Without You (9)

Rurin confidently grabbed the fishing rod.

“You don’t know how to use it, do you?”

“I don’t need to know that. I’m a dragon. Are you constantly forgetting who I am?”

“I know you’re a dragon very well. But are you sure you don’t need me to teach you?”

The dragon swung the fishing rod around.

-Whoosh!

-Whoosh!

A fishing rod isn’t a staff, though.

She touched the reel handle and her expression changed.

As expected, a question mark appeared on her face.

But her pride was remarkable.

Since she said she didn’t need help, she couldn’t ask for it and just pouted, puffing her cheeks while she kept swinging the rod.

It seemed she was just mimicking how I had cast the fishing line into the lake earlier.

This way, the bet wouldn’t even start, so I quietly approached and grabbed the wildly swinging rod from behind.

However, the position unintentionally turned into a back hug.

A sudden back hug.

“What are you doing, you brat! Get, get off!”

Rurin, seemingly startled, turned her body toward my face. It wasn’t on purpose. I was just trying to demonstrate how to use the rod from behind, but when she suddenly turned, I lost my balance too.

I was also surprised myself.

Anyway, as a result of that complex sequence, I fell backward, and Rurin dived onto the ground with me.

Since Rurin had turned around, she ended up lying on top of me, face-to-face.

Thanks to the sand by the lakeside, there wasn’t much pain, but the problem was that she was now on top of me.

She looked down at me. Her gaze was cold. Extremely cold.

She must have been angry about the back-hugging position.

Then she moved her hand. She brought it toward my neck.

“You brat! Didn’t I tell you not to touch my body?! But you hugged me? Die…really die, you fool! Besides my Mother, only my husband can touch my body!”

Husband?

A word that doesn’t suit her at all came out of her mouth.

“You have a husband?”

“No. That kind of thing. I’ll never have one.”

“Oh, really?”

Well, okay then.

“Exactly. So….”

Rurin wrapped her hands around my neck. She slowly applied pressure. I began to feel the strength in her grip.

“If you strangle someone, they’ll die. It’s the easiest way to kill.”

Rurin’s palm on my neck was as warm as spring sunlight, but her words and actions were as cold as Arctic ice.

And her gaze.

There’s no need to glare like that. It was just a mistake.

I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t. Our gazes locked.

I looked at Rurin, and she glared at me. Her palm on my neck still hadn’t applied much force.

The wind by the lakeside gently blew. Rurin’s long hair swayed in the breeze.

A black-haired woman on top of me, ready to strangle me.

Of course, I could escape from this position anytime, but I stayed still.

Will she really strangle me?

Will she really squeeze my neck hard enough to kill me?

Will the warm palm holding my neck really tighten, trying to kill me?

For some reason, I was curious about that.

I wanted to confirm if she still genuinely wanted to kill me.

So, I stayed still.

I had a feeling. It’s definitely different from when we first met. These days, she doesn’t emit the same murderous aura.

The most intense time was when I recklessly brought up her mother.

But she forgave me for that.

If she strangled me now, it would mean she never really forgave me and still holds a grudge over that incident.

That’s why I didn’t resist and just stared quietly at Rurin’s pale arm.

Rurin tilted her head slightly and asked, finding it strange.

“You, why are you staying still? Do you want to die? I’ll strangle you. Then you’ll die!”

What a ridiculous question. That’s not something a person strangling someone should say.

I asked back, reflecting that thought.

“Then why aren’t you strangling me?”

No answer returned.

“……”

“……”

So I responded with silence too. An abrupt silence hung over the lakeside.

The silence lasted for a few minutes. Rurin didn’t release my neck, and I just stared quietly into her eyes.

It was me who broke the silence.

We couldn’t stay in this position forever, after all.

“If you’re not going to kill me, let go.”

“I will kill you! You…you…are unnecessary. It’s your fault for not disappearing from the lair….”

“Really? Then why aren’t you applying any strength?”

Despite her words, the hand on my neck remained warm, not causing me any pain.

Suddenly, Rurin squeezed tightly.

Cough cough.

The pressure on my throat made me cough, and at the sound, Rurin abruptly pulled her hand away and stood up, looking surprised.

“H-however, my arm hurts right now! And we have that trivial bet to do, so I’ll spare you for now.”

She turned her back completely while saying that, so I also stood up and bent over.

I should thank her for sparing me. Hmph.

“Is that so? Then should I thank you for sparing me?”

“No need. It’s trivial. But don’t come any closer! I’ll really kill you then!”

“That seems a bit unfair.”

“Shut up! The atmosphere was just weird! And, you! You don’t know anything. Swinging it around is useless. So teach me! Since I spared you, repay me!”

After falling down, she finally asked how to use the fishing rod, still swinging it around wildly.

It seemed she liked the elasticity of the rod.

