Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Thinking this, Akina Sawa, with his free right hand, patted Kirisame Marisa's back and teased her:

"By the way, if the house is really gone, would you mind if I stayed at your place?"

"Of course I don't mind! I would be so happy if I could eat Akina-sensei's cooking every day~" Kirisame Marisa's face lit up with joy, and she finished speaking very quickly, as if she was afraid that Akina Sawa would change his mind.

"Forehead......"

Akina Sawa was a little embarrassed by the quick agreement and touched his nose. He had just been joking; he couldn't actually move into Marisa's house, since he still had family members living there.

Moreover, Akina Sawa suddenly noticed that there was a faint and alluring fragrance on Kirisame Marisa's body. It was not the fresh vanilla scent coming from her hair, but rather an indescribable smell that he couldn't quite grasp.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Akina Sawa subtly relaxed his arm muscles and said:

"Then I'll have to charge a chef's fee; my prices aren't cheap."

"I'll do anything as long as Master Akina can move in!" Marisa Kirisame replied with bright eyes, she didn't seem to be joking.

"..." Akina Ze also remained silent. Although Kirisame Marisa was extremely cute and alluring, he simply couldn't do what she couldn't do, so he simply stopped talking.

As he spoke, Akina Ze's toes touched the hard ground, and a sense of security welled up inside him.

Indeed, the ground is where humans feel safest.

But... why haven't we heard the sound of an impact yet?

It's been so long, those oak trees should have fallen to the ground by now, right?

With a sense of doubt, Akina Ze turned around and looked back. The scene in front of him made his eyes widen.

All the oak trees seemed to be frozen in space, suspended in mid-air. But upon closer inspection, they still appeared to be flying, though they couldn't move any distance.

"Are you done talking?"

In the blink of an eye, Akina Sawa found himself back at the place where he had taken off.

The speaker was Kaguya Houraisan, who was elegantly sipping her tea, but her eyes clearly held a hint of mischief.

Oh right, I think I'm still holding someone right now.

Realizing what was happening, Akina Ze hurriedly tried to loosen his grip.

But then a painful groan was heard.

"Sigh~"

Marisa Kirisame's face suddenly showed a pained expression, and she said weakly, "Master Akina, could you hold me a little longer? I can't stand up anymore..."

"Huh? Okay then. Remember to let me know if you have any more questions." Akina Ze was also puzzled, but maintained his embrace and responded with concern.

The tea leaves in the cup suddenly began to sway. Kaguya Houraisan quietly took a breath, put down the teacup, and looked at the two people in front of her expressionlessly.

From an angle that even Akina Sawa couldn't see, Kirisame Marisa smiled subtly, raising the corners of her mouth at Kaguya-hime.

Kaguya Houraisan remained silent, only slightly narrowing her beautiful eyes.

......

Chapter 214 The Best Angle

How are you feeling now?

Akina Sawa also helped Kirisame Marisa to a clean wooden post to sit down.

"Um... I feel a little sore here, Master Akina, could you massage it for me?"

After sitting down, Marisa Kirisame raised her leg, her brows furrowed, and a look of pain on her face.

Beneath the long black and white dress lay skin as smooth as cream, slender yet strong, enough to be grasped in one hand.

Akina Sawa was momentarily stunned, then hesitated and said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate..."

"But Master Akina... I don't have any strength in my hands right now. Are you just going to watch me suffer like this?" Marisa Kirisame tilted her chin slightly to the left, her face full of grievance.

"Boom~"

Suddenly, a series of loud noises came like rain.

The oak trees, temporarily imprisoned in the sky, finally lost their momentum and fell one by one, crashing onto the muddy ground with a thud.

Fortunately, oak is quite hard, and the height from the ground wasn't very high, so it wasn't broken into several pieces when it fell.

"This much wood should be enough to build a brewery."

Attracted by the noise, Akina Sawa stroked his chin, estimated the amount of wood, nodded in satisfaction, and casually praised, "Marisa, you did a good job."

"Hmm..." Marisa Kirisame responded, but her tone didn't sound very happy, even though she was being praised by her master Akina... She glanced at Kaguya Houraisan, who was smiling but saying nothing, with some resentment, and muttered to herself, "You bad girl!"

