Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

He hated this fleeting dream, like a clock that was accurate every second suddenly becoming inaccurate one day.

The longer he stayed in the room, the more suffocated and anxious he felt. Qiu Mingze got up, pushed open the door, and went outside.

Nikua took Chito and the others out to play, so he's all alone at home now.

Looking at the large open space in the yard and the two little yellow chicks that seemed unaccustomed to being there, Akina Ze suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake in deciding to harvest the crops ahead of schedule.

Is it really a good thing to just drift along because you feel you're already satisfied?

Are farmers who don't grow things on their own land still farmers?

Is this lazy life really what I want?

Akina Ze slowly clenched his fist, but then slowly relaxed it back down.

He sighed, shook his head with a smile, and turned to walk back into the house.

When he came out again, he was carrying a shiny iron hoe.

"Excellent!" Looking at the empty yard, Akina Ze laughed loudly, "Autumn is also the season for sowing!"

......

A chilly autumn wind blew by, and the fiery red maple leaves, like runaway children, detached themselves from the branches, drifting with the wind in unknown directions, swaying aimlessly without regret.

A maple leaf drifted past Akina Zeya's yard and flew further away.

A faint, indistinct image of a young girl can be discerned...

Chapter 5 Simple Leverage

The autumn sun had not yet risen in the east, and the sky was still gloomy.

Meanwhile, someone could already be seen moving around in Akina Zeya's yard.

"Hey hey hey~"

Akina Zeya used his hoe to dig up chunks of nutrient-rich black soil from the ground.

Because it rained last night, these clods of earth are wet and not easy to break apart.

Although this increases the difficulty of digging, it also avoids the situation of dust flying around and causing choking.

"We had agreed not to plant in the fall..." Akina Sawa shook his head helplessly.

It's such a waste to leave such a large, fertile piece of land to lie fallow, and it doesn't look good just sitting there empty.

Under the influence of various factors, Akina Sawa decided that he could no longer continue to be so decadent, otherwise he would eventually become a beggar on the street.

So, in order not to become a beggar, Akina Sawa plans to get up and work as soon as he wakes up today.

That is, 7 o'clock sharp.

For some reason, Akina Sawa would briefly wake up from his sleep at seven o'clock.

But if you want to be lazy, you can keep sleeping and still fall asleep.

But I can't keep sleeping like this tonight, or I'll become a useless person.

He tiptoed past Niqua, who was fast asleep on the small wooden bed, and pushed open the door without making too much noise so as not to wake Chito and Yuri, who were sleeping next door.

Looking at the dawning sky, Akina Ze took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, which was full of carbon dioxide, and pulled out the hoe that he hadn't used in a long time from his belt.

As a farmer with ample experience, Akina Sawa knew how to swing a hoe with less effort. Holding the handle, he used a simple lever principle to dig the hoe tip into the ground, stirring up plenty of soil...

No matter what you're doing, once you're immersed in it, you lose track of time. Akina Sawa was no exception; when he opened the system to check the time, it was already 8:00 AM.

"Half an hour has already passed. Let's take a break."

After checking the time, Akina Ze belatedly realized his physical fatigue, casually stuck the hoe into the ground, and sat down on the rocking chair under the eaves.

Creak, creak, creak~

The rocking chair creaked and swayed, accompanied by a series of squeaking and rubbing sounds from the wood.

Such a sound is perfect for putting people to sleep, coupled with a rhythmic motion like being rocked in your mother's arms when you were a child.

Akina Ze also felt drowsiness gradually creeping into his heart.

"hu~hu~"

Soon, rhythmic breathing sounds came from the rocking chair.

Sleeping in a rocking chair is a very comfortable thing, but not being in bed always makes it difficult to avoid getting a stiff neck.

But Akina Sawa didn't get a stiff neck, because not long after, someone came to this secluded courtyard.

"Hey? Wake up!"

He grabbed the armrest of the rocking chair with one hand and shook it vigorously.

Akina Ze, who was still taking a nap, also felt his body being violently swayed.

Physical circumstances can also be reflected in one's mental state, and dreams are a concrete manifestation of this mental state.

Akina Sawa had been dreaming of sunbathing and sleeping in on a Hawaiian beach, but the next moment he found himself on a roller coaster, plunging down a mountain...

"Ahhhhh!!!"

With a scream, Akina Sawa suddenly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pretty girl standing next to a rocking chair, holding the armrest and rocking back and forth.

It took Akina Ze a few seconds to understand what had just happened.

But swearing is forbidden. Akina Sawa has already decided to shoulder the entire burden herself for the sake of building a beautiful Gensokyo. Abstract language is absolutely prohibited!

You can't scold them, and you can't beat them in a fight.

Suppressing the abstract words that were already rising in his throat, Akina Sawa patiently said with a forced smile:

"Miss Wenwen, what brings you here?"

No one would give a friendly look to someone who disturbs their sleep.

"I just wanted to come over for breakfast," the pretty girl, Aya Shameimaru, said with practiced ease, flipping open the lid of the table.

But Akina Sawa herself didn't eat breakfast today, so there's nothing for Shameimaru Aya to eat.

"Stop flipping through the papers, there's no food today."

"Why is there no food today? Did you eat it all?"

Shameimaru Aya pointed at the empty plate with a suspicious look on her face.

"How could that be! I just didn't have time to make breakfast." Akina Sawa slapped away the finger poking his cheek and said irritably, "Do I look like someone who can eat a lot in one meal?"

