A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Although it might attract the hostility of the Tanuki, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. This is the shikigami of Gensokyo's wise man, Yakumo Yukari, and the mark of the nine-tailed celestial fox, Yakumo Ran.

The power of most of Gensokyo has to give this man some face.

"How about buying some high-grade talismans for protection?" Seeing her sales pitch fail, Lingmeng persisted, "Or perhaps a shrine maiden's personal protection service? It's effective against all kinds of monster harassment, safe, reliable, and trustworthy!"

"You also offer personal protection services?" Xia Xun's eyes lit up. "How much?"

Reimu's eyes instantly transformed into coin shapes, gleaming brightly:

"200 coins a day! 5,000 coins a month! But you have to cover my three meals a day."

Xia Xun felt it was quite a good deal upon hearing this, considering that Er Yanzizang might not give up and come back again.

"Alright!" He waved his hand. "First, I'll book a week of personal service! Also, buy thirty intermediate-level spirit talismans and ten advanced-level spirit talismans. I'll pay when I get back."

"Thank you for your patronage!!!"

Reimu's voice instantly became sweeter, almost cloyingly sweet.

She crossed her arms in front of her, bowed slightly, and gave a standard, almost exaggerated, business-like smile.

"Lord Xia Xun~ Where are you going next? I will stay by your side and protect you closely, and I will never let any danger get close to you!"

Xia Xun was startled by this sudden affectation and shuddered, getting goosebumps all over.

"Be normal!" He rubbed his arms and took a half step back. "Don't do this, I'm scared."

"Oh."

Lingmeng instantly returned to normal, her expression reverting to its lazy look, so quickly that one might wonder if it was just a hallucination.

"So where are you going? Running to the shrine in this heavy rain."

When she was asked this question, Xia Xun finally came to her senses from the attack and remembered the original purpose of her trip.

He looked at Reimu, his expression becoming serious.

"I came here specifically to find you."

"Looking for me?" Reimu tilted her head.

"Hmm." Xia Xun nodded and asked directly, "What happened between you and Marisa? Why did you beat her up again yesterday? I'm scared just looking at that photo of Wenwen in the news."

Click.

The cracking sound of joints suddenly rang out amidst the sound of rain.

It crackled and popped, like popping beans.

The laziness on Reimu's face vanished instantly, her expression transforming into that of a demon, her clenched fists enveloped in blazing spiritual power.

Boom!

A punch landed on the ground, causing the earth to shake.

Reimu Hakurei, her face grim, half-squatted in the huge pit, gritting her teeth as she said, "That bastard Marisa stole my last bit of food again yesterday."

"And she actually dared to do it but didn't dare to admit it! I even made her cry, and she still kept quiet!"

Xia Xun fell silent.

He looked at Reimu, who was surrounded by a menacing aura and seemed ready to drag Marisa Kirisame out and beat her up at any moment, and was at a loss for words.

so it is.

Yukari Yakumo stole Reimu's food, and Marisa happened to be caught in the act, thus becoming the scapegoat.

Is this bad luck, or...?

“Um,” Xia Xun said carefully, “there’s something I feel I need to tell you.”

"What?" Reimu turned to look at him, the red light in her eyes still lingering.

“Yesterday morning, a fox spirit named Yakumo Ran came to my farm to buy vegetables,” Xia Xun said slowly. “She bought a lot, saying she was going back to prepare meals for her master.”

He didn't say it explicitly.

But that's enough.

For Reimu Hakurei, who had been battling wits with Yukari Yakumo for many years, the information in this sentence was like the last piece of a puzzle.

Boom!

Another earthquake shook the earth.

Reimu slammed her fist into the tree trunk beside her, and the massive tree, as thick as a person's embrace, snapped in two and the upper half collapsed with a thud.

"Eight, Cloud, Purple—!!!"

She roared to the sky, her voice piercing through the rain and shaking the mountains and forests.

"You damned old hag—!!! You stole my food again—!!! And you even dared to frame Marisa—!!! I'm not finished with you—!!!"

"Cough, cough, cough."

Xia Xun coughed repeatedly from the swirling dust and quickly stepped back.

He peeked out after the dust had settled slightly.

Reimu had already stood up from the pit and was brushing the dirt off her shrine maiden clothes. Although her face was still full of anger, at least the terrifying red light in her eyes had faded.

“So,” Xia Xun asked cautiously, “are you going to apologize to Marisa? After all, you really wronged her this time.”

"apologize?"

Reimu turned her head and looked at Natsumi with a "Are you stupid?" look.

Why should I apologize?

She waved her hand casually, her tone matter-of-fact:

"Even if we wronged her this time, it's retribution for her stealing my things in the past."

"most……"

She thought for a moment and added:

"Later, when I went to the Human Village, I brought her two doufuku (mochi).

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Invitation to the Festival

On the way to the Human Village.

"So, you went out today because you had something to do?"

Xia Xun suddenly realized why this guy was willing to move.

In his memory, Reimu Hakurei was the kind of lazy shrine maiden who would rather lie down than sit, and would rather stay out of the house than step out of the shrine.

"The owner of Suzuna-an, Motoori Kosuzu, came to the shrine early this morning, saying that there are monsters beating up in the village again."

As Reimu Hakurei spoke, she clenched her fists in anger.

"If I ever find out who's been causing trouble for me, I'll definitely smash their head in with this talisman."

She muttered under her breath, her tone full of reluctance: "It's not suitable to go out on a rainy day like this. Staying at home is the best option."

Despite her constant muttering, as a shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu Hakurei reluctantly came out to fulfill her duties.

