Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"..."

Miyaguchi Ruiling remained silent. She had been lurking in the human village causing trouble for several days. Indeed, as Akina Zeya had said, humans and yokai were living in harmony, and the patrol teams on the streets were basically just for show. It was a world of difference from the vicious environment in front of her.

But the more beautiful things seemed, the more wronged Miyaguchi Ruiling felt... "I just wanted to survive, why won't you give me a chance..."

The shimmering light dissipated in mid-air. This was the first time Akina Ze had ever seen someone shed tears in front of him, and the first time he had ever seen the tears of a ghost... So they weren't physical objects after all.

Akina Sawa stood there helplessly, unsure of what to do. Normally, he would have offered her a tissue to wipe her tears. But forget about the fact that he didn't have any tissues with him; even if he did, how would he wipe a ghost's tears?

Miyako Deguchi Ruiling realized that someone was still watching her, so she quickly turned around and said, suppressing her sobs:

"It's okay, let's go."

“I…” Akina Ze hesitated; he still wanted to do something.

Having made up his mind, Akina Sawa stepped forward, knowing that the vengeful spirit before him would not harm humans.

Standing a step away from her, Akina Ze also stopped and said, "I know what you've been through, and I understand the grievances in your heart. I won't tell you to give up or any of that nonsense, but I just want to tell you that the Human Village is absolutely happy now, and I can see that."

"I don't remember much about life outside, but it's definitely not as good as the human village. There, materialism is rampant, malice is everywhere, and monsters just exist in a different form."

It wasn't until he needed to speak eloquently that Akina Sawa realized how tongue-tied he was, hoping that he could convey his meaning to Miyaguchi-san.

It seemed that her sincere feelings had been conveyed, because Miyako Ruiling stopped wiping away her tears, but instead of turning around, she laughed and said, "I'm not so fragile that I need comforting. Let's go back, it's getting late tonight."

Akina Sawa wanted to say something more, but Shameimaru Aya stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and tried to take him away from there.

Seeing the obvious urging look on Miss Wenwen's face beside him, Qiu Mingze shrugged.

Just as he turned to leave the bamboo grove, a shadow fell over him.

"I don't need this anymore, you can have it."

By the moonlight, Akina Sawa also took a closer look and found that it was a dark-colored pipe, with a faint smell of smoke from the past.

Akina Sawa looked back in confusion and saw Miyakochi Ruiling standing alone in the vast bamboo forest under the moonlight.

She said with her back turned, "I won't cause any more trouble. Come to Hakurei Shrine tomorrow at noon. I'll be waiting for you there."

"Let's go, let's go quickly..."

A profound sense of loneliness arose within him, and Akina Sawa etched this scene into his memory. Unable to withstand the increasing force of Shameimaru Aya, he departed from there.

But... two people left, and one person remains.

Dispelling the technique that concealed her presence, Komeiji Satoru slowly emerged from the shadows. She calmly looked at the vengeful spirit beneath the moon and said:

"Don't go to Hakurei Shrine... Come back to the Old Hell with me."

......

Chapter 153 The Pretty Girl Blocking the Way

"The weather doesn't look very good today."

Reimu Hakurei looked up at the gloomy sky, then turned her gaze to the plaza in front of the shrine. "Are you here to turn yourself in, Miyaguchi Zuirei?"

"You don't seem very friendly, junior. The Hakurei Shrine has declined, and only a little brat like you is left." Miyaguchi Zuirei retorted sarcastically.

"Hmph, I won't argue with you. How dare a dead ghost stir up trouble among people?"

Reimu Hakurei's eyes were sharp, her long exorcism staff gripped tightly in her hand, subtly pointed ahead, as if ready to unleash a powerful attack at any moment.

"Don't rush, wait until someone arrives before you fight me. I won't run away," Miyaguchi Rui said, noticing that Hakurei Reimu seemed ready to attack.

"Do you have any helpers?" Reimu Hakurei asked warily.

"A helper?" Miyako Deguchi Ruiling shook her head and smiled, "Just someone to witness it."

The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, gloomy and oppressive.

Suika Ibuki sat under the eaves of the shrine, watching the impending battle in the courtyard, drinking her sake incessantly.

