Using Gacha to Increase My Companions and to Create the Strongest Girls' Army Corps

Without much further ado after leaving the market, we arrived at the large lighthouse overlooking Sevaria's port.

"Wow, so this is the port! There are so many boats!" Freesia exclaimed.

"This is where the fish from the market are brought in, isn't it?" Noru added.

The port of Sevaria was a bay-shaped port with the sea forming a square along the coast. Several wooden boats were moored, tied together with ropes. They ranged in size from small two-person boats to large transport ships docked further in. It seemed like this port was used for both trade and fishing.

"Look at that huge ship! Let's go see it!" Freesia shouted, running towards a large ship docked in the distance.

"Hey, wait!" I yelled.

"You can't just run off like that!" Noru scolded.

Freesia ignored us and kept running towards the large ship. Noru and I chased after her, but she was too fast, and we couldn't catch up. As she passed by a building, a loud voice boomed.

"Hey! What are you doing wandering around here? This area is off-limits!"

"Whoa!"

Startled, Freesia jumped and stopped in her tracks. Noru and I caught up with her and restrained her.

"You idiot! You can't just go off on your own! This time, you're not getting away with it!"

"Ow—hey, don't pull my cheeks!"

"I've had enough of your antics! You're going to learn your lesson today!" I said, pulling her cheeks harder. Freesia's cheeks were just as soft as Noru's, but they stretched even more. Instead of pulling, I decided to knead her cheeks with my palms, squishing her face until she protested.

"Oh no... Freesia has fallen victim to Ookura-dono's punishment..." Noru sighed.

"It's been a while since I've seen this," Estel remarked.

Noru rubbed her own cheeks as if recalling past experiences, while I continued kneading Freesia's cheeks. She eventually gave in and stopped struggling.

"Ahem... can we finish this soon?" A deep voice interrupted us.

A large, muscular man with rolled-up sleeves and wearing an apron had approached us. He looked every bit the seasoned fisherman.

"Oh, sorry about that! Freesia, apologize too!" I said, releasing her cheeks.

"Sorry..." Freesia mumbled.

"It's alright, as long as you understand," the fisherman said, somewhat taken aback by the scene.

"Are you adventurers?" the fisherman asked, noticing our guild plates.

"Yes, we are. Except for this one," I replied, pointing at Freesia.

"I'll behave now, so please let go of me," Freesia pleaded.

"Noru-chan, help me!"

"This time, Freesia, you need to reflect on your actions," Noru said sternly.

"Fine... I'll reflect..." Freesia muttered.

Noru's firm stance made Freesia lower her head in submission. Hopefully, this would keep her out of trouble for a while.

"So, did you come to the port for a quest?" the fisherman asked.

"No, we just arrived in town today and wanted to look around," I explained.

"That's why she was so excited. With that outfit, I was surprised to see her running around," the fisherman chuckled, pointing at Freesia's animal-eared hood.

"And you're a fisherman, right?" Freesia asked.

"Yep, born and raised in Sevaria," the fisherman replied proudly.

"That's so cool!" Freesia exclaimed.

"The fish in the market must be what you caught, right?" Noru asked.

"That's right. Did you buy something?" he asked.

"Yes, we bought a lot of delicious-looking fish and can't wait to cook them!" Noru said happily.

"Glad to hear it. How about some grilled shellfish? I was just about to cook some," the fisherman offered.

"Yes, please!" Noru and Freesia responded eagerly.

We followed the fisherman, whose name was Roken, to a gathering of fishermen enjoying a feast. We joined in, tasting the grilled oysters and other shellfish they had prepared.

"This is delicious!" Noru exclaimed, her cheeks bulging with food.

"Glad you like it. Eat as much as you want," Roken said, pleased.

"Thanks for the food. It was really good," I said.

"Don't mention it. Watching you all enjoy it makes it worth it," Roken said with a grin.

"You really are a good guy, Roken-san," Freesia said, clapping her hands.

"Stop calling me an old man. I'm Roken," he said, a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Ookura Heihachi," I said.

As Noru continued her feast, we chatted with Roken. Freesia joined us, having given up on keeping up with Noru's eating pace.

"You must be high-ranking adventurers, right?" Roken asked.

"Yes, we're newly minted B-rank adventurers," I replied.

"Impressive at your age. And you even have a kid with you. A mage, I presume?" Roken said, pointing to Estel.

"That's right. It's not often you see a mage in a port," Estel replied.

"We often need mages for various tasks in the port, so I've seen my share," Roken explained.

"By the way, Roken-san, why is this area off-limits?" Freesia asked.

"This area is for loading and unloading cargo from the transport ships. It's dangerous, so only authorized personnel are allowed," Roken explained.

As we continued talking, I inquired about the sea monsters in the area.

"There are sea monsters, but they usually stay in specific areas or far out at sea. We rarely see them near the port. When they do show up, we hire adventurers or mages for protection," Roken explained.

"That makes sense. We encountered a really fast, flying sea monster on our way here. Do you know anything about that?" I asked.

"Flying sea monster? Maybe a Tornado Shark? But they only appear during storms," Roken said, puzzled.

"Tornado Shark? That sounds dangerous," I said, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Are you here to hunt it?" Roken asked.

"No, we just ran into it on our way here. It came from the sea, so we thought it might be common here," I explained.

"Never heard of anything like that. Where exactly did you see it?" Roken asked.

"Near a stone shrine on a cliff," I said.

"What?!" Roken exclaimed, standing up abruptly. The other fishermen also looked shocked.

"Did you do anything to the shrine?" Roken asked urgently.

"No, we just looked at it," I assured him.

"Good. That shrine is dedicated to our guardian deity, Testudo-sama. It's said to protect Sevaria from sea monsters," Roken explained, calming down.

"Sorry, we didn't know it was so important," I said.

"That shrine is one of several around Sevaria. The main shrine is here in town," Roken said, explaining the significance.

"I see. Maybe we should visit the main shrine to pay our respects," I suggested.

"Good idea," Estel agreed.

While we talked, Noru continued to enjoy her meal, completely content.

"Mm, this is so good," Noru said, her mouth full of shellfish.