The Sea Girl Appears

「Is there anyone you want to see-pen?」

Having lost my Shining Lure, I had been fishing without bait in the pond for a while.

Since I had given the Pioneer’s Seven Tools to Shouko, this was inevitable.

By the way, the pioneering was progressing smoothly, and the deforestation in this area had begun.

Now, I’m only thinking about ending that fish who stole my beloved Shining Lure. Why am I unilaterally hostile towards that bastard… it’s because at night, the Shining Lure glows faintly from the bottom of the swamp.

It pisses me off as if I’m being told, You’re a loser. That’s the reason.

「It’s Sheryl.」

「Why Sheryl-san without hesitation?」

「Sheryl can swim. More than anything, she’s great with the harpoon skill!」

「…I see, that’s what you mean.」

While looking at Shouko’s exasperated expression, I entered the name『Sheryl』in the window Peckle displayed.

She definitely didn’t have any blank spaces or symbols, so I should just enter it in hiragana as is. Just in case, I copied and pasted it from the friend list.

Anyway, the person I need now is Sheryl.

I can’t think of anyone but Sheryl.
I need Sheryl.

A few days have passed since the Dimension Wave.

It was around the time I had gathered the new items and equipment added in the update.

It shouldn’t be too much of a bother to suddenly summon her.

Well, the very act of suddenly forcibly summoning her is quite a nuisance.

「Anyway, if Sheryl is here, it will all work out somehow!」

The next day, when I went to the beach first thing in the morning, I found Sheryl lying face down vertically.

Without a word… I took a screenshot.

「You did the same thing back then, didn’t you…」

Oh, Shouko’s evaluation of me seems to be dropping in her mind.

Well, if I’m asked if I’ve ever done anything praiseworthy, it’s a bit questionable.

Anyway, since I took a few shots of Shouko, I’ll take some of Sheryl as well.

No, at this point, I’ll take pictures of everyone who washes ashore as mementos.

Alright, let me get a bit closer.

「Ha!」

Just like Shouko, she reached for my feet, so I avoided it.

With Sheryl’s hand swinging in the air, Sheryl regained consciousness.

Well… since she’s normally a quiet one, she might not change much.

「Kizuna… and Shouko.」

「Yeah. The Shining Lure is in your hands.」

「Kizuna-san. I understand your feelings, but you need to explain the situation.」

「…yeah.」

「See, she understands.」

「Surely that『yeah』means she don’t understand at all, right?」

「Oh, really?」

「…yeah.」

Yeah, I’d ask for the details too if someone did the same to me.

Anyway, having reunited with Sheryl, I explained the circumstances to her, just as I did to Shouko.

The difference from last time was that it covered the events since Shouko arrived.

「…yeah.」

「What about you? The second wave and all?」

「Yeah.」

「I get that you were okay, but I don’t know the details.」

「yeah.」

Was it a failure to get information from the outside world because I impulsively chose Sheryl?

But it’s not like I particularly needed anyone either.

Well, it’s not like I’m in a time attack, so I’ll just do what I can.

Luckily, Sheryl has a semi-crafting skill set. She should understand pioneering-related things to some extent.

「For now, I’ll show you around. The pond and the pond and the pond, you know.」

「yeah.」

「Kizuna-san, your true feelings are showing.」

Repeatedly mentioning the pond while giving a tour. That would be the worst date course.

Well, it’s not like I’ve ever been on a date before.

Forgetting about the pond for now, Sheryl reacted better than expected when I showed her around Kalmira Island.

Of course, that’s just my impression, and I don’t really know for sure.

Let’s just believe that I’m able to communicate my intentions to some extent.

Sheryl seemed particularly interested in deforestation and mining.

It makes sense since those materials could possibly be used to make ships.

「By the way, who owns the ships?」

「Yami… and Al.」

「Al… Alto huh. Why does Alto own it too?」

「Made a new one.」

「New one?」

「…yeah. Now, it’s trendy. Al forces me to make, leave money bags behind.」

Um… let me piece the words together.

The ships we’ve been using so far were owned by Yamikage, and shipbuilding is becoming popular in the first city. Thinking he could make money, Alto has been placing massive orders with Sheryl and earning a profit.

Is that it?