Xia Xun couldn't help but smile as he watched her move despite her apparent reluctance.

"I feel like I've learned a little more about Reimu now."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing Natsumi's words, Reimu Hakurei sighed deeply, her tone helpless. "Yes, yes, I know I've shattered the dreams of another boy who longed to be a shrine maiden."

She turned her head and glanced at Xia Xun:

“I’ve heard these kinds of things so many times, like ‘a shrine maiden shouldn’t be so lazy,’ ‘she’s not the dignified person I imagined,’ and even more extreme ones like ‘a monster shrine maiden.’”

"What disillusionment?" Xia Xun shook her head, interrupting her.

"What I want to know more about is Reimu as a person, not your identity as a shrine maiden."

"Huh~?" Reimu Hakurei paused, stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at Natsumi beside her, who was looking very serious. "You understand me?"

“Yes.” Xia Xun nodded and said with a smile, “We’re friends, so naturally we should know each other better.”

As Hakurei Reimu watched Natsumi's retreating figure, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She hesitated for a moment, then abruptly took a few steps back, quickly creating distance, staring at Xia Xun warily, and loudly declared:

"Let's make this clear beforehand! No matter how much you plead, Xia Xun, there's absolutely no room for negotiation on my wages! Not a single penny less!"

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Xia Xun turned around speechlessly, looking at the red and white shrine maiden who had instantly switched to money-grubbing mode, completely baffled by her abrupt change in thought.

He rolled his eyes at her disdainfully, turned around, and continued walking towards the Human Realm, casually asking as he did so:

"Hurry up and catch up. By the way, did Totara Umbrella go to your place today?"

Reimu Hakurei stood there, watching Natsumi's retreating figure, and suddenly let out a long sigh.

She raised her hand and pressed the back of her hand against her inexplicably hot cheek, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

Just a few seconds later, she calmed her breathing and regained her usual composure thanks to the mental adjustment ability she had honed through years of priestess training.

She jogged a few steps to catch up with Xia Xun and said in a normal tone:

"Is that the umbrella spirit? She came this morning and said she wanted to borrow the tools behind the shrine to forge an upgraded hoe for you, so I ignored her."

"She used to forge magic-sealing needles for me, so her skills are quite good. Don't worry."

"That's good." Xia Xun nodded upon hearing this, feeling much more at ease.

The two walked side by side for a while longer, and the rain gradually subsided, the fine raindrops obscuring the distant village emblems in a hazy yellow light.

“Oh, right, Xia Xun,” Reimu Hakurei suddenly remembered something, turned her head to look at him, and invited him:

"The shrine is holding a cherry blossom viewing festival three days from now in the evening. Are you coming?"

"Three days later?" Upon hearing this, Xia Xun quickly analyzed the subsequent schedule in her mind.

If nothing unexpected happens tomorrow, he still plans to go to Liuzhi to earn money. The day after tomorrow, he will be sowing seeds on a large scale in the farm, which will definitely take up the whole day in the fields. As for the day after that, he doesn't have any clear plans yet.

And coincidentally, the cucumbers planted earlier will be ripening again in those few days, so we can harvest a batch of fresh ones to take to the banquet, let the big shots of Gensokyo have a taste, and get to know them by the way.

Thinking of this, Xia Xun nodded: "Yes, I will go."

When Hakurei dreamt that Natsumi agreed, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on her face. The smile was fleeting, but it softened her usually aloof expression.

“Then it’s settled.” She turned her head and looked at the outline of the village at the end of the rain curtain.

Suzuna-an.

Located in the South District of Renjianzhili, it is a traditional book lending store with a long history.

It not only houses a collection of books, but also serves as a hub for the printing and distribution of books in the human community.

Both the "Gensokyo Origins" compiled by the Hieda family and the "Aya Shameimaru Shinbun" human village edition published by Aya Shameimaru were printed and sold here.

Xia Xun and Reimu Hakurei pushed open the heavy wooden door and went inside. A unique scent, a mixture of old paper, ink, and a faint sandalwood fragrance, wafted towards them.

The store was dimly lit, with rows of tall bookshelves almost reaching the ceiling, densely packed with all kinds of books, from yellowed ancient books to newly printed ones.

"Welcome, Light—Reimu, you've arrived!"

Inside the shop, which was filled with a scholarly atmosphere, there was only one girl dressed in a red and white checkered kimono.

She had short, deep orange hair tied into lively and cute pigtails, with bells at the ends making a crisp and pleasant sound as she moved.

When Motoori Kosuzu saw Hakurei Reimu, she immediately stood up from behind the counter, a bright smile spreading across her face. She opened her arms, wanting to give her friend who always stayed at the shrine a warm hug.

But Reimu Hakurei, as always, pressed her palm against her forehead, preventing her from getting close.

"Tch~, Reimu is so stingy." Motoori Kosuzu puffed out her cheeks and muttered in feigned anger, then turned her curious gaze to Natsumi.

After all, she rarely saw Reimu Hakurei with anyone other than Marisa Kirisame, let alone a man.

"Hello, my name is Xia Xun, and I'm a farmer who recently settled in Gensokyo." Xia Xun smiled at the lively and cute girl, glancing at her for a few moments.

Surprisingly, this girl didn't have any bow elements on her clothes.

You see, so far, most of the characters he's seen in Gensokyo have some kind of bow on their bodies, which makes him wonder if there's some kind of unspoken rule about bows in Gensokyo.

"Hello, my name is Motoori Kosuzu, and I work at Suzunaan." Motoori Kosuzu greeted Natsumi with a bright smile, then seemed to notice something and stared intently at Natsumi's face for a few seconds.