Chapter 43: Cirno Loves Milk Ice Pops.
.....
For now, Kihara decided not to worry about the black-and-white thief who had mysteriously run off without even staying for breakfast.
After washing up and eating a simple meal, he grabbed his axe and pickaxe from the storage chest, ready to begin a productive day.
With his current physical condition, there was no way he'd end up like in Stardew Valley, collapsing from exhaustion just from chopping a few trees and losing money in the process. That kind of embarrassing situation? Not happening.
After clearing out some dead branches, stones, and trees near his house, Kihara was just about to craft a basic fishing rod. When suddenly, the very same girl who had left earlier came flying back on her broom.
"Hey! You weirdo who kept mumbling about fishing all night, this is for you!"
She tossed something toward him.
"A fishing rod. That settles things between us! And don't you dare come near me again!"
Kihara caught it, baffled.
"How am I a weirdo? Don't slander me for no reason!"
The black-and-white witch rolled her eyes, her expression unusually stiff.
"Hmph. I've said what I needed to say. Bye!"
Before he could ask more, she flew off again.
"...What did I even do to offend her?"
Not one to dwell on things he couldn't figure out, Kihara examined the rod she'd given him—and to his surprise, it came with a system description.
[Marisa's Mushroom Fishing Rod]
A peculiar rod infused with the faint scent of a young girl and the mushrooms of the Forest of Magic.
If used with mushrooms as bait, it may slightly increase bite rate and fish quality.
"Oho~ a special item."Kihara grinned.
"Marisa's actually a pretty nice person. I should visit her sometime. Maybe bring Rikka and Akane too, Alice might get along well with them. One makes dolls, the other makes monsters… could be interesting."
With the trouble of crafting a rod gone, he stored his tools and materials, watered his parsnip seeds, and eagerly set off toward the river.
It was time to test whether he was destined to be a fishing master or just another unlucky angler.
In Stardew Valley, there were two beginner-friendly gold-tier fishing spots:
One at the southwest river
The other at the rocky shore southwest of the beach
Fishing in a river?
No way.
A true fisherman dreams of catching big fish.
Without hesitation, Kihara headed to the seaside rocks—the gold-tier fishing spot.
If his skills were good enough, he could even catch gold-quality fish early on.
Items in the game were graded:
Normal
Silver
Gold
Iridium (highest)
And naturally, higher-quality food restored more stamina and health.
In reality… they probably tasted even better.
Standing on the rocks, Kihara picked his spot and cast his line.
Since he hadn't gathered mushrooms for bait, he had to fish with an empty hook. Still, just like in the game, it should work—only slower.
Sunlight shimmered across the blue sea.
A salty breeze brushed his face.
He focused intently on the mushroom-shaped bobber floating on the water.
Time passed…
Suddenly—
Splash!
The bobber dipped sharply.
Kihara reacted instantly, pulling the rod back. The line went taut.
Though inexperienced, he knew the basics.
After a brief struggle.
A silver fish burst out of the water, scattering droplets like shattered glass.
"Looks like fishing isn't as hard as I thought~"
He unhooked the fish and checked its quality.
[Sardine (Gold Quality)]
"Not bad! Gold-tier spot really delivers."
Confidence surged.
"Alright, I'm fishing all day today. Let's see how much I can earn."
He pulled out a small stool, sat by the shore, and began fishing leisurely.
"Hey~~ Human! What are you doing? Cirno's here to play with you!"
A voice full of "wisdom" suddenly rang beside him.
A wave of cold air hit him, making him shiver.
Turning his head—
There she was.
A small blue-haired fairy floating beside him, hands on her hips, looking extremely proud.
Her round eyes, however, were fixed curiously on his fishing rod.
"Why are you just sitting here holding a stick? Come play with me! Let's go freeze frogs at Misty Lake!"
"I'm fishing, Cirno. Not spacing out."
"Fishing? Where's the fish? I don't see anything."
…If Kihara were a real fisherman, that line alone would've made him explode.
Who says fishing requires actually catching fish?
That's blatant discrimination!
"They're not biting yet. Just wait—I'll catch one for you."
"Oh!"
Surprisingly, Cirno obediently landed on his shoulder and watched.
The reason?
Kihara was the first human to acknowledge her as "the strongest in Gensokyo."
And—
He even treated her to milk ice pops.
Thinking about that delicious treat, Cirno started drooling.
She tugged at his ear.
"Hey, human! Aren't you going to treat me to milk ice pops today?"
"I've told you so many times—my name is Kihara, not 'human'!"
"Okay, Kihara. I want milk ice pops."
Kihara suddenly straightened and glanced around cautiously.
Pelican Town was remote and half-ruined. Aside from Cirno, no one else should be around.
He nodded calmly.
"Fine. Get it yourself. But no using your ice powers—last time you froze me and I caught a cold."
"Mm-hmm! Don't worry, Cirno will be careful this time!"
Excited, Cirno flew in front of him.
And suddenly grew from palm-sized to about the length of an arm.
"Y-You got bigger!?"
"Nope! I can change size whenever I want. Last time I was too small, it was hard to eat. This is better."
"…Right. Just don't mess with my fishing."
"Got it!"
Happily, Cirno reached into Kihara's pants pocket and pulled out a milk ice pop, enjoying it with pure delight.
One human.
One fairy.
They spent the day in peaceful harmony.
Before leaving, Cirno even froze some spilled milk, saying she'd take it back for her friends.
Kihara suddenly felt immense pressure.But he couldn't exactly tell her not to share.
That would just make things suspicious.
"…Let's just hope that idiot '⑨' doesn't go around telling everyone about this…"
Sighing, Kihara packed up his rod and headed home.
his inventory now filled with freshly caught sea fish.
.....
Thank you for reading.