Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 105 Playing in the river

While the so-called peak of summer has passed, the lingering heat continues.

Today, I’m thinking of going to the nearby river for a refreshing swim.

“So, let’s go to the river!”

“Yay!”

“Oh, yes!”

“Meow, meow, purr!”

Accompanied by girls in sundresses, we head to the nearby river.

Although it’s just a small river, it’s one of the many tributaries flowing in various directions. It apparently merges with the Merlia River to the south.

Humming along to a familiar tune, we cheerfully sing random lyrics.

Minya takes the lead while the other two join in with their own humming.

I’m familiar with this song as well.

It’s a tune often performed by troubadours in the square of Trieste City.

It must be a fairly popular song, as I remember seeing different people showcasing the same piece, so it stuck in my memory.

It’s unusual for them to sing a song that I actually know, as they usually sing melodies I’m not familiar with.

However, this particular song is purely instrumental; there are no lyrics.

In this world, instrumental pieces are more prevalent, and there aren’t as many songs with vocals.

That’s why Minya and the others usually make humming sounds as a substitute for instruments.

But I find it quite adorable, so I enjoy it.

Now, just beyond the city gate, there’s a river.

It’s a small river with a brick bridge spanning across it.

“Alright, let’s make this our campsite!”

“Yay!”

Everyone raises their hands in excitement.

Although we call it a campsite, we don’t have any camping equipment with us.

But we have the essentials stored in our item box, so we can easily retrieve them.

Let’s at least set up a makeshift tent to shield ourselves from the sun.

I pull it out from the item box and unfold it with a swoosh, setting it up

“We made it to the campsite!”

“Yeah, indeed.”

Just being here gives off such a camping vibe, it’s quite enjoyable.

And everyone starts splashing and frolicking in the water while still wearing their sundresses.

They don’t seem to have the concept of changing into swimsuits unless they’re specifically washing their bodies.

So, we all stayed in our clothes.

We soak our dresses and pants, diving into the water and swimming breaststroke.

I rely on my instincts for this, as I have no idea how to swim the crawl, of course.

The water depth isn’t too deep around here.

The river current is gentle, making it easy to play around. It’s a relief.

“Feels great! Ed, come in quickly!”

“Alright, I’m coming!”

Well, I suppose I have no choice but to join them.

Watching from the shore isn’t a bad idea, but I couldn’t resist their invitation.

Splashing into the water, I follow Minya and the others, swimming breaststroke.

Over there, I notice a family of ducks playing by the water’s edge.

It’s serene and peaceful here.

As I glance into the water, I see fish gracefully swimming around my feet.

“Eek!”

Minya lets out a strange sound.

“What’s wrong?”

“A fish touched my leg!”

“Oh, that’s nothing.”

Whether it’s an attack on their territory or just a random encounter during their swim, sometimes fish can brush against your legs.

“Look, if you observe closely in the water, you can spot some shrimp too.”

“Oh, really?”

Let’s see, I take a closer look as well.

It’s quite hard to discern, but there are indeed translucent shrimp lurking around.

We gather by the rocky areas, peering into the water, observing their behavior.

Grilling those shrimp would make for a delicious meal, but it’s quite challenging to catch them barehanded.

We used to catch them using a basket in a shallower stream before, but it seems impossible here.

“Hey, hey, look!”

Splash, splash, splash!

Minya splashes water towards us.

I end up getting a refreshing shower as the water cascades over my head, leaving me drenched.

“Oh no, Ed, your head is completely wet!”

“It was Minya’s doing, no doubt.”

“Hehehe!”

She’s always mischievous like that.

“By the way, how about this?”

“What is it?”

I take out a wooden board from my item box and hold it like a beat board. With each step, it creates a splashy sound.

“What’s that? Ed, you’re so unfair!”

“Would you like to try it, Minya?”

“I want to!”

Lania and Ciel seem interested too.

I hand out wooden boards for each of them to hold.

I show them how to move their legs alternately, simulating swimming.

“Woo, woo! It’s amazing how we can move like this!”

“This is quite fascinating.”

“Yay, meow!”

Everyone is using the wooden boards like beat boards, fluttering their feet.

It’s quite different from the makeshift breaststroke we were doing earlier.

We go back and forth, climbing up and down the stream.

And so, we spend some time swimming around.

We vigorously flutter our feet while climbing, then surrender to the flow on our way back, letting the current carry us.

It’s like swimming in a flowing pool—quite entertaining.

We were prepared for our dresses to get wet when we emerge from the water. It’s a bit awkward to directly gaze at the slightly translucent skin peeking through the damp fabric.

Well, they’re still young girls, so it’s not a big deal or anything.

“Speaking of which, Minya, you’re white, but don’t you get sunburned?”

“Well, not really.”

“I see… um, alright.”

Whether it’s the work of elves or some other reason, she doesn’t seem to tan easily.

But it’s not like she’s particularly sensitive to sunlight either.

It’s quite mysterious, indeed.

Minya’s skin color remains unchanged even in the summer.

I don’t really notice much of a difference with Lania either, although she seems to have a slight summer glow.

As for Ciel, I feel like she has gotten a bit tanner recently. Well, it’s a matter of degree, really.

If Miyna were to get sunburned and turn pitch black, she’d be a Dark Elf, a Dark Elf.

I can’t tell which race she belongs to, though.