My clothes were soaked and my attempt to look like a cool, experienced fisherman had just been obliterated by a kid.

I looked towards Mira, both of her tiny hands were still submerged in the water. She looked back over her shoulder at me, "...Did I do something wrong, Ren?" she asked. "I just wanted to help you catch a fish."

Before I could tell her she hadn’t messed anything up, the river rippled.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

Dozens of fish shot toward the shore. They launched themselves from the current like arrows, landing in the thick grass right beside Mira’s boots. The little demon and I stared at the fishes.

"...What the hell," I breathed out.

Another fat fish jumped out, the two more. Within seconds, a mountain of fish had volunteered to leave the river.

Mira slowly pulled her hands out of the water, holding them close to her chest. She looked at the pile, then up at me. "Ren?"

I looked down at the broken, useless fishing pole in my hand, then back at the massive pile of fish. "...I’ve been scammed, the universe is mocking me."

Mira giggled. "Maybe you’re just really bad at it, Ren."

"No, I’m not." I argued back.

"Ren," she said. "I think the fishes like me."

I wanted to give a logical lecture on how fish lacked the brain capacity for affection. But the evidence was in frint of me.

"...Yeah, kid," I admitted, "I think they do."

The walk back to the village was humiliating for me. Because Mira had her chest puffed out all the way towards the village.

When we reached the village, people stopped in their tracks. We were hauling enough fresh fish to feed the settlement for a week, and I looked like a swamp monster.

A hunter near the forge dropped his hammer. "...By the demon ancestors, what happened to you two?"

"I won the competition," Mira announced, setting her bucket down with a heavy thud.

"Won what?" the hunter asked.

"The fishing competition that Ren and I had." Mira said smugly.

"There wasn’t a competition, Mira," I interjected.

She tapped over her heart. "There was one, in here."

"Ren? Mira, are you hurt?" Lyra rushed forward when she saw us, her hands hovering over her daughter before she noticed the massive pile of fish in the bucket. She froze. "...Where did all of these come from?"

Mira grinned, pointing a tiny thumb at herself. "I caught them!"

Lyra looked at me, completely lost. "Ren... what exactly happened out there?"

I let out a long breath and quickly recounted the humiliating backstory. And also how Mira managed to catch fish by doing something that I haven’t seen before.

Lyra looked down at her daughter. She slowly crouched, bringing herself to eye level with Mira. "Sweetheart... can you show me?"

Some curious villagers followed us back to the riverbank. When we arrived, Mira marched towards the water, took a deep breath, and placed her bare hands into the current. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the water started humming.

From the dark depths, shadows moved. Hundred of fishes swammed toward her. An elderly hunter, leaning on a cane, pushed his way to the front. His aged eyes were wide. "...I’ve heard of this," he rasped.

"You know what this is?" Lyra asked.

The old hunter nodded. "It’s called Beast Affinity."

Hushed whispers erupted across the village. Lyra blinked. "...Beast Affinity? What’s that?"

"It’s something incredibly rare," the elder explained gently. "It only manifests in those who have a pure, untainted connection to the world’s natural mana. Though not very useful in combat."

"Not powerful?" Mira whispered.

The old hunter chuckled. "Power isn’t just about destroying things, little one," he said. "To be completely trusted by the wild beasts of this world... to command life rather than take it? That is a very rare, very beautiful kind of strength."

Mira looked down at the water, then back up at the elder. "...Like making friends?"

The elder smiled. "Exactly like making friends."

The gloom in her eyes vanished. Mira’s tail gave a wild swish. "Friends!"

I glanced at Lyra, in her bright green eyes, overwhelmed relief, pride, and desperate love.

"Mira," Lyra said, her voice cracking.

The little demon turned. "Mom?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Lyra dropped to her knees in the and pulled Mira into a hug. Mira squeaked in surprise. "M-Mom? Are you crying? Why are you hugging me?"

"Because I want to," Lyra said. "Because I’m just so proud of you."

Mira froze, overwhelmed by the sudden emotion, before slowly wrapping her small, arms around her mother’s neck. "...Mom."

"Yes, baby?"

"Does this mean... does this mean I’m not useless anymore?"

Lyra inhaled a sharp, ragged breath. She grabbed Mira by the shoulders, looking at her directly in the eyes with a fierce intensity.

"Listen to me," Lyra said, "You have never been useless. Not for a single second. You are my heart, Mira. You are the only reason I wake up every day. Do you understand me?"

Mira’s eyes widened, shimmering with unshed tears. "Really?"

"Really," Lyra promised, pressing her forehead against Mira’s. A small smile broke across Mira’s face, and she buried herself into her mother’s arms. It was such a sweet scene but Korin ruined the atmosphere.

"Right. That’s enough crying," the giant boomed. He wiped a stray tear from his scarred cheek and stepped forward.

"What?" Lyra asked, wiping her eyes.

Korin forced a smirk. "If she really has a Beast Affinity, let’s see if she can actually command them. Show me what your new friends can do, Mira."

Mira broke away from the hug, her tears vanishing as her eyes lit up with competitive fire. "Okay!" I took three large steps back. Korin challenging a child?. Does this guy have no shame?

Mira thrust her hands into the water. The river rippled and the fishes swirled in a massive, hypnotic circle. A massive, incredibly fat river bass launched itself directly out of the center.

WHAM!

It smacked Korin absolutely square in the face with a wet slap. The giant B-rank warrior stumbled backward, completely blindsided. The fish hit the ground and flopped at his feet.

Mira pointed a tiny finger at the fish. "...It chose violence. I didn’t asked it to attack you"

For one split second, nobody moved. Then, the entire village exploded. Loud, roaring laughter tore through the crowd. Lyra doubled over, clutching her stomach. The Hardened demon hunters fell to their knees, laughing at Korin. Even I couldn’t stop the barking laugh that escaped my chest.

And standing in the very middle of it all, rubbing his bright red cheek... Korin stared down at the fish. Slowly, a deep, booming laugh rumbled out of his massive chest, joining the rest of the village.