Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Zi, what brings you here too?"

"I woke up suddenly while I was sleeping, so I just came out for a walk." Yukari Yakumo stretched, then suddenly remembered something happy and said:

"Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you that the blue blanket is really comfortable to lie on~ You can come over sometime."

"I didn't ask you that..."

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? I just came to watch the fun. Orange, you're here to watch the fun too, right?"

Yukari Yakumo turned her gaze to Orange.

"Ah? Yes, that's right. Lord Lan sent me to watch the show. Cheng loves watching the show the most."

Cheng said in a very serious tone.

"..."

His face was full of black lines.

"Fine, just consider it as you coming to watch the fun. But you're too late, the fun's over now," Reimu Hakurei said.

Upon hearing this, Yukari Yakumo smiled and casually opened a gap.

"How could that be? The excitement has only just begun."

Akina Ze, who was quietly watching the show, peeked out and discovered that the other end of the gap was actually a tree hole where a great fairy lived.

Moreover, the three fairies, Cirno, Niqua, and the Great Fairy, are sleeping together in one bed.

You were supposed to be taking care of the patient, so why did you fall asleep?

Akina Sawa was also somewhat speechless.

Suddenly, it felt as if a cold wind blew into the sealed tree hole through the open gap, and the three people sleeping on the bed rubbed their eyes and woke up.

Is it lunchtime yet?

That's Nikua's voice.

When the three of them woke up from their daze, they saw Akina Sawa waving from the other side of the gap.

It seems they want someone to go over there.

Without much thought, Nikua led the three of them over.

The gap disappeared as soon as it landed.

Nikua looked at the people standing on the scene and asked with some confusion.

"This is?"

"You'll find out later."

Akina Sawa also patted Niqua's head to comfort her.

Seeing that Zi had only opened a gap to let Cirno and the others through and had nothing else, Reimu Hakurei used her exorcism wand to slightly open the barrier seal, creating a hole about half a meter in diameter.

Sending the fairies in is the most important thing right now.

In this deserted place, you can actually see something inside through a hole that seems to float in the air.

It really feels like the other world, or rather, this is the other world.

"Got it!"

Marisa casually tossed the already completed prop into the hands of Daiyousei.

Looking at the great demon's somewhat confused expression.

Marisa added, "After entering the barrier, wait for the opening to completely merge, then inject a little magic power to activate it and throw it into the air."

"Oh, right, one more thing. Remember to close your eyes before using it, because this thing is quite bright."

After hearing Marisa's explanation, Daiyousei nodded, still somewhat confused.

Although she didn't quite understand, she could still easily activate the props.

Things were proceeding as planned, but Akina Sawa felt a little uneasy, as he had just heard it very clearly.

Yakumo Yukari came for the excitement, but there doesn't seem to be any excitement at the moment.

So, at which stage will things get lively?

I can't figure it out.

Let's turn our attention to reality.

Cirno led the weakened Great Fairy to the entrance of the barrier opened by Reimu.

But Nikua hesitated.

She had just learned from Reimu that the next time this entrance would open after it closed would be when Gensokyo enters spring, which meant she wouldn't be able to see Akina Sawaya for several weeks.

"I'm fine. Nikua, didn't you only go to see her because you wanted to play with the fairy? Don't forget your original purpose."

Akina Sawa waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I......"

"go Go."

In the end, though reluctant, Niqua stood beside Cirno.

Just as Cirno was leading the Great Fairy by the hand, preparing to go inside...

Yukari Yakumo suddenly said something.

"Cirno, are you really going in? Have you forgotten something?"

Upon hearing this, Cirno suddenly remembered something, and looking at the entrance in front of her, she subconsciously took a few steps back.

She looked at the great fairy, stammering as if she wanted to say something.

The Great Fairy seemed to understand Cirno's thoughts and offered words of comfort.

"Go ahead, I'm fine. Let's play together next time!"

It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Large tears streamed down Cirno's face.

"Soybean paste...I'm sorry."

"Cirno, it's alright. Cirno, it's alright."

The great fairy gently cradled Cirno's head in comfort...

Once the commotion subsided, Daiyousei and Niqua had already entered the barrier.

Cirno left without saying a word.

The barrier has closed; this matter is over.

But Yukari Yakumo did not leave; she approached the open space that was sealed by the barrier.

He rested his chin on his hand, examined it carefully, and finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, your skill in building barriers is almost catching up with your mother's."

"Zi, why did you say that just now?"

Instead of responding to Yukari Yakumo's words, Reimu Hakurei directly raised her own question.

"I'm just preventing things from happening. You wouldn't want the barrier that was just built to be broken, would you?"

"Hmph." Reimu Hakurei looked somewhat displeased.

