Chapter 132: Sea Fishing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: Sea Fishing
The next morning.
"Wait! Shinji! Where are you going?! Today's schedule was definitely…!"
"You'll see when we get there."
After breakfast, the bewildered President was led out of the mansion by the Vice President.
He took us to the garage behind the mansion, where Minami, sitting in a four-seater buggy identical to the one we saw yesterday, gave a slight wave.
"Welcome, Young Lady."
"Minami, you too! Seriously! This isn't what we planned, is it?!"
"Plans are always subject to change, Young Lady."
The Vice President opened the buggy door, delivering his line as if it were something cool.
In any case, having been dragged all the way here, it seemed the President couldn't bring herself to say she was going back. Grumbling, she climbed into the back seat he held open for her.
"Kim Yoo-Sung, you take the front… no, take the back seat."
The Vice President changed his mind in an instant, hopping into the passenger seat himself before I could even answer.
With only one option left, I naturally ended up taking the spot next to the President.
"Sorry. It's a bit cramped because of me, isn't it?"
The seat was spacious enough for two ordinary people, but with me in it, it was almost completely full.
"No! It feels more... lively this way, so it's actually nice! Really!"
Our shoulders were nearly touching. The President, startled, blurted out her reply and then urged Minami to get going.
Minami lowered the sunglasses that were perched on her head and answered.
"Alright, we're off."
*
The four-seater buggy drove us down a rough mountain path, arriving at the same stone-carved pier where we had disembarked yesterday.
Floating on the sea was a different yacht from the one we'd seen before.
"What's this?"
The President, having gotten out of the olive-drab buggy, asked with her eyes wide like a rabbit's. The Vice President pushed his glasses up with his middle finger and replied.
"You seemed disappointed about not getting to play much yesterday because you were sleeping, so I asked Mr. Meguro to prepare this. I was told it's what the mansion staff use when they need to make a quick trip to the mainland."
"Shinji…"
The President gazed at the Vice President, her expression touched.
"Instead of just standing there, you two should hurry up and get on board. The supplies are already loaded on the boat."
Completely shattering the touching atmosphere, Minami intervened, striding onto the yacht moored at the pier.
It seemed to be her own little protest. A silent, Why don't I get any praise?
"Sh-should we?"
The President cooled her slightly flushed cheeks with her palms and followed Minami onto the yacht.
After watching them, the Vice President and I boarded as well.
*
─Vroooooom!
With the hum of its electric motor, the yacht sped forward.
At the Vice President's suggestion that we might as well go far out to sea if we were going for a boat ride, we ended up steering the vessel to a spot far from the island.
For the record, Minami was the one piloting the boat this time, too.
"When did you learn how to pilot a boat?"
"I got the license as a hobby a while back."
As she said that, Minami opened her wallet and showed me something.
Fwip!
A cascade of various licenses unfurled from her wallet, stretching all the way to the floor.
Upon closer inspection, I saw she had most licenses, except for a car driver's license, which she wasn't old enough for yet.
Among them, one particularly stood out.
"You have a motorcycle license too?"
"My birthday was recent."
Minami replied, her chin held high with pride.
"She's always liked riding things since she was a kid. If the Young Lady hadn't taken her in, she might have become a bōsōzoku. She's the type to unconsciously go full throttle even on a bicycle."
Listening to the Vice President, I pictured Minami in a black sukeban uniform.
…It somehow suits her.
While we were chatting, the President, who had been gazing at the blue horizon while enjoying the cool sea breeze, suddenly let out a shriek.
"What's wrong?!"
Startled, I rushed outside to see the President pointing at something with her right hand.
"J-just now, over there!"
I instinctively turned my head toward the sea.
All I could see was white foam.
"A dolphin!"
"A dolphin?!"
As I unconsciously echoed her, the Vice President rushed out from the cabin.
"A dolphin, you say? Where! Where is it?!"
It seemed that no matter how strict, stern, and serious he usually was, even the Vice President couldn't resist dolphins.
*
Following the President's eyewitness account, we slightly altered the boat's course.
We were now in the area where she had supposedly spotted the dolphin.
But even after reaching the spot where the white foam had churned just moments before, there was no sign of any dolphin.
"That's strange… I'm sure I saw it…"
As the President muttered in frustration, Minami, who had come out onto the deck, shook her head.
"It probably saw our boat and swam away. It's a shame, but there's nothing we can do."
"Aww, my dolphin!"
The Vice President, who had been brimming with anticipation, called out in a loud, disappointed voice, but the sea remained silent.
