New Eridu, Ephesus Harbor—one of the city's ports. Back during the Fall of the Old Capital, it was famous as a key emergency logistics hub; these days, it's a holy land for fishing addicts.
A lot of people think fishing guys are basically inseparable from the words "skunked" and "caught nothing." And there's a stereotype that comes with them, too…
After landing a big one, they'll suddenly develop two "syndromes":
The first is "Lost-on-purpose Syndrome"—the kind where a man hauls a huge fish and strolls back and forth on the same street for ages, soaking up the envious stares. Or he ties the fish to the back of his vehicle and drives around honking, forcing the entire world to look.
The second is "How did you know Syndrome"—the moment they run into someone familiar, their eyes light up, they rush over, circle you like a shark, and the instant you speak—no matter what you ask—they'll hit you with:
"How did you know I caught a huge fish?!"
Generally, these conditions are incurable.
But as a doctor, Chiya knew one thousand and one ways to treat illness—including how to treat that one.
Bro, bro, the fish you landed really is huge… but that's still luck-dependent. Got anything simpler and more overpowered to recommend?
Sure do, bro—sure do. That is…
"Heh-heh. If the fish I catch is even bigger than yours, wouldn't you just explode?!"
(Chiya's everyday fantasy.)
Standing on the harbor promenade, letting sea wind laced with salt spray slap his cheeks, Chiya smiled.
Today, New Eridu was peaceful again…
…At least, on the surface.
For some reason, ever since that impulsive visit to the video store Wise and Rin ran, Chiya felt like his previously calm, comfortable life had suddenly become busy as hell. And of all things—one stubborn old customer had finally learned how to use Knock-Knock, and now issued him a daily challenge like it was a sacred duel.
So today, after hanging up a sign that read "CLOSED", Chiya decisively brought Huxeya here.
"It's time… to fish properly!"
Carrying a custom-made [Chiya Brand] fishing rod he'd ordered from Uncle Enzo, Chiya faced the endless ocean, clenched a fist, and let out a small cheer—then immediately refused yet another request from a nearby young woman to pet his ahoge.
"Come on, just let me touch it once! Please! You're so cute, kiddo!"
"I'm almost an adult!!! What 'kiddo'?! That's insanely rude—go away!"
"Ah! Sorry, um… little comrade?"
"..."
She still wasn't giving up. At Chiya's side, Huxeya began to itch with murderous intent. As a Bangboo, it didn't have the human concept of being gentle with women. Its mission was simple:
Protect the young master.
Charging… powering up…
Wait—wrong target. Not an Ethereal.
Why did I instinctively charge to full? How do I slowly lower charge again?
In Huxeya's cross-shaped eyes—one upright, one inverted—two big symbols flashed:
"???"
Just as Huxeya was deep in thought and the girl kept edging closer, a sharp shout cut through the air:
"Hey! That girl over there! The Chiya brat already said no—why are you still pestering him?! What, you planning to be a naked-ass millstone—spinning in circles while making a fool of yourself?!"
"Huh?! I was just—"
"What 'you were just'?! I don't care what you were or weren't! He's got things to do! You came here—if you want photos, take photos; if you want scenery, look at scenery. Don't go bothering people! And another thing—"
"Sorry! I'm here for the scenery! I—I'll leave right now!"
Seeing the old man—a blond grandpa in a white tank top, brown shorts, flip-flops—clearly warming up for a full lecture arc, the girl could only retreat in frustration.
When Chiya spotted Grandpa Gu slowly approaching with his back turned, he finally exhaled in relief. Beside him, Huxeya wiped its head—because it had been busy figuring out how to lower its charge the whole time.
"Grandpa Gu! You finally made it. How've you been lately? Back okay? Joints still hurt when it rains?"
"Chiya brat! You finally showed up! Relax—my body's great! Ever since I started taking the meds you prescribed, my back doesn't ache, my legs don't hurt, my joints feel light! Now I can come here and fish from morning to night every day—cough—I mean, from early till late!"
