Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

A sweet, refreshing aroma of watermelon wafts from the shrine atop the mountain.

"Hmm, I should go find some chocolate."

After finishing his share of watermelon, Akina Sawa walked out of the shrine.

We've reached the foot of the mountain now.

Akina Sawa also glanced back at the shrine, which was hidden by trees.

He smiled, stepped out of the torii gate that symbolizes the shrine, and walked forward...

Watermelon is delicious, but it should be consumed in moderation.

Inside the shrine on the mountaintop.

"Marisa, you have a watermelon seed near your mouth~"

"Oh, really?"

Marisa instinctively reached out to remove the watermelon seed from the corner of her mouth.

"do not move!"

Before Marisa could reach out, Reimu suddenly shouted.

Startled by the sound, Marisa stopped what she was doing and looked at Reimu, who had a very serious expression.

Moreover, Reimu is slowly approaching her.

As Reimu's face drew closer and closer, and she could vaguely feel Reimu's hot breath on her face, Marisa's cheeks inevitably flushed red.

Getting closer, getting closer.

Marisa closed her eyes, and Alice's smiling face flashed through her mind...

At this moment, the cicadas near the shrine also stopped chirping, as if they had also sensed the different atmosphere.

Snapped!

A crisp sound rang out.

Then came Marisa's painful cry.

"Ah! What have you done!"

Marisa covered her mouth with both hands and glared at Reimu.

"Haha! Of course, I'm helping you flick off the watermelon seeds!"

Reimu Hakurei held up two fingers and smiled smugly.

She just flicked the watermelon away with two fingers on Marisa's soft cheek.

"How can it be repaired?"

Seeing Reimu's smug expression, Marisa's eyes burned with a fierce flame, and her fighting spirit was ignited!

"Look, a UFO!"

Suddenly, Marisa pointed to the sky outside and said...

"You won't be fooled by such a little trick!"

Reimu didn't look outside when Marisa spoke; instead, she remained vigilant and on guard.

"In that case, take this!"

Marisa, light as a feather, pounced on Reimu, and the two tumbled together...

At the Hakurei Shrine, a scene that had occurred several years ago was reenacted once again, and the little girl had grown into a young woman.

Time will only keep flowing on...

A crack appeared on the plate holding the watermelon, and a delicate, jade-like hand quietly took the watermelon away...

Chapter Thirty-Six: Daily Pudding

"Hmm~"

Remilia swallowed the smooth, soft object in one gulp, a look of ecstasy on her face...

This is a regular feature at the Scarlet Devil Mansion: daily pudding tasting.

The Daily Pudding Appreciation, as the name suggests, involves the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya Izayoi, personally preparing pudding for the two ladies to enjoy at this time every day.

Although the two ladies' ages don't match their appearances, their shared love of pudding does match their physical appearance.

It's time to enjoy the pudding. Not only Remilia, but even Flandre, who is always mischievous, is already sitting obediently in the mahogany chair.

Flandre happily swung her fair legs back and forth, which barely reached the ground. Her delicate red shoes occasionally touched the solid wood chair legs with the movement of her little feet, making a crisp sound. It was clear that the second young lady was very much looking forward to the pudding that was coming.

Remilia, on the other hand, appeared quite composed, resting her chin on her hands and remaining motionless, seemingly trying to display her authority at this moment. However, the occasional glances she gave away betrayed her composure as she looked at the plate of pudding.

Holding a plate at one side of the table, Izayoi Sakuya's lips curled up slightly. The young lady was just so cute, and of course, the second young lady was cute too.

This pudding was carefully prepared by her. Although she always puts a lot of effort into it, this time Sakuya Izayoi bought a kind of ingredient that is readily available in the outside world but is very rare in Gensokyo. The young lady will definitely be very happy, right?

Despite having so much on her mind, Sakuya Izayoi's expression remained completely composed. This was a basic skill for a maid—not showing her emotions.

"Sakuya, it's time. Let's begin."

As the clock on the wall reached its designated position, Remilia, sitting at the head of the table, spoke. Although she spoke precisely on time, there was a hint of impatience in her voice.

"Sakuya! Hurry, hurry!"

Flandre, who had been wearing her anticipation on her sleeve, was now urging him on with some impatience.

Judging from the fork she was gripping tightly in her hand, if she didn't hurry, she might just rush over and bite the pudding off in one gulp.

Thinking of this, Izayoi Sakuya quickly took the two small plates containing pudding off the plates and placed them in front of the two ladies.

Because Sakuya Izayoi was closer to Flandre, she placed the pudding in front of the second young lady first, and then it was Remilia's turn.

As soon as she put it down, Flandre lifted the lid, and a large lump of pudding appeared in front of her.

