Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Autumn name house.

Akina Ze, who was sitting in a rocking chair enjoying a leisurely afternoon, suddenly heard a hesitant, hoarse voice.

"The plan is complete..."

Akina Sawa also looked in the direction from which the sound came, and immediately showed a surprised expression.

Her hair was a mess, like it hadn't been washed for days. Thick dark circles were prominently visible around her cute big eyes. Her face was pale, and she leaned weakly against the door frame, her body hunched over. In her other hand, she tightly hugged a thick stack of folders to her chest.

Is this the same Kawashiro Nitori who was so cute in a maid outfit just a few days ago?

How could he have changed so much in just a few days? Akina Ze rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"I've brought the design options you requested... Please choose one that suits you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kawashiro Nitori's vision went black and she fainted, but she held the thick stacks of design drafts tightly in her arms...

For several days in a row, I've been using my brain extensively, and haven't had a drop of water or a single grain of rice...

And Kawashiro Nitori had walked such a long way from Youkai Mountain just to personally deliver the design to Akina Sawaya, and now she was completely exhausted...

Akina Sawa was also taken aback when he saw Kawashiro Nitori lying unconscious in front of him, but he quickly stepped forward to help her up.

"She's fine, just exhausted. She'll be alright after a rest," Aya Shameimaru said simply after checking on her.

"That is not bad."

Upon hearing this, Akina Sawa was relieved and helped Kawashiro Nitori to lie down on the tatami mat next to the kotatsu.

Looking at Kawashiro Nitori's loli-like face, which looked tired, Akina Ze thought for a moment and got up to walk towards the kitchen. Although he didn't have a good overall impression of Kappa, she was still working for him, so he had to pour her a cup of tea.

Akina Sawa quickly prepared a cup of tea to cool her down in the kitchen and brought it back to the living room. By then, Kawashiro Nitori had already woken up, while Shameimaru Aya had returned to her study, where she had just had an idea and wanted to write it down immediately.

"Have a cup of tea first."

Looking at the closed door of the study, and then at Kawashiro Nitori sitting on the tatami with a blank expression, Akina Sawa handed over the teacup in his hand.

"Mmm!" Kawashiro Narito took the teacup and gulped down all the water, so much so that you could even see the water flowing down her fair neck.

"Wow~"

After finishing the tea in one gulp and regaining her composure, Kawashiro Naritori asked eagerly, "Have you chosen which option to use?"

"No rush." ​​Qiu Mingze shook his head, took a small orange from the fruit plate on the table, peeled it, leaving only the flesh, and handed it over.

"I'm so worried!" Kawashiro Naritori said anxiously.

The chance to turn things around was right in front of her. She had been working day and night for the past few days to finish the job as soon as possible, but now Qiu Mingze was telling her there was no rush? How could that be!

If this drags on any longer, my luxurious private laboratory might be in jeopardy!

Despite saying that, Kawashiro Nitori still obediently bit into the orange flesh in Akina Sawaya's palm and swallowed it.

Being anxious and being hungry are two different things.

“It’s not that I don’t want to hurry,” Akina Sawa explained as she took the oranges back from the fruit plate. “But I think it would be better for Ms. Komeiji to decide on the choice of this hot spring inn option.”

"After all, it was her idea to build a hot spring hotel at the Scorching Hell Ruins."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find her!"

Upon hearing this, Kawashiro Naritoshi, unwilling to waste time, urged him on.

But just as she propped herself up on her knees, she collapsed weakly to the ground the next second... The energy to keep her body functioning had been completely exhausted.

Lying on her side on the tatami mat, Kawashiro Nitori said blankly, her eyes vacant, "...I'm hungry."

"..."

As Akina Sawa popped a freshly peeled orange into Kawashiro Nitori's mouth, he also stood up and said:

"I'll go get you some food. Let's go to the Earth Spirit Palace together after you've rested."

......

Chapter 125 Just Mind Reading

He Chenghe enjoyed his meal very much.

