Inferior Ancient Dress

「Either way, I think it’s better to procure supplies from the dungeon. You can also mine on the island, but the efficiency is vastly different from what Kizuna-san says.」

「Well, I guess so. If we have more people, the earnings will also be better.」

Shouko and the others shuddered as they looked at my face.

Don’t worry about fishing. I’ve already secured a certain amount!

「Besides, that map had a hidden mining point, so I think it’s a good idea to go mining.」

「And you’ll spend five days fishing while you’re at it.」

Alto, be quiet.

「Before that, let’s have Romina take a look at the materials I caught fishing.」

「Yes.」

We head to Romina’s workshop.

Oh? The facility has been expanded… Did Alto give instructions?

It seems to have gotten bigger than before.

「It’s been three days. How was your fishing?」

「I caught a nushi!」

「As always, I wonder how you manage to catch nushi so often.」

「Indeed. With just Fishing Mastery, I think it’s strange that Kizuna-kun can catch nushi so often.」

「It’s because I keep trying and failing… If you use the bait and tackle that were in that fishing spot, they surprisingly bite. Not to mention, I’ve failed against herring and catfish countless times.」

「Well, I understand that it’s not always a success, but a repetition of trial and error. So what kind of material did you get this time?」

I hand Romina the materials I disassembled from the coelacanth.

Romina frowns slightly as she looks at the materials.

「Hmm… it seems to be a fairly rare material. If done well, it seems I can make good equipment with it.」

「Whose equipment should I make this time?」

I think about everyone on the island.

「If we’re prioritizing earning, then Tsumugi might be a good choice?」

「Hmm… Onii-chan, I want equipment made from boss materials from the dungeon. That suits my taste better.」

Tsumugi, who was always eager for rare equipment, is saying something unusual.

She must really like the boss material.

Probably some monster with a chuuni vibe.

「Hmm… in that case, should I have Shouko take it as a backup, or maybe replace the current equipment if it’s better?」

「No, I’m not having any particular difficulty, so I think it would be better for Kizuna or Sheryl, since they’ll be challenging the dungeon next.」

「…I’m fine.」

Sheryl answers while holding the Ahab Spear.

I wondered if she needed armor, but she seems to be wearing equipment that Romina made for her.

Hmm…

「Honestly, shouldn’t you consider improving Kizuna-san equipment?」

「True… I hate to say it, but besides the Cerberus Slaughter, Kizuna-kun doesn’t really have any standout equipment left, does he?」

「I have the Cerberus Slaughter, though…」

「Even that Cerberus Slaughter is starting to feel a bit inadequate. Onii-chan, I think it might be tough in the deeper parts of the dungeon.」

「After all, Tsumugi-kun is also using a powerful weapon dropped by a monster. Kizuna-kun equipment might be due for a replacement. Fortunately, we can make decent equipment with the ore and materials mined on the island.」

Hmm… If that’s the case, I can’t help it.

I think it’s more efficient to give equipment suitable for talented personnel, but…

「Kizuna-kun, you caught those fish materials, didn’t you? It’s only natural that you should use them for yourself.」

「But I prioritize fishing, and since I had Romina make me a fishing rod, I don’t have any complaints.」

「The idea of allocating resources appropriately is admirable, but too much modesty can come across as sarcasm. Just accept it this time.」

「… I see. Alright.」

So it was decided that Romina would make equipment for me.

「Let’s start by making a dress for Kizuna-kun.」

「Uh…」

I had completely forgotten that I was playing as a female loli character… but I was reminded of it right here.

That’s right.

My appearance is a female character.

「Why are you at a loss for words?」

「Who knows?」

I feel a murderous intent towards Tsumugi, who tilts her head.

It’s your fault!

I never had any intention of being a nekama!

「Ah, Onii-chan, you’re just now feeling resistance to wearing a dress? You don’t have to worry about it. It’s not like I’m telling you to crossdress in real life, just pursue cuteness.」

「Shut up! What’s with this cuteness stuff.」

「Didn’t you ever use a female character in games, Onii-chan?」

I don’t like being called cute! I like dressing up and admiring cute girls.

But I don’t want to be a girl!

「Well, I did think that Kizuna-kun’s appearance was made with a lot of care, but…」

「It’s me and Onee-chan’s masterpiece!」

「I was supposed to be a muscular macho man!」

「Hmm… While I feel bad for Kizuna-kun, but for the sake of eye candy, I’m inclined to side with Tsumugi-kun and the others.」

「Yay!」

Romina! I’ll never forget this!