"Wow!"

"Sakuya, hurry up!"

Upon hearing Flandre's exclamation, Remilia couldn't help herself any longer and, abandoning her dignified demeanor, hurriedly urged him on.

"You've arrived, young lady."

Sakuya Izayoi quickly moved from the end of the long table to the beginning.

A small white porcelain plate rests gently on the clean white tablecloth on the table.

Even though it's just pudding, it has to have everything it should.

But once the pudding was placed in front of her, Remilia sat up straight and looked at Flandre, who was busy stuffing the pudding into her mouth, and scolded her.

"Fran, mind your manners. Even though we are the only ones left in the Scarlett family, we still need to maintain its image."

"Woo~"

Flandre patted her flat chest, shoving the pudding she was choking on, and looked at Remilia.

"But this chocolate pudding is so delicious! I haven't had chocolate pudding in ages!"

"Even with chocolate pudding, you still want to... wait? Chocolate pudding?"

Remilia suddenly realized something and her mouth dropped open.

Instead of scolding Flandre, she focused on her own pudding and lifted the lid off it.

That familiar face, which she hadn't seen in a long time, appeared before Remilia.

Wow! It really is chocolate pudding!

Remilia's face lit up with joy upon seeing what the pudding was, and she immediately wanted to scoop out a large piece and stuff it into her mouth to enjoy its unique texture and flavor.

But as soon as Remilia raised her fork, she realized that a burning gaze was fixed on her.

Sakuya's still here... No, I have to maintain my dignified image...

So Remilia ate the chocolate pudding gently, bite by bite.

Flandre had finished eating hers and was staring longingly at Remilia when she still had more than half of the chocolate pudding left in her hand.

When Remilia noticed that Flandre's burning gaze was fixed on her pudding, she instinctively turned her head away, avoiding Flandre's eyes.

Sorry, I was so stupid, you can forget about this pudding.

"Sakuya, what do you think...?"

Remilia deliberately ignored Flandre and chose to talk to Sakuya.

Having already understood everything, Izayoi Sakuya naturally nodded, smiled, and said yes.

However, Flandre did not intend to give up. Remilia turned her head, and she followed her over, staring at her with a pitiful look.

Unfortunately, Remilia can now ignore Flandre's pitiful act.

I, Remilia, am definitely going to eat this chocolate pudding!

......

The pudding wasn't very big, and Remilia scooped up the last piece.

Flandre couldn't help but stand on tiptoe, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at the last piece of chocolate pudding.

Because she ate it so fast, practically swallowing it whole, Flandre didn't get a good taste of the pudding.

But Remi still had a lot, so Fran decided to surround Remi and ask for a piece of pudding to try.

However, even with this last piece of pudding, Fran still couldn't get even a tiny piece from Remy, who was heartless and wouldn't give her a pudding.

This last piece should be reserved for me, right?

Fran swallowed hard. She believed that her loving sister would not abandon her. This last piece of pudding was definitely for her!

Sure enough, Remi suddenly moved the last piece of pudding toward Fran.

Fran's eyes lit up; her sister really did love her.

But the pudding didn't stop; it kept swinging in mid-air, and Fran's whole body swayed along with it, though her mouth remained in the direction of the pudding.

However, the pudding didn't sway for long. After a while, it got closer and closer to Fran's mouth...

Ah woo~

Remilia swallowed the last piece of pudding with great relish, her little red tongue tracing a circle around her lips, looking quite pleased with herself.

Fran, who witnessed everything, was completely petrified...

---------------------------------

"Luckily, there's still a little chocolate left at Kourindo."

As Akina Ze walked home, he held the bag of chocolates in his hand with a sense of relief.

According to the owner of Kōrin-dō, a maid originally intended to buy all the chocolates, but he forgot about this particular bag because it was placed in a corner, which gave Akina Sawa the opportunity to snag some.

The task is complete; this bag contains the remaining chocolates.

"I wonder if Nikua likes chocolate?"

Akina Sawa quickened his pace...

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Watermelons and Strikes

Crunchy~

In the dilapidated city streets, hidden by time, Chito drove a half-track motorcycle with Yuri on the road.

The buildings, riddled with holes left by shattered glass, were scattered all around, like menacing beasts lurking nearby. The dilapidated streetlights flickered, adding to the eerie and sinister atmosphere.

But Chito and Yuri were used to such scenes. It would be unusual if a perfectly intact building suddenly appeared among so many dilapidated buildings.

"Chihiro, can I have one more bite of chocolate? This really is the last time~"

Yuri leaned against the half-track motorcycle, her face filled with a blissful expression as she recalled a certain taste, completely lost in the fantasy woven by her mind.

"No, Mr. Paper's chocolates are almost gone."