Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Hey? Wait for me!" Akina Sawa, who didn't know what had offended Aya Shameimaru, hurriedly picked up the printing press next to him and chased after her.

But one flies in the sky, and the other runs on the ground carrying heavy loads; how could he possibly catch up?

Before long, Akina Sawa couldn't even keep up with Aya Shameimaru's retreating figure anymore. He sighed, looking at the mountain path in front of him, and had no choice but to proceed slowly at his own pace.

......

It was completely dark, and the secluded streets were pitch black.

Bang.

A heavy thud came from the courtyard. Akina Ze pushed open the door and plopped down in a chair, sweating profusely.

But he was exhausted.

Just a few hundred meters away from the house, the exoskeleton ran out of power. The high power consumption caused the pickles to be consumed very quickly.

With no other option, Akina Ze could only rely on his 'qi' and his inherent resilience to persevere and complete the final leg of the journey.

Placing the printing press steadily on the ground and removing the exoskeleton from his body was his last bit of strength.

Sitting in the chair, Akina Ze felt sore all over, and his body was weak from overuse of his internal energy.

Before he could even take a sip of tea, a voice suddenly rang out.

"You're back? Go cook some food."

It seemed that Aya Shameimaru was still angry. She sat by the kotatsu and left Akina Sawa with a haughty back view, saying coldly.

"I'll rest for a bit..." Akina Ze was also a little out of breath.

Just then, the Great Fairy came over, holding a peeled orange in her hands, and said with concern, "Akina-nii-san, have some oranges, they're very sweet~"

...The soft and cuddly fairy is still the best. Akina Ze was also inwardly moved to tears as he opened his mouth and took a bite from the orange segment that the fairy was holding with her pink fingers.

Hmm~ It really is sweet.

Sitting by the kotatsu, hearing Akina Sawa's panting voice, Aya Shameimaru seemed to sense something was wrong. She shifted her feet uneasily, wanting to get up and check on him, but still breathless, she didn't want to give up.

finally......

"Forget it, what am I getting angry about...?"

As if giving himself a pep talk, Aya Shameimaru neatly put her legs together, which were clad in thick white cotton socks, and got up to walk behind Sawa Akina.

"Miss Aya?" Sensing the presence behind him, Akina Ze felt a little uneasy, because he noticed that Aya's profile was still dark.

Um! ?

A rhythmic kneading sensation came from his shoulder, and Akina Sawa could hardly believe it, because the person massaging his shoulder was none other than Aya Shameimaru!?

Wasn't she very angry...? Akina Sawa couldn't figure it out either.

Looking at Aya Shameimaru's dark profile and feeling the soft touch on his shoulder, for a moment, he felt as if he had arrived in heaven.

"Don't look at me! And, and, you've had a hard day today." Aya Shameimaru stammered, she had never said anything like that before, and this was the first time she had ever given a massage to someone.

Absolutely stunning! Worth it!

Enjoying the shoulder massage, Akina Sawa recalled his day: first, he rushed to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to ask a kappa for help to expand his study; then, he frantically worked to finish building the room before sunset; and finally, he went up the mountain to carry heavy objects down by himself. It really wasn't easy... even though I'm just a farmer who only knows how to cultivate the land...

However, being able to enjoy such treatment from Miss Wenwen now is definitely worth it.

"Hey, don't get too cocky. I just gave you a massage today, don't overthink it!" Shameimaru Aya pinched Akina Sawa's somewhat weathered face and said in a slightly fluctuating tone.

"Ok, I know."

Akina Sawa closed his eyes as well. His body, exhausted from a long day, was sending signals of fatigue. Feeling the soft, delicate touch on his face and a faint, pleasant fragrance wafting from behind him, he gradually drifted off to sleep...

When he woke up, there was a covered plate on the table in front of him, and Nikua and the Great Fairy were sitting on either side, holding chopsticks but not making a move.

After thinking for a moment, Akina Ze also laughed and said, "It seems I just woke up right after I finished cooking."

"Did you sleep well?" Aya Shameimaru asked confidently, wearing an apron and holding a spatula. "I'm cooking today, so you're getting a good deal."

She quietly hooked her leg and closed the kitchen door, blocking the trash can filled with failed cooking attempts.

Swallowing hard, Akina Ze also had a bad feeling. He looked at the Great Fairy and the others, hoping to get some information, but saw that they all had their heads down and didn't know what they were doing.

"Want to try it?" Aya Shameimaru removed the lid from the plate, revealing the food underneath.