On the other side, seeing the oak logs scattered on the ground, Akina Sawa had already begun to work. He carried an oak log in each hand, walking laboriously, leaving footprints in the soil with each step.

Fortunately, it's winter now, and the soil is frozen solid, so there's no need to worry about your feet sinking heavily into the ground under the pressure.

One, two, three—in the blink of an eye, Akina Sawa had piled all the oak trees in the designated open space.

Sure enough, with the increase in strength, the speed at which I worked increased significantly.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Akina Ze also put one hand on his hip, looking with satisfaction at the mountain of oak logs piled up in front of him.

"Marisa, tell me, how can I thank you enough?"

After working for a while, he forgot about the contributor and turned to ask.

Marisa Kirisame, who was sitting on the wooden stake idly swinging her legs, suddenly had stars in her eyes and exclaimed with delight:

"Could you leave me a bed in your house, like you did with Aya Shameimaru?"

After thinking for a moment, Akina Ze shook his head and replied, "It probably won't work. Try another one."

It wasn't that he was unwilling to give it, but rather that the house itself simply didn't have enough space.

Take Akina Zeya's bedroom as an example. In addition to the bed he sleeps in, there are two small beds for fairies, leaving no room for another one.

Furthermore, it's not appropriate for men and women to share a bedroom for privacy reasons... As for fairies, they are not human, so this is not a concern.

There's room in the study where Aya Shameimaru is currently living that could be used for another room, but Akina Sawa instinctively felt that Marisa wouldn't agree to share a study with Aya, and Aya herself would never agree.

Upon hearing this, Marisa Kirisame's expression immediately fell, indicating that she really wanted a bed here.

Not far away, Kaguya of Houraisan, unmoved by any change, smiled faintly, revealing a hint of mockery.

Possessing the ability to manipulate eternity and fleeting moments, she could arrive at this mansion in an instant whenever she wanted, so she didn't need to live there. Besides, she simply couldn't bring herself to say something so blatant and shameless as asking to reserve a bed...

Akina Sawa couldn't hear Kaguya's turbulent thoughts from not far away. He glanced at the obviously disappointed Kirisame Marisa, then at the mountain of oak wood, sighed, and said in a consultative tone, "If you really want a bed, I can build a room next to the study after the brewery is completed, if there is still oak wood left."

"Really?!"

Marisa Kirisame, who had just been feeling lost and depressed, suddenly asked back with a look of surprise.

"It should work..." Akina Ze also scratched his nose with a somewhat reluctant expression and affirmed.

His original plan was to ask Miss Wenwen's opinion before letting another person live in the courtyard, since they might be living together. However, Akina was also worried that she might disagree if he asked, so he decided it was better not to ask. Once the deed was done, it would be too late for her to object.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Aya, but Marisa's contribution is still greater..." Akina Sawa silently repented.

On the other side, Princess Kaguya was serving tea.

"really......"

Muttering to herself, Kaguya Houraisan's expression began to falter. She hadn't expected that Marisa Kirisame would actually succeed... Although the plan was to use the remaining oak... she was certain that even if there really wasn't enough oak, Marisa would definitely run to the forest overnight to cut down a large amount of oak, so there wouldn't be any shortage.

Her expression was somewhat unpleasant, but after a moment's thought, Kaguya Houraisan said with great certainty:

"Wait a minute? Maybe I can too? After all, I'm the one who saved Oak."

It seems she has completely forgotten that she said she didn't need a bed.

However, this is also quite possible, since some people forget what happened today by the time the sun rises tomorrow. So, on second thought, it's not impossible for them to forget what happened just a few minutes ago, is it?

Thinking this, Kaguya Houraisan couldn't contain herself any longer. Her leather boots stomped on the mud as she walked toward Akina Sawa.

Less than a meter away from Akina Slope, Kaguya Houraisan wanted to say that she also wanted a bed, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Marisa Kirisame's actions were shameless compared to Kaguya Houraisan's. Although she had left the Lunar Capital, she still retained a sense of modesty, unlike people on Earth.

Marisa Kirisame seemed to have noticed Kaguya approaching as well. She deliberately raised her voice and spoke to Akina Sawa, hoping to prevent him from having a chance to back down.

