C15 Hoist the Sails! (Where Are They, Though?)
“Kazama-san, hello…” Hoshimori Shion had barely finished her greeting when Kazama Nanami stepped forward, grasping her hand. “What a truly serendipitous encounter,” Nanami exclaimed. “I was just out here trying to drum up business, and I never would have imagined my very first customer today would be a classmate from school!”
“Considering there’s only one high school in our entire town, it stands to reason that most people our age would attend the same one, wouldn’t they?” Shion countered. “More importantly, I… I still don’t understand what ‘fishing boat cruising’ entails. Aren’t fishing boats primarily for, well, fishing?” ‘And besides,’ Shion mused, ‘I haven’t brought that much money with me!’
Nanami chuckled. “Don’t worry about it! Since it’s the very first day of our passenger cruising business, the inaugural customer gets a free ride! All you need to do is help me by reposting on Instagram and leaving a glowing review. Oh, and perhaps give a good recommendation among your classmates, that would be perfect!”
‘First day, first customer?!’ Shion nearly retorted aloud. ‘This is clearly a brand-new venture! So, inviting me to enjoy this for free is actually just recruiting me to be a guinea pig!’
“Besides, you… you don’t have anything planned for the weekend anyway, do you?” Nanami quickly elaborated. “Wouldn’t it be splendid to broaden your horizons a bit? Imagine, feeling the sea breeze, perhaps even netting a fresh catch!”
‘Nothing to do…’ Shion conceded inwardly. It was true. As the miko of Hoshimori Shrine — and, for that matter, the sole miko of the only shrine in this quaint little town — weekends, which should have been the busiest times for worshippers, invariably found her with absolutely nothing to do.
The irony of it all was truly palpable. ‘Heh, heh,’ Shion scoffed with a silent, bitter laugh.
‘Alright, Kazama Nanami-san,’ she mused, ‘it seems we truly are kindred spirits in our shared plight.’
With that thought solidifying, Shion finally nodded. “Alright then, I suppose I’ll give this fishing boat cruising a try.”
Upon witnessing Shion’s reluctant agreement, Nanami instantly seized her hand and began pulling her towards the port. As they hurried along, Nanami enthusiastically explained, “This is our brand-new venture, you know! Guests get to take a fishing boat for a grand loop around the sea, basking in the sea breeze and the waves. What’s more, the fishing boat is still fully capable of catching fish, and any fish we reel in can even be cooked fresh at my place right afterward! How does that sound?”
Nanami continued her lively description of the fishing boat, guiding Shion along. Before they realized it, the two girls had already reached the port.
To call it a ‘port’ was perhaps an overstatement; in truth, it was a modest inlet, barely expansive enough to accommodate a dozen or so vessels. Even then, only fishing boats and smaller yachts could find berth there; any larger craft, such as cargo ships or even substantial private yachts, would find entry utterly impossible. A sizable, warehouse-like structure stood sentinel along the shoreline. Within the sheltered embrace of the bay, five boats were neatly arranged: two larger vessels and three smaller ones. Among these, one particular small boat stood out, having clearly undergone a thorough repainting. Its hull was now a cheerful pale yellow, embellished with charming cartoon capybara illustrations.
“This is her! The Capybara!” Nanami announced, pointing to the boat adorned with the adorable capybara illustrations, then playfully sticking her tongue out at Shion. “I painted this myself, you know! Isn’t she just darling?”
Shion nodded in agreement. “She truly is adorable.” Yet, her gaze drifted towards the several larger boats moored nearby. These larger vessels, stretching approximately ten meters, dwarfed the smaller, three-meter crafts. With the exception of the freshly painted ‘Capybara,’ all the other boats bore visible signs of rust and appeared to have been out of commission for quite some time.
“Speaking of which,” Shion ventured, a hint of curiosity in her voice, “if these are fishing boats, why aren’t they being used for actual fishing?”
Nanami regarded Shion with a puzzled expression. “Tell me, classmate, do you typically eat much seafood?”
