Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Reimu Hakurei spoke softly, feigning indifference.

This is actually a lie; Marisa came to see her a few days ago.

But seeing Motoori Korin sitting next to Akina Sawaya and behaving very intimately, a sour feeling welled up in Reimu's heart. She decided to tell a little lie quietly, since Marisa wouldn't suddenly pop up and expose her.

Akina Sawa scratched his nose somewhat awkwardly. He could tell that Reimu was intentionally pointing him out. Since the incident with Rui Ling, he hadn't been to the shrine again. It was too far away, and he couldn't fly.

Without any hesitation, Akina Ze shifted the blame to the long journey and changed the subject, saying, "Since you don't know about Eientei, Miss Reimu, then I'll tell you."

After saying that, Akina Sawa omitted the parts about Reisen and Kaguya shopping with him at the market, and clearly recounted the whole story.

After listening, Reimu Hakurei frowned, realizing that there was indeed something wrong with the matter.

If even the Moon Princess of Eientei could be affected, doesn't that mean everyone in Gensokyo is at risk of being affected?

"A wisp of black energy attaches to the so-called game disc, allowing Kaguya Houraisan to play games day and night, even exhausting her rabbit subordinates to play with her..." Reimu Hakurei said cautiously, "This has never happened before."

"But I heard that girl really likes playing games... Could it be that someone is deliberately targeting her, while others are safe?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Akina Ze nodded as well.

He was just going along with Reimu's words. After all, Akina Sawa had only been in Gensokyo for less than a year. If Kaguya-sama had enemies, there was a possibility that she would be targeted.

"Well, these are all hypotheticals. After all, she's the only case right now, so it's too early for us to draw any conclusions." Reimu Hakurei shook her head, stating that it was too early to draw any definitive conclusions at this stage.

“That’s true.” Akina Ze also scratched the back of his head and stopped talking.

That was the end of the business; it was just a topic to start a conversation, and he wasn't interested in it anyway.

Reimu Hakurei naturally realized that Akina Sawa had no intention of continuing the discussion, so she remained silent.

The scene was quiet for a moment...

Actually, the Hakurei Shrine is always very quiet; the discussion we just had was an anomaly.

After a while, Akina Ze tentatively asked, "Reimu, do you feel like something's missing?"

"What's missing?" Reimu Hakurei's expression tightened; she suspected that Akina Sawa was also referring to that manga book.

But she had already decided that he, and Motoi Kosuzu, absolutely could not see this comic book, and... Shameimaru Aya was one of them.

Akina Ze remained silent, only gently licking his somewhat dry lips.

She glanced at the kitchen again, and only then did Reimu Hakurei realize what was going on. She glared at Zeya Akina with displeasure.

"What, are you thirsty? Go to the kitchen and pour yourself some, but remember not to put in tea leaves, and then pour me a cup too."

"I'm a guest, is this really okay?" Akina Ze also tried to struggle a bit.

But his struggles were futile. Reimu Hakurei glared at him menacingly until Akina Sawa obediently went into the kitchen.

Hearing the sound of water being poured inside, Reimu Hakurei turned her gaze to Kosuka Motoori, who had been sitting quietly.

She remembered that this was the girl from Suzunaan.

From Marisa's sources, Reimu knew that this literary girl also liked to stay at home surrounded by books, and she never expected that she would come to her Hakurei Shrine with Akina Sawa today.

And they were holding hands when they came in!

A sense of dissatisfaction arose in her heart. Fortunately, Akina Sawa was not around. Reimu Hakurei did not show any suspicion on her face and tentatively asked, "Did you and that guy bump into each other on the street?"

"Yes, he saved me." Motoori Kosuzu had no need to hide anything and answered the question directly.

"Help? What happened to you?" Reimu Hakurei's heart skipped a beat.

Even someone as uninformed as her knows that a hero rescuing a damsel in distress is the easiest way to fall in love at first sight, especially if that person confesses their feelings right away...

Suddenly banishing that thought completely, Reimu Hakurei calmed herself and waited for Kosuzu Motoori's response.

