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To do a good job, one must first painstakingly sharpen one's tools.
Deep inside the blistering heat of the newly rebuilt Pelican Town smithy, Kogasa Tatara forcefully shut the heavy wooden door after excitedly learning about tomorrow's epic fishing trip. Rhythmic, deafening clanging sounds of a heavy hammer striking hot metal echoed relentlessly throughout the entire day.
Hong Meiling, stripped down to a tank top and sweating profusely, pumped the massive leather bellows for just as long, keeping the forge fire roaring white-hot. Flandre had initially wanted to do it—they were all good sisters in this chaotic found family, so of course the vampire wanted to enthusiastically participate in crafting the ultimate weapon for Chen.
However, the four Flandre clones took turns erratically pumping the heavy bellows for less than half an hour before they started loudly complaining about being bored and physically tired. They began aggressively pushing and shoving each other for space around the forge, nearly coming to violent blows with their bare hands, until finally, a sighing Hong Meiling stepped in and single-handedly shouldered the entire exhausting burden of maintaining the fire herself.
Outside in the cool afternoon breeze, Leo sat comfortably on the soft spring grass, leaning boredly against the rough bark of an oak tree with Chen purring warmly in his lap. Ever since he had made that fateful, drool-inducing mention of eating a roasted whole lamb that morning, not a single Little Fairy had been seen playing within his line of sight all day. The farm was eerily quiet.
Click. The heavy iron hinges of the smithy door, which had been tightly shut all day, finally groaned open. A soot-covered Kogasa Tatara walked out triumphantly, holding a massive, glowing fishing rod shaped exactly like Flandre's crystalline wings with both hands.
Chen's yellow eyes widened. She immediately jumped out of Leo's arms and ran to her good friend in a few quick, eager steps.
"This ultimate rod is forged entirely from pure, refined Iridium ore and is practically indestructible," Kogasa declared proudly, presenting the weapon. "The fishing line itself is made by tightly wrapping ordinary, high-tension nylon line with the naturally shed, magically-infused tail fur of Lady Ran Yakumo; absolutely no amount of physical strength from a fish can snap it. The rod is ornately decorated with polished Emeralds, Aquamarines, Rubies, Amethysts, Fire Quartz, Topaz, Jade, Diamonds, and glowing Prismatic Shards. These nine legendary gems not only massively boost the rod's aesthetic style points but also serve as magical warning bells that chime when a fish bites."
Kogasa knelt down to Chen's level. "This is the absolute best, most powerful fishing rod our makeshift family has ever produced. Today, I'm formally entrusting it to you, Kitty. I hope you can successfully, brutally subjugate that giant boss fish."
Chen took the heavy, glowing rod with a deeply solemn expression. She gripped the Iridium handle tightly with both hands and experimentally twirled it rapidly like a martial arts staff as if she were in an anime cutscene...
Wait, twirling it like a heavy combat staff?! The sharp, terrifying whistling sound of the rigid Iridium rod cutting violently through the air made Leo pause and sweat drop. This was a bit different from the U-shaped, highly flexible fiberglass fishing rod he had originally imagined... This looked like a lethal bludgeoning weapon designed to beat the fish to death on the shore!
"Next is the premium bait! This is a special, high-potency bait I've meticulously formulated specifically to suit the ravenous tastes of most deep-water fish. I personally went deep into the sea and asked the local fish one by one what they liked to eat."
Wakasagihime, smelling heavily of the ocean, also proudly brought out the bait she had prepared in a wooden bucket. It was a horrific, pungent mixture made of chopped earthworms, mixed bloody fish guts, and a bit of glowing, toxic bug meat generously provided by Marisa, all stirred violently together with sticky green Slime mucus until it was incredibly firm. It was rolled into dense, foul-smelling balls that would slowly, tantalizingly dissipate in the water to spread the scent rather than falling apart uselessly immediately upon entry.
To scientifically test the flavor profile of this bait, Waka had personally gone underwater with it to gauge the reaction. The results were terrifyingly excellent; that pungent, rotting fishy scent was incredibly potent. Now, Waka herself was heavily covered in that lingering scent, making her highly attractive to predatory fish.
"My turn, my turn!"
Cirno suddenly jumped out from the nearby woods, surprisingly with no baby animals hiding behind her. She pretentiously covered her mouth and coughed twice, intentionally lowering her usually shrill voice to sound deep and mysterious.
"Ahem. Brave young feline maiden, you have now successfully obtained the absolute finest weapon and medicine from our humble village. It is finally time to head to the treacherous Mine Cave Lake and challenge the final boss."
"Ding! Please go to the Mine Cave Lake behind Stardew Valley tomorrow morning to defeat the Spring Legendary Fish. Quest Reward: Official promotion to an A-rank adventurer of the Hero's Hut."
That sharp 'ding!' wasn't Chen actually awakening some kind of magical gamer system, but rather Daiyousei perfectly providing the vocal sound effect while jumping out from the bushes and blushing, covering her face in embarrassment.
Daiyousei had dutifully said the subsequent NPC lines, though she looked quite reluctant to be doing so in public. Her entire face was burning red; just to play along with Cirno's elaborate, childish hero game, Daiyousei was really pushing her social anxiety to the absolute limit to say such embarrassing, dramatic things out loud.
And then... the entire scene went completely, awkwardly quiet. Everyone's expectant eyes slowly turned toward Leo sitting under the tree.
"Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Leo looked around in genuine confusion, then quickly checked his own clothes to make sure nothing was unzipped. He was wearing his normal clothes; there shouldn't be a problem.
