Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Akina Sawa also picked up his cup with a smug look. The tea was a deep, bright red, with a faint, peculiar longan aroma. He took a small sip, the tea flowing from his lips and lingering in his mouth, the unique, mellow flavor traveling from his tongue to his brain.

"Mmm, delicious." Akina Ze nodded in satisfaction and looked at Miss Akiko Shizuha. It seemed as if he was urging her to drink the delicious tea as soon as possible, because the temperature was just right now, and the taste would change if she waited too long.

Qiu Jingye glanced at the cup, examined it for a while, then reached out and picked it up, drinking it all in one gulp. Afterward, she shook her head and smacked her lips a few times to remove the remaining tea, took a light breath, and slowly uttered two words.

"good"

"Just okay?"

Akina Ze also looked at Akiko Shizue with surprise.

But Miss Qiu Jingye calmly wiped her mouth and firmly uttered those two words.

"good"

"Uh..." Akina Ze also fell silent for a moment.

This was already the best tea he had ever received, yet it only received a "not bad" rating.

"Ahem," Qiu Jingye coughed twice, drawing Qiu Naze's attention, and then said, "In my opinion, your black tea is indeed just so-so, because I've had much better black tea."

Qiu Jingye paused for a moment and then continued, "Coincidentally, I happened to have it with me. Would you like to try it?"

"Of course I must try the better black tea that Miss Aki Shizuha mentioned."

Akina Ze nodded in agreement and took an iron kettle from the cupboard, handing it to Akina Shizue.

“We’ve already had tea together, so let’s skip the formalities,” Qiu Jingye said, taking the teapot. “From now on, I’ll call you Qiu Ming, and you can call me Sister Qiu.”

"This...isn't appropriate..."

Regardless of how long the two met, from Akina Sawaya's perspective alone, this petite girl with short blonde hair doesn't seem like someone who could be addressed as "older sister" by such a senior title.

"If I say it's okay, then it's okay," Qiu Jingye said with a faint smile, seemingly unaware of any impropriety in the form of address.

"Or are you saying you don't want to drink the best-tasting black tea anymore?"

"Alright then," Akina Sawa shrugged helplessly and sat back down. For someone who could taste the best black tea, such formalities weren't unacceptable.

Seeing that Akina Sawa had accepted the title, Miss Akishino Shizuha walked into the kitchen with a kettle in her hands, satisfied.

"Yeah yeah yeah"

Just as Akina Sawa poured himself a cup of black tea from the copper kettle, Marisa flew straight in from outside.

Are you having tea? Have me a cup too.

Marisa didn't stand on ceremony. She jumped off the broom, sat down in a chair, and asked Akina Sawa to pour her a cup of black tea as well.

"I'm telling you, Marisa," Akina Ze said, glancing at the carefree Marisa with a hint of annoyance, "next time you come, don't just fly in directly. You've made the house all dirty."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'll definitely be more careful next time."

Marisa scratched her hat a couple of times and apologized very skillfully, but her face was full of smiles.

She didn't seem to apologize at all, so expecting her to remember it is highly unlikely.

However, Akina Sawa was already used to it, and just shook his head helplessly.

After all, you can't just refuse a blonde little girl who comes to your door asking for a drink of water, can you?

"Speak, what brings you here?" Akina Ze casually placed the tea in front of Marisa and sat back down.

Marisa finished her tea in one gulp, then leaned over the table and whispered in Akina Sawa's ear.

"Hey, have you heard that rumor?"

Akina Sawa frowned slightly. Marisa was too close; even her distinctive mushroom scent wafted into his nose. How many days had Marisa not bathed?

Gensokyo is full of beautiful girls, and Akina Sawa, who has lived there for almost a year, is used to it. For him, looks are no longer a very important thing.

However, Akina Sawa was still quite interested in the rumor that Marisa had mentioned, so he nodded with interest.

"That's the one." Marisa moved even closer, so close that she could feel the tickling sensation of her hair touching her face.

"A figure that disappears as soon as you get close," Marisa said with amusement. It seemed she had no idea she was getting too close.

"Ahem," Akina Ze coughed twice, pushing Marisa a little distance away, and said, "And then?"

"You know what?! That figure has reappeared recently! And it's even talking to someone!" Marisa exclaimed with great interest.

"What's so strange about that?" Akina Sawa was also puzzled. Isn't the common sense of Gensokyo the complete absence of common sense?

"Huh?" Marisa was clearly stunned for a few seconds, her pale golden eyes fixed on Akina Sawa with resentment as she said, "Isn't this strange?"

Seeing Marisa's appearance, Akina Sawa seemed to understand something, and suddenly slammed his right hand against his left, saying, "Hey~ this is really weird~"

However, this seems to have the opposite effect.

"Master, you're so mean! I wanted to share the situation with you as soon as possible!" Marisa pouted angrily, her eyes flashing fiercely. Although she didn't look fierce at all, she even looked a bit like a cat with its fur standing on end.

What should you do if your cat's fur is standing on end? The answer is to stroke it gently, of course!

"Marisa, I'm so sorry," Akina Sawa scratched the back of his head and refilled the cup that Marisa had finished drinking with tea.

"Hmph!" Marisa snorted lightly, but still accepted Akina Zeya's apology.

"That's all for now. I see Master still has guests, so I'll be leaving now." Marisa glanced at the half-open door, gulped down her tea, and then jumped onto the broom and flew away.

After Marisa left, Shizuha Aki came out of the kitchen.

Akina Ze also knew the timing and steps for brewing tea, and Akina must have already brewed the tea during that time.

As for why he didn't come out to meet Marisa, Akina Sawa didn't ask.

After all, it's not good to pry into other people's lives.

However, although Akina Sawa didn't ask, Akina Shizuha brought it up herself.

