"...it's not fair to use magic in a water fight.

'There's no way we can win with all the water in here, or all the water we can use. We're doing our best to scoop up water with our puny palms...

　I guess he doesn't like the fact that he lost a shot at me. I've been mumbling to myself as Thor and Asmo sit on a stone on the bank of the river.

　I'm not going to be able to get it right. I'm sure I made the right decision to use my magic there.

I'm not going to be able to say that it's all over. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that there are many other ways to use ice magic to get stuck and then pour water all over the place, but I used the gentlest thing I could.

'Oh, what a horrible idea you have in mind!　That's not what people do!

He's a brute.

　I thought I was preaching my kindness, but I'm a certified demon.

　Oh well. Anyway, he's in the mood to complain to me now.

　I stop worrying about Thor and Asmo and go to the river to cool off.

　I start walking to the opposite side of the river from Thor and his friends, and find a rock in the shade of a tree that looks like an easy place to sit.

　Once in place, I drape my shirt, which is now very heavy, over a nearby tree branch.

　No matter how much summer it is, if you wear a shirt that's still soaked with water, you might catch a cold, and it's too heavy to move around in.

　I'm tempted to take off my pants as well, but I hold back and put them on.

　After wringing out the moisture from my trousers, I sit down on a stone in the shade of the trees. Then I slowly put my feet in the water.

　The cold water feels good wrapped around my feet. The river water is so clear and clean.

　I plunge my feet into the water and you can see them clearly. I feel like I'm being massaged every time the gentle flow of the river hits my feet.

　There are no fish, probably because I used my magic, but I can hear the occasional frog or bird, and the sound of the river makes me feel cooler just listening to it.

　This is indeed a naturally created summer resort.

　What a blessing it is to be able to slowly cool off in the river like this.

It's getting cold, isn't it? It's getting cold, let's take our jackets off too.

Yes.

　However, what's regrettable is that the skin-colored components in front of me are Thor and Asmo.

　If it was Sheila or sister Emma who was cooling off in front of me, my heart would have been even more moistened.

　I closed my eyes to turn away from the dirty reality in front of me.



　◆



Now, let's go get some slime.

　I said, having cooled off completely in the river and cooled myself down, I moved on to my original purpose.

　Then Thor and Asmo, who were in the river, turned around and

Hey, you could stay here for a while.

'It's hot out of the shade, you know?　We'll stay here until dark.

　I don't know if I want to slumber here just yet, but Thor and Asmo make such a sweet temptation.

　That's a very tempting word, and I'd like to do the same, but today I have a mission to catch the slime, so I have to act.

　I shake my head, holding my will stiffly.

'No.'

'I'm telling you we're going to slack, and Al refuses to do it...'

Are you sure it's Al?

　My words were really surprising, and Thor and Asmo looked truly surprised.

'I really wish I could, but I have to catch the slime today. We're going to run out of time if we don't look for it soon.''

You're not moving, though. You're in water up to your shoulders just like the rest of us.

..........

　Thor was exactly right.

　My body hadn't moved a millimeter, although my mouth was saying things like let's go find the slime.

'Al's body says he wants to stay here.

　Asmo is right, I guess he really wants to stay here for a while longer.

　But I have a mission to get the slime. I've decided to sleep comfortably on a chilly slime pillow this evening. I can't let this get bent.

　Thor and Asmo are going to stay here as long as I don't leave the river. I have to be the first one to stand up for myself.

　I go against my instincts and lift my body out of the water.

''Whoa, whoa, whoa!''

Al!　Don't tell me you're going to leave this paradise and return to land...?

Stop, Al!　It's dangerous out there!　This is the only place we can live now!

　Thor and Asmo call out for stillness.

'Humans can't live without water, you know!

'There's nothing wrong with being in a comfortable place!　Al should be in this cool place!

　No. Don't lend an ear to the sweet words of Thor and Asmo.

　If you take them to heart and make a compromise, I won't be able to get out of this river today.

　I made such a strong argument to Brother Silvio. I can't say another time.

　Alfried, this is the point where we have to hold our ground.

　........Oh, I wish the river would just follow me now.

　No, no, no. That lazy thought will keep me glued to the river forever.

'Oooooohhhh!　I'm going to sleep soundly on a slime pillow!

　I shook off the evil thoughts by daring to howl my own mission out loud - and I succeeded in getting my body out of the enchanted river.

"...........

　I lift my body out of the river and as soon as I'm on land, I quickly brush off the water and put on my shoes.

　Then I take my semi-thirsty shirt from a nearby branch and say to Thor and Asmo, 'Come on, let's go get some slime.

'Come on, let's go get some slime.

　It's settled. Now I'm ready to make my point.

　All that's left is for Thor and Asmo to come up and head for the slime.

'....Hey, wait a minute. What's that?

　While I'm waiting on land, Thor points at me with a questioning look on his face.

'What?　Is there something wrong with that?

You're out of your mind!　What's that water ball clinging to your body!

　Thor pointed to my stomach area and I turned my gaze to my body again.

　There, a water ball existed as if it were enveloping my body.

　The water ball, which maintained a clean circle, was flowing gently, and my body inside it was cool as if it was underwater.

''Oh!　I thought it would be nice if the river followed me, but I didn't expect the river to really follow me.......!

No, no, no, it's magic. I used to use that to wash my hands when I was cooking.

You're so lazy that you can't even remember if you're using your magic.

　Thor and Asmo say to me in dismay.

　Well, as for me, I really didn't mean to use magic.

　I honestly don't know if this is the ultimate in magic, or if I couldn't control my instincts and activated it, to be honest. But this is handy.

　The size of the water ball is about the size of my chest to my thighs, I guess.

　I try to move my hands and walk normally while looking at the water ball clinging to my body.

　I'm just attached to the body part of the body, so I don't have any trouble moving in particular.

　I can even look down normally, and since it's the same as maintaining the water polo, I can remove it as soon as it gets in the way.

　As expected, the upper half of the body seems to be perverted in the nude, so I remove the water polo once, let it float in the air and then put on clothes. Then I manhandled the water ball and let it cling to my body again.

　Yeah, that's not a problem.

　Because of the large water ball, it looks like a mascot character at first glance, but if you're comfortable with it, don't worry about it.

　When I'm done with my confirmation process, Thor and Asmo inquire about it at the same time.

'Al, does that feel good?

What's it like?

I can feel it all over my body the other day when I stuck my arm in the water polo.



　Thus, two additional pseudo-mascot characters wrapped in water poles were created.