Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Nothing could stop her from making a delicious and satisfying breakfast for Lady Yuyuko.

This is her responsibility as a court attendant!

The dim light of the underworld shone through the window onto Youmu Konpaku.

Meanwhile, Youmu's dark blue pupils were focused intently on the location of the salmon in the wooden tub. After a moment of mental calculation, she drew the short sword from behind her back.

Its sharp edge was menacing, and its cold light gleamed.

Then Youmu let out a soft chuckle.

"White Building!"

In an instant, a dense grid made entirely of blade light appeared and disappeared out of thin air, like an illusion.

"Phew~" Youmu Konpaku let out a soft breath, picked up the wooden bucket, and turned it upside down.

"Wow, wow, wow~"

A shocking thing happened: the ice, which should have been solidified, melted into fragments and was poured out smoothly.

But what's even more shocking is that the fish that was frozen inside was completely unharmed and was poured out along with it.

Youmu Konpaku shook her head slightly.

"Sigh, I've regressed again."

Remove the pot from the heat, add water, add the fish, and turn on the fire.

After finishing a series of tasks, Youmu Konpaku came out of the kitchen.

Ice cubes are easy to cut, but the ice inside the fish is not so easy. Youmu Konpaku didn't want to make sashimi, so she had to wait for the fish to thaw completely.

It will take some time before it thaws, and now Youmu Konpaku plans to push open the door of Hakugyokurou.

Although no one will come to Baiyulou, the things that need to be done still need to be done.

Lifting the wooden bolt from the door, Youmu Konpaku took a deep breath, placed her hands on the door panel, and pushed hard.

Creak, creak, creak~

The door, weighing several hundred pounds, was pushed open by Youmu's slender arms.

A newspaper, still smelling of fresh ink, was then revealed.

"Why can't that tengu be placed in the designated spot? I've told you so many times..." Youmu Konpaku shook her head helplessly, skillfully picked up the newspaper from the ground, and dusted it off.

Hakugyokurou has a special place for newspapers, but Aya Shameimaru insists on throwing them under the door, completely ignoring the mailbox. Youmu Konpaku has suggested this several times, but to no avail; he always goes his own way.

......

"Haha!"

At that moment, Akina Sawa, who was already in the Human Village, suddenly sneezed.

"The wind in the underworld is so cold, I haven't recovered yet."

"Isn't that because you're too weak?"

As he accurately dropped the newspaper from the air into the yard, Aya Shameimaru answered.

"...I'm just a human, how strong do you think I could be..."

Akina Ze wiped his nose, looking somewhat helpless.

“Isn’t Reimu Hakurei just a human?” Aya Shameimaru said nonchalantly.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, and Akina Ze hugged his clothes tighter, shivering as he said:

"But... even a shrine maiden gets cold, doesn't she!"

"By the way, Miss Wenwen, why didn't we go to the Hakurei Shrine, which is closer to Hakugyokurou, but instead came to the more distant Human Village?" Akina Sawa asked again, somewhat puzzled.

Hakugyokurou, Human Village, and Hakurei Shrine can be roughly considered as a triangle.

The journey from Hakugyokurou to Hakurei Shrine and then to Human Village is shorter than going to Human Village first.

This is also why Akina Sawaya was puzzled.

Having finished distributing the newspapers in his hand, Aya Shameimaru took another stack of newspapers from the bamboo basket that Sawaya Akina was carrying.

You just don't understand.

"Reimu Hakurei will absolutely not get up early until the sun is high in the sky, so we can put her last in the list."

"Surely not?" Akina Ze also looked somewhat incredulous. "I've seen the shrine maiden several times, and I've never seen her get up this late..."

"You still don't believe me?" Shameimaru Aya glanced at Akina Sawaya with her light brown eyes, then continued delivering the newspaper, speaking calmly.

"I'm asking you, have you ever visited the Hakurei Shrine in the fall?"

When asked this question, Akina Sawa was also a little stunned.

I don't think I've been to Hakurei Shrine even once since autumn started.

"See, you're stunned, aren't you?" Aya Shameimaru patted Sawa Akina on the shoulder and said, "The truth comes from practice, you understand?"

“Indeed…” Akina Ze also looked somewhat disappointed, not expecting that he had also made the mistake of subjective assumption.

"Don't just stand there, you're more familiar with that place in Suzunaan, right?"

Sawaya Akina, who was lost in thought again, nudged him, and Aya Shameimaru pointed to a house with the three large characters "Suzuna-an" written on it.

"I'm quite familiar with the shop owner's daughter," Akina Ze said, equally puzzled. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I see you're starting to overthink things since you're idle. Why don't you deliver the newspaper to this household for me?"

Akina Sawa shrugged and walked straight to Suzuna-an, looking up at it.

The old house was exactly the same as when he first saw it, without any changes.

Even the crooked character for "an" was not straightened.

Three quarters of time did not leave a trace on it.

That's just how houses are supposed to be, isn't it?

"Why didn't anyone point out that the character '庵' (an, meaning temple) on Xiaoling's house was hung crookedly?"

Akina Ze shook his head, folded the newspaper in his hand, and neatly tucked it into the crack in the door.

Should I go ask?

Stepping out from under the eaves, Akina Ze glanced back at the character "庵" (an) and thought uncertainly.

......

