Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 13: Doom Sword, Part 1
Fishing.
I’m not doing it out of necessity for food—I still have enough to cover living expenses.
I started fishing because I thought I might take up a hobby. That’s when I realized I didn’t have one, and the realization left me mildly shocked.
Now that I had a bit of stability in my life, the lack of a hobby became glaringly apparent. So I figured I’d try fishing, the quintessential pastime.
But while fishing, I somehow ended up dealing with a strange drunkard.
“Nice to meet you, Wof.”
“…Nice to meet you, too.”
“So, how’s the fishing going? Caught anything yet?”
“Not at all…”
I gave him a wry smile.
The jar I’d brought along to serve as a makeshift fish basket only had water in it.
“The rod’s fine—it’s made from Beadle wood, right? What are you using for bait?”
“Just some bugs I found nearby.”
“Ah, I see. Mind if I show you something?”
“What is it?”
“I’ve got some good bait. Try using this.”
He handed me a small piece of dried meat.
“Meat?”
“It’s surprisingly effective as bait for fish.”
“Well… I suppose that makes sense.”
I reeled in my line. The bug I’d used as bait was gone.
It must have floated off. That happened often, so I wasn’t too concerned. I replaced it with the dried meat he’d given me.
“Not like that—it’ll fall off if you do it that way.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve gotta hook it properly, like this. Match it with the curve of the hook.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, just like that. Otherwise, it’ll fall off again like before.”
He took a swig from his bottle after explaining.
So that was the problem—I hadn’t been attaching the bait correctly.
This fishing hook was a new one, replacing my old, broken one. Apparently, the way I’d been attaching bait to the old one didn’t work with this design.
“…Thank you for the help.”
“Don’t mention it. Go ahead, give it a shot.”
“O-okay.”
I cast my line into the river and waited.
“Oh, I think I got a bite!”
The rod twitched slightly in my hands.
“Not yet. Wait for a bigger tug before you move the rod.”
“R-right!”
A big tug—there!
“Now! Move the rod opposite the fish’s pull!”
“Got it!”
I didn’t reel it in right away. Instead, I worked the rod against the fish’s movements to tire it out.
“Hey, not bad! You could probably pull it up now.”
“Okay!”
The fish’s resistance waned, and with a final pull, I hauled it out.
It was heavy, but I managed.
It was huge. But…
“Isn’t this a giant salamander?”
The words slipped out.
It looked like a slimy catfish with limbs—a creature I recognized as a giant salamander, a natural monument in my old world.
And it was massive.
I was a little surprised to see one in this world, too. Agaro took another swig from his bottle and said,
“That’s a land catfish. It’s a monster.”
“A… monster?”
The giant salamander was a monster? Somehow, I fit it into the jar.
“It’s technically classified as a monster.”
“Well, it does look like one.”
I could see his point. Even in my old world, the creature had been associated with folklore and legends.
“It’s kind of both a monster and not a monster.”
“Which is it?”
“Probably got labeled a monster because of how it looks. That sort of thing happens.”
“So it’s not actually a monster?”
“But it’s listed in the Monster Compendium.”
“…So it is a monster?”
“Maybe.”
“…Maybe?”
So, which is it in the end?
Agaro took another swig from his drink.
“Does it really matter? Anyway, what are you going to do with it?”
“Hmm…”
Eating a giant salamander? That would be a bit much.
“I’ll release it.”
“Huh? What?”
“I’m letting it go.”
“Fair enough.”
Agaro didn’t seem to care either way.
I released the giant salamander back into the river, and it quickly disappeared beneath the water.
“Thanks for all your help.”
“Huh? You’re done already?”
“Yeah. Fishing was just a way to explore hobbies, not to gather food.”
“A hobby?”
Agaro looked at me, puzzled.
“I don’t have any hobbies. So I figured I’d try a bunch of things.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirteen.”
“…Looking for hobbies while scraping by just to survive, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s a struggle, but living without anything else feels kind of empty, you know?”
Agalo didn’t say anything, just took another drink.
“That’s why I want to find at least one thing I can enjoy.”
“Heh, you’re a strange one. But it’s not a bad idea. You need a bit of breathing room, or your heart will start to harden.”
Agaro chuckled softly.
“Do you have any hobbies, Agaro?”
“Me? Hmm… well, if you can call it a hobby, then yeah—booze.”
“Booze?”
“Yep, booze. That’s my hobby.”
He said this while taking another swig.
It was quite an impressive way to drink straight from the bottle.