Another Furry

Chapter 6: A Fun Activity at the Lake

Cold sweat accumulated on Arthur's forehead. With a hook on his left hand and a worm on his right hand, he tried to combine them, but the wiggling creature made him cringe so much.

"M-Michelle, can you hook up my bait?" Arthur asked hesitantly while handing his fishing rod to him.

"Heh. Amature."

Looking at the siberian cat's smug face, Arthur held the urge to punch him since he was the one who asked the favor here.

"Come on. I can't start if you're not doing it."

"Yes, yes, princess." Michelle took the fishing rod and hooked the worm without a problem. "Here, done."

"Thanks." He hurriedly snatched back the fishing rod, making the feline amused.

"Alright. You know the basics, right?"

"O-of course I do. It's just fishing. Can't be that hard."

"We'll see about that."

Arthur straightened his back as he stared at the wide lake surface. Sitting on the edge of the pier, the two boys each hold a fishing rod in their hands. Their legs were dipped in the cold water.

"Hey Arthur, want to compete to see who gets the most catches?"

"Isn't that kinda unfair, tho? This is my first time, you know."

"Didn't you say just now that fishing can't be that hard?"

"Tsk, fine. Challenge accepted."

They threw their bait at the same time.

Minutes passed without anything happening. There was no special movement on the surface of the water, just a small ripple from the wind. Arthur became impatient as he waited.

"Are you sure there are fish in here?"

"Relax, Arthur. You can't fish without patience. It hasn't been ten minutes yet."

"Do you have a boat or something? I think it's better if we go farther from the shore."

"Well, I'm trying to make one currently, but it is still half done."

"Really? Where?"

Michelle pointed out somewhere with his index finger. Following his aim, he could see some wooden planks that resemble part of a boat. Arthur failed to notice it as it was hidden behind the bush, which can only be visible from the pier.

"Did that old man help you too?"

"Nope. I'm trying to make it by myself. It is much harder than I thought, but it's fun. Fortunately, pinewood is a fine material for boats."

Arthur did recall there is a book about boats in the hut. It seems that he really worked hard on it.

"So you can do lumberjacking, huh? Didn't expect that coming from you."

"You can see that as a kind of exercise. You should try it out."

"Is it legal?"

"Why are you always asking if all the things I do are legal? Do I have the face of a criminal?"

Does a face that steals people's hearts count?

A silly question emerged from Arthur's head.

"Well, who knows? Blame yourself for acting like a delinquent at school."

"Point taken. Oh, look. You get one."

Right as he said it, the tip of Arthur's rod bent downward as the reel rotated by itself. Surprised by the sudden tug, he rolled the reel backward and pulled the rod nervously.