Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"..."

Shiki Eiki froze, her lips pressed tightly together, unable to utter a single word. Her usually expressionless face showed a rare flicker of emotion; this was an embarrassing situation she hadn't encountered in a long time, the last time something had happened to make her feel awkward was a long time ago.

In the Hall of Right and Wrong, Shiki Eiki can make quick and fair decisions on a case, but looking at Akina Zeya, who is trying hard to sell her potatoes, she doesn't have a single copper coin on her and he's asking so many questions... She doesn't know how to deal with him for a moment. Should she reveal her identity as Enma?

"The puppet show over there is about to start! Everyone hurry and go see it, I heard there's a new show!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd behind the square uttered a sentence, which immediately caused a stir among the crowd. The puppet show performed by Alice wasn't just popular with children; adults enjoyed it too.

Attracted for a few seconds, Akina Sawa turned around and found that the green-haired girl in front of him had disappeared.

"Strange, does she like puppet shows too?" Having wasted his energy and smile, Akina Sawa tugged at his stiff cheeks from maintaining a smile for too long and muttered helplessly, "Walking so fast, buying some potatoes beforehand wouldn't have been a problem..."

Hidden behind a large tree, out of sight of Akina Sawa, Shiki Eiki pressed her non-existent chest and breathed a sigh of relief. She was determined to keep this a secret. If Onozuka Komachi found out, that guy would definitely spread it around. Although she knew she would be punished for doing such a thing, she just wouldn't change her ways.

The investigation was not over yet. Shiki Eiki's dark blue eyes observed Akina Zeya sitting behind the stool waiting for the next customer. People have many sides; once one side is exposed, another will appear. Only after all the information is collected will the final judgment be made.

Standing behind the big tree, Shiki Eiki, with half her face showing, stared at them expressionlessly.

......

Chapter 102 A Copper Coin

Time flows.

The crowd gradually shifted to the puppet theater on the other side of the square.

The area in front of the stalls was much quieter now.

Akina Ze sat on the bench, idly playing with the round potato in front of him, rolling it from east to west and then from west to east.

To be honest, setting up a stall is really boring... If only there were a pond nearby, I could fish while waiting for customers, Akina Ze thought to himself.

"Master Akina~"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from in front of the stall.

Akina Ze also looked up and saw Marisa standing there gracefully, holding two things wrapped in oil paper in her hands.

"Marisa, what brings you here?"

"Hehe, I'm all set up the stage for Alice and that's it, let's not talk about that now." Skipping over that topic, Kirisame Marisa held up what she was holding and smiled at Akina Sawa, "I bought two crepes, one chocolate and one apple. Which flavor do you want?"

Can I not have any of these...? I don't really like sweets.

Of course, no matter how low Akina Ze's emotional intelligence is, he wouldn't say that out loud. Instead, he replied, "Then I'll take the one with chocolate chips. Apples are good for your health."

"That's not how it works," Marisa muttered, extending her right hand to hand over the crepe.

Perhaps because the oil-wrapped paper covering the crepe was too small, Akina Sawa and Marisa's fingers accidentally touched.

Slippery and warm like a crepe, it's so delicate you can just touch it and then immediately let go.

Akina Ze didn't seem to feel anything, after all, he was a rough guy, so he just touched her. But Marisa's temples and earlobes revealed a hint of crimson.

"Eat up." Not wanting to reveal her shyness, Marisa raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then lowered her head and gently took a bite of the crepe with apple slices in her hand.

It should taste delicious... Akina Ze glanced at Marisa's fair and smooth neck, then took a big bite of the chocolate crepe in his hand.

One bite.

"Hmm?" Akina Ze's eyes lit up as well.

The flaky crust and the sweet but not cloying interior blended together perfectly. It wasn't as sweet as he had imagined, and the taste was quite good.

Akina Zeya had originally planned to finish the meal quickly in a few bites, but now it seems that won't work. Good food should be savored slowly; otherwise, swallowing it whole would be a waste of delicious food.

For a moment, the two of them were like two little hamsters, constantly putting food into their mouths.

But Akina Ze felt a little awkward seeing Marisa just standing there eating in front of his stall, so he stood up and said, "Marisa, why don't you sit here?"