Kaguya Houraisan was somewhat annoyed by this. She had acted based on her own considerations. But being prevented from acting due to interference was another matter entirely.

Yes, that's it... Princess Kaguya thought silently.

By successfully transforming her shamelessness into a confrontation with the disruptive elements, Kaguya Houraisan found an excuse to circumvent self-restraint in the upcoming discussion.

Princess Kaguya glanced defiantly at Marisa Kirisame, cleared her throat, and was about to speak...

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! I can't stop!"

A sudden burst of noise interrupted Kaguya-hime's words, and a barely perceptible flash of anger crossed her eyes as she turned to look.

Cirno was seen sliding rapidly toward them, lying on an oak tree whose bottom was completely frozen into an ice shell.

......

Chapter 215 The Runaway 'Train'

After exhaling a burst of cold air in the opposite direction in the air, Cirno successfully reduced the speed of the oak tree, just as she had expected.

The plan succeeded, but perhaps a little too successfully.

The oak tree, having lost its thrust, plummeted toward the ground like a paraglider.

Fortunately, oak is a relatively hard material, and the impact of breaking off some of the tree crowns along the way provided some cushioning, allowing it to land safely on the ground.

But this also brings a whole new problem... We're still on the edge of the forest, and there's still some distance to the Akina residence.

Cirno, however, remained completely calm. She gripped the bumpy bark on both sides of the oak tree and pulled backward, her small, delicate legs pushing against the ground to provide further leverage.

"Hey~Hey~Hey~Hey~"

While chanting slogans, Cirno immersed herself in the coordinated exertion of all the muscles in her body.

After a while, Cirno stopped and raised her hand to wipe away the frozen ice crystals on her forehead.

Seeing her expression, she nodded with satisfaction and said, "A mere piece of oak, our Cirno can easily drag it to Akina-nii."

With satisfaction, Cirno raised her head and looked around at her surroundings, a look of confusion appearing on her face.

"Huh? Why do I feel like we're still in the same place? Did the forest grow legs too?"

Cirno tentatively took a step to the right, wanting to see what was going on.

But unexpectedly, Cirno stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

She turned her head and saw that the spot where she had been standing had been dug out into a shallow pit, about the size of her toes.

It was this little pit that tripped Cirno up.

Only then did she realize that she had been trekking in the same spot the whole time, and the oak log hadn't been moved even a centimeter.

"Forget it, let's go find Akina-nii and ask him to come and mop it." Cirno decided to just let it go after realizing she couldn't move the oak tree by herself.

She's just a little bit dim-witted, but not stupid. (Cirno herself thinks so)

But after taking only a few steps, Cirno hesitated and looked back at the oak tree lying quietly on the ground.

"If I let Akina-nii drag me, does that mean I'm weaker than Akina-nii? And if I'm weaker than Akina-nii... then I'm not the strongest in Gensokyo!"

Cirno was shocked to realize that she had almost given up the title of the strongest in Gensokyo to someone else, and she immediately became anxious.

She hurried back to the oak tree and tried to push and pull it with great effort, but the oak tree just wouldn't budge, as if it had already taken root in the ground.

This is not okay.

Cirno looked somewhat flustered. Losing the title of the strongest in Gensokyo was no less than falling into a trap set by the March Fairy once, or even twice... or even three times!

Slapping herself in the face, Cirno forced herself to calm down and began to think about the idea of ​​dragging the oak tree.

“If I lie to the oak and say it’s actually very light, will it be able to drag it?” Cirno’s eyes lit up, thinking she had come up with a great idea.

This wasn't actually the first time Cirno had done this, but she had only said it to fairies before, such as once telling the Great Fairy, "You're not hungry at all, not hungry at all."

The Great Fairy nodded firmly, saying she wasn't hungry, and then gave Cirno the sweets the kind human had given her, making her very happy. And recently, Akina Zeya has been added to the list of people she can deceive; as long as Cirno keeps saying "You don't like it, you don't like it," Akina Zeya will give her the food on his plate.

This time, Cirno plans to use the same trick again.

"You're not heavy at all, not heavy at all~ How about I drag you around like a good girl?"