Grandpa Gu laughed loudly and patted Chiya's shoulder.
"Come on—your stool's ready. Same rules as always: first one to hook a fish wins!"
"Bring it on!" Chiya declared. "Last time you only won by sheer luck. This time I'm not losing!"
Normally, fishing competitions are about who catches more fish in a set time. But for Grandpa Gu and Chiya, ordinary scoring didn't apply.
Because they weren't ordinary.
Grandpa Gu, as a veteran fishing addict and a revered "saint teacher" who'd raised generations of disciples at Ephesus Harbor, carried a long-standing reputation. Part of it was respect from juniors.
The other part…
Was because his fishing luck was so catastrophically bad it made him look like some cursed ghost.
Fish bones. Empty cans. Glass bottles. Stinky boots. Ether batteries soaked in seawater… the old man could fish up anything—
Except an actual fish.
Chiya, meanwhile, was also a local oddity. More precisely:
A tragic oddity.
Grandpa Gu's disciple, A-Feng, once commented:
"Doctor Chiya… is like a weird fish-attractor."
Yes. Every time Chiya cast his line, the moment the bait sank—
A huge ring of dark shadows would appear, swarming the area. Looking out, it was all seafood, wall-to-wall.
Everything you could want. You could even see fish that only appeared in deep water.
But even in that situation—even if Chiya tied a rock to the hook—he should have caught something, right?
Nope.
Those fish would just circle. Swim. Sometimes bump the bait.
And then refuse to bite.
Like they were mocking him.
Chiya couldn't even remember the last time he actually hooked a fish.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Gu would profit off the disaster—because he was old, Chiya was the delicate "easy-to-push-over" type, and their casting points ended up close together.
So whenever Grandpa Gu fished with Chiya, his bad luck would break—he'd actually start catching fish!
Even if the wait time was absurd, it still made him more excited than when Chiya cured his rheumatoid joint pain.
That was why this fishing glutton had learned to use Knock-Knock in the first place.
"Chiya brat! Looks like you'd be better off jumping in and swimming!" Grandpa Gu cackled. "Might even grab a few by hand!"
At that moment, staring at the familiar circle of punchable fish shadows around his line—and hearing Grandpa Gu's teasing—Chiya's face darkened.
"Shut up. The match isn't decided yet!"
"Hmph! You brat—today I'll make sure you never come back alive!"
Old and young—bickering while fishing, listening to the sea wind, watching the ocean, the wind turbines, the seagulls…
And that massive Hollow in the distance—
The Ephesus Harbor Hollow.
To the people of New Eridu, Hollows weren't rare anymore. They'd been hurt by them too many times, suffered too long, wandered too far in confusion.
A sincere friend might send you a Knock-Knock message—"I'm really glad I met you"—and then their account goes silent forever.
Treasured photos and recordings might get corroded inside a Hollow, memories peeled away.
Familiar streets might vanish in a sudden incident—swallowed whole. Even if you escaped by luck, the pain stayed with you.
But…
People are born together. They live by leaning on one another.
Some can think alone, act alone, appreciate alone.
But to walk through life—people need mutual support.
For New Eridu, living alongside pain had become routine.
So had searching for hope.
Sometimes they even turned suffering into something they could laugh about.
"Hey! Chiya brat!"
"Huh? You hooked one?!"
"Not yet! Look—at that big Hollow!"
"What about it?"
"Don't you think that damn thing looks like an upside-down bowl?"
"…Sure? Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
Grandpa Gu stared at the Hollow, as if something in the past had surfaced. In the old man's eyes, waves shimmered—meeting the waves of the sea.
But his voice grew firmer.
"Chiya… those kids in the Hollow Investigation Association—risking their lives to go in, clear Ethereals, collect data… isn't that proof we're 'using the bowl'?"
"Doctor Chiya. One day, we—or rather, the people of New Eridu—will raise our hands high and smash that bowl with everything we've got. New Eridu has a saying, doesn't it…"
"Shattered (years), shattered (years) — peace and safety…"
"…Yeah," Chiya murmured.
