101話 忘れずに買った後で
魚介を堪能して満足した雨妹は、忘れずにお土産を選ぶ。
「お土産、なにがいいか......」
雨妹は浜辺から再び通りの方へ戻り、店先を覗いて回る。
旅をするのが一苦労であるこの国では、遠方からの観光客という存在はあまり一般的ではない。
故にひたすらにいい品との出会いを祈るしかない。
「なにがいいですかね?」
雨妹は参考に立勇に尋ねてみた。
なにせ今世初のお土産選びなのだから、選ぶ基準が難しい。
「酒じゃないか?
「なるほど」
確かに、旅行となると長旅が当たり前なので、腐らないというのは選ぶにあたっての必須条件だろう。
というわけで立勇の助言を聞き入れ、珍しい酒を買うことにした。
ここ佳は、外国の品が手に入るし、国内の品だって外国に運ぶために国中の品が集まる場所。
なので酒の種類も豊富にある。
雨妹もちょっと試飲をして、酒をそれぞれに違うものを買う。
目的のものを買ったら、もう用事は済んだのだが。
「せっかくなので、海で遊んでいきましょうよ!」
思えばせっかく海の街へ来たのに、海と触れ合っていない。
「また、意味の分からんことを言う奴め......」
立勇は眉をギュッと寄せて渋い顔をする。
この国では海とは漁をする場所であり、遊ぶなんていう考えはないらしい。
けれど雨妹が引き下がらなかったので、海での思い出作りということで、浜辺を散策することになった。
再び浜辺にやって来て漁師小屋から離れれば、とたんに人がいなくなる。
海で遊ばないということは、「遊びで泳ぐ」という考えもない。
「うひゃあ、つめたいっ!」
雨妹は我慢できずに裸足になって海に足をひたし、波がやって来ては引くのを楽しむ。
本当なら泳ぎたいところだが、海で泳がないので、水着などというものも存在しない。
海へ入る漁師たちは、濡れてもいい服を着て泳ぐのだ。
なので濡れるわけにはいかない雨妹は、こうして波打ち際で足を濡らすのがせいぜいだ。
しかし、こうしているだけなのも味気ない。
――そうだ、貝がらも拾っていこうっと!
というわけでしゃがんで貝がらを拾い始めた雨妹を、立勇が無言で後ろから見守っているのだが。
「そういえば、立勇様は泳げるんですか?」
ふと疑問に思って貝がら拾いの手を止めた雨妹の質問に、立勇が呆れた顔をする。
「泳げなければ、利民殿が船に乗せるはずがあるまい」
立勇の答えに、雨妹も頷く。
客人が自分の船に乗っていて溺れでもしたら、大問題に発展する。
「河ではあるが、泳ぐ訓練はした。
「......ていっ!」
しゃがんでいた雨妹は、立勇に向かって海水をすくって投げる。
しかし、その海水は立勇にあっさり避けられた。
「なにをするか、お前は!」
叱りつける立勇に、雨妹は「ふーんだ」と口を尖らせる。
「海を前にそーんなかったい顔をしているなんてもったいない。
「......護衛が羽目を外すなど論外だ」
護衛の鏡のような発言をする立勇に、しかし雨妹は立ち上がって波を蹴り、第二波を繰り出す。
「こらやめんか、それにはしたない!」
またも海水を避ける立勇に、雨妹はどうしても海水を浴びせたくなった。
いや、この際海水でなくて砂でもいいと、砂を蹴り始めると。
「やめろというに!」
こうなると雨妹とてムキになってきて、それからしばし砂のかけ合いになり、立勇が我に返るまで続き。
結局最後には二人して砂まみれになっていて、利民の屋敷に戻ると、ちょうど出くわした
――私たち二人して、なにやってんだか。
なんの意味もないことをするのは、案外気持ちがスカッとするもので。
佳を発つ前の、海の楽しい思い出となった。
Chapter 101
Yui Mei didn't forget to choose the souvenirs after enjoying all the seafoods to the fullest.
"Okay, what should I buy..."
Yui Mei left the beach and returned to the road to stroll among the shops.
The journey to this country was considered difficult, so there weren't any tourists, much less groups who came to sightsee, and there were no souvenir specialty stores in this area.
Thus, Yui Mei could only hope that they would be able to find good items here.
"What should I get?"
Yui Mei consulted Li Yong.
It was her first time to shop for souvenirs gifts in this world, so it was only natural that she had difficulty choosing.
"Why not go with wine? It won't go bad, after all."
"Oh, I see."
Indeed, the journey home would be long one, the essential condition of her choice should be something that would not rot while they were in the midst of traveling.
And so, Yui Mei decided to listen to Li Yong's suggestion and buy some kind of rare wine, something that was delicious and could be used for cooking, too.
Kai was a port city, so there were a lot of items gathered here, and some were for export and while others were imported.
Thus, she had plenty of varieties to choose from.
Yui Mei decided to buy sweet wines for Mei Na and Yang, and a spicy wine for Chen.
Her business was done after she finished buying them.
"We're already here, so might as well play in the sea!"
she didn't have any opportunity to go enjoy the beach since she came here in a city near the sea.
"You're still spouting unusual stuff..."
Li Yong frowned.
He probably never imagined that one could play in the sea, since it was a place for fishing.
However, Yui Mei wouldn't back down, so it was decided that they would take a stroll along the beach to "make some good memories", according to her.
They went to a place farther than the fisherman's store, and no one else was there.
Because people playing in the sea was something uncommon, the thought of "playing by swimming" probably never crossed their minds.
"Kyah, so cold!"
Yui Mei could no longer endure her excitement, so she hastily took off her shoes and dipped her feet into the water, enjoying the sensation of the waves rising and falling beneath her feet.
She wanted to swim, but because swimsuits didn't even exist in this place, where the sea was considered unswimmable.
The fishermen themselves were wearing normal clothes that could get wet whenever they enter the sea.
Yui Mei couldn't get wet, so she could only satisfy herself by submerging her feet and playing with the waves with them.
However, this was too dull.
'Oh, right, I can go look for seashells instead!'
She started to pick shells, while Li Yong followed and watched over her from behind.
"Oh, Li Yong, you know how to swim, right?"
Yui Mei suddenly stopped what she was doing and asked Li Yong, and he looked peeved.
"If I didn't know how to swim, then there's no way I'm going aboard Lord Li Min's boat, right?"
Yui Mei agreed to Li Yong's answer.
It would turn into a huge mess if his own guest drowned while aboard his ship.
"I trained in the river, but then, a river is very different from the sea."
"...Hyah!"
Yui Mei squatted down and splashed water towards Li Yong.
He easily avoided it.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing!"
Li Yong scolded her, but Yui Mei just snorted and scowled.
"It's such a waste, you know. You're in front of the sea and yet you're making such a lo~ng face. You should relax your guard a bit and enjoy the sea!"
"...telling a guard to relax his guard is absurd."
Li Yong said with the air of a soldier, but Yui Mei just stood up and splashed another wave at him.
"Argh, stop it I said, and that's low of you to do that!"
Li Yong avoided being splashed yet again, so Yui Mei suddenly got the urge to make him wet no matter what.
No, it was fine even if it wasn't seawater in this case, so she started kicking sand towards him.
"I already told you to stop!"
Yui Mei was also annoyed at this, so in the end, it became a sand throwing contest until Li Yong came back to his senses.
In the end, they were both covered in sand when they returned to Li Min's mansion, giving Princess Pan a fright when they happened to meet her.
'What are we doing, the two of us.'
Doing something meaningless has been quite refreshing.
They made a good memory of the sea before they left Kai.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