Chapter 29

7/16 This is the fifth post of the day.

"Mei-chan! Let's go!"

It was 9:00 AM by my watch, and I was already shouting inside the already open pharmacy.

"Wait! Just a moment!"

Ignoring Mei-chan's noisy preparations upstairs, I chatted with Mei-chan's mother and even her father, who had joined us today.

"Are you going to the river with four people today?"

"Yes. It seems that river play is a tradition this time of year, and I was invited to go at least once."

"Indeed, when it gets this hot, children often go to the river to play. I used to go there a lot when I was young."

"You still go fishing whenever you have time, don't you! Still, I'm grateful to you, Loki-kun, for taking care of Mei. I don't think there's any danger as long as you don't enter the forest, but please keep an eye on Mei, okay?"

"I'm 13, so I'm not much older, but I'll do my best to watch out for Mei-chan, especially to make sure she doesn't get swept away in the river."

"Hehe, I'm more worried about Mei being a nuisance and bothering other fishermen. If she gets too rowdy, feel free to scold her, okay?"

"Ah, I can imagine that... Well, Jin-kun and the others are here, so it should be fine! I'm a bit excited myself!"

"Hehe, since you're going, enjoy yourself, Loki-kun. Here, take this with you."

Mei-chan's mother handed me a sandwich-like thing with some kind of meat and vegetables between two slices of bread.

There were quite a few in a square basket, probably enough for four people.

And there was another mysterious box made of wood and stone.

"Thank you! By the way, what is this box?"

"This is a magical device to start a fire. It has a fragment of a magic stone inside, so it's good to use when you get to the river. Everyone will probably want to eat the fish they catch."

"Wow! A magical device! Um... how do you use it..."

"You seem to be unfamiliar with this kind of magical device... Pull the lever on the side, and fire will come out of the hole. Try it out."

When I pulled the lever, there was a click, and a flame about the size of a lighter appeared.

(Whoa... this is really convenient!)

There was another lever on the side of the box. When I pulled it, there was a space inside for magic stones, and about four small fragments, about the size of a fingernail, were inside.

Hmm, there must be some kind of flint inside... I have no idea how it works.

"That's amazing... but is it okay to give me something so rare?"

"Every household has one of these. You can probably buy one for about 6,000 bekes in this town? It's so common that it's called one of the oldest magical devices, and a huge number of them are in circulation."

"Hmm, I haven't found a magical device shop yet, so I must have missed it. At 6,000 bekes, I'd like one too."

"There's no specialized magical device shop in this town. Since you're a hunter, you've probably been to a store that sells canteens and camping gear. They sell them there."

"Really! I just bought a canteen and left the store, so I didn't notice... Thanks for the information!"

With this, I could now use fire magic, which had been forgotten, and even eat meat in the hunting grounds.

The Palmera Great Forest is close enough to return to, and the Locker Plains don't seem to be a place where you can cook and eat mice and mantises, but it would be very useful when we go to the Lulubu Forest in the future. Magic stones can be obtained locally.

Finally, meat on an expedition...

While lost in these thoughts, Mei-chan appeared from behind her parents, apparently ready.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Let's go!"

Mei-chan's outfit, or rather her equipment, was quite unusual.

She carried a short fishing rod, which I had seen at the fishing tackle shop, and a small basket on her waist contained fishing hooks and other fishing gear.

In her hand was a sieve. For some reason, a sieve.

She also had a canteen slung over her shoulder and was wearing a straw hat.

(She looks like a seasoned angler...)

Despite this, we had another destination, so we said goodbye to her parents and left the store.

Our next destination was the fishing tackle shop.

I have no experience with fishing in this era or in my previous world, so I had no idea what to buy.

So when I was invited, I had promised to follow Mei-chan, who lives in the center of town.

Even if I was explained in the store, I still had no idea what was what...

Anyway, since it was just a break from the routine and not something I was going to do seriously, I bought a cheap wooden rod, two iron-like fishing hooks, a few fishing lines made from monster fur, and a medium-sized basket that wasn't as large as the one used for hunting.

"What about bait?" I asked, and Mei-chan replied, "We'll catch it near the river!"

With that, we completed our preparations and hurried to the southern exit.

This world is wild...

When we arrived, Jin-kun and Potta-kun were already waiting, eating skewers of meat and chatting with the hunters who were about to go out.

