Clear stream water flowed gently through the ancient riverbed, splashing against stones with a lively sound.
"Hahaha! I caught another one!"
"Me too! Ren-chan, how are you doing over there?!"
Koshigaya Natsumi and Miyauchi Hikage, with their pant legs rolled up, were enthusiastically flipping over stones along the stream bank. Even against two elementary schoolers, they held nothing back.
"We're definitely going to win!"
Miyauchi Renge called back from a distance.
"Alright! You've got some spirit! Then we have to work harder too! Go, Natsumi!"
Miyauchi Hikage turned to Koshigaya Natsumi.
"Got it! I'll crush them completely!"
Koshigaya Natsumi made an "understood" gesture and began flipping stones even more vigorously.
"These two are really going all out!"
Koshigaya Komari twitched at the corner of her mouth and complained, "Natsumi is never this motivated when it comes to housework!"
"Huh? Komari, you've only caught this many? At this rate, you might end up last."
At that moment, Fujimiya Konomi walked over and glanced into their bucket, sounding surprised.
"Hm?"
Koshigaya Komari, who hadn't been too concerned before, exclaimed in surprise, "Last?!"
"Don't tell me Ren-chan's group is even better than us?!"
"Well, actually, Ren-chan's group hasn't caught fewer than Natsumi's group."
"Wha… what?!"
Koshigaya Komari froze on the spot.
No way. Those two little ones were that strong?
The next second, she turned to Ichijou Hotaru not far away.
"Hotaru! Let's start trying harder too!"
"Huh?!"
Ichijou Hotaru looked at Koshigaya Komari in surprise. Why did senpai suddenly become so fired up?
Koshigaya Komari lowered her head, flipping stones as she muttered, "Losing to Natsumi and Hikage-nee is one thing, but I can't lose to elementary schoolers…"
Se… senpai…
Ichijou Hotaru stared at her, dumbfounded.
…
"Kanna-chan! Let's defeat them together!"
On the other side, Miyauchi Renge also waved her small fist at Kanna, cheering herself on.
"Mm!"
After Kanna nodded, Miyauchi Renge's enthusiasm surged, and she began searching more carefully in the stream.
Soon, her gaze landed on a large rock, and she said with some regret, "There are traces of crabs under this rock, but we can't move it."
Kanna glanced at Miyauchi Renge, then looked at the rock.
Suddenly, she waded through the water that reached her calves and walked to the rock. The height of the large rock almost reached her knees.
"Kanna, it's no use. We can't move this rock!"
Seeing this, Miyauchi Renge shook her head.
Kanna didn't give up. Her sapphire-like eyes fixed on the rock. She reached out, braced one corner of it, and gently applied force with her slender arms.
Under Miyauchi Renge's widening gaze, the large rock was lightly flipped over, revealing everything hidden beneath.
"Amazing!"
Miyauchi Renge looked at Kanna in shock.
"Quick, catch the crabs."
Kanna said calmly as she watched the two startled crabs trying to escape.
"Oh!"
Miyauchi Renge snapped back to her senses, quickly bent down, grabbed the two escaping crabs, and put them into the bucket.
Looking at the crabs tumbling around inside the bucket, the two little girls exchanged a glance and smiled.
At that moment, a shout suddenly came from across the stream where Miyauchi Hikage and Koshigaya Natsumi were.
"Wow! Hikage-nee! I found a really big crab!"
"Where, where?!"
"Here, come catch it!"
"Why do I have to catch it?!"
"This crab looks really strong. If it pinches you, it'll definitely hurt, so of course Hikage-nee should catch it!"
"Huh?! Wouldn't it hurt if I got pinched too?!"
"I'm the younger sister, and you're the older one! Things like this are obviously for the older sister to do!"
"You only treat me like your sister at times like this, don't you?!"
"Hikage-nee, it's getting away! Don't you want to win? This is the crab king, it's worth at least three normal crabs!"
"Cr… crab king?!"
"That's right! Go, Hikage-nee!"
"Alright, I'm going!"
Under Koshigaya Natsumi's instigation, Miyauchi Hikage bent down and cautiously reached toward the crab in the water.
As everyone knew, crabs were more agile in water than on land, and also more intimidating.
Miyauchi Hikage stared intently at the large crab, muttering, "Just a little more, just a little more…"
Suddenly, the crab's eyes widened as if it had noticed Hikage's intentions. Its large claws shot toward her hand.
The next moment…
"Ah! It hurts! It got me! It really got me!"
Miyauchi Hikage instinctively jerked her hand up, flinging the crab onto the rocks at the shore. Her face twisted in pain.
"Hahaha! You really got pinched. As expected of you, Hikage-nee!"
The instigator, Koshigaya Natsumi, stood nearby laughing heartlessly, pointing at her.
"Damn it! This is all your fault, Natsumi!"
Miyauchi Hikage gritted her teeth at her. This girl was even making sarcastic remarks!
"How is it my fault, Hikage-nee? I don't have claws!"
Koshigaya Natsumi grinned and made a scissor gesture with her fingers, imitating a crab.
"Hikage-nee, are you okay?!"
Miyauchi Renge and Kanna came over to her.
"Ren-chan! Your big sister is dying from the pain!"
Miyauchi Hikage put on a tearful expression.
"If Hikage-nee can still act like that, then she should be fine," Miyauchi Renge said, relieved.
"Huh? How can you tell, Renge?"
"Well, because it's Hikage-nee."
Miyauchi Renge spread her hands with a helpless expression.