We’d dealt with the Arvank, sure, but they’d left the river a bit fouled with their leftovers.
While we waited for the debris to wash downstream, I pulled out various items from my [Inventory] and took a break.
For the first time in a while, it was my turn to handle the fire-making, with Shoubu lending a hand.
She was well aware that her underwear were visible; catching my gaze, she flashed a mischievous grin. “Mind your manners, got it?”
No matter how much experience I gained, my heart still skipped a beat. That meant her little gambit had succeeded.
By the way, “manners” here likely referred to hygiene or cleanliness.
Rather than stubbornly playing dumb, I simply nodded in agreement.
She seemed surprised by that response, blushing and stammering, “R-right… haha…” Her embarrassment was quite memorable.
Once the fire was going, we set up chairs and a table for tea time.
“Huff… What a beautiful sky, and such a cool breeze. It’s nice.”
The teacher, seated in a chair, took a sip of the tea Shion and the others had brewed, exhaling a breath.
“Though monsters do pop up, don’t they?”
Hearing her words, I let out a wry smile.
“W-well… that’s true, but…”
「But honestly, setting that aside, isn’t it actually perfect as a vacation spot? No bugs, plenty of ingredients to go around, and all that。」
“Makiko, regular people can’t really rely on Mashiro or Mikuron for help, so traveling would probably be pretty tough for them.”
“Mm. And the best accommodation you’d get is a cave. Without Sou-kun around, it’s basically guaranteed you’d be sleeping rough in the wild.”
“Besides, more things are bound to show up down the line. It’s dangerous with anything other than bugs popping up too, like new monsters and all that.”
Makiko, who had casually tried to back up Sensei, got called out by Shiin, Chiya, and Fukumitsu for her oversight.
“I-I know… it’s just relative to us, you know…”
Makiko pouted.
“Aha ha, that’s fair. I think I’d feel the same way—this island doesn’t seem half-bad when I’m with everyone.”
“Yes! Just as expected of Sōsuke! That was exactly what you wanted to say!”
Makiko nodded her head vigorously up and down.
They spent a while enjoying the pleasant atmosphere like that.
Then, glancing at the water’s surface, she noticed it had cleared up nicely.
“How about we go fishing?”
“Good idea!”
Makiko stood up from her chair, radiating enthusiasm.
“Why don’t we make it a proper showdown?”
Shibou suggested.
“A showdown?”
“Yep, yep. Like, whoever catches the most fish wins.”
“I see. Adding that element might actually boost everyone’s motivation.”
“As expected of Tamano, you get what I mean~”
Shibou pointed both index fingers straight at me.
“If we’re doing this, I think we need a grand prize for the winner. Like, a right to ask anyone for one favor.
For example, I could say, ‘Craft me any single item you want.’” “That’s great!”
“Ulu-chi, hold on a sec.”
“Hm. The rules have room for improvement.”
Nakano and Chiyu firmly grabbed Shibou’s shoulders, who was getting carried away.
“That’s right. We should borrow some wisdom from Fukami-chan here.” “Y-Yes, please. Leave it to me.”
Shion and Fukami also moved in to surround Shibou.
“W-Wait, wait, what’s going on?
Why are you all looking at me so seriously?”
A few minutes later.
“Let’s make it a team competition,” Fukami declared.
Split into two teams of five and compete on the number of fish caught.
The winning team can ask me for one single favor.
That seems to be the only rule.
—Hm hm, I see.
When everyone competes, there is only one winner.
But in a team match, at least four and up to five members could win prizes.
The reason the prize duty was assigned specifically to me was probably because of my 『Crafting Ability』.
I suppose they usually just ask directly, but there might be things they hesitate to request.
If it’s framed as a right belonging to the winning team, it should be a bit easier for them to bring up.
In that case, I had no reason to refuse.
There was just one thing on my mind.
“If my team wins, my teammates can ask me for favors… I get that. But what happens with the prize intended for me personally?”
“Hmm.
If Sou-kun’s team wins, the prize for Sou-kun is—the 『Right to Make Every Female Member Obey Anything』” “—!”
Is it really okay to be granted such a valuable right?
If anything, it seemed more valuable than the ‘Return Right’.
My motivation suddenly spiked.
But the voice of reason in my head told me to hold on.
“…Wait, wait. Does everyone actually consent to this?”
The four girls in couples seemed totally on board.
“I’m totally fine with it~”
“I don’t mind either.”
”…Well, if it’s Takano, it’s fine.”
“Mm. If it’s Takano, he wouldn’t say anything the girls would find unpleasant.”
Apparently, Soebe, Roa, Yume-kai, and Genchuu had no issues with it either.
Such heavy trust made me feel grateful, yet a little shy.
“T-Teacher, as for that… I do trust Takano-kun, but we are teacher and student, after all…”
Teacher Luminas blushed, looking confused.
“Come now, Lumie-chan. Surely there are a few things you’d like to ask Souzou for?”
“N-no way. Takano-kun is already working so hard. Asking for more would be too much…”
The teacher denied Saya’s words.
“Teacher, that’s a lie.”
Shion saw through the lie using her ability.
And I quietly shifted my gaze toward Roa.
She mouthed the words “o-sa-ke” to let me know.
“Well, Teacher is an adult, and with my ability, I think I could make alcohol too.”
“Eh!?”
The teacher’s eyes went wide, and she swallowed audibly.
She hadn’t known I liked alcohol, but since I was an adult, it wasn’t a problem.
“B-but being in a position to guide students… and drinking in a situation like this…”
It seemed the teacher was torn.
“I’m not much of an expert on drinks myself, but given the circumstances, wine seems like the best option.”
“Wine…”
“If more ingredients are added or discovered later, I think we could make other things as well.”
“If it’s Kuono-kun, you could make all sorts of alcohol…?”
“Mm. And besides, I can cure a hangover in an instant.”
“Using ‘Healing Magic’ for that kind of purpose…!?”
Professor Luminas’s eyes were glittering.
“So, Lumi-chan, you’re fine with participating, right?”
Tapped on the shoulder by Meiko, the teacher nodded as if giving up.
”…I-I suppose there’s no way around it. It would ruin the mood if I were the only one to refuse when everyone else has agreed to participate. Look, if I don’t join, our team won’t be equal in size, which would compromise fairness. So, purely as a member of the party…”
Exuding an incredible air of making excuses, the teacher ultimately decided to join in.
“Right then, here’s how it’ll work. We’ll use the timer function on the tablet. The goal is to see how many fish you can catch within the time limit. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll provide the rods and bait.”
As I generated a fishing rod, my spirit burned with competitive fire.
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