Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Forget it, let's just see how it goes."

Having lost his way, Akina Sawa shook his head, picked up a branch from the ground, and tossed it into the air. He would walk in whichever path the branch pointed when it landed.

Just as Akina Sawa was tossing the branch high into the air, praying that Lady Luck would be on his side, he spotted a small black dot passing by in the sky.

What is that? Akina rubbed his eyes and looked again, his face immediately lighting up with joy.

With her fluffy broom and striking golden hair in the sunlight, who else could it be but Marisa Kirisame?

Seeing the person he was looking for in the sky, Akina Sawa waved his hands and shouted, "Hey! Marisa!"

But the little black dot in the sky didn't react at all and flew off toward the path on the right.

Not only that, as Marisa flew by, a gust of wind from high above also swept in.

Bone-chilling cold.

The wind blowing on his face was unbearable, and Akina Ze had no choice but to stop shouting and pull up his collar to block the gale.

The snow on the roadside branches was blown into the air, and Akina Ze felt as if everything in front of him was suddenly covered in white.

After a long while, the snowflakes that had been flying up finally drifted down to the ground.

"Bah!"

Wiping his mouth, Akina Ze spat out the snowflakes that had been blown into his mouth and complained, "Marisa, why are you flying so fast?"

The tiny black dot that had disappeared from sight was indeed Marisa, but she was completely oblivious to what was happening below, her mind solely focused on cleaning the house before her master Akina arrived.

Hopefully there's still time!

Marisa thought to herself, "A golden lightning bolt that races through the air at speeds exceeding 100 yards."

……

The dark chimneys, still emitting black smoke, stood out starkly against the white backdrop.

From a distance, Marisa spotted her cabin in a forest. Her face lit up with joy, and she immediately put down her broom and swooped down without slowing down at all.

The immense potential energy created a hurricane that swept towards the cabin as Marisa moved forward, and in an instant, butterflies danced all over the sky.

Before the person even landed, the snow that had accumulated over the entire winter in the open space in front of the house had been blown away completely, revealing the brown soil underneath.

Without time to strike a pose, Marisa jumped off the broom and ran into the house before she could even get her footing.

Pushing open the slightly ajar door, Marisa stepped into the entryway and rubbed off her thick black leather boots with her left foot on top of her right. She then took off her top hat with her left hand and placed it on the shoe cabinet, while opening the cabinet with her right hand to take out pink indoor slippers.

Marisa slipped her white cotton socks into her pink slippers and ran 'tap tap tap~' towards the storage room.

In the same spot, the boots, kicked askew in the entryway, were steaming with white vapor as the light shone through the glass window in the door...

The storage room was full of all sorts of messy things.

Amidst the billowing dust, Marisa covered her mouth and nose with her left hand as she searched for the tool she needed. After a while, her eyes lit up when she spotted a long mop nestled at the very bottom of the clutter.

Marisa pulled out the mop with a thud, closed the storage door to prevent dust from escaping, and carried the mop to the living room.

When entertaining guests, the living room is the most important place.

But when Marisa Kirisame looked around the living room, she almost felt dizzy.

There was kitchen waste lying around that hadn't been dealt with, freshly picked mushrooms on the living room table waiting to be studied, and... Marisa suddenly blushed. She walked to the left side of the sofa, took a blue and white... personal item from the corner, and stuffed it into her pocket.

No more hesitation!

Marisa patted her face, mustered her spirits, and frantically racked her brains, thinking about the main direction of the cleanup next.

She noticed the floor wasn't very dusty, still within a clean range, and a quick mop would suffice. Kitchen waste couldn't be left indoors; it had to be taken outside. Mushrooms and similar items could be bagged and placed in the kitchen, since they were edible anyway.

Most importantly! The most important thing is to tidy up those personal belongings that are scattered everywhere... Absolutely! Absolutely! They must be tidied up so that Master Akina can't see them!

After making a plan according to the experimental procedures, Marisa began a thorough cleaning.

Using magic, she pressed the mop down on the floor and dragged it from left to right, cleaning the floor. Next came the kitchen waste. Marisa pinched her nose and tossed the waste out the back door, planning to deal with it later when she had more time...