Upon hearing this question, Motoori Kosuzu's fair face gradually flushed, and she parted her pink lips slightly...

...It was actually Mao Yu! Damn it!

After listening to the whole thing, Reimu Hakurei was furious. How could a few mere dolphins in front of her gate cause the situation to deteriorate to such an extent?

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought to herself that she probably had to take the initiative as soon as possible, otherwise she might not get anything if she continued to wait.

Reimu Hakurei mustered her courage and even imagined finding a nice spot to have a romantic scene like the one described in that manga once Akina Sawa appeared...

Lost in her thoughts, Reimu Hakurei blushed crimson.

Akina Ze, carrying tea from the kitchen into the living room, also looked puzzled.

Why are these two guys' faces so red? Could it be some kind of severe cold?

"Ahem, the tea is here!"

Shaking his head, Akina Sawa coughed heavily twice and placed the tea on the table.

But he soon discovered that the two people were no longer looking blank; instead, they were avoiding his gaze.

"That's strange, is there something dirty on my face...?"

Speechless, Akina touched his cheek, but found nothing.

......

Chapter 185 We haven't reached the finish line yet!

Only after Akina Zeya's figure disappeared around the corner did Motoori Kosuzu reluctantly turn her gaze away.

After their conversation at the Hakurei Shrine, Akina Sawa kept his promise and escorted her home.

But as they walked down the street near Suzunaan, the curious and approving looks from the neighbors made Suzu incredibly shy; they weren't in that kind of relationship yet!

Furthermore, Akina Sawa might not agree...

Thinking of this, Motoori Kosuzu's eyes dimmed. There were already many obstacles ahead of her, and she didn't think she could push them all aside without hesitation.

But I'm happy today, and that's enough!

Honju Kozue forced herself to cheer up, climbed the wooden steps to the second floor, and pushed open the door to her bedroom.

A soft bed was placed there, and the quilt, which had been folded neatly in the morning, was placed at the foot of the bed. Golden sunlight shone on the bed through the window.

Standing in front of the bed, Motoori Kosuzu's body went limp and she collapsed onto the bed, reaching out to grab the pillow and hug it to her chest.

With her face gently resting on the pillow, Motoori Kosuzu suddenly blushed, turned her head to face the pillow, and buried her face deeply in it.

"Ugh! How could I be so shameless! Does he think I'm some kind of easy woman?"

A muffled groan tinged with regret came from under the pillow. Motoori Kosuzu was curled up, clutching the pillow, her arches taut and her toes curled up.

The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt. Motoori Kosuzu rolled around on the bed, and after a while, she threw the pillow aside and stared at the ceiling.

With her eyes glazed over, a flood of memories came rushing back. The deep-seated convictions within her and the cultivation she had accumulated through years of reading told her that this was the end, and she should not delve any further.

Motoori Kosuzu bit her lip tightly, refusing to let go. She knew very well that she couldn't do that kind of thing, but the thought of giving up made her heart ache.

Sitting up, Motoori Kozue looked weak and was panting heavily as she reached out and groped at the desk beside the bed.

All I need to do is read a book... just read for a while...

Her fingers touched the cold cardboard, and without thinking, Motoori Kosui picked it up. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the book describing Mao Yu.

I forgot to put it away after watching it yesterday...

With a slight sigh, Motoori Kosuzu gripped the spine of the book, intending to put it back on the table.

Suddenly, an object detached from the book and began to fall freely to the ground.

That was the bookmark she put in the book last night.

But right now, Motoori Kozue couldn't free her hands to grab the bookmark back, and could only watch helplessly as it fell to the ground.

"Click~"

The bookmark shattered as soon as it touched the ground, as if it were inherently fragile.

Looking at the bookmark that had been broken into several large pieces on the ground, Motoori Kosuzu was full of doubt. This bamboo bookmark should not be so fragile, and it was very sturdy when she held it in her hand last night.

Could it be that I bought counterfeit or substandard goods?

Unable to figure it out, Motoori Kosuzu shook her head, got off the bed, and bent down to clean up the cracked bookmark.

