Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Chitoge, who was driving, rejected Yuri's suggestion without turning around.

This kind of conversation has happened countless times since Mr. Note delivered a bag of chocolates to Chito and Yuri.

Yuri and Chito refer to the little note as Mr. Note.

Every time Yuri said it was the last time, but every time Chito gave her a piece of chocolate, she would soon start asking for another bite.

As the bag of chocolates dwindled, Chito realized that Yuri's words were all lies. What "last time"? It should have been "the last billion times"!

Qianhu pouted, sulking.

"After we finish these chocolates, we can ask Mr. Note for more."

Yuri cleaned the rifle in her hands, speaking casually.

"That won't do. What if Mr. Note stops showing up one day?"

"No way~"

"That's very possible!"

The roar of the half-track motorcycles could not drown out Qianhu's calm voice.

“Yuri, think about it. Every time we get a lot from Mr. Paper Note, it seems like we never give anything back to him, right?”

"One-sided giving is definitely not sustainable, so I think Mr. Note might disappear at any time."

Qianhu expressed his views from a calm and realistic perspective.

"But Mr. Note was sent by the gods..."

Although Yuri knew that Chito was right, she had been living too comfortably for some time now, and both she and Chito had gained weight. She didn't want to believe that Mr. Paper Note would one day disappear.

"Even gods would have people make offerings to them, right?"

Chito kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and without hesitation burst Yuri's bubble of fantasy.

After all, the last thing needed in an apocalyptic world is fantasy.

"Xiao Qian, you're so naughty!"

Yuri, who had been mercilessly dragged out of her fantasy by Chito, let out a resentful sound.

Although Yuri always seems carefree and without pressure, her pressure is actually no less than Chito's; she just keeps it buried deep inside. She is not as indifferent as she appears.

But during this period, with Mr. Note's help, they no longer had to worry about the pressure of survival. Yuri also put down the heavy burden on her shoulders and truly became carefree and happy for a while.

If possible, Yuri wished this period could last a long time, but unfortunately, Chito ruthlessly burst this thin bubble.

There is no such thing as a person who gives without expecting anything in return, not even a god. Mr. Paper's selfless giving will not last.

This was also a pressure that had been weighing on Chito and Yuri's hearts. It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

What would Yuri and I do if Mr. Note were to quietly disappear one day?

A half-track motorcycle travels through an unchanging gray-white concrete building...

------------------

"Nikua, is this chocolate delicious?"

Akina Sawa, who had rushed home from Kourindo, also took out a few small chocolates from his bag for Nikua to try.

"It didn't taste very good."

Nikua frowned and shook her head. The little black cube tasted slightly bitter, and she didn't like bitterness; she preferred sweetness.

"That's a real shame, chocolate is quite delicious."

Akina Ze also sat comfortably in the rocking chair and popped a few chocolates into his mouth.

Since arriving in Gensokyo, Akina Sawa hasn't had chocolate in a long time.

When chocolate is readily available outside, it doesn't seem particularly delicious. But now that we're in Gensokyo, where things are rare and therefore more precious, Akina Sawa finds it delicious again.

"I wonder if there are any cocoa trees in Gensokyo."

Akina Ze also muttered to himself.

What is a cacao tree?

Nikua, who was drinking water to try to wash away the bitter taste in her mouth, asked curiously.

"The ingredients for making chocolate come from cacao trees!"

The tree is covered with dense clusters of tiny black squares?

A vision flashed through Nikua's little mind, and she couldn't help but shudder.

"By the way, would you like to try chocolate sushi tonight? It's a new dish I just came up with!"

Seeing Nikua trembling, Akina Ze jokingly said.

Nikua's face tightened, and she immediately wanted to refuse.

"What is chocolate sushi? Can I try some?"

Before Nikua could utter a word of refusal, a voice came from the doorway.

Unannounced, reporter Aya Shameimaru entered the house with her camera.

"Of course you can"

Akina Ze also calmly said.

Originally, he just made up this chocolate sushi, but since someone wanted to eat it, he decided to make it real.

"But speaking of which, what brings you here? I don't have any big news to share."

Once Aya Shameimaru was seated, Sawa Akina stared at her warily and said...

He'd seen how reckless Aya Shameimaru could be before; who knew what kind of crazy things she was up to this time?

"Oh, I wanted to ask you, did you get those two watermelons from the Moriya Shrine?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"Our Tengu patrol unit on Monster Mountain saw the watermelon in Dongfeng Valley's hand and wants to eat it too, so they're currently on strike."

Aya Shameimaru glared at Sawaya Akina with annoyance.

If it weren't for this guy's watermelon, this whole thing would have happened.

"Seriously? It's just a few watermelons, and your Tengu army is going on strike?"

