Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Boom!"

Today, Gensokyo is shrouded in dark clouds, with streaks of lightning occasionally flashing across the sky, striking a few mischievous fairies with a rumbling sound.

Akina Ze sat idly by the window, watching the raging wind and rain outside. Although the little house was old and dilapidated, it was quite sturdy and stood firmly without showing any signs of being knocked down by the wind. It was just that the wind made a piercing sound when it blew through some of the holes, but wasn't that good enough? At least that's what Akina Ze thought.

As the saying goes, spring rain is as precious as oil. The raindrops are pattering down from the sky. Thanks to this rain, we don't need to water the plants today. Moreover, the seeds in the ground haven't sprouted yet, so we don't have to worry about them being damaged by this downpour.

However, he was very bored. He had nothing to do, and it was too rainy to go out. He had been working hard for so many days, and now that he was suddenly relaxed, he didn't know what to do. He really wanted to rest when he was tired, but once he had free time, he didn't know what to do.

Akina Zeya just wants to become a salted fish right now, so he won't feel bored if he doesn't think about anything.

Akina Ze also rested his head on the table. Although his face wasn't as flat as Shao Zhong's, it was still quite flat.

"Crash! Crash!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept towards Akina Sawaya's house, and raindrops pounded against the glass. Unfortunately, Akina Sawaya had already become a couch potato, so he was not affected at all and instead watched the wind and rain with a smile.

As expected, the tengu was delivering newspapers again. Aya Shameimaru deliberately set Akina Sawaya's house as her last destination so that she would have enough time to enjoy delicious food and reward herself for her hard work.

Aya Shameimaru opened the door and left. In an instant, the strong wind outside blew into the house, and Akina Sawa also felt the chill of spring.

Fortunately, Aya Shameimaru quickly closed the door, and Akina Sawa, who was still in a relaxed state, gestured towards the table with his lip. Thanks to their cooperation over the past few days, Aya Shameimaru and Akina Sawa had developed a tacit understanding regarding breakfast.

She quickly understood what Akina Sawaya meant and walked towards the table...

"I think you're such a lazy bum."

Aya Shameimaru, who was eating heartily, mumbled something indistinctly while chewing.

"Oh, is it so."

He was indeed very laid-back today; an aura of laziness completely enveloped him.

"Don't you have anything to do?"

Upon hearing Aya Shameimaru's words, Sawa Akina shook his head.

"Hmm, this is going to be difficult." Aya Shameimaru frowned.

The rain that fell on the window was still pattering.

"Ah~" Akina Ze also yawned. The sound of rain made him want to sleep, but he felt it was not right to go back to sleep right after waking up, especially since there were other people around.

"Go out and buy things! You can't just stay home and be lazy. If you turn into a NEET like Kaguya Houraisan, you'll be completely useless!" Aya Shameimaru, who hadn't noticed that Akina Sawa also wanted to sleep, said earnestly.

Originally, she didn't want to care about Akina Zeya, but she couldn't help it since she had eaten so much of his food, so she decided to show him some concern.

In a dark room somewhere, Kaguya Houraisan suddenly sneezed. "Who's talking about me?"

Kaguya Houraisan casually grabbed a piece of paper that had been placed aside beforehand, wiped her mouth, and then turned back to stare at the screen. "Fine, let's continue playing the game! This week's CS:GO Operation Crack is really difficult to complete. Gabe Newell is clearly making things difficult for me!"

Kaguya Houraisan gritted her teeth as she frantically typed on the keyboard and mouse...

Seeing Kaguya Houraisan's expression, Eirin Yagokoro shook her head helplessly. It seemed the plan to cut off the princess's internet access would have to be implemented sooner rather than later...

The camera cuts back.

Even the completely listless Akina Ze, slumped over the table, blurted out, "No money," to which the shrine maiden somewhere echoed her sentiment.

"Forehead,,,"

Aya Shameimaru, who had never lacked money, rubbed her forehead. Because she lived in Tengu Mountain, where food, clothing, and shelter could all be provided by the community, and even her newspaper was built with the help of the Tengu, she was not very familiar with the concept of money.

"Hmph, rich families are just different~" For some reason, Akina Ze suddenly said in a sarcastic tone.

"You guy!"

Shameimaru Aya, who had never been spoken to like this before, raised her eyebrows and was about to explode in anger.

"Hmph! Let you slowly wallow in despair! I'm not going to care about you anymore!"

Just then, Aya Shameimaru finished eating, made a face at Sawa Akina, and left. Just like when he came, a gust of wind blew past, and Aya Shameimaru disappeared. However, he did close the door behind him.

Akina Sawa was also somewhat surprised by this, not expecting that his sarcastic and strange aura would be so powerful and that Aya Shameimaru would react so strongly.

