Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Akina Ze also felt as if his hands were empty; this little devil was incredibly light!

He then took a blanket out of the box with one hand, spread it in a sunny spot, and placed her on it.

The little fairy, bathed in sunlight, was sparkling with a crystalline, watery blue light.

Akina Ze sat quietly on a chair to the side, waiting for her to wake up.

I was planning to do other things, but it seems I can't do them now.

Soon, in the sunlight, the little fairy's eyelids twitched; she was about to wake up.

Akina Ze quickly stood up from his chair. If he was the one who knocked her unconscious, he would have to think of apologizing as soon as possible.

Where am I? Why is it so bright?

The water fairy Niqua rubbed her eyes and woke up from her unconsciousness.

Right! I remember falling asleep in a well, didn't I? What's going on now?

Ouch! My head hurts so much!

Nikua felt a pain in her forehead and reached out to touch it a few times, trying to reduce the pain a little.

"Um, are you okay?"

Akina Zeya, who had been silently watching Niqua's actions from the side, couldn't help but speak up.

"Ah! Who are you!?"

Finally realizing her predicament, Nikua sprang to her feet and quickly retreated until she was pressed against the wall with nowhere left to go. A look of terror crossed her face, and her body trembled uncontrollably. After all, she had just woken up to find a tall human standing before her, and she had inexplicably escaped the bottom of the well.

This is a difficult situation. Akina Ze awkwardly squatted down on the spot.

Oh, right! Fairies must all like to eat sweet things, right?

Akina Ze also recalled how Cirno and the others happily ate their desserts. This little fairy in front of him must be just like that, right?

Akina Ze took out a small piece of white sugar from his system inventory. This was something he obtained when he used the skill to purify it last time.

I don't have anything else sweet around right now, so I'll give this a try.

Although he still had a candy cube in his pocket, it was a gift from someone else, and Akina Ze didn't want to give it away as a present.

Akina Ze also put on a friendly smile and reached out to Nikua, with a small white candy in his palm.

At first, Nikua turned to the side, covering her eyes with her hands, not daring to look at him.

Then, without sensing any movement from the outside world, she quietly moved her fingers out a small gap to observe her surroundings.

A large hand reached out in front of her, startling Nikua so much that she sewed her fingers back up and her body trembled.

Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person.

Akina Zeya said in a gentle tone.

Although she was knocked unconscious by him, she probably doesn't realize it yet.

"I don't believe it. Even bad people claim they're not bad."

"I'm hiding in the corner," Nikua said, trembling.

Ah, this...

Akina Sawa was speechless.

But he patiently squatted down, one arm raised. If he persisted, she should believe him, right?

After all, he was the one who knocked her unconscious, so Qiu Mingze couldn't just leave her like that. Besides, he also needed to find out why she was in his own well.

Sniff sniff~

Nikua smelled a sweet fragrance in the air, and the fragrance came from the white object in the hand of the human who was squatting in front of her.

Nikua opened her eyes a crack and looked at Akina Zeya.

Akina Zeya then gave him a big smile.

"Eat up, this is for you."

Noticing Nikua's gaze, Akina Ze sensed the opportunity and spoke decisively.

Nikua did not answer, and continued to cover her eyes with her hand.

Then, slowly, Nikua lowered her hand from her eyes and reached out a small, trembling hand toward the candy, occasionally pulling it back.

Akina Sawa waited for her patiently.

Finally, Nikua touched the candy and snatched it away as quickly as a groundhog, stuffing it into her mouth.

Mmm! It tastes so sweet, sweeter and tastier than any candy I've ever had before, with a hint of the fresh aroma of grapes.

This made Nikua realize that the smiling man in front of her was indeed not hostile.

So Nikua lowered her other hand as well, but her azure eyes remained wary as she nervously stared at Akina Zeya.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Acquiring a "Pet"

Crunchy~

After finishing his daily work, Akina Ze sat quietly to the side and watched as the little fairy with azure blue eyes kept stuffing food into her mouth.

Holding the food in both hands, eating like a hamster, it's incredibly cute.

However, judging from her size, she's actually just a large hamster. Akina Sawa has also heard that there are many kinds of fairies, but powerful fairies are generally very large.

The little fairy in front of me is even smaller than Cirno, so she probably isn't very strong.

From the time she was found this morning until now, she's been sitting quietly at the table eating, which took a lot of effort from Akina Ze.

The fairy refused to leave the corner no matter what, and if he hadn't taken out a few more grape-flavored candies to tempt her, who knows how much longer he would have dragged her along.

"Excuse me, what is your name?"

Seeing that the little fairy had relaxed enough, Akina Ze cautiously asked.

"..."

Hearing this, the little fairy stopped what she was doing, looked up at Akina Zeya with her pitiful big eyes, and stammered.

"Ni, Nikua," the voice was very faint, almost inaudible.

