A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Xia Xun's heart skipped a beat. Perhaps that shop assistant knew Marisa Kirisame. After all, they looked to be the same age, and both were humans from the Human Realm, so it wouldn't be surprising if they knew each other.

Moreover, he remembered that when they first met, Marisa Kirisame addressed him in a very intimate tone, calling him "Miyoi".

With this in mind, Xia Xun decided to go and find out more information.

After all, the fact that Marisa Kirisame suddenly ran away crying in front of him was terrifying no matter how you looked at it.

He asked himself honestly, had he really done anything wrong? He had only postponed the magic training time a little, so how did he inexplicably make someone cry?

"Girls' thoughts are really hard to understand..." Xia Xun sighed, straightened her clothes which were slightly disheveled from running, and strode towards the Ni Tun Pavilion.

Pushing open the curtain printed with a whale pattern, the warm light and the aroma of food wafted out of the store.

A warm welcome from a young girl immediately followed: "Welcome to the Gyōtō-tei—ah, it's the new guest from last time!"

A pink-haired girl wearing a light purple shop assistant uniform was wiping tableware behind the counter. When she looked up and saw Xia Xun, her eyes lit up and a bright smile appeared on her face.

This surprised Xia Xun. He had only visited a few days ago and did not expect that the other party would still remember him.

"I didn't expect that the shop assistant would remember me after only one visit. That's really impressive." Xia Xun walked into the store and smiled at the girl.

"Hehe, after all, I'm the mascot of Minato-tei." Okunoda Miyo puffed out her chest with some pride, put the dried dishes back on the shelf, then picked up the order book and pen and walked up to Natsumi. "What would you like to eat this time, sir? Or would you like me to recommend something like last time?"

Her smile was truly captivating, and it seemed to ease the tension she felt from the unexpected incident.

"Yes, I'll trouble you with your recommendation, Miss Shop Assistant." Xia Xun nodded, then lowered her voice and took half a step closer to Meixiao, "Um... hello, Miss Shop Assistant, I'd like to ask if you know Kirisame Marisa?"

"Marisa?" Miyo Okunoda looked at Natsumi strangely upon hearing this, then nodded. "Yes, we know each other. We're friends."

She paused, then added, "But we're not exactly very familiar with each other."

"That's good." Xia Xun's expression relaxed upon hearing this, and he quickly explained, "My name is Xia Xun, and I'm a farmer who came from outside."

"I just became friends with Marisa a few days ago, but I don't know why I think I made her angry just now."

Xia Xun's face showed a confused and helpless expression, her voice tinged with a hint of exasperation. "Could you perhaps inquire about Marisa?"

"Huh?" Okunoda Miyo was taken aback, but seeing the sincere expression on Natsumi's face, she nodded. "If I can help Mr. Natsumi. However, the business hours may be a bit late in the evening, so you'll have to wait until after closing time."

"Thank you, I can wait," Xia Xun said quickly.

“Okay, I’ll come back to see Mr. Natsumi after I finish work.” Okunoda Miyo said, giving Natsumi a reassuring smile, and then led him to an empty seat against the wall inside the shop. “Please rest here for a while. Would you like something to drink?”

"Just plain water is fine, thank you," Xia Xun said.

"Okay, please wait a moment." Okunoda Miyo made a note of it, turned and walked towards the kitchen. After a while, she came back with a glass of water and a handwritten menu. "Today's recommendations are tonkotsu ramen and grilled mackerel set meal. They are both very popular dishes."

"Then let's have the grilled mackerel set meal," Xia Xun said, glancing at the menu and choosing the latter.

"Okay, coming right away~" Okunoda Miyo wrote down the order, smiled at Natsumi, and then turned to get busy.

Xia Xun sat in her seat, sipping water while observing the situation in the store.

This time, with enough free time, he gradually discovered that the shop really fit the "izakaya" concept.

Although it was only evening, the shop was already quite full of customers, mostly middle-aged men, gathered in twos and threes, drinking, playing drinking games, and chatting noisily.

"Marisa comes to places like this too?" Xia Xun thought with some surprise, as it didn't quite match his impression of Marisa.

A moment later, Miyo Okunoda's voice interrupted his observation.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, here's the grilled mackerel set meal~" A crisp voice rang out as Okunoda Miyo placed the grilled mackerel set meal in front of Natsumi.

"Please enjoy your meal," Miyo Okunoda said with a smile, before going to serve the other guests.

As the night deepened, the hands of the wall clock pointed to the dead of night.

The lively atmosphere in the shop gradually quieted down as the drunken customers helped each other leave, leaving only a scene of scattered cups and plates in silence.

After seeing off the last guest, Miyo Okunoda lowered the curtain and let out a long sigh of relief.

