Chatting and snacking on treats with Fate-san while we fished was more than enough to make me happy. Just relaxing and getting excited over trivial things in the middle of such beautiful scenery and great weather was plenty; I didn't really feel the need to catch anything.
Still, since I’d gone through the trouble of buying a rod and gear, it would be nice to land at least one...
"Hmm? I think the rod just—Whoa!?"
The moment I felt a twitch and grabbed the handle, a tremendous weight surged through the line. The rod bent so sharply I thought it might snap, and the force pulling back was so intense that the gear felt like it would be yanked right out of my hands if I relaxed my grip for even a second.
Wha—W-What is this pull?! It was completely different from when I’d fished with Anima. Could this be a real monster?
"Guh... Urgh... It’s... so strong!"
"Oh~ looks like you might catch something pretty impressive, doesn't it? Go for it, Kai-chan~"
Is this what it’s like to hook a big one? I was a total amateur when it came to fishing! I didn't have the technique to handle a fish pulling with this much power!
The line was going to snap... or rather, the pull was so strong I couldn't even turn the reel. W-What was I supposed to do?
"Fe-Fate-san, what do you think I should do now?"
"Eh? I don't really know. Don't you usually try to tire the fish out or something like that?"
"A-Ah, now that you mention it, I think I’ve heard that somewhere... T-Then I guess I should just hold on for a while."
I did recall hearing something about reeling a fish in after letting it exhaust itself. If I just held on, the fish swimming around ought to get tired eventually.
Since I had bought a fairly expensive rod for the occasion, I figured it probably wouldn't break, but there was no way the line would hold, right? It hadn't snapped yet, but...
"Guh, it’s darting to the left and—!?"
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the fish suddenly lunged sideways. The lateral force threw me off, and I felt my balance crumble. The strength left my legs for a split second, and I started tilting toward the lake, dragged along by the momentum.
"...Whoops."
Just as I thought I was going to fall in, Fate-san reached out from the side and steadied me with a single hand against my chest.
It was incredible. Despite her slender arm, she felt as stable as a fixed iron bar. As expected of a Supreme God.
"Th-Thank you."
"Well, just take your time and don't panic. You look cool when you're working hard, Kai-chan, so I’ll just relax and cheer you on."
"...You aren't going to help me?"
"No way, it wouldn't be any fun if I stepped in, right? Well, if it looks like things are getting dangerous again, I’ll help out, so just do your best with a peaceful mind~"
Fate-san was the picture of relaxation, a sharp contrast to my desperate struggle with the fish. Of course, if she actually got involved, she’d probably land it in an instant. Since she was at least supporting me like she just had, I decided to keep trying.
"...Oh, also, I 'decided the line won't break,' so you're fine~ Munch, munch."
"You're eating snacks!?"
She’d probably used her Authority of Fate to ensure the line wouldn't snap. If I lost my balance, Fate-san would save me.
I see—with this setup, even a total amateur like me could land this monster. Honestly, it would be harder to fail. Just as Fate-san said, I decided to take it slow and steady.
After struggling with the fish for a while longer while listening to Fate-san's cheers, I finally succeeded in pulling it up.
"I... I caught it..."
"Oh~ amazing. Isn't it about a meter long?"
"Yeah, this is a seriously huge one. There's no way this will fit in the bucket I prepared. Uh, I should put it in the Magic Box..."
The fish I landed was truly as massive as the pull had suggested. It looked somewhat similar to a black bass, but at a meter long, it was a truly impressive sight. To think I’d catch such a big one on my very first trip after buying my own rod...
"Hey, Kai-chan. Is this fish edible?"
"I have no idea... It doesn't really look like something people would eat..."
"I don't know much about fish either... Okay, wait a sec. Let's see... Is she over there? Yeah, looks like it."
"Huh? What is?"
After scanning the area, Fate-san muttered while looking off in a completely different direction.
"I mean, it looks like Shaltan is keeping quite a distance to be considerate... Hey~! Shaltan~! Is this fish edible~?"
Ah, I see, she was looking for Alice. When Fate-san called out to her, Alice appeared immediately and inspected my catch.
"Ah—that fish is technically edible, but the meat is tough and it tastes muddy, so you're better off eating a different fish."
"I see~ That's a shame. Thanks for telling us. Shaltan knows everything, so she's really a convenient search tool, isn't she?"
"Please stop treating people like a convenient search tool. Well then, I'll be going now."
Wearing an exasperated expression at the smiling Fate-san, Alice disappeared once again.
"...Even though she complains, she's kind enough to give us a straight answer when we ask."
"She’s fundamentally very good at taking care of people."
Watching Alice act so much like herself, Fate-san and I looked at each other and shared a wry smile.
Serious-senpai: "They seem to be enjoying themselves."
???: "Fate-san also seems to be having fun in her own way. Even with Kaito-san's fishing, she was secretly supporting him with the line and everything, and she hasn't said a single word about his support being a bother."