Because in the outside world, and online, everyone is so sarcastic. Akina Ze was originally very disgusted by this sarcastic tone, but there was nothing he could do. If others were always sarcastic, he would lose the argument if he didn't use sarcastic language himself. But he didn't expect it to almost become an instinct.

There's a saying that goes, "Learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them." In doing so, he outwitted others, but he also became the very person he once hated most.

I never imagined that the simple people in Gensokyo would be so uncultured. I am so sorry for speaking ill of them!

No! I need to change it.

Now that we're in Gensokyo, everyone here is so kind and simple. There's no need to use that tone to protect yourself anymore, but I still haven't corrected this mistake. Now I've hurt Aya Shameimaru. To be honest, I regret it. She came to care about me, and I hurt her. I'm not even human! I have to apologize to her! Akina Sawa suddenly transformed from a lazy bum back to energetic.

However, although Akina Sawa regrets it now, it's raining heavily outside, and he doesn't have the same skill as Aya Shameimaru that allows him to avoid raindrops. Even if he went out, given Aya Shameimaru's speed, she would have flown off somewhere by now, and he wouldn't be able to find her at all.

"Oh well, there's nothing I can do. I'll just apologize next time she comes."

Akina Sawa shook his head helplessly and sat back down, becoming a complete couch potato.

Although becoming a couch potato is not what I want, there's nothing I can do about it. Akina Ze also took a bite of the cookie he had prepared in advance. The weather today is really not suitable for any activities.

And so, Akina Ze, munching on snacks, lay on the table by the window, while the endless stream of water poured down from the sky, cleansing the already pristine world.

Having been in Gensokyo for so long, Akina Sawa has a general idea of ​​what this world is all about.

This is a paradise for monsters and a haven for humans.

The world is made up of fleeing youkai and reclusive humans. Gensokyo is neither too big nor too small, but it is more than enough to accommodate the creatures that live here.

Although there are occasional disputes between yokai and humans, they can be resolved quickly under the joint governance of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and the Yokai Sage.

The Human Village is the safest place for humans, where the vast majority of humans live. The youkai also abide by the agreement reached since the establishment of Gensokyo and do not harm humans.

However, human technology has always been limited, and we are still in the era of slash-and-burn agriculture. Thus, humans and youkai coexist peacefully in Gensokyo.

When he came to this world, Akina Ze could have made a difference as a transmigrator, leading the people of the human village to progress. But he didn't. He felt that this was fine, a peaceful and stable life, rising with the rooster's crow and sleeping with the sunset.

Akina Sawa is an old-fashioned, stubborn person. He likes this kind of life and the feeling of making food by hand, so he can't adapt to the fully automated planting methods outside.

He chose to escape, but fortunately, he was lucky enough to obtain something that other reclusive people did not have: the system.

The system helped him arrive in Gensokyo, so although he disliked the system, he was still very grateful to it.

Rainy days are a good time to contemplate life and philosophy. Akina Ze also closed his eyes and leaned against the table. He didn't know when the rain had stopped, but the air was still very humid after the rain. The rainbow outside the window was reflected on him through the glass.

Coming to Gensokyo is the greatest luck of my life! Akina Sawa, even in his sleep, had a slight smile on his lips.

"Hmm, I'll go apologize later," he thought about apologizing even in his sleep.

A dark figure opened the door and silently approached him. A slender hand reached out to wake him, but paused halfway and withdrew.

It seemed she had given up on waking him. A few minutes later, she covered Akina Zeya with a piece of clothing, and then she left the secluded little house...

Because it had just rained, the sky was exceptionally blue, like a piece of fogged glass that had been carefully wiped clean, giving it a fresh and clean look.

Inside the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu Hakurei sat quietly on the floor near the outer edge of the shrine, holding a cup of tea in her hand. Gazing at the rainbow in the sky, which looked exceptionally beautiful after the rain, she couldn't help but say, "It's a beautiful day today."

In the distance, Marisa is on her way on a broomstick...

Chapter Seventeen: An Order from the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

A few days have passed since the last rainy day. Although the newspapers are still being delivered, Aya Shameimaru has stopped showing up. She delivers the newspapers and leaves without lingering.

This made Qiu Mingze very upset. He had originally planned to apologize to her properly, but she didn't even give him a chance to apologize. Now, all Qiu Mingze could do was regret it.

Looking at the lavish breakfast on the table, specially prepared to apologize to Aya Shameimaru, Akina Sawa felt a little melancholy.

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a knock on the door of my room, which was usually undisturbed. This surprised Akina Ze. Who would come to my remote place?

With a sense of doubt, Akina Sawa opened the door. A maid with short, silver-gray hair, her sideburns braided and tied with green ribbons at the ends, and a maid's headband on her head, stood in front of the door. Her maid outfit was mainly dark blue and white.

