Chapter 45: Fishing Club
Barghest's arms tightly wrapped around him, her soft, fair body now pressed so closely that there was practically no space between them.
Eikou's heart instantly began to race.
"This is the critical moment—don't let go! Eikou-san!"
Barghest reminded him seriously, but her voice blew past his ear like a sweet, warm breeze.
Even without trying, he could still catch the pleasant, distinct scent coming from this female knight's body.
Though Eikou had always known Barghest was very feminine, only when they were this close did he truly feel her overwhelming allure as a woman.
"Hold on a bit longer! Don't let the big one get away!" Barghest said.
"It's fine… I already feel fulfilled…"
Feeling the soft elasticity behind him, he let out a relieved sigh like a Buddha reaching enlightenment.
"? Fulfilled from what? We haven't even caught the fish yet?" she asked, puzzled.
[This big fish is incredibly strong, thrashing about fiercely.]
[Perform an Endurance contest check.]
Two dice were rolled at the same time.
One was the result rolled by the fish.
One was the result rolled by him.
[The opponent rolled EX, while you and Barghest rolled B. Contest failed.]
"No way! I'll use an Encouragement Dice to reroll!"
Eikou gripped the fishing rod tightly and shouted.
He thought to himself, I've even managed to handle Heroic Spirits—how could I lose to a fish? With Barghest pressed up against me like this, how could I possibly embarrass myself in front of her?
But seriously, even the two of them together couldn't handle it—just what the hell is lurking beneath this river?
[You've used an Encouragement Dice to reroll.]
[You activated the skills "Hero Creation E," "Charisma B," and "Protection of the Lake E." Your and Barghest's physical power has increased.]
The two dice fell once more.
[The opponent rolled B, while you and Barghest rolled A. Contest succeeded.]
[With superior strength, the two of you poured all your might into it, and in one motion, pulled the thrashing big fish out of the water.]
Splash!
At that moment, water sprayed everywhere, forming a glittering rainbow under the sunlight.
A blond man in a diving suit was flamboyantly pulled up by the fishing rod.
Wow, a diver dude with a badass glowing aura!
Right after that, the man flopped onto the riverbank, motionless.
"..."
At this point, even pulling up a diver didn't surprise Eikou anymore.
He and Barghest exchanged a glance, then decided to approach and check the situation.
The two carefully flipped the diver over onto his back.
"…It's a wild Fionn mac Cumhaill…"
Eikou pulled out a fish spear, ready to deliver the finishing blow: "Is this thing nutritious?"
"Wait… Eikou-san, it's clearly not food," Barghest said while wiping the corner of her mouth.
She was drooling too, and honestly looked even hungrier than he did.
Just then, Homeroom Teacher Finn, also in a diving suit, suddenly woke up. Seeing the two of them aiming spears at him, he freaked out and immediately sprang back in alarm.
"Wait, wait, you two, hold on!" Finn quickly raised his hands in a defensive posture. "I admit my soaking-wet look might be a little seductive, but I'm still your homeroom teacher! Eating your teacher would be a bit much, don't you think?!"
"Then… sensei, what were you doing diving under the river? Did you join that musclehead club that drinks all day and occasionally goes diving?" Eikou asked.
"Eh? No no no, I was worried about you guys!"
Finn explained with great concern, then pulled out a bag from his back, filled with all kinds of seafood.
"You call this an outdoor class, but we were worried you'd have nothing to eat, so I dove into the river and hung them one by one on your fishing hooks!"
"…Kind of thoughtful, actually."
Worried that the kids wouldn't eat well, he even prepared Boston lobsters. No wonder they kept catching so many seafood items in a river.
"Sensei, it's understandable if you hung salmon and lobsters on the hooks, but why were there rings and high heels too?"
"Rings and high heels?" Finn asked, completely baffled.
"Huh, it wasn't you?"
Eikou was stunned, then glanced over at the rings and high heels in the hands of the girls, thinking to himself—just where the hell did those come from? Is this river some kind of gift production line or something?
At that moment, two more things floated down with the river current.
One was a muscular blond man, the other a well-built red-haired man—both were wearing nothing but underwear.
Eikou pretended to laugh as if nothing had happened.
"Ha ha, this river really has everything… even gorillas and chickens are floating by now. Let's eat, everyone—wild meat it is."
"No," Barghest pointed out seriously, "that's clearly Gawain and Tristan."
Eikou let out a long sigh and cast his rod again, hauling the two barely-breathing Knights of the Round Table onto the shore.
"Talk—why were you in the river… no, why were you floating half-naked down the river? Did you join some party or something?"
"It's complicated… we got bullied by monkeys," Gawain said with a deeply embarrassed look.
"Don't tell me you people started playing Black Myth the moment I wasn't looking?"
"What Black Myth? It really was monkeys in the mountains bullying us," Tristan said, strumming a harp string that no longer existed. "We encountered a demonic boar stuck in mud up in the mountain. So, to avoid dirtying our clothes, we took everything off—and then, in just the blink of an eye, a bunch of Demonic Monkeys from the mountain stole all our stuff. My harp, and Gawain's Galatine, both gone."
"After that we kept chasing them, but ended up falling into the monkeys' trap and got thrown into the river. From my analysis, this is a regular band of thieves—they've been active in that mountain for a long time and often throw what they steal into the river."
"Oh…"
Eikou thought to himself: No wonder this river has everything—so it was all the monkeys' doing.
Wait a second… didn't that mean their cooking ingredients were also stolen by those monkeys?
Suddenly, a die rolled onto the ground.
[Please perform an Agility check.]
[Check succeeded.]
[You hear a soft sound behind you. It's faint, but you sharply sense it. You quickly turn around and see a group of Demonic Monkeys stealthily reaching into your fish bucket while everyone is distracted by conversation.]
Both Eikou and the monkeys froze.
About a second later, Eikou suddenly dashed forward.
"THIEVES! WE'VE GOT THIEVES!!!"