Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"Take me to the entrance, I've had enough of this heat!"

"I knew Reimu wouldn't just stand by and do nothing~"

Yukari Yakumo said in a very cloying tone.

Before resolving the anomaly, Hakurei Rei wanted to use the Yin-Yang Jewel to blow her head off.

......

"Where should I even start looking for hop seeds...?"

Akina Sawa was also squatting in the shadows by the street, deep in thought.

It's morning now. If he comes in the evening as the notice says, he'll have to wait a long time. Although he doesn't mind coming in the evening, he doesn't like wasting his time like that.

"Mr. Akina? You still haven't found the hop seeds?"

Just then, Youmu Konpaku, carrying a large bag, happened to pass by. Or rather, this was a place Youmu Konpaku had to pass through on her way home, so she was bound to meet her.

"Yes," Akina Ze said, also looking troubled.

"This...my family might have some..." After thinking it over and over, Youmu Konpaku finally decided to say it.

This happened when Grandpa was still at Baiyulou. For some reasons that can't be mentioned, he bought some hop seeds, but it seems they were never used and were forgotten in the warehouse.

However, when Akina Zeya mentioned hop seeds again, the long-buried memories in Youmu's mind were stirred up.

It just so happens that Mr. Akina needs hop seeds. Making the most of everything and avoiding waste is also Youmu's motto as the de facto manager of Hakugyokurou. After all, if she didn't do this, Hakugyokurou would have gone bankrupt long ago.

"Really!?" Akina Ze exclaimed with delight.

"Hmm," Youmu Konpaku nodded gently.

......

Chapter Eleven Air Circulation

On the cobblestone streets of the Human Village, Sakuya Izayoi walked quietly.

Thinking that there might be clues in crowded places, Izayoi Sakuya came to the Human Village.

Now the compass is not giving any new clues, and without a target, we are like headless flies.

But I haven't felt this sense of aimlessness in a long time...

Sakuya Izayoi walked quietly down the street, looking at the buildings and scenery along the way.

She always came to the Human Village with something to do, and never before had she wandered around aimlessly like this.

This made her notice details she hadn't paid attention to before.

Details about the streets.

However, this couldn't go on forever. Izayoi Sakuya looked down at the compass in her hand, hoping it could give her some clues.

The compass hasn't lit up even once since she left the Scarlet Devil Mansion, which is causing her a lot of distress.

"Hahaha!"

There was some noise ahead, and Izayoi Sakuya put away her compass and looked over.

It turned out to be just some children from a local village playing and frolicking.

As she watched, Sakuya Izayoi smiled.

Although others see her as a cold maid who always has a stern face.

But few people know that she also smiles when faced with the innocent smiles of children.

The young lady's smile is so adorable!

After watching quietly for a while, Izayoi Sakuya decided to move on. Although the children's smiles were indeed cute, completing the young lady's work was the most important thing.

"ah!"

Just as Izayoi Sakuya turned around to continue on her way, a scream came from the group of children.

Upon hearing the sound, Izayoi Sakuya quickly went over.

A little girl with a pink bow in her hair fell to the ground, scraping her knee and bleeding. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

The children standing nearby, who had never seen anything like this before, all shrank back, unsure of what to do.

Seeing the adults arrive, they quickly made way for them, nervously watching their little friends on the ground.

"Good~"

Sakuya Izayoi walked over and gently patted the little girl's head to comfort her.

Then he looked at the little girl's injured knee.

Perhaps because Izayoi-san always had a kind and gentle smile on her face, the little girl quieted down.

Sakuya Izayoi took out a bandage from her pocket and skillfully tied a bow around the little girl's wound.

"Okay, be more careful next time!"

"Thank you, big sister!"

The little girl stood up from the ground, moved her legs, and found that the bandage did not affect her movement at all, and even looked quite nice. She looked at Izayoi Sakuya with delight.

The children standing nearby also smiled.

Carrying a strap with me is just a habit I had from the past, but I never thought it would come in handy now.

Watching the children playing and frolicking, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened, Sakuya Izayoi smiled, shook her head, and turned to leave...

"No way? This is the cave that leads to the old hell?"

Near the geyser, Reimu Hakurei stood at the entrance of the cave and asked in a questioning tone.

Because this "cave" is just too small....

Below the cliff is a cave that can only accommodate half a person.

Reimu Hakurei stared at the small hole in front of her, her lips twitching.

The cave is pitch black from the outside. To get through this extremely narrow cave, you have to bend over and crawl in, and you don't even know how long the cave is.

"This is it"

With a faint smile on her face, Yakumo Yukari was certain that this cave was indeed the entrance to the Old Hell.

Reimu Hakurei glanced at Yukari Yakumo and began to have second thoughts.

She thought it would be a spacious cave, and she could easily enter the Old Hell. But it turned out to be a hole about the size of a dog hole. Reimu Hakurei began to suspect that the reason Yukari Yakumo didn't want to go to the Old Hell was because she didn't want to crawl through the "dog hole"!

However, just thinking about the scene of bending down and crawling into the "dog hole" made Reimu Hakurei burst out laughing.