You get betrayed because you get your hopes up in the first place.
If he had been like me, with no expectations, he would have been fine.
Watching her cousin's pathetic display from the side, Minami must have decided she couldn't bear it any longer. She crossed her arms and said:
"Since we've come all this way, let's do some fishing. The fact that a dolphin was spotted around here means there are plenty of fish in the sea below."
"Ooh…"
It was such a logical explanation that I couldn't help but be impressed.
Just then, the President, who had been quiet, raised her right hand and asked.
"But Minami, I've never been fishing before."
"That's alright. Sea fishing is something you learn as you go."
Minami, who had somehow already armed herself with a red fishing vest, a matching hat, and a long fishing rod, opened an ice box she'd brought from the cabin.
"I, the one they call the Master Angler of Izumo, will give you one-on-one instruction."
Perhaps it was because of the sunglasses on her face, but was it just my imagination, or did she look like a Marine Corps drill instructor?
"Awawawawawa."
I gave a wry smile as I watched the President, completely overwhelmed by the impromptu sea fishing lesson.
*
"Young Lady, there are generally three types of bait used in fishing: dough bait, worms, and lures."
Minami's one-on-one lesson, explaining everything step-by-step from a beginner's perspective, was a masterclass that would make even a seasoned angler nod in approval.
As I eavesdropped on her lecture with my own line cast in the water, I felt a tug on my rod and immediately lifted it overhead.
"Got one!"
Without much of a struggle, I reeled it in. The fish that came flying out of the sea was a horse mackerel.
It's a fish favored more in Japan than in Korea, a versatile ingredient that can be eaten as sashimi, grilled, or fried.
In fact, fried horse mackerel is such a staple menu item at set-meal restaurants that you can almost always find it.
It's kind of like the Jeyuk-bokkeum [stir-fried spicy pork] of Korea.
The President, who was in the middle of Minami's lecture, saw the horse mackerel flopping on the deck and shrieked, "Kyaaak!" clinging to Minami beside her.
Minami, her protective instincts automatically kicking in, gave her a warm smile and a hug.
The sight of two beautiful girls clinging to each other was quite the treat for the eyes.
While I was distracted by the two of them, the Vice President next to me also seemed to have caught something, as he raised his fishing rod high above his head.
Just as Minami had predicted, the area seemed to be teeming with fish. Every time we cast our bait, we got a bite. It was definitely a prime spot.
And so, the Vice President and I, now fired up, began competing to see who could catch more fish, while the President, after her 30-minute lesson from Minami, was attempting to make her first catch. It was then that we heard it.
Keeeeeeeeeeek!
A strange cry came from near the boat.
"Huh?"
Wondering what it was, I turned my head to see a shadow pop its head out of the water.
It was a dolphin.
"A dolphin!"
The Vice President shot to his feet, startled by its sudden appearance.
"Quiet!"
I gave the Vice President a stern warning for nearly squandering this rare opportunity like a fool, then beckoned to the President, who was watching with bated breath.
Keek? Keeeeek?
Fortunately, the dolphin seemed curious about us. It kept its head above the water, staying put instead of swimming away.
I handed the President one of the fish we had caught and said:
"Try giving it to him yourself."
The President hesitated, holding the tail of the fish as it thrashed in her hand. But when her eyes met those of the dolphin peeking out of the water, she swallowed hard and, with a cry of "Here goes!", tossed the fish.
The dolphin, which had been waiting below the yacht with its mouth open, skillfully leaped from the surface of the water and snatched the food the President had thrown.
The white, shattered waves from its splash glittered like jewels in the sunlight.
"Woooow─"
The President stared blankly at the scene, her mouth agape.
It was an innocent, childlike expression she didn't often show, and it was adorable.
"Yoo-Sung! Did you see that?! The dolphin ate the food I gave it!"
"Yes, I saw."
"How can dolphins be so cute?! I want to raise one at home!"
As I played along with her rapid-fire excitement, the President seemed to belatedly realize what she was doing and her face turned bright red.
After that, the dolphin proceeded to demolish more than half of the fish we had caught over the hour. After giving us a bit of fan service, it let out a long cry and departed.
Growl!
The President was staring wistfully at the spot where the dolphin had disappeared when the sound of a stomach clock suddenly rumbled from beside her. She let out a small laugh.
"We've had our fill of watching someone else eat. Let's have our own lunch now."
At that, the source of the sound, Minami, blushed slightly and replied.
"Yes."