Reeling in the line smoothly, King Halo watched Hayato's practiced movements, her gaze gradually turning to admiration.
After all that effort, a tiny two-centimeter fish broke the surface.
"It's... It's so small. But it's cute." King Halo stared at the fish in a daze. This little thing was what made me look so pathetic just now?
Hayato hadn't expected such a small fish either. He unhooked it and casually tossed it back into the water.
What a fuss over nothing. Only catching small fish is pretty normal, right? The ones Hayato had caught before were about the same size. He'd never caught a big fish either.
"Huh? Why'd you let it go? What a waste." King Halo didn't get it. After all that hard work to catch it, too.
"Aim higher, yeah? We're here to catch big fish... oh, speak of the devil!" Seiun Sky was saying when her rod suddenly moved. She grabbed the landing net she'd already prepared.
As expected of a veteran angler. Mention big fish, and they appear.
With a big fish, you can't just reel it in normally. Because of its strength, it might break free from the hook and escape. That's when you need the landing net.
This one was nearly 13 centimeters. Not huge, but not small either.
"Hmph, I'm going to catch a big fish too."
And so stubborn King Halo began her journey to compete with Seiun Sky over who could catch the biggest fish. Of course, it ended in failure.
In Seiun Sky's words, fishing is a profound and extensive discipline. It's definitely not as simple as just putting bait on a hook.
At the same time, in the same place, with the same rod and bait, but different people fishing would catch very different fish.
Sometimes even different species entirely.
Around noon, feeling tired, they started packing up. Not to leave immediately, but to rest first.
"What do we do with these fish? Eat them? Or let them go?" King Halo looked at the four or five decent-sized fish, asking the question. She didn't have any problem with eating them, the key was how to eat them.
"Does King Halo want to eat them?"
Seiun Sky had been about to dump the fish, but then something occurred to her. Her eyes rolled around as another mischievous idea formed.
"How would we do that?" King Halo had no idea something bad was about to happen to her.
"We could make grilled fish. Back in my hometown, there's a specific way to grill fish. It's actually pretty simple. Just clean the fish, build a fire, and you're set. It just takes a lot of time. Direct grilling is hard to cook through properly."
"When grilling, you can't get too close to the fire, or it'll burn and turn black."
The optimal time she knew was slow-roasting for 40 minutes.
Seiun Sky explained patiently, then added, "I always bring seasonings with my fishing gear, you know. Want to try it, King Halo? The fun of a picnic."
"A picnic?" King Halo thought that sounded kind of exciting. But "grilled fish"?
Didn't that sound like something penniless savages would do?
Would they camp overnight, too? Together with Trainer?
She felt both anticipation and disgust, but actually really liked the idea as she said with a straight face, "Why are you asking me? You should ask Trainer. I don't care either way. Sure, it's a bit dirty and unsanitary, but we're outside right now, and throwing away the fish we caught would be a waste, right? Don't you think so, Trainer?"
She turned to look at Hayato. She'd made it obvious enough, "You get it, don't you, Trainer? I want to picnic."
"King Halo doesn't like eating food that isn't properly prepared, though." Hayato understood instantly.
King Halo was completely defeated by Hayato's thought process, her face falling. "Actually, actually..."
"King Halo, you don't have to force yourself."
"Oh, there's another way. We could take the fish to a nearby restaurant and have them process and cook it for us." Seiun Sky said this as if she'd just remembered.
"Eh? Can we do that? The owner wouldn't agree, would they?" King Halo already sensed conspiracy vibes.
Whenever Seiun Sky used this "baiting" tone of voice, King Halo always got nervous.
What was she plotting?
"We can, you know. Try communicating with them, and you'll find they're actually pretty accommodating. Just say we want to borrow their kitchen utensils, and it's fine. If they're not busy, they might even help us cook, too."
She spoke so confidently, like she had lots of experience with this.
"Let's try it then. It's been a while since I cooked for myself. You two can taste my cooking." Hayato was already picking up the bucket. "Let's go. If not, we can pay to rent the kitchen."
"Trainer, can you cook?" Seiun Sky followed him. King Halo had the same question... A man who can cook?
"Isn't that basic common sense? Anyone can, right?" Hayato reached out to pat Seiun Sky's head, but she dodged with a quick sidestep. He only managed to touch a bit of her hair.
Seiun Sky, now off to the side, puffed up her cheeks and glared at him. She'd decided to keep her distance from Hayato for a while.
This Trainer is way too casual, isn't he?
What does he think I am?
Just because we joked around a few times, he thinks he can pat my head whenever?
What's our relationship supposed to be?
She probably didn't realize that Hayato had been treating her like a good brother all along.
Besides, with an attitude like that, how could anyone not feel familiar with her like an old friend?
Hayato always wanted to throw his arm over her shoulder, get drunk with her on the streets, crash out wherever, pull all-nighters gaming together...
Finding a guy at Tracen was too hard. Finally, having an uma musume who was kind of like a dude vibes, Hayato actually found it easier to share what was on his mind with her.
"Basic common sense? Maybe not." Seiun Sky looked at King Halo with a teasing tone. "King Halo can't cook."
"Ah... I, I..." King Halo's expression instantly turned timid. She really wanted to escape Seiun Sky's contemptuous gaze. "I, I... hmph!"
After that "hmph," she straightened her back. "I'm different from my mother. I, I can make tamagoyaki too!"
Tamagoyaki is a pretty complex cooking. Where did King Halo, who knows nothing about kitchens, get the confidence to say that?
Could it be... she actually knows how?
"So, King Halo, who can make tamagoyaki, can you cook fish?"
"Fish..." King Halo's eyes darted around again as she tried to retreat. Then she immediately thought of the tutorials on her phone. That shouldn't be a problem either, so she puffed out her chest. "Yes, of course I can... a little bit!"
By the end, her voice grew weaker and weaker.
Just then, she realized this might be Seiun Sky's trap. She'd almost fallen for it.
"Words mean nothing!" Seiun Sky continued her attack. She'd already gained the advantage, just needed the final strike, and she had lethal damage lined up. "How about you handle the fish then?"
"The fish, the fish..." She really wanted to stubbornly say yes, but looking at the fish made her feel scared inside.
What Seiun Sky meant by "handle" was making her kill the fish. For King Halo, that definitely wouldn't be simple. Actually, she'd probably rather cook than do that.
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*As usual, the illustration is commented on.