If Shun were an ordinary person, finding an angler in the pitch-black night would basically be impossible.
But… Shun wasn't ordinary. As a former angler himself though his fishing skills were mediocre his talent for baiting spots was exceptionally strong.
To find his father-in-law, he just needed to locate a suitable baiting spot near Ana's house.
Heh, sure enough after searching for only about ten minutes, Shun found Friedrich in a secluded corner of a pond, with seven or eight rods set up in front of him.
Heh, clearly a chronic case of coming up empty-handed, resorting to this method in hopes of landing something.
Shun casually dragged over a folding chair and sat down beside Friedrich.
"Father-in-law, another empty-handed trip, huh?"
Friedrich's eyes widened. "How can you just slander me out of nowhere…"
"What slander? I just saw all eight of your rods sitting completely still."
Friedrich's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead as he argued, "Not catching fish doesn't count as… empty-handed… For us anglers, can you really call it empty-handed?"
Then came a bunch of incomprehensible muttering something about "though the fish are not caught" and "indeed," filling the pondside with cheerful air.
"Hey, you brat what are you doing here? Don't disturb my fishing." Friedrich already disliked this blond kid who had "stolen" his daughter. Now being mocked for going empty-handed only added fuel to the fire.
"But Mother-in-law told you to come home for dinner. Father-in-law, if you really can't catch anything, just go to the seafood market and buy some fish."
"You you you you you! …Tell Elena I'm not coming back to eat." Friedrich was furious and resolved not to return until he caught something.
"Shoo, shoo don't scare my fish away." Friedrich elbowed Shun to the side, clearly annoyed by the disturbance.
"Father-in-law, to be honest Mother-in-law sent me here specifically to build a good relationship with you. Otherwise, how awkward would it be for us as family in the future? We can't avoid seeing each other."
Though Elena hadn't said it explicitly, that was clearly her intent so Shun wasn't wrong to phrase it this way.
Hearing Shun's words, Friedrich couldn't help but sigh. "Honestly, I always knew Ana would find a boyfriend and get married someday… I just didn't expect it to happen so fast."
"From what Elena thinks, she believes you're a good one. Ana likes you too so what do I have to oppose?"
In truth, Friedrich hadn't really shown strong opposition to Shun and Ana being together today. He was just being a typical sulky old father.
"Father-in-law bite on the line!" While Friedrich was sighing, Shun had already noticed the second rod from the left twitch.
"Where? Where?" Friedrich looked left and right but couldn't see in the darkness.
With no choice, Shun went over himself to help reel it in. "Here, here."
Seeing Shun's position, Friedrich wished he could trade places instantly.
"Roar~ A big one?" Feeling the force transmitted through the rod, Shun was somewhat surprised. But unless it was a whale, nothing really posed a challenge to him now.
Using the Cosmic Juggernaut to firmly lock the hook in the fish's mouth, Shun glanced toward Friedrich.
"Father-in-law, I've got it under control! Quick, quick come here!"
Friedrich didn't dare delay. From the commotion, he knew it was a monster. If it got away, he wouldn't sleep tonight.
Shun played along while handing the rod to Friedrich.
Though Friedrich couldn't beat his wife Elena, he was still born into the Schariac family his physical condition far surpassed ordinary people. Plus years of fishing experience (even if mostly empty-handed), his technique was solid. With Shun's "assistance," there was no way the hook would come loose.
After about ten minutes of struggle Shun was practically ready to jump in and grab it himself—
Finally, after a long and tense wait, the massive catfish thrashed in the water for a long time before Friedrich hauled it out. Its enormous body gleamed dazzlingly under the light, leaving one in awe. The catfish's skin shimmered with golden and black hues, like an exquisite work of art. Its mouth gaped wide, revealing sharp teeth as if still protesting its capture by humans.
What was astonishing was that this gigantic catfish radiated a brilliant golden glow. Its smooth, glossy surface sparkled enchantingly in the water, as though forged from pure gold. This unusual coloration set it apart from ordinary catfish, making it exceptionally eye-catching and mysterious.
"Quick, quick Shun, measure how big this fish is!" Friedrich was so excited he was practically incoherent. He never imagined that tonight he would not only catch a once-in-a-lifetime monster but a golden one at that.
Holding the massive catfish horizontally, Friedrich's gaze toward Shun softened considerably. Look at what a great kid helping me land such a huge fish. As if the man who had earlier glared at Shun like a wrathful guardian deity wasn't him at all.
Shun didn't use a ruler. Relying on the Cosmic Juggernaut's spatial perception, he measured the giant European wels catfish at roughly three meters long. Who would've thought such a small pond hid such a dragon? Shun figured this must be his father-in-law's secret baiting spot probably dumping bags upon bags of bait, allowing such a massive catfish to grow here. So the fish were just too full to bite?
"Three meters long congratulations." Shun hadn't fished in ages. Since coming to this Honkai world, he hadn't had the leisure. Catching a big one with Friedrich by chance made him pretty happy too.
Hearing the figure Shun announced, Friedrich's grin stretched so wide it nearly reached his ears. If it weren't so late and the fish so heavy, he might've wandered miles to the nearest city just to show off.
Friedrich carefully placed the fish on his bait cart, wiped his hands on his pant legs, patted Shun's shoulder, and said, "Come on let's head home."
Good grief who was the one earlier saying he wasn't coming back? Shun mentally roasted him. But Friedrich dropping the sulk was a good thing. For anglers, no bad day stayed bad after landing a monster fish.
Friedrich happily pushed the cart home. But when he wheeled it around the dining table, neither Elena nor Ana showed any surprise or reaction to the three-meter golden catfish.
Ana didn't because she wasn't very into fishing and assumed Shun had secretly helped her dad hook it. Elena knew Friedrich's habits all too well and simply ignored him.
Finding no one to share his excitement, Friedrich turned his gaze to Shun the suspected fellow angler.
Shun rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "I think the golden catfish you caught tonight might be the largest golden catfish ever landed in the world right now. Tomorrow morning we could go to the nearby seafood market and weigh it what do you say?"
Shun had just offered the one condition no big-fish angler could refuse.
Friedrich couldn't help bursting into laughter, already imagining tomorrow's envious and jealous stares from other anglers when he paraded this fish through the market.
"Can't even shut your mouth during dinner?" Elena smacked Friedrich hard on the head, making him stop showing off.