Hoshimori Shion mentally reviewed the meals she typically prepared for Hoshimori Ayane, and it was true: seafood rarely featured. Despite this being a coastal town, where a plentiful catch should be a given, fresh seafood was surprisingly uncommon when she shopped for groceries. Her basket usually contained various meats, but fish was genuinely a rare sight.
Reflecting on this, Shion slowly shook her head.
The previously ebullient Nanami let out a heavy sigh. “Those *bastards* (TL Note: The original text uses ‘XX’ as a placeholder for a derogatory term, implying a strong, unspoken insult) in Tokyo insisted on discharging their wastewater a while back, which sent a wave of panic through our town. They spread rumors that eating fish from the sea would make people ill, and as a result, all the fish my family caught recently became utterly unsellable… Otherwise, there would be no need for us to even be developing new ventures like this. If you ask me, those *bastards* in Tokyo should just drink all that wastewater themselves!”
Hoshimori Shion now grasped the situation, offering a solemn nod. It made perfect sense why fresh seafood was such a rare commodity in the town’s supermarket.
“W-well, anyway, let’s just give it a try first! What do you say?” Nanami declared, thumping her chest for emphasis. “It’s genuinely, truly free, with absolutely no hidden charges or convoluted schemes! Otherwise, you’re welcome to expose me back at school!”
While Nanami was thumping her chest, Shion’s attention had actually drifted elsewhere… Nanami didn’t appear much older than herself, which was a pleasant realization. ‘Ah, so not all girls are like Ayane after all…’
“Alright then,” Shion conceded. Despite a lingering thread of apprehension, she ultimately decided to give it a shot.
Upon receiving Shion’s assent, Nanami eagerly sprang aboard the ‘Capybara,’ extending a welcoming hand towards Shion.
Shion clasped Nanami’s hand, and with a swift tug, Nanami pulled her aboard. The instant her feet met the deck, Shion felt a momentary slip, causing her to lurch forward in a stumble.
With lightning reflexes, Nanami caught Shion in a firm embrace, preventing her from taking a nasty fall onto the boat’s hard surface.
‘While Nanami is undeniably cute,’ Shion mused, ‘her arms are truly remarkably strong.’ It was clear she was someone who regularly contended with the sea. Nestled in her embrace, it felt as though Shion had found a wonderfully sturdy shoulder to lean upon.
“Classmate, you’re so incredibly light,” Nanami remarked with a gasp of surprise. “It feels like I could just lift you right up without any effort!”
Shion quickly, and somewhat bashfully, disentangled herself. “P-please don’t say things that could be so easily misinterpreted!”
Nanami scratched her head, a bewildered look on her face. “Huh? Was what I said really that easy to misunderstand?”
‘Good heavens, this girl is truly so utterly carefree…’ Shion felt a pang of regret for boarding the boat, almost as if she’d unwittingly stepped onto a pirate vessel!
“A-anyway! Welcome aboard our magnificent ‘Capybara’!” Nanami declared, her cheerfulness instantly returning. “No matter what, in just a moment, you’ll be able to experience the sensation of the sea breeze caressing your cheeks, and…”
At this point, Nanami seemed to lose her train of thought, fumbling quickly in her school uniform pocket. She extracted a crumpled piece of paper, meticulously scanned its contents, and then resumed, “And you can even catch fresh sea fish, which we can cook and eat right here!”
“That wouldn’t happen to be a pre-written sales pitch, would it…?” Shion deadpanned.
Nanami sheepishly touched her cheek. “Ah, yes, you’ve seen right through me, haven’t you? Haha…”
‘Those last two laughs were truly excruciatingly awkward…’
Shion sighed, a trace of exasperation in her voice. “Could anyone *truly* not see through that?…”
“Well then, all aboard! Let’s set sail!” With that enthusiastic declaration, Nanami pressed the ignition button for the ‘Capybara’s’ engine, which promptly roared to life with a deafening rumble.
Shion instinctively clapped her hands over her ears. “Hey! Where are the sails, anyway?!”