Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Why...why..."

"I don't believe it could be like this..."

A dull thud came from the bedroom.

The cozy bedroom was now pitch black, with the curtains drawn.

Alice lay on the headboard, burying her face in the fluffy pillows. Her blue dress trailed to the floor, and her legs were together, leaning against the foot of the bed. Her white silk stockings were pressed against the floor.

Alice has remained in this state ever since she returned from the Akina residence.

"Shouldn't you like fancy and colorful things the most...? Why? You're just a simple farmer, you don't have any special features...? Why?"

In her mind, Marisa's sunny smile was clearly visible, just as it should be... but a lingering figure appeared beside her.

The more Alice tried to stop thinking about it, the more vivid the impression became. She buried her head in the pillow.

It's simply impossible to think rationally...

"hehe......"

After an unknown amount of time, soft laughter echoed in the bedroom, and the pink wallpaper seemed to be shrouded in shadow.

Alice sat up in bed, her face seemingly returning to its previous state, head bowed, her deep blue eyes lifeless, and her cherry lips slightly parted.

"In that case, I'll find the problem, expose the problem, and then take it back!"

......

Chapter 100 An Encounter

The Monday of the third week of winter.

After winter sets in, the village of Renjian holds a market day once a week.

"Miss Wenwen, I'm going to the market. Is there anything you need me to bring back for you?"

Akina Sawa also asked Shameimaru Aya, who was lying on the bed.

"Hmm~" Aya Shameimaru turned to face the wall, her voice muffled, "I want something delicious for lunch~"

The weather was too cold in the early morning, and it wasn't the day for sending out the telegram, so Aya Shameimaru had no intention of getting up early and going out. She was a complete lazybones, and she probably wouldn't get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.

As for Nikua and the Great Fairy, they were also sleeping soundly. It wasn't that they were complaining about the cold, but simply because they had played with Cirno late the night before and hadn't recovered yet, so they needed to sleep some more.

It seems I'll be the only one at the market today... Akina Ze shook his head, picked up the hoe that he had tripped over last night while the fairies were making noise, and walked into the greenhouse.

After many days of 'careful' planting, with hard work and a negligible buff, all the potatoes in the field have matured, and the lush green leaves cover the entire greenhouse.

"No need to water it today."

Akina Ze, wearing a powered exoskeleton, laughed as he dug out the potatoes buried in the ground with a hoe.

The watering will only begin when all the seeds for the next season are planted in the field. Right now, all we need to do is dig up all the big, plump potatoes from the greenhouse.

Farmers are harvesting...

After a while, what was once a lush green sea has now become rows of neat pits.

After tossing the sack full of potatoes to the corner next to several other sacks, Akina Ze emerged from the powered exoskeleton, feeling refreshed and completely free of the fatigue one would expect after physical labor. It just goes to show that technology changes lives, and even green-skinned technology is still technology.

Akina Ze also checked the cucumber battery on the back of the exoskeleton and found that it had lost several bars of power compared to before it was started.

"The battery drains quickly in winter, it doesn't last long."

After casually making a comment and glancing at the sack in the corner, Akina Ze didn't have time to sort the potatoes inside, which were of varying quality. He simply put one of the sacks of potatoes into his backpack and would take it out when they reached the vicinity of the market.

The market in the Human Village is only open to humans in the early morning, and Akina Sawa doesn't want to waste time and miss it.

......

Enchanted forest, outside Marisa's cabin.

"Ouch~" Marisa rubbed her eyes and complained with a yawn, "Alice, why did you wake me up so early? I'm still sleepy."

Last night, Marisa stayed up all night doing experiments. She had almost used up all the obsidian she had collected from the Old Hell, and she was planning to go back and get some more.

"I'm sorry! I really wanted you to come to the puppet show today, no matter what," Alice said, clasping her hands together in a pleading tone.

"Alright, since it's Alice's request, I won't refuse..."

With dark circles under her eyes, Marisa mounted her broom and followed Alice towards the Human Village, yawning incessantly along the way.

After flying for a while...

Alice suddenly turned around and said, "Let's speed things up; I still need to prepare the stage for the puppet show."

