Breath of the South Wind

In the afternoons of the Southern Islands, time seems to be frozen by honey and sunlight, flowing slowly and viscously.

The salty sea breeze rustled through the palm leaves, bringing with it the distant sound of the tide.

Sunlight cast shimmering spots of light on the white sand.

The seawater is a gradient of blue, transparent like glass near the shore, turning a calm cobalt blue further out. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore is gentle and rhythmic, like the breathing of this land as it sleeps.

Lowell lay on a wicker deck chair under a coconut tree, a wide-brimmed straw hat covering most of his face, breathing evenly, as if he had been asleep for a long time.

Not far away on the shallow beach, Frieren crouched beside a rock, her long silver hair swaying gently in the sea breeze. In the water in front of her, an exquisite treasure chest inlaid with seashells was half-buried in the sand, its lid slightly ajar, revealing an alluring golden light within.

"Hmph..."

Frieren's eyes lit up, and a mischievous, expectant smile crept onto her lips.

She extended her right hand, a wisp of detection magic gathering at her fingertips. The "gold coins" inside the treasure chest clearly displayed regular magical circuits in her magical vision—a typical Mimic disguise.

But she didn't stop.

She quietly slipped her left hand behind her back and began constructing another spell. Three seconds later, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the edge of the treasure chest—

The moment the lid popped open, twelve tentacles with suction cups shot out from the box!

Almost simultaneously, Frieren completed the spell with her left hand behind her back. A soft, semi-transparent barrier unfolded in front of her, and tentacles slammed against the barrier with a "smack," sliding around stickily.

Lowell--

Frieren turned her head and called down to the tree. There was no panic in her voice, only a sense of natural urgency in her plea for help.

The straw hat on the deck chair shifted slightly.

Lowell didn't get up; he simply stretched out his right hand from under his straw hat and casually snapped his fingers towards the sea.

"Snap."

A slight magical fluctuation emanated from the air. The wildly writhing tentacles suddenly froze, then rapidly petrified from their tips, a grayish-white color spreading along the tentacles, transforming the entire Mimic into a coral reef-like sculpture within seconds.

Frieren removed the barrier and stepped forward to examine the petrified Mimic closely. She picked up a real, undisguised pink pearl from the box, looked at it in the sunlight, and then contentedly slipped it into her pouch.

"Hmph~ I'm no longer susceptible to Mimics!" She walked back to the tree, sat down on the sand next to Lowell, and began rummaging through her little suitcase. "This type of Mimic secretes a paralyzing slime; getting entangled in it can be very troublesome."

"So you knowingly committed the crime?" came a lazy reply from under the straw hat.

"Collecting data is important," Frieren said seriously, then pulled out something wrapped in palm leaves. "Want some? It's coconut cake I bought at the market this morning."

A corner of his straw hat was lifted, Lowell turned his head. Frieren had already broken off a small piece and was holding it to his mouth.

The sweet, sticky pastries had a coconut aroma. Lowell chewed them and lay back down.

There was a moment of silence.

"It's so dark! It's so scary! It's so scary! Help! Lowell!"

Frieren's scream rang out again, tinged with genuine panic. Her upper body was already engulfed by another seemingly ordinary treasure chest, her legs kicking futilely on the sand.

Lowell once again takes care of the Mimic.

Frieren broke free, panting heavily. Her silver hair and clothes were covered in slime. She squinted her eyes in grievance. "Uh... this Mimic was a regular one, not the Mimic over here... I used the wrong Defensive Magic."

"We're right by the sea," Lowell sat up, looked at her disheveled appearance, and smiled helplessly. "Go wash up."

"Okay." Frieren nodded obediently and walked towards the sea.

If Frieren attacks the treasure chest directly, she may destroy the treasure inside.

Lowell could actually be dealt with directly; he has very strong control over his magic.

But he cannot.

Frieren likes to open treasure chests herself.

It's probably because girls enjoy the feeling of unpacking packages after shopping online.

