Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Pushing the book of demons aside, Motoori Kosuke eagerly opened the book of jade and began to read it carefully.

A dark cloud drifted by, completely obscuring the moon.

It was already very late at night, and the neighbors had all turned off their lights and gone to bed early, but a room in Suzunaan was still glowing with the dim light of lit candles.

Suzunaan actually has electrical wiring so that the lights can be turned on, but Suzuna Motoori can't bear to part with it.

Although the price of electricity provided by the kappa has decreased considerably, supposedly due to a newly built power plant, it is still too expensive for Suzu.

The light from candles is fine...

The dim light shone on Kozue Motoya's focused face, and the shadow cast by the angle of the light moved vividly on the wall.

As she read the book's detailed descriptions of Mao Yu's habits, a plan gradually formed in Motoori Kosuke's mind.

"Ow~"

It was so late at night that Motoori Kosuzu opened her small mouth wide and let out a long yawn.

It's really hard for a young girl to stick to staying up late.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, casually took out a bookmark she had just picked up from the flea market that day, put it in Mao Yushu, and then walked to her small bed in her slippers to lie down.

Soon after, Motoori Kosuzu fell asleep. In her dream, she seemed to be having a sweet dream, with a smile on her face and a trace of crystal-clear liquid slowly flowing from the corner of her mouth.

Let's turn our attention to the present.

Motoori Kosuzu closed the book in front of her with both hands; she had already finished reading all the knowledge recorded inside on how to deal with hairy jade.

"So all I need to do is dodge Mao Yu's first attack, then get behind it and give it a surprise attack?" Motoori Kosuzu muttered to herself.

Although her instincts told her something was wrong, her longing for Mao Yu made her put all of that aside.

......

Holding a wooden stick about ten centimeters thick, along with a net borrowed from her neighbor that was originally meant for catching fish, Motoori Kozue was about to begin her plan to catch hairy fish.

Wearing thick clothes, Motoori Kosuzu felt a bit hot.

Is this the excitement of finally completing the plan?

She inexplicably recalled the way Akina Zeya had smiled brightly at her when he was holding the jade pendant.

"I can do it too."

Silently encouraging herself, Motoori Kosuzu seemed to have her reason burning fiercely. Holding her props, she quickly walked across the street and headed towards the snowy field outside the village, under the surprised gazes of the crowd.

Once she regained her senses, Motoori Kosuzu stared blankly at the path before her.

This road, covered with a thick layer of snowflakes, is the animal path that connects to the Hakurei Shrine.

Gripping the wooden stick tightly, Motoori Kosuzu's nerves tensed up.

She had read many books and was generally aware of the dangers outside the village.

The danger level of the animal trail is relatively low compared to that of ordinary people. There is no danger of certain death upon contact, but it is not to say that there is no danger of injury at all.

In a situation where bad luck is rampant, an ordinary human being would very likely lose their life here.

But she's different; Motoori Kosuzu is well-prepared.

If dangerous animals visit, she carries a potion that can repel wild animals; she just needs to open it and sprinkle it on the ground.

Sensing the cloth-wrapped bag in her pocket, Motoori Kosuzu felt slightly relieved.

Suppressing her scattered thoughts, Motoori Kozue scanned the beast path but found nothing, and there were no traces of Maoyu rolling on the snow.

"It seems we need to go a little deeper."

After a quick analysis, carrying a wooden stick, Motoori Kozue walked inside without hesitation.

"Gulu?"

A white tuft of hairy beetle rolled out of the nearby grass and tilted its head, looking at it curiously.

Her red eyes reflected the receding, petite figure of Motoori Kozue.

......

Chapter 180 Like a Dream or Not

"Has nothing changed?"

With a hint of doubt in her eyes, Yagokoro Eirin stared at Inaba Tei, who was sitting there obediently.

The black energy extracted from the CD has already been absorbed by Inaba Tei using a prop.

