Author's Note
It's short. It's a short story about Azuma. It doesn't mean that Azuma will be coming out anytime soon.
I was actually thinking of writing a different short story, but it didn't go as well as I had hoped, so I decided to publish this one.
That day, Jin Shindo, Akira Azuma, and Yoshinobu Asai had come to visit a lake two hours away by train.
Their purpose was to take up a new hobby, fishing, which they decided on in their recent discussion. In line with the general rule, it would be more fun if everyone prepared things separately, they gathered on-site without consulting each other, gathered together on the day, and prepared their equipment. Although there was a river near the house, they aimed for the lake because it was their first time. They wanted to catch a big fish.
"Well, this was my first time trying it, but fishing is easier than I thought." (Shindo)
Saying this, it was Shindo who was tugging on the fishing rod. Of course, there was a fish at the end of the fishing line when it was pulled up. For the time being, he had been repeatedly repeating the following cycle at a pace of one minute each time: cast the fishing line → fish got caught → pulled it up → removed the fish → attached bait → cast the line again.
Shindo decided that lure fishing was not for him and opted for bait fishing[1]. Shindo, who was very possessive, hated the idea of losing his lures while lure fishing. Of course, there's no way that the lucky Shindo's lure would ever get lost...
"Well, you're the only one who can catch fish like that. Look, the other fishermen around are all stunned, their mouths hanging open." (Asai)
Asai said in a shocked tone. Unlike Shindo, he chose to do lure fishing.
"Oh, here you come! Come on!" (Asai)
Asai reeled in the line and pulled up a black bass. The lure was caught in its gills. This was a bad tactic.
"Well, Asai is catching fish at a similar pace to me." (Shindo)
"Unlike Jin, I use my skills to catch fish. Yours is pure luck, you cheater." (Asai)
"You're the one who says that. Besides, hooking a lure on the gills of a fish in the water isn't really called fishing, is it?" (Shindo)
Asai's eyesight was extraordinary, and he could even see the movements of fish underwater. His extraordinary eyesight allowed him to perform the incredible feat of catching fish by hooking a lure on the gills. According to Shindo, he was a human sonar—Could this ability be an extension of eyesight?
By the way, if you hook a lure on a fish's gills and pull it up, it is generally not considered a catch.
"So, should I just aim for the mouth and throw the lure at it?" (Shindo)
"...Can you do that?" (Asai)
"It's harder than its gills, but I can do it." (Shindo)
"Seriously..." (Asai)
As an aside, the fishermen nearby were shocked not only by Shindo's fishing technique, but also by Asai's. This was only natural, as neither of them were human.
"Now that I think of it, what happened to Tomei[2]?"
"Azuma, huh? ...I'm curious, so I'll go and check it out."
"Yeah, I guess so."
While Shindo and Asai were fishing at adjacent points, Azuma was the only one who chose to fish at a different point. This was because they had researched the lake beforehand and had calculated the best spots taking into account the air and water temperature and other conditions.
As it was often the case, these three were very serious about their hobby. It could also be called a waste of cheat abilities.
As Azuma was fishing at "Today's Best Spot," Shindo and Asai walked up to him.
The fish they were caught had already been released. Since fishing was purely a hobby, he had no intention of taking the fish home and cooking it. As an aside, Asai was the only one of the three who could cook.
"Hey! How is it, Azuma? Are you catching any... fish?" (Shindo)
Shindo's voice gradually became quieter because there was not a single fish in the case Azuma was holding.
"Haven't caught anything. That's strange. This is definitely a place where we can expect the best catch of the day..." (Azuma)
Azuma appeared to be somewhat exhausted, and Shindo and Asai were at a loss for words to call out to him.
"There's no way I could have made a mistake in my calculations. What on earth could have happened...?" (Azuma)
"Hey, Tomei." (Asai)
Having made up his mind, Asai called out to Azuma.
"What is it, Asai? Are you laughing at me for miscalculating?" (Azuma)
"I don’t know what you’re being so self-deprecating about, but does that include Shindo and I? I don’t mean to brag, but we were practically feeding on each other like a pig." (Asai)
"……Ah" (Azuma)
With Shindo catching fish like crazy through sheer luck and Asai catching fish by sight—with these two guys fishing in the same lake, did the calculations Azuma had come up with even make sense?