Not far away, Lupa was trying to teach Linié a game that Lowell had taught her—hitting a ball made of feathers and cork with a flattened wooden board.

"Look, like this--" Lupa swung the wooden board, and the shuttlecock flew into the air in an arc.

Linié looked up as the shuttlecock fell, and released it just before it hit the ground. The wooden board struck the bottom of the shuttlecock precisely, sending it soaring into the sky in a perfectly straight trajectory, making a soft "whoosh" sound as it rubbed against the air at high speed.

The ball disappeared into the clouds.

Lupa stared at the empty sky, her mouth agape.

"... You don't need to use so much force," she whispered.

Linié looked down at the wooden plank in her hand, then looked up at the sky.

"I understand." She nodded. "Be gentler next time."

"Uh... there are no balls left." Lupa sighed, then laughed. "Oh well, let's go swimming? The water's really nice."

She took off her outer shirt, revealing her swimsuit underneath—a simple peach pink that made her tanned skin look even healthier. Her physique, honed through years of exercise, was fluid and powerful.

Linié looked down at her dress—a light pink one she'd just bought at the island market, printed with tiny white seashell patterns.

"I need to change my clothes," she stated.

"No, no!" Lupa grabbed her hand. "Just go into the water like this, your dress will dry if it gets wet. Come on—"

Without a word, Lupa pulled Linié towards the shallows. The seawater reached their ankles, then their knees. The cool sensation made Lupa sigh comfortably.

Linié looked down at her skirt bobbing in the seawater, the shimmering light reflected in her deep blue eyes.

"Mmm, it feels very comfortable."

"Come and play!" Lupa laughed, scooping up seawater with both hands and splashing it at Linié.

Water droplets scattered in the air, refracting into tiny rainbows. Linié didn't flinch, letting the water droplets fall on her hair and face. She blinked, water droplets clinging to her eyelashes.

Then, she bent down and scooped up the seawater with both hands.

Whoosh--

Lupa was splashed right on the head, cried out in surprise, and then burst into laughter. "Yes! That's it!" she began to retaliate.

Two figures chased and splashed water on the shallows, their laughter mingling with the sound of the waves. Linié learned quickly; by the third splash, she was already able to predict Lupa's movements and counterattack.

"Wait a minute! That's not fair!" Lupa wiped the water from her face, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "You learned too fast!"

Linié stopped what she was doing and tilted her head. "Should we reduce the learning efficiency of Mimicry Magic?"

"No need! Just like this!" Lupa rushed over, grabbed Linié's waist, and pulled her down into the waist-deep seawater.

"Roar!"

Splash--

Water splashed everywhere.

When they surfaced, both of their hair was soaked. A few strands of Lupa's peach-pink twin ponytails fell loose and clung to her cheeks. Linié's pink hair dripped wet, and her pale pink dress was completely soaked and clung to her body.

Lupa looked at Linié, who was so close to him—those deep blue eyes were staring intently at him, reflecting his own image.

"... What's wrong?" Linié asked.

"N-nothing!" Lupa's face flushed, and she hurriedly let go of his hand and turned around. "It's just... I'm a little tired. Shall we go back and have some fruit?"

"Good."

Linié followed her onto the beach. Her soaked dress clung to her skin. She looked down, then reached out her hand—

Laugh.

Subtle magical fluctuations caused the moisture from the skirt and cuffs to be precisely separated and condensed into a suspended water sphere. Linié controlled the water sphere to fly towards the sea, and the skirt returned to its dry and soft state within seconds.

Lupa turned around and saw this scene, her eyes widening. "You can do that?!"

"Linié calmly. "Do you need my help?"

"Want!"

Linié walked behind Lupa and gently ran her fingers through her wet hair and back. Water droplets separated, gathered, and flew away as a small water ball.

Lupa's back stiffened slightly.

"The temperature is rising," Linié stated. "Is this the beginning of a cold?"

"No, it's just a little hot."

"Understood." Linié withdrew her hand. "Done."

Under the palm tree, Frieren had already opened a coconut and was sipping it through a sharpened reed. Lowell was still lying down, but he held his straw hat in his hand and was fanning himself idly.