To avoid the same mistake as earlier, I quietly taught her how to use the rod. It was quickest to demonstrate.

With all the preparations done, it was finally time for the real competition.

“Alright, let’s start. This is the bait I mentioned earlier.”

I handed the worm to Rurin. She looked at the wriggling worm with curiosity and reached out.

“Do those creatures from earlier eat this?”

“Yeah. Fish love worms. So when you attach it to the line, the fish think it’s food, bite, and get caught on the rod.”

“Oh, risking their lives to eat this – must be really tasty, huh?”

I handed the worm to Rurin’s outstretched hand.

Rurin examined the worm in her hand and, without hesitation, brought it to her mouth.

She ate it. Because I said the fish eat it, she ate it too.

Before I could stop her, the worm was crushed in Rurin’s mouth.

“No, that’s for the fish, not for us to eat…”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. It seems savory, but not delicious.”

“Oh, really?”

A dragon that eats worms, huh. And after spitting out the whole fish she swallowed earlier, she seems fine with this.

Savory, she says.

Well, worms are rich in protein, so they can taste savory, I suppose.

Maybe it’s because they aren’t as fishy, so they’re better?

Eating fish raw is normal, but earlier Rurin just shoved the whole fish, bones and all, into her mouth.

Besides, freshwater fish from lakes like these aren’t meant for sashimi. So they smell a lot fishier.

Worms over fishy smells, I guess.

“Well, alright then.”

I didn’t bother explaining what worms are. No need to cause unnecessary trouble.

I turned away from the dragon who had just eaten a worm and cast my fishing rod into the lake.

“From now until this hourglass runs out, whoever catches the most fish wins.”

I took out an hourglass that takes about 20 minutes to empty from my backpack and set it on the lakeside ground.

Everything was set.

“I don’t care about anything.”

Rurin cast her fishing rod with a confident look.

This was my second bet with Rurin.

I had won the first bet. And, of course, I don’t plan on losing this time either.

The fish in the lake were easily caught, almost as if this were an artificial fishing pond.

Isn’t this what they call “half water, half fish”?

“Why am I not catching any?!”

Rurin grumbled while looking at her empty rod.

“Try lifting it up.”

“I don’t hear anything. Did I catch something?”

“No…maybe it’s caught on a rock?”

I ended up stopping my own fishing to check on Rurin’s rod, then went back to my spot.

Not long after, I heard Rurin’s amazed exclamation as she cast the line properly.

“Oh?”

Rurin, seemingly astonished, reeled in a fish.

“Ohhh!”

Then, with another amazed look, she caught yet another fish.

“These fish are idiots.”

She muttered her opinion that the fish were idiots, and then caught another one.

Before I knew it, the number of fish she’d caught was approaching what I had.

By my estimate, I still had more fish, but only because Rurin wasn’t used to the rod at the beginning.

But a dragon is a dragon. She learns everything quickly, so her pace was picking up.

It felt a bit unfair, but I had to make my move at this point.

I had no intention of playing fair while the bet involved the condition of leaving the lair.

Because I couldn’t leave.

This was all part of my effort to introduce the world to this shut-in dragon. So, even if it was unfair, I hoped for the understanding of Rurin’s mother, wherever she was.

Wouldn’t her mother be happy even if I did something underhanded?

With that wish in mind, I justified my actions and put my plan into motion.

The strategy was simple. Very simple.

First, I put my fishing rod down. I left it resting and stood up. Then, I closed the distance between me and the fishing dragon.

The dragon was completely absorbed in fishing. She seemed to be having fun. I approached her side, but she didn’t react.

At this point, I was 90 percent sure my plan would work.

For the last 10 percent, I just needed to lightly tap Rurin’s arm with one finger.

Then, there would be an immediate reaction.

“You brat! How many times have I told you not to touch me! Kraaahh!”

Success. Flames blazed from her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re mad, right?”

“Of course I’m mad!”

“Alright, that’s fine.”

“Huh? Huh?”

I shrugged and went back to my spot.

I could feel Rurin’s intense gaze on me, like sparks flying from a fire.

The hourglass was still running.

When she gets angry?

Her aura seeps out.

Her hidden aura seeps out. When a dragon’s aura leaks, normal creatures tremble in fear and hide.

In other words, the fish won’t bite.

In her polymorph state, one would have to make eye contact to feel any fear. At least, that’s the human standard.

But it’s different when she’s angry. Her aura seeps out. The fish will all flee, and she won’t be able to catch any more.

Of course, I won’t be able to catch anything either. But that’s the loophole. If neither of us catches anything, I, who’s already winning, will win.

It’s an unbeatable strategy, no matter how you look at it. Hehe.

And after what felt like about five minutes, the hourglass ran out.

“Why did they stop biting all of a sudden?”

Rurin let out another kind of rage.