Shameimaru Aya, whose fingers had been slapped away, rubbed her chin with her right thumb in a thoughtful gesture, her eyes scanning the area like laser beams. Akina Sawa felt a chill run down his spine and tugged uncomfortably at his clothes.

"Admit it! You ate them all!"

"I didn't!"

......

After a series of gesticulating and veiled criticisms...

Aya Shameimaru finally believed that he hadn't stolen any food, but rather that he hadn't eaten because breakfast hadn't been made.

This guy must have done this on purpose!

Akina Sawa also stared intently at Aya Shameimaru's retreating figure.

How could a quick-thinking monster like her not be able to figure out that breakfast wasn't made today? She must be deliberately trying to trick me!

But Akina Sawa couldn't do anything about her either. He knew he couldn't win an argument, so he could only secretly use mental victory in his head—when it came time to spank, Shameimaru Aya would surrender faster than Cirno, right?

"Hey! I get the feeling you're thinking about something rude?"

While observing the situation in the field, Aya Shameimaru suddenly turned around and stared back at Sawaya Akina with a very fierce (and adorable) look.

"No, no, I was just wondering how long it would take to clear all this land."

Akina Sawa, having his little scheme discovered, immediately looked up at the sky and tried his best to explain.

"Why are you thinking about all this? It's easy to fix your land. I can do it in a few seconds by just waving my fan." Aya Shameimaru pulled out the maple leaf fan hanging from her waist as if showing off, and waved it around in her hand.

"...Could you fan me for a bit?" Akina Ze asked tentatively, staring at the round fan.

"Ok?"

Aya Shameimaru quickly retracted her fan, a smile playing on her lips, looking every bit like a mischievous little devil.

"Sure, but you have to do one thing for me first."

There's no such thing as a free lunch; he had expected this long ago and replied without the slightest hesitation:

"Speak, what is it?"

But Aya Shameimaru didn't immediately state her request. Instead, she looked at Sawaya Akina's house and said:

"Can your little devil cook?"

"...I might know a little," Akina Ze said hesitantly.

"Alright, my condition is that you come with me today to deliver newspapers," Aya Shameimaru paused for a moment, then added, "Don't overthink it, it's just delivering newspapers."

What are you thinking about?

Looking at Aya Shameimaru who had turned her back, Akina Sawa scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Chapter Six: Morning Anecdotes

"Waaaaaah!"

A series of screams came from Akina Zeya's mouth. He was just talking on the ground, and in the blink of an eye he was lifted hundreds of meters into the air.

The yard has become just a small spot on the ground.

With the sudden increase in height, unlike Marisa who at least had a broom handle to hold onto, Akina Sawa also felt that he was really struggling to keep up.

"Huff~ Huff~" Holding tightly to Aya Shameimaru's outstretched right hand, Akina Sawa tried his best to adjust his breathing and calm himself down.

Normally, at high speeds, the cold wind blowing in your face would fill your entire face, making it extremely difficult to breathe normally. However, Akina Ze only felt a faint breeze. This must be because Miss Wenwen deployed an energy shield to filter out the strong wind.

However, it seems that it only blocked Akina Zeya's side. As for herself, she did not use the energy layer to protect herself and let the cold autumn wind blow on her face.

After a while, Akina Sawa also came to his senses and tugged at Aya Shameimaru's small hand, saying...

"Miss Wenwen, who should we deliver the newspaper to first?"

"Don't rush to deliver the newspapers. Let me take you somewhere to see first," Aya Shameimaru chuckled.

"What place?" Akina Sawa was also a little curious. Where was that place? Why did Shameimaru Aya take him there?

"You'll find out when the time comes," Aya Shameimaru said without turning around, but her clear voice still entered Sawaya Akina's ears along with the cold wind.

"They're already in the sky, why are they still keeping us in suspense?" Akina Sawa pursed his lips.

At this height, everything below appeared proportionally smaller. Akina Sawa looked down at the patchy, yellowish ground, trying to discern what these things were.

However, after looking for a long time without being able to make out anything, Akina Ze knew very well that he was at least several thousand meters above the ground. If he let go now and experienced free fall, he would probably be smashed into a bloody pulp. The thought made him shudder, and he gripped his left hand even tighter.

Aya Shameimaru, who had been paying attention to the commotion, immediately noticed the increased pressure on her right hand. With a smirk, she turned around and said:

"Why are you afraid?"

"How can it be..."

Akina Ze immediately retorted, but his voice lacked any confidence. "If I had a parachute, how could I be afraid..."

"It's okay if you're scared, we'll be there soon," Aya Shameimaru said with a reassuring smile, two red ribbons fluttering in the wind by her ears.

Akina Ze knew that saying anything more under these circumstances would be useless, and for the sake of his family's farming plan, he had to be patient.

With this in mind, Akina Ze stopped talking.

Flying in the sky was fun at first, but it got boring after a while. Especially now that there's thick fog all around, you can't see any scenery at all.

Feeling a little bored... Akina Ze also silently observed the style of Wenwen's clothes today to pass the time.

She wore a milky white short-sleeved top, with a black ribbon tied around her waist and secured by a green lock shaped like a maple leaf.

Is this a new outfit? I don't think I've seen it before. Doesn't Miss Wenwen's wardrobe usually contain those half-white, half-maple-leaf-embroidered clothes?

After calming his turbulent thoughts, Akina Sawa flipped through the old photo album in his mind and recalled that from the time he met Aya Shameimaru in Gensokyo in the spring until a few days ago when he was certain that she was always wearing the same clothes every time he saw her.