Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Ji Haitang firmly believes that if you want to deeply learn from someone, you can't miss any aspect of their daily life. From the materials they read and the drafts they've written, to every little detail, she doesn't overlook anything—this is the best learning method.

But today, things seem a little off.

Through the binoculars, Ji Haitang noticed that the newspaper office doors were wide open, and through the glass windows, she could see that the usually tidy desks were now a mess.

The ink bottle was overturned, and large amounts of ink spilled onto the table. Even from this distance, Ji Haitang could almost smell the foul odor emanating from the ink.

This is not right!

This was a scene that Aya Shameimaru had never seen before at the Aya Shameimaru newspaper office. In her memory, Aya Shameimaru would never allow her newspaper office to look like this.

So what exactly happened that prevented Aya Shameimaru from dealing with these matters in time? Why was the newspaper office door left open?

Ji Haitang was, after all, a journalist, and a series of guesses immediately popped into her mind.

Kidnapped?

No, how could Aya Shameimaru be kidnapped? It would be good enough if she didn't kidnap someone else for an interview.

Is it that our enemies have come knocking on our door?

That's possible... but Aya Shameimaru has offended too many yokai, so Himekaidouka can't confirm who was behind it.

Left with no other choice, in order to verify her suspicions, Ji Haitang decided to use her reading and writing abilities to deduce the truth of the matter.

She put down her binoculars, took out a pencil and a piece of white paper from her bag, and used her reading and writing skills on the paper this time.

As the ability to read and write was activated, the pencil began to dance across the white paper, and in no time, a sheet of paper filled with drawings appeared before my eyes.

Watching the scene in the painting where Aya Shameimaru hurriedly pushes open the door and leaves under the cover of night, a question mark appeared in Himekaido Kaoru's mind.

"Why is she in such a hurry? What is she doing?"

I thought one picture would be enough to find out the truth, but it didn't work. However, it did have some effect in showing that Aya Shameimaru went out on her own rather than having enemies come looking for her.

For now, the only way to find out more is to continue using the reading and writing function, since it's impossible to deduce what exactly happened to Aya Shameimaru based on just a picture drawn through reading and writing.

She took out another piece of white paper from her bag, and this time Ji Haitangguo planned to read and write down Aya Shameimaru's current situation.

Hopefully things won't be too bad...

After silently praying, the pencil began to leave marks on the white paper, and soon another portrait was completed.

But the image on the blank paper deepened Ji Haitang's doubts.

On the drawing, Aya Shameimaru is standing on one leg on a long, wooden object, her arm outstretched as if to maintain her balance, with a figure standing beside her.

Can't understand...

The faces drawn are all blurry, as if they've been pixelated.

Still unable to find the truth, Ji Haitangguo was somewhat unwilling. She continued to use her ability, and one blank sheet of paper after another was painted with portraits. In the end, she even ran out of pencils—and what she got was a floor full of drawing paper.

Ji Haitangguo picked up each sheet of drawing paper and examined them carefully. In the drawings, Shameimaru was either being led by the hand or walking in front of someone, which was easy to tell.

But the next few pictures are completely meaningless, such as a flying pudding?

What is this ghost?

With a sigh, Ji Haitang put down the writing paper in her hand. Based on this information, she drew a preliminary conclusion, and a bad feeling arose in her mind.

Hopefully it's not what she thinks, if it is...

After the falling leaves, there are only withered branches and fallen leaves.

This wasn't the first time I'd walked up the path to Monster Mountain, but it was the easiest one I'd ever done in Akina Sawa.

With a light leap, he traversed more than ten meters, making the slopes on the mountain seem like nothing. Akina Sawa ran recklessly on the monster mountain road like a local demon.

"Just keep walking, be careful the power doesn't go out later, or I'll have to carry that thing down for you!"

Aya Shameimaru, who had been hoping to walk and chat with Akina Sawa but was now only able to fly in the air, said unhappily.

For some reason, Akina Sawa also seemed to detect a hint of jealousy in Shameimaru Aya's words.

But then he thought again that he was overthinking it. It must be that Miss Wenwen was worried that he would use up the power supply for the pickled cucumbers she bought at a high price in advance, so that there would be no power later and the printing press could not be carried down.

"It's alright. I see the exoskeleton's power UI still shows over 90% battery. It's just walking, not some high-powered activity like lifting weights, so the battery won't drain that quickly," Akina Ze reassured him.

However, his explanation was completely irrelevant to Aya Shameimaru, since would she really care about the lack of electricity?