「If you were a muscular macho man, do you think this group would have gathered here?」

What’s that supposed to mean?

It sounds like everyone is only here because I’m a female character.

…This isn’t some popular moe anime.

I didn’t make friends because I was a cute girl going ‘kyaa kyaa ufu ufu’.

I wish that was the case!

「Ahem… well then, let’s make a dress for your armor.」

「Can’t you make sturdier equipment like plate armor instead?」

「It’s not… impossible.」

「You just contradicted yourself, didn’t you? So it can be done?」

What’s going on here?

Why is the conversation heading in the direction of admiring me?

「Now, now, Kizuna-san. I like your current look too, so please wear a dress for me?」

「Shouko, not you too.」

「You’re originally an angler, right? You’re not meant to be a heavily armored warrior. I think it’s a good thing to care about your appearance.」

I can kind of understand the reasoning.

There are some points I can’t quite agree with, but I can’t say I don’t get it.

Apparently heavy armor is weighed down and hard to move in.

Considering my goal is fishing, light armor is probably more desirable.

「A dress suitable for fishing, made from ancient fish materials… It seems cloth armor has a fishing bonus. If it’s plate armor, it’ll be something different. Is that okay?」

「…Haah, fine. Please go ahead.」

「I’ll pick out a weapon too. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can make a fishing rod.」

I have the Giant Catfish fishing rod, so that’s fine.

Come to think of it, that’s kind of my weapon.

So that’s how Romina ended up taking on making equipment, but…

「Hmm!?」

Romina let out a voice while making the dress.

After that, she seemed to concentrate on her work for a while, but her face looked troubled.

She seemed quite focused on the mini-game that occurs during crafting and sewing.

Eventually, she slumped her shoulders dejectedly and handed me a dress.

「I’m sorry… I made a bit of a mistake, and it ended up different from what I had planned.」

「It’s rare for Romina to make a mistake.」

She was the lead blacksmith on the front lines, and she’s been blacksmithing since she came to the island.

For Romina to make a mistake, that must be quite rare.

「There were no issues with my initial assessment for the creation, but… this ancient fish material seems to have been rather high-ranking. It was incomparable to catfish. It required skills far beyond my Smithing Level.」

Romina looks regretfully at the dress as she says this.

「As soon as I started crafting, it revealed its true nature, and I could barely manage to make it into a shape. If I had procured this material myself, I would never be able to hand it over. Please take a look.」

「Y-Yes…」

As she says that, I spread out the dress Romina handed me.

Is this better than it being lost due to a failure?

Inferior Ancient Dress

It has the Fishing Power bonus properly attached.

It’s a somewhat frilly dress.

The inferior part must be the failure Romina mentioned?

「But I can’t even equip this inferior one…」

With my current stats, I don’t meet the requirements to equip it.

If this is just the inferior version, how incredible would it have been if Romina made it without any failures?

Based on what Shouko said, there’s still room for my Energy stats to increase a bit more.

Even taking that into account, it would be at the very limit of what I could equip.

「Is the high requirement because it’s a failure?」

「No… that part shouldn’t change.」

「Seriously… I can’t use this then.」

The rarity of the materials is too high for me to use the equipment.

I guess it’s better to wait a little longer.

Come to think of it, if the coelacanth material is that rare, then the coelacanth itself must have been rare.

Not only because it’s a nushi, but the chance of hooking it was also quite low.

I was fishing for 15 days, so considering the probability, it must have been set quite low.

There might even be a condition where if your Fishing Mastery isn’t high enough, it’s harder to hook.

Or maybe because of the nature of the map allowing long stays, the rate is lower, there could be any number of reasons.

「Haa…」

Oh, Romina is sighing.

She seems bothered by it.

「Don’t worry about it. I’ll accept it for now since it seems like I’ll be able to equip it if I work hard. And when you can make it properly, I’ll ask you for a weapon too.」

「Ah, leave it to me. This is a matter of pride for me. I’ll definitely create something amazing for you.」

「Woah… even Romina-chan has times like this.」

「I’m surprised myself. I didn’t expect there to be something with such a high crafting difficulty. It’s terrifying to think how much the limits will increase with future updates. I’ll have to train harder.」

「Well then, since I have to compromise on equipment to some extent, shall we prepare for departure?」

「Wait, it’s not about making up for the failure, but… There’s a weapon I really want Kizuna-kun to have.」

Saying that, Romina gave me a bow called the Miraka bow and a quiver of arrows.