Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Chapter Thirty-Four Encounter

Somewhere deep within Monster Mountain.

A slightly thin girl was lying on the desk, her curves perfectly matching the angle of the wooden table.

Recently, the crabapple fruit has been causing some trouble.

Or rather, she has been troubled for a long time. She once thought she had found a solution, but recently this trouble has resurfaced.

The root of my troubles lies in the newspaper lying on my desk.

Wenwen, News

It goes without saying that everyone in Gensokyo knows this news was written by Aya Shameimaru, the tengu reporter.

The troubles of the crabapple tree lie here.

In fact, she also started a newspaper called "Huaguozi Reads the News".

Unfortunately, the newspaper he ran was far less well-known than Aya Shameimaru's Aya's Bunbun News.

She therefore tried many ways to improve the situation.

She once thought that her newspaper's low profile was due to the fact that it was edited by reading and writing, which led people to believe that the newspaper contained outdated news.

So she secretly followed Aya Shameimaru's example and ordered a camera from a kappa to go out and gather material.

It should be noted that Ji Haitang is not someone who likes to go out, but she was going all out for the sake of her newspaper.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

Despite putting in far more effort than before, Ji Haitang found that her flowers and fruits were not showing any significant improvement.

This left her somewhat confused.

Where exactly did the problem lie?

If it's not due to the timeliness of news, then what is the reason?

Ji Haitang slumped dejectedly on the desk.

The table in front of her was covered with photos, all of which she had painstakingly taken.

However, she no longer has the mood to take care of them.

If you can't identify the problem, you can't solve it, and if you can't solve the problem, you won't have the motivation.

Because moving it would be pointless.

Looking at the news article in front of me.

A thought gradually appeared in Ji Haitang's mind.

Although it was shameful, she couldn't think of any other way.

'It's just borrowing ideas, yes, just borrowing ideas.'

Ji Haitang comforted herself.

There's an old saying that goes something like this.

Those who achieve first come first.

Since you can't find the problem yourself, it's perfectly normal to seek advice from others.

With this in mind, soon a furtive figure appeared near the small wooden house of the Shameimaru Newspaper Office.

This is the destination for the 'learning journey' of the crabapple.

Nothing inspires you better than what your peers are doing.

"I was just passing by, I was just passing by."

Ji Haitang looked around furtively, occasionally trying to reassure herself.

After walking around the house and confirming that no one was inside, Ji Haitangguo stood in front of the door, nervously preparing to push it open.

"What are you doing here?"

Just then, a question suddenly came from the side.

Ji Haitang, who was carrying out the operation, suddenly trembled all over like a frightened puppy and sat down on the ground with a thud.

The one who uttered this question was Qiu Mingze.

The reason he wasn't in the house was because the newspaper office had just run out of ink. While Aya Shameimaru went to the locals to buy ink, Akira Akira also decided to go out for a stroll.

As soon as I got back, I happened to run into this little girl with pigtails peeking out in front of the newspaper office.

Although he didn't know the specifics, Qiu Mingze also found her very suspicious based on the current situation.

"I...I just happened to be passing by!"

Startled, Ji Haitangguo sat down on the ground and stammered her explanation.

Since they were just passing by, why would they stay in front of someone's door without moving? Besides, they were so startled by someone shouting that they squatted down on the ground.

Qiu Mingze simply smiled at this flimsy excuse and did not intend to expose it.

However, it is winter now and the ground is quite cold. Although we don't know how frost-resistant the Tengu is, sitting on the ground all the time is definitely not a good thing.

Qiu Mingze also reached out to pull Ji Haitangguo up from the ground.

Seeing the outstretched hand, Ji Haitang instinctively reached out her hand as well, intending to grasp it.

But the moment their fingertips touched, Ji Haitang realized something, her cheeks instantly turning bright red. She slapped away Qiu Mingze's outstretched hand, dusted herself off, and stood up from the ground.

Qiu Mingze wasn't annoyed. He touched the back of his hand that had been patted and said, "You must be Ji Haitangguo. I often hear Miss Wenwen mention you."

"Really?"

One second Ji Haitang felt happy that she seemed to be recognized, but the next second she realized something.

The person in front of me seems to know me. What if he tells Aya Shameimaru about this?

Hikaidouka felt a little embarrassed, worried that Aya Shameimaru would find out that she had secretly come to spy on secrets.

It's true that you have to feel your way across the river, but this means you're directly touching the backside of the person in front of you.

"Can you pretend you didn't see me?"

Ji Haitang spoke in a pleading tone that she herself was unaware of.

