“Aight... It’s about time we headed back,” I said.
With Fever Lure’s effect having worn off, I packed up my fishing gear and began preparing to leave.
“Yes, it was quite an enjoyable time,” Shouko replied.
“That it was. Having you here made it a lot more fun than fishing alone.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I was once again reminded that fishing with someone had a different sort of charm to it than my usual lonesome fishing ventures.
“Kizuna, will you be fishing again once we return to the Second City?”
“Well... I could stay at the inn to clean some fossils, or I could go and catch some sweetfish and cherry trout for breakfast. Decisions, decisions... Well, don’t worry too much about it and get some rest, Shouko.”
“I think I’ll do just that.”
I wasn’t brazen enough to ask her to join me for even more fishing after we made our way back.
With that settled, we started walking through the Forest of Everlasting Darkness, setting course for the Second City when...
“Hm?”
“That’s... What is that?”
We were still deep in the woods when we came face-to-face with a faintly glowing purple sphere floating smack-dab in the middle of the path.
“Was there a monster like that?”
“Not that I can recall...”
What could it be? I wondered. Curious, both Shouko and I cautiously approached the sphere, at which point it suddenly let off a flash of light and deployed what seemed to be a barrier behind us.
“It cut off our escape?!”
A notification popped up in my field of view.