Amy carried her tackle box down to the seaside.
Next came the familiar routine: taking bait out of her pocket, opening the bait pouch, hooking the bait onto the fishing hook, searching for a spot where the water rippled with movement, and casting her line.
This process was second nature to her, as ordinary as eating or sleeping. She had repeated it countless times—each repetition meant money and harvests. From the moment she reached for her bait pouch, that small sense of happiness spread through her heart.
Unfortunately, the bait pouch wasn’t as full as before. Amy counted carefully—only about ten worms remained, and most were sluggish, some nearly dead already.
She’d have to replenish them with Nancy soon.
—These were the small but unavoidable concerns of her daily life.
There were many others like it: laying weeds in the sun to dry each day, then collecting the hay before nightfall to keep morning dew from dampening it again; watering crops carefully so no patch went too dry or too wet, otherwise she’d lose either a day of growth or 5 stamina points. Small things, but enough to make her want to beat her chest in frustration if they went wrong.
As a seasoned farm-simulation gamer, Amy knew this feeling well.
Tedious as it was, she always managed to find happiness in these small chores—and enjoyed them.
Just as she was about to select a worm for the hook, she suddenly remembered something very important: she still hadn’t asked Nancy about the butterfly from yesterday.
This had been her number one task on her to-do list, yet she had nearly forgotten. All because Clara had disrupted her plans!
…Well, to be fair, it wasn’t just Clara’s fault. She herself was mostly to blame.
With too many things to juggle, Amy decided to set fishing aside. She tucked the bait back in her pouch, brushed the wrinkles from her clothes, and went off to find Nancy.
Nancy was at the pond feeding ducks.
She scattered the feed casually—duck feed wasn’t much different from chicken feed, a mix of dried sea worms and tiny shells. The ducks gobbled it up happily, quacking nonstop.
Like the diligent student she was, Amy silently took note of everything she saw.
Her livestock experience was still zero. Her farming level for it was zero. Her farm didn’t have any animals other than herself.
But that wouldn’t last forever.
One day, she would raise chickens, ducks, cows, pigs, and sheep. Of course, she’d need fences to keep them from wandering off and devouring all the fruits and vegetables she had worked so hard to grow.
“You’re here and not saying anything.” Nancy’s husky voice broke the air as she scattered a lump of feed. “What’s wrong?”
Amy would readily admit: every time she heard Nancy’s slightly hoarse voice, she felt strangely reassured.
Even if Nancy told her, “Sorry, you’re blacklisted by the butterfly clan now and will never catch one again,” Amy would probably just smile and say, “That’s fine, I’ll catch snails instead.”
—Though if that really happened, she would still break down.
She answered Nancy’s first question first: “I saw how well you feed your ducks, and I thought it would be great if my farm had so many little animals too.”
Then the second: “Yesterday, I went to see Eric about upgrading my tools. On the way back, I saw a white butterfly… I didn’t catch it. I don’t understand—this isn’t my first time. The first butterfly I caught was easy, so why did I fail this time?”
To Amy, catching butterflies was very important. It tied directly to unlocking her full collection. She had to ask Nancy about it.
Nancy thought for a moment, then asked an unexpected question: “Did you use a bug net?”
Amy looked baffled. “Bug net?”
Her reaction was answer enough. Nancy didn’t need her to say “yes” or “no”—clearly, Amy had just been grabbing with her bare hands. So she began explaining.
“Sometimes butterflies fly too long without food or water, so they react more slowly and fly slower. Maybe you just got lucky that first time. But most of the time, they’re quick and hard to catch. That’s when you need tools—the bug net I mentioned.”
Amy’s eyes widened in realization. So it wasn’t her fault—she just didn’t have the right tool.
With hope in her voice, she asked, “So, you sell bug nets, right?”
“Of course.” Nancy’s voice was calm.
That familiar sense of reassurance washed over Amy again, and she let out a big sigh of relief.
Her butterfly-catching dream was saved.
But there was another key question: “How much is a bug net?”
“500 gold,” Nancy replied.
Amy made a small sound of dismay.
“Wait for me—I’ll catch some fish and trade them for a bug net,” she said, and headed straight back to the beach to resume fishing.