Akina Sawa, who was completely baffled, quietly asked Marisa, who was engrossed in watching the drama unfold:

"What's going on? Is there some hidden story behind this?"

“It’s just a matter between fairies,” Marisa replied.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Staying Over

As the sun gradually set, Akina Sawa leaned against the shrine's railing, gazing at the winding stone path.

A long, narrow stone path connects the shrine and the village. Although no one has walked on it for a long time, it is still very clean, and the few fallen leaves that have fallen on it are quickly blown away by the wind.

The trees on both sides of the stone path were bare, their leaves fallen, and the quiet forest seemed somewhat eerie.

Akina Sawa also noticed that a thin layer of dust had settled on the donation box, which was placed in the most prominent position at the very center of the shrine. Since the beginning of winter, very few worshippers had come to pray. Reimu might have cleaned it a little earlier, but it had definitely been left to rot in the past.

The off-white boat-shaped socks creaked softly on the wooden floor of the shrine as Reimu Hakurei, now dressed in casual clothes, approached Sawaya Akina and asked:

"Do you regret it?"

“I never regret what has already happened,” Akina Sawa replied.

"Are you really not going to regret it? That yard was your home, and the greenhouse you worked so hard to build was only used a few times before it became unusable," Reimu Hakurei asked doubtfully.

"It's not like it's gone. It'll come back next spring, won't it? It's just that it can't go back for now. I haven't really lost anything," Akina Ze said with a smile.

"Since you say you don't regret it, I won't ask any more questions. But I have one more question."

Reimu Hakurei, leaning on the side railing with one hand, turned to look at Akina Sawa, whose face was somewhat reddened by the setting sun, and asked:

"You should already know what these so-called fairies are, right? So I don't understand, since you already know the truth, why do you still want to help...save her?"

Reimu Hakurei continued:

"Flowers bloom and wither, the moon sets and stars fall; the reincarnation of fairies is nothing out of the ordinary. Why did you go to such lengths? You should just be an ordinary person."

“Reimu, I think you’re right. I am indeed just an ordinary person. You may think that the reincarnation of fairies is a matter of course, but I don’t think so.” Akina Sawa also turned his gaze from the sunset to the shrine maiden beside him.

"This is just my personal opinion, and it has nothing to do with any grand principles. I am an ordinary person, and I know I am selfish. The reason I chose to save the great demon is simply because I met her. She left a mark on my memory, a memory of laughter and playfulness. Although it wasn't very deep, it was still there. Besides, the price I paid was not something I couldn't afford."

“So, Reimu, I’m a very sentimental person.” Akina Sawa also turned around to look at the girl in the red and white coat in front of him.

"You can call me stubborn or old-fashioned. But I'm just doing my part, even though you might think it's unnecessary."

“Perhaps the Great Fairy herself doesn’t care, but…” Akina Sawa patted Reimu Hakurei on the shoulder. “I care, and that’s enough.”

The scene fell silent for a moment, and the faint sound of rice being soaked in steam and expanding under a large wooden board in the kitchen next door could be heard.

"Ha ha"

Reimu Hakurei's soft laughter broke the silence.

“I didn’t expect you to think that way, but there’s one thing you’re wrong about.” Reimu Hakurei leaned forward and pressed one hand against Sawaya Akina’s lips, saying, “You’re not selfish, Akina-kun.”

After saying that, Reimu Hakurei ran into the house as fast as a startled rabbit.

Akina Sawa also stood there, stunned.

What just happened?

He subconsciously pursed his lips.

The cool, refreshing sensation felt like it was etched onto it...

The setting sun fell silently, its crimson glow reflecting on half of Akina Sawa's face.

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

"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"

Inside the shrine's main hall, Marisa Kirisame had already picked up her chopsticks, waiting for the chef to bring out the dishes.

"Hey Marisa, aren't you still cooking mushroom soup at home? Why are you still mooching meals from me? Besides, you didn't even do anything special, did you?"

Reimu Hakurei, who was also waiting for Akina Sawa to bring out the dishes, said with some dissatisfaction as she looked at Marisa's happy appearance.

"It's okay, my pot will automatically stop heating when the internal pressure reaches the threshold, so don't worry," Marisa Kirisame continued. "Besides, Master Akina isn't cooking for just you, what's wrong with me getting a free meal?"

"But the ingredients used are from the shrine."

"I don't care~ I don't care~"

Marisa was rolling around on the table, clearly trying to be a brat.

Reimu Hakurei has nothing to say about this.

After a while, seemingly tired from rolling around, Marisa rested for a bit, resting her face on the table. Through the open window, she saw a figure busily working in the kitchen and suddenly said:

"Hey, Reimu, what do you think of Master Akina? He's a nice guy and he can cook too."