"It wasn't there. Taking into account the location where Shindo and Asai were fishing and the nature of the two of them... I see, there's no way we're catching anything here! Damn it!" (Azuma)
Afterwards, the three of them went fishing together at the "Best spot when Shindo and Asai are present" that Azuma had come up with, and ended up catching a total of over 300 fish. The day's number one spot went to Shindo, who caught the most.
"It's been a while since I last went fishing. Let's make the 20th floor into a vast lake-type dungeon." (Azuma)
"Azuma-sama, what are you talking about? The 20th floor is planned to be a volcano area, right?" (Kana)
"Kyuui!" (Shiro)
In response to the sudden statement made by Azuma the Dungeon Master, Kana the Dungeon Keeper calmly retorted. Next to her was Shiro, the horned rabbit.
"No, I just had a little dream, you see. A dream about my old world, which I miss." (Azuma)
"What kind of dream would make you turn a volcano area into a lake area?" (Kana)
Sometimes he would say something completely unexpected without giving any details about the process, so Kana, who was hesitant at first, had now become quite accustomed to his comments.
"It was a dream I had while fishing with friends." (Azuma)
"Huh..." (Kana)
Azuma still treasured his friends from his former world. Kana, who spent quite a bit of time with Azuma, knew very well. Therefore, when his friends were mentioned, Kana couldn't say anything strongly.
"No, I'm sorry. I said something stupid. If we were to make any changes to the dungeon's structure now, it would ruin our plans. The future of this country's mineral mining depends on the volcano area, so we can't do anything unnecessary." (Azuma)
"…………" (Kana)
"Kyuuuu..." (Shiro)
Azuma tried to mediate with a wry smile, saying that he had had a nostalgic dream and was in a daze after just waking up, so he ended up being swayed by his personal feelings. Kana thought that this was certainly true. The power of Azuma as a Dungeon Master was essential to this Estia Kingdom that Azuma founded. However, ever since Kana met Azuma, she had never seen him smile except when he was thinking about the past.
Thanks to Azuma, the residents of the surrounding villages were dying less often from epidemics or monsters. Thanks to Dungeon Master's abilities, they were even able to stockpile various supplies. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the people of the surrounding villages had all become happier thanks to Azuma. But where was Azuma's happiness? He couldn't return to his world and was forced to live as a Dungeon Master in this world. What could he do to make him happy?
(I will make Azuma-sama happy...) (Kana)
As someone whose life was saved by Azuma and who had been given everything by him, Kana had a duty to make him happy—she truly believed that. And now she was no longer the powerless girl she was. Her appearance hadn't changed since she became the Dungeon Keeper, but there were many more things she could do now than there were back then. Even if she couldn't make all of his wishes come true, she was sure she could make him happy for just a moment.
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly decide to go on a trip like this...?" (Azuma)
The next day, Azuma was taken to the lake by Kana. There were no large lakes within Azuma and his group's main area of activity, so they ended up coming a bit far.
"It seemed like Azuma-sama wanted to go fishing, so I thought it'd be a little distraction." (Kana)
"I see. Thank you for your consideration. ...This lake is quite large. It certainly reminds me of the fishing I did in my original world." (Azuma)
"Kyuui!" (Shiro)
Azuma didn't seem completely opposed either, and he took out the fishing rod Kana had prepared. Unfortunately, Shiro couldn't hold a fishing rod, so it sat on Kana's head.
"It's nice to just enjoy the slow passage of time without worrying about the best spot, you see." (Azuma)
"Yes. You've been busy lately, so I think it's good to do something like this every now and then." (Kana)
The two of them (and one rabbit) sat side by side, casting the fishing lines and enjoying the slow passage of time.
Azuma had been busy every day creating dungeons and providing support to the surrounding villages. Kana was helping out too, but there were just too many things that only Azuma could do. Kana thought that it would be a good idea to take Azuma with her on a leisurely fishing trip from time to time, as it was necessary for her to take a break.
Meanwhile, Azuma's rod suddenly began to shake.
"Oh, I hit the jackpot. This is quite a big one..." (Azuma)
—Splash!!!—
Their peace was cruelly interrupted by a giant splash of water.
"What is it?! A big monster?" (Kana)
Kana shouted, raising the short sword she was holding. In front of Azuma's group was a giant snake-like monster floating in the air with a fishing line hanging from its mouth.
"This is... a sea serpent, right? Why is it in a place like this...?" (Azuma)
"More importantly, it's a monster! We must defeat it!" (Kana)
"Kyukyuui!" (Shiro)
"Don't be so hasty. That being said, it seems like our opponent is pretty angry too. I don't think it'll listen, so let's just go ahead and lure them." (Azuma)
Kana was surprised that Azuma could say something like that so casually.
