Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Kaguya Houraisan couldn't believe she would do such a thing... but now the facts were undeniable; she had indeed done it...

No! This is not right!

Princess Kaguya suddenly looked up at Akina Zeya, who was calmly waiting for her response, her sharp thoughts racing through her mind.

Will I become a bad impression on him?

Thinking of this, Kaguya Houraisan felt inexplicably sad.

No, I don't want to! So these things can't be done by me, and shouldn't be done by me...

"It's an electronic demon."

"what?"

"It's the electronic demon that's affecting me."

Kaguya Houraisan walked to the spot where Akina Sawa had placed the broken disc, picked it up, held it by the edge, and said with certainty.

An electronic demon? Could it really be like that?

Kaguya Houraisan spoke with absolute certainty, but Akina Sawa listened with some skepticism. After all, there really were youkai in Gensokyo, so it wouldn't be surprising if there were demons, right?

"I knew Lady Kaguya wasn't doing this to us on purpose!"

With a snap, the door opened, and Reisen rushed in excitedly, along with Inaba Tei.

"Lord Kaguya, you've suffered! We must quickly take this to Lady Eirin for appraisal and see who dared to do such a thing!"

Reisen's words were very emotional, and Kaguya didn't know how to respond, because the electronic demon was something she had just made up to take the blame for; it didn't actually exist!

"Take a look, I was just about to go and thank Lord Yagokoro for his magnanimity last time," Akina Sawa said casually.

"very good."

Kaguya's expression remained unchanged, but her heart was filled with bitterness. She simply couldn't refuse. Without Eirin's endorsement, the suspicions were far too great. Apart from die-hard fans like Reisen, most of the more astute rabbits wouldn't believe it. Although she didn't care about the rabbits' opinions anyway, but—

Kaguya Houraisan glanced in the direction of Sawaya Akina out of the corner of her eye; she wanted him to believe her.

Having reached a consensus, the group decided to immediately take the disc to Yagokoro Eirin to see it.

Just as he was about to set off, Akina Sawa glanced back and saw that Inaba Tei was standing still.

"Miss Inaba?" Akina Sawa asked, puzzled.

Standing there in a daze, Inaba Tei shuddered, turned his head, and replied with a very ugly expression, "I, I'm coming right now."

......

Chapter 178 Caught in Their Own Trap

Eirin Yagokoro's usual workroom is brightly lit, and the air carries a faint scent of disinfectant mixed with herbs. It's not exactly pleasant, but it does have a subtle, refreshing effect.

Eirin Yagokoro is holding a fragment of a CD that has been irregularly torn in the middle, examining it closely.

Sitting upright in her chair, Kaguya Houraisan awaited Eirin's diagnosis results. She appeared calm on the surface, but her lips were slightly pursed, revealing that she was not at peace inside.

Kaguya Houraisan glanced subtly at Akina Sawaya and Reisen sitting to her left and right. She wanted to speak several times, but ultimately remained silent, only silently signaling to Yagokoro Eirin with her eyes.

Akina Sawa didn't notice Kaguya's unusual movements; his attention was completely focused on Inaba Tei, who was sitting to his left near the door.

Even without any detective skills, he could see that Miss Inaba had serious problems.

Her face was deathly pale, her legs were trembling uncontrollably, and a fine layer of sweat was beading on her forehead.

Isn't this blatantly admitting that I'm the one with the problem and that they should come and arrest me?

However, Dr. Yagi's evaluation is not yet complete, and we cannot draw conclusions too quickly, in case we are proven wrong.

After all, it's also possible that Miss Inaba is currently in a hurry to urinate, but is holding it in because she doesn't have a chance to say it.

As he thought about it, a smile involuntarily appeared on Akina Ze's lips.

Inaba Tei seemed to have noticed that Akina Sawa was also observing her, and she raised her head, forcing a few ingratiating smiles on her face.

"Hey."

After observing carefully for a long time, Yagokoro Eirin sighed and gently placed the CD in her hand on the table.

The results of the test were finally about to be released, and the attention of the waiting group immediately focused on them, hoping to get the answer from Eirin Yagokoro.

