Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

The moment the spell card was activated, several ghosts emitting blue flames appeared behind Cirno, imprisoning her firmly.

Although she couldn't move her body, her mouth wasn't sealed yet. Realizing she'd been tricked, Cirno shouted angrily:

"Despicable! Shameless! Bullying a fairy!"

Onozuka Komachi shook her head at this and instructed the ghost to gag Cirno as well.

"Fighting is tiring, isn't this better?"

Onozuka Komachi yawned and strolled slowly past Cirno.

"No no no!"

Behind her, Cirno was still struggling violently, but her struggles were completely futile. She could not break through the 'Ghost' spell card carefully made by the Grim Reaper with the power of a fairy.

Under Cirno's resentful gaze, investigator Onozuka Komachi walked towards the courtyard gate not far away.

.......

Chapter Ninety-Five: Misunderstanding? Not a Misunderstanding

It's approaching noon.

Akina Ze also sat cross-legged on the tatami, drinking tea cup after cup, and the kettle emptied several times.

Logically, after their intimate interactions last night and this morning, their relationship should have progressed rapidly, but unexpectedly, they are now too shy to utter a single word when they meet.

Everyone says things will be fine once that thin film is broken, but once it's broken, it's hard to know how to interact anymore. Akina Ze also feels that he must be unique.

So how do couples in love usually deal with this awkwardness?

He couldn't pull off that kind of forced cheesy pickup line act. Just seeing Aya Shameimaru's face flushed red made Akina Sawa's brain go blank, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Unfortunately... I still lacked experience.

Recognizing the limitations, Akina Sawa shook his head and sighed, drinking his tea with a melancholy expression.

But tea makes you more and more awake, so it's better to have a few cans of low-alcohol beer. However, the beer sold in the area is probably not canned, and it's mostly sake.

......

The study room door was tightly closed.

But the noise from the living room still reached us.

Hearing the crisp clinking sound of the bottom of the teacup, Aya Shameimaru lay on the desk, her cheeks flushed, unsure of what to do.

Yesterday, after being provoked by Marisa, I acted impulsively and did that. Now that I've calmed down and thought about it, Aya Shameimaru feels utterly ashamed.

There's no way a woman would force herself on someone... Even the stories in the bookstore aren't as extreme as my actions. Would he think it's frivolous?

Feeling anxious and uncertain, Aya Shameimaru chewed on her pen, her mind completely blank, with no intention of writing a draft.

The mushroom with a pair of 'cat ears' in the corner of the desk diligently absorbs all the scents in the air. It's good to have no brain; no need to think, no worries...

dong dong dong~

In the midst of this peaceful moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Akina Ze also stood up and asked in confusion.

But the person didn't respond; instead, they continued knocking on the door.

Shrugging, Akina Sawa opened the door, and a head of dazzling blond hair appeared before his eyes.

"Demon... Alice, what brings you here?"

Akina Sawaya initially thought it was Marisa who had arrived, but the girl standing in front of him was Alice Margotrovid—the Seven-Colored Puppet Master.

With her lips pursed and a complicated look in her eyes as she gazed at the man who had opened the door, Alice didn't want to respond, but remembering the purpose of her visit, she still answered briefly:

"Just came to take a look."

"Then, please come in?"

Although he sensed that Alice's aura seemed a bit off, Akina still stepped aside to invite her in. After all, they hadn't seen each other for a long time, and she probably really was there to catch up.

Without suspecting anything, Akina Sawa guided Alice to sit down on the tatami mat.

With short, golden hair even more dazzling than Marisa's and exquisitely beautiful features, Akina Sawa welcomed Alice's arrival, even though he didn't know exactly what she was there to do.

"Would you like tea?"

Pointing to the teacup on the table, Akina Ze also asked, "If you don't know how to entertain guests, offering him tea is definitely the right thing to do."

"I......"

Alice instinctively wanted to refuse, but not wanting to appear too aggressive, she nodded and, with Akina Ze also smiling, picked up a cup of tea and handed it to him.

Her main purpose in coming here was to find out what exactly Marisa and Akina Sawa experienced in the Old Hell yesterday, and what kind of drug he gave Marisa to make her like that...

Last night, it should have been a time for the two of them, who hadn't seen each other in a long time, to be all lovey-dovey and affectionate.

To her surprise, Marisa kept talking about Master Akina, and she could only nod silently in agreement, while pretending to be interested.

Alice has had enough! We've been best friends for ages, why do you keep talking about other people?

However, Akina Sawa was unaware of Alice's inner thoughts. He simply thought it was nice to chat with a cute young lady. He was currently too shy to talk to Aya Shameimaru, so perhaps he would understand after communicating more with Alice.

Having made up his mind, Akina Sawa also planned to use Alice, who had come to him, as a "experience point" before entering into a romantic chat with Shameimaru Aya.

The two had different ideas, but their actions were surprisingly similar. Alice also wanted to find out about the situation between him and Marisa through the conversation.

"that......"

The two, each with their own ulterior motives, spoke at the same time, but their conversation happened to coincide with each other.

The situation suddenly became awkward.

Alice blinked gently, a kind expression on her face, and said, "You go first."

"Alright then." Although they had used the same words, Akina Zeya's thick skin had been toughened up after all. He quickly gathered his thoughts and said:

Alice, have you ever had a crush on someone?

"puff!"

