Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Each of them had a look of longing in their eyes for the watermelons on the cart, but none of them chose to take action directly. Instead, they maintained a certain restraint, as if waiting for someone to speak.

"Tsk, I didn't expect it to be you delivering watermelons."

Momiji Inuhachi frowned as she looked at Aya Shameimaru, who was leaning against a handcart all by herself.

"I didn't want to come either, but I had no choice. Even though I'm just a poor tengu~"

Although he uttered words of weakness, Aya Shameimaru's actions were the opposite; he even leisurely tapped the watermelon rind and had time to make fun of himself.

"What's so pitiful about you! You can go wherever you want and you still have the nerve to say you're pitiful."

Upon hearing Aya Shameimaru say that she was pitiful, Momiji Inuhachi immediately became furious.

In Inuzoki Momiji's eyes, Aya Shameimaru has always been a unique existence. Generally speaking, yokai do not get too close to humans, but Aya Shameimaru is different. She often mingles in human villages for the big news she talks about, and she even came into contact with that violent shrine maiden.

This puzzled Inuhachi Momiji. Although she had been reading Aya Shameimaru's newspaper, she couldn't find anything interesting about it.

And most importantly, from childhood to adulthood, Aya Shameimaru, relying on her quick wit, often played pranks on the then dim-witted and clumsy Momiji Inubashiri, which Momiji found very annoying.

After growing up, Momiji Inuzoki joined the patrol unit because of her identity as the White Wolf Tengu, while Aya Shameimaru devoted herself entirely to her newspaper office and stopped teasing Momiji Inuzoki.

At first, Momiji was very happy that the pranks that had been going on for so long were finally over. But as time went by, Momiji's feelings gradually changed. Although she didn't want to admit it, she suddenly began to miss Aya Shameimaru's harmless pranks.

It's unclear when it started, but Inuzoki Momiji began to harbor an inexplicable hostility towards Shameimaru Aya, who was plastered all over the newspapers.

"Hey, don't be angry yet. Look, your teammates are getting impatient."

Instead of continuing the argument with Inubashiri Momiji, Aya Shameimaru pointed to the white wolf tengu behind her.

Following Aya Shameimaru's finger, Momiji Inuhachi saw that the breathing of her teammates behind her had become rapid. After being exposed to the sun for so long, they really couldn't wait any longer.

The team members couldn't delay any longer. Inuzoki Momiji glared at the nonchalant Shameimaru Aya and began arranging the large watermelons.

One by one, large, bright green watermelons were taken out of the handcart and placed on a flat boulder.

Momiji Inuhachi drew the long sword that had been hanging at her waist, intending to use it to cut the watermelons into several equal pieces.

Breathe in~~~

Several flashes of cold light appeared, and Inuzoku Momiji put his long sword back into its sheath, quietly looking at the watermelon in front of him.

Hiding in the crowd, the little tengu scratched his head with some doubt, looking at the watermelon placed on the boulder that seemed unchanged.

What is Lord Inuzoku Momiji doing?

The little tengu, who had only been in the patrol unit for a few days, couldn't quite understand what Inuhachi Momiji was doing.

The scene fell silent for a moment, with only a few fallen leaves swirling in the wind.

click!

Within a few breaths, almost simultaneously, the watermelons, which had been arranged haphazardly, split open neatly, revealing their bright red flesh divided into several equal parts.

"Lord Inuzoku Momiji's swordsmanship has improved again!"

"Yes, yes, Lord Inuzoku Momiji is so handsome!"

"..."

The silent pack of white wolves and tengu suddenly erupted into a loud discussion, with everyone praising Inuzoki Momiji's superb swordsmanship.

The little tengu was completely stunned, his eyes sparkling. He had never realized that the usually approachable Inuzoku Momiji was so strong.

Momiji's own strength is what made her the captain of the Tengu Patrol.

Faced with the praise from his teammates, Inuzoki Momiji stood quietly with a blank expression, but in his heart he couldn't wait to rush up to Aya Shameimaru and show off.

Hahaha! Did you see that?! Aya Shameimaru! I have so many companions! Do you? Do you?!

Snapped!

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and cut the watermelon!"

Aya Shameimaru gave Momiji Inubashiri a slap on the back of the head, sounding annoyed.

"Huh?" Feeling the familiar patting force, Inuhachi Momiji was a little stunned. When was the last time she felt this force? I can't remember...

For some inexplicable reason, Inuhachi Momiji felt a warm sensation welling up in her eyes.

"Hurry up! If we don't separate them soon, the ants in the forest might eat us!"

Aya Shameimaru gently patted Momiji Inubashiri's head again.

"Hey Cang Ling, come help me cut this watermelon!"

Momiji Inuzomi immediately snapped out of her daze, glanced at Aya Shameimaru with a complicated expression, who seemed unchanged, and then turned to call on Tengu to start dividing the watermelon.

In hot weather, cut watermelons should not be left out for too long.

Kura Ling, also known as Little Tengu, hurriedly came to Inuzoku Momiji's side.

As a newcomer to the Tengu, she still has a lot to learn.

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

"What should I eat tonight?"

In the secluded house, the shadow cast on the paper window, with the chin resting on his hand, revealed the owner's anxiety.

"Eat pudding!"

A cheerful sound.

The shadow on the window disappeared.

Chapter 41 Fran's Pudding

A dark shadow crashed through the paper window and hurtled towards Akina Sawaya's chest.

Caught off guard, Akina Sawa, who was deep in thought and completely unprepared, was immediately thrown backward by the force, with shards of paper window reflected in his bewildered eyes.

Huh? Why am I about to collapse?

For some reason, Akina Ze also felt his entire body slow down, and the way Nikua was running frantically to help him up also became slow motion.

Is this the legendary bullet time?