After smoothing her knee-length hair, Eirin Yagokoro's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "There are indeed some rather rough traces of modification on this, but it's not clear what specific effects it will have yet; we need to conduct experiments."

"So, someone really did tamper with my game disc..."

Kaguya Houraisan said expressionlessly.

She originally just intended to make up something to use as a scapegoat, but unexpectedly, it actually turned out to be a problem.

Reisen's expression tightened. Having spent so much time with Princess Kaguya, she knew very well how much Princess Kaguya valued game discs with cartridge slots. This matter had definitely offended Princess Kaguya.

The people on the field were still pondering to themselves.

"thump!"

A loud thud on the ground broke the brief silence.

Suddenly, Inaba Tei knelt down on the ground and cried out, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have given that disc to Princess Kaguya."

“Ignorance is no excuse.” Yagokoro Eirin shook her head.

Inaba Tei's face lit up with joy, and he immediately thought he was going to be let off the hook. He tried to get up from the ground.

Eirin Yagokoro's expression changed. "But you really don't know anything at all?"

"I..." Inaba Tei was speechless for a moment. She did feel something was a little strange when she bought that disc, but she didn't think about it in detail and gave it to Kaguya-hime directly, thinking that she would have more time to play the game and not have time to make the rabbits do chores.

An invisible, immense pressure weighed on Inaba, reminding her that she was once the Sage of the Moon. Although she was now living in seclusion in Eientei in Gensokyo, she couldn't escape her little schemes.

"Tell me, where did you buy that CD?"

Seeing that the purpose of the warning had been achieved, Yagokoro Eirin inquired.

“I bought it from a secondhand stall at the market,” Inaba Tei answered honestly. “I saw a CD with a game image on the cover and bought it. The shopkeeper looked like an ordinary person, and she probably didn’t know there was something wrong with what she was selling.”

Upon hearing Inaba Tei's response, Yagokoro Eirin's eyes flickered, and after a moment of thought, she said, "I understand."

"Yes, Lord Yagokoro."

After saying that, Inaba Tei quickly got up from the ground and stood obediently in the corner. Every creature has its nemesis, and even the mischievous Inaba Tei has her nemesis.

"Who on earth would do such a thing?"

Kaguya Houraisan looked grave. Tampering with the game disc was undoubtedly aimed at her. It was impossible for the disc to be delivered to her through Inaba Tei.

"Based on the current intelligence, we cannot deduce who did it; we need more clues."

Eirin Yagokoro shook her head in response.

"Ok."

Even Eirin was helpless. Kaguya Houraisan replied dejectedly, then turned to Akina Sawa and said, "Let's go then."

Her initial purpose in coming here was to prove that the CD was faulty, and now that it has been found that it is indeed faulty, she has achieved her goal in any case.

"Wait a moment." Akina Ze also waved his hand, temporarily declining Kaguya's invitation.

Now that the important matters have been discussed, it's his turn to handle things.

Akina Sawa also spoke up, "Dr. Yagokoro, I already know what I did last time. I want to apologize to you in person. I came in a hurry, so please forgive me for not bringing a gift this time. I will definitely bring one next time!"

Upon hearing this, Yagokoro Eirin paused for a moment, glanced at Reisen's expression, and her dark eyes flickered slightly as she immediately understood the situation.

"Hehe~" she chuckled softly, "It's alright. The physical data I collected from you has helped me a lot. Since this is a rare opportunity, would you like to have another physical examination?"

As she spoke, Yagokoro Eirin took out her bottles and jars from the drawer, holding them in her hand, where they shimmered with iridescent colors in the sunlight.

"No, he's not participating!"

Kaguya Houraisan grasped Sawaya Akina's wrist and led him outside.

Kaguya had a general idea of ​​what Eirin would do. Although there probably wouldn't be any major problems, it was also unlikely that nothing would go wrong. Kaguya didn't want Eirin to use Akina Sawa for experiments.

"Lord Yagokoro, I shall take my leave now."

Watching Princess Kaguya's departing figure, Reisen greeted her and then respectfully turned to walk away, attempting to catch up with the two people in front of her.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Inaba Tei secretly followed Reisen, intending to slip away.

