Journey to Planar World

Under the bright sunshine of the beach, everyone started to have fun according to their own desires.

Without listening to Yotsuba's advice to warm up first, Nino immediately ran towards the water and jumped into the waves.

"It's been a while since we've been to the beach~"

Her cheerful shout, mixed with the sound of the waves crashing, brought the quiet beach atmosphere to life.

"Wait until I finish warming up..."

Yotsuba was initially going to join the swimming, noticing Raiha sitting near the mat with a sad expression. The little girl stared at the sea with a vacant gaze, clearly still grieving over the loss of her father.

How could kind-hearted Yotsuba turn a blind eye to this and pretend not to see it?

"Raiha-chan, want to help me build a sandcastle?" Yotsuba asked with a warm smile, trying to cheer the girl up.

Raiha looked up, a little hesitant, but finally nodded.

"Okay, Yotsuba Onee-chan."

Yotsuba immediately gathered a bucket and a small shovel that Charlie took out of his Space-Time Cache. They started building a sandcastle near the edge of the beach, while small waves occasionally reached the tips of their feet.

Soon, Aishia, who seemed interested in their activity, squatted beside them.

"May I join?" She asked softly.

"Of course!" Yotsuba replied enthusiastically.

Aishia's presence turned out to make a simple activity like building a sandcastle more enjoyable.

"It's hard to believe our life and death caused the arrival of the end of the world."

Meanwhile, Ichika chose to sunbathe on a chair with sunglasses perched on her nose. Seeing her sisters having fun, she smiled faintly.

At the edge of the beach, Miku used a floatie to swim in the shallow water. Her movements were gentle, following the rhythm of the small waves.

"Hopefully, the cliché scenario of suddenly sinking due to leg cramps like in manga doesn't happen."

Occasionally, she glanced towards Nino, who was swimming further out, feeling envious of her courage, but not confident enough to leave her own comfort zone.

"Nom… Nom… Nom..."

Itsuki preferred enjoying food over playing in the water. She sat near the mat, enjoying the sandwiches that Charlie had prepared.

"Playing on the beach is fun, but eating is much more enjoyable." She muttered happily while taking a big bite.

"Haah… Haah… Haah..."

On the other hand, Fuutarou just sat on the mat under the umbrella, his face full of fatigue. After inflating a few floaties earlier, his energy was depleted. He observed the surroundings with a vacant gaze, trying to enjoy the tranquility even though his body was too tired to join any activity.

Then, he glanced at Itsuki, who was happily enjoying food without caring about anything.

'It turns out Itsuki is a foodie. No wonder her waist is bigger than her other sisters.' Fuutarou thought while secretly observing Itsuki's plumper figure among the quintuplets.

"Where's that guy? There's no way he drowned, right?"

Fuutarou quickly averted his gaze when Itsuki noticed his stare.

"There's no way Charlie-kun drowned. He's very strong." Itsuki replied with absolute certainty.

"That's right. It would be a terrible joke if he died by drowning because he couldn't swim."

Earlier, Fuutarou had seen Charlie swimming, but the other party was no longer visible on the surface of the water.

"..."

Charlie's whereabouts seemed mysterious. However, no one knew that he was currently at the bottom of the sea, exploring the underwater beauty freely thanks to the use of Spirit Arts that allowed him to breathe without difficulty. His caramel eyes scanned the colorful marine life, ranging from small fish swimming in schools to coral reefs that radiated natural colors.

'The underwater scenery directly is many times more amazing than seeing it in an aquarium.' Charlie thought to himself while gently touching a starfish clinging to the coral.

In the calm seabed, Charlie enjoyed the peace while swimming with a large turtle. He observed the marine life up close, noticing small fish hiding behind coral and seeing other sea creatures passing by. Sometimes, his hand dug into the sand, finding some old coins buried within it.

After being satisfied with enjoying the underwater beauty, he slowly swam to the surface. As soon as he reached the surface and breathed in fresh air, a cry for help suddenly caught his attention.

