Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

A flash of inspiration struck him, and Akina Sawa instantly thought of a place—

It was a street right next to the market, without a specific name, but everyone called it 'Snack Street'.

As the name suggests, this street is lined with all sorts of food stalls, most of which specialize in various ways of cooking rice.

This street is loved even by the residents of the human village, let alone the monsters.

After all, monsters haven't developed such a wide variety of cuisines as humans; even the kappa's cucumbers are only at the basic edible stage.

Having made up his mind, Akina Ze also spoke up:

"Let's go to the food street."

"That kind of place? I don't have money to eat there!"

Reimu Hakurei's eyes widened, a huge red ribbon swaying behind her head, saliva gushing from her mouth. For the impoverished Reimu, that place was something she usually treated as if it didn't exist.

Wanting to eat but not being able to is so painful; it's better to just pretend it never existed.

Akina Zeya's words shattered this thin veil, making it impossible for Hakurei Reimu to ignore it once again.

"...What are you thinking? Aren't there a lot of monsters on the snack street? We'd have a better chance of finding the culprit if we went there."

"Huh? Is that so...?"

Her disappointment was palpable, and her delicate face turned into a bitter expression. Reimu Hakurei thought that Akina Sawa had brought this up because he wanted to treat her to something, based on her experience of often taking advantage of him.

"Otherwise, what do you think I'm saying? Just wandering around the streets like a headless fly, there's probably not much chance of finding anyone."

While the two were talking, Komeiji Satoru, who had been observing the passersby, turned his head to look at Hakurei Reimu a few times, and then looked at Akina Sawaya.

She really wanted to say a few words to Akina Sawa, but she couldn't... What if she was misunderstood as someone who could read minds...?

Komeiji Satori pursed her lips, lowered her head, and touched her stomach. It felt soft, but she couldn't feel any hunger. After all, she wasn't human...

"Let's go." Her lips, a pale cherry blossom hue, parted slightly.

Upon hearing these small but clear words, Akina Sawa and Hakurei Reimu looked at Komeiji Satoru with surprise, because these words came from her mouth—Komeiji Satoru also wanted to express something.

......

As soon as the three of them stepped into the street next to the market, a delicious aroma wafted through the air. Fried food mixed with sweetness, and marshmallows wrapped around fried chicken created an oddly proportioned but strangely pleasant smell.

From Akina Sawaya's perspective, the entire street was laid out before him.

He sighed inwardly, "I knew I was right to come."

Compared to other places, this place is the most crowded, perhaps because it's close to noon.

Moreover, in addition to humans, kappa, even tengu from Tengu Mountain, and other monsters can be seen.

You chose your appetite over the risk of fainting? Hagimon, you bastard...

However, even so, Akina Sawa could still see some anxiety on the faces of these yokai. The recent events had had a significant impact, and many yokai just wanted to buy the snacks as soon as possible and then run away.

Only the fairies remained unchanged. After all, being heartless, even if they all fell into a coma, they would only forget everything and repeat the same mistakes when they woke up.

But this is not good news for the shopkeepers. As everyone knows, fairies understand money differently than humans, and there are plenty of fairies who would pay with just a few green leaves.

These are considered innocent fairies; some don't even bother to act, just snatch the item and run, causing a huge mess, and end up on the street's blacklist, where they're chased away whenever they see them.

After walking a few steps on this road, Akina Ze noticed that Reimu Hakurei was staring intently at a string of candied hawthorns by the roadside, her mouth practically watering.

Although the orange-yellow, translucent candy shell looks delicious, it's not quite that bad...

However, the shrine maiden's role is only to help Komeiji Satori find the yokai. Let her look at the candied hawthorns if she wants; as long as Komeiji is alright, we can continue searching.

There are quite a few monsters on this street. It will probably take quite a while to check them all.

Thinking this, Akina Sawa also turned to look at Komeiji Satoru.

Ok?

Why are you staring at the candied hawthorns too?

Even more so than Reimu Hakurei, Komeiji was staring at her with all three eyes.

He had no expression, and drool was even dripping from the corner of his mouth...

Well... it looks like the search mission won't be completed if these two don't get to eat candied hawthorns. Akina Sawa is also waiting to go home and slack off.

"Let's go, it's on me."

Akina Ze also grabbed one person with each hand and walked towards the stall selling candied hawthorns.

"No, no." Komeiji Satoru shook his head, wanting to refuse, but Akina Sawaya's grip remained firm.

"Just think of it as a favor to Miss Reimu. If you don't eat it, she definitely won't eat it either."

“…Hmm, okay.” Komeiji Satoru replied softly.

"Akina! Why are you so sure I want to eat it?" Reimu Hakurei protested.

"Then you won't eat?"

Akina Ze also gave him a look.

"These...these are two different things!"

Reimu Hakurei's protests gradually subsided, and she turned to look excitedly at the candied hawthorns stuck on the long pole, waiting to be picked.

Compared to this verbal advantage, she would much rather eat sweet candied hawthorns!

But what she didn't expect was that the mind-reading youkai also wanted to eat candied hawthorns. Reimu Hakurei glanced at Satoru Komeiji, who was being pulled along by Akina Sawa's arm.

His face showed strong resistance, but he didn't do anything...

Wait a minute? This feels so familiar...

Suddenly realizing something, Reimu Hakurei looked at her arm, which was also being pulled, and her face immediately turned bright red. "W-No, that's not right!"

Not far from here, around a corner, a figure hidden in the shadows silently took in this joyful scene, silently reaching out to touch the collar, but finding nothing.

"He's not here..."

......

Chapter 145 Sugar Through Tang

"Street vendor, please give me three candied hawthorns!"

As soon as she reached the stall selling candied hawthorns, Reimu Hakurei eagerly held up three fingers and shouted to the vendor.