She turned around and saw Xia Xun still sitting in the same spot, quietly waiting for her.

"Ah, Mr. Natsumi, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long." Miyo walked over somewhat apologetically. "I'll start packing right away, it'll be done soon."

"It's okay, I didn't wait long either." Xia Xun stood up, looked at the dishes on the table and the mess on the floor, "Let me help you clean up, the two of us can work faster."

"Oh? No, no, how can we let the guests do this?" Miyo quickly waved her hand.

"It's alright." Xia Xun smiled, her tone genuine. "I wanted to ask you about Marisa, so it's only natural that I help you now."

"We're helping each other out, aren't we?"

Upon hearing this, Okunoda Miyo hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then thank you, Mr. Natsumi. However, my name is Okunoda Miyo, so please just call me Miyo. It's too formal to keep calling me 'shop assistant'."

"Okay, then Meixiao can just call me Xia Xun." Xia Xun nodded and rolled up her sleeves. "Shall we begin?"

"Ok!"

The two of them got busy together.

Xia Xun was responsible for collecting the scattered dishes and plates by the sink, while Okunoda Miyo skillfully began washing them.

Next, Xia Xun picked up a broom and swept the floor, while Okunoda Miyo wiped the tables and chairs. Although their teamwork wasn't perfect, they were quite efficient.

"Xia Xun is from outside. Has she done these kinds of chores before?" Okunoda Miyo asked curiously as she wiped the table.

"I guess so." Xia Xun swept the trash together. "When I was little, I lived with my grandfather and had to help with housework during the busy farming season. Later, when I lived alone, I did all the laundry, cooking, and cleaning myself."

"Living alone, huh? It must be tough, right?" Miyo Okunoda turned her head and looked at Natsumi with concern.

"You'll get used to it." Xia Xun smiled faintly, without saying anything more.

The two chatted as they worked.

Miyo Okunoda is a cheerful and talkative girl. The two of them worked and busied themselves, chatting in a relaxed and pleasant manner, and soon the shop was almost ready.

They also work together and get along fairly well.

About half an hour later, the shop was cleaned up.

The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, the floor was spotless, and the dishes were all washed and put back in their places. Okunoda Miyo wrung out the last rag, hung it up, and clapped her hands: "Done! It's all thanks to Natsumi, otherwise I might have been working even later by myself."

"It was nothing." Xia Xun put the broom back in the corner and was about to continue talking about Marisa when the sound of curtains swaying suddenly came from the doorway.

The two turned around at the same time.

A petite figure swayed as she walked in.

She was a cute girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old, with long, flowing golden hair, a large horn on each side of her head, and a large red bow tied behind her head.

She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a gourd hanging from the hem. Her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural blush, and her golden eyes were hazy, clearly indicating that she was quite drunk.

Before you even get close, a strong smell of alcohol hits you.

"Wine...wine...waiter, hurry up and bring me some good wine!" the girl called out indistinctly, staggering towards the counter and almost bumping into a table next to her.

Seeing this, Miyo Okunoda quickly stepped forward to help her up and said, "Miss, I'm very sorry, but Minato-tei is closed today."

Chapter Thirty-Three: Watermelon Toasting – The More You Drink, the More Enjoyable It Becomes

"Huh, are you closed?"

The tipsy girl was taken aback by what she heard, her orange-brown eyes filled with confusion, but she immediately reached out and grabbed Okunoda Miyo's arm.

"But I'm hungry! Bring me the best food and wine!" She shook her head, her tone a mix of drunken arrogance and childishness. "This is a restaurant, right? How can we let our customers go hungry!"

Her petite frame unleashed a power disproportionate to her size, causing Okunoda Miyo to stumble.

“This guest…” Okunoda Miyo looked troubled, her eyes secretly glancing at the horned girl who was pulling her along, her heart pounding with nervousness.

This is a youkai, and one that has been missing from Gensokyo for a long time—an oni!

Okunoda Miyo is terrified. She doesn't want to serve yokai in her favorite shop, but she's also afraid that refusing them will make them angry and destroy the shop.

She tried to swing her arms, trying to break free from that hand, but that small hand conveyed a force that was absolutely impossible to resist.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Okunoda Miyo finally gave in.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll prepare it for you right away." Her voice trembled slightly. "But because we don't have enough ingredients left in the shop, we may not be able to prepare too much. Please understand."

Xia Xun, who had been watching from the side, finally realized what was happening.

He glanced at the time on the system interface—11:23 PM.

At this hour, most people in the human village are already resting, so why would an ordinary human girl come to the izakaya drunk and ask for drinks?

Subconsciously, Xia Xun's heart started racing.

