Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

After much deliberation, Reimu Hakurei decided to test the waters first. If there was any danger, she would retreat immediately and then drag Yukari along.

Having made up her mind, Reimu Hakurei decided to speak.

But before she could speak, the purple-haired monster in front of her shook its head in disappointment and prepared to leave.

The small leather shoes, still gleaming, trod on the old city floor without making a sound, as if flying. That's why her presence wasn't noticed.

But now, this guy suddenly appeared and then suddenly wanted to leave, how could she possibly let her go? Reimu Hakurei instinctively shouted.

"and many more!"

The first monster I encountered after arriving in the old capital, I will not let her leave until I get the information I want.

The empty streets were shattered by Reimu Hakurei's shouts.

The girl who had been called by Reimu Hakurei stopped and looked at the noise maker with a blank expression.

Seeing that she had stopped, Reimu Hakurei was overjoyed and planned to ask her what had happened in the old capital and why she was all alone.

"You don't need to say anything; I know what you want to say."

The purple-haired girl spoke first, and what she said made Reimu Hakurei's expression freeze.

What does that mean? I didn't even say anything, how did she understand? Could it be...?

In a short time, Reimu Hakurei could only think of one possibility, and her expression immediately turned ugly.

No one would want to be around someone with such abilities, not even Reimu Hakurei.

“That’s right, just as you think,” the purple-clad girl said calmly, unaffected by Reimu Hakurei’s expression.

"As for why this place became like this, I don't know either."

A strangely shaped eyeball moved from the girl's back to her front along a very slender, blood vessel-like tube.

The eerie eyeball stared unblinkingly at Reimu Hakurei.

Immediately, Reimu Hakurei felt a chill run down her spine and shivered involuntarily.

This guy is weird and a little scary, and he also has that kind of ability.

Reimu Hakurei just wanted to get away as quickly as possible; she didn't want to stay there any longer.

But perhaps she knows some clues.

"Don't use that ability on me again! And my name is Reimu Hakurei."

First, Reimu Hakurei said seriously.

She didn't want her brain to be spied on by others without any privacy.

“Yes, I will be careful,” the purple-clad girl nodded and continued, “I know you. You are the current Hakurei Shrine Maiden, right? I am the master of the Earth Spirit Palace, Komeiji Satori.”

The Temple of the Earth Spirits? Komeiji Satori? I don't recognize those names.

Reimu Hakurei had no knowledge of this matter in her little head.

But this did not affect her subsequent problems.

Do you have any leads?

"I asked Reimu Hakurei."

......

"Mr. Akina, do you need this ingredient?"

Akina Sawa and Youmu Konpaku are making preparations inside.

The kitchen of Baiyulou is in a typical rustic style, with all kinds of old-fashioned kitchen utensils.

However, they did not decay over time, thanks to the meticulous care that Youmu Konpaku took for them.

With their help, Youmu was able to barely satisfy Lady Yuyuko's appetite.

"Miss Youmu, aren't we supposed to have a competition? Why are you helping me prepare the ingredients?"

Akina Ze also joked.

"Competing is one thing, helping out is another."

Youmu Konpaku said in a very serious tone.

"Okay, thank you."

Akina Ze also smiled and took the ingredients from Youmu Konpaku's hands.

After seeing that Akina Sawa had also accepted it, Youmu Konpaku went back to continue her preparations.

Looking at the girl next to him who was taking the preparation of the dish seriously, Akina Ze suddenly felt a little envious of Yuyuko.

Although my Niqua can help water the plants, Youmu is an expert at all kinds of housework...

Although she was envious, Akina quickly put those thoughts aside and focused on preparing the dish.

During the last banquet, Akina Sawa also observed that Miss Yuyuko seemed to be very interested in Mapo Tofu.

Although every dish was eaten clean by Miss Yuyuko.

However, she would swallow each dish in less than a second, but the Mapo Tofu made Miss Yuyuko pause for a few seconds before eating it all.

Therefore, based on Akina Sawaya's conclusion that the more delicious the food, the more it should be enjoyed slowly, it is entirely certain that the dish that Ms. Yuyuko treated differently must be her favorite, which is Mapo Tofu.

Therefore, Akina Ze also plans to make a plate of Mapo Tofu to win over Miss Yuyuko's heart. Moreover, this time he plans to improve the Mapo Tofu by adding more ingredients to make it spicier and more explosive.

As he was thinking, Akina Ze took out a chili pepper that he had grown in his own field and that the system had rated as a purple star from his system backpack.

With this secret weapon, I'm sure I'll win this competition.

Akina Ze also examined the fiery red chili pepper in his hand, which looked like it was about to burst into flames at any moment. He felt a subtle stinging sensation where his palm touched it.

I'm sorry, Miss Youmu. I originally wanted you to win, but my culinary heart wouldn't allow me to lose, so I apologize!

Akina glanced at Youmu, who was still diligently preparing the dish, and then placed the chili peppers on the cutting board and quickly began to chop them with a knife.

Perhaps the spiciness was all contained inside the chili pepper, because apart from the stinging sensation on the skin that came into contact with the pepper, Akina Ze did not smell any spiciness.

This put him at ease; he had been worried that the spiciness would make his nose and eyes water.

Akina Sawa is fine, but on the other hand, Youmu Konpaku has a problem, or rather, her half-spirit has a problem.