He gazed at that "giant bowl" glowing with a purple halo, starlight in his eyes.
"One day… no one in this world will suffer from illness again…"
Sunlight shone on the world without pause—rising from the sea, setting into the sea, crossing from the east side of mountains to the west.
In some stories, it was fairness incarnate—the scales of justice.
And yet, at that moment, even the sun seemed moved by those hope-filled words, pouring down more light and heat.
"Ugh—so hot!" Chiya yelped. "Grandpa Gu, when the hell are you going to catch one?!"
"Hold on, Chiya brat! Just a little longer! I can feel it—something's tapping the hook!"
Fifteen minutes later—
"Still nothing?"
"It's still testing! Chiya! Hold on longer!!!"
"Why don't you tell A-Feng to bring an umbrella?!"
"That kid went on a blind date!"
Thirty minutes later—
"I'm pulling out! I'm pulling out!"
"Don't! Doctor Chiya, I'm begging you! I haven't caught a fish in ages!"
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Even if you can't take it, you have to take it! That girl over there still hasn't left—she even brought other girls to wait with her! If you don't want to get out of here alive, then hold on!"
One hour later—
"I'm about to get steamed alive—I'm seriously leaving!"
"…(Grandpa Gu is silent.)"
"Huxeya, let's go."
"…(Grandpa Gu is struggling.)"
"My butt's practically stuck to the stool."
"…(Grandpa Gu gives up struggling, lips twitching.)"
"Son… stay a little longer…"
"…Grandpa Gu, I, Chiya, admit it—your love for fishing surpasses mine. I acknowledge you as the strongest."
"Then are you still leaving?"
"Of course I'm leaving!"
"You little turtle-grandson! You took advantage of me and now you want to leave?!"
"You gave me the advantage yourself! If I don't take it, am I disrespecting you?! Did I force you?!"
"You forced me!"
"No I didn't!"
"You did!"
"I didn't!"
New Eridu, HAND Headquarters — Air Defense Section 6 Office.
"Miss Tsukishiro, I've got something to do—please approve my sick leave slip for me~~"
"Asaba-kun, again at this time…"
"Huh? What?"
"…Nothing."
As the one who truly carried the burden of Section 6, Tsukishiro Yanagi adjusted her glasses and glanced at the leave request. Then she pulled out the official stamp, pressed it down—
A bright red seal bloomed on the white paper.
Like a bleeding wound slowly scabbing over.
After gently blowing on it, Yanagi handed it back.
"Remember to come back and clear the backlog. Don't give me that 'barely passing' standard again."
"Ughhh—Vice Captain, I'm outta here."
Watching Asaba Yuma bolt out, hearing his rapid footsteps fade into the elevator's rising hum, Yanagi looked toward Hoshimi Miyabi, who was maintaining her blade at the desk, and Soukaku, who was busy eating.
"Miyabi. I think we need to investigate. I don't like interfering in your personal lives, but Asaba-kun's… regularly scheduled 'abnormal' sick leave is something I can't ignore."
"Yanagi. What are you thinking?"
"Every month, on the second week's Thursday at 4 p.m., Asaba-kun will absolutely request leave, and his destination is always Sixth Street. After that, his sick leaves decrease noticeably. I believe that's a situation we should treat as suspicious. So…"
"No need to say more, Yanagi," Miyabi said, standing as her ears perked up. "You know I trust you."
Soukaku, still stuffing her face, hurriedly sped up the chewing.
"Mmm—Yani' sis… dis means we're mobilizin'?"
"Yes. But Soukaku—slow down. Don't eat so fast."
"Mmkay!"
After swallowing the last bite of her rice ball, Soukaku shot her hand up excitedly.
"I wanna go too! I wanna go too!"
But—
"Let Soukaku come with us."
Miyabi declared as she walked out of the office.
"Then—our training begins: The Investigation of Asaba Yuma's Abnormal Sick Leave and Unnatural Diligence."
If you want to keep going in order, paste Chapter 13 next.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 50)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 50)
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