Looking at the fine cracks on the fragments of the bookmark in her hand, a strange thought suddenly popped into Motoori Kosuzu's mind.

Mr. Akina didn't actually have much of a relationship with that reporter, right? She simply stayed at Mr. Akina's house, and nothing actually happened between them? Besides, Mr. Akina never mentioned that he had a girlfriend or anything like that.

Upon thinking of this, the shackles that had formed in Motoori Kosuke's mind over the years began to crack inch by inch.

Since there's no actual relationship... doesn't that mean anyone has a chance?

Motoori Kosuzu's eyes lit up, and her dormant heart began to pound. She couldn't wait to pick up a pen and paper and write down all her thoughts to Akina Sawaya.

Whether it's true or not, she convinced herself anyway.

Honju Kosuzu reached out and pulled the curtains open completely, letting the warm sunlight shine directly on her, the jingling hair ornaments tied to her ears gleaming with metallic luster.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Motoi Kosuzu decided to devise her own personalized plan to enhance her favorability.

But here's the problem... which aspect should we start with?

Motoori Kosuki, who had been full of energy, immediately deflated. Her relationship with Akina Sawaya wasn't particularly close; he would often come to Suzunaan to read, but that was all.

Why doesn't Mr. Akina like having pen pals...?

Lying on her desk, Motoori Kosuzu grumbled a little, because she and Hieda Akyuu had naturally become good friends through writing letters to each other.

However, this is because both of them love books, and this approach is very likely not to work with Akina Sawaya.

The plan stalled from the start... Motoori Kosuzu's gaze swept over the desk, where shattered bookmarks were still piled up in the corner. She planned to take them downstairs and throw them away later.

"But this bookmark was fine yesterday, how come it broke after just one fall today...?"

and many more?

As she watched, a sudden thought flashed through Motoori Kosuzu's mind. She recalled the conversation between Reimu and Akina Sawaya that she had overheard at the Hakurei Shrine.

"Why does this bookmark of mine sound so similar to the CD that Mr. Akina was talking about? They both just mysteriously shattered into pieces."

The more she thought about it, the more something seemed off, so Motoori Kosuzu picked up a relatively large fragment and examined it closely.

Fine cracks covered its entire body, which didn't seem like it was caused by falling from a height. Rather, it was already broken, and the final fall was what caused it to crack completely.

Motozu Xiaoling murmured to herself:

"If that's the case, then Miss Houraisan's symptom is being addicted to games and unable to extricate herself. What would my symptom be?"

Is he addicted to reading?

On second thought, Motoori Kosuzu realized that wasn't the case, because she had always been like that, often staying up late when she found a good book, so it couldn't be that she was addicted to reading.

"Strange things happened after I bought it..."

Kosuka Motoori rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, and her eyes widened. "It's Mao Yu!"

......

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Akina Ze also heard a rhythmic knocking sound. He grabbed a coat from the clothes rack, put it on, and pushed open the door to go outside.

"Who is it? Why are they here so early?"

Pulling the gate shut, Akina Sawa also pushed open the door and looked up.

Motoori Kosuzu, dressed in a red and white checkered kimono, stood timidly at the door, her little head tucked into her scarf as much as possible. It seemed the winter morning wind was making her face a little sore.

After one glance, Akina Ze concluded that it must be her who was knocking on the door.

"But arriving so early is a bit of a disturbance to my peaceful sleep..." Akina Sawa scratched the back of his head, about to speak.

But she held a stack of strange-looking things in her hand and handed them over.

"What is this?" Akina Sawa asked curiously.

Although the cold wind stung her a little, Motoori Kosuzu remained calm and said:

"This bookmark I bought the day before yesterday is now broken, but I feel that it is very similar to what you and the shrine maiden said at the Hakurei Shrine before, Mr. Akina. It has influenced my thinking."

This was part of her plan; all she needed to do was keep in touch under the guise of searching for clues, and it was only a matter of time before feelings developed.

Kosuka Motoi secretly glanced at the newly expanded room in the Akina family's house and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the window was closed.