‘Only Nanami could pull something like this off, couldn’t she?’ Shion pressed a hand to her forehead.
Nanami had been steering the Capybara for quite some time now. The distant coastline had blurred into an indistinct smudge, yet Shion could still discern its general direction.
Ever since they set sail, the usually boisterous Nanami had been uncharacteristically quiet, seemingly lost in thought.
Shion could easily imagine Nanami, skilled as she was at sea, pondering for ages why this particular stretch of ocean defied all her experience. She’d likely considered the weather, the sea conditions, and given Nanami’s personality, perhaps even consulted an oracle.
What she hadn’t considered, however, was that her sea chart was upside down!
Nanami quickly flipped the sea chart in her hands right-side up. After scrutinizing it for a long moment, she finally produced a small pencil and made a tiny mark on the map.
“Phew, you really are something, Shion-chan,” Nanami sighed with relief. “You spotted the problem right away.”
“So, shouldn’t we be heading back now…?”
“We’ll fish right here!”
“Huh?!”
Shion let out a sound akin to a startled yellow rabbit.
Before a bewildered Shion could recover from her shock, Nanami had already produced a fishing net.
The afternoon sea breeze carried a salty tang, almost visibly shimmering with a pale blue hue as it stirred waves across the ocean. Nanami deftly slipped off her shoes, revealing pristine white ankles that contrasted sharply with the healthy, tanned lines on her calves.
She moved to the side of the boat, turning her head to gaze at Shion. Her blue bangs fluttered in the sea wind, and as her aquamarine eyes flickered toward Shion, a subtle smile curved her lips, as if to say, ‘Just watch me work my magic~’
With a powerful swing of her right hand, the girl cast out the fishing net. Knot after knot of the bluish-grey mesh sank beneath the azure surface of the sea, following her movements.
Nanami lightly tapped the deck with her left foot, then turned, placing her hands proudly on her hips. “Just you wait, Shion-chan~ We won’t bother with the little fish. If we catch any, we’ll throw them back. Today, we’re only going for the big ones!”
“Oh, alright!” Despite feeling a strange flicker of worry at Nanami’s overwhelming confidence, Shion had to admit that Nanami’s fishing display had indeed left her with a rather cool and dashing impression, just as Nanami had intended. Given that, Shion decided to trust her.
An hour later.
The sky remained an endless expanse of cerulean blue. However, this was now Nanami’s fourth cast of the net. The previous three attempts had yielded nothing but a few crabs and tiny shrimp, almost identical in color to the net itself. The largest ‘catch’ so far had been some dark green seaweed.
“This spot, I’m sure this spot will work!” After steering the boat for a while longer, Nanami pointed to the nearby stretch of sea, preparing to cast her net once more.
Shion was almost too exhausted to voice any more complaints; otherwise, she would have certainly dubbed Nanami the ‘Air Force Commander’ by now. It was a good thing Nanami had been driving the boat slowly, or Shion would undoubtedly have been leaning over the side, emptying her stomach.
“No, no… Kazama-chan, you’ve said that several times already. Oh, and also, that fishing rod…”
Shion weakly extended a finger, pointing to the fishing rod hanging off the stern, a greenish safety cord tied to its handle.
“What is it? Did you get a bite?” Nanami covered the distance in a few quick steps, her pristine little feet tapping lightly on the deck as she nimbly hopped from bow to stern. Seeing no movement from the fishing rod, however, she sat down beside Shion, a hint of disappointment on her face.
“Ugh, what are we going to do?!” Nanami wailed, clutching her head and looking up at the sky. “We can’t even catch a single fish! We can’t possibly use old frozen stock for the Autumn Festival this weekend, can we?”
“It’s fine, if we don’t catch any today, there’s always tomorrow, right? If not tomorrow, then the day after… Surely, we can’t go without any fish at all before the Autumn Festival this weekend.” Shion patted her cheeks, genuinely fearing she might fall asleep or simply pass out on the boat.
Though Nanami wanted to respond with a resounding affirmative, she shook her head instead. She puffed out her chest. “I am Kazama Nanami, the most skilled fisher in this town! I absolutely *must* catch some fish today, so Shion-chan can take one home for Ayane-chan’s dinner!”
To prevent her seasickness from worsening, Shion simply lay down. Seeing Nanami’s renewed vigor, Shion’s own sarcastic spirit returned. “I just hope you don’t hold the sea chart upside down again when we head back,” she quipped. “Otherwise, we really won’t make it home.”
Noticing Shion lie down, Nanami promptly stretched out beside her.
“Wha—what?!” Seeing Nanami lie down as well, Shion quickly clutched her skirt. “W-what are you trying to do?”
“Shion-chan, why are you so tense?” Nanami paused, surprised by Shion’s reaction. “I-I wasn’t planning on making a move right now!”
“No, seriously, listen to yourself!”
“Anyway, there are no fish to be caught right now. I’ve stopped the boat; we can just rest here for a bit.”
Nanami, unconcerned with formalities, paid no mind to her school uniform skirt. She casually crossed her legs, lying flat beside Shion and gazing up at the vast blue sky. Shion, meanwhile, curled up like a wronged puppy beside Nanami. Her eyes, too, held a beautiful blue, though it wasn’t the sky she saw, but the strands of Nanami’s blue hair.
“This blue is beautiful, isn’t it?” Nanami chuckled softly.
“Mm… yes, it’s very beautiful,” Shion murmured in response, even though she hadn’t lifted her head to look at the sky.
“If the Autumn Festival goes well, maybe the town’s fishing industry will return to its former glory. Then… perhaps after I graduate high school, I’ll just keep fishing here, forever and ever.”
“Ha, or maybe you’ll open a nationwide chain!” Shion teased. “Kazama-chan will be the founder of the Kazama Group then!” She then adopted the tone of a powerful businesswoman, commanding, “Hey, you! Go acquire the rival port for me.”
“Mm, with the Autumn Festival so close, I have to consider if this is my only chance in this life to revitalize the town’s fishing industry!” Nanami nodded, reaching a hand toward the blue sky and clenching her fist.
‘I feel like I’ve heard that line somewhere before…’
Nanami turned her head and gave Shion a direct hug. While Shion was still reeling in surprise, Nanami stood up, swiftly packed away the fishing rod and net, and then turned the boat around.
“Where are we going? Are we heading back?” Shion asked.
“Of course not,” Nanami replied with a smile. “If we can’t catch fish here, we’ll just go get them directly. The spot I originally marked on the map is actually my family’s marine fish farm.”
“You have a fish farm?! Then what were we doing out here?!”