Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"What should we do..." Sanae said, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Because she didn't see the screw she had dropped, and the shop owner wasn't around, the trail went cold.

I'm here...

A weak, feeble voice came from under the counter.

"Huh!?" Sanae was startled.

Swaying slightly, Morichika Rinnosuke stood up from under the counter.

"Is there anything you'd like to buy?"

"How did you end up squatting down there... Uh, let's not talk about that now," Sanae shook her head, her eyes fixed urgently on Morichika Rinnosuke, and said, "Mr. Akina, did you sell a huge screw here? I want to buy it back, please, please sell it to me, that thing is very important to me!"

"Sigh~" Morichika Rinnosuke glanced at Sanae, his face showing difficulty, and sighed, "You're too late. Marisa has already bought the screw. If you want it, go find her. I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Thank you!"

After learning from Morichika Rinnosuke that Screw was no longer with Kourindo, Sanae, not wanting to waste any more time, thanked him and quickly left.

Standing behind the counter, Morichika Rinnosuke watched Kochiya Sanae's departing figure and said, puzzled, "What exactly is that screw? Why does the shrine maiden of Moriya Shrine value it so much?"

"Well, this has nothing to do with me anymore," Morichika Rinnosuke shrugged, squatted down, and continued working on his unfinished task...

Chapter Fifty-Two: Twists and Turns

Marisa's gadget shop is closer to Kourindo than the distance between Kourindo and the Human Village.

Even so, it still took Sanae Kochiya quite a while to find the little villa hidden in the forest.

Looking at the old but still sturdy wooden door in front of her, Sanae Kochiya smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeves, tidied her slightly disheveled appearance after walking through the woods, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the door.

"KouKou~"

As the knocking sounded, a jumble of noises came from inside.

A few seconds later, the sounds from inside the door stopped, followed by the wet, pattering sound of footsteps on the wooden planks approaching from afar.

Sanae Kochiya stood quietly outside the door, waiting.

"welcome!"

The door was suddenly pulled open, revealing the person inside.

Upon seeing that the person who arrived was Sanae Kochiya, Marisa's smile froze.

"I thought we had guests, pshaw~"

“No, I am indeed a guest,” Sanae Kochiya said, looking directly at Marisa.

"Please come in! We finally have a guest!" Marisa's previously frozen expression instantly became lively again, and she even jumped up and down happily, her slippers making a wet, pattering sound as they stepped on the wooden board.

Was that the sound I just heard outside the door?

Sanae Kochiya glanced discreetly at Marisa's bare ankles.

Moreover, in Sanae's eyes, Marisa looked like she had just taken a bath.

She was wearing her usual clothes loosely, revealing a large patch of healthy, white skin on her shoulders. She wasn't wearing her ever-present hat, and her slightly damp, smooth hair was loosely draped over her back. Given this, it's not hard to explain why Marisa was wearing slippers when she opened the door.

Turning her gaze away, Sanae Kochiya followed Marisa into the house.

The appearance of the house surprised Sanae. She had assumed that Marisa's house would be messy and disorganized based on her carefree personality, but it was surprisingly tidy. Although there were some minor flaws, it was clear that the girl living there had taken cleaning seriously.

"I never expected that a shrine maiden from Moriya Shrine would come to me to buy things. Just tell me what you want, and even if it means stealing, I, Marisa, will get it for you!" Marisa patted her flat chest with a boastful expression.

“I don’t need you to steal,” Sanae Kochiya shook her head. “You shouldn’t have stolen either. I’m here to buy the screws you bought from Kourindo.”

Seemingly worried that Marisa wouldn't understand what she was saying, Sanae Kochiya even gestured the approximate shape of a screw with her hand.

"I'd like to ask first, how much are you planning to offer?" After understanding what Sanae was saying, Marisa didn't immediately give a response but instead asked tentatively.

"500 copper coins," Sanae Kochiya said very seriously.

"So expensive!?" Marisa's mouth dropped open in surprise, but she quickly recovered and hurriedly grabbed a hat from the table next to her and put it on, as if she was about to go out.

"Marisa, where are you going?"

Sanae Kochiya looked puzzled and reached out to stop Marisa.

"Of course I'll go!..."

She had only spoken halfway when Marisa seemed to realize something and shut her mouth, then hesitantly said:

"If I tell you, can I still have those 500 copper coins? No, 400 will do."

"Of course, but I will give you every single one of the 500 copper coins. It's an agreement that has already been made, so how can it be changed so easily?"

Looking at Sanae's matter-of-fact expression, Marisa felt as if she had gained a new understanding of her, no longer just limited to the image of her being loved by two adults.

“I did get the screw from Rinnosuke, but…” Marisa paused for a few seconds before continuing, “For some reason I can’t say, the screw fell into the forest. Come with me now, and you’ll see it.”

"There's no time to lose, take me there quickly!" With the screw about to be found, Sanae Kochiya couldn't help but show her urgency.

The reason why she couldn't say was not pressed for details, which relieved Marisa.

After all, it's shameful to be defeated by a fairy, and you can't let anyone know that. Even though you were ambushed and defeated when you were exhausted, a loss is a loss. If Reimu knew, she would definitely laugh at you.

Marisa made up her mind to find an opportunity to make Cirno completely lose her memory of today, and the Great Fairy as well.

Although I feel a little bad for the great fairy, what can I do when she saw it too?