"Are you going fishing?" (Kana)
"Yes. But the line hasn't broken yet, so you can't really say you've caught anything yet." (Azuma)
"That's true, but..." (Kana)
"Oh, here it comes. Dodge it." (Azuma)
The two easily dodge the charge of the sea serpent, which charged at them without any regard for Azuma and his group convenience. Azuma had been through quite a few hellish scenes since he was transferred to this world. Of course, the same applied for Kana, who had always accompanied him. At this point, he was not going to be shaken by one or two monsters.
"[Fireball]." (Azuma)
Azuma unleashed his specialty magic on the sea serpent, which was about to change direction and charge again after being dodged. Compared to a normal [Fireball], it was more than three times larger in size. The fireball headed straight towards the sea serpent. The sea serpent was surprised by this. It must have been very surprised to see a huge fireball approaching, the like of which it had never seen before.
The sea serpent managed to evade the fireball by moving with all its might.
"GYAU?!" (Sea serpent)
However, that was exactly what Azuma was aiming for. By moving with all his might, the sea serpent lost its balance, so he tilted his fishing rod with all his might and dragged it to the ground.
"With this, I think it’s safe to say I’ve caught the fish, right? Now then, shall I finish it off with [Fire Javelin]?" (Azuma)
After catching the fish, Azuma casted a spell with no mercy. The sea serpent stepped back as it saw the giant spear of fire that appeared before Azuma.
"I don’t know if this will work, but I’ll say it anyway. If you try to run away now, I won’t finish you off. Ten, nine, eight…" (Azuma)
"GYA, GYA U!?" (Sea serpent)
Azuma didn't like eels very much. And since the three of them had an agreement that they would release any fish they didn't want to eat, he thought he'd give it one chance. Of course, if it chose to continue fighting, he wouldn't show any mercy.
Hearing the countdown from Azuma, the sea serpent desperately began to flee. It seemed it was heading back to the lake.
"I won't finish you off, but this is just a little revenge." (Azuma)
With that said, Azuma fired [Fire Javelin] at the lake three seconds after the sea serpent had jumped into the lake. Naturally, the heat from this heat heated the water in the lake.
"GYUOOOOOON?!" (Sea serpent)
It seemed to be quite hot, and the cries of a sea serpent could be heard coming from the bottom of the lake. If you hear a scream, it means it's not dead.
"I'm sorry, Azuma-sama. I had no idea that such monsters existed." (Kana)
After the sea serpent fled, Kana immediately bowed her head to Azuma.
"No, I don’t mind. Rather, I’m more than happy that I was able to catch such a big fish. Even Shindo and Asai have never caught anything as big as that…" (Azuma)
Azuma smiled a little proudly. Kana had mixed feelings about this.
It's good that Azuma laughed. It's also good that he could say that she was the one who made it happen. However, it's unfortunate that all he could do was reminisce about the past and laugh.
(Shindo-sama, Asai-sama. I definitely won't lose to you guys!) (Kana)
Someday, just by herself, just in this world, she would make Azuma smile. Kana made a firm vow to herself.
Author's Note
I'll leave it to your imagination as to whether the sea serpent is maple or not.
The clue is in Maple's self-introduction (Chapter 61).
As stated in the title, this will continue.
The daily life part of their original world → Dungeon Master Azuma's part which is related to that content.
Translation Note
[1] It seems there are 2 types of fishing: lure fishing and bait fishing.
Lure fishing involves actively searching for fish with lures that mimic prey. Lures can be used multiple times and are more versatile than bait. Lure fishing can be more involved and interesting than bait fishing, and it's generally cleaner. However, lures can be expensive, especially hard-bodied lures that can get lost on snags.
Bait fishing involves setting out baited hooks and waiting for fish to find them. Bait is often more effective for specific species and is more common in murky water. Bait is usually cheaper than lures, and you can return unused bait to nature. However, bait fishing can be messier and smellier than lure fishing.
(Ref: google)
[2] The original is written in Katakana:トーメイ(toomei). It seems 東明, aside from "Azuma Akira" (which is how the author spelled it in SS3), can also be read as "Toumei"
I apologize in advance, due to some circumstances, the next chapter (Chapter 101, start of vol. 7) will be delayed about 1 week.
Thank you to anyone who joins the discussion and leaves comments. I'm sorry if I can't reply to each comment but I really appreciate it.