"Huh?" Ibuki Suika seemed to smell the fear in the air. Her drunken eyes turned to Natsumi, and she grinned, revealing a wild and intoxicated smile. "Hey, are you scared of me?"

"Hahaha, that's how it should be, hiccup~!"

She let out a small hiccup, swayed slightly, puffed out her small chest, and proudly declared, "I'm not a child, nor am I a ghost."

"Hiccup, no, I am a demon!" She patted her head and corrected herself, "One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Clan, the Great Demon—Ibuki Suika!"

Xia Xun felt her heart beating even faster.

But this time, it wasn't because of the other party's identity as a monster, but because of the scene before them.

The blonde girl, slightly drunk, had flushed cheeks, hazy eyes, a pair of conspicuous horns on her head, and an unguarded, even somewhat naive, appearance.

I really want to take it home!

In an instant, a dangerous thought, enough to give Xia Xun a severe electric shock, surfaced in her mind.

At the same time, a distant memory struck him, reminding him of some information about the other person: Ibuki Suika, nicknamed "Watermelon," one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Oni Clan, is a notorious drunkard who loves excitement and parties.

"Huh?" Ibuki Suika clearly sensed the sudden disappearance of the fear aura on Natsumi's body and scratched her head in confusion.

She pointed at herself, tilted her head, and looked at Xia Xun with hazy, drunken eyes: "I'm a ghost, Ibuki Suika, the Demon King. Why isn't the shop assistant afraid of me anymore?"

"So you want to hurt me?" Xia Xun asked back, trying to keep her tone calm.

“No,” Suika Ibuki shook her head, her movements slowed by the alcohol. “I came here to drink, not to arrest people and start fights.”

"That's good then." Xia Xun smiled.

"Oh~ hiccup, the shop assistant makes a lot of sense." Suika Ibuki nodded, looking as if she had just realized it, and the large horn on her head swayed slightly.

Then, with a wave of her hand, she commanded in a drunken but undeniable tone, "Then quickly help me sit down, and bring out the wine! I'm going to drink my fill tonight, and I won't leave until I'm completely drunk!"

Xia Xun didn't explain that she wasn't a staff member. Instead, she readily led Ibuki Suika to sit down at an empty table in the store, said "Please wait a moment," and then turned and quickly walked towards the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Xia Xun saw Okunoda Miyo anxiously pacing back and forth in the limited space of the back kitchen, searching through the few remaining storage cabinets, like an ant on a hot plate.

"What should I do, what should I do..." she kept muttering, her voice trembling with tears.

Upon seeing Xia Xun enter, Okunoda Miyo immediately looked at him with teary eyes: "The shop's ingredients were almost used up by noon, and we didn't have time to replenish them in the evening. Now we really have nothing left."

"Nigune Pavilion is doomed!"

"That monster will definitely cause a huge ruckus in the shop because it didn't get any food, and it'll destroy the Minamoto-tei!"

"Don't worry, leave the ingredients to me," Xia Xun said, already knowing in his heart that it was time for him, the farmer, to step in.

Although he vaguely remembered that Ibuki Suika did not seem to be a completely unreasonable demon, since it concerned the survival of the samurai, and she was a demon king who liked to drink, it was best to satisfy her request and avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Natsumi!" Upon hearing this, Okunoda Miyo looked at him with teary eyes, deeply moved.

Xia Xun nodded vigorously at her, gave her a thumbs up, and then turned around without hesitation, rushed out of the store, and ran towards his home.

In the darkness, his figure quickly disappeared into the night, leaving only the sound of his hurried footsteps fading into the distance.

More than ten minutes later, Xia Xun reappeared at the shop entrance, carrying a wooden box in her hands.

Upon arriving at the kitchen, he took out various vegetables from the ingredient box, including silver star cauliflower, silver star potatoes, and mung beans.

"Are these okay?" Xia Xun asked Okunoda Miyo, who was inspecting the ingredients.

"Mmm!" Nodding quickly, Okunoda Miyo looked excitedly at the vegetables in her hand.

"This is the first time I've ever seen vegetables of this quality. Did you grow all of these, Xia Xun? You're amazing!"

Xia Xun was very pleased with the beautiful girl's heartfelt praise, and her heart blossomed with happiness.

"Call me next, I promise I'll protect Ni Tun Ting!"

With a blazing fire burning in her eyes, Okunoda Miyo rolled up her sleeves, assuming battle mode.

Seeing this, Xia Xun did not disturb her. He took a bottle of strong liquor and a cup from the counter and gave them to Ibuki Suika.

"He's finally here!" When Ibuki Suika saw Natsumi come out with the sake, her eyes lit up instantly, and she eagerly raised her hand.

砰-