As time passed, she seemed to see the past, but back then, she was the one standing opposite her, and her opponents were two young girls, which was comical.

Suika Ibuki wiped the liquid from the corner of her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had fought with all her might. Since the Great Barrier was established, the powerful monsters on the ground had been bound, a result of compromise.

Before she knew it, the taciturn Komeiji Satoru was standing beside her, watching the 'Battle of the Shrine Maidens' together. What had not happened then had now come true.

"What if I ran to the middle and shouted, 'Come on, come and hit me!' Wouldn't that be interesting?" Suika Ibuki said with a smile.

"Hmm...maybe?"

Komeiji Satori looked at Ibuki Suika, who had huge horns on her head. She knew very well that the demons were born violent maniacs. Even in the old capital, under the suppression of the demon king, there were still demons who would take action every day. Countless buildings in the old capital were not destroyed by the decay of time, but were turned into ruins by the aftershocks.

But Komeiji Satoru also knew that the seemingly cute and friendly oni loli Ibuki Suika, who only knew how to drink, was also an oni king, standing at the top of the entire oni race. However, she left the land suitable for oni to live in and came to this human village on the ground where her strength was restricted.

She disliked reading the Ghost Clan's Heart because it was completely filled with alcohol, thick and pungent.

There was still some time before noon. Reimu Hakurei gripped her exorcism wand tightly and kept a close eye on Mizuki at the entrance of the palace. If anything unusual happened, she could take action immediately.

In contrast, Miyaguchi Ruiling seemed to be an unrelated person, squatting in the courtyard, scanning every flower and blade of grass at the Hakurei Shrine. Unfortunately, it was winter, and all she could see were withered flowers and broken willows.

The iron chain wrapped around her wrist swayed slightly as she waited, waiting for the perfect moment to arrive.

......

As the sun was about to reach its zenith, Akina Sawa grew anxious, but his path was unexpectedly blocked by someone.

—Yakumo Ran.

Although it was pleasing to the eye, now was not the time. Akina Ze looked at Yakumo Ran, who was wearing a long white dress that still couldn't hide her graceful figure, and asked, "I have something to do at the shrine right now. Miss Ran, could you please let me pass?"

"No, Zi said no one can go up at noon today."

Yakumo Ran's voice was exceptionally gentle, like stuffing someone into a marshmallow, but the content of her words was resolute.

"But I really have something to do, someone is waiting for me, could you make an exception?"

"Please go back." Yakumo Ran shook her head, looking at the man who refused to leave. "I am quite satisfied with your performance this year and your contributions to the Human Village. But she asked me to tell you that you are just a farmer and should not meddle in things you shouldn't. She has already let you off the hook several times because of your contributions."

"So do you know what I'm going to do?"

He clenched his fist and then lowered it, and Akina Sawa looked up and stared straight at Yakumo Ran.

"..."

Yakumo Ran did not respond, but simply stared back calmly. Her deep yellow eyes revealed no emotion. She just stood there quietly, her face serene.

Akina Sawa's mind was racing. Ran had been ordered to stop anyone from going to the Hakurei Shrine. What could be the purpose of that order?

It's probably to prevent Reimu Hakurei from knowing the truth, or the dark history of the Hakurei Shrine.

But here's the question: even if Reimu Hakurei knew about her so-called dark history, would it have any impact on her?

The answer is—absolutely not.

Having already made up his mind, Akina Sawa said to Ran, "I believe in Reimu. Even if she knew about that, it wouldn't change anything."

“Your belief is meaningless; we must nip the possibility in the bud,” Yakumo Ran responded.

"Just like you did to Miss Ruiling back then?"

Akina Ze's expression also became serious, with the pipe buried in the ground tucked into his pocket.

His understanding of the truth was to nip potential problems in the bud and eliminate them before they occurred.

With no other way to survive, Ruiling chose to follow Miss Cuixiang's plan in order to stay alive, but in the end, she still did not survive.

What did she do wrong? There is nothing wrong with wanting to survive; all life wants to continue, and humans are no exception.

Where do the crops grown in fields soaked with sweat ultimately end up?

It's not inside a human's stomach yet.