Jin-kun and Potta-kun were in their usual outfits, and for some reason, Potta-kun was carrying his usual basket, which contained a fishing rod.

"Sorry, sorry. I was delayed because I stopped by the fishing tackle shop."

"It's okay, we were having breakfast. Oh! You bought a fishing rod."

"It's a cheap one, but it'll do."

We told the familiar guard, "We're going to the river today!" and set off in a group.

The guard, who must be used to people going to the river, waved us off without any concern, saying, "Have fun!"

On the way, Jin-kun suggested, "If you can, put the fishing rod and other bulky items in Potta's basket. I don't think it will be a problem, but just in case, Loki and I will walk on the sides."

I accepted his suggestion.

Mei-chan also seemed to accept his suggestion and threw her fishing rod into Potta-kun's basket, but when I looked at Potta-kun, he nodded energetically, so I decided not to worry about it.

Since I'm the oldest, I walked on the forest side where monsters might appear. Jin-kun nodded in agreement and took the other side.

I think Jin-kun has been thinking that I'm stronger than him since the sword-wielding goblin incident...

But I think that's a misunderstanding.

Just being able to see the status screen doesn't mean I have some kind of cheat ability that allows me to dominate.

At most, it allows me to plan skill acquisition and hunting ground selection.

I suspect that Jin-kun and I are about the same level and have similar skills. We're bound to hit a plateau as long as we hunt in the Palmera Great Forest.

Thinking about this, I wondered how far it was to the river.

The front was all grassland, and the river was not visible.

"Hey, how far is it to the river?"

"Hmm, I think we'll get there by noon."

"...What?"

My watch was in a leather bag, but it was probably around 9:30 or so.

(Two hours? A two-hour walk to go play!?)

I was shocked by how far away the fun places were in this world, but then I remembered that when we first came out of the forest, we were told that going along the river would be a detour.

In Japan, it would be unthinkable to let children go to a place that takes a two-hour walk on foot.

This world is wild...

Muttering this to myself, I set off on a mysterious trip that might or might not be a vacation.

---

(Suuu... haa~... What a peaceful scene... It's so calming...)

Another deep breath while fishing.

In front of me was a clear, shallow, gently flowing stream.

A few groups of anglers and people playing in the river were scattered along the banks.

On the other side of the river, I could see a grassland, a few huts in the distance, and beyond that, an endless expanse of farmland.

The land seemed to be fully utilized for crops, even though it was a certain distance from the forest.

There was no sign of any monsters...

"Sometimes it's good to do something like this."

I couldn't help but say something old-fashioned, but it was just that kind of place.

Next to me, Jin-kun was staring intently at the tip of his fishing line.

Potta-kun, on the other hand, was in a daze, mouth open, half-lidded.

Mei-chan, who seemed to have already lost interest, was playing with stones instead of looking at her fishing line.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the river in their own way.

It had been about an hour since we started fishing, and the results were: 0 for me, 0 for Mei-chan, 3 for Potta-kun, and 4 for Jin-kun. As expected, Jin-kun seemed to be good at everything, but surprisingly, Potta-kun, who was in a daze, was doing well, and Mei-chan, who lacked concentration, was unexpectedly disappointed.

I... well, I only have experience with fishing ponds, so this is what I expected as a beginner.

The purpose of coming to the river wasn't to fish, so as long as I could enjoy the atmosphere, that was enough.

"Mei-chan is as bad at fishing as ever."

"I'm not good with fishing rods! Can I go into the river now? Is it okay!?"

"Since everyone has at least one, I think it's fine."

"I was planning to sell the extras to the guild... but I guess I'll try harder in the second half. Let's prepare for lunch!"

Hearing this, my heart leaped.

(Finally, grilled fish! The first grilled fish in this world!?)

At the inn 'Billy Corn' where we were staying, fish dishes were served, but they were steamed with spices and herbs, not simply grilled. The grilled fish seemed incredibly appealing to me, who was missing Japanese food.

But I hadn't caught any fish. I was a zero.

I decided to work hard and started building a makeshift stove with stones and gathering small branches to start a fire.

Of course, I didn't forget to prepare long sticks to skewer the fish.

I wished I had some newspaper, but there was none, so I arranged dry leaves and pieces of fallen trees to make it easier to start the fire.

"Loki, you can't catch fish, but you're good at this kind of thing..."

