Chapter One Hundred and Five: Fishing? Hunting? Why Not Do Both!?
The creature in front of me, dripping water, looks like a giant otter. However, its face is completely different. It lacks the cuteness of Asian small-clawed otters or Japanese river otters. Its eyes are ferocious, its nose flattened and spread wide, with sharp claws and fangs… It looks incredibly vicious, but…
[Mad Otter (Delicious)
A giant otter monster. Hunts alone, not in packs. Mainly preys on fish but may attack anything it sees. With its ability to swim freely underwater, it has firm, red meat. Well-marbled, it becomes meltingly tender when boiled in salt water or stewed.]
…This thing… looks like this but is delicious…!?
“Ms. Aria, this is supposed to be tasty!”
“Mm! Got it! Goma!!!”
‘Leave it to me!!!’
I couldn’t help but shout that after reading the description from Survival, and I don’t think I was wrong. Responding to my voice, Ms. Aria’s hand whirled, and a net-like thread restrained the mad otter that was about to pounce.
As the monster roars and thrashes, something huge bytes into its neck. It is Gomamiso, in its boss form… or rather, fully mature form.
Miso (large)’s fangs sink into the mad otter’s neck, and with a dull crunch… the mad otter’s outline dissipates into black mist. The drop item left behind is about to fall into the lake when Ms. Aria’s net deftly catches it. Seeing it wrapped in bark, it seems we’ve happily received some meat!
“Ms. Aria, thanks for the follow-up! You saved me!”
“Mm… I… forgot to stay on guard… Sorry…”
“I wasn’t being cautious either, and since no one got hurt, it’s all good! Plus, we got some delicious meat!”
Contrary to my unbridled joy, Ms. Aria seems dejected. She’s probably concerned about letting the enemy get so close while we were distracted.
While all’s well that ends well, as an active adventurer, I guess she has her own feelings about it, yup… But in the end, Ms. Aria was the first to act and protect me… I really don’t want her to feel down about it… After all, it could have been dangerous if she hadn’t been here. In the first place, I was also careless with Survival’s warning, so shouldn’t we just agree to be more careful from now on?
When I show the meat to Ms. Aria, who’s slumping her shoulders, I think I see a bit of life return to her gloomy face.
“…Rin, you’re not… angry?”
“Huh? Why would I be angry…? Ms. Aria, you protected me properly!”
“…Thank… you…”
When I give her a thumbs up, Ms. Aria finally smiles again.
That’s right. Beautiful ladies look lovely even when worried, but smiles suit them best!
Gomamiso, who has somehow returned to its kitten form, keeps headbutting my shin. It probably wants attention too. I pick up its soft, pliable body and stroke its head and back. It narrows its eyes in contentment and purrs.
“Gomamiso, you were amazing too! So strong!”
’Right? Right? I’m, like, super strong!’
While petting Gomamiso, who’s puffing out its chest proudly, I materialize the Camping Car in a nearby clearing. I need to store this meat in the fridge before it goes bad!
While I’m at it, I’ll start cooking some rice too!
As I release Gomamiso into the car, Ms. Aria also enters the cabin.
“I’m going to wash some rice now, so please take a rest for a bit.”
“…Aren’t we… going to fish… anymore…?”
“Hmm… I think the fish probably scattered quite a bit after all that commotion…”
“…I wanted… to eat fish…”
‘Me too… I wanted fish…’
“Ugh…!”
As I rinsed the rice vigorously, I spoke to Ms. Aria, and she muttered with a disappointed look.
Well… they say fish scatter when you get one, and after that big showdown with the mad otter, I doubt any fish will come near that area for a while…?
…But… when Ms. Aria and Gomamiso, the heroes who defeated the mad otter, look at me with their "We want to eat fish" aura at full blast… well… my conscience…
“After I finish washing the rice, shall we try fishing in a different spot? Maybe near the inlet… if I try hard… yup… but sorry if I don’t catch anything.”
“!!! Thank you, Rin! If worse comes to worst… I’ll scoop them up!”
“That’s no longer fishing, that’s just harvesting!”
Seeing Ms. Aria’s face light up and Gomamiso’s ears and tail perk up with shining eyes, I feel like I have to do my best until I catch something… and I’m glad I offered to try again.
I’ll do my very best.
Especially to ensure Ms. Aria doesn’t turn into a fisherwoman with that sparkling smile and clenched fist!
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