Chapter 96

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

Deciding to go capture a Great Salamander in two days, combining it with stone collecting.

The women continue making clothes, while the men go shopping for camping supplies.

Since we're out, we might as well try some stream fishing, so we order fishing hooks from Tommy.

Since we're out, we decide to have lunch at Aera's shop.

Lately, whenever we're in town, we always eat here unless we're at the inn.

If I say I'm not interested in trying new places, that would be a lie, but it's like aiming for the grand prize at a festival stall—there's a high chance it won't pay off.

This place, on the other hand, is reliable. Even though there are days when we can't get a seat right away, since we don't have a fixed lunch break, we can just come a bit later.

Today, we splurge a bit and order lunch plus tea and sweets afterward.

We're treating the afternoon tea as a special occasion.

The fact that there are only two men is a big minus, but Aera is cute, and the sweets are delicious.

"Naoto, don't you need tools to make lures?"

"Yeah. We might be able to get some wood from the village, but we can't ask craftsmen to lend us their tools."

Hmm, if we just need to whittle wood, maybe a pocket knife will do?

"Handsaw, carving knife, file. And maybe two pocket knives?"

"Do we need a file? How about a handsaw and a carving knife?"

"We might not get wood of the right size. A pocket knife won't be enough to cut it."

"Oh, that's true."

"Maybe we don't need a carving knife."

"Probably not. The lures I'm thinking of are smooth."

I don't think they had eyes or scales carved on them.

"Then we don't need it."

"What are you talking about, Naoto?"

Lunchtime is over, and Aera, looking a bit bored, comes over with a smile.

"We were talking about making lures—artificial baits."

"Artificial baits... That brings back memories."

"Do you have experience making them, Aera?"

"No, I haven't. But there are people in the village who do it as a hobby. In the village, most people catch fish with traps, so using artificial baits is purely a hobby."

"Can you catch fish with artificial baits?"

"Yes, you can, but traps are usually enough..."

Aera chuckles, confirming it's a hobby.

"Can you tell me about the artificial baits you've seen?"

"Sure, I can."

The artificial baits she described were somewhat similar to ayu, so we might be able to catch similar fish.

After thanking her, Toya and I head out to get tools and wood.

We walk around town looking for coloring materials.

There's no home center, and the demand seems low, so we didn't expect to find anything, but we surprisingly found paint and varnish easily.

Apparently, there's a demand for these materials in the town because they are used in furniture making.

"Next, we need a fishing rod, line, and materials for the fly."

"We can get some line from Haruka and the others. I doubt they sell fishing line here."

"Right. So, a fishing rod and materials for the fly... bird feathers, maybe."

Both are found in the forest.

We might get scolded if we go too deep, but the shallow areas should be fine.

We equip ourselves and head to the forest.

Unfortunately, we haven't seen bamboo, so we look for thin, flexible wood and collect a few pieces. We also collect bird feathers along the way.

Well, to be precise, we hunted them. Our snacks turned into grilled bird. That's what happened.

Back at the inn, we start whittling the wood in silence when Tommy, who has finished work, visits our room.

"Good evening. The hooks you ordered are ready."

"Great, thanks. How do they look?"

"To be honest, there are some issues, but this is the best I can do for now."

The hooks Tommy laid out on the table look good to me.

There are various sizes, and some are even suitable for larger fish like salmon, not just the small fish we're targeting like yamame.

They seem as good as the hooks you can buy in Japan.

...Actually, I've never seen real fishing hooks. I've never been fishing, not even at a pond.

"What are the issues?"

"The thickness, the bend, and the strength. My skills are still lacking for handcrafting."

I don't understand, but Tommy, being a fisherman, seems unsatisfied.

For us, as long as we can enjoy fishing, it's fine.

"Are you making lures now?"

"Yeah, but they're not taking shape yet."

We've only roughly shaped the wood, not even into a spindle shape.

Whether they will look like fish depends on our effort... but I'm not a great artist.

"I've heard that as long as you can replicate the reflection of scales, the movement can make up for it. I don't know if it's true, though."

"Replicating the reflection of scales... that sounds difficult."

"Maybe we can stick some metal foil on them... Also, do you have a landing net? Without one, the fish might escape."

"A landing net, you mean a hand net? Is it necessary?"

"When you lift the fish out of the water, it might thrash and the hook might come off. It's better to bring it to the net while it's still in the water."

"I don't think they sell hand nets. Toya, should we make one?"

"We can buy some thin rope and weave it. For the hoop and handle..."

"I can get the frame. A simple wooden handle should be fine."

"That would be a big help!"

In Japan, we could use a wire hanger or buy some wire from a home center, but there's no wire here.

Making wire without machines is difficult, and there's no demand, so it makes sense.

"I have an ulterior motive. I need to go with you once I'm strong enough."

He chuckles, saying it clearly.

As long as it's safe, we have no objections. It's actually easier for us if he's straightforward—specifically, it makes it easier to ask for fishing trips.

"Once you reach a certain level, I'll take you. Of course, only if it's safe for us to go."

"If I don't come back, assume it's a dangerous place."

"Don't say such ominous things! If it's dangerous, we'll run back! I don't want to lose someone I've just become friends with."

Tommy says this anxiously, and I shrug and chuckle.

"Of course, I don't plan to die, but in this world, there's always a risk."

We can now easily defeat orcs, but considering the skill levels we've been given by the evil god, that's expected.

However, orcs are relatively weak in this world's monsters.

If we encounter a stronger monster, we could be killed easily.

My detection skills are useful, but they assume the enemy's detection range is smaller and we can move faster than them.

If we're detected from a longer distance or the enemy is faster, it's harder to escape. Unlike animals, monsters actively attack humans.

"A vacation seems impossible."

"If we had the money, we could hire a lot of high-ranking adventurers."

"That's not realistic. It's better to train enough to move safely on the main roads."

Tommy sighs deeply, then raises his head, regaining his composure.

"By the way, how about making the flies? Should we start now?"

"Yeah. I want to go in a couple of days."

"We don't have much time. We need thread and bird feathers. Do you have them?"

"I'll go get them."

I visit the next room, explain the situation to Haruka and the others, and get some thread.

I place the thread and the feathers we collected—rather, plucked—on the table.

"You've gathered quite a few bird feathers."

"More like we took them."

"You hunted them. That's not something you can do in Japan."

There are hunting laws in Japan. Collecting feathers would be difficult, so you'd probably have to buy them.

You might find some pigeon or crow feathers, but not many.

"First, we need to fix the hook to make it easier to work with. Normally, we use a special vise... Can we use this piece of wood?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Tommy picks up a piece of wood we had set aside for making lures.

With Toya's permission, he splits the wood in half, clamps the hook between the pieces, and ties it tightly with a string.

"We fix the hook like this to make it easier to wrap the thread around this part. Then, we just need to attach the bird feathers and thread to make it look like an insect. This part is more about creativity."

Tommy cuts and tears the bird feathers, then wraps them around the hook with thread.

"Does it look like this? Does it look like an insect?"

"Wow, that's good! It looks like something!"

I don't know if such an insect exists, but the hook now looks like an insect with feathers.

"Do we only need one?"

"People who like it make several and switch them out. Also, they wear out with use."

"That makes sense."

They will naturally get damaged when thrown into the river or bitten by fish.

"Let's make a few. Thanks for the guidance."

"Sure. I'm not that skilled, but I'll do my best."

With Tommy's guidance, we managed to make several flies each by the end of the day.