We ended up being the ones to catch the freshwater fish.

After a bit of back-and-forth, we decided to make it competitive by keeping score based on who caught the most fish.

The competition would be held in a team format, and the winning side would receive prizes.

As for the rewards: any girl could ask me for one favor, while I would have the right to ask any of the girls for as many favors as I wanted. That's what we'd get if we won.

Team assignments were drawn fairly by lot.

Using 『Wood』, I generated some chopsticks and colored one end of half of them.

Everyone drew a stick, splitting us into the Unmarked Team and the Marked Team.

Here are the results:

The Unmarked Team consisted of me, Chiya, Fumihō, Roa, and Professor Luminas.

"Hmm. This draw really is what makes us 'childhood friends.'"

"I don't have any experience fishing, but... I'll give it my best shot."

I shall support you with all my might, Master.

First things first, wine... add barley and it's beer... add rice and it's sake... I really hope corn gets added soon too... No, actually, the grain configuration should be implemented immediately, of course! It's all for improving the students' nutritional situation, but...—Ah. Everyone, please, let's do our best!"

Ever since the conversation about alcohol came up, it felt like Professor Luminous’s character had shifted slightly...

No, that's not right.

It was simply that a side of him who shouldn't have been visible in their student-teacher dynamic had started to show through a bit.

While his serious consideration for sending the students back to Japan was admirable, I personally found this current version more appealing, thinking it’s fine for him to indulge in some of his own desires now and then.

"By the way, looks like the opposing team has solidly formed into the Shouko group."

The colored team consisted of Shouko, Shion, Yume-sai, Shoubu, and Genchu.

"We're sorry for putting you on the other side, Sou-suke and the others, but we won't lose when it comes to teamwork!"

"Heh, it feels just like back in Japan."

"Well, we are missing a few people."

"Since we're doing this, we'll definitely win!"

"If I win, I can ask Kudo for a favor... If I win, I can ask Kudo..."

At school, our interactions with Shouko's group had been minimal. Aside from Shouko occasionally initiating conversation, there was little connection between us, so it feels strange now to realize that they are all friends.

Moreover, Shouko and Shion are in a romantic relationship.

That said, one doesn't hold back when it comes to competition.

Fishing rods, simple affairs made by tying string and hooks to wooden sticks, were distributed to everyone.

Thread was spun from plant fibers, and the fishing hooks were crafted by processing [Stone Material].

It was a blessing that even items unsuited for a specific purpose could be fashioned into suitable substitutes through the free-form creation granted by the [Crafting Ability].

"So, what do we do about bait?"

"How about we just crumble some bread into small pieces?"

Shion responded to Tsukiko's question.

Insects had not yet been deployed on this island, so they decided to adopt Shion's proposal.

They retrieved the bread stored in their [Inventory], shaped it into manageable portions, divided them by headcount into boxes, and distributed them.

They also prepared net bags to temporarily hold the fish they caught.

According to Fukaho, an item of this shape is apparently called a "mesh bag."

Since wooden buckets had also been prepared, everyone was free to use whatever tool they preferred.

Finally, it was time to confirm the rules.

"Let's set the time limit at two hours for now."

"Hey, hey, are we allowed to use abilities?"

Tsukiko asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Her smile clearly revealed that she believed having abilities meant having a chance to win.

That said, they did not believe being able to use abilities as well would put them at a disadvantage.

「Ah... how about this? No abilities for the first hour, and then we let them come in for the second hour」

Since no one objected, the additional rule was adopted.

"Right, everyone. Try not to drift too far from each other, stay away from high places, and keep a regular check on your teammates' locations. I can't have any accidents."

Dying on the desert island meant being sent back under penalty.

It wasn't a real death, but you didn't want to lose a comrade during a food-gathering event.

I nodded deeply in response to Mr. Luminas's warning.

After that, we each took our positions.

"Alright. We've got two hours now. On the count of three... start!"

I cast my line into the water, and within seconds, I felt a sharp tug.

"Woah!"

Being careful not to panic, I reeled in the rod.

The line was pulled up from the surface, a fish hooked firmly onto its end.

"Yes!"

The speed was surprising, but I quickly caught on to the reason.

The fish here don't know what humans are, so they probably won't be wary of the bait falling from above.

And while I don't care about the moss or such, there are probably no small creatures that serve as prey, or at least very few of them.

I immediately dropped the fish I'd caught into my wicker basket.

"This is... a sweetfish, right?"

I'm not an expert on fish, but it was likely a sweetfish.

Looking around, I saw my companions also hooking up more and more fish.

We must be in the middle of a feeding frenzy.

This was fun.

Come to think of it, what was the seasonal cycle like for this river?

Since the island itself supported a flora that shouldn't naturally exist, maybe the fish ignored their normal spawning seasons and various species were swimming here at any time of year.

"Yay! Got one! A fish! ...Ah, but live fish are scary!"

"Heh, well then, why don't you come fishing with me, Mebuki-chan? Let me unhook it for you. Oh, a rainbow trout."

"Thanks, Shii-nee! That one has really pretty lines."

The opposing team seemed to be doing well, too.

"W-waaah! Um, umm, someone, please help me~"

Seeing Professor Luminas being pulled toward the river, I rushed over and supported her body from behind.

"Looks like a real heavyweight. I've got you, sensei—let's just keep pulling."

"Kudono-kun!? Y-Yes...!"

As the two of us hauled it up, it turned out to be an enormous—salmon.

"Whoa, that's a big one, sensei!"

"I-it's incredible. One meter... no, probably around ninety centimeters."

Without a doubt, this was the biggest catch so far.

Even a prize this size only counts as one fish in this competition.

Still, that sheer volume will surely shine when it's served on the dining table.

—That's when I finally realized something.

Caught up in the moment, I hadn't been paying attention to the fact that I was holding my class vice-homeroom teacher from behind.

Feeling suddenly awkward, I quickly let go.

"I-I'm sorry, sensei. I only meant to help..."

"…Heh. Yes, I understand perfectly well. You were the one who asked for help in the first place, and I've seen how serious you are, so I knew that much."

While returning to my usual stance, the sensation of the Sensei's body resurfaced in my mind.

…It was soft, and it smelled good.

Shaking off those distracting thoughts, I cast my fishing line back out.

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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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