But if that’s the case, does it mean the frontline group is also starting to aim for the sea?

I don’t know what’s happening over there, but the sea is starting to draw attention too.

「Well, if you want to build ships, go ahead? If you let me know what lumber and ore you need, I can get you a decent amount.」

「…I’ll have to see first.」

「I see. Then check it out later. If you really want some, you can gather the materials yourself too.」

「…yeah.」

I explained the buildings, Peckles, and so on to her.

Recently, there have been many buildings that only affect Peckles, but the interiors are interesting.

For example, the hospital has Nurse Peckles and Doctor Peckles.

Of course, they’re just Peckles with nurse hats and head mirrors on its head.

The adventure party of five from Peckle Dungeon… has now picked up an increased variety of job classes.

It’s debatable whether they have any effect, but we have them stationed in the hospital.

「Alright, let’s go to the pond.」

「…You’re fishing?」

「Yeah.」

「I’ll go.」

「As expected of Sheryl, you get it.」

「…yeah.」

Leading the slightly satisfied Sheryl, we headed for the pond.

After a few days, the area had become a bit more open due to deforestation, making it easier to walk.

The path that had been overgrown with grass was now compacted soil, and the slopes were reinforced with wooden stairs to prevent collapse.

…It’s unfinished, though, so it becomes a slope partway to the pond.

And then I saw the hated pond.

By the way, the fish that can be caught there are mostly freshwater fish like carp.

「Alright, Sheryl. I want you to take down that gigantic fish you see down there with your harpoon.」

「…Not going to fish?」

「I tried, but the line snapped…」

「Understood.」

Sheryl readied her harpoon.

The harpoon is more elaborate than the one she used before.

Is it just me, or does the shaft resemble the Isana no Tachi a bit?

Now that I think about it, I gave her the ingredients for a giant squid before.

「Ahab Spear.」

「Huh?」

「…The name of the harpoon. I wanted to thank you.」

「I see.」

What does Ahab mean?

Is it some kind of coinage, or does it have a meaning?

「Moby Dick.」

「Hakugei?」

「A character from a novel.」

It sounds vaguely familiar, and yet not.

Well, either way, why do so many of the weapons made from Nushi materials tend to be whale-themed?

Does the creator of this game have some special feelings about whales?

「It’s an ill omen.」

「Is that so?」

「…It’s the harpoon of the loser.」

「I see.」

Even so, it seems this weapon has the highest performance out of all the ones Sheryl has.

Well, if I didn’t have the Cerberus Slaughter, I’d probably still be using the Cetus Longsword, so I think the performance is high based on how difficult it is to obtain.

Anyway, if Sheryl has a high-performance harpoon, the gigantic fish should be easy.

Unlike other places, when you look closely at the gigantic fish in this pond, you can see Nushi.

After pointing out its location, Sheryl nodded slightly and readied her harpoon.

「Bomber Lancer.」

A pale cord was attached to the harpoon.

Has her skill rank increased since last time? The glowing color is stronger.

The same was true when fired, with the explosion effect being larger than before.

The launched harpoon went deep into the pond.

But…

「It didn’t reach.」

「Out of range, huh… Alright, Sheryl. Dive in and kill it.」

「…You act like a mafia.」

I’m not quite that big of a boss, though.

I wish you’d at least call me a yakuza… no, I’m normal.

Despite her complaints, Sheryl dove into the pond and readied her harpoon.

Come to think of it, skills are used by saying the skill name, but how does that work underwater?

I’ll have to ask her about that next time.

Oh, she’s coming back up.

「I hit it, but no reaction.」

Sheryl emerged from the pond, dripping water as she spoke.

The harpoon should be effective against aquatic monsters, and it worked against the giant squid, so I thought it would work, but I guess not.

In that case, I’ll have to try fishing the normal way.

But catching that thing is an extremely difficult task… Oh well, I’ll give it a try.

「Well, shall we go take a look at lumber and ore?」

「Nn.」

And so, with Sheryl joining Kalmira drifting record, the island became lively.

By the way, if you want to encounter Sheryl, you can find her at deforestation, mining, the sea, or the base.

This isn’t a gal game, so you don’t have to prioritize those choices.

Anyway, having originally been a sea girl herself, by the next day she had settled into her new life.