Akina Sawa was also somewhat incredulous at what he was hearing. Who would go on strike because of a watermelon? It was simply a human comedy.

"Hey~"

Aya Shameimaru sighed deeply.

"It's all because of the high temperatures a few days ago. Many of the tengu patrolling Monster Mountain suffered from heatstroke, but they didn't receive any compensation. Everyone was very dissatisfied. This watermelon was just the last straw that broke the camel's back."

"I see"

Akina Ze nodded in agreement; such a statement was understandable.

"So, get some watermelon ready, I'll be taking it with me later."

"That's no problem."

"Alright, let's not talk about these annoying things for now. Let me taste your chocolate sushi and see what it tastes like."

Aya Shameimaru has regained her usual carefree attitude.

"No problem, you'll find out soon enough."

Although Akina Ze spoke so casually, he was actually completely uncertain inside.

What exactly does chocolate sushi look like? Is it just chocolate that's placed on top?

Akina Sawa stared at the small black cube in his hand, lost in thought...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Vanished Wallet

Heat the chocolate until it melts into a liquid state, then pour the liquid chocolate over the rice balls that have already been shaped. That's how you make them.

But will food made this way taste good?

Akina Sawa frowned as he looked at the white rice ball in front of him, which had a layer of thick, black liquid on its surface. Just by looking at it, he had already passed on it. He just didn't know how it would taste.

Moreover, the strange smell emitted by the heated chocolate wafted through the small kitchen. If it tasted similar, it would truly be a complete failure.

Thinking too much is not as good as tasting it yourself.

After mentally preparing himself, Akina Sawa picked up the rice ball that looked unappetizing with two fingers, pinched his nose with his other hand, and forced it into his mouth.

After the upper and lower jaws moved back and forth several times.

Well, sure enough.

Akina Ze's eyebrows twitched, and he barely managed to suppress the urge to spit out what was in his mouth.

To be honest, this thing in my mouth had a strange, soft texture. The melted chocolate coated the rice grains layer by layer, and the combination of the soft chocolate and the relatively hard rice grains created a very jarring texture when chewing. The taste wasn't great either. It's fair to say that this culinary attempt was a failure.

With the thought of not wasting food in mind, Akina forced himself to swallow the failed dish in his mouth. Sometimes, swallowing food whole is not a bad thing.

After thinking for a moment, Akina Ze also looked at the bag that still contained the remaining chocolates.

Since pouring melted chocolate over the rice balls doesn't work, this is the only option...

Akina Sawa also returned to the living room carrying a covered plate.

Aya Shameimaru and Niqua eagerly awaited to see what the chocolate sushi covered by the lid actually looked like.

The chocolate sushi was hidden under the plate lid, and its aroma was also blocked out.

Everything is unknown.

As Akina Zeya gently raised his arm, the chocolate sushi hidden under the plate lid gradually revealed its true form.

The first thing that caught her eye was the white, tender grains of rice. Aya Shameimaru couldn't help but swallow hard, eager to see what lay beneath those white grains of rice.

How exactly will the dark chocolate blend with this rice ball?

The mystery is about to be revealed.....

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Just as the plate lid was halfway up, Akina Sawa suddenly yanked it off completely, accompanied by background music he shouted out.

However, although Akina Sawa was shouting the BGM very enthusiastically, Nikua and Aya Shameimaru, who were watching, fell into an eerie silence.

The true appearance of the chocolate sushi on the plate in front of me was then fully revealed.

A few black chocolate cubes are casually scattered on top of the tender white rice balls.

That's right, this is the chocolate sushi that Akina Sawaya was talking about; it's simply chocolate placed on the surface of the rice ball.

"What?! This is clearly just chocolate on top!"

Looking at the plainly shaped chocolate rice ball in front of him, Aya Shameimaru remarked.

"Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you; it actually brings out the flavors of the ingredients very well."

Akina Ze also gave a forced explanation in a serious tone.

"Of course! These two ingredients are actually two completely separate foods combined together!"

Aya Shameimaru slumped listlessly on the table and muttered a few words of complaint.

I was initially thinking I could snag a great deal because Akina Sawa made it sound so mysterious, but it turns out it's just plain chocolate sushi.

Having had enough of the commotion, Aya Shameimaru remembered the real reason she had come here.

"I'm planning to bring some watermelons back with me. Could you help me pick out a few good ones?"

As he spoke, Aya Shameimaru took a piece of chocolate from the chocolate sushi and put it in her mouth.

Hmm? It tastes pretty good.

Feeling the delicate, sweet, smooth, and tender texture in his mouth, Aya Shameimaru was surprised and took a few more pieces off the chocolate sushi.

"I have plenty of watermelons here, but one watermelon costs 80 copper coins. Did you bring that many copper coins with you?"

Akina Sawa also looked at Shameimaru Aya with suspicion for a few moments.