Vol. 2 Chapter 82 – The Sea, Popular Types, and a Luxury Resort (6)

“So, basically, this is a health gauge, right?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru then voiced the exact same thought I’d just had.

It was as if the battles I usually imagined fighting against Hikaru in my head had materialized into reality.

“Sounds fun, doesn’t it? A gaming expert like you, Reiya… you can clear this easily, can’t you?” (Hikaru)

“Alright… I accept your challenge.” (Reiya)

If I backed down after a taunt like that, I’d disgrace the name of ‘gamer.’

I threw back her challenge without a second thought.

“By the way, what are the criteria for judging?” (Reiya)

“That, of course, is entirely up to my whim! So you’d better watch what you say!” (Hikaru)

What a terrible, tyrannical GM.

“I can only pray for a fair judgment, then.” (Reiya)

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that… probably.” (Hikaru)

“…Well then, shall we pull ourselves together and go?” (Reiya)

I offered my hand to the already suspicious-looking Hikaru, trying to reset the mood—

—Zzzzip…

Before taking my hand, Hikaru pulled her zipper down a few centimeters.

…This boss might be surprisingly easy to beat.

＊＊＊

Although there was a small event in between, we arrived at the reception area a little ahead of everyone else.

From inside the building overlooking the sea, we could already see people enjoying various activities on the water.

There was everything from relaxing, self-paced activities like snorkeling and sea kayaking to slightly more exciting ones like parasailing and wakeboarding.

Being the latest facility, they had a surprisingly rich variety of options, even though it was still just a pre-opening.

Just as I was about to ask Hikaru for her opinion on which one to choose first—

“Ah! They have SUP too! I want to try that!” (Hikaru)

“SUP…?” (Reiya)

Hikaru uttered an unfamiliar word while looking out at the sea.

“Yup! SUP is apparently all the rage lately!” (Hikaru)

“Is that so… I think this is the first I’ve heard of it…” (Reiya)

When she said SUP, the only thing that came to my mind was the support role of managing vision while babysitting the ADC in the bot lane.

“Um, it stands for Stand-Up Paddleboarding… Look, those people standing and paddling over there!” (Hikaru)

Saying that, Hikaru leaned slightly over the railing and pointed towards the sea.

Following her finger with my gaze, I saw people standing on boards that were a size larger than surfboards.

They looked as if they were standing on the water, paddling the boards with oars.

“Huh… So there’s something like that…” (Reiya)

I was intrigued by this unique experience, subtly different from both surfing and boating, which I was seeing for the first time.

“Yup! Well? Doesn’t it look fun?” (Hikaru)

“Well, it looks like we could take it pretty easy with that, so it might be nice.” (Reiya)

“Then it’s decided! Let’s go, let’s go!” (Hikaru)

…And so, my first experience this summer was decided to be this SUP thing.

We lined up at the reception together and showed our wristbands for invited guests.

Perhaps because usage during the pre-opening period was restricted to resort guests, we were able to rent them smoothly without much delay.

There were various types of boards, but we chose larger, single-person ones that were easy to ride and suitable for beginners.

And so, we headed to the sea, each carrying a board under our arm.

“Eek! It’s cooold! But it feels gooood!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru, who had stepped in first, frolicked about like a child, squealing happily.

Standing at the water’s edge, bathed in sunlight, she looked picturesque no matter which moment you captured.

I wondered if there was anyone else in the whole world whom the summer sea suited so well.

Thinking such thoughts, I followed her into the water.

“You’re right. It’s cold.” (Reiya)

The sea, which I hadn’t entered since elementary school, was much colder than I had expected.

This nostalgic sensation of the sand being swept away from under my feet with each incoming wave…

“By the way, aren’t you going to take off your shirt?” (Hikaru)

As I was feeling a strange sense of nostalgia from the contrast of heat and cold, Hikaru asked.

“Eh? Ah… I’ll be wearing a life jacket over it, and it’s fine if it gets wet like this, so…” (Reiya)

…I made an excuse, but honestly, it was because I was a little embarrassed to be the only one taking it off.

“Hmm… Well, okay, I guess…” (Hikaru)

Looking somewhat dubious, Hikaru put on her life jacket and waded into the sea.

“Should we go a little further out?” (Hikaru)

“The instructional video playing near the reception said it’s best to get on from where your knees are submerged.” (Reiya)

“Then we need to go a bit further that way.” (Hikaru)

Carrying the boards by our sides, we proceeded further offshore until the water reached our knees.

“Alright! I’m getting on!” (Hikaru)

“It’s not that deep yet, so be careful not to fall.” (Reiya)

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Um, first, I get on my knees, like this…” (Hikaru)

Next to Hikaru, who was trying to get on, I also floated my board on the water.

I’d somehow ended up here, but I was, to put it mildly, not athletic.

I hadn’t belonged to any sports clubs in middle or high school, and my rank in physical fitness tests was easily faster to count from the bottom.

Could I really stand on such an unstable board floating on the sea?

Of course, Hikaru probably knew that much, but I had some pride too.

If possible, I didn’t want to show her a side of me that was too pathetic, and I wanted to avoid my health gauge (zipper) recovering (going up).

As I replayed the video I’d just seen in my head over and over, simulating it—

“I’m standing!” (Hikaru)

“Eh? That was fast!” (Reiya)

Hikaru was already standing on the board.

I knew it, but her athletic reflexes were too good…

“It was easier than I thought! Come on, Reiya, you too, hurry, hurry!” (Hikaru)

“W-wait a second…” (Reiya)

Urged on by Hikaru, I hurriedly placed both hands on my board.

Then, I placed my knees on it as if collapsing forward—

“…Alright! I-I’m on, for now…!” (Reiya)

First, I managed to get on the board on all fours.

“That’s it, that’s it! Then all you have to do is put some power into it, stand up with a whoosh, and balance with a hmmph, and you’ll be fine!” (Hikaru)

I absolutely should not use that as a reference.

Ignoring Hikaru’s advice, the next phase was finally standing up on the board.

Apparently, beginners could just paddle while sitting, but doing that while she was standing honestly felt lame.

Conversely, if I could enjoy a leisurely cruise on the water, looking out at the blue sea from the same eye level, my health gauge should surely take a big hit…!

I lifted my knees and brought both feet to the center of the board.

‘It’s okay… Even if I fall, it’s just the sea below, I won’t die…’

Perhaps because there was no wind today and the waves were calm, it was much more stable than I expected.

Aligning the center of the board with the center of my body, I slowly began to stand up.

Carefully, carefully… making sure my axis didn’t waver…

My legs trembled like a newborn fawn’s.

As I reached a half-crouching position, my center of gravity rose, and the swaying intensified.

The board’s swaying became an even larger sway of my body, and my center of gravity shifted back and forth, left and right.

‘Oh crap…! I’m gonna fall…!’

The moment I thought it would be better to return to my original position and regroup rather than fall—

“Reiya! You can do it!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru’s figure came into the corner of my vision.

‘A-a swimsuit!!’

With my worldly desires in full throttle, I mustered up some wicked inner strength and pulled my unstable body up all at once.

“I-I’m standing…!” (Reiya)

“Amazing, amazing! You’re standing!” (Hikaru)

I somehow managed to stand up on the board, and Hikaru clapped for me.

After a little while, as the excitement from my sense of accomplishment cooled down, the surrounding scenery finally came into view.

The vast ocean stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.

Unlike a boat, my line of sight was high, and there was nothing obstructing it.

It felt incredibly good, as if I were truly standing on the sea.

Incidentally, my zipper had also been subtly lowered a little.