A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

"hey-hey."

Xia Xun couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling a surge of energy coursing through her body.

"Okay! Let's go to the farm today and plant all the new seeds we bought yesterday!"

As for Marisa Kirisame, Natsumi scratched her head, still unable to figure out why she ran away crying.

Forget it, let's start by planting.

After I'm done with this, I'll go to the Magic Forest and ask Alice.

As an enemy, she should know Marisa better.

Just as he was planning his day, a rustling sound came from beside the bed, followed by a soft, sleepy girl's voice.

"Ah~~ Good morning, Xia Xun."

Xia Xun was startled by the sudden sound and turned her head sharply.

Okunoda Miyo sat up on the other side of the bed at some point, wearing only a thin shirt with the top slightly loose, revealing a section of her fair and rounded shoulder. Her long pink hair was a little messy from sleeping, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks.

She was rubbing her sleepy eyes when she gave Xia Xun a bright, unguarded smile, still dazed from just waking up.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly threw off the covers and gave Xia Xun a standard bow.

"I'm so sorry about last night!" The girl's voice was full of remorse. She explained that Xia Xun had slipped and fainted, and since she didn't know where Xia Xun lived, she had to take her back to her room to rest and take care of her.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?"

Xia Xun was taken aback by the sudden apology and the beautiful scenery before her.

My gaze drifted unconsciously for a moment, then I quickly forced myself to look away and focus on the other person's face.

But Miyo's words only confused him more.

Are all the girls in Gensokyo this strange?

Or is there something wrong with my own memory?

"Um, Miyo." Xia Xun scratched her cheek, her tone a little uncertain, "But I remember, last night I seemed to have drunk some sake from Ibuki Suika's gourd, which is why I passed out?"

"Could it be... that I really fell and damaged my brain?" Xia Xun muttered uncertainly to herself.

"Huh?!"

Upon hearing this, Miyo Okunoda abruptly raised her head, her sleepiness vanishing instantly, replaced by undisguised surprise.

Her ability actually failed?

Why?

"Xia Xun, you...you still remember what happened last night?" she couldn't help but ask, her voice tinged with nervousness.

"If you're referring to the time when Ibuki Suika came to the shop late at night and I drank and fooled around with her..." Xia Xun said, his face turning red, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yes, I remember most of it."

I especially remember the scene where I acted like a child, causing a ruckus in the store with Suika Ibuki, clinging to the Demon King and refusing to let go, and spouting nonsense.

Thinking of this, Xia Xun quickly lowered her head and solemnly apologized: "Meixiao, I caused you a lot of trouble last night after I got drunk. I'm really sorry!"

"No, no, no, it's alright! On the contrary, I should thank you for helping me last night, Natsumi!" Okunoda Miyo hurriedly waved her hand and reached out to help Natsumi up. "And if anyone should apologize, it should be me."

But seeing Xia Xun's embarrassed and ashamed expression, her ears turning red, the girl suddenly found it amusing and couldn't help but chuckle.

The soft morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating her smiling face and making her bright eyes curve into crescent moons.

At this moment, Okunoda Miyoshi is as beautiful as a meticulously painted oil painting.

As Xia Xun watched her smile, the embarrassment and nervousness in his heart unconsciously dissipated, and he grinned and smiled along with her.

The small room was filled with the sound of their relaxed laughter.

After a while, Okunoda Miyo stopped laughing and scratched her cheek like Natsumi did, explaining softly, "Actually, I didn't expect you to still remember what happened last night, Natsumi."

She paused for a moment, then looked up at Xia Xun.

"Because according to common sense, your memory of Ibuki Suika's visit last night should have been corrected by me."

"But it seems my abilities aren't working on you."

Xia Xun then realized what was happening.

so it is.

That's why Miyo said she didn't have any memory of slipping and fainting. She wasn't lying; it was a memory she originally intended to implant into her mind.

But why would you want to alter my memory?

Moreover, the ability to "modify memories" is truly amazing.

In an instant, Xia Xun's gaze towards Okunoda Miyo became subtle.

Miyo Okunoda keenly noticed the change in Natsumi's eyes.

Her slender shoulders hunched slightly, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her pajamas.

The girl knew that for most people, altering memories was an extremely terrible thing that could never be easily forgiven.

Mr. Xia Xun, you probably won't want to have anything to do with me again.

The moment this thought arose, my heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and a dull pain came through it.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Getting to Know the Monster Girl Again

Close at hand.

Xia Xun naturally noticed Okunoda Miyo's fear.

To be honest, when he heard that the other party wanted to change his memory, he was indeed very angry for a moment and wanted to question the other party about why.

But seeing Okunoda Miyo trembling like a frightened deer, his anger was instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of warm water had been poured over it.

He sighed.

Xia Xun had to admit that he was the kind of person who couldn't bear to see young girls heartbroken.

If you manage to squeeze me, you've hit a weak spot.

Moreover, through these two encounters, Xia Xun could also sense that Okunoda Miyo was a good girl, and that she did this mostly out of some kind of "for his own good" consideration.

"Then, can you tell me, Miyo?" Xia Xun's voice was calm: "Why did you do this?"

The moment the sound rang out, Miyo Okunoda's body trembled slightly, like a prisoner awaiting the final verdict.

Then, to her surprise, the expected scolding and reprimands did not come.

She looked up and met Xia Xunping's calm gaze, which held no disgust, only inquiry.

A sudden surge of inexplicable courage welled up from the bottom of my heart.