The mochi, which should have been snow-white, turned red without anyone noticing.

Youmu, focused on cooking, didn't notice the changes around her, or rather, the half-spirit, aside from turning red, probably didn't change anything else...

Chapter Eighteen: So you were Lu...

The moon star is thin, and the black dragonfly flies south.

No, that's not right, because there is neither a moon nor magpies in the underworld.

All that exists is Yuyuko's stomach, which has no end in sight.

So, while Akina Zeya and Youmu were preparing the meal, Yuyuko was already so hungry that she wanted to dig into the wooden table where the food had always been placed.

No matter how hard Youmu Konpaku cleaned, the table that had been there all this time, which had held countless dishes, still seemed to retain some of the smell.

These flavors kept stimulating Yuyuko's taste buds, and saliva was already drooling from the corners of her mouth.

As a guest, Izayoi could only close her eyes and pretend she hadn't seen anything in response to Yuyuko's behavior.

If Akina Zeya and Konpaku Youmu don't step up their efforts, who knows what Yuyuko, with her eyes gleaming and drool dripping from her mouth, might do to this poor wooden table.

The kitchen of Baiyulou was filled with smoke, and the smoke also carried a slightly spicy smell.

For Akina Zeya, who loves spicy food, this kind of spiciness is nothing to him.

But it was different for Miss Youmu Konpaku. Her cheeks and neck turned red from the spicy smoke. In the end, she used her half-spirit as a mask to cover her mouth and nose to avoid being choked by the spiciness and running away. Even so, her exposed eyes were already red, and there were some tears in the corners of her eyes from the spiciness.

Seeing Youmu's appearance, Akina nodded in satisfaction. This flavor, Yuyuko would definitely like.

The main reason why the Mapo Tofu, with its thick layer of red oil floating on the surface, is that the steam rising from it blends with the steam from Miss Youmu's steaming dishes is because of this.

But most importantly, it was unexpected that the kitchen of the prestigious Baiyulou had a broken chimney. With only a few small windows, it would take an unknown amount of time to expel the fumes. This was the direct cause.

"Miss Youmu, with such a large fortune as Hakugyokurou, why don't you even fix the chimney?"

In the kitchen, where smoke obscured faces, Akina Ze spoke with an air of composure.

"..."

Silence, silence, and more silence. A few steps away, Youmu the Soul Eater fell silent.

Because the smoke was so thick, Akina Sawa couldn't see Youmu's expression clearly.

However, judging from the few faintly visible arcs, it's probably giving a wry smile.

Since Miss Youmu was unwilling to say, Akina Sawa stopped asking. Although his Mapo Tofu was ready, it was only partially completed. He still had a secret ingredient to add.

Akina Ze carefully dripped the secret seasoning he had just prepared into the plate of Mapo Tofu along the edge of the small bowl.

Clang!

As the secret ingredients were poured into the Mapo Tofu, Akina Ze seemed to see a dazzling golden light emanating from the small Mapo Tofu.

In an instant, beams of golden light pierced through the billowing smoke and filled the small kitchen.

Mapo tofu is done!

Sniff~ Sniff~

The spirit youmu beside her gently twitched her small, delicate nostrils as she caught a whiff of a strange scent.

The pungent smell in the smoke had disappeared, replaced by a slightly sweet taste.

What's going on here?! Where is this sweetness coming from?!

Knowing that Akina Sawa was also making Mapo Tofu, Youmu's face showed a look of astonishment.

She didn't know that Akina Sawa had also added a secret ingredient to the Mapo Tofu; all she knew was that the spicy flavor instantly transformed into a sweet flavor that represented sweetness.

We can't keep thinking about what Mr. Akina did!

Youmu Konpaku shook her head violently and reached out to open the pot lid.

Her dish was finished; it consisted of steamed buns shaped like many cute little animals...

It's plain and unadorned; only its appearance can barely earn it a few points.

This was Izayoi Sakuya's first impression of Youmu-san's steamed bun.

Now it's time for the judging, and both of their dishes are already on the table.

Youmu glanced furtively at the Mapo Tofu beside her.

The surface is covered with a layer of golden red oil, and the aroma is so enticing that it can still be smelled from several steps away, making one's appetite soar.

Is this Mr. Akina's Mapo Tofu...?

Just now in the kitchen, Youmu Konpaku couldn't see the details of the Mapo Tofu clearly because of the smoke. Now that it's placed in the front, you can take a closer look at what it looks like.

One glance was enough to send Youmu's heart sinking to the bottom.

Although I personally shaped each of those cute little steamed buns and put them into the steamer, they were still far inferior to Mr. Akina's.

How could we possibly win...?

Old hell, on the streets of the old capital.

Komeiji Satoru suggested that he might know something.

So, not knowing where to go, Reimu Hakurei naturally followed behind Satoru Komeiji, intending to go with her to find the source of this incident.

Glug, glug

"Hey, do you know where the source is? If we keep going like this, I don't know how long it'll take!"

Bored, Reimu Hakurei kicked at a small stone on the street, watching it roll around.

Quite some time had passed since the two companions started their journey.

Reimu Hakurei followed behind Satoru Komeiji, who always had a poker face.

Despite walking for so long, I am still wandering around the vast old city streets.

Seeing Komeiji Satoru leading the way so calmly and confidently, Reimu Hakurei naturally trusted her and followed behind her.