abcnovels
Chapter 35: Kirio Drug’s Day Off
Chapter 35: Kirio Drug’s Day Off
Chapter 35: Kirio Drug’s Day Off
Our store takes a regular day off once a week, and most of these days off often end by just lazing around all day.
However, it’s different today.
“Master, over here, Master, over here!”
We’re in the usual forest.
Noela is pulling me by the hand.
“Hold on, hold on; you don’t need to be in such a hurry.”
Mina is next to us, smiling warmly.
In her hands is the lunch she made this morning, packed into a basket.
What Noela is talking about seems to be a lake a little further within the forest, and the plan is to go there to take it easy today.
I didn’t know that such a place existed until now, but it seems that Noela had previously found it while I was fully concentrated on harvesting medicinal plants.
“You’ve even brought a fishing pole along haven’t you, Reiji-san?”
“Yeah, when I went to buy this, that general goods store uncle gave it to me.”
As always, that person never lets me pay.
I feel a little guilty that it’s like this every single time ; if I catch anything I’ll give it to him as thanks.
Noela is collecting things like caterpillars stuck to leaves and whatnot, sticking them in bottles.
“I,is that … going to be the bait? I am the one who asked you to gather it but…”
“It is! They’ll bite! Mina gather too!”
When she thrust the bottle out, Mina trembled.
“I,I,I,I … w,will refrain… . I’m afraid of … squirming things.
Yeah, I totally understand that feeling, Mina.
I can deal with one by itself, but when I see 10 or 20 squirming in a jar, even I’ll be disgusted.
After walking a little more, we came to a peaceful lake in a clearing in the forest.
“Master, Mina, here.”
Mina spread out the picnic blanket at a suitable spot.
“Heeeh~, this is a really refreshing place, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, the breeze feels good too; this is quite the hidden spot.”
The lake is also quite clear and pretty.
“Lost of monsters, beasts, around. Be careful.”
Ugh. For real?
Then of course this place is hidden.
I suppose there will also be monsters and beasts coming to drink water too.
If a battle breaks out, I can only rely on Miss Noela.
After relaxing my back and taking a drink of the tea Mina had included, I promptly made the preparations for fishing.
“Let’s get ready too, Noela-san.”
“Ru-”
Get ready?
Noela put on a small backpack and hid together with Mina in the shade.
What is it?
Ah, I get it … it’s surely the bathroom.
As I’m a gentleman, naturally I won’t peek into the shade or try to listen in.
I took the first of the caterpillar-chans that Noela had resolutely gathered and stuck it onto the hook, then cast the line.
… …
… … … …
… … … … … …
There isn’t the slightest response.
Well, fishing is just like this, isn’t it?
Ping!
Hm? I think this sound is…?
I look at myself with the Appraisal Skill.
[Skill: Appraisal * Drug Discovery * Cultivation Ace
Fish Shadow Confirmation Sonar – [NEW] (a skill that can confirm the presence of fish)]
Ooh!
It feels like this will be pretty useful when fishing!
Just like with using the Appraisal Skill, when I look at the lake with intent, I could see a lot of fish shadows that weren’t visible at all.
Fufun, with this I’ll be able to fish without casting the lure into useless places.
I moved to a suitable spot and waited for a fish to take the bait.
“Reiji-sa-n.”
“Master-”
I turned at the voices of my two poster girls, and there they were wearing swimsuits.
Noela has a onepiece swimsuit.
Mina has a bikini with a pareo wrapped around, giving a mature feeling.
“Master, Master! Suits me? Suits me?”
Noela ran over to me, tail wagging, and spun around to show me.
“Yeah, it suits you. When did you buy them?”
“Well, previously when we went to San Rogulo. … W,what do you think about mine, Reiji-san?”
“Yeah, I think Mina’s is great too. “
Ehehe, Mina laughed in embarrassment.
Wasn’t there a sandy beach near San Rogulo?
If there was, the two of them might have gone swimming in the see.
Splash, splash; Mina and Noela began to splash each other with water in the shallows.
“Noela-san, it’s cold ~. Nn, here-”
“Habyu!? … Noela, won’t forgive…”
“Hiya!? Why did you get serious all of a sudden~?”
Watching the two in their swimsuits having fun playing around is a good thing.
