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A yawn.
That's what Harumasa did as he sat in a small chair. What was he doing, you may ask? Well, fishing, of course! The fishing competition recently ended with the Proxy taking the grand prize. But people were still able to fish and have a grand old time together.
That's what Harumasa was doing. He himself placed well and now continues to fish even after all said and done because he enjoyed how relaxing this was. A nice and clear day, a gentle breeze, and the nice smell of the ocean! How else can this get any better?
How did he get here, you wonder? Let's rewind a bit, shall we?
He was hanging out on the highest point of the lighthouse at Port Elpis, enjoying the wind as he usually does. The breeze, the smell, the annoying birds. Oh, so peaceful, but his keen eye picked up something as he paced around the railing. Now switching to overseeing the port and people instead of the water.
“The proxy? With officer Qingyi no less. I wonder why they're here.” Consider his curiosity peaked as he leaves the comfort of the skies and returns to the land. Opting to walk up to them as he saw them looking at the board.
“Hello, hello! What a fine day this is to be visiting the port, is it not?” Harumasa approaches with a wave. Garnering the attention of Wise, who easily recognized his voice.
“Harumasa? What are you doing here? Are you slacking off again?” Wise donned an accusational tone. Even after Harumasa recovered, and his team found out about his sickness, that still doesn't excuse him from skipping work.
“You wound me! I was enjoying the breeze, you know, the usual, and I spotted you! What's wrong with giving a little greeting?” An act of grabbing his heart like it'd been stabbed. Wise huffed a breath, knowing it was an act, but he smiled seeing his friend in better health.
Qingyi joined the conversation, “Executive officer Harumasa. Are you here to participate in the fishing contest too?”
“The what?” Harumasa is now actually looking at the contents of the board that the two were originally looking at. ‘Ultimate Angler, huh.’
“Is that what you're both signing up for?” He pointed.
“Yep. Qingyi here needed help with something. Turns out, she needed a partner for the contest.” Wise explained, but Harumasa could assume that it's probably more to the story than just some contest.
“Honestly, color me intrigued. Where do I sign up?” Why not, right? It's not like he's got anything better to do. His work is finished, and if he didn't do this, there's a good chance he'd be enjoying the breeze for hours.
With the help of the two, Harumasa got himself a permit and some gear…and somehow a chair too.
“Never thought I'd live long enough to fish, but now's a better time than never, I guess.” Another note: It seems like everyone signed up as duos, but Harumasa didn't have anyone to partner up with. So he signed up as a solo; somehow that was possible.
Once settled, he walked down to the water, where Wise seemed to have been. The sign read coastal fishing spot, a good place for beginners such as them.
“Fish time fishing too?” Harumasa attached the bait as well as he could remember.
“Well, it's not like me and Belle really get a chance to. I only came to help out Qingyi, but then I guess this is also part of that request.” Wise shrugged, also successfully attaching the bait.
“Well, then, let's learn together! It'll surely be a fun experience!” Harumasa, with some excitement, puts out his fist. Wise smiled and fist-bumped him before they both cast the line. Now it's the waiting game.
They waited and waited, and how long was this going to take?
“Nothing's biting." A WISE observation from the one with the same name.
“Patience, my dear friend! I may be a beginner too, but even I know that fish can take their sweet time before biting.” When it comes to patience, Harumasa definitely has experience in that field, so a little waiting means nothing to him!
Another minute passed, and they both got a bite! Patience really does pay off.
“See? What did I say?” Harumasa begins reeling his own line in. And boy did the fish fight back, quite the feisty one it was. ‘Oh man, making my first ever catch a battle, huh?’ Tug after tug, and the fish’s stamina decreased quickly from Harumasa’s assault.
Once close enough, he swings his body and reels the fish out of the water. A mackerel, it was decently sized, too. Maybe he could cook this or something. He unhooked the fish and dropped it into the bucket he had and looked over at Wise, who also seemed to have finished his own battle.
“Sooo? How was your first go at it?” Harumasa asked.
“Honestly? It's kind of fun.” Wise chuckled; he didn't think he'd be into this. But now that he'd had a taste, he felt like he could do this for hours. Who knows what he's able to fish up?
