3.5

To catch a fish

After the chat with Victor, Hiro went out to find an empty house. Owain had gone out on a business much to his dismay while all the women were in the bath. He could wait for them or another thought, looked for the other summoned.

Hiro: {Momo-chan, are you there?}

Momo-chan: [Of course, why do you even need to ask?]

Hiro: {No, it’s just that you seem rather quiet. I thought maybe something had gone wrong}

Momo-chan: [Oh, are you worry about me?]

Hiro: {Of course}

Momo-chan: [That answer was quick… Anyway, I am alright, just processing all the information that Victor told us]

Hiro: {And holding hand with Suiren for hours?}

Momo-chan: [That is like eons ago now!]

Hiro: {Not really}

Momo-chan: [Anyway, as I have said, I was thinking about what Victor told us]

Hiro: {And holding hand with Suiren for hours?}

Momo-chan: [… Alright, maybe a bit of that]

Hiro: {Just a bit?}

Momo-chan: [… Maybe most]

Hiro: {That’s my boy. You are such a dork, and I mean that in the adorable way}

Momo-chan: [Am I that easy to read… even though I don’t have a face]

Hiro: {Dunno, but you are me from the past after all}

Saying that suddenly made Hiro thinks. Yes, he was once like this, completely occupied about holding hand with his crush like this. That was just… sad…

The young man asked around about the whereabout of his fellow summoned. He was directed to the beach where Malcolm and Conrad were sitting on a rock, fishing.

“Hi there”

Said Hiro as he tried to make his way up the rock. Malcolm gave him a half-hearted wave while Conrad just sat there.

“Um, is there any fish this close to the shore?”

“Apparently yes” Answered the youth “The townsfolk use some sort of bait to lure fishes closer. The effect should still linger, at least that’s what I was told”

“So you haven’t gotten anything yet?”

The question was met with silence. Hiro peered into the bucket to find nothing. Guess Malcolm didn’t find that question worth answering while Conrad was just… quiet as usual.

The young man took a seat next to the two.

“We don’t really have another fishing rod here”

“It’s fine, I just want to sit here for a bit”

“So how was it? Getting your arm cut opened?”

“Um, that actually didn’t happen, he just wanted to talk with me”

“I thought as much”

The youth commented casually as if it was the most natural conclusion. He leaned back comfortably with only one hand on the rod. Although there was still an intense concentration in his eyes. Fishing was a serious matter and he wouldn’t return empty handed.

“What did you think then?”

“Well, that Victor guy was just trying to rile up your precious princess”

Momo-chan: [Why did he have to say it like that!]

{Calm down, he just wanted to trigger me}

“I see”

Hiro replied calmly, he looked to the side to see a smirk on the youth’s face. Was that measured respond expected? He had no idea.

Nevertheless, he had figured out Malcolm way. The youth didn’t seem to care about much at all. But in fact, his scruffy hair and bowler hat hid a pair of keen eyes. Malcolm never stopped observing his surrounding, especially the people and their reactions.

Hiro continued the conversation.

“Why would he do that though?”

“I have no idea. But he sure like doing that, that guy would never failed to stress on the word ‘princess’”

Momo-chan: [And so do you]

Willow sure wasn’t comfortable with that title, Hiro had noticed. It seemed like the girl hid her status out of a sense of inadequacy more than anything.

“What about you?”

“Hm?”

“You sure like to dig at her as well”

“Oh that, I could say it straight to you that was because I hate her. Actually, that was too strong. No, I loath that girl, although it isn’t exactly her fault though”

Momo-chan: […]

Before Hiro could say anything, Malcolm sat up and held his fishing rod tight in an instant. Something bit. The youth grinned with anticipation, there was a subdue sense of enthusiasm that affected even Hiro himself.

“Can you pull it up!”

“Nah, got to tire the thing out first”

The fish struggled violently but Malcolm’s grip was firm. Hiro was worried, however, as the string got yanked again and again. To made matter worse, these fishing rods seemed to be handmade.

“At this rate it will break!”

“No, you need to have trust”

The youth assured Hiro. His voice filled with certainty and confidence. The young man could feel something in him… he also wanted to believe.

“Come on, come on”

Soon the string started to loosen, tension started to mount up. It then erupted as the youth yanked the rod up. The fish, however, wasn’t contended to die like that. With the last of its strength, it struggled one last time and with great effort, broke free.

Hiro and Malcolm watched on silently as the creature plopped back down the water surface, its journey and achievement grand.

“Oh well, what a shame”

Malcolm got a new bait, a fresh worm. The two sat back down exactly where they left off. They looked to the side to find Conrad silently dropped a fresh catch inside the bucket. He also caught one before that even.

The vagabond remained quiet, somehow, this reminded Hiro of Suiren.

“So where are you from, Burgess-san?”

“Why do you want to know about that?”

“Just want to strike a conversation, that’s all”

“… England, London born and raised”

“Oh, I have heard of that place…”

Just saying those words made Hiro felt rather daft. Who hadn’t heard of one of the world superpower.