Pulling back the pole, an empty fishhook dangled before my eyes.
Seems like just the bait was taken while I was watching the two.
After that, it didn’t matter how many times I repeated it, only the bait was eaten.
I wanted to bring back fish for the General store uncle and Rena and her father at the bar though…
Is it not that easy to catch something for a fishing novice like me?
“…. Interesting. Alright, I’ll show you what happens when a pharmacist gets serious.”
Abandoning the pole, I entered the forest.
I have a complete seat of pharmaceutical tools in my bad, so I’ll use it to make bait that fish go straight for.
My idea for the drug is an arrangement of the attractant I made for Lilika before.
[Big Catch-kun: A gel-type medicine that contains a pheromone that is intensely effective on a fish’s sense of smell.”
Like the explanation says, there’s a thick substance within the bottle.
I stuck it on the original bait and,
“There-”
I dropped it down on the lake.
And then.
Multitudes of dark fish shadows approached the lure immediately.
However, they spun around and fled.
How weird; right when I tilted my head, a gigantic shadow suddenly appeared.
Oh. Wouldn’t this be the lord of the lake!?
[t/n: meaning the top of the lake’s food chain, not an actual ruler]
As I was getting excited, pull; a strong shock ran up the pole.
It’s here it’s here it’s here-!
“Reiji-san, does it seem like you’ll catch anything?”
“Right now-! I’m catching something right now!”
As it pulled and I pulled repeatedly, eventually the lord of the lake’s pulling power weakened.
“Ra—-aaaaa!
When I pulled with all my might, the lord flew from the water’s surface and, crash; it tumbled on the ground.
“Owie~~. Sticking a hook in it is so horrible…”
What did I fish up?
Saying it bluntly, I fished up a girl.
From the lake.
Owowowow; the girl extracted the hook that was stuck in the corner of her mouth and tossed it away.
“Rerere,Reiji-san fished up a girllll-!?”
“Master, how did you fish?”
“Mina and Noela, calm down. I don’t really get it myself. The lord … I don’t really know that, huh. But she came flying out of the lake.”
Growl; the girl pressed her stomach as it made that strange noise.
“I thought it was my first meal in a while and ate it … for there to be a hook… is this bullying….?”
“Um-, excuse me-?”
“Ah-! It’s you isn’t it, the horrible person who used a hook to fish me up!”
“Rather than me fishing you up, it’s more like you came and got yourself caught … I wanted to catch fish, you know.”
My bad, my bad; I apologized, but the girl who was sitting there glared at me with a pout.
“I’m the pharmacist Reiji. And you?”
“I(boku) am Vivi. I’m the spirit of this lake. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a conversation with a human.”
The girl who calls herself Vivi has pretty sky-blue hair done up.
A spirit, huh…?
But staying underwater all the time isn’t something a human can imitate, so she might be the real thing.
Mina tilted her head in wonder.
“Does a fantasy-like existence like a spirit really exist?”
“What is a ghost saying?”
Growl; Vivi’s stomach sounded again and she muttered absentmindedly, “So hungry…”
The girls and I exchanged glasses.
“We just so happened to have brought a lunch, would you like to eat together with us?”
“Is that alright? Treating a spirit like me to a meal…?”
“Yeah, it’s fine, it’s fine.”
“But being joined by a stranger like me will turn your fun lunchtime into an unpleasant time….”
“It won’t, it won’t!”
“A. I understand… You’ll act like you’re being my friend and then badmouth me a ton afterwards-”
“No we won’t!”
This spirit is as negative as shit.
“Is fine, come.”
Noela took her by the hand and led her to the picnic blanket.
Mina and I followed behind, with the lunch Mina made this morning in hand.
What was made and provided was a lot of different types of sandwiches.
Chomp chomp; Noela is eating with her usual gusto.
Chew chew; the spirit Vivi is also moving her small mouth and eating in silence.
“What do spirits normally eat?”
“… Up until now humans have given me offerings, but recently that hasn’t been happening so I’ve been going hungry.”
When I asked about the details, it seems that Vivi was deified as a great spirit a very long time ago.
And so it seems she had the lifestyle of eating offerings.
Currently this has been reduced greatly.
There are a lot of monsters and beasts, so I suppose there isn’t anyone who would purposefully brave the dangers to bring offerings.
