay piles of brightly colored fruits, while overhead, a peculiarly shaped coconut tree stretched its branches wide, forming a perfect canopy that blocked the sun from touching even a sliver of the druid’s shaded corner.
No guesswork was needed—it was undoubtedly the druid’s creation. Manipulating plants for one’s own use? That was the most basic of druidic skills.
His animal companion, a massive, flower-faced wolverine, rested lazily in the shade behind the chair, eyelids drooping as it napped.
Waving back at his little cousin, who was happily gathering shells, Marlon—dressed only in vibrantly patterned Hawaiian-style shorts—walked barefoot into the turquoise water.
The cool waves lapped against his feet, sending a refreshing shiver through him.
He waded further, until the water reached his navel, and then dove headfirst into the sea. Holding his breath, he swam underwater for several minutes before emerging triumphantly, clutching a large scallop from more than ten meters below the surface.
Shaking the water from his hair and face, Marlon’s eyes fell on Amy, the little fox-girl, who had been playing with Adela before he dived. Now, standing in water that reached her calves, she looked at him with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
Marlon waved the scallop at her, and she scowled—clearly pretending to be annoyed.
No doubt, this was the posture of a little girl who cared deeply but feared being misunderstood. A truly naive boy might think she didn’t care, but Marlon was no ordinary boy. Beneath his seemingly innocent exterior lay the “mischievous older brother” that few could guess.
With a self-satisfied grin, he swam to the shore and approached Amy. Tossing the scallop onto the sand, he made a funny face at her. When the little fox-girl giggled, Marlon seized the moment, scooping her up and plunging them both into deeper water.
The icy water made her squeal, her laughter mingling with the frothy waves and echoing across the beach.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Marlon reassured her, holding her firmly but gently. “Come on, I’ll teach you how to swim.”
Teaching a little girl to swim—it was one of the sweetest things he could imagine.
Still, Amy clung tightly to his arm, hesitant about the water deep enough that her feet couldn’t reach the bottom. It took patience and gentle encouragement from Marlon, until finally, with her hair plastered wet to her head, she began to flounder awkwardly, but steadily, through the waves.
“Cousin! I want to learn too!”
Seeing Amy gradually getting the hang of it, Marlon’s little cousin Anvi finally shouted excitedly.
“Come on, Adela, come play in the deep water too!” Marlon called, releasing Amy’s waist just as he spoke—an action that led to an immediate, chaotic splash.
Amy shot under the water, bubbles streaming upward.
“Okay, that’s enough for now! Let’s head back to the shade, have a snack, and I’ll teach Amy another fun game, alright?”
Moments later, mission accomplished, Marlon comforted the tearful, still-shaken little fox-girl with a cheerful smile. Without waiting for her reply, he lifted her in a princess carry and walked toward the shade created by the druid’s canopy.
“Anvi, Adela, don’t just stand there! Come cool off in the shade before playing more. Anvi, hold that big scallop for me!”
Casting a glance at Anvi, Marlon’s gaze lingered briefly on Adela, whose wet clothes clung to her curves, revealing her figure more plainly than intended. The little fox-girl struggled, but Marlon’s strength won out, and she resigned herself to being carried.
“Lucas, look what I brought you!”
Placing Amy down, Marlon took the scallop from Anvi and presented it to the giant, flower-faced wolverine lying on the sand. Lucas’s nose twitched as he sniffed the scallop, but then, with a flop of his head, he closed his eyes again.
“Ah, Marlon, my friend, Lucas isn’t like ordinary wolverines. He only eats plants.”
The druid’s voice finally reached Marlon.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Marlon muttered, sheepishly dropping the scallop, prompting laughter from Amy and the others.
The druid simply lowered her book, knowing Marlon was deliberately being silly. Humph… You think I don’t see it? You’re just warming them up with laughter before doing whatever it is you really want… she thought.
Indeed, after dropping the scallop, Marlon returned to the druid, this time gathering an armful of fruits from the small table. Distributing them among the group, he then pulled a picnic cloth and a deck of handmade playing cards from a box on the sand.
“Now, I’m going to teach you a game that will truly test your wits—Dou Di Zhu!”
Waving the cards with pride, he continued, “And here’s the twist—the first rule is: the loser must stick colored strips of paper on their face!”
Adela, whose wet clothes clung to her form, blinked her violet eyes in confusion, holding up a bright red snakefruit. “M-Marlon… what does that mean?”
Amy mirrored her expression, equally puzzled.
Marlon patted his head, realizing he’d just used a word that didn’t exist in this world. No matter—he was well practiced at explaining things on the fly.
“Well… ‘landlord’ is a rustic term. You can think of it as ‘noble.’ So, this game of high strategy can also be called ‘Fighting Nobles.’ Now, listen carefully, I’ll explain the ranking of the cards and the rules of this ‘Fighting Nobles’ game…”