Nanami settled comfortably onto a chair she had brought, leisurely steering the Capybara-go as it glided slowly towards her fishing grounds.
“Shion-san, are you still feeling dizzy?” This time, Nanami asked with genuine concern if Shion was still seasick. However, Shion felt much better than before.
After all, Nanami was driving the boat quite slowly. If Shion still felt seasick now, it might truly be a curse, a fate intertwined with Nanami’s presence…
“Hmm, well, much better,” Shion said with a smile. “I never would have thought Kazama-san could be so caring.”
“Caring for passengers is my duty, especially when it’s you, Shion-san!” Faced with Shion’s playful provocation, Nanami put her hands on her hips. Before long, several buoys, shimmering with silver light, appeared on the distant horizon.
“Do you see that?” Nanami pointed towards the buoys.
“What are those?”
“That’s my family’s salmon farm! We raise them so that everyone can still enjoy delicious, affordable salmon, even during the season when wild salmon migrate to distant waters,” Nanami declared with considerable pride.
As Nanami steered the Capybara-go closer to the farm, Shion finally got a clear view. It was an aquaculture facility of considerable scale.
White buoys anchored its four corners, while beneath the surface, a colossal net cage, woven from bluish-grey mesh, held its form. Within the enclosure, countless grey fish swam, darting through the water.
“Shion-san, come choose one you’d like to eat~” Nanami casually hopped to the edge of the boat, carelessly placing her shoes and socks on deck. She then dipped her snow-white feet into the seawater, gently wiggling her toes.
“Hmm, let me see… But if we cut a fish today, we won’t be able to sell it at the Autumn Festival, right? Maybe we should wait for another time?” Though Shion felt a slight craving, the thought of their stall’s popularity depending largely on Nanami’s salmon for the festival made her suppress her appetite.
“But I finally managed to get you out today, Shion-san. Wouldn’t it be a shame to just send you back? Why don’t you come sit with me for a bit?”
“Kazama-san, what kind of scandalous talk is that…?” Shion playfully stuck out her tongue at Nanami, yet obediently walked over to her side.
“Shion-san, take off your shoes too. Soaking your feet in the water feels wonderfully cool.” Nanami playfully pinched the calf of Shion, who was standing beside her. Shion’s slender calves felt soft to the touch.
Shion’s face flushed crimson. She glared fiercely at Nanami, but then took a deep breath. She removed her small leather shoes and white socks, neatly placing the socks inside the shoes, and arranged them tidily alongside Nanami’s footwear.
“It won’t… get dirty, will it?” Shion still harbored a slight worry.
“No, not at all. The ocean water is incredibly clean, you know.” Nanami cupped a handful of water and playfully splashed it onto Shion’s feet.
“Eek!” The sudden splash of icy-cold seawater on her feet made Shion cry out involuntarily.
“Woah, it was just a splash. Anyone would think…”
“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t you dare say another word!” Shion’s face was completely flushed with embarrassment. “Honestly, don’t say such mortifying things!”
“But I haven’t said anything yet. Are you perhaps anticipating something in your own mind, Shion-san?” Nanami raised an eyebrow teasingly.
“Ahhh! Kazama Nanami! You…!” Shion was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t think of any words to retort to this brazen provocateur.
Nanami gently tugged at the hem of Shion’s skirt, gesturing for her to sit down.
“Are you really not cold?” Shion asked, sitting beside Nanami, still a little concerned.
“If you feel your feet getting cold, Shion-san, I’ll warm them up for you~ Hehe.” Nanami poked Shion’s cheek and chuckled.
Shion no longer had the energy to retort to Nanami. To avoid falling, she simply wrapped her arms around Nanami’s waist, her eyes fixed intently on the horizon.
“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. I wouldn’t just push you in~” Nanami hugged Shion’s waist in return, whispering softly into her ear. “Really, I wouldn’t~”
“You, you, you! If you dare push me in, we’re instantly breaking off our friendship!” Shion exclaimed.
As Shion dipped her small feet into the water, a chill surged through them, sending a shiver through her entire body. However, perhaps because Nanami had splashed her earlier, Shion found herself slightly more accustomed to the ocean’s cold.
Once Shion had fully adjusted to the ocean’s chill, her arms, wrapped around Nanami, slowly loosened their grip a little.
“Shion-san~ If you don’t keep holding on, you might accidentally fall in~”
Shion shot Nanami a glare. Though she grumbled under her breath, ‘Kazama-san is truly mischievous,’ she nevertheless obediently tightened her embrace around Nanami’s waist.
“Yes, that’s better. Shion-san, you’re still so soft and warm. Holding you is like hugging a heated doll; it’s truly comfortable.”
“Kazama-san, I wouldn’t mind if you kept those thoughts to yourself. But why on earth do you have to say them out loud…?”
Even as Shion continued to grumble about Nanami, her hands remained clasped tightly around her.
Just then, the sharp-eyed Nanami suddenly noticed the fishing rod at the back of the boat being tugged.
“Oh! A fish took the bait. Let’s see which one I’ll bring back for you this time, Shion-san!”
Nanami quickly released Shion’s waist and sprang to her feet. Shion felt that if she hadn’t loosened her grip just now, Nanami’s sudden movement would surely have pulled her down.
However, it was only in those few seconds, as Nanami stood up to check the fishing rod, that Shion realized the warmth in her hands had vanished, leaving an unexpected emptiness. She felt a slight, unfamiliar discomfort.
Watching Nanami’s excited back as she reeled in the fishing rod, Shion pouted discontentedly.
‘Honestly, when she grows up, she’ll probably be out fishing every night, the kind you can’t call back no matter how much you try.’
“Oh dear, what a shame. It’s only a small fry. I’ll put this little one back.” After releasing the small fish from the hook, Nanami turned back to Shion.
However, when Nanami turned around, she was met with Shion’s somewhat mournful gaze.
It was clearly the look of someone who felt utterly neglected and displeased.
“Oh, Shion-san, the fish I caught was for you, you know.” Nanami playfully ruffled Shion’s hair.
“Eh? Kazama-san, are you saying the fish is more important than me?”
Hearing this, Nanami couldn’t help but gasp. “Shion-san, you’ve unconsciously said something quite astonishing.”