Alice spat out a mouthful of tea, her face turning bright red. "Y-you! What are you saying?!"

"Huh?" Wiping the tea that had been sprayed on his face, Akina Sawa asked in confusion, "I was just asking Alice if you've ever had a crush on anyone?"

"Of course... no!" Alice answered, forcing a smile as her long, slender, snow-white neck turned bright red.

These were all lies told to support her plan; at least, that's what she truly believed at that moment.

"Then I'd like to..."

"No, you've already asked, now it's my turn."

Fearing that Akina Sawa would continue to ask questions that were horrifying to her, Alice decided to take the initiative.

Since the man in front of her just asked her if she had ever liked anyone, she might as well ask him the same question back. Maybe she was just overthinking it.

Feeling quite clever, Alice tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes fixed on the teacup, and asked casually:

Have you ever had a crush on anyone?

"Hehe, of course!" Akina Ze chuckled sheepishly. He hadn't dared to say that before because it was just wishful thinking, but things would be different from now on.

Alice's fingers tightened suddenly, and she asked urgently, "Is there any left now?"

“Of course,” Akina Ze replied without hesitation.

Upon hearing this answer, Alice's heart skipped a beat. Things were heading in the direction she least wanted to see, but there was still a cure, and she had one last question left unasked.

With a bittersweet ache and a glimmer of hope, Alice slowly began, "Does she know?"

"I think she probably knows too, after what happened yesterday..." Akina Ze said apologetically, "I hope she understands my feelings."

Akina Ze deliberately raised his voice for the next part, but Alice couldn't hear him at all.

Her face was deathly pale, and the water in the teacup she held was constantly sloshing around.

"Yesterday, yesterday..." Alice murmured to herself.

Everything seemed to make sense now: the events of yesterday, the sparkle in Marisa's eyes when she talked about him, and the shyness in the man's eyes... She received the answer she least wanted to hear, and her whole being instantly darkened...

"Alice, are you alright?"

Akina Ze also looked at Alice, who had been silent for a moment, with a puzzled expression as she suddenly got up and walked towards the door.

"I'm just tired and want to go home."

Stepping outside, Alice turned back with a calm smile and left. She might lose face, but she wouldn't lose her composure, even though her opponent was unaware of her intentions.

......

Chapter Ninety-Six: Death

Bright sunlight streamed into the study through the window.

On the large, clean sheet of paper in front of her were a few thick, dark lines sketched on it. The ink pen in her hand spun rapidly. Several times, Aya Shameimaru wanted to get up and open the door to give Sawa Akina a big hug, but the last bit of reason in her mind firmly suppressed her, leaving her half-asleep and her bottom stuck to the stool.

Taking initiative is a good thing, but too much of a good thing can lead to harm.

From the conversation just now, Aya Shameimaru knew that Sawa Akina was actually talking to him as well.

But if you just fish like that and you immediately take the bait, doesn't that make you seem too easy to handle?

Having lived for so long, no one has ever taught her what to do in this situation. The material obtained from the interview ultimately belongs to a third party; they know what happened but not why.

But Akina Ze did give a signal that he couldn't bear to ignore it.

"Ugh! What a hassle!"

Overwhelmed with thoughts, Aya Shameimaru pressed her burning cheek against the cold table to cool it down.

"Should I go out or not?" she murmured to herself.

Should we follow reason or succumb to desire?

Having absolutely no experience, Aya Shameimaru's meager knowledge of romance prevented her from making a decision for a long time.

She didn't want to make an impulsive decision; she just wanted to be absolutely certain of success.

at the same time.

Veteran investigator Komachi Onozuka was crouching in a corner, concealing her presence, and using her abilities to observe the actions of the two people inside.

After finding the crime scene and the tools used in the crime, she wanted to find the culprit and ascertain the culprit's power (backing) in order to choose the appropriate countermeasures later.

But just as Onozuka Komachi had begun her infiltration, an unexpected person made her afraid to make any rash moves.

I never expected that Alice Margot Roy, the demon princess who is practically the epitome of nobility and elegance, would appear here!

Although he had only seen her portrait in the newspaper, Onozuka Komachi recognized her at a glance.

This is bad; it seems we've discovered something we shouldn't know.

Realizing something was wrong, Onozuka Komachi was on pins and needles and wanted to run away immediately, but she was worried about being discovered, so she was stuck there.

What she overheard next made her vision go black.

What should I do if I accidentally discover that the Demon Princess is actually a simp?

No one would believe me if I said that, but I was definitely doomed. I might not even be able to collect my retirement pension. By the way, has the Grim Reaper ever retired?

Onozuka Komachi's thoughts were wandering.

If the real culprit behind the chaos in the underworld is the demon realm, then it makes sense why Bai Yulou failed to maintain order.

How could an ordinary human being accomplish this? There must be a mastermind behind it all!

I just didn't expect that Yuyuko, who seemed so dull and only thought about eating, is actually not stupid at all!

The days dragged on endlessly, and only after Alice left did Onozuka Komachi finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Onozuka Komachi, who was eager to find out the truth and run away, was about to leave when her curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to see what special ability Akina Sawaya had that made the Demon Princess become such a simp, so she used her ability.

Onozuka Komachi stared in astonishment as she realized that the loser and the winner were separated by only a wall.

Moreover, the other opponent in the arena is not an ordinary human, but a tengu.

When did such a person emerge from this simple and unpretentious village?