"Inaba Tei, wait a moment."

We're just a few steps from the door!

Filled with resentment, Inaba Tei seemed to accept the guidance of fate, stiffly turning to face Yagokoro Eirin who had called out to her.

"We need you for the experiment later. Please sit there and wait for a while."

"W-what experiment?" Inaba Tei's face was extremely grim. "Can I refuse to do it?"

“No, you bought this yourself.” Yagokoro Eirin placed the CD under a piece of experimental equipment and said calmly, “It’s time for you to atone for your sins.”

Under the light, wisps of black energy were extracted from the disc by Eirin Yagokoro's technique.

"Gulu~"

Seeing the black mist gradually solidify, Inaba Tei swallowed hard, his face filled with panic.

......

Chapter 179 Gurgle~

The warm sun rises.

Motoori Kosuzu pushed open the door of Suzunaan and stretched lazily in the cold air.

Opening the shop on time every day, regardless of the weather or whether there are customers, is one of the rules that Suzunaan has passed down from generation to generation.

Motoori Kosuzu was no exception. Although she stayed up late reading last night, she still got up early, dressed, and tied her hair with her favorite pair of bell hair ties that made a very clear sound.

However, staying up late is still quite harmful to the body. Motoori Kosu rubbed her eyes, and some dark marks could be seen at the corners of her eyes and even under her eyes. She had dark circles under her eyes.

Pulling out the chair, standing on tiptoe to sit down, Motoori Kosuzu glanced up at the gate of Suzuna-an, silently thinking, "Open for business!" before turning her gaze to the desk in front of her.

The desk was piled high with books, most of which Motoori Kosuzu had already read, but she found the content of the books interesting, so she left them on the desk to take out and read them when she was bored.

But they're not the main focus today.

In the very center of the desk, there was a thick book.

Motoori Kosuzu shook her head to dispel some of the morning drowsiness, and following the place where she had placed the bookmark, flipped directly to the spot she had seen last night.

Randomly tossing the bookmark into the pen holder, Motoori Kosuzu eagerly looked at the words written in the book—

'Maoyu, gentle in nature, has a fluffy, ball-shaped body and comes in various colors, but white is the most common. It is usually used for...'

......

Yesterday, after returning from the flea market, Motoori Kosuzu couldn't wait to pull out the Demon Book from a hidden corner and start reading.

But as she looked at it, a strange desire to eat Mao Yu's flesh arose in her mind.

Motoori Kosuzu had eaten it before, and Akina Sawa had once given her a few pounds of Maoyu meat, but he hadn't given her any more since.

Looking back now, it really did taste great. The meat was incredibly tender, melting in your mouth after a little cooking, and had a subtle milky flavor. It had absolutely no fishy or gamey taste, making it arguably the finest ingredient.

Unfortunately, even a weak Maoyu is still a yokai, and it has enough intimidation for ordinary people. Apart from Akina Sawaya, Motoori Kosuzu has never seen anyone else hunt a Maoyu.

Recalling that taste now, Motoori Kosuzu's mouth is filled with saliva. Even if her favorite demon book were placed in front of her, she would lose interest, and only the feeling of eating the hairy jade would remain in her mind.

After daydreaming for a while, Motoori Kosuzu's silly grin turned into a troubled expression.

Because there's really no one selling hairy meat, and it's currently winter, the area outside the Human Village is even more dangerous than in other seasons. Although it's the animal path under the Hakurei Shrine, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden never cleans it, so it's hard to be sure if there are any starving wild beasts around. If you happen to run into one, it'll be troublesome.

There were many difficulties, but Motoori Kosuzu really wanted to eat it. It was as if a flame was burning in her mind, and she wouldn't be able to stop until she ate the Maoyu meat.

"Let's investigate first."

With a sigh, Motoori Kosuzu closed the book on demons in front of her and planned to go to the shelf to find a book about Mao Yu.

She remembered that Akina Sawa had borrowed it before, and the book shouldn't have been placed far away after it was returned; she could easily find it by looking around.

"found it!"

Sure enough, a moment later, Motoori Kosuke's delighted voice rang out as she found the book describing Mao Yu on the bookshelf.