Chapter 7. Part 2. A warm day
The girls arrive at a secluded place to practice.
Vanessa casts out her line and settles onto the sand, preparing to sunbathe while her line is in the water.
"Haha, come to me, you little sea num-nums. Come to Charmy!" Charmy exclaims.
"Wow, Charmy is really into this. I hope I can perform well too," Grey says, fussing as she does her best.
"Well, it's no surprise. Food motivates her like no other force ever could," Vanessa adds.
"I wonder if she could actually eat up this ecosystem," Nero chimes in. "Hmmm, not sure but maybe," Vanessa replies with a smile. Her cat on her shoulder meows.
"Hey, Finral, how are things going over there?" Vanessa inquires.
"Oh, it's fine, Vanessa. I just, uh," Finral nervously utters as he adjusts his shirt before casting out his line.
Millie observes everyone and looks at the rod in her hand. "It has a string on it," she whispers to herself, trying to understand the mechanism.
"Ow, darn it," she hears from behind a cluster of rocks. She climbs up to get a better view and sees a kid getting to his feet and adjusting his fishing rod.
(Is he okay?) she wonders and walks over to him.
"Hello, do you need assistance?" she asks calmly.
"Like hell I do!" he snaps at her.
"...I can see your leg is injured. I have a recovery spell."
"Shut it, I am fine!" the kid snaps again, getting to his feet. He swings his fishing rod in an unusual way, and he trips over his own feet, falling to the ground.
"Dang it," he scuffs. "May I..."
"What the heck are you still doing here? I told you I don't need your help!" he scuffs and tries again.
"Alright, sir... May I ask what it is that you are attempting?"
"Tsk, like I would tell you. You are probably just here to spy on me," he says.
"Spy on you?" Millie questions.
"Yeah, judging from your fishing hat and rod, I'm guessing that you are here to enter the fishing competition too," he says.
"I am, sir," Millie replies.
"Then leave," he orders.
"Is it a fishing throw you are attempting?" Millie asks.
"Tsk, just leave already! Jeez."
"...May I practice alongside you?" Millie asks.
He looks at her confused expression, and the boy sighs, brushing through his blond hair.
"Whatever, since you don't appear to be leaving," he says and gets ready to throw again.
He looks at Millie, who is looking at her rod, confused, and tries to adjust the line.
"T-hehehehe, even if you are here to spy, I can already tell that I have nothing to worry about with you," he laughs.
"Oh, how come?" she asks.
The kid blushes. "Uh, nothing... At least be silent," he says and attempts the swing again.
"May I offer a suggestion?" Millie asks calmly.
"What!" he snaps.
"Well, when you swing your other foot, you tend to lag behind a bit. So try to shift your weight to your toes and point your foot in the direction you want to throw the line," she tells him.
"I don't need help from a novice such as yourself," he tells her.
"Understood, sir," she says and goes back to practicing throwing.
He looks at her, gets up, and thinks her words over, looking at his rod...
He tries what she told him. "Hey, it actually works!" he says excitedly. But he quickly contains his excitement and turns to Millie, who has caught the line around her arm.
"Why did you help me?" he asks her.
"Huh? Is it not normal to help people who need it?" she asks.
"Yeah, right. What do you want? Money, food, title, and honor?" he asks.
"I do not want or need anything, truly," she says and swings the rod, but it smacks her in the face.
"...Usually, the people I meet want something from me because of my family's high standing," he tells her.
"What... So the people you meet... You can never really be sure if they are friendly to you because of good intentions or not?"
"Pretty much, yeah," he says, a little bit embarrassed, and sees her getting more caught up in the line.
He throws another line out and reels it in while he thinks about it. (She seems genuine, and she seems... Kind of clueless to be up to anything...) he looks at her and back at the sea. (Or at least anything useful...) His eyes go back to her once more.
"Uh..." he utters as she falls back onto the sand. "What just happened?"
"I, uh, believe I tripped, sir," she replies.
"How did you manage to trip? You were standing still?" he asks in comedic surprise.
"I, uh, the string is not my friend?" she asks, trying to get out but only getting more tangled up.
The kid sighs and goes up to her. "Here, let me get you out of that before you choke yourself," he tells her.
Moments later, she is untangled, and they sit down in the sand. "Thank you, sir," she says softly, and he narrows his eyes.
"Say... If it's true that you didn't know about my status, then why do you keep calling me sir?" he asks. "I call everyone sir or ma'am," Millie tells him.
"What? How come?"
"You see, I am a familiar, so therefore everyone is above me," she says.
"A familiar?" the boy asks. "Yes, sir," she replies and transforms into her cat form. "Wow, that is so cool," he says, and she transforms back.
"But what you said earlier, that you don't know if people have good intentions because of status, I can understand that to some extent," she tells him.
