Chapter 97

The next day, it was the day we all planned to go fishing at a nearby river. This time, unlike before, there would be Diana, who was surely not used to fishing, so there would be another potential zero-catch candidate besides me. It’s not like we were competing, but it’s better to have company for this kind of thing...

I packed the basket with the fishing gear, a pot for boiling water, and other necessities, and carried it. It was time to set off.

The river we were going to today was a bit away from our house. I confirmed with Sermia and Diana that the largest river was even further away from our house. This river was a tributary, one of the streams flowing out from a lake. Going to the big river would take quite a bit of time, almost as much as going to town. Indeed, that would be quite far. Plus, the big river would be deep, making it difficult to cross. I’d like to see it someday, though.

We searched for good spots to fish, four of us. The area where we fished before seemed good, but we also looked for other good spots. Eventually, we found a good spot, laid out a mat by the river, and set up the basket with our lunch. After flipping over some stones to secure bait, it was finally time to start fishing.

Diana was able to attach the worm to the hook without any fuss. I thought she might have been a bit more squeamish, but she wasn’t at all, which was a bit of a letdown. When I asked her about it, she said, "Well, I used to play with my brothers when I was a kid." I remembered that... It made me think of the hard work her father must have gone through.

We spread out and cast our lines into the river. The sun was shining, making the water sparkle. The current wasn’t too fast, and a gentle breeze was blowing, making it a very pleasant place to relax. As I was thinking how nice it was to have a calm day off, I heard a splash. Sermia had caught a fish already.

"Wow, it’s big!" I couldn’t help but exclaim. A fish about 15 centimeters long was thrashing at the end of the line. I was a bit worried the line might break, but Sermia smoothly reeled it in and quickly removed the hook.

"How’s that!" Sermia proudly showed off the freshly caught fish. I could really understand the urge to show it off because it was so big. We clapped and cheered, holding our rods. Sermia got the first catch, but we couldn’t fall behind. It would add a dish to our dinner, and now there was no chance of all of us coming back empty-handed.

After that, the fish seemed to be on guard, or maybe we were too noisy, because we didn’t get any bites for a while.

"Since it’s a good time, let’s take a break and have lunch," I suggested. The others agreed, so we all started preparing. We gathered fallen branches for firewood, lit a fire, and boiled water from the river in a pot. After boiling the mint leaves we had picked, we poured the tea into wooden cups and started our lunch. I remembered watching anime where girls went camping like this in my previous world. Now, with an older man mixed in, it wasn’t as relaxed, but it was still nice.

We chatted and laughed while eating lunch. Sermia, who had already caught a fish, was giving a relaxed lecture on fishing techniques. She mentioned that when she lived alone, she used to catch fish with a rough net made from tree bark. We don’t have a net now, and it’s not just for food, so we’re leisurely fishing with rods. But if we were fishing for food, a net or a long line (not too thick, though) would be better. I might consider making a long line...

After finishing lunch and settling down, we returned to our spots and cast our lines again. The sun had moved, and the river’s surface looked different from the morning. I hoped the fish would be dazzled and bite the bait.

"Ah!" Diana let out a small scream. It seemed a fish had bitten. Sermia was giving her instructions from the side. Diana followed the instructions and successfully caught the fish. It’s unclear if her daily sword practice had anything to do with it, but her movements were efficient. The fish fit neatly into Diana’s hands.

"Look, look, how’s that?" She showed me the fish with a beaming smile. It was a bit smaller than the one Sermia caught, but it was a good size.

"Great job. Congratulations," I praised Diana sincerely. In my previous world, I would have definitely taken a photo with my smartphone, but unfortunately, there were no smartphones or even photos in this world. There might be similar magical items or spells, though. If I asked someone who could cast magic to teach me or give me one, I might do that in the future.

After that, Rike also caught a fish, and I was the only one left without a catch. Last time, I was too enthusiastic, so this time I tried to be more patient. While I was waiting, Sermia caught another fish, and then she started wandering around, saying she had met the family quota. No, that was Sermia’s way of being kind, thinking that the chances of catching a fish would be higher without her around. She must have been thinking that.

Finally, when it was almost time to go back, I decided to give it one last try. Of course, I hadn’t had any bites so far. After waiting a bit, just when I thought it was no use, I felt a strong pull on the rod.

"Oh!" I tried to hook the fish, but the feeling suddenly disappeared. It had gotten away. I collapsed to my knees. It seemed that my production cheat didn’t work for fishing. That made sense.

"Well, we have enough, so it’s fine, right? Right?" Diana sought agreement from Sermia and Rike.

"Y-Yeah. I’ll give the big one to Eizou!" Sermia said.

"That’s right. This is about family helping each other, boss!" Rike added.

"Thanks, everyone..." Their support really touched me.

Since it was almost time, we quickly packed up and headed home.

That night, I tried to season the grilled fish just right, but mine seemed a bit too salty.