Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

With her eyes gleaming as she calculated the speed, Marisa Kirisame suddenly shouted, "Freeze the entire open space ahead with a layer of ice! Cirno!"

Without hesitation, Cirno immediately obeyed the order and waved her hand, a wave of icy cold air sweeping across the ground in front of her, and a layer of ice was quickly formed.

"Increase the firepower!" Marisa Kirisame's eyes flashed blue as she poured all her magical power into the magic circle.

The ghostly blue flames suddenly grew larger, and the oak tree accelerated even further.

Seeing that it was about time, Marisa Kirisame slightly raised her right hand, and all the fire oak trees lifted up at an angle at that moment.

"Huh? It really flew up?!" Cirno exclaimed excitedly as she sat on the oak tree, watching the massive oak gradually rise from the ground.

The takeoff of massive machines is always exciting, especially when so many take off at once.

Standing atop the rapidly flying oak tree, Marisa Kirisame exclaimed, "We did it..."

"Once we reach a similar position, we should slow down in the opposite direction."

"......etc?"

Illuminated by the trailing flames, Marisa Kirisame suddenly realized she seemed to have forgotten something—the magic circle in the opposite direction… She seemed to have… forgotten…

As Oak's speed increased, an unpleasant smile gradually appeared on Kirisame Marisa's lips.

......

Chapter 212 Malfunction!

A vast, clear blue sky.

The swift air currents at high altitudes swept past like a fierce storm.

Rows of thick oak trees, resembling rockets and missiles, flew unstoppably toward Akina's cottage.

At the very front of the oak tree, Marisa Kirisame knelt on one knee, her arms outstretched, her right palm resting on the back of her left hand, fingertips pointing upwards.

The azure magic surged forth like water bursting from a dam, solely to slow the oak tree's flight.

But... it's just a drop in the ocean.

Marisa Kirisame bit her lip tightly. The rapid outflow of magical energy made her face turn slightly pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

The magic circle at the tail is now completely closed, but the acceleration due to the weight of the oak itself cannot be reduced simply by stopping its acceleration.

In the distance, the courtyard of the Akina residence was within sight. A look of panic appeared on Kirisame Marisa's face. Any oak log she was holding could smash the house to pieces if she hit it.

"No, we must destroy all of these oak trees."

As she drew closer, a hint of determination flashed in Marisa Kirisame's eyes. She stood up, palms facing upwards, and gathered all the remaining magical power in her body.

"almost."

Estimated the magical power currently in her palm, Marisa Kirisame frowned. Her azure magical power instantly transformed into a dozen or so stars emitting red light. Each of these floating stars possessed the power to completely destroy an entire oak tree.

"Ice Kick!"

Just then, a soft chuckle came from behind.

Marisa Kirisame sensed a strong current of air blowing in her direction, carrying a chilling aura.

Without a second thought, Marisa Kirisame blocked all the stars she had originally intended to use to destroy the oak tree behind her.

A cold front swept through, extinguishing all the stars.

"Cirno! What are you doing?!"

Seeing that her last resort was gone, Marisa Kirisame turned around and shouted in exasperation.

"Marisa, look! I've successfully slowed down Rocket Oak!"

Cirno looked excited, but the oak tree beneath her feet gradually stopped moving forward due to the reaction force of the cold air.

"You idiot!" Marisa Kirisame couldn't help but yell as the oak tree Cirno was sitting on quickly fell off her bottom. "What good is one? There are so many more here!"

"Huh? It seems so..." Cirno touched her nose, confused.

Before long, Cirno and her oak tree separated from the large oak herd.

Oak wood was successfully reduced by one.

"But what do we do next..." Marisa Kirisame slumped onto the tree trunk, her face blank.

The magic within her was no longer enough to destroy all the oak trees... Now she was in the sky, and the distance to her destination, the Akina mansion, was rapidly decreasing... All plans were exhausted.

Suddenly, Marisa Kirisame stood up again, her expression helpless but a hint of determination in her eyes.

