Cui Ciyou was trapped in the "enthusiastic" embrace of three drunks.
Alice seemed to feel that her earlier "reward" had not made enough of an impression and was trying to pinch Cui Ciyou's cheeks with her sword-trained hands. Sylphy leaned limply against his shoulder, giggling at the spectacle, while Roxy clung to him like a koala, rubbing the top of her head against his chin.
As the three women fooled around, Nanahoshi Shizuka's voice reached them.
"Come... come cut the watermelon!"
"Since there's only one, it's precious, so we're not wasting it on that blindfolded watermelon-smashing game!"
Nanahoshi Shizuka stood unsteadily beside the long table. At some point, she had picked up a table knife and was now waving it over the green-and-black-striped watermelon in the middle of the table.
The melon from another world was about to be shared with everyone watching.
The watermelon was carefully cut into as many small slices as possible.
Everyone received a slice, including Linia and Pursena, who were still pretending to wrestle, as well as Lilia and the others watching with smiles from the corner.
Cui Ciyou picked up his slice. The bright red flesh glistened enticingly.
He took a bite, and its familiar, sweet juice burst in his mouth.
To be fair, compared with the premium watermelons he remembered from Earth, this one tasted... merely average.
It was moderately sweet, rather than cloying, and the flesh was crisp but slightly fibrous.
It was probably just an ordinary variety, not a specially cultivated one like Yunnan's Qilin watermelons, Ningxia's gravel-grown watermelons, or seedless watermelons.
Still, being able to taste something from home again in this other world of swords and magic made him happy.
It tasted good, and it felt good, too.
"...Thanks for your effort."
A slightly awkward voice sounded beside him.