Leib put the first Golden-Scaled Crystal Fish into the preservation box, then returned to the edge of the pool.
He immersed both hands in the golden pool water again, letting the golden grease coat them once more.
This time, his movements were more practiced and more confident.
As he lowered his hands into the water, a medium-sized fish swam over on its own and brushed against his palm. Leib smiled faintly, gently brought his hands together, and lifted the fish out.
The second one.
He waited a little longer, and a third fish swam over. He likewise lifted it steadily from the water.
Three Golden-Scaled Crystal Fish swam leisurely around the preservation box, their golden scales glittering like three living crystals.
"That's enough."
Leib closed the lid of the preservation box and stood up.
"We can't catch any more. There are only a little over thirty fish in this pool, and catching too many would affect the population."
Twenty meters away, Saitama watched the three fish in the preservation box and swallowed.
"Three... Is that enough to eat?"
"That's enough." Leib smiled. "The meat of this fish is incredibly rich. One fish can make a whole tableful of dishes. Three will be enough for seven people to eat their fill."
He placed the preservation box on the cooking counter, took various cooking utensils from his backpack, and arranged them neatly.
Knives, cutting boards, pots, seasonings, baking trays, soup bowls...
Every item gleamed brightly and was placed in perfect order.
Leib took a deep breath and flexed his fingers.
"Watch closely."
He said,
"This is my, Leib's, true cooking."
The first step was preparing the fish.
Leib immersed his hands in the pool water again, coated them in golden grease, then lifted the first fish from the preservation box and placed