Akina Sawa understood Miyaguchi Mizuki's wish, because it was out of respect for life, but he didn't understand why someone would act based on a mere possibility...

He looked ahead at a gap that had quietly opened.

"Lady Purple," Yakumo Ran bowed and greeted her.

Holding a parasol and walking with elegant steps, Yukari Yakumo emerged from the gap.

"I heard someone wants to go up the mountain. Akina-kun, is that you?"

Her smile never left; looking up and down, Yukari Yakumo stared at the guy in front of her, a hint of lingering annoyance hidden in her eyes.

How could she forget that day when this guy held her legs so tightly that she couldn't move? Since she had memories, Yakumo Yukari had never experienced such humiliation.

The method used to break through her gap attack wasn't sophisticated spiritual or magical techniques, but rather a sleazy, cowardly grabbing onto her leg!?

Just thinking about it, especially seeing the person in question, made Yukari Yakumo's anger rise rapidly.

"Get him out of here!" Yukari Yakumo ordered mercilessly.

Yakumo Ran bowed and replied, "Yes, Lady Yukari."

"Wait! I have something to say!"

Seeing Yakumo Ran assume an attack stance, Akina Ze sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "I promise! I won't tell Reimu the truth. Let me go up."

"Hmph, it has nothing to do with that matter. This is our personal grudge." Yakumo Yukari twirled her parasol, her violet eyes filled with a teasing tone.

"How could I possibly have any grudge against you, Lady Yakumo Yukari?!" Akina Ze also loudly defended himself.

But by this point, Akina Sawa had already given up hope. He glanced in the direction of the shrine and closed his eyes.

I'm sorry, Ms. Miyagaku, it seems I'll have to break my promise.

The expected attack did not come. Akina Sawa opened his eyes in confusion and saw that Yakumo Ran, who had been about to attack, had stopped and turned to stand next to Yukari.

"Since it's a personal grudge, then Lord Zi, you should take action yourself."

Yukari Yakumo asked with a puzzled look, "Ran? What's this?"

"This is a choice I made after careful consideration, Purple. Isn't this what you expected?" Yakumo Ran said frankly and without arrogance.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds before Yakumo Yukari's face flushed crimson with disbelief. "How could you think that?!"

"I'll punish you again next time!"

Turning her head and leaving those words behind, Yakumo Yukari dragged the composed Yakumo Ran into the gap.

Before Akina Sawa could react, the two figures disappeared from the path leading to the shrine. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the obstacle was indeed gone.

Akina Sawa was about to recall what had just happened when a thought suddenly struck him.

After all this time wasted, could they have already started fighting?!

With this in mind, Akina Sawa hurried toward the shrine on the mountaintop, hoping he could still make it in time.

......

Chapter 154 is unnecessary

The endless dark clouds completely blocked out the sun.

Although the exact location was unclear, everyone in the shrine realized that noon had arrived.

Miyaguchi Ruiling looked up at the direction of the shrine's torii gate, but there was no one there. Only fallen leaves rolled on the ground in the wind. The person she was waiting for did not appear.

"So he didn't come after all...?"

She couldn't quite describe the feeling; Miyaguchi Ruiling felt no emotional fluctuation. She had long understood that expectation would only lead to disappointment, so she hadn't harbored any expectations from the start.

Miyakoji Ruiling stood up, coiled the iron chains on her wrists into a gauntlet-like shape, and said defiantly, tilting her head back:

"Let's start fighting, Reimu Hakurei. Don't hold back at all. Don't bring out those childish spell cards."

"Are you asking me to break the spell card rules I set?" Reimu Hakurei frowned, her long exorcism wand cutting through the air with a series of sonic booms. "I'll make it clear to you that spell cards are not child's play."

The wind is howling~

Ibuki Suika, who was in the spectator stands, couldn't contain herself any longer. She stood up and sat down repeatedly, finally turning to Komeiji Satoru, who was silently standing beside her, and asked:

"If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, just use them quickly."

“I can’t stop them.” Komeiji Satoru shook his head, his face calm and composed.

"Oh no! I thought you really had a solution!"

Seeing that things were going badly, Ibuki Suika gulped down four mouthfuls of sake, tossed her sake gourd aside, and prepared to step in and mediate.

"Wait, he's here."