"Huh? Okay, whatever you say." Marisa, who didn't really want to speed and was feeling physically tired, didn't refuse, since it was Alice who suggested it.

Just as she was channeling magic into the broom beneath her, Marisa saw a familiar figure on the ground. She rubbed her eyes, then opened them and looked at the figure, a hint of joy spreading across her tired face.

"Hey, Master Akina, I'm here!" Marisa waved excitedly in the air.

However, Akina Ze was also preoccupied with thinking about what ingredients to buy to cook a sumptuous meal for his lazy family members after he sold the potatoes and made some money.

He didn't come to his senses and look up until the wind from Marisa's broom hit his face.

Two dazzling blonde beauties under the sunlight came into view, their reflections so bright that Akina Ze couldn't help but squint. He seemed to see Alice behind Marisa frown slightly, but it was fleeting, and he was greeted by two smiling faces.

But for some reason, perhaps it was just psychological, Akina Sawa also felt that Marisa was cuter.

Her face was fair and delicate, with faint fangs peeking out from the corners of her mouth. Although her eye bags were slightly dark, she still looked adorable.

"Master Akina, are you also going to the market?" Marisa Kirisame asked curiously.

"Yes, the potatoes in my field are ripe, so I'll take some to sell."

"That strangely shaped house can actually grow potatoes in winter?!"

"It's a greenhouse, not some strange house..." Akina Ze corrected him.

“But it does look really strange…” Marisa pouted and retorted.

She once passed by Akina's house in the sky. From a distance, it looked like a dark, strangely shaped house. Although she knew that Akina Sawa also farmed there, she didn't expect that he could actually grow crops, and that they would mature so quickly.

"Good morning, Mr. Akina."

Alice, who had been listening in, stepped forward and subtly shielded Marisa behind her, greeting Akina Sawa with a perfect, flawless smile.

"Hmm, good morning." Akina Ze also keenly sensed that the blonde beauty Alice in front of him had subtly changed her attitude towards him, but he didn't know what the problem was, so he calmly nodded in response.

"Our chat is over, Marisa, we should go now." After bowing, Alice reached out her hand to take Marisa's hand and lead her away.

But unexpectedly, Marisa patted the empty seat behind her and playfully said to Akina Sawa:

"Walking must be tiring, right, Master Akina? Why don't you sit behind me and I'll give you a ride?"

“This isn’t quite right…” Akina Ze touched his chin and glanced at Alice subconsciously, but she turned her head away and he didn’t see her expression.

"What's wrong with this? It's not like you've never sat in it before," Marisa pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Come up to me!"

Before he could refuse again, Marisa swiftly grabbed Akina Sawaya's wrist and forcibly pulled him to sit in the back seat.

"Hehe, you can't escape this time." Marisa Kirisame turned around and laughed, then gestured to Alice in front of her and said, "OK, let's go."

“…Okay,” Alice replied from the front, but her voice sounded a little off.

Right now, it's a three-person aerial acrobatic trip.

Akina Ze also rested her hands behind her back, enjoying the breeze blowing from Marisa in front of her. This time, she had specially adjusted the parameters of the magic shield.

"Hey, Master Akina." Halfway through the journey, Marisa suddenly turned around and said, "We need to speed things up now. Can you hold onto my waist? It'll be safer that way."

"it is good."

Since she said so, Akina Ze had no reason to refuse. He reached out and hugged Marisa's slender waist, smelling a fresh minty scent, probably coming from her golden hair that was flowing in the wind.

He vaguely heard a muffled groan coming from ahead, but it was probably just his imagination... Akina Ze thought so too.

......

Chapter 101 Independent Investigation

Human Village Square.

The sun rose, and the sky was fine.

But it's still early, and there aren't many people there yet.

After getting off the broom, Akina Sawa nodded to Marisa in greeting.

"I'm sorry, Master Akina, I have to go help Alice with the stage setup for her puppet show, so I can't stay with you."

"It's okay, you go ahead with your work. I need to find a suitable place to set up my stall now."

"Why don't we set it up across from the puppet theater? There will definitely be a lot of people coming, and maybe you can sell it all in no time, Master Akina," Marisa suggested.

