Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Probably a long time."

"So? You want me to take care of her for you?"

"You like Cirno a lot too, don't you?" Instead of giving a direct answer, Lady used a question instead of a direct one, a hint of eagerness flashing across her face.

Rolling the round orange in his hand, Akina Ze didn't think too much about it. "You're right, but I choose to refuse."

Unexpectedly, Lady's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and asked, "...Why?"

Seeing Lady's obvious dejection, Akina Ze chuckled and said, "I don't think Cirno needs me to take care of her."

If fairies are like roadside weeds, then Cirno is the only towering tree among them, tenacious and resilient.

After hearing the explanation, Lady remained silent for a long time before finally sighing and saying, "I want her to have a home after I leave. Even a kite needs a string to hold it together."

She looked at Akina Zeya with a wistful gaze, "The Great Fairy could exist as this before, but now she's living here with you..."

ahle?

Why does it sound like it's my problem?

The situation was inexplicably awkward. Akina Ze picked up his teacup, took a sip to calm himself down, and then replied:

"I'm just saying I won't go out of my way to take care of Cirno, but if she wants to stay at my place, I still have room for her."

Actually, no. The small bed that was made for Niqua could only accommodate two fairies at most. If Cirno were to join, Akina would have to make another one, or even two, but that would make the bedroom space insufficient.

“...That works too.” Lady responded with feigned slight dissatisfaction, but in reality, she had already accomplished her main purpose for coming here.

This winter, the survival of the Great Fairy was already a pleasant surprise for her, not to mention Akina Sawaya... someone who loves fairies so much.

Lady took an orange from the fruit basket, peeled it like Akina Zeya, put the flesh into her mouth, and the next moment, she involuntarily opened her mouth and stuck out her pink tongue.

Wow~ It's still too sweet.

......

Chapter 139 Disturbance

Looking out from above, the brown wooden buildings, scattered like stars and of varying heights, spread out like a spider web around the market. Occasionally, a few bright lights from incandescent bulbs shine through the windows onto the cobblestone streets, but most of the light comes from flickering candlelight, its dim yellow glow reflected on the paper windows, gradually fading into darkness as the buildings on both sides of the street thin out.

"Compared to a hundred years ago, not much has changed..."

Having already escaped the old hell, the palace gatekeeper Rui Ling coldly looked down at the human village shrouded in moonlight before her.

She was driven away by the residents of the Human Village as a traitor to humanity, but now she has returned as a vengeful spirit... However, Miyaguchi Rui Rei does not resent the residents of the Human Village.

Miyakoji Rui Ling knew that she had done something wrong. Under her own wishful thinking and the guidance of others, she had done something unforgivable, and that others had seized the opportunity... It was all her own fault.

Within the bamboo forest, I am enveloped by my own deep malice... Even if I repent, I will still end up like that. Since that is the case, why bother repenting?

Under the waning moon, gazing in the direction of the Hakurei Shrine, Miyaguchi Zuirei's pale face, as white as a sheet of paper, was expressionless, but deep anger lurked in her light blue eyes.

The residents of the Human Village did nothing wrong... The fault lies with the monsters, and—the Hakurei Shrine Maiden!

But things must be done step by step; rashness will only lead to the same result as before.

Miyako Ruiling withdrew her gaze. Although she had become a vengeful spirit, her mind was not completely clouded by rage.

She was well aware of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's power; even now, as a vengeful spirit, she wasn't entirely confident she could defeat her.

"We need to start by gathering intelligence."

Falling from the sky, Miyako Ruiling casually landed on a branch of a large tree. The vengeful spirit didn't need to sleep, but she still habitually closed her eyes, waiting for the sun to rise tomorrow and for the silent human village to awaken from its slumber.

......

"Oh no! Someone has fainted here!"

Panic-stricken screams came from a stall not far away.

Akina Ze, who brought some local specialties grown in the fields to the market to set up a stall and kill some time, lay on the rocking chair and glanced at it curiously.