"How so?" he asks.
"Well, because I am a familiar, I can boost someone's magic and physical strength, which in turn even allows them to live longer. But most people I come across just take the boost, and once the first month is over, I am tossed aside or I get to stay until they no longer find me useful, no matter how friendly they seem," she explains.
"I see. I guess it's kind of similar, people cozy up to you just for a power grab, which is what a lot of people do with me and my family," he says.
He looks at her and to the sea, where seagulls are playing in the water. "I believe so," she says.
"Say, how about I help you with your rod holding?" he tells her. "Huh, oh, you really don't have to, sir, honestly," she says.
"Come on, it won't be fun winning the competition if I know I am up against a lost cause like you," he tells her.
"Well, if that is what you want, sir," she replies. "Say, what is your name, anyway?" the kid asks. "Millie Millenty."
"I see, Millie. Well, you're lucky to get to train with Stanty Markcust of House Markust," he proudly claims. Millie offers a warm smile. "Thank you, sir. It is appreciated, truly."
"Oh, and if you insist on using honorifics, please call me mister," he tells her.
"Of course, Mister Stanty Markcust," she replies.
He helps her out, and they train together.
"Man, I am actually tired in my arms. I better rest so I have strength left for the competition," Stanty says, sitting down and taking a drink from his water flask.
They hear rumbling. "Huh, I guess I am hungry too. Shoot, I didn't bring lunch," he says.
"Here," Millie offers, and he looks at her hand holding dried meat. "What is that?" he asks.
"Dried rabbit meat, I made them myself," she says.
He takes one and looks at it. "I never had rabbit meat before," he says and examines it before eating it.
"Hey, it's actually really good," he says. "Thank you. I usually mix herbs and a bit of salt in a mixture and let the meat soak in it for a bit before I start the drying process, just to give it more nutrients and flavor," she tells him.
"Man, these are really good. You should sell these. I bet you could make a fortune," he says and takes another. "Oh no, Mister, I only use it for personal use," she tells him.
"That's too bad. These would definitely sell," he tells her.
"I appreciate your kind words," she says with a smile.
He looks at her and to the sea, where seagulls are playing in the water. "Your mind seems to be in a different place, Mister."
"Oh right, well, I just need to win today's competition, is all," he says.
"May I ask why that is, Mister?"
He gives her a sharp look before his eyes soften a little, and he sighs. "If you must know, my dad won the competition when he was my age. So if I am to be anywhere near as good as he is, I should be able to do it too, and maybe then he'll..." he replies, his eyes turning a little sad. "Anyway, I am awesome, so it should go just fine. So when I win, then he will have to pay attention to me." (Shoot, I did not mean to let the last part out.) He looks over to her confused-looking face. "Or whatever." He slightly blushes.
"That sounds amazing. I will be rooting for you," she warmly replies with a calming smile.
"Yeah, you know, I uh," he utters, and they hear fireworks.
"Oh no, the competition is about to start. I can't be late," he says and gets up.
"Here, we can take to the sky. It is faster," she tells him and brings out her wings. "Cool," he utters, and she picks him up and flies over to the main area.
"You can put me there. I am supposed to meet some Ha-Ha guy who I hired to help me out," he explains. "Got it," she replies and swings over.
"Right."
Meanwhile...
"Where is Millie? The competition is about to start any moment now," Vanessa asks, looking around as they approach the guys. "What, she isn't with you?" Asta asks.
"Nope, it's so weird. It's like she just disappears. Good grief," Noelle says and flicks her hair. "For someone who is supposed to be by your side, she sure disappears a lot." Noelle scoffs and blushes, getting self-conscious near Asta in her bikini.
"I guess I will have to call on her again," he says and takes a deep breath.
"There is no need, Master Asta."
"Gah!" he screeches and looks behind him. "When did you get there?" he asks.
"Just now, sir," she replies and walks over to the girls.
They walk over to their designated boats.
"Alright, the rules are simple. Get as many fish as you can before time runs out. Certain sizes and types give varied points depending on their size. Now, this is about only using your fisherman skills to get the fish, so magic is out in this competition. Once everyone is out and you hear the shot go off, you may begin. And no cheating. There will be magic orbs watching what everyone is doing, and they will be carefully watched by the judges. If one detects any form of magic use, the team will be subtracted 50 points from their score. Now, is that clear?" the man asks.
"What? But my cotton creation magic catcher's net is designed for this specifically," Charmy gasps. "Too bad, you will have to use the rented fishing rods for this competition. Now, is everyone ready?" the announcer yells.
"Yes," everyone says in unison. "Alright, get out on the water," he tells them, and everyone gets into their boats and row to the area.
And they all wait for the competition to start...
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