Although she was only eating a simple rice ball, it was made by Akina Sawaya from leftover rice from lunch.

The rice grains were still hard, but Kawashiro Nitori was completely unaffected. Instead, he swallowed them in large mouthfuls as if they were a delicacy.

For Kawashiro Nitori, a kappa who hadn't eaten for almost three days and three nights, even a simple rice ball garnished with a few drops of dark soy sauce was incredibly delicious.

So there's a saying that goes, "Hunger is the best seasoning."

However, Akina Sawa didn't intentionally only give her rice balls; it was just that cooking again would take too long, which would be too cruel for the hungry Kawashiro Nitori.

After all, a hungry person doesn't need a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, but rather to fill their stomach as soon as possible.

Having grasped this principle, Akina Ze quickly made a plate of rice balls from the leftover rice. Whether they tasted good or not, just tell me how fast they were.

Just as he expected, as soon as the rice balls were served, Kawashiro Narito devoured them one after another, his cheeks bulging out bigger than a squirrel's, in proportion.

Seeing that Kawashiro Nitori had finished off all the leftover rice balls on her plate, Akina Sawa, worried that she might choke, poured her a glass of water.

"Have you finished eating? Drink some water and swallow."

Based on experience, eating so quickly, especially with hard leftovers, can easily cause choking, while a kappa's throat and esophagus are of normal size.

Kawashiro Nitori was about to say no, but the next second she felt a hard lump stuck in her throat, which she couldn't swallow no matter how hard she tried, and a bulge was clearly visible on her neck.

With his eyes wide open, Kawashiro Nitori immediately grabbed the water glass that Akina Sawaya handed him, gulping down the water as if it were a lifeline, and then swallowed it whole.

"Hiccup~"

With a burp, the bulge disappeared, and Kawashiro Nitori was full.

"Are you alright?" Akina Ze asked with concern. "Would you like me to get you another glass of water?"

"No need, I'm fine." Kawashiro Nitori shook her head; no matter what, she still had her pride about being worried about by humans.

Seeing that Kawashiro Nitori said he was fine and had filled his stomach, Akina Sawa also asked:

Shall we set off?

But Kawashiro Nitori, having eaten and drunk his fill, suddenly looked away and said:

"Can I not go...?"

"Huh? Why?" Akina Sawa asked, puzzled. "Didn't you just say you wanted to hurry up?"

"This is a separate matter..."

When asked the question, Kawashiro Nitori stammered and couldn't answer.

“I’ll answer for her.” Just then, Aya Shameimaru came out of the study.

Looking at Aya Shameimaru as she walked out, Akina Sawa asked, "Aya-san, have you been listening the whole time?"

"This room has absolutely no soundproofing!" Upon hearing this, Aya Shameimaru turned and rolled her eyes at Sawaya Akina.

Ultimately, the thin wooden walls of the Akina residence were not soundproof at all. Shameimaru didn't want to hear the conversation between Akina Sawaya and Kawashiro Nitori because she knew that giving everyone some private space was essential for the relationship to continue, and that intrusion was more likely to backfire.

But to her surprise, the study was not soundproof at all. Even if she covered her ears, the sounds from the living room kept pouring in. It wasn't that she wanted to eavesdrop.

Rewind the timeline to the present.

As Aya Shameimaru emerged from the study, she glanced at Nitori Kawashiro, whose eyes were gleaming, and said to Sawaya Akina, "You know the master of the Earth Spirit Palace is Komeiji Satori, right?"

"And Komeiji Komeiji is her younger sister."

“I do know that.” Akina Ze nodded in response; the sender’s name on the previous envelope was Komeiji Satoru.

Seeing that Akina Sawa nodded to indicate that he understood, Shameimaru Aya continued, "Marisa once told you that there is a kind of youkai in the Old Hell that can read minds, right?"

Wait a minute? How do you know that Marisa said that to me?

Akina Sawa was also taken aback, but he didn't choose to investigate further. Knowing too much wasn't a good thing, so he decided to pretend he hadn't discovered anything. He asked:

"Is the mind-reading yokai related to Ms. Komeiji and the others?"