At first glance, it looks like just an ordinary stir-fried potato dish, but upon closer inspection, the outer skin doesn't seem to be completely peeled off, and the overall color is rather dark, probably because too much dark soy sauce was added.

Akina Ze's lips twitched slightly; he didn't want to eat this stuff.

"Eat up! Why aren't you eating?" Aya Shameimaru asked, her face full of confusion. This was a dish she had used several potatoes to make, and it looked the most perfect one yet.

With his extensive culinary experience, Akina Sawa was certain that the dish would be absolutely amazing, but since it was specially made for him by Shameimaru Aya, he couldn't very well refuse, lest he dampen her enthusiasm.

A moment of silence fell over the room. Suddenly, Nikua, who was sitting to the side, said, "Wenwen, haven't you washed your pot yet? Let us help you wash it."

"Can I eat it afterward?"

"It's okay, we'll eat after we wash up. Let Akina-nii eat more." Standing up, Nikua pushed the Great Fairy into the kitchen.

Before entering the kitchen, the Great Fairy gave Akina Zeya a look that said, "Good luck to you."

Finished!

With his premonition growing stronger, Akina Ze tentatively suggested, "Um? I'll go too..."

"No! You've worked so hard today, you should eat first!"

Shameimaru Aya, still wearing her apron, grabbed Akina Sawaya and sat down next to him. "Do you still want me to feed you?"

"...That won't be necessary."

It seemed there was no escaping it, and Akina Ze resignedly picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of dark potato, and put it in his mouth.

Hey!

How much salt did they put in?!

As soon as it entered his mouth, Akina Ze felt his taste buds suffer a huge blow. He opened his mouth to spit it out, but Shameimaru Aya blocked his mouth with her palm.

"Don't throw up, I worked so hard to make this!" Aya Shameimaru said earnestly.

With a droopy face and a mask of pain throughout, Akina Ze managed to swallow the 'salt block' in his mouth with great difficulty. He wanted to say, "Wenwen, you're not suited to cooking."

But then he saw Aya Shameimaru covering her mouth with her hand, and there was a bandage wrapped around her fingertips.

He opened his mouth, but swallowed his criticism in the end. Qiu Mingze said helplessly, "From now on, I'll cook. Wenwen, you just need to cook rice."

This is probably the new master of culinary disasters. Compared to Marisa's various mushroom dishes, Akina Sawa feels that Marisa's dishes are still better - at least they are edible!

Chapter Seventy-Four: A Powerful Strike

Everything was on track; the printing press had been moved into the bookstore, and Miss Wenwen had moved into her own home.

Early in the morning, Akina Ze, leaning on a hoe, supervised Nikua as she watered the potato seedlings in the greenhouse. Besides that, he had also planned to plant a cucumber patch, using the trellis he had previously used for growing grapes.

However, because the cucumber trellis took up too much space and the greenhouse simply couldn't accommodate it, Akina Sawa ultimately decided to wait until March or April of the following year, when the temperature would improve, before planting them.

After supervising Nikua as she ran two laps around the greenhouse and watering the entire area, Akina Sawa finally let her leave.

With a water sponge to sprinkle water, things like iridium water bottles are really lame.

Now that the work in the greenhouse is basically finished, and there's nothing for him to do in the fields, Akina Sawa is feeling a bit bored.

That's why winter is the off-season for farmers—because there's really nothing to do. Akina Sawa is a little better off, as he built himself a greenhouse, but other farmers don't have that luxury.

After taking one last look at the growth of the sun mushrooms in the middle of the greenhouse, Akina Ze picked up his hoe and left the greenhouse.

But as soon as he stepped outside, a strong stench hit him, a sour and metallic smell that made Akina Ze frown.

He recognized the smell; it was the smell of ink, the same smell he'd smelled before when he worked at the newspaper office. But back then, the ink had dried, and the smell wasn't very strong. This one must smell fresh. (Meat)

Akina Sawa had previously found it strange that Aya Shameimaru used ink in her printing press that was several times worse than the ink available on the market, and that she wouldn't change it.

Following the direction of the scent, Akina Sawa walked all the way to the back of the house.

Sure enough, the sound came from the newly built bookstore.

Through the window, Akina Sawa could also see inside the room that Aya Shameimaru was fiddling with her printing press. A large bucket of black ink was placed on the floor, waiting to be poured into the machine, and the strong smell was coming from the open ink container.