Should it be placed opposite the theater?

Akina Ze also stroked his chin. To be honest, he was a little tempted. It was like an advertising effect; people would naturally gather here, and with more traffic, his products would sell better.

But when he looked at the site, he found that many vendors had already set up stalls there. There was a lot of foot traffic, but at the same time there were also many stalls, which caused a serious diversion of traffic. It had both advantages and disadvantages.

"I'll check it out outside first. If it doesn't work out, I'll come back here," Qiu Mingze said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"But..." Marisa wanted to say something, but Alice's urging voice came from afar.

With no other option, Marisa could only leave with a helpless expression. Akina Sawa watched her departing figure, smiled, and then turned around to look for a suitable spot to set up his stall.

There are actually some tricks to setting up a stall. The best locations are at the intersections of various streets, where there is the most foot traffic. However, Akina Ze doesn't plan to squeeze into those places. He prefers quiet places. This was also one of the reasons why he rejected Marisa earlier. He doesn't want to be too busy to stop.

For now, all you need to do is find a clean spot and set up the small table you've packed in your backpack. How much you sell depends entirely on fate. As for hawking... Akina Ze admits that he's a bit too shy to do it yet.

Nobody says that someone who knows how to farm and grow vegetables must also know how to set up a stall, right?

After walking around the square for a while, fortunately, the square had a pure bluestone floor and was relatively clean. Soon, Akina Ze found a suitable spot to set up his two-piece stall set—a table and board combination.

Akina Ze skillfully poured half a bag of potatoes onto the table, then placed a stool behind the table, plopped down on it, and his potato stall was complete.

The stall had just been set up, and no one was expected to come right away. Akina was also planning to go and see how Marisa's business was going when he spotted someone walking towards him from afar.

"Have we already had guests so soon?"

With a happy sign from the opening, Akina Ze sat back down and tried to prioritize the gold and silver quality potatoes among the messy potatoes in front of him.

This is not to say that ordinary quality potatoes are bad. Every potato that Akina Sawa grows in the field is big, plump, and of excellent quality. The gold and silver grades are even better on this basis, and can be described as PRO and ProPlus versions above the standard.

"Boss, how much is this?" A girl with short green hair asked as she approached the stall. Her voice was flat and even, but clear and crisp, leaving a deep impression.

Akina Ze couldn't help but look up at the girl in front of him. She had a fair and delicate face, shoulder-length short hair, and dark blue eyes that were as deep as the bottom of the sea, swallowing all light.

For a moment, Akina Ze was also stunned, but he quickly recovered and replied, "8 copper coins per pound, how much do you need?"

"Are these two also worth 8 copper coins?" the green-haired girl asked, pointing to the gold and silver quality potatoes.

Her fingers were fair and white, with smooth, glossy tips. The back of her hand was pink and tender, and you could faintly see some blue veins inside.

"This must be some young lady from a wealthy family out shopping, right?" Akina Ze thought to himself.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Akina Ze responded enthusiastically: "Yes, it's only 8 copper coins each."

"But won't you lose money selling it like this?" the green-haired girl asked, her face showing confusion.

"It's alright. Although the quality is a bit higher, the calories in your stomach are still the same, right?" Qiu Mingze scratched his head and laughed. "Besides, I only set up a stall occasionally. I don't care how much I can earn. If people like to eat what I grow, I'll be satisfied."

After a moment of silence, the green-haired girl nodded and said:

"You are telling the truth."

"How many kilograms would you like?"

Although he didn't know why the green-haired girl in front of him said he was telling the truth, Akina Ze pressed on while the iron was hot and asked her the question.

She asked so many questions, it must be a big deal.

"I......"

The green-haired girl, Shiki Eiki, who was being questioned, took a half step back and remained silent. She didn't have a single copper coin on her at the moment.

"How many kilograms would you like?" Qiu Mingze also put on a fawning smile, hoping to get the unknown young lady in front of him to buy some.

Although Akina Sawa wasn't too concerned about how much money he could make, he still had two—no, now three—dogs at home waiting for him to feed them. Besides, he had promised Shameimaru Aya that morning that he would cook a hearty lunch for her, and buying the ingredients would cost money!