3 bar menu

427 p2. Secret Meeting and Returning to Goza Village [4]

Ria, Rose, and I moved to our own rooms prepared by Paula-san.

「How nostalgic. It hasn’t changed at all.」

I was assigned to the old room that took care of me for three years.

The shelves, bed, study desk–everything was the same as it was then, making me feel like I’ve slipped back in time.

(In the past, I used to do push-ups here…)

In the morning and noon, I practiced on my own at the Gran Swordsmanship Academy, did practice swinging in the evenings near the dormitory, and worked out in my room at night.

I faced a lot of hard times back then… but I’m really glad I didn’t run away and kept working hard.

「Oops, this is not the time to be immersed in sentimentality.」

I placed my baggage on the bed and moved to the large hall to join Ria and Rose.

「Now then… what should we do now?」

「I want to do something that can only be done here.」

「Likewise. It’s not often we come to the countryside. I want to feel nature.」

The two seem to be hoping for leisure in the countryside.

「In that case, how about fishing? We can enjoy nature and fill our stomachs at the same time.」

「That sounds like a good idea! I agree!」

「I have no objections either.」

Now that our course of action was decided, we immediately moved out.

「–Paula-san, do you still have the fishing rod I made?」

「Oh, that. It’s stored in the warehouse. You should take it with you.」

「Thank you.」

Then I took Ria and Rose to the warehouse.

As I opened the huge iron door, a wide space came into view.

As usual, there were a variety of things inside, such as mysterious paintings, grim stone figures, thick old books, etc.

「It’s kind of like a museum.」

「I am not too well-versed in that field but there seems to be things of historical value lying around.」

Coming here for the first time, Ria and Rose looked around with great interest.

In the midst of that, I searched for the thing I was looking for.

「Where is the fishing gear… umm, oh, found it.」

A number of fishing rods were lined up in a row, leaning against a large shelf.

All these rods were handmade by me, carved from a tree trunk.

When I used to go fishing with Paula-san, she often crushed the rod with too much power, so I made a large number of spare rods for her.

「This, this, and… this.」

As soon as I picked up fishing rods, spare hooks, and small wooden chairs for the three of us, an old photo fell from the top of the shelf.

「Hmm… what’s this…?」

It was a photo of a beautiful girl.

The location where the photo was taken seems to be inside the dormitory.

「Oh my, such a beautiful woman.」

「Is she a student who used to live here?」

Ria and Rose peered in from the side and voiced their thoughts.

「Umm… I don’t really know. But it’s not good to look at other people’s photos, so let’s put it back where it was.」

I gently placed the mysterious old photo on the shelf, and we left the huge warehouse.

「Alright, next is–」

As I was checking off ”the list of things needed for fishing” in my head, Paula-san called out to me.

「Yes, what is it?」

「There, I’ve prepared it for you.」

Paula-san said so and turned her gaze to the entrance.

The things I was looking for were right there, such as specially-made paste fishing bait, kitchen knives, simple seasonings, etc.

As expected of Paula-san.

「Thank you very much.」

「It’s fine. Go enjoy your fishing!」

「Yeap.」

After that, we headed to the river behind the dormitory.

「–Alright, we’ve arrived.」

「Wow, the water is beautiful!」

「You can clearly see the bottom of the river. It’s so clean!」

Ria and Rose’s eyes sparkled.

The water here is particularly clear, partly because it’s upstream.

「Have you both gone fishing before?」

「I have gone fishing with my father several times.」

「I have tried it a few times.」

「I see, then you two should be fine.」

The fish here are very cautious.

As long as you’re not a complete amateur, you should be able to catch something.

After that, we attached the special bait on the hook and gently dropped the line on the surface of the water.

A few minutes later, my fishing rod twitched.

「Yotto!」

As I vigorously pulled it up, a beautiful Icefish jumped out of the water.

「The first catch of the day.」

The fish I just caught was a river fish that grows in colonies around here―『Amyu』, our main target.

I quickly removed the hook from its mouth and put it in a bucket filled with water.

「Wow, the Amyu looks so lively and delicious!」Ria.

「Yeap, it has a nice plump body.」Rose.

After that, we enjoyed fishing for about an hour.

