Today was the day of my trip with Fate-san. Under a brilliant, crystal-clear blue sky, we had arrived at a lakeside in the Arclesia Empire.
The scenery was breathtaking. The cottage-style building nestled against the shoreline created a perfect tableau. With nothing else in sight, the atmosphere was incredibly quiet and tranquil—the ideal setting for a slow, relaxing getaway.
"Mmm, what a lovely atmosphere," Fate-san murmured.
"It’s peaceful," I replied. "I feel like we can finally let our hair down and take it easy."
"Right? Honestly, it’s so nice I could probably just sleep the whole time."
"Let's try to be at least a little more active than that."
"Ahaha, well, you’re right. If I just wanted to sleep, I could do that at your place, Kai-chan. Let’s enjoy the trip for what it is."
Fate-san seemed to be in higher spirits than usual, clearly having looked forward to this trip.
Of course, she was still lounging on her flying cushion as usual. I had actually been leading her by the hand to get us to the cottage... but then I realized she could easily move on her own without me pulling her along. Was her asking me to lead her just a subtle way of saying she wanted to hold my hand? Well, I decided to interpret it in the best possible light.
"By the way, Fate-san, what should we do first? I brought along a few things to keep us entertained."
"Lazing around and playing together sounds good. But let's steer clear of board games. You’re a total pushover at those, Kai-chan."
"Ugh... Oh, come to think of it, I did buy a fishing rod just in case. Since there’s a lake, I thought we could try our luck."
"Heh, fishing sounds fun. It fits the scenery perfectly, and it seems like a nice way to kill time. But if we’re going to do it, we should probably start while it’s still light out, right?"
Oh? Fate-san was surprisingly keen on the idea. I had fully expected her to say fishing was too much effort.
"You’re right. Shall we start with that, then?"
"Yeah, yeah! I’m all for it~"
Since it was an unexpected hit, we headed toward the lakeshore after a quick look at the cottage. All our gear was stored in my Magic Box, so we didn't even need to drop anything off first, which made things easy.
The weather was perfect, and the gentle breeze felt wonderful against my skin.
"Alright, Fate-san. Here is your rod."
"Eh? No, no rod for me."
"...Huh?"
"Think about it, Kai-chan. Fishing is hard work, isn't it? It’s taxing! It’s such a chore!"
"I—well, to be fair, that’s exactly what I expected you to say... but then why were you so eager to go?"
I tilted my head, looking at her with confusion as we stood by the water's edge. Now that it was time to actually cast a line, she was already calling it a bother. While this felt more like the "usual" Fate-san, I couldn't understand why she had been so enthusiastic earlier.
"I told you. I’m going to watch you fish, Kai-chan."
"...Ah, I see. I get it now. You think fishing is a bother, but you figured lazing around and chatting while I do the work sounded like a good time, didn't you?"
"Exactly! Spot on! So, I’ll be your cheerleader. Go get 'em, Kai-chan~"
Watching Fate-san laugh happily, I let out a wry smile and pulled a small chair and my fishing gear from the Magic Box.
"Do you fish often, Kai-chan?"
"No, I have almost no experience. I mean, look, the rod is still brand new."
"Oh, you're right. It’s sparkling."
"Well, the goal today is just to relax, so it’s fine even if I don't catch anything."
Engaging in idle chatter, I sent the line out with a light cast. Since it was lake fishing, it might have been better to move the lure to entice the fish, but I wasn't particularly worried about the results. I simply used a tool I'd bought beforehand to fix the rod in place.
"Would you like something to eat, Fate-san? I bought quite a variety."
"Nice. I’m definitely in the mood for snacks~"
When Fate-san agreed, she snapped her fingers, and a circular wooden board manifested right between us. It was clearly meant to be a table; despite hovering in thin air, it remained remarkably stable.
I lined up the snacks I had bought on top of the floating board, having tried to pick out things that were new or a bit unusual.
"Oh~ there’s a lot here. This rusk is incredibly red."
"I think it’s supposed to be strawberry-flavored. The label called it 'Rich Strawberry'."
"Heh~ the color looks just like a tongue, doesn't it?"
"Hey now, Fate-san. We’re about to eat this."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry."
As we talked, I took out some wooden cups and poured Black Tea from the thermos I’d prepared. Normal teacups would have been fine, but for some reason, the wooden cups felt like they suited the rustic atmosphere better.
"Look, look, Kai-chan!"
"Yeah?"
"Giant tongue!"
"Pfft... seriously, what are you doing?"
I couldn't help but let out a laugh as I watched her goof off, holding the red rusk under her mouth. We were having such a silly, pointless conversation, yet it was incredibly fun.
I found myself thinking that this—this simple, quiet atmosphere—was exactly what I’d wanted.
Serious-senpai: "...I just realized something."
???: "What is it?"
Serious-senpai: "Those stories about the migrants were actually kind of serious, weren't they?"
???: "I suppose they were."
Serious-senpai: "...Was that salt? Were they just sprinkling salt to highlight the sweetness of what comes next?"
???: "...Who knows?"