This left Akina Ze somewhat stunned. Imagine a beautiful girl suddenly knocking on your door early in the morning; wouldn't that make people's imaginations run wild?

Although Akina Ze was also stunned, it only lasted a few seconds. By the time he came to his senses and wanted to speak, the maid in front of him had already spoken. Her clear voice woke him up completely.

"I heard from Youmu that you're very good at farming. My young lady wants me to give you a task. Will you accept?"

"Oh, what kind of mission is it?"

She said she knew him through Youmu Konpaku. Since she was Youmu Konpaku's friend, she probably wasn't a bad person, right? Akina Sawa secretly wondered what the mission was before making a judgment.

"I need you to provide me with grapes, of course, these grapes must be grown using the seeds I give you, and the reward will only be more, not less."

The dignified maid standing outside the door pulled out a bag of seeds from somewhere.

Upon hearing the maid say that the task was to plant grapes, Akina Sawa smiled. With free grape seeds, even without any reward, he felt like he had already made a profit.

"I thought it was some difficult task, but it's just growing grapes. I accept!"

"Would you like to come in and sit down, Miss Maid?"

Akina Sawa also stepped aside, intending to invite the silver-haired maid in front of him in.

The maid shook her head: "No, you just need to complete the young lady's task."

Upon hearing the maid mention this young lady, Akina Sawa also became somewhat curious.

"Why did your young lady ask me to complete this task? It's not just because I'm good at planting, is it? There can't be only one person in the Human Village who is good at planting, can there?"

"You don't need to worry about all that. You just need to know that this is fate's arrangement."

The maid gave a mysterious smile.

"Take it, the young lady is still waiting for your grapes."

Just as Akina Ze was about to say a few more words, he suddenly felt a weight in his hand.

The seed bag that was originally in the maid's hands has somehow ended up in my hands.

"What's this?" Akina Ze also picked up the seed bag and a small money bag in his hand, wanting to ask the maid what was going on.

However, the maid didn't seem to intend to explain what had happened. Instead, she said to herself, "Since you've already accepted it, once you've grown it, take it to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Also, that's the deposit."

The moment she finished speaking, the maid who had been standing in front of Akina Zeya suddenly appeared at a distant intersection, leaving Akina Zeya with only her back to him.

The perfectly poised and elegant maid once again fulfilled the young lady's capricious request.

Akina Zeya, still standing in the same spot, watched the maid's retreating figure, tossed the bag in his hand, and seemed lost in thought.

"Is it fate?" Akina Ze also smiled slightly. "That's quite interesting."

[Task successfully generated: Plant the grapes needed for the Scarlet Devil Mansion]

[Reward: A seed with unusual effects]

Huh? Akina Ze also looked at the system notification with surprise. Perhaps because of the last update, the system can now issue tasks instead of remaining invisible.

Although Akina Sawa was also very interested in the reward the system mentioned, the seeds with strange effects, he knew that haste makes waste and that things had to be done step by step.

Thinking this, Akina Ze buried the seeds in the reserved land in the yard. He originally planned to use these empty spaces to plant some green onions or something, but he had received an order from Scarlet Devil Mansion, so the plan to plant green onions or something similar would have to be postponed for the time being.

Akina Sawa also plans to do only one thing at a time, and to do that one thing with all her might.

Time is slowly passing by...

The seeds were finally all planted, but Akina Ze looked at the holes all over the ground and felt that something was wrong. It seemed that planting grapes required something else. What was it?

Akina Sawa, who was deep in thought, also inadvertently saw the ivy climbing all over the wall.

"That's right! It's a frame!"

Akina Ze's eyes lit up. He finally realized what this land lacked: trellises, an essential element for growing fruits like grapes!

However, Akina Sawa was also in a bit of a dilemma. Although he knew how to grow grapes, he didn't know how to build trellises!

"It seems I'll have to ask a carpenter for help." Although I planned to do it myself, there was no other way. Without some carpentry skills, I shouldn't force myself to do things I can't do, or I'd end up with half the results for twice the effort.

Akina Ze thought it over and over and decided to go to the human village to seek the carpenter's help. However, if he did that, his wallet, which had just been full, would probably be empty again. Was this fate?

Akina Sawa shook his head: "Hopefully we won't run into Fujiwara no Mokou later."

Akina Sawa was a little uneasy as he walked towards the Human Village. Because of that incident, he was now afraid to see Mokou and worried that it would be awkward if they met.

But as the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens. Not far away, Fujiwara no Mokou was patrolling the street and was about to come this way. Akina Sawa quickly lowered his head, trying to prevent Fujiwara no Mokou from seeing him.

But this is destined to be in vain.

"What are you doing?"

Fujiwara no Mokou looked at Akina Sawaya, who was looking down and turned to one side, with a strange expression.

Seeing that they had been discovered, they were a little embarrassed, but there was no point in hiding it anymore.