"Three sticks? Reimu, you can just buy two."

Upon hearing the number, Akina Ze shook his head. It wasn't that he disliked candied hawthorns; he simply disliked the sour hawthorn inside the candy shell, especially after being exposed to the strong sweetness, which created a strong sense of difference.

"No way! If you don't eat it yourself, I... well, Miss Komeiji definitely won't agree either!" Reimu Hakurei strongly objected.

Unwittingly drawn into the conversation, Komeiji Satoru slightly raised her eyes, shifting her gaze from the candied hawthorn to Akina Zeya, her delicate, expressionless face revealing a slight parting of her pale lips.

"Yes."

It's just an instinctive thought, not mind reading, to arrive at a conclusion through weighing information.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it since Miss Komeiji has said so." Akina Sawa scratched his head, a slight ripple of emotion stirring within him.

Is a three-faced expression inherently great just because it looks like it has no personality?

The answer is yes, but not entirely.

Because a strong contrast is the ultimate sublimation. If one could see that scene, anyone would be humbled and would surely be impressed. At least Akina Ze would not be able to resist it.

Reimu Hakurei paused for a moment, not expecting Satoru Komeiji to pick up on this, but she quickly recovered and smiled:

"I knew it! Give me three, vendor!"

After receiving the three skewers of candied hawthorn from the vendor, Reimu Hakurei glanced at the crystal-clear candy shell, picked out the largest one, and said to Satoru Komeiji:

"I'll give this to you."

"Thank you."

With her palms facing up, Komeiji Satoru respectfully extended both hands, waiting for Hakurei Reimu to hand her the candied hawthorn.

"...No need to say thank you, or rather, I'm not the one who should be thanking you..."

"Mr. Akina, thank you." Komeiji Satoru turned to Akina Sawaya and thanked him, his hands still in the same position.

Witnessing this scene firsthand, Reimu Hakurei felt that her preconceived notions about mind-reading youkai were about to be shattered.

So gentle and adorable... they're not much different from small animals!

Reimu Hakurei placed the stick of the candied hawthorn on Komeiji Satoru's palm and inexplicably felt that she had completely lost in a certain aspect... How could she be so cute!

Turning her grief and anger into appetite, Reimu Hakurei grabbed two candied hawthorns in her left and right hands and angrily bit off the hawthorn ball at the very top of one of the candied hawthorns.

"this is for you."

"Why is it the one you ate... Oh well, let's just leave it at that."

Looking at the candied hawthorn skewer handed to him, Qiu Mingze was speechless. One of the five hawthorns wrapped in sugar was missing, but he still accepted it.

After all, Reimu Hakurei could clearly feel a sense of resentment for some reason, and she knew that refusing might lead to something bad.

However, sweetness is the best comfort for the heart, and Reimu Hakurei quickly calmed down after eating a candied hawthorn (originally belonging to Zeya Akina).

A delicate pink tongue darted out from between her lips and teeth, lightly licking the thick layer of sugar coating. A blissful smile spread across her face. This was a rare opportunity, and she absolutely had to savor it. This was Reimu Hakurei's only thought at that moment.

"Click~"

A crisp cracking sound broke the atmosphere.

Reimu Hakurei frowned for a moment, then relaxed, deciding to ignore her and just enjoy herself.

"Kacha~Kacha~Kacha~"

But the continuous sounds finally made Reimu Hakurei unable to hold back any longer.

"That's not how you eat candied hawthorns!" Reimu Hakurei shouted angrily, peeking out from Sawaya Akina's left and addressing Satoru Komeiji on her right.

"You should gently lick the sugar shell with your tongue, and only eat the hawthorn inside after you've finished the shell, instead of biting the shell and hawthorn together in one bite!"

Reimu Hakurei, who treats candied hawthorns as a rare treasure, can't stand Satoru Komeiji's behavior, which is simply a waste of resources.

Looking at Reimu Hakurei, who was leaning over in anger, Satoru Komeiji chewed twice blankly, swallowed the mixture of sugar shells and hawthorn fragments in his mouth, and then nodded.

"Miko, what should I do?"

Komeiji Satori had never eaten candied hawthorn before, or rather, she had left the Old Hell very few times, almost never.

There's no such snack in the Old Hell. Expecting the demons to set up stalls and make delicious food is less desirable than waiting for them to have had their fill of alcohol.

Her straightforward and humble words reminded Reimu Hakurei of Marisa, who was also just as straightforward.

However, there are still quite a few differences between the two. At least Marisa has a cheerful smile, while Komeiji Satoru has a blank expression.

Coming to her senses, Reimu Hakurei began instructing Satoru Komeiji on what to do.

"Stick out your tongue first."

"Is that right?"

Komeiji did as she was told, sticking out her clove-like tongue and responding indistinctly.

Nodding, Reimu Hakurei continued, "Then bring the candied hawthorn close to your tongue, remember to start with the first one."

"Lick it gently until the sugar coating is completely gone before you can eat the hawthorn inside."

Reimu Hakurei's face was serious.

"Okay." Komeiji Satoru obediently followed instructions and tasted the candied hawthorn.

"...I think you can eat candied hawthorns however you like..."

Akina Ze, who was caught in the middle watching the interaction between the two, couldn't help but complain.

While it's certainly cute to see Komeiji and Reimu eating candied hawthorns this way, actually you can eat them however you like...

“So, Zeya, you don’t understand at all!” Reimu Hakurei shook her head and sighed deeply. “You must treat food with the utmost care, because once you miss it, you’ll never have it again.”

"But I can eat candied hawthorn every day if I want to," Qiu Mingze replied, equally puzzled.

Upon hearing this answer, Reimu Hakurei visibly paused, and after a long while, she replied:

"...I can't talk to you."