"We've all actively provided massive help to Kitty," Flandre stated, crossing her arms and floating slightly off the ground. "Hong Meiling and I exhaustingly pumped the hot bellows all day, Cirno formally issued the epic quest, Kogasa forged the ultimate fishing rod, the fish sister provided the premium bait, and even the thief Marisa provided bug meat and Slime mucus! What about you, Big Brother? You didn't prepare absolutely anything for her, did you? That would make Kitty so, so incredibly sad."
Flandre narrowed her crimson eyes, looking highly suspiciously at the completely bewildered Leo.
"Ah? I... of course I prepared something incredibly important!" Leo stammered, sweating bullets. "But wait, aren't there still Aya Shameimaru and Nitori Kawashiro involved in this? What exactly did those two specifically do to help?!"
Think, you idiot, think! Find an excuse!
Having randomly, desperately named two absent people to deflect the blame, Leo's brain began to spin frantically like a high-speed engine, calculating exactly what kind of rare, high-level buff he could realistically offer Chen to save face.
Chen, absolutely do not look at me with those unfairly cute, expectant kitten eyes! I'm already trying so incredibly hard to think of a lie! Why didn't anyone notify me in advance that this was a group gift project?! If I can't say something cool right now, Kitty will definitely cry... oh god, there's already visible mist forming in her large eyes! Help!
"The Kappa sister had to go set up the venue site early," Daiyousei explained softly. "I sent her a message on the phone. She didn't come to the forge today because she's currently at the Mine Cave Lake setting up VIP spectator seating and safety nets. And Aya-san is acting as our official Bard; she's strictly responsible for singing today's epic story and broadcasting it throughout Gensokyo's newspapers tomorrow."
Oh boy. It really, truly was just him left empty-handed.
"Ahem," Leo stood up, dusting off his pants and adopting an incredibly serious, confident tone. "The specific, magical thing I prepared would expire easily and lose its potency if I took it out right now in the sun. I absolutely have to wait until tomorrow morning to cook it. It is a legendary meal that will seamlessly allow Kitty to temporarily break the hard level 10 fishing limit of this world's system, making her absolutely, 100% mathematically certain to catch the Legendary Fish!"
Successfully thinking of a specific, high-tier Stardew recipe to prepare before Chen could actually burst into heartbroken tears, Leo walked over and affectionately patted her soft ears. Looking at the cat's suddenly shining, expectant eyes, he finally breathed a massive sigh of relief. Crisis averted.
"Alright, it's getting late and the sun is setting. Everyone, let's head back to the farm. We're having a massive, all-you-can-eat potato feast tonight to celebrate the new rod!"
The expensive crops growing above ground had been completely, brutally ruined by the flaming meteorite shower; only those hardy crops with edible parts growing safely deep underground, like hearty potatoes and crunchy carrots, had miraculously survived the destruction in significant numbers. Having a massive potato feast today would conveniently provide the exact raw materials for the specific buff item he intended to secretly cook and give Chen tomorrow.
Back in the kitchen, dozens of fresh, earthy potatoes were meticulously washed and peeled, then rapidly cut into thick strips, thin slices, large chunks, and fun spirals by Meiling's precise knife skills. After soaking them in cold water for a while to remove some excess starch for maximum crispiness, Leo heated a massive vat of oil in a deep iron pan.
Except for the large chunks specifically intended for sweet Candied Potatoes, absolutely everything else was violently deep-fried until golden brown: thick-cut fries, crispy potato chips, and carnival-style potato spirals. Sprinkled generously with a secret, spicy BBQ seasoning blend and dipped in a rich, secret sauce bearing the Night Sparrow Canteen logo, a hearty, incredibly filling, and greasy potato feast was complete.
Quietly and stealthily stashing three large, hot plates of crispy fries into his inventory, Leo wiped away his nervous sweat. Combined with the few fresh Sardines safely stored in the wooden chest, this social crisis was finally over. He could make the Dish O' The Sea in the morning. Otherwise, if he had to see Chen's disappointed and dejected expression, he'd have to slap himself awake in guilt in the middle of the night.
The night passed without incident, filled only with the sound of crickets and full stomachs.
6:00 AM.
The next day, as soon as Leo opened his groggy eyes in bed, he saw Chen in her small, fluffy black cat form lying directly on his chest with her paws neatly tucked in. Her large, bright yellow eyes were staring at him intently with an incredibly eager, expectant look.
"Here, this is the legendary 'Dish o' The Sea' I specifically prepared just for you," Leo smiled, yawning. "Eating it will instantly, magically increase your fishing level by exactly 3 entire levels for 8 full hours, completely breaking the system cap. There are three hot plates in total, exactly enough to last you for one full day of intense boss fighting."
Reaching into his canvas backpack resting on the wooden nightstand, he took out the glowing, aromatic Dish o' The Sea (a crispy hashbrown and sardine platter) he had magically prepared the night before.
Leo got out of bed and dressed in his work clothes. One-Eyed Xiao San was already standing loyally at the bedroom door with her incredibly long, wet tongue hanging out. Seeing Leo approach, the umbrella let out a happy whimper, hopped forward, and jumped enthusiastically into his arms to affectionately lick his face.
Her large, wet tongue actually felt incredibly good against his skin; having idly kneaded the strange, rubbery material of the tsukumogami for so long when he had nothing else to do on the porch, Leo finally, suddenly thought of a very vivid, incredibly inappropriate modern comparison for the specific texture of the umbrella's tongue.
A Tenga Stroker... the texture was really, terrifyingly similar—incredibly skin-friendly, impossibly soft, strangely warm, and extremely elastic. Leo immediately banished the cursed thought from his mind and walked out the door.