The fishing competition was going strong.
It was exciting because everyone kept catching fish, and they were all edible species that everyone had heard of before, so it was just fun. “Sougou, Sougou.”
“What’s up, Senyuu—wait, is that…!?”
The fish Senyuu had caught was a black, snake-like eel.
“I bought some rice in the bonus area, so we can have unagi don.”
Thinking about the unagi don he had eaten in Japan, his mouth started watering.
“That’s great. Let’s try to catch enough for everyone.” “Even if it’s just for Sougou.”
“No, no, that’s not fair.”
“It’s nutritious, so if Sougou eats it, that’ll be fine.” “Why not?”
That wasn’t the reason he wanted to eat it.
He didn’t want his stamina to be increased any further.
That was how everyone was showing off their fresh catches…
Once things settled down, my attention gradually shifted to the number of fish we were catching.
Firstly, the most efficient way to fish was for our team to use Shinpo and for the enemy team to use Mukaigumi.
Mukaigumi, being a lone wolf type, was suited for solo actions and quietly continued fishing.
Shinpo, though initially confused, quickly got the hang of it, and now her entire process of letting out the line, reeling in, and removing the hook was very smooth and refined.
The enemy team’s Shoubu, Genju, and our team’s Lumina were slower at removing the hooks and sometimes needed support, making them slightly less efficient.
Especially Shoubu, who relied on Shiomi to remove the hooks, was consuming Shiomi’s time as well.
Shoubu of the enemy team seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the fishing, cheerfully exclaiming “Yay!” with each catch, but this was apparently reducing her total number of catches.
Kiyuu and I exchanged words occasionally, but otherwise we were doing well, so we were contributing to the team.
But the most impressive thing of all was the presence of the efficient maid Roa on our team.
After catching a few fish, she nodded and came to me, requesting additional fishing rods and large buckets.
She then set them up using rocks and the ground.
In other words, she had set up unmanned fishing rods with lines in the water.
That’s where Loa’s amazing skill came into play.
The moment the fishing line was pulled, she moved to the fishing rod and reeled it in.
Then, she shook the fishing rod in the air, and somehow the hook came off, and the fish fell into the bucket she had prepared with a splash.
She then attached the bait at an incredible speed and put the fishing rod back up, moving to the next fishing rod.
There were five fishing rods in total, but to my eyes, it seemed like Loa had split into five people. She was that fast.
“Hey, isn’t that dangerous!?”
Shoubu, who noticed Loa, exclaimed in surprise.
The enemy team’s situation became chaotic, but that didn’t close the gap.
If anything, the distance between us widened due to Loa’s performance.
Loa is amazing, but so is this river.
There are various kinds of fish in large numbers.
You might not be able to experience such fishing anywhere else but on this island.
“I will definitely be of use to you, my master.”
Still, Roa’s versatility is impressive.
She’s had to survive on her own for a while now.
It seems she couldn’t fight the beast and ended up running away, eventually straying far from the water source. She was found by Mashiro after collapsing.
I’m glad she decided to join us. “Ugh. I wish an hour would pass already.” The servant prays.
Though her prayer wasn’t answered, when I checked the tablet’s screen, it showed that only one minute remained until the hour was up.
「Everyone~. In one minute, our abilities will be unlocked!」
「Yay! Mashiro, Mikuron, please get ready! Can Mia join too?」 「Y-Yeah」
「Sousuke! Could you bring us some extra-large buckets… no, something big enough to use as a bathtub?」 「Sure, I’ll do that.」
I can kind of tell what Shokun’s team is planning.
I did as I was told and set up the extra-large buckets. And then, one minute passed.
「We’ve got an hour left with our abilities active!」
I said it loud enough for everyone to hear, and immediately the Shokidai team got to work.
Masiro went into the river and waved her front paws, and fish were scooped up from the water and flew into the buckets.
Mikuron did the same thing with her tail.
Mioko, who had the “Transformation Ability,” turned into a bear and caught fish like Masiro.
“Ha ha ha~! This will speed things up!”
Indeed, the time needed to bait the fish and to remove the hooks after catching them was no longer necessary.
If they were a little farther away, the rest of the team could continue fishing for their prey.
But the enemy’s strategy wasn’t just that. ”…Is this it?”
She noticed that the Dream Realm wasn’t using fishing rods, but she was staring at the river as if concentrating on something.
Suddenly, countless fish began to rise from the river. No, that wasn’t it. “Could it be a barrier?”
”…Hm? Oh, Kino figured it out. Impressive.”
First, a barrier was set up in the river. The conditions for entry and exit were set so that fish could enter but not leave. As a result, fish began to accumulate inside the barrier.
When it’s full, I’ll maintain the barrier and shift its coordinates.
As a result, the barrier filled with a large amount of fish will move into the air.
“Even though it’s still difficult to handle, it seems like I can do things like this.”
There were around a dozen fish trapped inside the barrier, and it was moved to the top of the large barrel before being released.
It’s no longer fishing, but if you think of it as fishing, there are all sorts of ways to do it.
“I see, if you’re going to do that, then I’ll aim for a big catch!”
Loa’s efficiency is still a major asset, so I’ll keep using it.
“Chiyu, Shinpo, help me out!” “Sure. I won’t let you turn the tables on me.”
“Leave it to me. What do you want me to do?”
“I want Chiyu to keep enhancing me, and Shinpo, I’ll ask for your water magic when I give the signal.” I briefly explained my plan.
They understood immediately.
Chiyu’s ‘Strength Enhancement’ enveloped my body in a faint light.
I generated a large net with my ‘Crafting Ability’ and threw it into the river with force. “Deep, please!” “Yeah—‘Water Wall’!”
A water wall appeared just outside the range of my net.
This way, the fish couldn’t escape out of the net.
It took a lot of strength to pull the large net, but thanks to the enhancement, I was able to manage it.
When I pulled the net up, there were tons of fish in it. “S-Spectacular.” “You could be a fisherman, Souta.”
“Real fishing isn’t this easy, though.” I said with a bitter smile.
This massive catch was thanks to this island and my friends’ abilities.
But it was clearly effective in this battle.
“Y-Yeah…! If this is the case, then I’ll go into the river too—”
“No, Shouko. I think it’s better if we just fish normally.”
“Grr. That’s definitely… I won’t lose!”
For the next hour, we kept switching spots, but our competition continued.
It was surprising how both teams managed to catch plenty of fish, with none seeming to disappear from the area.
And then, the timer’s sound echoed across the river. The result of the competition was finally decided.
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