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6:00 AM.
The curse of the Farmer: No matter how late you sleep, you wake up at 6:00 AM sharp.
Leo stretched under his warm blanket. He was retired (sort of). No crops needed immediate harvesting. The cat was handling the fishing.
I can sleep in.
He closed his eyes.
Stare.
He felt eyes on him. Many eyes.
Wasn't it just him, Chen, Flandre, and Kogasa? That's six people. Why did it feel like a crowd?
Leo opened one eye.
Above him, looming like gargoyles, were the faces of Chen, Kogasa, and four Flandres.
He turned his head.
A dozen Little Fairies surrounded the bed, staring at him solemnly as if viewing a corpse in an open casket. More heads peeked through the window.
"What... do you all want?"
Leo pulled the blanket up to his chin. He slept in his underwear. This audience was making him shy.
"Chen wants Iron Ingots," the cat said politely.
"We're going to BLOW UP THE FISH!" Flandre 1 yelled.
"POISON IT!" Flandre 2 countered.
"DRAIN THE LAKE!" Flandre 3 suggested.
"ELECTROCUTE IT!" Flandre 4 concluded.
They started brawling again.
"Master," Kogasa piped up. "I need to forge an Unbreakable Rod for Chen."
"We're here for the commission!" Cirno announced. "Chen hired the Hero's Guild! It's a Raid Boss!"
The fairies cheered. It felt less like a raid and more like a school field trip.
"Then go have fun," Leo rolled over, turning into a burrito. "Why involve me?"
"Come with us!" Flandre grabbed the burrito. "Big Brother never plays with us!"
The four Flandres hoisted Leo into the air.
"Put me down! I'm not dressed! I'm counting to three!"
Leo panicked. Aya was probably in the tree outside with her camera. If "The Naked Farmer" made headlines in Bunbunmaru Newspaper, he would have to emigrate to another dimension.
"Oh," Flandre dropped him back on the bed. "Hurry up, Big Brother."
They filed out.
Leo glared at the corner.
The Umbrella (One-Eyed Xiao San) was pretending to be a lampstand.
"You get out too!"
The umbrella drooped and shuffled out.
Leo dressed quickly.
Outside, Kagerou had already finished watering the crops. Leo outsourced manual labor to her in exchange for vegetables. (Unlike Yukari, Kagerou only took what she needed).
The fairies lined up in the yard like a chaotic army. Cirno and Daiyousei did a headcount.
"What's the plan?" Leo asked Chen.
"The Legend only appears on rainy days," Chen pouted as she raided the ore chest. "It said it would beat me up if I fish there again. So... we're going to the Beach to power-level my Fishing Skill to 10. Then we come back and smash its face."
Her tails drooped in a "Wronged" shape.
Leo snapped a photo and sent it to Ran. Caption: The face of a cat seeking vengeance.
"Alright, everyone!" Leo clapped his hands. "Line up! First stop: Blacksmith's Shack for breakfast! Then the Beach for a BBQ!"
"Yay!"
Blacksmith's Shack.
Leo cooked breakfast while Kogasa fired up the forge.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Kogasa hammered the steel. Chen watched with intense focus.
"Add more hate," Chen whispered. "I want that rod to hurt."
"Understood!" Kogasa channeled her abandonment issues into the metal.
The Beach.
The sun was shining. The ocean sparkled.
Wakasagihime was already in the water, herding schools of fish toward the shore.
"Fishing EXP Farm: Active!" Waka signaled.
Chen stood on the pier. She held the new "Avenger's Rod" (It looked like a medieval lance).
"Today," Chen declared, "I reach Level 10."
Leo set up the grill.
"Who wants grilled squid?"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
Aya Shameimaru landed on a palm tree, camera clicking furiously.
Headline: The Great Beach Training Camp! The Yakumo Family prepares for war against the Fish King!