Even with her current magic, she might not be as fast as this flying oak while riding a broom.

Holding a broom, Marisa Kirisame braved the fierce wind, staggered a few steps to the front of the oak tree, took a deep breath, waved her arms, and shouted, "Watch out for the oak tree! I can't control it!"

......

"Only Marisa could come up with such a transportation method."

Looking at the oak groves rapidly approaching from afar, Akina Ze also sincerely praised them.

He had originally planned to build a forest path to transport the timber after Marisa finished cutting down the trees, but he didn't expect Marisa to take a different approach and make the oak trees fly... This saved him a lot of trouble.

"Why don't you take another look?"

Kaguya Houraisan, who was leisurely drinking tea while sitting on a tree stump, suddenly laughed.

Is there anything strange about this? Akina Sawa was also a little puzzled, but he still squinted and tried to look at it with the highest possible focus.

"What is that?!" Akina Ze exclaimed in surprise upon seeing it.

A person could be vaguely seen standing at the very front of the oak tree, though he was a blurry figure due to the great distance and the backlighting.

The only person who could stand on the flying trees and return is probably Marisa, who made them take off, right? But I didn't expect her to be so bold... I wouldn't dare to do that.

After a moment's thought, Akina Sawa shook his head and praised, "It has to be Marisa. She actually came back standing on the log. She must have been ensuring the safety of the tree transport flight. She really worked so hard..."

"Pfft~" Upon hearing this, Kaguya Houraisan covered her mouth and burst into laughter.

But when asked why she was laughing, Princess Kaguya said she would find out soon enough.

Although Akina Ze was somewhat puzzled, he still watched obediently, because the oak trees' silhouettes in the air were rapidly growing larger, indicating that they were almost there.

"Wait... I think I understand." A bead of cold sweat appeared on Akina Ze's forehead.

He finally understood what Princess Kaguya had been laughing about.

The rockets and oak trees in the air showed no sign of slowing down as they hurtled straight toward the mansion.

Judging by sight, at least five or six trees will crash directly into the house.

The destruction of the house was something Akina Sawaya could not tolerate.

Ignoring the fact that these oak trees were materials for building the brewery, Akina Sawa also activated his Qi and rose into the air, intending to stop them all.

As the oak tree drew closer, Akina Ze calmly gathered energy in his palm in the form of a ki blast.

He had used this trick on the witch during the summer festival before, and Ms. Wenwen had even criticized his pronunciation back then, so this time he simply didn't say anything.

If this energy blast is successfully launched, all the incoming flying oak trees will be destroyed instantly.

"careful!"

As expected, an unexpected event occurred.

Upon hearing this voice, Akina Ze was also stunned for a moment, and even the Qi Wave in his hand trembled briefly.

Because Marisa Kirisame, who was at the very front of the oak tree, hadn't left yet; she was waving her arms and shouting.

"Why isn't she leaving yet?!" Akina Ze shouted anxiously, "Marisa, get out of the way!"

But for some reason, Marisa Kirisame seemed not to hear and remained standing at the very front of the oak tree.

"Damn it!" Akina Ze also looked very troubled. This energy blast would definitely injure Marisa, but if he didn't use it, his own house might be in danger.

The only saving grace is that Aya Shameimaru has already left, so he doesn't need to worry about the two fairies, Daiyousei and Niqua. Besides, they might be off playing somewhere by now.

Thinking this, Akina Ze also exhaled and dispersed the energy wave he had accumulated in his hands.

Whether one side of the scale is heavier or not is not something that needs to be compared at all; after all, a house is just an external thing.

"But after this matter is over, Marisa, you have to make up for my losses handsomely!"

After saying that, Akina Ze also flew towards Kirisame Marisa using his still-unskilled aerial maneuver.

......

Chapter 213 Who is the Hunter?

Going against the current.

Facing the rapidly approaching grove of oak trees, Akina Sawa also kept his eyes fixed on the figure at the very front—Kirisame Marisa.