"what?"

Akina Ze asked again, leaning his head towards the little fairy, wanting to hear what she had to say.

The little fairy hesitated and lowered her head.

My name is Nikua.

This time the sound was a little louder, but it was still very faint, but that was enough.

"Nikua?"

I've never heard of that name before. I'll ask Cirno and the others sometime and see if they know it.

"Nikua, why are you in my well? When did you get in the well?"

Akina Sawa also asked Nikua about her doubts. Although she knew that fairies could appear anywhere, it was still important to find out when she came to the well.

Otherwise, the thought that she had lived in this courtyard for so long without actually being alone, and that there was a demon living in the well without her knowing it, would be unbearable.

No matter how I think about it, this doesn't seem right. And for all these days, could it be that I've actually been drinking her bathwater?

Although Nikua is a fairy, and a cute fairy at that, Akina still can't accept the fact that she actually drank bathwater.

Therefore, he must find out exactly when Nikua started living in the well.

"I...I arrived yesterday."

Fortunately, the surroundings were relatively quiet at the time, and he was still able to hear the faint sound.

"Oh, they came yesterday. Thank goodness," Akina Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then why are you staying in the well?"

Akina Sawa once again posed a question to Niqua.

"water...."

Nikua looked up at Akina Sawa with her azure eyes, then quickly lowered her head again. "Because the water is comfortable, and the well is safe."

"Is it safe in the well? Is something looking for you?"

Upon hearing the word "safety" from Nikua, Akina Ze immediately wondered if bad people were looking for her; otherwise, why would she mention safety?

However, Nikua refused to answer Akina Zeya's questions anymore, and just kept stuffing delicious desserts into her mouth.

Most of these little creatures in nature live far from human habitation, and their food consists of morning dew and fruit from trees.

There are practically no opportunities to eat food made by humans.

So Nikua had never eaten anything so delicious before. When Akina Sawa handed her the candy, her guard level dropped drastically.

After all, she is a simple fairy, and if she is bribed with gifts, she is easily trusting of others.

However, this trust comes with a prerequisite: fairies can sense malice from others, and they will only trust others if they do not sense any malice.

The monsters were not interested in them and ignored them like roadside weeds, while humans could not defeat them. Moreover, even if they were captured, the fairies, as the embodiment of nature, could choose to end their own lives, be reborn in another place, and forget these bad memories.

Therefore, such fairies have never been domesticated throughout history, and in Gensokyo today, it is even more impossible for someone to capture fairies and cause them to be reborn.

Since they are the embodiment of nature, let them live in nature. This is the unanimous thought of the people in the village.

However, Akina Sawa was unaware of these things. He believed that the fairy must be hiding in his well to escape the pursuit of bad guys.

Akina Ze also frowned, deep in thought.

The desserts on the table have all been eaten.

Nikua sat blankly in the chair, her delicate white feet dangling in the air, her large blue eyes looking at the human who had given her food with a confused expression.

Why did he send me such delicious food?

Nikua had actually visited the human village several times, but no one had ever given her anything to eat. Once, when she was hiding in a corner, she was dragged out by a terrifying woman with a large bow on her head and thrown out of the village.

Since that incident, Nikua has never gone near the village again.

But this time was different; fear was evident in Nikua's eyes.

Because of that guy, that despicable guy! She had no choice but to hide in the human village.

But this time, it felt really good. She met a human who would bring her delicious food. Although she didn't know who knocked her unconscious, overall it was a good experience.

She wanted Akina to give her some more desserts, but Nikua couldn't bring herself to say it. Her face turned bright red, and although the words were already on her lips, she just couldn't get them out.

I don't know why I just can't say it. It was the same when I was with other fairies. When they invited me to play, I just couldn't bring myself to say, "Okay."

This made her want to be alone even more and dare not communicate with others.

When watching other fairies having fun, fear is the first thing that comes to mind, and only at the very end does a hint of longing appear.

But this time, for the sake of delicious desserts, she wanted to make some changes.

A determined glint flashed in Nikua's eyes as she raised her head, ready to say what she wanted to say.

But when he saw Akina Zeya's face, the courage he had finally mustered vanished in an instant, and he lowered his head once again.

As before, I still didn't say it...

An aura of loss emanated from Nikua.

Would you like some more dessert?

These words echoed in Nikua's ears.

Nikua raised her head instantly, her bewildered eyes filled with disbelief. Looking at Akina Zeya's kind face, she nodded.

"Please wait a moment."

Akina Ze also smiled and turned around to bring out some more desserts from the kitchen.

Actually, Akina noticed Nikua the moment she looked up and then down again. Judging from her gaze, which was fixed on the empty plate, he boldly guessed that Nikua probably wanted to eat some more dessert.

That's why I asked Nikua, and luckily he guessed right.

This time, Nikua was eating her dessert with a smile.