Moto Sekai Ichi’i no Sub-chara Ikusei Nikki

134　Cheap fishing gear shop, grip position

　Well then.

　Finally, I can sit back and prepare for the summer title games.

　As for Silvia and Eko, I am planning to work on a Game Plan and various training programs after the foundation of each of them is firmly established.

　Then it’s my turn.

　The five titles I plan to aim for in the summer are Toushini, Shisousei, Senjushou, Tenmouza, and Bishamon. Martial Arts, Spearmanship, Jojutsu, Thread Manipulation, and Sword-drawing, respectively.

　Five new ones. It’s quite a challenge.

　However, I have little concern about the experience. Because Anko is here.

　If Anko and I were to go around an appropriate A-class dungeon at high speed, we would accumulate them in less than a month.

　The question is how to acquire each of these skills.

　Martial Arts, Spearmanship, and Thread Manipulation are not much different from Swordsmanship and Archery, so they can be put aside for later.

　Jojutsu and sword-drawing…… these ones are tricky.

　Especially sword-drawing. In order to master the basic skill 《Soldier sword-drawing,》 one must be equipped with a katana.

　In other words, 【Blacksmithing】 is involved. This makes it quite a hassle for me alone. Therefore, Yukari’s cooperation would be essential.

“Yukari. Did you find out anything about the katana? “

　At teatime after lunch, I asked Yukari.

　I had already made a request to Yukari yesterday in anticipation of the difficulties in learning it.

　Find out if it is possible to 《Manufacture》 a katana in the current conditions―― was my request.

“Master, about that……”

　Oh my!　Unusually, Yukari was slurring her words.

　I nodded once, prompting her to continue.

“The manufacture of katanas seems to require a material called tamahagane. However, the crucial tamahagane is not available anywhere.”

“Nowhere?　Neither on the market nor at auction?　……Even the black market? “

“Yes. We searched everywhere in the capital, but we couldn’t find even a shadow of it.”

“For real?”

　Tamahagane. I also know that this is an essential material item for the 《Manufacture》 of a katana. In Mobius’s era, you could buy these items at the “player stores” around here and there without even a second thought.

　But is it nowhere to be found……?

“In other words, is it currently impossible to manufacture a katana? “

“……Yeah. I’m so sorry.”

　Yukari bowed her head with an expressionless face. She seemed to be really depressed, as her long pointed dark elf ears drooped a little.

“Don’t worry. Let me think of a way.”

　I followed up with a quick comment and sipped my tea.

　That said, if we don’t have tamahagane, we can’t really do much.

　Hmmm, I don’t know what to do……

“Second, sea! “

“…………”

“Sea!　Sea! “

“………………”

“Seaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseasea!　Seaseasea! “

“……………………”

“Sea Seaseasea Seaseaseaseaseaseaseasea! “

“AHHH!　Alright, alright!　Let’s go to the beach! “

“Yaay!! “

　……She was so full of energy that it was hard to believe that she was the same cat girl who slipped and fell on moss and trembled when she arrived at the beach earlier this morning.

　Getting her revenge as early as in the same afternoon? Aggressive indeed. I’d like someone to learn from her, this flexibility in thinking.

“I’m off to the beach with Eko.”

“Be careful.”

“Umu. Be careful.”

“Have a good day, Master.”

　……It seems that no one else is coming.

　Well, no one likes to go all the way to the ocean in this crappy cold season.

“Fwishy! “

　Other than fishermen, that is.

“Listen, Eko. The first step in fishing is information gathering.”

“Strategy meeting!? “

“That’s wrong. Hey……You don’t think all four-letter phrases mean “strategy meeting,” do you? (情報収集 =/=作戦会議) “

“Yeah? “

“……Then, it’s fine. First, we’ll go to the fishing gear shop.”

“Yeーs.”

　Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to fish too.

　This will be my first time fishing since I came to this world.

　So, as soon as we arrived at the port of Koula, we headed for the fishing gear shop.

　This is because the fishing conditions over here are not always exactly the same as in Mobius. Fishing is a process in which everything changes drastically depending on the tides and seasonal weather conditions, from the type of fish caught to other things. This is a rather tricky and interesting point. Mochi is for rice cake shops, as the saying goes, so tackle is for fishing. Each thing has its own area of specialty.

“Excuse me.”

“Coming, what can I hel――Epp.”

　I walked into a small, cheap fishing tackle shop and called out to the clerk, who came out from the back and stiffened up when she saw me, sounding as if she had a rice cake stuck in her throat.

　While pointing at me, she opened her mouth flapping, and made an inarticulate sound.

“This is the problem with being famous.”

“Second, are you feimos? “

“Well, sort of famous.”

“I’m glad! “

“Hmmー……Hmー? “

　I wonder if it’s something to be glad about.

“Se, Se, Sec Second Triple Crown, right……!? “

“Yes, I am.”

“Ho-Ho-How did you end up in such a shitty, desolate fishing tackle shop?? “

“I came to buy some fishing gear.”

“Ohh, that’s obvious, right?”

　This girl is amusing.

“I’m just wondering if you have any fishing recommendations right now? “

“Ah, ye-yeah!　I do have!　Is this your first time fishing, Second-sama!? “

“No, I’m pretty good at it.”

“If so, I recommend shore jigging!　You can catch a variety of fish from sea bass to bottomfish and bluefish! “

“Haa……”

“If you are looking for a more relaxed and enjoyable fishing experience with your companion, hole fishing for rockfish is also fun!　It is also good for a quick throw using a shoulder-carrying pole! “

“O-okay.”

“Have you heard of brakuri fishing? “

“Bra?　Kuri……!?(A vulgar abbreviation of clitoris)”

“No, brakuri.”

“……Ahh, yeah.”