He didn't think about what would happen next; his only thought was to lift Marisa Kirisame off the oak tree.

Marisa, perched on the oak tree, seemed to see Akina Sawa flying rapidly toward her. Her face was filled with anxiety, and she waved her hands repeatedly, signaling him not to come any closer.

Seeing that Akina Sawa remained unmoved and continued to approach, Kirisame Marisa, in a moment of panic, mounted her broom and pretended to fly away.

But Marisa, who had struck this pose, remained on the oak for a few seconds, as if the broom had lost its purpose.

As expected, Marisa-san still ran into trouble.

Taking in the scene, Akina Ze concluded that since she was trapped on the oak tree, he would rescue her.

Adjusting his body direction, Akina Sawa planned to rush in and carry Marisa away in one go, but a gust of air interrupted his actions.

The air currents at high altitudes are always chaotic and disorderly; only experienced pilots can grasp some of the patterns and navigate accordingly.

Akina Sawa is far from reaching that level. Although he has been carried by others many times, he was only used as a mere accessory.

Time was short, leaving him little time to ponder a solution. Akina Ze frowned and immediately unleashed a ki blast with his right hand, using the reaction force generated by the release to quickly rotate to the correct angle.

Seizing the opportunity, fearing the next gust of wind might disrupt his posture, Akina Sawa sped off like a sports car that couldn't turn, and Kirisame Marisa's face was already clearly visible.

"Come here you go!"

Seeing that Marisa seemed to still want to resist, Akina Sawa grabbed her with both hands without saying a word, just like an eagle snatching a chick.

In an instant, Akina Sawa also took Kirisame Marisa away from the oak tree and accelerated away due to inertia.

Holding someone in his arms added considerable weight, and Akina Zeya's flying technique wasn't very proficient, which slightly affected his flying posture, but he quickly adjusted.

"That was close." Akina Ze couldn't help but sigh as he narrowly avoided an oak tree.

If an ordinary person were hit, they would definitely be smashed to pieces.

Suddenly, Akina Ze also felt a faint tapping sensation in his chest. He looked down and saw that it was Kirisame Marisa tapping him with her little fist.

"We're still in the air, please be mindful of the situation..." Akina Ze subconsciously tightened his grip and said in a deep voice, "Stop fooling around, I'll let you go as soon as we land."

Perhaps these words had an effect, because Marisa Kirisame stopped hitting the door and instead said with a guilty voice:

"I'm sorry... I meant to help you, but I ended up causing trouble again..."

"It's nothing, it's just a small matter."

"But what about your house?" Marisa Kirisame's voice was weak and trembling slightly.

"It's good that you're alright." Akina Ze said nonchalantly, "The house can be rebuilt, but if you get injured while helping me cut down trees, I can't take that responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Marisa Kirisame became emotional and choked up as she said:

"It has nothing to do with Master Akina, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so arrogant..."

The last few sentences clearly showed a decline in mood.

"Hiss..." Akina Ze also had a headache. He couldn't stand seeing beautiful girls sad and upset in front of him. Although he wouldn't comfort every single one of them, Kirisame Marisa was definitely one of them, especially since she was sad because of him.

With one hand, he removed Marisa Kirisame's hat, and looking at her dazzling golden hair, Akina Sawa softly said:

"Keep your head up."

The blonde little girl obediently raised her head, her eyes wet and the area around her eyes clearly red and swollen.

Damn it... How can someone be so cute when they're being well-behaved... Akina Ze was also stunned for a moment, then composed himself and continued, "Listen to me, I don't really care what happens to the house, so you don't need to blame yourself too much. It's just a house, we can rebuild it in no time if we gather more people, right?"

Akina Ze was indeed speaking from the heart. In his eyes, a house, or even an entire courtyard, was not as important as any of his friends. He was willing to give up his house to save the great demon, and now it was his biggest mistake to make his friend sad because of a courtyard.

Although he is sentimental, isn't creating new memories more important?