Once our enjoyable lunch was over, it was time to rest, and then we each had free time.
Everyone could do as they pleased—but we didn’t stray too far apart. Pochi stayed close to us, and Karen was with Mint.
Meanwhile, I stood at the lake’s edge, holding a fishing rod I’d taken from the carriage.
「Listen up, Chocola. That river was just a bad match for me. But this lake and I, we’re destined to get along. Today, I’ll finally catch a fish. Got it?」
「Kwaaah…」
「Did you just yawn?」
This guy… He’s totally lost faith in me—or maybe he never had any to begin with…
「Damn it, just you wait. I’ll make you eat your words.」
「Kwuu…」
「Stretching now, are we?」
Ignoring Chocola’s casual lounging beside me, I cast the line.
This time, it’s a long cast, unlike with the river. This rod even has a reel.
I’d found it and bought it in the town of Sidera. It’s a single-axis type, made from metal and wood, and though it’s not that precise, it lets me reel in the line and cast far out. Very useful.
I dangled the line, reeling it in or giving it a tug occasionally to lure something in. In an untouched forest like this, the fish shouldn’t be wary, so I should be able to catch something… or so I thought…
「…Still nothing.」
「Kwaah… bark.」
「Even with all my stealth… not a single bite…」
I’d lowered my magical presence to avoid scaring the fish, so that shouldn’t be the issue. But no matter how long I waited, there wasn’t even a tremor from the bobber.
「How’s it going, Sui-kun? Caught anything? …Doesn’t look like it.」
「Ugh…」
Mother came over, chuckling at my struggle.
「Not yet, anyway…」
「Fufufu.」
She gave me a knowing smile and sat down beside me, stroking Chocola.
「Chocola, don’t you usually catch the fish in the river?」
「Bark! Bark!」
「Not today. We don’t have a towel, and if you come back soaked, you’ll track mud everywhere.」
「Kwuuun…」
Gently scolded, Chocola drooped a little in disappointment.
Resting his chin on her knee, Mother gazed out over the lake.
「This brings back memories. Your father used to go fishing sometimes too.」
「We went together in Japan. He was really good at it.」
Beside me, where I was catching nothing, Father kept pulling fish in one after another. Whenever I sulked about it, he’d give me a sympathetic smile and say, ‘Well, there’s just nothing I can do about it.’
「That’s right. I remember asking him for tips, but they were no help at all.」
「‘Just wait patiently, and when it bites, give it a little tug,’ something like that, right?」
「Exactly! Meanwhile, I’m over here struggling just to get a bite in the first place.」
「Did you fish at the sea or in a river?」
「Oh, all over, really. But my most vivid memory is the ocean in the Beastkin territory. We stayed there for a long time… This was before we were married, with Karen’s biological parents there too.」
As she recalled it, she added quietly, as if to herself, ‘That was my youth.’
It was before Karen and I were born. Back when Father had just arrived in this world, when Mother was both drawn to him and resisting him, and when Karen’s birth parents, who were close friends, were still around.
I imagine those were bright, beautiful memories.
Something I shouldn’t thoughtlessly intrude upon.
「Oh, by the way.」
So, I shifted the topic casually—or probably a bit too obviously, from an outsider’s perspective.
「How was it, Mother? Fishing, I mean. Judging by the way you’re talking, I guess…?」
「How rude! …But yes, you guessed it.」
She pursed her lips at first, then let out a laugh.
「I couldn’t catch a thing. Not a single fish ever took my bait. Every time I started getting grumpy, your father would look at me, puzzled and unsure. So yes, Sui-kun’s lack of fishing skill is likely…」
At that moment—
「Oh!」
I felt a sudden resistance at the end of my line. My hand froze.
「Sui-kun!? Could it be…?」
「It’s hooked!!」
I lifted the rod. It bent deeply, the weight undeniable in my hands.
I did it. I finally did it. I caught something!
「Ugh… it’s heavy. It’s huge!」
「Stay calm! Hold steady!」
「Bark! Bark bark!」
I tried pulling the rod back, but the strain was immense. It felt like the rod might snap.
「This is a serious catch.」
「Is the rod okay? What about the hook and line…?」
「I’m reinforcing it with magic! It might be cheating, but…!」
「Bark bark!」
Mother was flailing, flustered, while Chocola barked like he was cheering me on.
With this resistance, it was clear—whatever was on the line would take the whole thing with it if I wasn’t careful.
Just to be sure, I’d put an ‘indestructible’ attribute on the rod, the line, and the hook, in case any monstrous-sized fish from this world showed up. Looks like that precaution paid off.
With a bit of strength enhancement, I should be able to pull it out by brute force if I have to!
「Ugh… Ooooohhh!」
Planting my feet, I steadied my hips and gave a powerful yank.
Suddenly, the water’s resistance broke, and my catch shot up from the lake, arcing through the air towards the shore and—right toward me.
「Huh…?」
「Oh…」
「Bark!」
What landed was a thick, round, algae-covered log. Most likely, it had been lying on the lakebed, forgotten and rotting.
With a dull thud, the log sprawled out onto the grassy bank, splashing all of us.
For a few moments, none of us spoke.
The silence was incredibly awkward.
I stood there in stunned disbelief, Chocola sniffed at the log, and Mother, looking down,
「You’ve got to be kidding…」
Just when I thought I’d finally caught something, it turned out to be… this.
The very enchantment I’d put on my gear to avoid breakage was now backfiring. Normally, the line would’ve snapped, and we’d just laugh it off as a snag.
I should have noticed it wasn’t moving like a fish. I should have sensed it wasn’t wriggling or thrashing. But how could I? This was the first time I’d ever hooked anything. I stood there in a daze, grappling with my own foolishness, until I felt Mother’s hand patting my shoulder.
「Sui-kun, look.」
「What? Oh…」
She was pointing to the shadow of the fallen log. It looked like a few river fish had been hiding in the crevice of the old wood—they were now flopping about on the shore.
「Well, I mean… this doesn’t really count, does it?」
「Why not? You did catch something, technically.」
Mother ruffled my hair with a mischievous smile.
It didn’t feel like she was consoling me.
It was something else—something nostalgic.
「…Yeah, I guess that’s good enough.」
Seeing that look on her face made me feel oddly at ease, even a little amused. I chuckled and knelt down beside the fish.
「I think these might be roach—probably relatives of carp or bream.」
「Do you think we could eat them?」
「They’re supposed to have a lot of tiny bones. Shame, but better to let them go.」
Gently, I cupped the fish in my hands, one by one, and released them back into the lake. As I watched their shadows dart away, I laughed a little.
It’s becoming pretty clear that fishing just isn’t my thing.
But somehow, I’m okay with that now.
Because—
「Well, that’s a shame. We’ll try again next time, alright?」
「Yeah. If I keep at it, maybe someday some strange fish will decide to bite.」
The look Mother gave me was filled with something deeper than kindness—tenderness.
—It’s just the way it is.
I’m Mother’s son, after all. It’s only natural I’d take after her.
※※※
Incidentally—
Apparently, Mother once hauled in a log too, and Father laughed about it.
I only found out about it a bit later.
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