　Oh, man, this girl is crazy serious when it comes to fishing. For a second I mistakenly thought she suddenly started talking dirty, but it seems to be a fishing term. As expected of a fishing gear store clerk, she’s not just for show.

“Is that a rod for rock beach fishing? If so, you can target horse mackerels with a sabiki, which is a popular method this time of year, as the fish are always over 6 feet long!　Or do you want to go basket fishing for bigger fish? “

“Horsey! “

“You’re aiming for horse mackerels?　Then this pink-skinned sabiki is excellent! “

　In addition, she is a good businesswoman.

　Eko squeezed the bag containing the Sabiki lures she was given and would not let go. That’s a pattern I’ve seen before, she won’t let go of anything new she’s got.

“Second-sama. To be honest, it’s not impossible to catch fish this time of year, but they are very reluctant to bite when fishing from shore. But, if you take a boat out to the offshore point, it’s a huge catch……”

“A boat? Do you rent it? “

“No, no!　But our store manager will be happy to show you around!　Usually, we do it if you make a reservation by 4:00 a.m. that morning, but right now there are no other customers with reservations, so we can leave right away! “

　……I guess I’m getting special treatment. That’s kind of awkward.

“I don’t need a boat. Today we will fish from the shore. We’re going for sea bass.”

“If so, it is better to cast on the estuary side!　If you want to catch horse mackerel using a sabiki, drop it a little farther inside the harbor!　Oh, we have rods available for rent. “

“Nah……I’ll buy one. An all-purpose, sea bass rod?　And also, a reel. And lures and jigs?　A few of those. Ah, and since we’re at it why not add more?　Some bait, a bucket, and a landing net.”

“Understood!　Then…… How about this one?　The grip position is quite a bit lower, so it’s designed to be easier to cast.”

“……I’m not sure. So, I’ll leave it all to you.”

“Okay!　Leave it to me! “

　…………Haa, not good. I ended up buying a lot of stuff.

　Great job, shopkeeper lady. There was a lot of jargon, and I sometimes tilted my head, but I could sort of understand what was being said. Would that be what was motivating me to buy?

　In addition, I am getting excited about fishing, or rather, I am looking forward to fishing. I feel like we’re going to catch something……!

“We’ll absolutely catch something!　I can feel it! “

“Same! “

　Eko seemed to feel the same way, smiling the whole time as she held the sabiki lures in her tiny hands with great care.

“Thank you for your purchase, Second-sama! “

“No, thank you very much for explaining everything to me.”

“I am honored to be of service!　Um, by the way……There is one thing you should be aware of when fishing on the bank. Today around 3:00 p.m., a boat heading to the island of the Eight Swords will be leaving from the harbor, so please be careful when you are casting your line. If the line is left cast, the boat will cut it.”

　Island of the Eight Swords?　Was there such an island in Mobius?

　Huh, I’ve never heard of it. Is it an island unique to this world?

“Yeah, okay. Watch for boats around 3 p.m.”

“Certainly!　We look forward to seeing you again! “

“Yeah, I’ll come again.”

“I’m also a big fan!!　I’ll be rooting for you!! “

“……Thanks.”

　Well, that was a…… strong-willed lady.

　I think she was saying something pretty important, but the cheering at the end completely blanked it all out.

　Well, whatever.

　Now, let’s go fishing!

“――Noooooooooooo!　My line! “

　3:10 pm.

　The boat mercilessly severed the fishing line that I had left cast and left unattended.

　Perhaps because the rocks were rough, we often lost our hooks because of entanglements. Finally, the last of the hooks was lost with the passage of the boat.

　On the other hand, the lures and jigs were still too early for me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to catch any fish, and I didn’t feel I could catch any fish at all.

　The same was true of Eko, where not a single horse mackerel was caught as if they were not migrating in the first place.

　That’s right. After two and a half hours of persistence, we were both still out of luck.

“……Hey, Eko.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we go home?”

“……Yeah.”

　Fishing in this world wasn’t that easy.

　I’ve learned another lesson, I guess.

“That boat was seriously unforgiving.”

　If only it had stopped in front of me――As I am putting away my fishing gear, I am slowly becoming irrationally angry.

　Well, to say that there is no way to see the fishing line from the boat would be an understatement, but it would be possible to see at least the fishermen who are setting up their poles on the bank. If I were a boatman…… Well, I wouldn’t stop.

　…………I guess it’s normal for it to not stop.

“I guess it couldn’t be helped, yeah.”

　I didn’t understand until I put myself in the other person’s shoes. I would certainly not stop.

　And if it’s bound for the island of the eight swords, then it must be carrying passengers. There’s no way it would stop.

　My anger gradually subsided. Okay, next time, I’ll watch out for boat traffic.

　…………

　……Eh?

　Wait.

　I feel like I might have stumbled upon something.

　Huh, I wonder what it is.

　Fishing.

　Boat.

　……Passengers.

　To the island of the Eight Swords.

　Island of the Eight Swords……?

　Island……?

“……………………Ah!! “

　I see!

　I remembered!!

“Yukari!　Yukariiiiiiii! “

“I-Is there something you need!?　Master! “

　Tamahagane, an item necessary for the 《Manufacture》 of a Katana.

　There are items necessary for the 《Production》 of that tamahagane.

　That is――

“It’s iron sand, iron sand! “

“……Iron sand? “

“Yeah, that’s right.”

　In order to learn 《Soldier sword-drawing,》 a katana must be equipped.

　In order to 《Manufacture》 that katana, you need tamahagane.

　In order to 《Produce》 the tamahagane, iron sand is needed.

　That iron sand is probably in THAT location.

　……That place, I mean.

“Let’s go to Hinodejima.”

======

Thank you for reading.