These days, outdoor shops don’t just stock camping gear—they also carry a wide variety of outdoor toys. Things like badminton and flying discs, all perfect for playing outside.

“Wow~ This is my first time seeing this. How do you play this badminton thing?”

“This is a game where you hit this white feathered thing called a shuttlecock with a racket. Like this—when you hit it, this tip always comes forward, so you hit it back and forth, and whoever fails to return it loses. You can make it more interesting by setting territories or placing a net as an obstacle.”

I don’t really know the official rules of badminton, but even without turning it into a match, just hitting the shuttlecock back and forth is fun on its own.

After sitting in the carriage for so long, my body’s all stiff. Getting a little exercise before dinner to work up an appetite sounds like a good idea.

“This one is called a flying disc. When you throw it like this, it flies smoothly. It’s another toy where you throw it back and forth with someone.”

I explained the rules to everyone. Though really, these toys are mostly just about throwing or hitting things back and forth, so there isn’t much to explain.

Fia-chan especially seemed fascinated, and since today’s meal isn’t going to be anything elaborate, I decided to finish early and join in with everyone.

“...Alright, let’s get started on dinner.”

The sun’s going down and I’m starting to feel hungry. Everyone looks like they’re having fun playing, but if we go too late, it might affect tomorrow.

“We were waiting! Still, this badminton game is really fun. If you don’t hit the center of the racket properly, it won’t go where you want it to, and landing a smash feels amazing!”

“Yeah. When it lands perfectly, there’s this indescribable sense of satisfaction. Plus, it’s a great way to train your reflexes.”

It looks like Lange and Lilia were playing badminton. I watched a bit of their rally, but it was so fast I could barely follow the shuttlecock. When two people with that level of physical ability play, it turns into something else entirely...

It’s true that badminton gets your body moving and relies a lot on reflexes, so it might actually be good training.

“The flying disc was really fun too! It floated through the air so nicely!”

“It’s quite hard to aim where you throw it, but that’s what made it fun.”

After helping with the ingredient prep, Fia-chan and Angel had been playing with the flying disc. Fia-chan especially looked like she was having a blast chasing after the discs Angel threw.

...Maybe it’s because she’s a fox beastkin—chasing after moving targets might be naturally fun for her.

“Ahh, both were fun, but this card game is really great too.”

“Yes, all the games were a lot of fun! Ferry, you should’ve moved around a bit more too!”

“...Cards are the most fun.”

Dolph, Berna, and Ferry also took turns joining in on the fun. Ferry played a bit of badminton and flying disc but ended up spending most of her time playing cards.

That’s just how it is—some people are outdoor types, others are indoor types. Before I got into camping, I was the kind who’d never leave the house on weekends. Neither type is better or worse. And besides, Ferry might have been tired from constantly summoning Slep today.

“I’m glad everyone had fun. Now then, dinner tonight is pizza!”

Nothing hits the spot after working up an appetite like a good meal. I didn’t move around much myself, but I was baking pizzas in front of a hot oven the whole time, so I’m drenched in sweat and starving.

We set out a variety of pizzas on the big table. With eight people, I wasn’t sure how much would be enough, so I made a generous amount. If we end up with leftovers, we can just store them using the same storage magic we used earlier.

“Pizza, huh. Come to think of it, you called that tool a pizza oven.”

“That’s right, Lilia. That oven is called a pizza oven, used specifically for baking these pizzas.”

That oven was something I could buy after the Outdoor Shop’s ability leveled up to five. A portable pizza oven, of all things—nowadays, you can even find camping gear like that. Pretty amazing.

The portable pizza oven is just what it sounds like—a pizza oven that’s small enough to carry. Made from stainless steel with high thermal conductivity and ceramic for insulation, it efficiently radiates heat and can raise the oven’s temperature to the ideal 400 to 500 degrees in just about 20 minutes, perfect for baking pizzas while camping.