"It's just by imitation. If we skewer the fish, they should grill nicely, right?"

"I always stuck them in the ground, but this is amazing! I don't really understand, but it's amazing!"

"And here's the magical device from Mei-chan's house! Her parents told me to bring it."

"Thanks! I always get scolded if I try to bring one outside, so I always start a fire on my own."

"Also, I brought salt just in case!"

"Wow!"

If there had been someone to point out that he didn't prepare fishing gear but only brought salt, he would have been beaten up, but with this group, it was no problem.

We started the fire and grilled the fish we had caught while eating the sandwiches Mei-chan's mother had prepared.

The picnic-like atmosphere made everything taste even better.

While I was at it, I flipped over stones with the sieve I borrowed from Mei-chan and caught shrimp and crabs, which I also grilled.

With a little salt, they became a fragrant and delicious dish.

(I can survive with just fire and salt...)

I was so impressed by the difference between raw and cooked that I looked at the others. They usually didn't catch shrimp or crabs, so they were surprised and delighted by how delicious they were.

Jin-kun was excited, saying, "Let's catch a lot of these after lunch!"

Potta-kun, who had been worried about the small number of fish, was now satisfied with the unexpected ingredients, and Mei-chan was staring silently at the sieve, thinking it was an amazing tool.

If we all got sick, I would be in trouble, but I had cooked everything thoroughly, and I had only gotten sick once from eating raw food, so I was probably okay.

After a post-lunch break, a mysterious competition was about to begin.

It seemed to be a contest to see who could catch the most shrimp and crabs, but since Mei-chan was the only one with a sieve, it was considered unfair and not used.

When I explained that it was quite difficult to do alone based on my experience, we decided to do a 2-on-2 team competition.

I wondered how we would divide into teams, but it seemed that the other three thought they could win if they were on my team, so it turned into a competition to be on my team. I, being the adult, suggested a game of rock-paper-scissors.

The three of them had question marks over their heads, so I taught them the hand shapes for rock and paper, and explained that we would form teams with the same hand shapes. They all agreed.

While teaching them that there was also scissors and that it could be used in a match, I ended up forming a team with Potta-kun, and Jin-kun and Mei-chan formed the other team. We decided to see which team could catch the most.

However, this combination was the most challenging for me.

"Potta-kun! I'll scoop first, so can you move the stones?"

"...?"

What should I do... We can't communicate...

I had no choice but to use gestures. I made a gesture to move the stones, pointed to Potta-kun, made a gesture to scoop water, and pointed to myself.

He seemed to understand, so we started searching for shrimp and crabs by flipping over larger stones.

I thought that if I could use my presence detection, it would be to my advantage, but the water was moving, so I couldn't get much of a reaction from the creatures in it.

However, when they were startled and moved when the stones were moved, I could catch them by hand and throw them into the medium-sized basket on my back.

Looking at Jin-kun and Mei-chan's team, they were working separately. Jin-kun, who had presence detection, might have an advantage, but Mei-chan, who was not used to it, would have a hard time catching them.

"Potta-kun! Let's go for that stone next!"

I pointed and said, and he replied, "Aye!"

"I found some! Two, so can you get them?"

I pointed to the ones I might miss, and he replied, "Aye!" and tried to catch them.

I wondered why I, an adult, was so serious about playing with children, but this was a serious game.

If they were having fun, I would join in.

And the results would be shared and eaten by everyone.

"Next, let's try the stone to the side!"

"Aye!"

"Nothing here! Let's try that suspicious stone next!"

"Aye!"

"I found some! Three, so Potta-kun, can you get them?"

"......Aye? ...Aye!!"

"......I found three! Potta-kun, can you get them?"

"......Aye... Aye...!!"

Potta-kun's responses were getting strange, so I thought I had pushed him too hard and apologized.

"Sorry, I went too fast. Next, I'll move the stones, and Potta-kun can try to catch them!"

"......I'm okay. I'm not tired. I'm okay."

"Really? Don't overdo it, it's just a game... Hmm?"

What's this strange feeling? Is the conversation actually working...

When I looked up at Potta-kun, he had tears in his eyes that weren't from sweat.

"Potta-kun...?"

"Uu... I understand... I understand Loki's words! ...I'm not left out anymore!"

"---!? Oh no!! Jin-kun! Mei-chan!!"

When I told the two, who were rushing over as if I had been injured or attacked by