“Fishing is a sport both elegant and noble, a perfect representation of noble tastes!”
Orania listened to Mia’s exaggerations with perfect composure. “Hmm... Why is she trying to flatter them so much?”
In her eyes, Mia’s speech seemed incredibly artificial and forced. She purposefully stated she had no interest in fishing just to draw their attention, only to follow it up by showering the sport with praise. It was a speech that ebbed and flowed like a wave—an excellent example of bootlicking (aka pushing).
“Maybe she’s trying to curry favor with Belluga’s people since they’re so partial toward fishing? Or maybe with Miss Rafina...or me?”
Orania’s keen intellect saw right through Mia’s plans.
“Well, I guess Miss Rafina must be her main target... She’s the Holy Lady, so she must love hearing all that praise. But trying to win favor like that is terribly materialistic... She really is uncouth...”
Yes, the sharp eyes of the ignorant princess saw right through Mia’s facade of a sage—she saw the real Mia.
“But would my father really want me to avoid hanging out with someone like her?”
A seed of doubt began to sprout in her chest. There was something odd about her father’s parting words.
Yes, a normal parent would want to keep their daughter away from the materialistic and uncouth, and if they had been bewitched by Mia’s influence, they would have encouraged their daughter to befriend the girl despite her flippant nature.
But Orania knew very well her father was no normal man. He had no desire to keep his daughter away from poor influences and raise her properly, nor was he the type to sacrifice his daughter in a play to get some of Mia’s power for himself.
He doesn’t think anything of... Orania opted not to finish that thought.
“Anyway, father clearly seemed wary of Princess Mia, but why...? What’s there to fear about such an obvious sycophant...?” Orania pondered for a moment, and ultimately, came to the conclusion that there was nothing. “Then...her declaration must have been fake. She must have some other reason for saying all this...”
Her father’s attitude at their farewell and the content of Mia’s speech just didn’t add up. That doubt crept on her like a serpent’s venom—no, a jellyfish’s sting—invading her thoughts, paralyzing her mind, and clouding her judgment.
“Well, whatever... Who cares about what father or Princess Mia are planning?” She giggled. “I’m just supposed to have fun today!”
Thus, her dangerous train of thought had come to a sudden stop.
It would be a little while yet until Orania learned of Mia’s true motives (...at least, as they were interpreted by a certain Holy Lady and her friends) and was beaten down by their force.
Now that the tournament had officially begun, Orania decided to check out the possible fishing spots. The ruins of the old bridge near the harbor were open, and so was the sandy beach through the woods. Students also had the option of going off onto the lake, and three boats had been charted for that very purpose.
“Boat fishing, huh...?” she muttered, quite deeply impressed by this option. Honestly, she wasn’t all too interested in the fishing spots that were available to them, as she had already visited them all herself. And while fishing was fun wherever and whenever, boat fishing was a rare opportunity. She was keen on taking up that offer.
I’ve gone boat fishing in Ganudos on my own before, but I can’t really do that here... Tee hee! This is going to be so much fun!
Thus, Orania was dead set on heading out on one of the fishing boats, but just as she was about to hop on board...
“Orania! I was thinking you would be here!” A cheery Mia Luna Tearmoon waved at her from the ship.
“Huh...?!”
Not to mention, she was surrounded by the other members of the student council and students from the SEEC program.
“Hurry on board! Let’s enjoy some fishing together!”
“U-Um... But...” Panicked, Orania glanced at the other boats.
“Come on then, Orania!” But somewhere down the line, Mia had come right next up to her. She grabbed her hand and pulled her on board, closing off all possible paths of escape.
Hmm... Well, whatever!
Yes, “whatever,” the same attitude Orania had when it came to everything in life. Thinking was hard, so why think? She should just have fun! What else could she want besides enjoying some boat fishing? This was the guiding principle that had defined the entirety of Orania Perla Ganudos’s young life.
“So, where exactly is this boat headed...?”
“Excellent question!” Belluga’s number one fish maniac Santeri stepped out of nowhere and unfurled a map, looking awfully serious. “There’s a perfect fishing spot, and while it’s hard to access from the island, it’s easy to get to by boat...”
“I always did want to try fishing there...” said Orania, grinning from ear to ear.