Chapter Eighty-nine: To the Seaside! But First…
After a serious discussion, Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria decided to go on a shopping date together. Mr. Xenon will head to the Guild’s library. And I, along with Gomamiso, are set to go play at the sea. Mr. Ville will be our “chaperone”. Well, more than a chaperone, he’s coming along as a combatant. Some voices in the party raised concerns about my and Gomamiso’s fighting abilities, so Mr. Ville volunteered to accompany us.
“But are you sure it’s okay to come with us? If you have plans, Mr. Ville, I could just organize the fridge or something…”
‘I’m telling you, if any enemies come, I’ll go swoosh-swoosh! No worries!’
“…Well… Unfortunately, I don’t have any significant plans… If you and Gomamiso don’t mind, please let me accompany you.”
“Really? That would be great, we’d be delighted to have you! I’ll do my best to catch something for dinner!”
Mr. Ville, his eyes softening, stroked Gomamiso’s head as the cat moved its front paws with an unnecessarily smug expression. I wonder if Mr. Ville is actually quite fond of cats…
We waited for a quiet moment in the courtyard before descending from the Camping Car, and everyone dispersed to their respective destinations.
Gomamiso, Mr. Ville, and I head straight for the sea through the main gate… or so I thought, until Mr. Ville leads us to a certain item shop, saying there is a good store. It’s a street just one turn from the guild… the kind of street that reeks of expertise. You know, that feeling of "We handle items for professionals!" It’s lined with stores known only to those in the know.
“Sea Slime Goggles…! I can’t believe such a thing exists…!”
“These were used for hunting underwater monsters in the past. Now there are more high-performance ones, but they’re quite expensive. For personal use at the sea, something like this should be good enough, right?”
“Amazing! This is incredible! It sticks on snugly without needing straps, and the visibility is super clear!”
In one corner of such a shop, I’m now holding what looks like underwater goggles made from processing a monster called a "Sea Slime." They look like thin, transparent VR goggles with a slight blue tint, but when you put them on your face, they stick by themselves, so you don’t need straps to keep them from falling off. Plus, if you’re careful to keep them from drying out, they can be used for quite a long time! Apparently, they’ve been further improved now, and the mainstream ones can even ensure some degree of breathing in addition to visibility. Still, since I’m just planning to observe in slightly deeper tide pools or catch stranded fish and such, this level of product should be just right. Besides, it’s not like I have the skills to dive very deep, and there’s no point in having expensive equipment I can’t fully utilize.
“Ellarge is a coastal town, isn’t it? Naturally, aquatic monsters and magical creatures often appear, so there are shops selling equipment for subjugating them.”
“Ah, I see, that makes sense! So, is this harpoon also for subjugation?”
“It’s a harpoon for shorter races like halflings. Well, the range is short, though.”
I picked up something like a short spear or harpoon nearby. It’s about 1.5cm thick and quite easy to grip. The length is about 1m, and when I tried handling it, it felt similar to the fish spears I used for river play as a child.
Even if the range is short, it seems just right for tide pool play.
Thanks to all the unexpected events, I received a surprisingly large paycheck, so I decided to purchase these Sea Slime Goggles and the harpoon.
As for a net, I think I’ll use the spare folding rubber net I have. It’s made partly with stretchy material, so it should be strong against small bumps and irregularities… I think!
It’s for trout, but I have a scari-type fish basket with floats, so this must be a divine message to enjoy seaside leisure!
“You seem excited, Rin.”
“Actually, I’ve wanted to play in the tide pools since we came to the beach last time! I’m so glad my dream is coming true!”
When the shopkeeper asked if we wanted to gear up here, we declined, and he packed everything into what seemed to be a complementary cloth bag. Well, it would be dangerous to have the spear tip exposed.
Carrying all that, I picked up Gomamiso, who had been waiting patiently outside the store. Perhaps feeling a bit neglected, Gomamiso jumped onto my shoulder and rubbed its head against mine with such force it could almost be called a headbutt.
Hey… Miso! You’re quite big, you know, so could you be a bit gentler?
‘Why did you leave me behind? Why? Why??’
“There was a sign saying familiars weren’t allowed because of fragile items.”
‘I don’t do anything bad!’
“Well, that’s risk management, you know.”
Its excitement caused its thick, long tail to smack against my back, and its flapping wings to brush against my ears… Who would have thought that the price of a fun shopping trip would be a sulking cat…! As Gomamiso continued its nuzzling attacks, Mr. Ville casually lifted it up.
‘No! Don’t stop me! This is a divine punishment!’
“Ah, I see, I see. You felt lonely being left behind, huh?”
‘That’s not it! I’m not such a wimp! I’m super strong, you know?’
It was now being held by different arms, and Mr. Ville began to stroke Gomamiso’s back with an incredibly gentle touch as the cat kept swishing its tail.
…Yup. I think Mr. Ville might really be a cat person.
“Looking at it like this, it’s quite cute… By the way, Rin, do you understand what it’s saying? Something like ‘I’m the boss! The boss!’ maybe?”
“You’re not wrong, but… it’s unnecessarily pompous.”
Though there was a hint of exasperation in his voice, Mr. Ville’s hand didn’t stop gently stroking Gomamiso’s forehead, ears, and chin, maintaining a soft smile. Gomamiso, who had been slightly bristling, seems to have finally succumbed to the pleasure of being petted. It’s gone limp in Mr. Ville’s arms, narrowing its eyes in bliss and purring.
…Well. It’s good to see Ellarge is peaceful today too!
“Alright! Let’s catch something we can use for dinner!”
‘Me too! I’ll go swoosh-swoosh too! I’ll catch something too!!!’
“Rin, Gomamiso, don’t overdo it, okay? Life is the most important thing!”
Mr. Ville firmly cautioned us as Gomamiso and I raised our fist and paw enthusiastically.
Life is important, but so is food!
Now then, let’s set off for some fun marine leisure!
No comments:
Post a Comment