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Marisa straddled the broom, patted the back of the broom, and gestured for Sanae to sit on it as well.

Sanae Kochiya shook her head slightly, declining Marisa's invitation.

"If there are two people in the car, the speed will be slower, right? I'll just fly over from behind."

"Then let's go!" Marisa didn't insist. She poured her magic into the broom, and with a tremor, the broom whooshed into the air.

Sanae Kochiya also began to unleash the power she possessed as a Wind Blessing.

An invisible wind gathered at Sanae's feet, lifting her up.

Although a strong wind was gathering at her feet, Sanae's clothes did not show any signs of being blown up by the wind, but instead swayed slowly.

Is this the power of the wind?

Marisa glanced at Sanae, who was flying behind her, straightened her hat which had been blown askew by the wind, and flew towards the spot where the screw had fallen...

---------------------------

Marisa quickly returned to the sky above where the screw had fallen, with Sanae following closely behind.

"I didn't expect Cirno to still be here..."

Looking around, she saw the blue-haired ice spirit still lying on the lush green grass. Marisa spoke expressionlessly and silently took out her miniature Bagua Furnace.

At this moment, Cirno, who was lying on the grass, also noticed Marisa and Sanae Kochiya behind her.

Because Sanae Kochiya also had green hair like the Great Fairy, Cirno, with her small mind, categorized her as a harmless fellow like the Great Fairy and ignored her.

"Marisa, your skills..." Cirno put her hands on her hips, striking a smug pose, but before she could finish speaking...

A huge, multicolored beam of light slammed head-on into Cirno's small body.

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying away a few fallen leaves. The pillar of light disappeared, and Cirno, who had been there, was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, I've finished my business. Now let's find the screws." Marisa casually put away the miniature Bagua furnace, which was still emitting blue smoke.

"Oh, let's begin then." Sanae Kochiya paused for a moment. Although she wanted to ask Marisa why she did that, finding the screw was the most important thing right now.

......

"there!"

After searching for a while, Marisa was the first to find the fallen screw and greeted Sanae with a look of surprise.

"That's it!"

Under the setting sun, the enormous screw, gleaming with a metallic sheen, lay silently on the grass...

----------------------------

"I need more food!"

Under the shadows, the little white creature finished the last dumpling, but it still didn't have enough energy for its plan. Its scarlet eyes were wide open, seemingly never to close...

Chapter 53 I am Cupid, and I speak for Cupid.

My name is Kyubey. I come from outer space. For some unknown reason, I was sealed away by an object called the Book of Demons, and thus lost contact with my community.

But on a certain full moon, I, who had been sealed for so long, found a way to break free from the seal.

As planned, I eventually broke free from the demon book and found a girl with excellent aptitude, which was a good start for me since I was separated from the group.

It should have been like this ——————

On the day of the full moon, the pure white, almost eerie moon hangs in the night sky.

On the bluestone streets of the Human Village, Kyubey walked silently.

In its memory, all human settlements should have developed into cities made of reinforced concrete, so why does this settlement still look like it did hundreds of years ago?

Cupid was puzzled. In its view, this was extremely abnormal, and it had felt from beginning to end that something was watching it.

However, since the spy did not immediately arrest him, it means that his actions were approved, so he didn't need to pay attention to it and could simply ignore it.

Therefore, Kyubey was quite at ease searching for qualified girls in the human world.

Although Cupid has separated from the group, it still deeply remembers its mission as a member of the Cupid clan.

For the continuation of the entire universe!

Therefore, the only option was for this being on the third planet in the solar system to sacrifice itself for the continuation of the entire universe.

Although he had regrets at times, he ultimately remained steadfast in his belief, and so did Cupid, who had separated himself from the group.

Despite losing contact with the group, alone, it still chose to give everything for this mission.

However, free time always comes to an abrupt end.

Humph~

The sound of high heels clicking on the ground gradually grew closer.

Kyubey jumped onto the roof and quickly left the street. It was still early stage of exploration, and it was not advisable to make contact with the humans in this place too early. Caution was the most important thing.

but...

The thumping sound didn't disappear; instead, it grew even closer.

Cupid didn't know why this was happening, and without any feelings, it chose to keep running.

Bathed in moonlight, a petite, white figure nimbly leaped over rows of rooftops, fleeing swiftly into the distance.

Keep running.

until--

A large hand grabbed it.

In the final moments before his memories faded, Kyubey saw a human with horns on his head and a face full of madness.

Then, consciousness was lost.

When Kyubey woke up again, he found himself back in the Book of Demons, and the loopholes had been fixed.

The escape attempt was a complete failure.

But opportunities always appear when you least expect them.

Kyubey had thought that the next chance to escape might be hundreds of years later, but before long, the opportunity came again.

This time, it did nothing; it was all predestined. And so, Kyubey left the Book of Demons once again.

The opportunity was hard-won, and this time, Kyubey decided to be cautious, extremely cautious, and absolutely not allow himself to perish halfway through again.

Moreover, it didn't feel like it was being spied on the last time it came out.

To be on the safe side, Kyubey even chose not to meet the human girl with exceptional talent that he had discovered last time, even though she was right beside him.

Because they lost contact with the group, the energy transmitted via quantum communication was also interrupted. Although Kyubey was an alien being, the last bit of energy stored in his body was exhausted in the previous mission.