Someone actually fainted? That's quite a rare thing. Akina Sawa has been in Gensokyo for so long and has never seen anything like it. It has to be said that the residents of the Human Village are in much better physical condition than those outside.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Akina Sawa also saw that the person lying on the ground had a head of beautiful light blue hair.

Is the person who fainted a kappa?

That's strange. Akina Ze also looked puzzled. How could a kappa faint in the human village?

Could it be that the intake of elements from cucumbers is too low?

Randomly guessing the reason, Akina Ze didn't plan to go forward and do anything. Besides, there were so many people gathered there, he couldn't squeeze in anyway.

The kappa that fainted was selling some handicrafts at a stall when it accidentally fainted, and all the items were knocked to the ground in pieces.

People stood two or three meters away from the fallen kappa, whispering among themselves, not daring to help. Kappas had a rather bad reputation in the human village, and what if it was some kind of promotional trick? Nobody wanted to take that risk.

Akina Zeya, who was lying quietly in the rocking chair, felt a pang of pity when he saw so many people watching but no one came forward to help.

The misdeeds of a single kappa can affect the reputation of the entire clan, and now they are reaping what they sowed.

"But, what can I do? I'm kind-hearted."

As an observer, Akina Ze decided to stop ignoring the situation. He shook his head and stood up from the rocking chair. It wasn't his style to stand by and watch someone die, but now that he had encountered such a situation, he decided to lend a hand.

Excuse me, please let me through.

After much effort, Akina Sawa finally squeezed into the center of the crowd, where the stall-running kappa had fainted.

But when he saw the scene before him, Akina Ze was also taken aback, because there were already people there.

"Mr. Akina?"

With a clear, crisp voice, Motoori Korin, whose pigtails were tied with bells, looked up in surprise at Akina Zeya, who had broken into the encirclement.

On the ground next to it, there was a bamboo basket with openwork design, with a few vegetable leaves on it.

Judging from the looks of it, Motoori Kosuzu must have just happened to be passing by while grocery shopping when she stumbled upon the kappa fainting.

"Are you here to help too?" Motoori Kosuzu's fair face showed surprise.

“...Yes.” Akina Ze nodded reluctantly.

I thought it was going to be a solo performance, but it turns out there were already people there. Mind your own business is definitely not a good thing...

As she helped the kappa up from the ground, Motoori Korin's lips curled into a smile, and her eyes crinkled with laughter.

"Mr. Akina is such a good person~"

Beep~ One more "good guy" card awarded.

The scattered handicrafts were picked up by Akina Sawa and Motoi Kosuzu and put back on the stall.

The onlookers, who had come out of curiosity to watch the excitement, left when the commotion died down. Soon, only Motoori Kozue, Akina Zeya, and a 'fainted' kappa remained.

"Mr. Akina, do you know how to wake up Ms. Kappa?"

Having confirmed that the kappa was still breathing, Motoori Korin asked in confusion.

She knew that when a human faints, you need to pinch their philtrum, as it was clearly recorded in the book. However, she had absolutely no idea how to wake up a kappa.

"Just call the kappa from the neighborhood over and let them handle their own internal affairs."

Akina Sawa, who was also completely clueless about this, offered his own solution.

He didn't want to do anything that would cause him trouble. If the kappa hadn't happened to faint right in front of him and he hadn't seen anyone come to his aid at first, he wouldn't have stepped in.

"Alright, I'll go and call the other kappa over right now!"

After responding, Motoori Kosuzu immediately wanted to follow Akina Sawa's suggestion and go find a kappa nearby to help.

But before Motoori Kozue could take a step, the kappa on the seat behind her, who had been unconscious, suddenly made a sound.

"Aren't you two human...? Why are you helping a monster?"

With a chilling aura emanating from its crawling up from the ground, the kappa spoke listlessly, its eyes vacant.

"Xiaoling, come here quickly!"

Noticing that something was wrong with the kappa in front of him, Akina Sawa's face turned serious, and he called out to Motoori Korin, who was standing awkwardly to the side.

"Me? What happened?" Although Motoori Kosuzu was completely confused, she still walked over to Akina Sawaya's side out of trust for her friend.

