36. Omega-333
We returned to the beach with Keihei, the young security guard.
The beach was shallow, with soft photon sand spreading across a tranquil expanse.
Unsuitable for fishing due to its shallowness, we moved toward deeper waters, where jagged rocks protruded, creating a rugged terrain.
In contrast to the photon sand, the roughly eroded rock surfaces exuded a unique, ancient weight, as if an primordial seabed had risen intact. Such terrain typically appeared in deeper waters, so the three of us joined forces, heading to this deep-sea area to start fishing.
"Let's get fishing," I declared, my tone carrying the weight of a new mission. Keihei nodded tensely.
I picked up the fishing rod.
Despite my memory loss, which should've left me clueless about fishing, my hands moved with an odd confidence. No, not confidence—my body acted on its own. Before casting, I scanned the area, picked up a small crab-shaped earphone, and hooked it onto the line as bait.
Then, I swung the rod.
The bait traced a graceful, powerful parabola, as if cast by a veteran with over 500 years of fishing experience, sinking into the water as if drawn in.
Fishing began.
Fishing is, at its core, about waiting.
As if by unspoken agreement, the three of us prepared to enter sleep mode.
But just before slipping into it, a flicker of unease crossed my mind.
What if I fell into sleep mode forever, my system shutting down and being discarded?
That small but undeniable fear tightened my chest.
Shaking off the thought, I powered down.
When my consciousness returned, the fishing rod in Jinri's grip trembled, as if someone were knocking on a door. Following a pre-programmed routine, I yanked the rod with force.
A magnificent tuna emerged.
No, "magnificent" didn't do it justice.
It was a massive, fat-laden tuna, as large as Keihei's small frame, radiating overwhelming vitality as it faintly twitched, still alive.
"A tuna!" Keihei's eyes sparkled as he shouted excitedly, gazing up at the fish.
But in that moment, the tuna suddenly leaped, lunging at him.
Keihei fainted instantly.
Jinri and I first hoisted the caught tuna onto our backs, while Jinri carried the unconscious Keihei piggyback. We headed to a nearby beachside diner.
There, we found a cooking area with a large, heated iron griddle, like those used for making okonomiyaki or yakisoba.
We borrowed the griddle and plopped the whole tuna onto it without filleting it. Then, we turned to waking Keihei.
A gentle shake didn't rouse him at all.
Apparently, he was the type of humanoid robot who, once in sleep mode, didn't wake easily.
"Hey, wake up!"
I slapped his small cheek a bit harder, and his eyes snapped open, as if forcibly pulled from a deep dream. Still dazed, he rebooted from sleep mode.
"What's going on?! Report the situation!" he shouted, his voice a mix of excitement and confusion.
"We caught a tuna," I reported succinctly.
Keihei, with the gleaming eyes of a bright child, stared at the massive tuna lying on the griddle, still faintly breathing, exuding raw vitality.
"What does this tuna prove?" he asked, shifting his gaze to me, pressing for answers.
I shrugged and answered calmly.
"It didn't have to be a tuna. Any fish from the electric sea would do. The point is, nearly all the sea creatures—probably 99.9998%—tasted the golden ink from the Electric Kraken's wound, just like us. Since they drank it recently, the ink's components should still be in their bodies. So, my plan is that eating this tuna might let us taste the golden ink again."
"Golden ink?" Keihei's face twisted in confusion.
"What's that? Food?"
"Well, it's closer to a drink than food. It's a metallic liquid."
"Let me try it!"