"Huh? Maybe I shouldn't, my skirt will drag on the ground." With that, Marisa spun around, and her black and white skirt did indeed look quite long as it fluttered in the wind.

Akina Ze also turned his head to look at his low stool and found that it was indeed easy to drag on the ground. Although it was a bluestone floor, there was still dust.

Suddenly, Marisa suggested, "How about Master Akina and I take a walk? We can check out Alice's puppet show and see how it goes?"

“This…” Akina Ze hesitated for a moment, but then he thought that no one came to his stall anyway, and it wouldn’t hurt to walk a bit with Marisa, so he nodded in agreement and said, “Alright then.”

"Hehe, I knew Master Akina would agree~"

"It's just a short walk; I'll be back later," Akina Ze replied helplessly.

Before leaving, Akina Ze covered his stall with a white cloth to prevent theft. However, if someone was starving and couldn't afford to eat, he would let them take some, considering it a good deed. He had plenty of potatoes at home anyway, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

The two hadn't walked far when a sudden gust of wind blew away the white cloth that Akina Ze had covered the stall with, exposing the plump potatoes to view.

......

"Hungry......"

A girl with long, dark blue hair that reached her knees strolled leisurely toward the square.

Head bowed, back hunched, eyes lifeless, listless.

Today is market day, and crowds are gathering. According to the goddess Ziwan, she hopes to find some unwanted items on the ground, which she might collect and use later.

Despite it being the dead of winter, Yi Shen Zi Wan was still wearing her thin, patched-up clothes, walking barefoot and with bare legs on the street.

She was also afraid of the cold, but Yi Shen Zi Wan didn't have money to buy warm clothes, and even the coat her sister gave her was blown away by the strong wind.

Of the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, Yi Shen Zi Wan likes summer the most because she doesn't have to worry about the cool night breeze and can sleep soundly until dawn. What she hates the most is winter, because the cardboard box that leaks everywhere can't keep out the cold wind that seeps in.

However, Yi Shen Zi Wan need not worry about freezing to death, as she is also a deity, albeit a deity disliked by people.

"The God of Poverty is coming! Everyone be careful and don't get too close!"

Before anyone knew it, Yi Shen Zi Wan walked to the entrance of the square. The crowd around her who saw her quickly dispersed in fear, and in the blink of an eye, there was no one around her.

A gentle breeze blew by at just the right moment, stirring up a few yellowed fallen leaves from the ground, which drifted away to who-knows-where.

"..."

Yi Shen Zi Wan didn't care about the people around her. She was used to it. After all, she had indeed brought poverty to mankind, so it was only right that she was shunned or hated.

Raising her head, Yi Shen Zi Wan looked around with her lifeless eyes, but found no items left behind by humans. The ground was spotless, just like her pockets.

There was nothing to be found here.

Shaking her head, Yi Shen Zi Wan continued walking forward. Suddenly, she noticed a reflection of light shining in her direction out of the corner of her eye.

Not far away, a pile of potatoes was neatly arranged on the table. Yi Shen Zi Wan's face lit up with joy, and she walked straight towards it.

But when she arrived at the stall, there was no one around, and the stall owner was nowhere to be seen. Looking at the plump potatoes on the table, Yi Shen Zi Wan felt a sense of disappointment.

The items on the table indicate that someone wants them, unlike the items discarded on the ground which no one wants, so she can freely roam the wilderness.

As for things that someone wants, the goddess Ziwan will not take them. Although she is a goddess of poverty, she still has her own bottom line.

Gulu gulu~

Yi Shen Zi Wan bit her lip lightly, clutching her stomach, which had been empty for a long time, and her hungry stomach growled.

Even gods feel hunger; this is the price of living close to humans, though they don't starve to death as a result.

Hungry and restless, Yi Shen Zi Wan stared at the plump potatoes in front of her, her eyes darting around, her right hand tightly clutching her chest, lost in thought.

"Whoo~"

Yi Shen Zi Wan exhaled, reached into her chest with her right hand and took out a cloth bag that still carried her body heat. She untied layer after layer until the last copper coin, polished to a shine, lay quietly in the center of the cloth.

