I walked up the dune, the children laughing at me as I walked up the dune.

　As I climbed up the steep slope, the dunes stretched on and on.

　That's all there is to it, but it's refreshing to see it get this big.

　The blowing wind carried the silky sand, and I could see that it was changing shape with every second.

　It's like a flame that never stays the same for a moment, and it's fun to watch it in a daze.

"'I seek, Earth, coagulate at will.'

　As I was looking out at the desert from the top of the dunes, I suddenly heard chanting.

　When I turned around, I saw a girl playing nearby, creating a board with earth magic.

　The girl's magic was rather smooth to activate and the shape of the multiple generated was tightly unified.

　The girl distributes the boards she created to the children.

　When the children received it, they placed it on the ground and began to lie face down on it.

　I was curious about what kind of game the children were trying to play, so I approached them and asked them.

'What are you doing?'

Dune skiing. We're sliding down the dunes.

　The girl said, and pushed the child's body from behind as she lay on the board.

'Whoohoo!'

　The child didn't scream at the sudden surprise, but slid down the dune with a joyful cry.

'I see, it's a play on the slope,'

Yeah, yeah. Do you want to try?　I'll push you.

　The girl holds out the board she was holding and says, "I'm going to play with it.

　In a previous life, when I was a child, I had played with cardboard boards on the bank, but as expected, I had never played on a sand dune.

　He was kind enough to offer me a suggestion. I had no choice but to do it. It sounds fun.

Well, since we are here, do me a favor.

　I lay the board I received on the ground and lie face down on it.

'There's a surprising amount of angle when you're lying face down on the dunes like this.

Ha-ha, this is a much slower place.

'Yeah. The other place is - I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah!

　Holy shit!　I'm in the middle of a conversation, but the girl pushes me without any signal.

　I heard the girl's innocent laughter for a moment, but it was soon left behind as I skied down the slope at breakneck speed.

　The speed is a little slower than skiing, but it's quite powerful and seems even faster when you're on your face.

　I grab onto the board and slide down to the bottom of the dune, trying not to lose my stance.

　It's a long and fleeting experience.

'You did it right!　You have a good sense of balance for a boorish face!

　After lying slumped on the board for a while, the girl on the dune said happily, "I'm not going to be able to do that.

　I think the key word "for a dazed face" is unnecessary.

　I wanted to complain about the sudden prank, but I couldn't be bothered to shout it from afar, so I decided to say it when I got back.

　For now, I get up and head up the dune.

　But it's a pain in the ass to walk up the slope.

　The other children, showing their excess energy and innocence, slipped and ran up the slope.

　I was young in body, but I didn't have the youthful spirit to run back and forth up the slope like that.

　I climbed onto the board and activated my psychic.

　The board lifts me up, and I float up to the top of the dune.

　It doesn't matter how many times I slide this way, I can get to the top with ease, so it's easy.

"Eeeeee, I'm floating something!

Wow!

　The little kids were excited to see me walk by.

　Huh, if we're going to play, we've got to play efficiently.

　As I floated up to the top and came over, the little girl from earlier rolled her eyes.

'Hey, how do you do that?'

　I was going to complain about the silent push, but it fizzled out in the face of the girl's genuine questions.

　Well, it wasn't really a fun thing to do.

'I'm just using a non-attribute magic called psychic to lift the board up and get on top of it.

Ah, no attribute. Too bad I'm not cut out for this.

　I'm surprised that kids around here usually use magic, but I remember Natasha telling me that the Rasulians are relatively good at earth magic.

　If there's nothing but sand like this, they'll try to use it to their death.

　You can even build a house if you can use earth magic.

''Hey, hey, why don't we go somewhere with a bit more of a slope this time?''

What's in your heart for me?

It's going to be easier to walk up the incline with you around.

　A girl with an innocent smile on her face says something calculating and smooth.

　It's even more refreshing to be told so matter-of-factly.

It's good that you're honest. Well, I've been wanting to ski some more, too, so it's fine.

Yay!

　When she agreed, the girl bounced up and down, revealing her joy.

　Yeah, this girl is a reasonable child in this kind of situation.

'By the way, what's your name?'

　As I am smiling, the girl asks me as if I suddenly remembered.

'Alfried. Call me Al if it's too long.

Okay!　My name is Maya!　Nice to meet you, Al!

　Apparently, I'm a girl, and I've been recognized as Maya's dune skiing buddy.

"So, which dunes are we skiing?

Over there.

　I looked in the direction that Maya was pointing at, and saw a conspicuously high sand dune a short distance away.

　The slope of the dune was steep and the distance to the dune was long.

　I decided without hesitation to use my magic to get around.

'For now, get on the board.

Yes.

　When Maya gets on the board, I give her a psychic and let her float away.

'Wow!'

　Maya was surprised by the sudden feeling of floating.

　I couldn't help but chuckle at her cute reaction.

　Normally, I would tell you when to float gently, but Maya was mean to me just now, you know. It's just a way to get back at him.

'.........Al has a nice personality, right?

I'm honored by your praise.

　Maya's lips quirked up in frustration as she let the sarcasm flow smoothly.



　◆



　After floating around in our psychic mode, we came to a distinctly high sand dune.

　The height of the dunes is quite high, just as Maya recommends for sloping terrain.

　The angle of the dune is much steeper and more than twice as long as the place we just visited.

　You'll get a thrill out of it if you slide, but the thought of climbing to the top again would be too much of a chore.

　I can see why Maya is inviting me to come up for my magic.

'Well, I'm going to ski from here, so push your body.'　

　Maya immediately slumps down on the board.

'You don't have to press with your hands, you can apply psychic to it.

Really?　Could that possibly give you more momentum than a normal press?

Yes, I can be fast.

So, that's it!

　Maya's eyes instantly light up when she hears the speed increase.

　Apparently, she's looking for a bigger thrill.

'Okay, but it's not safe when you slide off the board, is it?

I'm fine!　It's soft sand here!

'You can say that much, but just don't get hurt.

　Seeing Maya's lack of fear, I psychically propelled the board forward.

　Then Maya, who had been lying face down on the board, gained momentum on the incline and became ridiculously fast.

　The undulations of the sand made her wobble occasionally, but she still went straight ahead steadily without slipping off the board.

''Uhhhhhh!''

　Maya sounds very happy, not a scream, but a very happy voice.

　Just watching her from behind seems fast. I'm sure Maya, experiencing it from her prone position, feels even faster than that.

　I'm the type of person who likes to do things like screaming attractions. Normally you would be scared to go that fast.

　As I looked down at it, Maya finally reached the bottom.

Al!　I love it!　That was the fastest I've ever skied!

　Maya's face had a very nice smile on her face as she enjoyed the slope run with a psychic aid.

'Al, go ahead and ski it!

　Maya told me so and I tried it too.

　But I don't feel like I can keep my balance if I put on a strong helper, so I try sliding down with a moderate psychic helper.

'Oh, oh!'

　Still, the steep incline gave me more acceleration than I expected, and I quickly increased my speed.

　It's a lot faster than before, and I can hear the wind whistling past my ears.

　The sand is so rough that I feel like I'm about to fall off the board, but I manage to keep my balance in check.

　I slide down to the bottom of the dune.

What do you think?　Isn't this awesome!

It's a little scary, but it's quite refreshing.

　I hadn't done an activity like this in a long time, so I was excited, not even at the gala.

'Right!　Let's go up by magic for more slides!

Okay.

　I psyched each board up to the top of the dunes again.