"tell me!"

"ah!"

The sudden roar of the 'kappa' startled Motoori Kosuzu, who grabbed Akina Zeya's arm and closed her eyes, trembling.

Akina Sawa did not respond, but stared intently at the 'kappa' opposite him. He had no obligation to explain his actions to others.

The roar seemed to have attracted the attention of those nearby once again. Seeing that the crowd was approaching again, the 'Kappa' curled its lip, widened its eyes, took in the faces of the two people in front of it, and then lowered its head.

Only then did Akina Sawa breathe a sigh of relief. He patted Motoori Korin, who was standing beside him with her eyes closed, looking as scared as a small animal.

"never mind."

"R-really?" Motoori Kore responded uneasily.

"Believe me."

After repeated reassurances, Motoori Kosuzu finally opened her pitiful eyes, which were filled with tears. She had never been scolded by anyone before.

Gudong~

Clutching his chest, he heard his heart pounding. Akina Ze was utterly powerless against cute and adorable creatures.

......

Chapter 140 The Unrecorded History

In a place unknown to anyone, stands a two-story wooden building.

Withered ivy covered one side of the house's brown wall, and the eaves and roof ridge were covered with indistinct wooden sculptures, gradually losing their original appearance over time.

This is an ancient building that cannot be visited through normal means. It is said to be older than Gensokyo itself, so much so that most people who knew about it have been lost to the annals of history.

Through the wooden slat window, there was a minimalist bedroom with nothing but a large bed.

Soft and comfortable, with a light pink nightcap tucking in her silky, dazzling golden hair, the self-proclaimed seventeen-year-old beauty, Yukari Yakumo, was fast asleep on the large bed, her fair and smooth lips slightly upturned, as if she were having a sweet dream.

Do the Boundary Demons dream of Doremi?

That dream-eating monster will probably stay far away, since the other side of the sage's dream is an absolute secret that cannot be told to anyone. If you don't want to be silenced, it's best to keep your distance.

Curiosity killed the cat, so killing a tapir is just a trivial matter.

Most people who know the surface secrets believe that Yukari Yakumo, as one of the sages of the yokai, lives in the House of the Lost, but in reality, this is just a smokescreen she put out.

Yukari Yakumo's actual residence is this ancient building, which is called: Yakumo Residence.

The Lost Home is simply the address where Yakumo Ran's shikigami, Orange, resides.

"Boom~boom~boom~"

The knocking was slow and gentle. After a pause, a slender, fair hand gently opened the door, and Yakumo Ran walked in.

"Lord Zi, I apologize for disturbing you during your rest time. There is something I think you may need to know."

After closing the door behind her, Yakumo Ran stood not far from the bed and spoke respectfully.

There was no light source in the room, but it didn't feel dark at all. Instead, there was a hazy halo that reflected on Yakumo's blue and white clothes, which resembled a Taoist robe.

Creak~

Yukari Yakumo lay lazily on the bed, her back to Ran Yakumo, her eyes closed, refusing to acknowledge her.

Seeing this, a look of worry appeared in Yakumo Ran's eyes.

The incident that happened at the Akina mansion that day was a huge blow to Lady Murasaki.

Being held tightly by Akina Sawaya and unable to move was a minor matter; what she found most unacceptable was Yuyuko's decision... to discard the memories they had shared in the past.

Saigyouji Yuyuko was relieved, but Yakumo Yukari was not. These days, she had been lying in bed, ignoring everything that was happening outside. Anyway, it was hibernation time, and if there were any problems in Gensokyo, she would let Reimu and the others solve them themselves.

"According to intelligence, a vengeful spirit has escaped from the old hell and is now attacking youkai in Gensokyo."

Although Yukari Yakumo didn't want to hear it, Ran Yakumo still reported the refined product to her.

"A vengeful spirit?" Facing the window, Yukari Yakumo said impatiently, "It's just a small vengeful spirit. There are so many gods and monks in Gensokyo. There's no need to tell me about this. Can't we just let them handle it?"

Yukari Yakumo is currently in a state of stagnation.