“And you are from Japan, I know that” Malcolm said “But what’s important is ‘when’ are you from”

“Eh?”

“Looks at Conrad, he is ancient. What if you and me are from different time as well?”

“Well, I am from 1996”

“… I see”

“What about you?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not like you would know anything about my period anyway”

“Then do you know anything about mine?”

“Absolutely nothing”

“Then why did you ask me that?”

“I just wanted to know, you didn’t have to answer”

“Well, I did give you one. And I wouldn’t mind knowing”

“1868”

“Eh?”

“I am from 1868”

Hiro really had no idea about England in that period. But at least now he knew they are more than a century apart. Conrad, meanwhile, probably went way back even further.

The conversation also died there and everyone sat in silence enjoying the breeze. To be honest, that wasn’t a bad idea per se. That was when Hiro noticed a clicking sound, repeating again and again along a tune of sort. The sound of metal clicking.

He looked around to find the source but there was no need for that, Malcolm immediately said.

“It’s Conrad”

“Eh?”

“That clicking sound, it’s Conrad. He tends to click his fingers”

And since he was wearing a metal gauntlet, hence the sound. The man stopped, however, as soon as he heard his name mentioned.

“It’s always the same short tune as well, again and again”

Hiro looked at the vagabond, his face unchanged. Actually, had he even made a different expression during their time here. He was just sitting there, looking at the fishing rod which was… moving. Hiro yells out loud.

“Conrad-san, you catch something there!”

It took a few seconds for the vagabond to process that. Even then, he fumbleed with the rod clumsily. Eventually, the thing slipped out of his hands and falls into the water.

Even though Conrad’s face was still unchanging, he somehow looked dejected. His weary eyes were unfocused, lost, his hands were still where he let go of the rod. Soon, his fingers started to click slightly, his usual tune. The vagabond regained his clarity.

Conrad turned to Malcolm and bowed slightly “Sorry”

“It’s fine, I can make more of that”

“Wait” Hiro interjected “You made these rods?”

“Yep, I was bored and that Pryce guy has quite a stocked workshop”

“He does?”

“It’s right next to his house, you didn’t know?”

“No…”

Hiro felt rather embarrassed, he had stayed there for all of his duration here and yet this was the first time he heard of this. The young man turned to Malcolm to find a strained smile on the youth’s face.

“Hey, how long was she behind us?”

The young man turned around to find Suiren standing behind him. Suddenly confronted with that cracked white mask, his heart nearly dropped. He answered Malcolm truthfully.

“I have no idea”

The youth was rather fazed, although he tried to hide that.

Hiro: {Hm… Malcolm seems to be wary about Suiren. Even before when we were eating, he changed his seat to be further from us}

Momo-chan: […]

Hiro: {Oi, anyone home?}

Momo-chan: [Eh, what did you say?]

Hiro: {Nothing at all}

Momo-chan: [Eh?]

Momo-chan was of course stunted when he gazed at Suiren. Fresh from a bath, the woman looked stunning… for someone without a face. Not that long ago Hiro would also be taken aback by her as well. But that wasn’t the case now, the young man wondered what changed.

His train of thought was interrupted, however, as Malcolm seemed to catch something.

The youth had learnt a lot from his last mistake. This time tried not to make any sharp or sudden pulls. He would have to wait until the prey was completely exhausted.

Which was quite a task since this seemed to be quite an energetic one. It struggled for much longer than the previous one. During all those time, however, Malcolm didn’t let his concentration drop once.

Hiro was also pulled in, he anticipated the catch. The young man asked with bated breath.

“When are you going to pull that up? It seems tired now”

“Just a bit more, that thing still got some fight left in him”

A bit more, a bit more, now! Malcolm pulled the rod up, along came the mighty fish, flopping helplessly. Hiro couldn’t help but exclaim out loud.

“Yes!”

“You are mine now”

Malcolm said with quite a sadistic grimace on his face. It soon turned into an empty grin, however, as the hook broke mid-air.

It was so close. Hiro felt like he could even catch the thing even. He reached out but of course it wasn’t enough. There was nothing to do but gazed on as the fish fell back into the sea, triumphed.

At that dark time, the two could hear a faint… clicking sound.

The young man could only a flash before the fish was skewered by Conrad’s blade. The vagabond then slowly pulled the creature out of his sword. His face was still unchanged even after such a feat.

Hiro: {… Alright} Momo-chan: […Alright]

He then presented the fish in front of Malcolm. It seemed like the vagabond wanted the youth to claim his catch. Malcolm was, of course, puzzled by the gesture at first. He then, for once, smiled benevolently.

“Just throw it in along with the rest, I don’t want to touch the thing”

Conrad nodded and walked toward the bucket next to Hiro. As he approached, the young man was surprised to find the man towering over him.

The vagabond was of course always this tall and he usually stood upright. And yet, this was the first time Hiro registered how much higher the man was.

Maybe he was daft after all.