“I had some conflict with that guy,” Qiu Jingye said calmly.

Although she said that, Akina Ze also ignored it and did not investigate further.

"Don't meddle in things that aren't your business," is a piece of advice that Akina Sawaya, a resident of Gensokyo for several months, has learned from experience.

"Let's not talk about her for now, let me try the tea you brewed!"

Akina Ze also stood up and stared intently at the iron kettle that Akina Shizue was holding.

He couldn't wait to taste this tea, which was even better than the Scarlet Devil Mansion's black tea. This must be the absolute best of the best!

"Don't rush, wait a little longer," Qiu Jingye shook her head and pointed to the seat, indicating that Qiu Mingze should sit down first.

Although the food was delicious, the words of the chef, Sister Qiu, were the most important. Qiu Naze patiently sat back down.

Chapter Four: Maple Leaves

"for you"

Without saying anything else, Qiu Jingye placed the iron kettle on the damp cloth and waved her hand, indicating that the next step was to leave it to Qiu Naze.

Akina Sawa also got up and picked up the iron kettle, intending to fill the cup on Akira Shizuka's body first. The bright red liquid looked exactly like blood gushing from a human artery, flowing gently down from the spout of the kettle. Although the liquid resembled blood, it was not thick.

What is its name?

Picking up the cup and looking at the blood-red liquid inside, Akina Ze hesitated for a moment before asking Akiko Shizue.

Maple Tea

Qiu Jingye stared intently at her cup, her pink tongue gently probing into its depths. Then, she closed her eyes slightly, her face visibly relaxing, a look of pure bliss on her face, like a kitten swaying back and forth after smelling catnip.

“…”

Looking at this scene, Akina Ze also looked at the liquid called Maple Tea in his hand and smiled helplessly.

After hesitating for a while, he tried to imitate Aki Shizuha's way of drinking tea, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue to drink tea as well. But after trying a few times, Akina Ze gave up on the idea.

Because this doesn't fit his macho image at all, if Nikua and the others saw it, it would definitely become a black mark on his past! Akina Ze also shook his head violently, shaking the scene out of his mind.

In the end, Akina Sawa decided to drink tea in his usual way.

He pursed his lips, brought the teacup closer to the rim, and even before he drank any tea, the heat emanating from the cup was already scorching him.

Prepared to be scalded by boiling water, Akina Zeya slowly tilted the teacup, and under the influence of gravity, the blood-red maple tea slowly flowed down the side of the cup into Akina Zeya's mouth.

Um! ?

Akina Sawa also opened his eyes in surprise, because the maple tea poured from the very hot cup tasted cold!

Shocked, Akina Zeya took a large gulp of maple tea. The cool liquid flowed down his mouth, into his delicate esophagus, and finally into his stomach. Every cell in his body seemed to express joy along the way. But strangely, the refreshing maple tea transformed into a heat source in his stomach, radiating warmth and healing Akina Zeya's weary body.

As for its taste, Akina Sawa said he couldn't describe it in words, only through his actions. He swallowed the remaining tea in one gulp.

"Feels good, doesn't it? How does it compare to your black tea?"

A slight smile appeared on Aki Shizuha's lips when she noticed that Akina Sawa had also finished all her tea.

"Hmm..." Akina Ze was silent for a moment, then said as if sighing, "It is indeed better than my black tea."

“But I’d like to see what the tea leaves in your kettle look like,” Akina Ze added.

"Please go ahead," Qiu Jingye waved her hand casually and continued drinking her unfinished cup of tea.

Akina Ze also took a deep breath and shakily reached for the lid of the pot.

He had a bold idea, and to prove it, he had to open the lid of the pot and see what kind of tea was inside.

Gently lift the lid; the small iron ball on it is now extremely hot to the touch.

really!

Akina Zeya's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at what was inside.

A maple leaf, seemingly any other leaf that could be found anywhere or that had fallen from a branch, lay quietly at the bottom of the teapot, while the tea liquid, which should have been bright red, was now crystal clear.

"Don't look at me, figure it out yourself."

As if sensing Akina Zeya's confusion, Akina Shizuha finished all the tea in her cup in one gulp, raised her hand to support her chin, and watched silently.

"..." Qiu Mingze shook his head helplessly, paused for a moment, and said, "This is unfair to the tea farmers."

"Don't maple leaves only bloom at the end of autumn?" Qiu Jingye's calm pupils reflected the teapot on the table.

A moment of speechless silence filled the space between the two.

Akina Ze looked at the girl in front of him, who was called the Goddess of Maple Leaves, but his thoughts had already drifted off to who knows where.

That's probably the effect of the tea.

......

"Hey? Wake up!"

In a daze, Akina Ze also felt someone calling his name.

"Am I dreaming?"

"No, but it's almost time. You should wake up now," the female voice said.

After that voice said, "You should wake up."

The dreamlike feeling was shattered like a bubble, and my skin felt the cold autumn temperature outside.

Akina Sawa was immediately startled awake, opened his eyes, and jumped up from his chair.

Familiar scenes came into view one by one; the arrangement of objects on the table and the furniture in the surrounding rooms remained unchanged.

But Akina Sawaya himself had a strange sense of loss, as if he were in another world.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable all over, Akina Sawa looked around blankly until the iron kettle on the table came into view.

Without any reason, Akina Sawa also reached out and lifted the lid of the teapot.

There was nothing inside—no water, no tea leaves.

"Am I still half asleep?" Akina Sawa scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

He knew that sometimes taking a nap for too long could also cause this feeling.

However, this cannot be used to explain the current situation.

"Ugh!!! This is so annoying!"

Akina Ze also felt waves of distress in his heart, not only because of this inexplicable feeling, but also because of the regret for the lost time.