We ended up fishing for river fish.
Somehow, we decided to make it competitive and compare our catches.
The contest would be held in teams, and the winning team would receive a prize.
If we won, the girls would have the right to ask me for favors, and I would have the right to ask all the girls for favors.
The teams were divided fairly by lottery.
We generated chopsticks from the “wood” and colored one end of half of them.
Everyone drew them, and we split into the colorless team and the colored team. The result.
The colorless team was me, Chiyu, Shinpo, Roa, and Lumina-sensei.
“Hmm. This draw is proof of our being childhood friends.”
“I don’t have any fishing experience, but I’ll do my best.”
“I will support you with all my might, my lord.”
“First, I want wine… I hope barley is added soon for beer… and I hope rice is added soon for sake… and I hope corn is added soon too… Actually, I think grains should be placed in the game as soon as possible… Of course, it’s all for the sake of improving the students’ food situation… —Ahem. Everyone, let’s do our best!”
Since the topic of alcohol came up, Mr. Lumina’s character seems to have changed a little… No, that’s not it.
It’s just that I can see a side of him that I wouldn’t have been able to see from the teacher-student relationship.
It’s admirable that he’s seriously thinking about sending the students back to Japan, but I think it’s fine for him to express his desires a little too, so personally, I prefer him this way.
“By the way, the other team is all made up of the Shouko group.”
The colored team is Shouko, Shion, Muka, Soubu, and Genchu.
“I’m sorry to say this to the Saoru team, but we won’t lose in teamwork!”
“Hee hee, it feels like when we were in Japan.” “But we’re a few people short.” “We’ll win!”
“If we win, we can ask Kino for a favor… If we win, we can ask Kino…”
At school, I didn’t have much interaction with the Shouko group. Shouko was the only one who would actively talk to me, but now that everyone is on the same team, it feels strange.
Besides, Shouko and Shion are also lovers.
Still, there’s no way to back out of a competition.
A simple fishing rod made by attaching a fishing line and hook to a stick was distributed to everyone.
The thread was made by twisting plant fibers together, and the fishing hook was crafted from ‘stone’.
Even things that aren’t normally suitable for a particular use can be made into substitutes thanks to the free-forming ability granted by the ‘Crafting Skill’. “What about bait?”
“Wouldn’t a small, compacted piece of bread work?” Shizuku asked, and Shion responded.
The bugs haven’t been deployed to this island yet, so I’ll go with Shiono’s suggestion.
I shaped the bread stored in my ‘Inventory’ into a convenient form, put enough for everyone in a box, and distributed it.
I also prepared a net bag to temporarily store the fish we catch.
Deep Method says that this shape is called a “webbuck.”
I had also prepared wooden buckets, so I let everyone use the tools they liked. The last thing is to confirm the rules.
“I’ll set the time limit to two hours.”
“Hey, hey, can we use our abilities?” the summoned asked, her eyes shining.
The smile on her face clearly showed that she thought using her ability would give her a chance to win.
Still, I didn’t think that having the ability would put me at a disadvantage.
「Ah… How about this? No abilities for the first hour, and then they’re allowed for the second hour.」
No one objected, so the additional rule was applied.
「Okay, everyone. Don’t get too far from each other, stay away from high places, and make sure to check on your teammates regularly. We don’t want anything bad to happen.」
Death on the desert island was a penalty that led to expulsion.
It wasn’t real death, but I didn’t want to lose a teammate in the food-gathering event.
I nodded deeply at Ms. Lumina’s warning.
Then, everyone took their positions.
「Alright. So, two hours from now. Ready, set, go!」
I cast my fishing line into the water and, within a few seconds, felt a tug. 「Wah!」
Trying to remain calm, I pulled up the fishing rod.
The line was pulled up from the water, and at the end was a fish that had taken the bait. 「Good!」
The speed was surprising, but I quickly understood the reason.
The fish here probably don’t know humans, so they might not be wary of the bait falling from above.
And while I’m not sure about moss, there might not be many small creatures that serve as bait, or there might be very few of them.
I quickly put the fish I caught into the basket. “This is… a sweetfish, right?”
I’m not an expert on fish, but I think it’s a sweetfish.
Looking around, the others are catching fish one after another. It’s like a feeding frenzy. This is fun.
By the way, what’s the seasonality of this river like?
Since this island itself has an unusual ecosystem, the fish might swim around ignoring seasonal timing, with various kinds of fish.
“Yay! I caught one! …Ah, but I’m scared of live fish!”
“Haha, then shall we fish together, Shouko? I’ll take the hook out for you. Oh, it’s a trout.”
“Thanks, Shi-chan! This one has a beautiful line.” The other team seems to be doing well too.
“Wh-Who, who can help me~”
Seeing that Ms. Lumina’s body was being pulled towards the river, I rushed to her and supported her from behind.
「It looks like a big one. I’ll support you, so let’s pull it up.」
「Kouno-kun!? Y-Yes…!」
When we pulled it up, it turned out to be a huge—salmon.
「Wow, it’s huge, isn’t it, Sensei?」
「Y-Yeah, it’s amazing. About a meter… no, maybe ninety centimeters.」
There’s no doubt that this is the biggest catch so far.
Even something this big counts as one fish in this competition.
Still, when it’s served at the dinner table, its volume will surely shine.
――At that moment, I finally realized something.
I hadn’t been thinking about it, but I had been hugging the vice homeroom teacher from behind.
It suddenly became awkward, and I immediately let go.
「I-I’m sorry, Sensei. I was just trying to help…」
「…Heh. Yes, I understand perfectly. You asked for help, and I could tell you were serious.」
The feel of the teacher’s body returns to my mind as I try to get back to my senses.
It was soft, and it smelled good.
No, no, I shake off the distracting thoughts and cast out the fishing line again.
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