This is the last one left... a copper coin left by the kind person I met in the summer.

Not knowing the price of potatoes, Yi Shen Zi Wan reluctantly placed the coin face down on the table, pushed it to the back, and then picked out the smallest potato from the pile in front of her.

Stroking her flat belly, Yi Shen Zi Wan swayed and left.

The god of poverty should not linger in crowded places.

......

Chapter 103 What Some Care About, No One Cares

The weather is calm and sunny.

Walking at the back of the crowd, gazing at the packed audience at the puppet theater in the distance, Marisa sighed:

"Alice's puppet show is really popular."

"There are indeed quite a lot of people. Maybe Alice's puppet show has its unique charm." Akina Ze smiled and then said, "Have you finished your crepe? Pass it to me and I'll put it down for you."

"Hehe, thank you, Master Akina." Marisa playfully revealed her fangs.

"It's just a little effort."

After taking the oil-wrapped paper, Akina Sawa threw it, along with his own portion, into a trash can in the nearby bushes.

The two walked for a while longer.

Akina Ze looked up at the sky and said, "Marisa, I have to go back to the stall."

"Huh? So fast?" Marisa pouted slightly, a little dissatisfied.

Akina Ze said helplessly, "I've been with you for so long, aren't you satisfied...?"

With a quick glance, Marisa thought of an excuse and casually said, "You haven't even seen Alice's puppet show yet."

Alice's puppet show?

Akina Ze recalled that he had indeed never seen it, but he wasn't very interested in this kind of puppet show performance.

"Do you want to go see it?" Akina Sawa asked as well.

"There are so many people now... I don't think I can squeeze in."

Marisa glanced at the crowded area around the stage and replied hesitantly.

"It's okay, you can sit on my shoulders. That way you'll have a wider view and see more clearly, and you won't need to stand on tiptoe." Qiu Mingze patted his own shoulder and laughed.

"I...I don't want to!" Marisa's face flushed red rapidly.

This kind of contact is still too intimate for her right now, especially with so many people watching nearby.

"In that case, wouldn't it be better if I flew up to see it?"

Her pride was brought out, and as if seizing a loophole, Marisa quickly retorted.

"Have you forgotten? People in the human world are not allowed to fly in the sky."

"Mokou isn't here, and she can't catch up with me anyway."

Although she had already admitted defeat in her heart, Marisa still stubbornly responded.

Fujiwara no Mokou, that single-minded girl, could actually chase you all the way to her doorstep. Unless Marisa doesn't want to go home anymore, she shouldn't do that.

"Do you still want to watch?" Akina Ze flexed his biceps and laughed. "This time it's serious, I can help you squeeze in."

"No, I'm not interested in puppet shows. I might watch a fireworks display, though."

After hesitating for a long time, Marisa Kirisame shook her head in response.

Although Alice had just invited her to watch her newly adapted puppet show, Marisa only watched for a short while before leaving the front row to buy crepes.

She couldn't bear to watch the stories performed by the puppets; she'd rather just set off some fireworks in the sky.

"After asking so many questions, let me ask you, Master Akina, do you like watching Alice's puppet shows?" Marisa asked.

Akina Ze also shook his head. Alice was alright, but Alice's puppet show was still too childish for him. However, he might take a look if it were a puppet band.

Nothing can stop Akina Sawa from going back to guard the stall now.

Akina Sawa was about to say goodbye to Marisa when he turned his gaze back and noticed a flustered-looking little girl in front of him, glancing around nervously.

Her long, black, flowing hair was styled in a traditional Japanese style. Her hands were nervously crossed, and her large, clear eyes seemed veiled in mist, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

Did they get lost from an adult?

Akina Ze also raised an eyebrow, but before he could make a move, Marisa beside him had already walked up to the little girl and bent down.

"What's wrong? You can tell your big sister whatever happened~" Marisa smiled kindly, gently patting the little girl's soft head and soothing her gently.

"Mommy, my mommy is lost, boohoo~"

As if she had finally found someone to confide in, the little girl couldn't hold back and burst into tears, rubbing her eyes.