Judging from the time it took for the black substance to be absorbed, half an hour has already passed. This is more than enough time to conduct several skin tests in a row. However, Inaba Tei has not changed much and looks no different from usual. His bare feet are just swaying slightly between the stools and chairs.

But that's normal. As a rabbit yokai, Inaba is naturally active and dislikes stillness. It's understandable that she would feel bored after staying here for so long.

"Alright, go back now. Just don't do it again next time."

Feeling that continuing to watch like this wouldn't lead to anything, Yagokoro Eirin waved her hand, signaling Inaba Tei to leave the room.

"Lord Yagokoro, shall I be going now?!"

Overjoyed at regaining his freedom, Inaba jumped off the chair, his bare feet touching the floor, and disappeared in a flash.

While still pondering, Yagokoro Eirin thought that the reason why Princess Kaguya was affected was also through a disc as a medium. Perhaps, if that unknown black energy wanted to affect people, simply inhaling it would not work; it had to be through a medium to be effective.

Judging from Kaguya's situation, the unknown dark energy has made her addicted to the game. If the dark energy really has an effect on Inaba, what would the specific situation be?

Eirin Yagokoro felt a headache coming on; without sufficient clues, even she couldn't guess the whole picture.

However, one thing is certain: the person who attached the black energy to the disc was not very skilled; she could extract it with just a little processing.

However, she can rule out the possibility that it was Yue Du who did it... because Yue Du's skills are not that bad.

After closing her eyes in contemplation, Yagokoro Eirin opened them with a relaxed air and leisurely sat back down in the chair in the center of the room.

Since it's not the Moon Capital, this matter isn't urgent.

As her thoughts wandered, Yagokoro Eirin suddenly remembered Akina Sawaya, who had just visited her, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

"In just a few months, his physical condition underwent a tremendous change, but he was still human and showed no signs of demonization."

In just a short period of time, Yagokoro Eirin had thoroughly examined Akina Sawa, inside and out, solely through her eyesight.

Based on her experience, she could tell that Akina Zeya's muscles possessed extremely strong explosive power.

"Interesting, looks like you have a little secret~"

Compared to the unknown black aura that had been ruled out as a suspect in the Lunar Capital, Eirin Yagokoro was more interested in Akina Sawa.

If an ordinary human can reach the physical abilities of a typical demon in just a few months, then perhaps even the strength of a demon will be attained in time...

As she twirled the pencil between her fingers, Eirin Yagokoro pondered silently.

......

In a snowy area deep within the animal trail.

Motoori Kore stared intently at the fluffy animal opposite her, her face serious, holding her breath.

That was what she had been searching for so long, even venturing deep into the beast path, to find—the hairy jade.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, think about what the book says."

Clutching the wooden stick tightly in her hand, Motoori Kosuzu muttered to herself, recalling the relevant knowledge she had read in the book yesterday.

According to the book, Mao Yu has poor hearing, so the simplest way is to sneak up behind it when it's not paying attention and give it a good whack. It's very likely to succeed.

Silently reciting the message, Motoori Kosuzu lowered her body and slowly walked towards the white, fluffy jade.

Normally, when a person walks on snow, it makes a slight crunching sound, but the snow on the ground now has been falling from the sky for many days and is frozen solid.

The sound produced by Kozue Motoi stepping lightly on it was very faint.

Even so, she was extremely careful, breathing as slowly and softly as possible, minimizing any possible noise, all for the sake of a fatal blow once she got close.

"Gulu~"

Suddenly, Mao Yu, who was rolling around in the snow, seemed to hear something. His short, almost invisible ears on both sides perked up as he listened to the various sounds coming from the vicinity.

Just a few steps away from behind, Benju Xiaoling didn't dare to breathe, lying in wait for Maoyu to put his ears down again.

After a while, Maoyu finally retracted its ears and began to roll leisurely in the snow again. It seemed that it had not noticed Motoori Korin hiding a few steps behind it.

