Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Hey, Cirno, that area isn't clean yet."

Reimu Hakurei stood in the corridor like an overseer monitoring her worker, even though she only had one worker.

"Akina-nii-san, can I help Cirno sweep the floor?"

The green-haired fairy, the great fairy, tugged at Akina Zeya's clothes with her big eyes pleading for help.

Instead of seeking help from a shrine maiden who is still angry, it's better to choose an easier approach, which even a fairy can do.

"I'm sorry... this is the priestess's decision, and I can't change it."

Akina Sawa shook his head helplessly and took the hem of his clothes from the little fairy's hand.

Even the most good-tempered person will not tolerate someone inexplicably coming to their door to cause trouble again and again.

Although Reimu Hakurei didn't take their (fairy) attacks seriously, considering them at most a trivial matter to do over tea.

But if such activities become too frequent, even a bored person will get tired of them.

And it seems like it's fun to direct others to do things?

Watching Cirno jump around and spout nonsense under her instructions, Reimu Hakurei inexplicably revealed a faint smile on her face.

"Damn it! Reimu, how dare you make me do this! I'll definitely get my revenge!"

Cirno's face was filthy, her blue dress covered in dust accumulated from the shrine over the years. She really wanted to smash the broom in her hand at Reimu.

But it remained just a thought, even though she understood the price of angering the priestess once again.

But that's not the key point. She's already provoked so many times, a few more won't matter. If a goldfish's memory only lasts seven seconds, then Cirno's memory of physical pain wouldn't even last seven seconds—she's a classic example of someone who doesn't learn her lesson. This is also one of the reasons she lives a carefree and happy life all day.

Therefore, for Cirque du Soleil, the threat posed by Reimu Hakurei was not the main point; the main point was that she had promised Akina Sawa that she would also listen to Reimu Hakurei and help her clean the shrine.

Cirno has many flaws, but she also has many strengths.

She will fulfill any promise she remembers.

"Miss Reimu...?"

Akina Sawa also called out the shrine maiden's name somewhat cautiously.

People who are angry are always very dangerous; a moment of anger can easily turn into a major fire.

Therefore, Akina Ze also tried to appear cautious and careful, so as not to give himself the chance to be blamed.

Being cautious and prudent is not necessarily a bad thing; skillfully employing this tactic can bring unexpected benefits.

"What's matter?"

Reimu Hakurei turned around and said.

However, her clear voice sounded somewhat absent-minded, and her gaze was clearly still lingering on Cirno.

"I'm thinking about how to cook this hairy egg, since this is the first time I'm going to use it in a dish," Akina Ze said, lifting the hairy egg in his hand and looking at Hakurei Reimu. "Do you have any ideas?"

“Momotama…” Reimu Hakurei looked at Momotama, who had lost a lot of fur and looked like a tender red fleshy ball, and actually started to think about it seriously.

When Reimu Hakurei was a child, she actually had a pet dog named Motama.

Most human children have the desire to own a cute pet. Some realize this dream with their parents' support, while others are rejected by their parents.

Because these parents are well aware that their children can't even take care of themselves, let alone other small animals? In the end, the result will only be that the parents have to raise both children and pets.

Reimu Hakurei was lucky; her mother agreed to her idea of ​​raising a tama.

Because the hairy jade is like roadside weeds, it is very easy to grow.

So Grandma doesn't need to take care of Mao Yu, nor does she need to worry about Mao Yu's food and shelter.

Because Mao Yu can find its own food and does not defecate, it is an excellent pet.

Reimu Hakurei also really likes that Momo, feeding it grass by hand and taking it for walks.

Although most of the time it was actually Reimu Hakurei chasing after Motama for a walk.

However, in the end, Mao Yu died; she was killed by her own hands.

Reimu Hakurei's eyes dimmed slightly.

It was a stormy night.

"Cough...cough...cough cough..."

In a bedroom at the Hakurei Shrine, candlelight cast its dim glow and flickered incessantly, as if it might be extinguished by a gust of wind blowing in through the crack in the door at any moment.

"Grandma!"

The tiny Reimu Hakurei tightly hugged the woman lying on the floor in front of her, who was coughing up blood.

This is her mother, her only relative.

"Reimu, go to sleep. I'm fine."

The shrine maiden, referred to as "Grandma," forced a smile onto her pale face and gently rubbed Reimu's little head.

"Mom?"

Reimu looked up and saw that familiar smile in the dim candlelight, still so serene and gentle.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning cleaved through the deep black night, illuminating the entire world in an instant.

Little Reimu Hakurei trembled with fright and buried her head in her mother's arms, too scared to open her eyes.

The pale lightning illuminated Grandma's ashen face as she bitterly stroked Reimu Hakurei's smooth hair, which still carried a faint milky scent.

Time is running out, Reimu, you'd better grow up quickly...

The old woman stared at the dark sky outside the shrine, the intense pain radiating from all parts of her body keeping her awake...

Snapping out of her faded memories, Reimu Hakurei smiled and reached out to pinch Motama's tender flesh. It still felt so soft and familiar.

What is she doing? Does she want me to release Mao Yu?