“You two seem to be in great spirits.” Qingyi walks up to the two. Was she doing something else? Maybe she didn't need the practice if she was already an experienced fisher.
“Yeah, we're getting the hang of this!” Wise was hyped! When was the last time he was able to relax and enjoy a hobby? Even though something was happening behind the scenes…
“That's wonderful. I'm glad I chose the right partner for the event. I hope you'll grow into the best fisherman here and add another line to your resume.” Qingyi jokes; Phaethon’s resume is probably stacked enough as it is.
“Care to join us, officer? I'm sure it'll be a swell time with us three.” Harumasa offers, which Qingyi does actually accept.
And that's how it all started. With Harumasa relaxing and fishing. He had gotten past the preliminary very easily and now awaited the next competition. Often, he'd be fishing with Qingyi and Wise, but there were times they just disappeared. Other times, he'd see Wise running around and talking to literally everyone. Was he helping them with something? Guess Phaethon can't catch a break like they catch their fish.
Harumasa now sat at the Bridge Fishing Spot, hoping to get bigger and better catches. “Executive officer Harumasa?” He turned around and saw the officer walk up to him. No sign of Wise; I guess he's off doing his own thing again.
“Good day, Officer! What brings you to me?” He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to talk to her alone. While Zhu Yuan was friends with the Chief and he himself being friends, at least he'd say they're friends, with Seth, that just leaves Qingyi.
“I had some free time and wanted to see how you were doing. I'm glad other people can enjoy fishing like I do.” She smiles. Well, at least they now have one thing in common.
“Well, it's been fun! Whether I'm reeling something in or just waiting for a bite, everything fits me perfectly.” He smiled back, but the conversation just dropped there. ‘Man, what else should I say? This is getting awkward.’
Until Qingyi asked something he didn't expect. “How has your health been?”
“Wha?" His head snapped to her. Who was standing next to his chair.
“I heard from Officer Seth. He didn't go into it, but he was concerned for your health when he heard you were hospitalized due to one of your investigations.”
“I'm doing much better! Thanks for asking. Well, much better as in I didn't die on the spot when I thought it was the end of me.” He sighed, staring off into the distant sea. Imagine what could have happened if that injection wasn't a miracle drug made just for him.
Would he even get the send-off he'd want? A casket of his ashes off of Port Elpis, riding off into the sunset? Probably not. Fate is not kind to people like him.
Chances are, he would've just turned into an ethereal before his friends got there. A rotten present was waiting for them. Having to die by the hands of his own comrades. Just like how he had to kill his master’s ethereal while he was searching for him with the Bastard.
“-masa, Executive Officer Harumasa?” He jolted out of his thoughts and looked back at Qingyi, who was pointing at the rod, which seemed to be moving a lot. “You have a bite.”
He springs up from his seat and masterfully reels it in. Any second later, the fish probably would've run off with the bait, leaving him empty-handed. ‘Another one to the bucket, Lil Soukaku would love these.’
“Thanks for the save, officer!” But he got no response. After recasting, he puts down the rod and resumes sitting. That's when Qingyi spoke up.
“I sense some distress. Is something wrong?” Ever so clever she was, seeing right through his many masks.
“It's nothing. Just thinking about that fateful day when I took a gamble.” His face morphed into a small frown. "I really took that day off from work before that, thinking it was my last. I half expected to die while trying to find out my past.” He didn't know why he was spilling this to her.
She looks him in the eyes, “And yet, you live. There's no more reason to think of the past. Whatever happened led you here to enjoy the day with some nice fishing. Isn't that the best outcome?”
‘Well, the best outcome is me not being ill, but I digress.’ He thought before answering. "I guess you're right. I do like to enjoy my days as they pass.”
Qingyi was calculating the best course of action, trying to think of something that could bring up the mood. “To quote a turtle, "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.” I think it's a great saying to live by.” She offered while striking her iconic 🙂☝️ pose (you know the one).
“A turtle said that?” Harumasa was absolutely bewildered. Where does one meet such a turtle?
“It was in a movie. I'm sure Wise could get you a copy if you're interested.”
“Huh, maybe I'll ask for it later. But thanks for talking with me. I know we aren't exactly close, but it's been nice.” Harumasa smiled.