After a flurry of activity, looking at the now bright and clean living room that was previously messy, Marisa, still in her youthful state, collapsed onto the floor, wiping the sweat from her cheeks, and muttered, "Doesn't Master Akina know that you have to give advance notice before going to a girl's house...?"

Although she spoke in a complaining tone, there was no sign of complaint on Marisa Kirisame's face.

Dong~dong~dong~

A rhythmic knocking sound came from the doorway.

Master Akina has arrived?

Hearing the knock at the door, Marisa was startled. She quickly got up from the floor, dusted off the hem of her skirt, and tidied her hair in front of the mirror in the entryway before opening the door and saying in a deliberately cheerful tone:

"Welcome, Master Akina!"

It was Akina Zeya standing outside the door. Thanks to Marisa's unknowing aerial guidance, he hadn't gone astray, but the snow along the way was almost ankle-deep, making him walk rather slowly.

"Marisa, did you know I was coming?" Akina asked, looking at the blonde girl in front of him who showed no surprise.

"I heard it from Reimu, but Master Akina, if you're coming in the future, could you please let me know a few days in advance?" Marisa Kirisame complained as she pulled Akina Sawa into the house.

"Haha, I had something come up at the last minute, but I'll definitely come next time." Qiu Mingze scratched his head and replied awkwardly.

Following Marisa's directions, Akina Sawa also arrived at the entrance. He noticed the pink cotton slippers Marisa was wearing and asked in confusion:

Do I need to take off my shoes?

"No need, Master Akina is fine as he is."

"Alright then." Akina Ze nodded and was about to continue walking inside when suddenly he smelled a strange odor.

It had an indescribable smell, vaguely sour and foul, but also with a hint of other fragrances...

Slightly puzzled, Akina Sawa twitched his nostrils and searched in the direction the smell was coming from.

"Wow!"

For some reason, Marisa, who had been quite composed just moments before, suddenly shouted loudly and pushed Akina Sawa out the door as well, though she reopened the door less than ten seconds later.

"What's going on?" Akina Ze was also completely bewildered; he had no idea what had happened.

"It's nothing, come in quickly, Master Akina." Marisa lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and quickly led Akina Zeya through the entrance hall.

A wisp of white mist dissipated from the gaps in the shoe cabinet in the entryway...

Chapter 81 Mushrooms? Tea

"Marisa, what just happened?"

Holding hands and forcibly led away from the entrance, Akina Ze looked at Marisa, who was walking quickly with her head down, with a puzzled expression and asked.

There's nothing there! Don't overthink it.

Despite doing so much work in advance, things still went wrong in the end... Kirigaya Marisa pushed Akina Sawa onto the living room sofa as well, her ears turning bright red.

Ugh... Why did that happen? Is it because I've been walking too much lately? Marisa recalled that she seemed to have been walking in the snow all day wearing those thick boots, and she decided to try to travel on a broom as much as possible from now on.

The awkwardness lingered, and before Marisa could figure out how to continue the conversation, she noticed Akina Zeya sitting on the sofa, looking puzzled as if he was about to ask another question.

Don’t do that kind of thing!

To prevent the awkward topic from continuing, Marisa Kirisame's brain was working at lightning speed, and a puff of steam rose from her head.

Suddenly, Marisa had a flash of inspiration. Looking at the empty table in front of her, she remembered that Reimu Hakurei had said she would make her tea at the shrine...

Making tea? Isn't that a great idea to change the subject?

Her eyes lit up, and following her plan, Marisa Kirisame asked, "Master Akina, would you like some tea? Shall I make you a cup?"

"Tea? No thanks." Akina Ze shook his head and declined. He had eaten too much snowflakes in the snow earlier and wasn't thirsty.

"How can that be done!"

The first step of the plan was already facing failure. With her hands on her hips, Kirisame Marisa said, whether out of acting or genuine feeling, "I'll drink what Reimu gives me, so why can't I drink mine?"

"Hiss~" Akina Sawa, who hadn't expected this angle, was also visibly taken aback. He saw that Marisa's face was red and thought she was angry, so he quickly explained:

"No, I'm just not very thirsty, but if you make me tea, Marisa, I'll still drink it."