"Very good, the Human Village has been distributed. Next stop, let's go to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost." Aya Shameimaru patted the map in her hand triumphantly.

"Lost Bamboo Forest?" Akina Ze also heard a familiar name.

Memories long buried in my brain came rushing back.

Kaguya Houraisan, an exceptionally beautiful girl who seems otherworldly.

The rest of my memories have been filtered through the lens of time, but her image remains incomparably clear.

It feels like we just met.

"Let's go, that guy must have just fallen asleep now. We can't miss our chance."

Aya Shameimaru, lost in her memories, mentioned Sawa Akina, who was flying into the air in the blink of an eye...

Chapter Nine Narrow Box

The Lost Bamboo Forest truly lives up to its reputation as a bamboo forest that leads astray.

Even from the air, the bamboo forest stretches as far as the eye can see, making it impossible to find the building called Eien-tei hidden within it.

Without a familiar person to guide you, you might not be able to find its trace at all, and instead get lost in this bamboo forest.

Throughout the centuries-long history of the Human Village, many skeptics have tried to bypass Fujiwara no Mokou's guidance and venture alone into this bamboo grove in search of the Eientei hidden within.

Of these people, some were lucky enough to be found, but the vast majority disappeared without a trace.

There are many stories about these missing people in the human world, but the most convincing one is that they were all eaten by man-eating monsters hiding in the bamboo forest.

It is believed that this was accidentally said by a two-tailed cat demon while wandering around the human world.

From then on, this lost bamboo forest became a den of dragons and tigers, inspiring fear in all who spoke of it.

"That's just a way to fool most people."

"The real situation is that the princess found the Eientei place too crowded and noisy, so she deliberately spread rumors," Aya Shameimaru said with a hearty laugh.

"No way..." Akina Ze wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

She simply found it too noisy, so she deliberately spread rumors to deter people from visiting Eientei. Who would have thought that the dignified and elegant Princess Kaguya would do something like this...?

However, considering what she has done in the past, it becomes understandable.

"Now I know why Captain Mokou always takes people to Eientei..."

"Hmph, you know that much is better than anyone else. There's a lot to say about those two in a short time."

Shameimaru Aya said with a smile. She then grabbed Akina Sawa and sneaked into Eientei.

"It's now the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Princess Kaguya is already asleep, and the rabbits haven't gotten up yet. It's the perfect time to deliver the newspaper."

Aya Shameimaru tiptoed along the railing, pressing her wooden clogs down lightly, as if afraid of making the slightest noise.

"So why did we sneak in...? Wouldn't it have been easier to just leave a newspaper at the gate...?"

Akina Sawaya, who was also quietly following behind Shameimaru Aya, had a heavy expression on his face, knowing that he was doing something stupid but unable to stop.

"Ze Ye-kun, how long do you think we've known each other?"

Suddenly, Aya Shameimaru spoke in a serious tone.

Akina Sawa was startled by Aya Shameimaru's sudden serious expression and tone, and stammered, "It's...it's probably about nine months along, right?"

"It's already been nine months, time really flies..." Aya Shameimaru exclaimed, looking up.

Then he lowered his head and stared intently at Akina Zeya.

Akina Ze couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight of those light brown eyes.

After a long silence, Aya Shameimaru slowly said, "There's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Just tell me, and if it's something I can do, I'll definitely help you," Akina Ze nodded repeatedly, feeling a little intimidated by his gaze.

"I've been waiting for your words!"

His previously serious expression instantly changed as Aya Shameimaru took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and carefully laid it out flat.

"This is the layout of Princess Kaguya's room. Don't ask me how I got it; I need you to find something in her room."

What?! You want me to sneak into Princess Kaguya's room? Akina Sawa was so shocked by these words that his mouth dropped open.

Seeing that Akina Sawa also seemed to be reluctant, Shameimaru Aya added, "Don't worry, we're not stealing it, we just need to borrow it to take a few photos."

"It's because Kaguya Houraisan has been acting so mysteriously lately, locking herself in her room and refusing to come out. She even refused to come out when Mokou came to challenge her to a fight. This is truly rare!"

"Don't you think there must be some big secret hidden here!?" Aya Shameimaru spoke like a detective recounting the results of his deductions, his eyes sparkling.

Maybe they were just tired from playing and wanted to rest...

Although Akina Sawa thought the same thing, what he said aloud was, "Yes, that's right. There's definitely a big secret behind this."

So, would you be willing to do me this favor?

Sometimes, when someone asks you if you're willing, it doesn't really mean you have a choice. It means the decision is made, and you have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it. However, if you have the ability, you can say no.

However, Akina Sawa, who had just made a boast and still needed someone's help, did not have the right to refuse.

Outside Kaguya Houraisan's room, Akina Sawa was also pale, his forehead covered in beads of sweat from nervousness.

Although Aya Shameimaru said that Kaguya Houraisan, who had just fallen asleep, could not be woken up no matter what, Sawa Akina was still worried that she might suddenly wake up.

What if she suddenly wakes up?

Beg for mercy? Kneel down and beg for mercy? Prostrate yourself on the ground and beg for mercy?

Scenes of what might happen next flashed before Akina Sawaya's eyes like a slideshow.

...I guess I'm still no good... Akina Sawa turned around with a wry smile, wanting to tell Shameimaru Aya that he couldn't do it.