Unfortunately, Akina Sawa was still immersed in the joy of getting the big toy and didn't notice the change in Shameimaru Aya's expression as she followed behind.

The big mechanical baby is the most important thing. As for the tengu? It will only affect the speed at which I plow the land.

They ran and chased each other, and soon the Brainless and Unhappy duo arrived at the newspaper office halfway up the mountain. However, after today, this place will become the former site of Wenwen Newspaper Office.

The newspaper office door was open, and Akina Sawa walked straight in. Seeing that the desk was covered in ink, he flinched, worried that the ink would stain his precious item.

Do you need anything else?

Standing next to the printing press, Akina Sawa also pointed to a pile of things on the desk and asked.

“I don’t need it anymore.” As Aya Shameimaru walked into the room, she pulled the entire cabinet containing the negatives out of her desk. “The only important things are the negatives and the printing press.”

"Alright, you can take your things and go out first. I'll carry this printing press out at an angle."

Gently lifting the printing press from the ground, Akina Ze felt that the weight was still within the exoskeleton's tolerance. He took a deep breath and tilted it to the side—this was the only way to lift the machine out of the door if he didn't want to dismantle the wall.

When Akina Sawa, craning his neck and holding the bottom of the machine with both hands, walked out of the house, he noticed that Aya Shameimaru was standing motionless in front of him and said, "Let's go, Aya-san. If we go down the mountain now, we can still cook before dark."

"No need, you should go back first. It looks like I have a guest coming to visit."

Looking at the Himekai-taka fruit blocking his way, Aya Shameimaru spoke calmly.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Holding a Sister in His Arms?

The winter wind swept mercilessly across the hillside, and a few withered, yellowish-brown leaves remained on the oak trees planted next to the newspaper office, unwilling to fall, tugged at the branches in the wind.

The sun has already set behind the mountains, and the surrounding light is gradually becoming dim.

As Akina gently placed the printing press on the loose soil, he felt a chill, like thorns pricking him, probably due to the sharp drop in temperature.

Hearing the noise behind him, Aya Shameimaru turned around and asked with a smile, "Didn't you say you were going to cook before sunset? Why aren't you going back yet?"

"It's okay, we can eat later. Or are you hungry?" Shaking his head, Qiu Mingze replied with a smile.

"I'm not hungry that quickly, I'm not a glutton!"

Hearing Akina Zeya's joking words, Shameimaru Aya glared at him.

In front of the newspaper office, the two talked as if no one else was around, making Ji Haitang, who was blocking their way, clench her fists tightly. She felt inexplicably uncomfortable, as if the air itself was telling her that it was time for her to leave.

But Himekai Tangka also had her own stubbornness, and finally, unable to control her emotions, she shouted at Shameimaru Aya:

"Are you trying to run away!?"

"Escape? What makes you say that?"

After ending his conversation with Akina Sawaya, Shameimaru Aya turned around, slightly raised his chin, and looked at the 'rival' in front of him—not a 'rival' of the same level.

"If it wasn't an escape, then why did you leave Monster Mountain and even empty the newspaper office?"

Ji Haitang was somewhat agitated. Her right hand, which had been resting on her chest, was now raised forward as she pointed at the printing press that had been moved out of the newspaper office and asked a question.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm just moving to a new place, is it really necessary for you to make such a fuss?" Hearing this, Aya Shameimaru was a little confused. She gestured for people to stop and asked in confusion, "Besides, what does it have to do with you that I'm leaving Youkai Mountain to move the newspaper office?"

What does it have to do with me?

The question made Ji Haitangguo pause for a moment, but she quickly came to her senses. There was still a relationship, even if it was one-sided, although she couldn't say what it was.

Feeling that the situation wasn't too serious, Akina Ze scratched the back of his head with his exoskeleton fingers and said, "Wenwen and I have to go home and cook. Um... Miss Ji Haitang? If you're not busy, please step aside. If you're hungry, you're welcome to come to my house."

Noisy arguments are no good, wouldn't it be better to show off our cooking skills and make delicious food together? (Meatball)

Unfortunately, it's unclear which sentence in this passage touched a nerve that Ji Haitang was currently quite sensitive about.

She suddenly looked at Aya Shameimaru with a provocative gaze and said in a sarcastic tone, "I see... I see... I understand. Aya Shameimaru, you're nothing special after all. Just a mere human. In a few decades, your grave will probably be overgrown with weeds."