A word suddenly popped into Akina Zeya's head.

No, no, this name sounds too old-fashioned. It would be better to change it.

Let's just call it "It is a time-honored imperial design".

Even though he was in the state of being hit, Akina Sawaya's mind had already reached the point of giving this state a name.

Or rather, it was precisely because he was in this state that his thinking speed increased several times over, and he couldn't control the random thoughts running through his mind for a moment.

But this state did not last long. With a bang, Akina Sawa knocked over the chair behind him and fell heavily to the ground.

As time passed, the stars shifted and the pace returned to normal.

"Hiss~" Akina Ze gritted his teeth, frowned, and rubbed his lower back. There shouldn't have been any problem, but by sheer coincidence, his lower back hit the corner of the chair hard. The feeling was indescribable.

Akina Ze also looked up despite the pain, and saw a small figure straddling his abdomen. With a pair of signature jeweled wings, he recognized that this was Flandre, the second young lady of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Although he could feel Fran's small and soft body in his abdomen, he still had to give Fran a stern reprimand for breaking his window.

After temporarily relieving the pain, Akina Ze reached out and lifted Fran off his stomach.

At this moment, Fran appeared quite obedient, letting Akina Ze lift her armpits with both hands.

"Slightly ~ slightly ~"

Feeling the ticklish sensation under her armpit, Fran tilted her head and giggled...

However, Akina Sawa himself became unhappy.

I was clearly hit hard, but why do I feel like I've become a male servant...?

After placing Fran on the chair, Akina Ze sat down on the other side, looking rather annoyed, and said...

"You're here so late. Does your sister even know you're here?"

Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the mountains were gradually draped in a black cloak.

"I don't care about that guy, Fran can go wherever she wants!"

Upon hearing Remi's name, Fran's cheeks puffed up, making her look like a plump, white pig.

"Fine, you can go wherever you want, but you can't just break into my house through the window."

Akina Ze also said with a somewhat speechless expression.

"Huh? This thing can't be broken?"

Fran looked puzzled, as if she had heard something she had never heard before.

"Yes, please don't break anything in my house anymore. Whether it's the windows or anything else, we all earned them through hard work, so we should cherish them."

"But Fran and her sister have never worked, yet they have so many good things every day, why should they cherish them?"

"Then think about it, if your house, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, suddenly disappeared, wouldn't you be sad?" Akina Ze pointed to his own house and said.

Fran's family may have many valuable things, but they probably only have one house.

"Why be sad? Aren't houses meant to be blown up?"

"Fran is quite experienced in how to quickly blow up houses," Fran said proudly, puffing out her small chest.

"Akina-nii-san, do you want to try it? It's really fun!"

As she spoke, an ominous object emitting a red and black hue appeared in Fran's hand.

"I'd better not take this, Fran, you should keep it for now."

Akina Zeya's expression was very calm, as if the thing that Fran was holding in her hand, which could easily blow up the Scarlet Devil Mansion, did not exist, but his tense back had already given it away.

"Alright then," Fran said, somewhat disappointed, as she put the bundle of things back in her hand.

Seeing that Fran had put the dangerous item away, Akina Ze's tense body relaxed.

"Francine, what brings you to my house this time?"

Akina Ze also decided to divert Fran's attention first. If she really destroyed his little courtyard, he wouldn't accept it even if he paid her ten Scarlet Devil Mansions. Hmm... it would be more like it if he gave her Patchouli as well.

"Flandre came here to eat pudding." Flandre looked left and right, turning her little head around but couldn't find any trace of pudding. Instead, she noticed a few pieces of dark chocolate casually placed on the table, so she turned around and asked, "Where did you put the pudding?"

"I don't have any pudding here, but I do have some chocolate, do you want some?"

"You're lying! I clearly heard you say pudding! Tell me where you're hiding!"

Fran didn't believe what Akina Zeya said. Instead, she jumped off the chair and touched Akina Zeya all over, as if she suspected that he had hidden the pudding on himself.

"Stop it! Even if I have Pudding, I can't put it down!" Akina Ze was also getting anxious. For some reason, the skin that Fran touched felt strangely itchy, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Nonsense! Sakuya pulled the pudding out of her person!" Fran said confidently.

"But I'm not Sakuya! I don't have the ability to pull pudding out of my person!"

The situation is now very dangerous; Fran is determined to find Pudding from Akina Sawaya.

She turned his clothes and pants inside out; if Akina Ze hadn't been protecting him so fiercely, Fran might have ripped his shirt off.

Suddenly a voice rang out from very close by.

"Second Miss, Mr. Akina doesn't have any pudding on him. Please come back quickly, the Eldest Miss is waiting for you."

Suddenly, Izayoi Sakuya, the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, appeared and stood a few steps away.

"I'm not going back! I want to eat pudding!" Fran said sullenly, leaning her head against Akina Zeya.

Akina Ze also subconsciously reached out to stroke Fran's hair, the smooth and silky feel making him want to touch it a few more times.

However, just as Akina Ze was about to do the same, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the dagger with half of its head sticking out of Sakuya's hand, swallowed hard, and withdrew his hand.

"Second Miss, be good. There's still some pudding at home. Come back with me now," Izayoi Sakuya said as gently as possible.

"I want chocolate pudding. If you have some, I'll go back with you. Otherwise, I'll make my sister spit it out!"

Ah this...

Sakuya Izayoi looked troubled. The first request, just pudding, wouldn't be a problem, but the second young lady wanted chocolate pudding. They had already finished the chocolate, so how could she make chocolate pudding? Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Without chocolate, how could she make chocolate pudding? As for the second option, it was definitely a no-brainer.

Since I can't accomplish any of these tasks, what should I do to bring the Second Miss back...?

"But we don't have any chocolate left at home..." Izayoi Sakuya pleaded.