"Help! Someone help me!"

He turned and immediately recognized the owner of the voice based on the swimsuit the girl was wearing, Nakano Nino. The distance wasn't far from where Nino was. The woman looked panicked, her body floating unsteadily on the water.

On the edge of the beach, Yotsuba, who was playing with Raiha, also heard the sound.

"I'll come!"

She reflexively stood up, ready to jump into the water, but her steps stopped when she saw Charlie moving faster.

"He… is he walking on water?" Yotsuba muttered with wide eyes, almost disbelieving what she saw.

Charlie was actually running on water, his steps fast and steady, as if the surface of the sea was solid ground to him. In seconds, he reached Nino, who was about to drown. Deftly, he pulled her out of the water, carrying her in a princess carry.

"Calm down, I'm here."

He ran back to the beach, leaving a trail of splashing water along his path. Upon reaching the shore, everyone immediately gathered around Nino with worried faces.

"What happened?!" Ichika asked anxiously, squatting beside Nino, who was still gasping for breath.

"Cough… Cough..."

Nino, who was coughing from choking on seawater, pointed at her leg.

"I… I was bitten by a sea snake."

"...!!!"

Hearing that, the girls' expressions turned to panic.

"Sea snake? Isn't that very poisonous?!" Itsuki exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth.

Even though the quintuplets were idiots, they still knew that sea snakes were poisonous and deadly to humans.

"Charlie-san, please help Nino!" Yotsuba pleaded, her voice almost desperate.

However, before Yotsuba could ask any further, Charlie had already knelt beside Nino.

"I know. I'll take care of this."

He extended his hand towards Nino's injured leg. The bite wound was small, but it was clearly red and swollen. Charlie placed his palm over the wound.

"Healing droplets, tears of light, eternal sanctuary. Compose a medicinal hymn-three hundred, sixty, and five."

"The melody of the healer's almanac saves all things. Come, destruction of evil. The burial of wounds, interment of disease."

"Curses be gone in the light of vitality. In the name of all that is holy – I heal you."

"Dia Fratel."

A soft green light began to flow from his hand, enveloping Nino's leg. Within seconds, the swelling disappeared, the redness faded, and the pain on her face gradually vanished.

"How do you feel now?" Charlie asked while lifting his head to look at her.

"Eh?"

Nino tried to move her leg and was surprised when she didn't feel any pain at all.

"It's not painful anymore… It feels like I was never bitten by a snake." She said in disbelief.

Ichika, Yotsuba, Miku, and Itsuki let out sighs of relief simultaneously.

"Magic is truly amazing." Miku commented, although her voice sounded a little soft.

"Thank you so much, Charlie-san." Yotsuba added with a wide smile.

"Magic is very practical, poisoning can be cured in the blink of an eye." Ichika sighed in relief.

"Thank you for saving me."

Not being stubborn as usual, Nino expressed her gratitude.

"You're welcome." Charlie nodded lightly.

After making sure Nino was okay, Charlie stood up and turned to the others.

"All of you, make sure to be careful. Sea snakes usually don't attack unless they feel threatened. Don't swim too far out."

Everyone nodded, except for Nino, who was still sitting on the sand while massaging her leg.

Meanwhile, Charlie chose to sit under the umbrella with Fuutarou, who had been watching from afar.

"You really are like a superhero." Fuutarou commented, taking a sip of mineral water from a bottle.

"I'm just doing what needs to be done." Charlie shrugged, not considering himself a hero at all.

Fuutarou glanced at Nino, who was chatting with Raiha near the mat.

"Even so, I think she owes you a lot now."

"..."

Charlie didn't answer, just looking at the sea calmly.

That day on the beach, although it was briefly marked by a small incident, remained a precious memory for everyone.

That evening, they sat together under the umbrella, enjoying the watermelon that Charlie had cut. Laughter and chatter filled the air, bringing them closer as a large family for a while.