“Likewise, I hope you'll continue to enjoy your life. However long or short it is.” And with that, the conversation ended. Qingyi, satisfied with how the conversation went, left. Leaving Harumasa alone, well he stayed alone for a whole two seconds it seems as hands wrapped around his eyes.
“Guess who!!!” Blue hands, for that matter, and a very distinct voice with it. It could only be one person whom he knew well.
“My, I wonder who it could be? Such small, blue hands, this could only belong to one person!” Harumasa led, thinking it'd be fun to tease the perpetrator a little. “It clearly has to be the proxy!” Purposely answering the wrong answer for the fun of it.
Soukaku pouted, removing her hands from his eyes, and walked in front of him with both hands on her hips. She knew that he was playing with her, but still.
“Anyway, what brings you here, Lil Soukaku?” He looked at her and then at Wise, who was standing near them.
“We found her in a hollow. I think she must've eaten some of Rina’s food and wasn't feeling the best. I already called Yanagi a few minutes ago, and she's coming to get her right now to pick her up. ” Wise explained.
“Huh?! The deputy chief is on her way here? You guys need to go wait for her by the road then! I can't get spotted or else she'll yell at me.” He pleads, but he is too little, too late.
“Yell at you for what, Asaba?” Too late, his fate was doomed. Standing directly behind him was, of course, the ever-so-strict yet caring Yanagi. When she got word of Soukaku’s situation, she quickly made her way to the port out of worry.
“...” He didn't say anything, a single sweat drop running down his face. What can he say that won't get him dragged back to the office?
“Nothing, Deputy Chief! If you're here for Lil Soukaku… Well, she's here! You should take her back to the office and feed her something nice!” He wore his classic happy-go-lucky mask. He was doing his best here. Okay?
Yanagi sighed. “I won't force you to do any work since I already accepted your leave request. But I'm glad you're enjoying yourself with something like this.” She smiled at him and saw his bucket full of fish. Seems like Soukaku had her eyes on it, too, ever since she got there.
“Nagi! Look at all the fishies! I bet they taste delicious!” Her mouth was watering, and after whatever Rina made, a nice meal made by Yanagi would be the best for her stomach!
“Yes, they look great, but these are Asaba’s, not ours. If you want them, you'll have to ask." She instructed the young Oni, who understood the mission.
Soukaku scooted close with a begging face, “Masamasa… Can Soukaku have some of the fishies? I'm hungryyyy!” Now, who can say no to a face like that? She's just too cute!
“Sure! I was just catching some fish for my adorable cat, but I can always just catch more! Take the bucket if you want. I have another somewhere around here anyway.” He prompted, making the blue Oni very happy. She bounced around and cheered as she imagined the delicious cooked fish that would soon feed her hunger. The poor fish who did not know of their fate swam around like nothing was wrong.
Yanagi smiled at the happy girl and at her dear friend, who seemed to be enjoying himself. “Thank you, Asaba. We'll take our leave now. I hope you enjoy your fishing day.” And with that, they left. Leaving him back in silence.
Let's jump forward a bit. Harumasa mainly just hung around the port fishing or talking to anyone who he may know. He made sure to change fishing spots every now and then just to get some variety in his bucket. The qualifiers were the first actual competition with teams, and yet he still was solo. Surprisingly, he did very well and managed to move on to Semis.
“Another competition completed, A new fishing spot for me~” He moves from the Bridge to the Deep Water Spot. He'd been upgrading the fishing rod over time as well to match the tougher fish in the later spots. Like last time, he continues to observe the surroundings, the water, the boats, and the people. Especially Wise, who looks like an errand boy again. It was so interesting how well he could interact with anyone, and even more interesting were the people he and, by extension, Belle knew. Guess they were just that well-connected.
Soon it came time for the Semis where he once again moved on, to the surprise of onlookers who were curious about a one man team in a team based fishing event (listen, when I played this, I caught at least 4 in each one while every team caught like two. Qingyi caught one each time. I was carrying and I'm sure Harumasa can get through just by himself).
And here we are at the finals. On an island right off the port, which was a solo competition even though the last two were team-based.