"Reimu, what's wrong?" Yukari Yakumo asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about something happy," Reimu Hakurei said, trying to suppress a laugh.

I wish such a comical scene could happen.

Yukari Yakumo always acts like she has everything under control, it's so annoying! I need to find a chance to get back at her!

“Purple, this cave should be the part where the Old Hell and Gensokyo overlap, right?” Reimu Hakurei suddenly said seriously.

“Yes, it is precisely because they overlap that they form a passage,” Yukari Yakumo said after a moment’s hesitation.

“Alright, since it’s an overlapping part, it means this cave doesn’t belong entirely to the Old Hell, nor entirely to Gensokyo. So, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to come in with me.” Reimu Hakurei looked at Yukari Yakumo with bright eyes. She couldn’t let me do something as embarrassing as crawling through a dog hole all by myself.

"Huh? Reimu, what did you just say? Oh? Ran's calling me, I'll take my leave!"

Yakumo Yukari opened a gap and prepared to leave.

—But Reimu Hakurei had already grabbed her arm, well, tightly.

Yukari Yakumo stiffly turned her head. Reimu Hakurei's gaze, the strength in her hand... it seemed she couldn't get past this hurdle...

"Purple, hurry up! It's so hot in this cave!"

Inside the narrow cave, Reimu Hakurei and Yukari Yakumo were walking with their backs bent.

Because she was worried that Yukari Yakumo would slip away without a word, Reimu Hakurei chose to follow behind her.

It was very uncomfortable inside the cave; the temperature was much higher than outside.

Despite the protection of spiritual energy, I still experience symptoms such as chest tightness.

But Reimu Hakurei didn't find it hard to accept; in fact, she was quite happy about it.

Because that youkai sage, the unfathomable and cunning Yakumo Yukari, is walking ahead of me with her backside turned!

Thinking of her disheveled appearance, Reimu Hakurei felt a surge of happiness welling up from the bottom of her heart, even though she herself was also disheveled.

"Hmph!" There was a lot of meaning in those words, and Reimu Hakurei could clearly sense that there was anger in them.

But this made her even happier, and she forgot where she was.

This section of the route is the boundary between barriers, which is extremely fragile. If Reimu Hakurei's Void Hole or Yukari Yakumo's Gap were used here, it might disrupt the balance.

This will cause an unclosable rift to open, allowing more heat from the old hell to flow into Gensokyo.

The narrow path didn't last long. After a while, the cave, where one could only walk hunched over, could now be traversed upright.

Seeing Yakumo Yukari stand up in front of her, Reimu Hakurei felt a pang of regret, but seeing her look so defeated was still quite nice.

A smile played on Reimu Hakurei's lips as she followed closely behind...

Chapter Twelve: Culinary Competition

"Youmu-san, you're very strong!"

Akina Sawaya and Youmu Konpaku walked side by side on the streets of the Human Village.

He had noticed the bulging bag on Miss Youmu's back a long time ago.

I was feeling a bit reserved when we first met in the morning, but after a while, I started to feel all hot and bothered.

It seems that Miss Youmu is indeed a local; she bought everything she needed in no time, unlike me who has been wandering around for so long without finding what I wanted.

But wouldn't it be a little awkward to walk side by side with Youmu without saying a word?

Akina Nazawa pondered for a moment and came up with the above topic.

The bag on Miss Youmu's back is so conspicuous, and it doesn't involve any privacy issues, making it a good topic for discussion.

"Huh? Really? I don't think I'm that strong..."

Youmu scratched her nose somewhat embarrassedly, while the mochi-like thing that had been floating beside her scratched its middle part with its tiny tail in a very descriptive way.

Um... how should I respond next...?

Although Akina Zeya said the first sentence based on his intuition, it was just an intuition after all, and he didn't know how to elaborate on it afterward.

An eerie silence fell over the scene...

"Um, Mr. Akina, could you teach me how to cook?"

Perhaps Miss Youmu also sensed the eerie atmosphere and stepped forward to break it.

"Um?"

Akina Ze, who had just emerged from the eerie atmosphere, also glanced at Youmu in surprise. He remembered that Miss Konpaku was a gardener at Hakugyokurou and must know how to cook. Why would she come to ask me for advice?

Youmu noticed Akina Sawaya's surprise, her face flushed slightly, and she waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Ah! It's like this, you know that Lady Yuyuko likes to eat a lot of food, right?"

Akina Sawa nodded as well.

"However, Miss Yuyuko never refuses food, and regardless of whether it's delicious or not, she'll always say it's delicious."

"Isn't this a good thing?"

He knew that Miss Yuyuko had a big appetite, but if such a gluttonous queen like Miss Yuyuko was also picky about food...

Just thinking about that scene made Akina Sawa shudder.

Youmu Konpaku touched the bag full of ingredients on her back and smiled wryly, "In that case, I don't know if my cooking is actually good or not. Although Lady Yuyuko always says it's delicious, I'm never sure if it suits her taste or if she's just trying to comfort me. After all, she's so kind..."

"I apologize, Mr. Akina, I've rambled on and on. I've disturbed you."

Before Akina Sawa could respond, Youmu Konpaku raised her head with a smile on her face.