"They're back," Frieren said.

Lupa and Linié came over and sat down on the palm leaf mat that had been spread out. The mat was piled high with the island's fruits: golden mangoes, bright red dragon fruit, hard-skinned blue pineapples, and bunches of small bananas.

"I'm starting!" Lupa picked up a mango and skillfully peeled it.

Linié chose a dragon fruit. She used her fingernail to make a neat cross-shaped cut on the peel, then broke it open like opening a box. The purplish-red flesh was revealed, and she scooped out a spoonful with a small wooden spoon and put it in her mouth.

He chewed. He paused. His deep blue pupils lit up slightly.

"It's moderately sweet, has a soft texture, and contains plenty of tiny seeds." She looked at Lupa. "I recommend it."

"Right!" Lupa smiled, breaking off half of the mango she had peeled and handing it to her. "Want to try this too?"

Linié took it and took a bite. A little mango juice dripped down the corner of her mouth.

Lupa instinctively reached out and wiped Linié's lips with the pad of her thumb.

At the other end of the palm tree, Lowell was working on a jackfruit. He used a knife to cut open the hard outer skin, revealing the golden flesh inside. A rich, sweet aroma filled the air.

"Here." He broke off a large piece and handed it to Frieren was lying down.

Frieren sat up and took the fruit. The moment she bit into it, the sweetness exploded in her mouth.

"So sweet."

"Hmm." Lowell broke off a piece for himself. "This variety has a very high sugar content."

The two sat side by side eating jackfruit, occasionally a sea breeze blowing by, bringing a salty, damp scent. Frieren's long silver hair was blown by the wind, the ends of which gently brushed against Lowell's arm.

Lowell did not move, letting the subtle touch linger.

As the sun began to set, it dyed the sky and the sea a pinkish-orange hue. The water shimmered, like a handful of scattered gold.

Lupa had already eaten three mangoes and lay down contentedly on the mat, rubbing her slightly bulging belly. "Ah... so full..."

Linié sat beside her, still taking small bites of dragon fruit. She ate very carefully, each spoonful being almost the same size.

"Linié," Lupa said suddenly, gazing at the sky dyed red.

"Um?"

Are you happy?

Linié put down her spoon and thought for a moment. "'Happiness' is a subjective emotional experience. As Demons, I can't fully understand this concept."

"But what about it?"

"But," Linié looked at Lupa, her deep blue eyes reflecting the warm light of the setting sun, "I really enjoy being with Lupa."

"That's good."

She reached out and gently touched the back of Linié, which was resting on the cushion. The touch was brief.

Linié looked down at the back of her hand, then continued to eat the dragon fruit in small bites.

In the distance, the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon. The sky changed from orange-pink to deep purple, and the first star shone overhead.

The nights in the Southern Islands in early spring are not as cold as in the north. The warm, humid sea breeze continues to blow, carrying the lingering warmth of the daytime sunshine.

Lowell lay back down on the deck chair, pulling his straw hat back over his face.

Frieren gathered the fruit peels and leaves, cleaning them with a small Purification Magic. Afterward, she lay down on the sand beside Lowell, hands behind her head, gazing at the rising stars.

"Are we going to catch the Mimic again tomorrow?" a muffled voice came from under the straw hat.

"Hmm. There might be a new species in the rocky area to the east."

"OK."

The sound of the waves is gentle, like an eternal lullaby.

After a while, Frieren said softly, "The stars here look a little different from those in the north."

"Different latitudes."

"Hmm." She didn't need to fully understand the word.

A while later.

Lowell.

"Um?"

"Nothing."

Frieren rolled over, facing Lowell, and closed her eyes.

The stars twinkled quietly in the night sky, like countless tiny gems scattered on deep blue velvet. The Southern Cross hung low, guiding the way to this warm sea—though the travelers here had long since found their way home.

All they need is this moment.

This beach, this evening breeze, the lingering sweetness in my mouth, and the steady breathing around me.