“Guess they did this to really find out who the ultimate angler was.” He chuckled to himself as he walked up to Wise, who was doing some stretches. “Look who's ready to win it all! The star of the show.”
“You got this far on your own. I'd say that's more impressive.” Wise retorted.
“Hey, if I can't do this well as an elite myself, I'd say that'd just be sad!” He wept. “Plus, this has all just been for fun! Getting this far was just an afterthought.” Harumasa shrugged.
“Well, if you're here, might as well put in some elbow grease and get first place.” Wise jokes, the idea of Harumasa putting all his effort more into fishing than his own work was quite the picture.
“Like I'd be able to beat you. I'm fine as long as I place in the top 3. At least I'll have an interesting story to tell everyone when I eventually have to go back to the office.” Harumasa dreads. Yanagi was going to work him to the bone, wasn't she? He just hoped that the fish he gave her made her more forgiving if that meant keeping Soukaku fed.
“Wise!” Belle randomly appears. Here to shower her older brother with support. “And Huh? Harumasa? Are you also participating? That's unexpected.”
“Do both of you just assume that I'm just some lazybones? After all we've been through?” He jokes, well it's the reputation he built up, and now he faces the consequences.
“Well, fishing just isn't something I'd expect you to do, that's all!” Belle nervously chuckled. “Anyway, since you're here too, I'll root for both of you. But just so you know, I'm rooting for Wise more.”
“Yeah yeah.” He waved off, he sort of wished he had his own friends to support him, but he already saw Yanagi and Soukaku earlier and there's no way Miyabi was allowed to leave since she still had work to do. Oh well.
An announcement was then made, calling for all The finalists to get to The fishing spot. Said finalists lined up, Wise, Harumasa, Ben and some randoms were ready to cast on the count of go.
“Good luck to the both of you!” Ben called out. The classic gentle giant that he was.
“Likewise.” Wise nodded, fire in his eyes as he did some stretches.
Harumasa didn't say anything. Winning or losing, he could at least say he tried. And he might as well put in all of his effort for this final leg of the competition. He took a deep breath and tossed when he heard the signal.
Suffice it to say, he got second place. Expectantly, Wise got first, and Ben was third and not by much either. Harumasa just got lucky and reeled in a last-minute fish just before the timer rang, awarding him the rightful spot of second.
“See? The invincible proxy, great at everything.” Harumasa teased.
“Yeah! Wise, you were so cool!” Belle’s eyes shone with awe. Even if fishing might not be her thing, watching Wise do it made her want to try it out!
“Thanks, you two. It was a good match, Harumasa. It was close at the end.” Wise smiled, which caused the Archer to huff.
“Says the guy who had a lead the whole time. Seriously, what bait were you using? A fish magnet?” Harumasa crossed his arms. It was truly a feat to behold.
“I simply was just luckier. If we tried this again, there's a chance you'll beat me.” Wise shook his head. He couldn't control the fish, they just liked biting his line more.
Harumasa laughed it off. Letting the siblings celebrate the older’s victory.
And that's where he is now.
Harumasa was sitting on a chair on the coastal reef, just fishing away. It was nice, relaxing, and there weren't any distractions…well except one major distraction.
“Chief…why are you just crouched here staring at me?" True enough was the Fox Thiern sitting there. Her gaze was trained on the fisherman.
“I was curious when I heard from Yanagi that you were out here fishing.”
“And she allowed you to leave work just to observe me?” He raised his eyebrow.
“No. I finished my work as soon as possible and came here. Based on my observations, you seem to be having a lot of fun.” She blankly stated. “I'm here for training too.”
Classic Miyabi; everything was about training one way or another.
He sighed. “And what's the training this time?” Knowing her, it'd just be something completely random.
“How to relax with Harumasa. To do that, I need to learn what he enjoys.” He was definitely thrown off upon hearing those words.
He cleared his throat before he continued, “I can't say that the fishing thing is going to be permanent. This was just something I did on a whim.” He looked at her. Her face was full of curiosity.
“Well, I'd still like to learn, even if it's just for a short amount of time.” She earnestly stated, staring deep into his soul. She meant every word.
He laughs, ‘Well, there's no winning against the chief.’ He thought.
“Alright, let’s get you a chair. You have a lot to learn.”