Motoori Kosuzu breathed a sigh of relief; the erect ears on the sides of Maoyu's head had surprised her slightly.

The book says that Mao Yu's ears are extremely short and almost invisible, hidden in his fur, but seeing it with my own eyes now, I am quite surprised to find that this is indeed the case.

However, let's discuss these matters later. A glint of light appeared in Motoori Kosuzu's eyes as she slowly raised the wooden stick in her hand to gather potential energy.

Mao Yu, completely unaware of the impending danger, rolled around in the snow while making soft, gurgling sounds.

The wooden stick was already raised to its maximum angle; it would hit Mao Yu as soon as it was swung down.

But at this crucial moment, Motoori Kosuzu hesitated for no apparent reason. Her arm trembled slightly, and a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes.

She could get delicious Maoyu meat just by hitting it, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Mao Yu's adorable appearance reminded her of the kitten that often sheltered from the rain under the eaves of her house.

The kitten was the same, with snow-white fur all over its body.

She stayed still while sheltering from the rain, letting Xiaoling touch her, but as soon as the rain stopped, she would run out without hesitation, without any lingering.

Moved by the scene, Motoori Kosuzu simply couldn't bring herself to kill it. She had never killed an animal with her own hands before, at most she had only cooked some pre-processed ingredients.

"Gurgle? Gurgle!"

Suddenly, Mao Yu in front of her shouted, her eyes turning bloodshot. She spun 180 degrees to face Motoori Korin directly.

In that moment of hesitation, even the slow-witted Mao Yu noticed the ill-intentioned humans hiding behind it.

Motoori Kosui's face turned pale. Combining the posture in the book, she could tell that this was Mao Yu's attack stance.

"Goo!"

Mao Yu is not an emotional creature; it has no extraneous feelings. When facing an enemy, it launches an attack immediately after preparing itself.

【Maoyu clashes! 】

Like a flying soccer ball, Mao Yu suddenly leaped up from the ground and shot straight towards Motoori Kosuzu.

The attack was incredibly swift, giving Motoori Kozue no room to dodge. She instinctively raised the wooden stick to block in front of her chest.

"Snapped!"

The powerful impact snapped the wooden stick in Motoori Kozue's hand in two, and she herself was thrown a meter or two and fell onto the snow.

Fortunately, most of the damage was absorbed by the wooden stick, and apart from the fall when she landed, Motoori Kozue was not seriously injured.

Even so, Motoori Kosuzu was unable to stand up for a short time; her legs began to tremble violently, a sign of fear of danger.

As if some kind of support had vanished from her body, tears began to well up in Motoori Kosuzu's eyes.

"Is there anyone, is there anyone who can save me?"

Unfortunately, this place is quite a distance from the animal path, and in winter, almost no humans leave the human village to visit the Hakurei Shrine, so almost no one can hear Motoori Kosuzu's cries for help.

As for relying on the shrine maiden... that's completely useless. Perhaps she could be used when it comes to revenge.

"Am I going to die?"

Motoori Kozue's eyes were filled with tears, her vision blurred, but she could vaguely see a round, fluffy doll rolling towards her.

In this moment of despair, Motoori Kosuzu suddenly remembered her experience of catching moya (a type of dolphin) with Akina Sawaya back in the spring.

At that time, Akina Sawa was also wearing a frying pan armor, which looked strange, but it gave him a great sense of security. In the end, in order not to abandon her, he silently endured Mao Yu's attacks and held on until the shrine maiden arrived before finally collapsing.

Will he appear again to save me...?

In despair, she prayed for hope. As Mao Yu drew closer, Motoori Kosuzu's fear gradually subsided, and she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Motoori Kosuzu felt as if her body was leaving the ground, and a pair of warm, large hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her up from the ground.

"Why are you crying?"

A familiar voice rang in my ears.

At that moment, Motoori Kosuzu burst into tears, her eyes filled with tears.

......