Akina Sawa, fiddling with the exoskeleton, blinked innocently. Although he knew he wasn't actually a normal human, others didn't seem to think so.

"...I know these things better than you do," said Aya Shameimaru, who was unaware of the situation. She took a deep breath and barely suppressed her emotions, which were about to explode. After a while, she opened her eyes and looked calmly at Himekaidouka, saying, "So what?"

Although Aya Shameimaru spoke in a very calm tone, Sawa Akina sensed a premonition of an impending volcanic eruption.

"Are you serious...? Aya Shameimaru? So many lessons from the Tengu seniors!" Himekaidoka was somewhat incredulous.

"You'll find out soon enough whether I'm serious or not." Although she had decided to use photos to record eternity, Aya Shameimaru was still unwilling to easily touch this part of her heart.

With a sigh, Aya Shameimaru shook her neck and said, "Spell Card or Boxing, you choose one."

Although an ultimatum had been issued, Ji Haitang still refused to back down. She stood there, her legs trembling.

"Can we not choose any of them?" Ji Haitang asked, still somewhat afraid. She knew that with her small frame, she couldn't beat Shameimaru Aya.

But seeing the resolute look in Aya Shameimaru's eyes, Himekaido finally said weakly, "...I choose spell cards."

Compared to physical attacks, spell cards don't hurt as much when they hit you.

“Very well, boxing, huh?” Aya Shameimaru clenched her fist.

"Wait!? I chose..."

Before he could finish speaking, from Akina Zeya's perspective, Shameimaru Aya was like a black lightning bolt, delivering a left hook to Himekaidouka's left cheek.

Boom! ! !

With a beautiful strike, Ji Haitang was sent flying into the air, her body spinning rapidly 360 degrees, just as the name suggests.

Gulu...

As Akina Sawa watched Aya Shameimaru begin to retract her fist in the distance, he subconsciously swallowed.

That punch was pretty powerful... I wonder if my exoskeleton can withstand it.

Seemingly noticing that Akina Sawaya was staring at her, Shameimaru Aya waved shyly in their direction and covered her face.

Unsure of how to respond, Akina Sawa suddenly felt something rapidly falling towards him.

He looked up and saw that Ji Haitangguo had spun 360 degrees and was flying in a big spin in the air, rushing towards him at a very fast speed.

This is the powerful combination of kinetic and potential energy.

Caught off guard, Akina Ze was bumped into by Miss Ji Haitangguo, but fortunately, thanks to the support of his exoskeleton, he was not pushed over by the impact and only managed to take a few steps back.

How to do this?

Qiu Mingze looked at Ji Haitang in his arms, somewhat at a loss. It felt very light in his hands; if he punched it, it would probably make her cry for a long time.

That statement was true; Ji Haitang was indeed like that. When she regained some consciousness from the dizziness, she felt a pain in her cheek. When she looked up, she saw Akina Zeya's eyes again, and she was still being held in his arms.

With a loud "waaaaa," Ji Haitang burst into tears.

Now Akina Ze was also in a bind. "Miss Ji Haitang, please don't cry in my arms."

Feeling his clothes gradually becoming soaked with tears, Akina Sawa was at a loss.

"Then why don't you put her down right now!" Aya Shameimaru said anxiously as she rushed over.

It seemed that hearing Aya Shameimaru's voice at close range caused Himekaidouka to have a stress reaction, clinging tightly to Akina Sawa and refusing to let go.

Akina Ze could only helplessly spread his hands, indicating that it wasn't that he didn't want to put her down, but that he couldn't.

Shameimaru Aya was furious. She wanted to grab Himekaidouka and rip it off, but she didn't want to appear too forceful in front of Akina Sawaya, so she could only sit aside and sulk.

After a while, Ji Haitang gradually calmed down, and her sobs stopped, but she still buried her face deeply in Qiu Mingze's chest and refused to come out.

Akina Ze, who was being hugged like a big tree, felt as if the skin on his chest was about to be burned.

Hidden in a corner covered by clothes, Ji Haitangguo's face was bright red.

Ugh... Just kill me!

Chapter 73 Is this edible?

"I will not give up!"

After leaving those words, Ji Haitang fled in panic.

Akina Sawa and Shameimaru Aya exchanged glances.

Akina Ze touched his chest, his clothes first damp with tears and then dried by the sun, and joked, "This is much better than a dryer."

"It felt nice to hold you just now, didn't it?" Shameimaru Aya rolled her eyes at Akina Sawaya before flying down the mountain on her own.