The plan worked.

Turning around, out of Akina Sawa's sight, Marisa quietly gave herself a thumbs up before quickly heading to the kitchen.

Um?what is that?

As Marisa walked into the kitchen, Akina Sawa noticed that something seemed to be about to fall out of her right pocket; it appeared to be blue and white.

He was about to raise his hand to warn Marisa to be careful not to drop anything from her pocket, but she had already turned into the kitchen, so Akina could only reluctantly lower his hand.

He's the only one left in the living room now.

While waiting for the tea to be brewed, Akina Sawa took a brief look at the environment where Marisa lived.

The house wasn't very big, with simple furniture and a black and white color scheme. It was also very clean, which surprised Akina Sawa. He had originally thought that someone as forgetful and carefree as Marisa wouldn't like cleaning.

It seems to be just a stereotype.

But what exactly was that smell in the entryway? Akina Sawa was also a little curious, because Marisa was clearly not trying to let him know.

However, since he didn't want him to know, Akina didn't plan to ask her, as there was no need to investigate.

Right now, we just need to wait for Marisa to come out of the kitchen and ask her if she has any way to get rid of the ink smell.

Sitting on the sofa, Akina Ze waited calmly.

At this moment in the kitchen, Marisa encountered a big problem—she had no tea leaves at all.

Marisa is usually too lazy to brew tea, so she doesn't keep any tea leaves at home. But she just announced that she would make tea for Master Akina. What should she do now?

Marisa was a little anxious. She even considered climbing out of the kitchen window to make a quick trip to the human world to buy tea, but considering the time it would take and the risk of being discovered, she gave up on the idea.

Just then, the aroma of mushrooms caught Marisa's attention. She turned her head and saw a black bag full of mushrooms lying quietly on the table—she had placed it there while cleaning.

As she gazed at the emitting mushrooms, a bold idea gradually formed in her mind.

Although the specific function of this mushroom is still unclear, ... I've chosen it!

With a sudden burst of inspiration, Marisa Kirisame grabbed a mushroom and tossed it into her kettle.

Watching the mushrooms bobbing up and down on the water with the bubbles, she thought smugly, "Who says mushrooms can't be made into tea?"

……

A rich aroma wafted out from the kitchen.

Sitting on the sofa, Akina Ze was also curious about what Marisa was doing inside and why such a rich aroma was wafting from the kitchen.

"Is it some kind of magical tea?" he wondered.

Soon, the mystery was solved.

Looking at the mysterious milky pink liquid in the teacup in front of him, and the few mushroom-like flakes floating on the surface, Akina Ze swallowed hard.

He had never seen tea like this before. Was it drinkable?

Akina Sawa looked at Marisa with a puzzled expression, only to find that she was also staring at the teacup in her hand, hesitating.

"Marisa?" Akina Ze asked tentatively.

"Huh!?" Marisa turned her head abruptly, her expression stiff, and said, "Master Akina, drink this quickly. I made it with great care."

Seeing that Akina Sawa also looked clearly disbelieving, Marisa mustered her courage, closed her eyes, and gently drank a sip of the mysterious pink liquid along the side of the cup.

Seeing that Marisa had also drunk it, Akina Sawa followed her example, blew on the hot liquid, and took a sip.

Um! ?

The moment the liquid entered his mouth, Akina Ze felt his heart pounding, his blood rushing, and his face turning an unusual flush.

What the hell is this! ?

Akina Ze also looked at Marisa and found that she was the same; her whole pretty face was flushed, and even her neck was pinkish-white.

Just then, Marisa, who was sitting on the other side, suddenly stood up and staggered as she tried to leave the living room.

Under Akina Sawaya's watchful gaze, the unidentified object in her right pocket finally detached, drifting down in mid-air, swaying gently.

"Pfft!" Akina Ze, who realized what this thing was immediately, quickly turned his head away, unable to bear to look at it.

Marisa Kirisame seemed to sense something was wrong as well, and she looked down...

Without any sudden movements or screams, the blonde girl calmly squatted down and put her panties back into her pocket.