Akina Ze watched as Hakurei Reimu kept pinching Motama's tender flesh, and his heart began to pound.

Women always like cute little animals. Akina Sawa also heard that this is probably due to the effect of human genes, because cute little animals are very similar to human babies, so they can easily make people feel good about them.

Although Reimu Hakurei is a shrine maiden, she still possesses human genes within her.

"Steamed, I guess?"

"That's what Reimu Hakurei said suddenly."

"What?"

Akina Sawa was also momentarily stunned.

"I meant this jade is best steamed."

Reimu Hakurei poked the tender flesh on Mao Yu's body, then withdrew her hand without hesitation and turned back to continue monitoring Cirno's cleaning.

Akina Ze scratched the back of his head, glanced at Mao Yu, and then looked at the Great Demon.

Well then, let's see this through to the end.

"Cough cough~"

Akina Sawa also coughed twice on purpose and said...

"Um, Miss Reimu, I'm not very familiar with Maoyu's cooking. Could you teach me?"

Reimu Hakurei's little finger twitched, and she turned around and walked straight to Sawaya Akina's side.

His dark pupils stared intently at Akina Zeya.

How did you know I'm good at cooking mochi?

Gulu~

Faced with such a powerful image of Reimu Hakurei, Zeya Akina's Adam's apple bobbed.

Wow, how was I supposed to know you could cook mochi!

Is it really that hard to just distract you...?

You big devil, you owe me a huge debt!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: One Step at a Time

The beads of sweat trickling down his temples caused a ticklish sensation, but Akina Ze didn't dare to reach out and wipe them away.

Before my eyes, Reimu Hakurei's pupils seemed to contain a patch of night, making them unfathomable.

Akina Ze had never encountered anything like this before. He was just a small farmer, spending his days at home tending to crops and hoes. The only other person he knew was Nikua, that little fairy. He wasn't interested in little girls; he treated them all like little sisters.

He primarily cared for Chito and Yuri, without any worldly desires.

But Reimu Hakurei is different!

She is not only a beautiful young girl, but also a shrine maiden, exuding an aura of holiness and mystery.

But the mystery within it is precisely what makes it so alluring.

It's impossible to say that Akina Sawa would go to the shrine whenever he had something to do, unless he really came to ask for help, that he didn't have any intention of getting closer to the shrine maiden.

As long as one has a normal sense of aesthetics, both men and women will have this thought, it's just a matter of degree.

Of course, the people of the Human Village didn't think that way; to them, the existence of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden was very special...

Gulu~

Akina Sawa considered himself an ordinary adult male, and had recently consumed a lot of highly nutritious foods. Looking at Hakurei Reimu so close, almost able to see the fine downy hairs on her face, and smelling her faint, delicate fragrance with every breath, he frankly began to lose control.

But Akina Sawa also considers himself an upright adult. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing to lose control when he gets this close?

Its subtle fragrance is captivating; this scent is not the marinating smell of shower gel.

From a scientific point of view, this is the smell of hormones, which cannot be suppressed by humans at will.

Seeing that his reputation was about to be ruined, Akina Ze didn't hesitate any longer and punched his thigh with his fist.

"Well…"

This was real pain; the intense pain caused Akina Ze to involuntarily groan.

What are you doing?

Reimu Hakurei seemed to be taken aback by Sawa Akina's sudden action.

"It's nothing, it's just that a mosquito was sucking my blood, so I gave it a good slap," Qiu Mingze said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Is that so..." Reimu Hakurei suddenly snorted coldly, sat back down, picked up her teacup, and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. There's no need to do this."

Seeing that Reimu Hakurei had finally sat back down, Akina Sawa breathed a sigh of relief, even though it was a bit of a pity that he couldn't smell that tempting aroma anymore.

As an adult, it would be incredibly embarrassing to be unable to control oneself, especially in front of a shrine maiden.

Now that the most important thing has passed, Akina Sawa finally has the energy to answer Reimu's question.

I just wanted to find a random excuse to take Reimu Hakurei away from where she was supervising Cirno's work, but I didn't expect that I would accidentally bring up something that seems to be very sensitive for a shrine maiden.

This was something Akina Sawaya hadn't expected; who knew that a casual remark would hit someone's sore spot so perfectly.

This is really perplexing; I don't know whether to respond or not...

However, there is usually a universal solution to such tricky situations.

Thanks to it, Akina Sawa has overcome many difficulties.

Clearing his throat with a couple of light coughs, Akina said, "So Reimu really does know how to cook motama. I didn't expect my casual remark to actually work so well."

Akina Sawa also had a completely innocent and naive appearance.

Looking at Akina Zeya like this, Reimu Hakurei felt a bit bored.

"Humph~"

Reimu Hakurei snorted and picked up a cup of tea, saying, "Just like Marisa, always playing dumb."

Akina Sawa simply coughed twice and let it go in response to such criticism. Although hearing Marisa's name from her made him a little concerned, he wondered if Marisa was diligently preparing for the manzai (Chinese stand-up comedy) competition.

However, Akina Ze also felt that it was highly likely that Marisa had already forgotten about this matter.

"Tell me, what do you plan to do with this hairy jade?"