Qiu Mingze touched the back of his hand and did not directly respond to Ji Haitang's request. He asked curiously, "Miss Ji Haitang, what were you planning to do here?"

"I..., I..."

She couldn't reveal her original purpose, but she dared not leave unless Akira promised not to tell Aya Shameimaru about it.

Ji Haitang was momentarily frozen in place.

Seeing that Miss Tengu was somewhat embarrassed.

Qiu Mingze, who was only acting on a whim and had no intention of making things difficult for others, smiled and said, "If you tell me, I might be able to help you."

"You can help me!?"

Ji Haitang was rather stubborn; upon hearing the man in front of her say something ambiguous, she immediately forgot her previous thoughts.

"Forehead......"

Now Qiu Mingze is in a difficult position.

The little girl in front of me had stars dancing in her eyes.

The words of refusal were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them.

Having no other choice, Qiu Mingze led her to the place where he had previously rested while slacking off.

It's a better place to talk.

Because this place is quite a distance from Aya Shameimaru's newspaper office, she shouldn't be discovered if she returns.

Furthermore, Himekaidouka herself certainly didn't want to be discovered by Shameimaru Aya, and neither did Akihiro Akira. As long as they weren't caught slacking off, they could easily make up other excuses to get away with it, as long as they made it reasonable.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Talk Therapy

On the cliff face, most of the waterfall had frozen into ice crystals, with only a small, weak stream still flowing downwards on the inner side. Below the waterfall was a small pool, its surface covered with a thin layer of ice that drifted slowly with the movement of the water.

This is a secluded pool located in a mountain valley. In spring and summer, the trees on both sides of the pool can completely cover it, making it impossible to observe the scenery from the air.

"I never imagined there was such a place in Monster Mountain. I never even discovered it before."

Ji Haitang took the camera off her chest and captured the scenery in front of her on film.

Qiu Mingze, who had already reached the edge of the pool, said with a hint of helplessness, "If I could, I would rather not know about this place."

"Why?" Ji Haitang asked curiously upon hearing this.

"They're all embarrassing stories," Qiu Mingze said, stroking his chin. "I can tell you if you want to hear them."

"Hmph, you're trying to pique my curiosity, aren't you?" Ji Haitangguo sneered.

next second.

"I'm telling you... you did the right thing!"

As she spoke, Ji Haitang took out a notebook with a cover from her pocket. The cover was covered with signs of wear and tear, indicating that the book was quite old.

"Just tell me your embarrassing story honestly, right in front of me, a reporter!"

"Hey! I was just saying, you don't want to publish this, do you?"

Qiu Mingze panicked a little and quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "No one cares about the affairs of a nobody like me. It would be a waste of space for you to use this as material in the newspaper."

"Really?" Ji Haitangguo held the pen tip against the blank part of the notebook, her face showing doubt.

"Is there any doubt about that?"

Seeing that the situation seemed to be turning around, Qiu Mingze pressed his advantage, saying, "Besides, didn't you come here to ask me for answers? If you don't listen to me, will you believe me or not after I do?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Haitang paused for a moment, but eventually put away her notebook.

What you said doesn't seem to make no mistake.

Changing the subject, Ji Haitangguo continued, "I won't report it, but I still want to hear the embarrassing stories."

If there had been a small stool nearby, she probably would have already sat down and been waiting for Qiu Mingze to start his performance.

Seeing Ji Haitang's expectant look, Qiu Mingze felt like he had dug a hole for himself.

But there's nothing we can do now. We can only hope that Ji Haitang really won't report this.

Qiu Mingze shook his head and said with a wry smile, "This happened in the summer."

"Hmm, summer, and then what?"

"..." Qiu Mingze was silent for a while before continuing, "At that time, I happened to be in Monster Mountain on business."

"My mind was so busy thinking about those things that I accidentally went astray on the mountain path which was overgrown with weeds."

"Hmm? Why does this feel somewhat familiar?" Ji Haitangguo looked thoughtful.

Suddenly, she realized:

"So you were the guy Inuzoku Momiji was talking about who got lost on Youkai Mountain!"

"Maybe so."

"So, you found this place when you were lost?" Ji Haitangguo revealed a wise look.

"Yes, but could you please not mention getting lost...?"

"Yes, don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

Ji Haitang patted Qiu Mingze on the shoulder.

After all, it's just text written in a newspaper, so where is the statement?

"...You can tell others, but don't write my name on it."

"Don't worry, I will definitely use a man to refer to you."

Ji Haitang patted his chest, looking like an older brother.