Nice one, Kiryl! Mia nodded along, deeply satisfied by the taste of the scrumptious juice. That wasn’t the most important thing to her, however. Of course it wasn’t. The juice was delicious, but she was much more pleased that the boy had been kind to Orania. Teaching strangers is one thing, but it’ll be much harder for her to refuse to teach a child how to fish after he brought her some tasty juice!
Mia glanced at Patty, who had instructed Kiryl to deliver the cup. She gave a wordless nod, and while her expression was as hard to read as always, Mia could sense some pride behind it. Oho ho! She truly is my grandmother! She can read me like I’m an open book, sure, but... Next, Mia glanced at her own grandchild.
“Tee hee! I’m gonna catch the King! Every adventurer needs to know how to fish, so make sure you all learn well, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am!” cried the SEEC students. Bel was trying to lure them to the adventuring dark side.
Why is she so...what’s the word? Well, whatever. I suppose you could consider her necessary comic relief. Yup, let’s go with that.
Yes, you mustn’t compare yourself to others—this was an axiom Mia knew perfectly well. Everyone had their own roles to play; while Ludwig was astonishingly intelligent, it would be absolutely oppressing to be surrounded by Ludwigs. There was a place for ditzes like Bel out there too.
While I’m on the subject, I need to make sure I don’t turn into a buzzkill like Ludwig either! I can’t be too serious. I need to let the tension out of my shoulders sometimes. Anyways, Bel has a role to play too! And that is, um...
Mia folded her arms and pondered this dilemma. “What important role is there for Bel to play?” she absentmindedly muttered.
But anyways...
Noticing Orania had glanced at the children, Mia took the opportunity to speak. “I would like you to teach the children how to fish,” she said with a smile.
“Huh?! Why...me?” said Orania, looking like she had every intention of refusing.
But nothing could escape Mia’s eyes! She sensed some fear in Orania’s expression as well! Oho ho! That’s right! You need to watch your words when Rafina’s about, and she just happens to be right over here! Mia glanced behind her.
“I can’t wait! This is my first time fishing, after all,” said Rafina with a jovial giggle. Her cheeks were tinged red, and she wore a childish, innocent grin.
She hides the lion behind that smile, but it pokes its head out at times, and it’s awfully terrifying! That’s right, there’s a furious lion within Rafina, and you’re right to fear waking it from its slumber, Orania! And I’m sure you’d anger Sion and Tiona if you treated these children poorly too!
After confirming the lion waiting to pounce behind her, Mia slowly and deliberately began to block all of Orania’s paths of escape. First, she appealed to the lack of hands on deck, and the necessity of Orania’s help, all the while stressing that what she was asking was simply help, thus lessening the burden she was putting on her. Then...
“I want this day to be fun, and I know seeing your excellent skills up close would help with that!” Mia let out her secret technique—the hupty-doo push. It really could be used in a variety of circumstances. Pushes were what made the world go round!
And under the oppressive weight of Mia’s push, Orania had no choice but to nod silently.
Oho ho! All according to my plan! Have things ever gone so smoothly for me before? Oho! I’m doing so well, it’s almost scary, thought Mia, as happy as could be.
That’s when Anne handed her a fishing pole. “Please take this, milady.”
“Oho, a fishing pole! This is my first time handling one.”
“Please hold down the string and wait for a moment. There’s a hook attached, so be careful.”
“A hook...” Mia glanced at the string’s end with a gulp. “My, there’s something odd about its tip...”
“That’s called a barb. It prevents the fish from falling off once they’re caught. If you poke your finger with it, it’ll be quite painful, so be careful,” Santeri warned.
Mia responded with a grave nod. “I shall. I never expected fishing to be so dangerous,” said Mia, fearfully staring at her fishing hook.
“You stick this bait on the hook...” said Orania, presenting a box. Apparently she was willing to help.
Mia let out an inward triumphant chuckle. But then...
“Hwaaak!” That chuckle morphed into a strange-sounding scream. “Y-You stick on those gross-looking things?”
The box was full of red, squirming creepy-crawlies. It sent a shiver up Mia’s spine.
“Yup. They’re called seaworms...and they make excellent bait,” said Orania, not seeming to pay Mia much mind. She picked up one of the creepy offenders and impaled it on her hook with zero hesitation. “See? Easy...right?”
“R-Right... I-I’ll give it a try.” Mia gulped down her fear and poked one of the seaworms with the tip of her finger. It was squishy—a sensation Mia found wholeheartedly unpleasant. “Th-This is all in the name of some tasty seafood! Here goes!”
She resisted her fear and managed to hook her bait. Then...
“Eeeeeek!” A cute scream came from behind her. She turned around to find Patty, Yanna, and Rafina staring at her hands.
Who screamed? wondered Mia. She first locked eyes with Rafina, who displayed her usual, serene grin. It was just as calm as always—no, much more so than usual. Her pale skin seemed to glitter in the sun’s rays. Well, Miss Rafina doesn’t seem like the type to lose her composure, and I doubt Patty would mind a bug or two either. That leaves Yanna! Oho ho! She really is adorable!
Mia smiled at the young girl in an attempt to placate her. “There’s no need to fret, Yanna. The worms are a bit gross, but they’re nothing to fear!” said Mia, sounding awfully proud of the fact she’d managed to hook her own worm.