“It’s more than just a relationship…” she smiled.

Before Aya Shameimaru could finish speaking, with more than half of the food in her stomach consumed and her brain regaining energy, Nitori Kawashiro recalled more details and realized that if she didn't leave now, it would be too late.

"Um, Mr. Akina, something's come up, I have to go home now!"

She stood up, greeted Akina Sawa, and then ran off.

"Then, the contract is terminated?"

A casual remark came out of Akina Zeya's mouth.

Killer.

Kawashiro Nitori, who had already stepped out of the house, walked back with a miserable look on her face. "I don't want to face that guy!"

"That's a mind-reading monster!"

Having deduced from various reactions that Komeiji Satoru was the so-called mind-reading youkai existing in the old hell, Akina Sawa comforted Kawashiro Kazutomo:

"Don't worry, we're looking for Komeiji Ren, we might not run into her sister."

"Komeiji Koishi won't work either, they're both mind-reading yokai!" Kawashiro Nitori cried out anxiously.

“Although Komeiji Komeiji is also a type of awakened youkai, she can’t read minds.” After explaining to Akina Sawaya, Shameimaru Aya looked at Kawashiro Nitori and said, “You should know this too, right?”

"I have no idea." Kawashiro Nitori lied through her teeth, her fear of being mind-reading was palpable. Even though she knew that Komeiji Ren couldn't actually read minds, she still didn't want to meet her.

As a normal kappa, it's normal for Kawashiro Nitori to have countless business secrets and secret experiments. If these things were to get out, it would be terrible. She doesn't want anyone to know even her ordinary little thoughts.

Tired of continuing the argument, Akina Sawa directly addressed the client:

"It's decided then. Kawashiro Nitori, as the designer of the design drafts, how can you not explain the advantages and disadvantages of each plan to Koishi Komeiji?"

"So you can't not go," Akina Sawa declared.

After a long silence, Kawashiro Nitori's desire to turn the tables finally outweighed her fear of being mind-read, and she said with a death-defying resolve:

"Well, I'll go."

"Alright, you go outside and get ready. We'll be leaving soon," Qiu Mingze nodded and instructed.

Just as Akina Sawaya was getting ready to leave, Shameimaru Aya suddenly asked from behind, "Sawaya, aren't you afraid of being mind-read?"

Upon hearing this, Akina Sawa turned around, scratched the back of his head, and laughed, "It's just mind reading, not memory reading. As long as I think of a bunch of unimportant things beforehand, it should be fine, right?"

"..."

......

Chapter 126 'Old Antique'

The weather was fine, with a clear blue sky.

Everyone has a secret deep inside that they don't want others to see; it's a secret because they don't want others to know about it.

The mind-reading youkai broke this taboo. The Komeiji sisters were not actually popular in Gensokyo, and no one or youkai would want to play with someone who could read minds.

Perhaps Komeiji Satori's fondness for pets stems from the fact that the pets don't dislike her because of it...

"Perhaps making the decision to fall in love was the right one..."

They murmured and pondered, the vast palace illuminated only by flickering candlelight.

......

After embracing the reporter by the door and saying goodbye, Akina Sawa then set off on his way to the Old Hell with the short, blue-haired Kawashiro Nitori.

"Tsk, tsk."

"What's wrong?" Hearing Kawashiro Nitori's voice behind him, Akina Sawa put the water bottle back on his waist and turned around to ask in confusion.

"I remember you've only been in Gensokyo for less than a year, right?" Kawashiro Nitori asked with admiration in her eyes, carrying a huge backpack.

"Yes, but it will be soon."

After this winter, Akina Sawa will have spent a whole year in Gensokyo.

"How did you get involved with that tengu?" Kawashiro Narito asked, like a curious child.

In less than a year, he managed to bring that troublesome guy, Aya Shameimaru, into his home, and it seems he's even in control... How did he manage to do that when he's just a farmer?