It stank terribly, a strong chemical smell that was beyond human tolerance. Akina Ze pinched his nose and quickly went into the study, saying...

"Miss Wenwen, the ink you're using smells terrible."

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Upon hearing Akina Sawaya's voice, Shameimaru Aya turned her head, but her nose was stuffed with two crumpled pieces of paper.

"Doesn't it smell?" Qiu Mingze stepped forward, grabbed the part of the paper ball that was still sticking out, and pulled it out. He asked, "Does it still smell now?"

"Ugh~" Upon suddenly smelling the odor, Aya Shameimaru gagged immediately. She covered her nose and said, "Why did you take my nose plug!?"

As she spoke, Aya Shameimaru tried to snatch the nose plug back from Sawa Akina's hand, but how could Sawa Akina possibly let her get it?

Even though I don't need it myself, it's a good thing to let Aya Shameimaru experience just how smelly the ink she uses really is.

There was already a huge printing press in the room, and a bed was placed by the window. The study was already small, and the two of them accidentally...

"Bang!"

The sound of the iron container falling to the ground rang out, the ink was spilled, and the pitch-black liquid quickly flowed out of the container's mouth, instantly covering the ground.

Now things are even worse; the ink all over the floor is emitting an even stronger stench.

An even stronger stench hit them, and Akina Sawa and Shameimaru Aya immediately turned green. They stopped fighting and rushed out of the study in a panic, not even having time to close the door.

Holding their breath, Akina Sawa and Shameimaru Aya ran directly to the upwind position.

Once the smell dissipated, Akina Ze, panting, asked, "What brand of ink is this? It stinks! Even regular ink doesn't smell as bad!"

Shameimaru Aya, who was also affected by the fumes, put her hands on her waist and bent over to explain, "I used ink made by a kappa. It's said that it doesn't disperse in water and has vibrant colors, so I bought it."

"Then you should change it in the future, this thing smells awful!"

“But…” Aya Shameimaru’s tone was somewhat hesitant, and she just wouldn’t say she wanted to change it.

Sensing something was amiss, Akina Ze tentatively asked, "Can't we change it?"

“Hmm,” Aya Shameimaru nodded, looking troubled, “I also want to change it, but the printing press is specially made by the Kappa and can only use their ink. If I put other ink in, it won’t start.”

"...Why are there such strange restrictions?" Akina Ze also complained.

"When I bought that printing press, the kappa sold it to me very cheaply, but I did say at the time that I would use their ink in the future."

Like a child who has done something wrong, Aya Shameimaru pointed at Sawa Akina with her fingers and explained.

"Oh my god, how could a kappa be so mean!"

Upon hearing this, Akina Sawa immediately understood the kappa's little trick: long-term consumption is more profitable than one-time transactions, right?

After a while, Akina Sawa also decided to approach the problem from another angle. He asked, "Didn't you ask the kappa to remove the smell?"

“I can’t do it,” Aya Shameimaru shook her head again. “The kappa who sold me the printing press said that she also made it according to her family’s manual, and that’s how it was made. She can’t change it.”

...What kind of kappa-inherited technology?

Akina Sawa was completely speechless. He couldn't afford a new printing press, and he couldn't replace the ink. Was he going to have to live with this smell for the rest of his life?

I feel like my nose will stop working sooner or later...

"Smells like poop? There's poop in it!?"

Suddenly, the sound of fairies shouting came from the front room. It seemed that the smell of ink spilled on the floor of the study had seeped into the inner room and suffocated the fairies.

This can't go on. The immune fairy was making a fuss, and Akina Ze was also biting his thumb and seriously thinking about the next countermeasure.

Given the current situation, cutting losses is the most important thing. We need to open all the doors and windows as wide as possible and then thoroughly clean up the ink.

But here's the problem... who will clean it up?

After thinking for a moment, Akina Sawa asked Aya Shameimaru, who had always used this ink, "Aya, how did you handle spilling ink when you were working at the newspaper?"

“I hire kappa to clean it up…” Aya Shameimaru’s eyes darted around, and she also felt that her approach was a bit… a waste of time.

Upon hearing this, Akina Ze's vision went black.

So this is part of the kappa industry chain? It seems that if Reimu doesn't strike hard soon, it will be too late.

This is outrageous! It's utterly outrageous!

Having learned so much, Akina Sawa really didn't want to send any more money to the kappa. He said to Shameimaru Aya, "Let's clean it up together. Let's call Niqua; she can spray water, so we should be able to clean it up."

"Um, can I not go?"