“I’m such an embarrassment of a spirit, you’ll be laughing at me later anyway…”
“We won’t laugh. Do you not eat fish?”
“I can’t catch th … my mistake. I don’t eat friends.”
I heard your true feelings.
“Then do you want to try fishing with us? I also have [Big Catch-kun] too.”
I cut off a robust-looking branch for a pole.
Next I used the string and hook I brought and completed it.
“Haaaa….”
The spirit let out a strange voice.
She seemed to be moved by seeing the caterpillars wiggling inside the bottle.
Oh yeah, this spirit was fished up with these caterpillars…
“Reiji-kun, c,can I pinch just one of them?”
“Just what kind of remote tribe are you from? No way, no way. Because you’re going to fish with this.”
Sticking the bait with the gel-type Big Catch-kun on, I threw the hook into the lake.
“Here. Take this. If something bites, give it a pull okay?”
“Why are you being so nice?”
“I wonder.”
“To show me so much favor, your motive must be to take advantage of me later, definitely…”
Slump; Vivi is depressed again. ?
Although I don’t intend to demand repayment at all…
Pull pull; Vivi’s pole gives a large shudder.
“Fuwawawawa, Rerere,Reiji-kun, there’s a huge pull!”
“It’s your friend’s resistance with all its might.”
“Haha-, ha, ha …. I don’t have anyone like that….”
“Is this the time to be depressed!? A fish bit, so fish it up!”
Bracing her feet on the spot and looking like she’s trying with all her might, so I encircled Vivi from behind and grasped the pole.
“We’re pulling on three!”
“Eh? Eh? What, what!?”
“One, two, – three!”
Matching my call, Vivi pulled with all her might.
Splash; a fish flew from the water’s surface, flying this way from the force of being fished up.
Fwooooooosh – slap!
A 40 cm fish hit Vivi directly in the face.
“Fubeh-!?”
… … D,don’t worry about it.
“Reiji-kun, I caught it.”
What remained on Vivi’s face after the fish hit it was a smile.
“Let’s catch another.”
Nearby is the Noela+Mina team, casting my pole and reeling it in, casting and reeling over and over again.
Mina is fishing. Noela removes the hook, sticks the bait on, then smears Big Catch-kun on. Mina casts off again.
It’s endless, and they’re already showing off some splendid cooperation.
There are around 20 fish flapping at their feet.
I,isn’t it a massive hauuuul!?
“I won’t lose to you guys, Reiji-san!”
Mina said playfully, and Noela also nodded in agreement.
“We’re not losing either, Vivi.”
“Y – yeah!”
“Do you have any lake spirit power that will make fishing easier?”
“Haha… do you really think I would have that kind of power…?
“Then, don’t worry about it. If that’s how it is, I’ll use my Skill…”
“Ah, ah, ah Reiji-kun, don’t abandon me… Please…”
The unlucky spirit + me pair were unable to catch up, and in the end we caught 23.
The poster girls pair caught 26.
“We won, Noela-san”
“Ru-ru- ?”
This is more than enough as gifts for the general goods store and Rabbit Hall.
I made a bit of a fish-tank, bringing back only what I need.
“Vivi, I’m going to give you this fish-tank with the rest.”
“Eh – why?”
For some reason Vivi looked uneasy with a downcast face.
“Why… because we don’t need them. And you were hungry, right? When you’re hungry, you can eat.”
“…. Humans always want something in return for doing this kind of thing. Everyone leaves offerings and asks me for things I can’t do … like making it rain or hiding the sun… even though I’m not a god… I can’t do what I can’t do …. I can’t,, I can’t, so please don’t come to this lake anymore. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please stop defiling the lake … Even though it’s not my fault…”
Aah…. she’s negative because that stuff happened.
“I’m not wishing for something in return.”
“…”
“If we’re friends, it’s fine to give and receive, right? I’m not interested in a relationship only based on self-interest either.”
I grasped Vivi’s hand.
“Reiji-kun and I are… friends?
“Noela too.”
Squeeze; Noela added her hand, and Mina added hers to.
“Please be friends with me too. We had fun together today, it was enjoyable.”
“See?”
Drip drip; Vivi began to cry.
“Thank you… come again… I’ll be waiting…”
And so we made friends with the seemingly unfortunate lake spirit, Vivi.