Two and a half hours later, Amy successfully traded six fish for a bug net. To her delight, Nancy told her the fish were worth even more than 500 gold, so she also gave Amy a pouch of worm bait.
By then, the sun was setting. The once-bright sun had turned orange-red, sinking into the horizon like an orange dropping into the sea, painting the waters a glowing citrus hue.
Amy happily admired the view for a while before preparing to head home.
But before she left, Nancy suddenly called her name.
Amy turned back, puzzled. “What is it, Nancy?”
“Are you planning to use the bug net tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Amy nodded firmly.
Ever since she released that black swallowtail and later learned it could’ve been sold to the museum—protected and profitable—she’d felt like she’d lost out big. She had been itching to catch another butterfly ever since.
Nancy’s expression grew complicated. “To be blunt, you’ll also need a butterfly cage.”
Amy froze. “…What?”
Someone please tell her—what was a butterfly cage?
Nancy explained again: “Once you catch a butterfly, you need to put it in a special cage, a butterfly cage, and wait for Simon to collect it. If you use an ordinary cage, the butterfly will likely die before he arrives.”
She added, “The insect museum won’t accept dead butterflies. If you bring one, they’ll blacklist you—for animal mistreatment.”
“…Alright, alright.” Amy finally conceded. “You sell butterfly cages too, right?”
“1,000 gold,” Nancy said flatly.
This time Amy was stumped.
1,000 gold—two bug nets’ worth. She could make it with a few extra hours of fishing. But night was already falling, and fishing into the night was exhausting.
Besides, she hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and her lunch pizza had been far from satisfying.
After much inner debate, Amy gritted her teeth: I’ll fish!
She would do whatever it took to catch butterflies—even if it meant passing out from an empty stamina bar. Nancy would send her to the hospital… right? She had to. Nancy was a good person.
Come to think of it, Amy hadn’t even been to Hot Springs Town’s hospital yet…
Just as she was lost in her fantasy of “fishing until she collapsed and being carried to the hospital,” Nancy cut her dream short.
“It’s already late. If you fish here all night, it’ll disturb my rest.” Her cold voice carried warm concern. “How about this—you just catch one sea bream. Once you do, I’ll trade you the butterfly cage.”
“Nancy, you’re the best.” Amy blinked at her. “But can I ask… why sea bream?”
“Because I want sashimi,” Nancy answered simply.
Amy was convinced. Sea bream sashimi was indeed delicious.
“Alright, no problem. Leave it to me.”
She strode to the beach with confidence.
But two hours passed. She caught plenty of other fish, but not one sea bream.
The sky was now completely dark, stars twinkling above. The night air was filled with the soft rustle of grass and the chorus of crickets.
It was a tranquil night scene.
But Amy had no mind to appreciate it. Looking at her haul, she forced a bitter smile. If I keep this up, I’ll have enough fish to sell for 1,000 gold outright—why am I still chasing sea bream?
Her stamina was nearly gone. She had already chugged three bottles of maple syrup to keep fishing, and still she refused to give up.
Another half hour later, just as she was about to reach for a fourth bottle of maple syrup—finally, a sea bream took the hook.
And not just one.
Two at once!
[You have unlocked the Fishing Encyclopedia entry: “Sea Bream.”]
The moment the message appeared, Amy felt all her hours of waiting were worth it.
“Nancy, look!” she shouted, calling her over. “I caught two sea bream! Two!”
Nancy was nearby and came quickly, peering into Amy’s tackle box. “They’re a little small, but two at once is impressive. Tomorrow I’ll deliver the butterfly cage to your farm.”
Amy’s eyes curved into a smile. “Thanks, Nancy.”
She handed over the two sea bream along with her other catches, receiving in return one butterfly cage and 500 gold.
Now she was in the mood to appreciate the night sky by the shore.
Tonight truly felt wonderful.
If not for her grumbling stomach, she might have stayed until dawn.
Just as she packed up to leave, Nancy called out again: “Amy.”
“It’s late. I have two sea bream here—let’s eat together.”
Amy froze.
Eat together? Sashimi?
She was in!