"Because, because I don't want you, Natsumi, to come into contact with monsters!" Okunoda Miyo gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her voice serious. "Natsumi, you're human. You'll get hurt if you come into contact with monsters!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun understood the whole story.

Oh, I see.

"Thank you, Miyo." He thanked Noda Miyo.

Xia Xun understood; behind the girl's clumsy actions lay a desire to protect him.

Then, his tone became serious: "But, this time, I'll forgive you."

Seeing the light return to the girl's eyes, Xia Xun continued, "Miyo, I know you don't want me to come into contact with monsters for my own good, and I know monsters are dangerous."

"But as someone from the outside world, I don't actually dislike coming into contact with those 'beyond common sense' beings."

Looking at Natsumi's face filled with longing, Miyo Okunoda couldn't help but feel a surge of joy, while a look of worry appeared on her face.

Xia Xun doesn't dislike monsters; she's very happy.

Xia Xun wanted to come into contact with the monster, and she was very worried.

Miyo Okunoda couldn't help but speak up: "But, monsters are very dangerous beings! They might attack you at any time."

“But there are good ones among the monsters,” Xia Xun retorted with a smile, her tone relaxed. “I can also become friends with them.”

“Just like Ibuki Suika last night, she’s a great youkai and a demon king, but we can still sit together, drink, and chat, right?”

"Moreover," Xia Xun's voice carried a hint of smugness, "I don't act rashly without any preparation."

With a thought, he took out the high-level talisman from his system backpack and waved it in front of Okunoda Miyo as if to show off.

"Heh heh, look, this is a high-grade talisman I bought from the Hakurei Shrine! Even if I encounter a powerful high-level youkai, I'm not completely helpless!"

The luminous white talisman was held between the two, radiating a soft yet undeniable glow.

At that moment, Xia Xun suddenly felt the talisman in his hand getting slightly hot, as if it had been activated by a monster.

Huh?

Xia Xun stared blankly at the talisman that had produced a reaction in her hand, then slowly turned her head to look at the other side.

Okunoda Miyo, who had been speaking just moments before, had now huddled in a corner of the room, hugging her knees, trembling all over, wishing she could embed herself into the wall.

Xia Xun: "..."

He silently put the high-level talisman, which exuded an aura of exorcism and purification, back into his backpack.

At this moment, if he had a pack of cigarettes in his hand, he really wanted to light one up and take a deep drag.

So, this Ms. Okunoda Miyo, who keeps saying "Yokai are dangerous" and wants to protect him from Yokai, is herself a Yokai.

"Cough cough."

Xia Xun coughed twice, breaking the almost stagnant silence in the room.

He walked to the corner, squatted down next to Okunoda Miyo, who was curled up as if she didn't want to be seen, and reached out his hand to her.

His voice carried a hint of laughter as he tried to dispel the awkwardness: "So, you see, there's a very nice monster right in front of me."

"Then, let's get to know each other again," Xia Xun's smile was truly captivating!

"I am Xia Xun, a newcomer determined to become the most famous farmer in the world. May I ask if we can become friends?"

Okunoda Miyo looked up at Natsumi, who was squatting beside her with a gentle expression. Her eyes, which always carried a cheerful smile, were slightly wide open at this moment. Her heart skipped a beat for no reason, and then beat even more strongly.

A smile involuntarily appeared on her face. She gently placed her hand in Xia Xun's outstretched palm, her voice carrying a relieved and coquettish tone: "It's not like we've just met. Besides, aren't we already friends?"

Two hands gently clasped together, warmth flowing from the palms.

Xia Xun smiled and used the momentum to help them stand up together. They looked at each other and smiled, and the embarrassment and tension from before vanished in an instant.

However, perhaps it was the angle at which she got up, or perhaps it was the perfect angle of the morning light shining through the curtains, but Xia Xun's gaze inadvertently swept over the neckline of Okunoda Miyo's pajamas, which was slightly loose because she had just curled up.

A glimpse of snow-white skin and delicate collarbone lines suddenly caught my eye.

This was absolutely not his intention! It was his eyes that acted on their own!

Xia Xun tried to explain herself in her mind, but her gaze froze for a fraction of a second, as if drawn by a magnet.

Standing face to face, Okunoda Miyo naturally and keenly noticed Natsumi's gaze, which flickered and then quickly focused.

She followed the other person's gaze and subconsciously looked down, her pretty face instantly turning bright red, like a ripe apple.

"Ah! Time... It's getting late!" Miyo Okunoda said in a flustered voice, her voice trembling slightly. She took a small step back without making a sound and subconsciously raised her hand to adjust the collar of her pajamas.

"I need to hurry to the market to buy today's ingredients!"

Xia Xun naturally realized that her little action had been noticed, and her face immediately flushed. She awkwardly looked away and said, "Yes, it is getting late."

He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound natural: "Then...then I'll go out first, Misaki, you can change your clothes."

After saying that, he quickly walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

As the slightly hurried footsteps outside the door faded into the distance, Okunoda Miyo stood there, the blush on her face not yet completely gone.

She raised her hand and gently patted her burning cheeks. Recalling Xia Xun's embarrassed appearance just now, wanting to look but not daring to look and finally running away in a panic, she couldn't help but chuckle again.

The crisp laughter dispelled the last vestiges of gloom.

She walked to the window and suddenly pulled back the curtains, letting the bright morning sunlight flood the room.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh, morning-dewy air, Miyo Okunoda's delicate face regained its energetic smile.

"Okay!" She clenched her little fist, encouraging herself. "I need to get ready for today's opening!"