And the result was,

「One, two, three… ten, huh? We caught quite a few.」

The lively Amyus were swimming energetically in the bucket.

「Fufu, a big catch indeed!」

「It feels good to catch this many.」

Ria and Rose were also in a good mood.

「By the way, Allen… how do you eat it?」

「Amyu is a versatile fish. It’s crunchy and delicious when eaten as sashimi, and it’s delicious when added to miso soup. It’s often used in boiled dishes. This time, I’m thinking of taking advantage of their freshness and making it salt-grilled.」

「Salt-grilled!」

「I second that.」

The two said so as their eyes sparkled like children.

「Well then, let’s go and get it done right away.」

I grabbed one Amyu from the bucket and started working quickly.

First, scrape off the scales with a kitchen knife and wash away the slimy surface with river water.

After that, wipe off the moisture with kitchen paper and lightly sprinkle salt over the entire surface.

Lastly, once you skewer it properly at the end, it’s ready to go.

「Wow, you’re really good at it.」

「Allen, I didn’t know you could cook as well.」

「Well, it’s because I was raised in the countryside.」

I responded with a wry smile to the two’s praise.

If you grow up in a marginal village like Goza Village, you’ll acquire the ability to live on your own, even if you don’t like it. After all, there are a lot of things you have to do by yourself, from farming to livestock to cooking and washing.

「Well then, it’s time to start the fire.」

While I was looking around for dead leaves and branches, Ria suddenly spoke.

「If you want fire, then leave it to me.」

She pointed her finger towards the ground, and black and white flames manifested and quickly started a fire.

「Fufufufu. I can do this much without even bringing out my soul dress!」

「Thank you.」

After that, we arranged the skewers around the fire. And a short while later, the unique aroma of grilled fish wafted in the air.

「It seems to be grilled nicely.」

「T-This aroma… It’s unbearable!」

「The aroma alone is mouthwatering.」

Now that the surface of the skin has turned brown, it is the best time to eat.

「「「Itadakimasu.」」」

We put our hands together and bite into the Amyu that we caught.

(Ooh, this is good!)

The juicy meat with plenty of fat combined with just the right amount of salt created a synergistic flavor.

「Nmmm! This is the first time I’ve eaten such a delicious Amyu!」

「This is an excellent dish!」

Rose and I each ate one, while Ria ate up the remaining eight.

「「「Thank you for the meal.」」」

We put our hands together and appreciated the blessings of nature.

「That was really good.」

「Yeah! But I’m a little thirsty.」Ria.

「Me too. It’s probably because we just ate something salty.」Rose.

Now that they mention it, I’m a little thirsty too.

「Hey Allen, can we drink the water from this river?」

「From what I have seen, it looks pretty clean?」

「Yeah, of course it’s okay. But this time, let’s try that instead.」

I pointed to the big tree in front of me.

「What do you mean by “that”?」

「Is there something in that tree?」

The two tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.

「Ahaha, I’m not talking about the tree. Rather, this.」

I moved towards the large tree and picked up the thick vines wrapped around its trunk.

「Top vine. This vine has deep roots and sucks up underground water. It can even store the water. So when you cut the vines like this… there it is.」

Clear water overflowed from the cut part of the vine.

I immediately put the vine in my mouth and enjoyed the cool, delicious water.

「Ah… that was good!」

It was irresistibly delicious.

「Allen paints quite a wild picture…」

「Yes, Allen seems like he can live anywhere…」

「Come on, give it a try, you two.」

Ria and Rose exchanged glances and nodded as if they had made up their minds.

They cut the top vines in two with their swords, and put the vines in their mouth.

「MM……!」

「I…」

The two seemed surprised at first, but then they began to drink with enthusiasm.

「It’s good, isn’t it?」

「This is amazing! Such natural sweetness! I could drink this endlessly!」

「It is gentle on the mouth after having a salty dish… This is almost addictive!」

Ria and Rose said so and continued to drink from the top vines.

「S-Stop! The water that comes out of the top vine contains a fair amount of fructose, so if you drink too much it could be poisonous to your body!」

「B-But… this is too delicious…」

「Just a little more, just a little more…」

It was quite a difficult task to appease the two.

Afterwards, we took a walk in the woods, held a wood-chopping competition, and enjoyed a laid-back experience that is not possible in the city.