A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Xia Xun was full of doubts, but looking at Hieda Akyuu's pleading eyes, she sighed.

To reiterate, Xia Xun is a pushover, especially when facing beautiful and kind-hearted girls.

What's more, the other party was Hieda no Kyuu, who had given him tremendous help after he arrived in Gensokyo.

“Okay, I agree.” Xia Xun nodded, but then said seriously:

"But if things become unmanageable, I will directly notify Reimu and Marisa to handle it."

"Thank you, Mr. Natsumi." Hieda Akyuu's face lit up with a grateful smile upon hearing this.

aside.

Reimu Hakurei squatted on the ground, her chin resting on her hand, listening to Marisa Kirisame's incessant chatter, while her peripheral vision glanced in the direction of Natsumi and Hieda Akyuu.

What are those two whispering about? And why are they standing so close together?

They were clearly working hard, but these two wretched people dared to blatantly slack off.

The monster investigation team, having gathered a large amount of information but still without any major discoveries, disbanded after marking a mark on the door.

Since we can't find any clues, we can't waste time here.

Further research is needed, but we'll have to wait for the original bell to decipher and burn the information.

"I will work hard to decipher the message in the next two days, and I will gather everyone together once I succeed."

In front of Suzuna-an, Motoori Kosuka excitedly waved to Shinsho Ichie, then quickly went home while clutching her notebook.

"Tch~, that thief is really cunning." Marisa Kirisame said resentfully, hands behind her head, "But I'll be the one who catches him!"

“Reimu, let’s go investigate other parts of the village,” Marisa Kirisame invited Reimu Hakurei.

"Hmph, Marisa, do you think everyone is an unemployed bum like you?" Reimu Hakurei said smugly, her nose practically pointing to the sky. "Now, I'm being paid a hefty sum by Xia Xun to protect him."

“I don’t have time to wander around the village with you.” With that, Reimu Hakurei waved at the other person as if shooing away a squirrel: “Don’t bother me while I’m making money, go play by yourself.”

"Protect Natsumi?!" Marisa Kirisame's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she exclaimed, "What happened? Natsumi actually needs Reimu's protection?"

"Is it an anomaly or a monster attack? How could I, Marisa-sama, be left out of this kind of thing?!"

"Damn it, Marisa, don't come any closer to me!" Upon hearing this, Reimu Hakurei shoved away the approaching Marisa Kirisame and quickly said, "This is my job, don't try to interfere with my money-making opportunity."

Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame are arguing over the chance to protect Natsumi.

Nearby, Natsumi was waving goodbye to Hieda Akyuu.

The two were very close at this moment. Hieda Akyuu glanced at Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, who were playing around beside him, and seized the opportunity to tiptoe and whisper in Natsumi's ear:

"See you tonight, Mr. Xia Xun."

Chapter Sixty: Ernest, This is My Lifelong Request

Around noon.

Xia Xun took Hakurei Reimu and her stubborn little tail, Kirisame Marisa, to have a meal first.

After all, Reimu Hakurei has now officially begun to fulfill her duties of providing close protection, and as an employer, Natsumi felt it was only right to provide corresponding employee benefits.

At the restaurant, Reimu Hakurei, who hadn't had money to eat out in a long time, didn't hold back and ordered a bunch of dishes. Marisa Kirisame, seeing this, naturally didn't want to be left behind and happily added several more dishes.

A lunch meant for three people ended up costing and serving five meals.

When Xia Xun paid, he looked at the total of 215 mon on the bill and his lips twitched slightly. Reimu Hakurei's wages for the day were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Hehe~"

“da★ze~”

Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, their round little bellies bulging, looked at each other and simultaneously let out triumphant laughter.

Xia Xun rolled her eyes at their state, annoyed: "Can you two even walk?"

"N-no problem!" Reimu Hakurei braced herself on the table and struggled to her feet, her face serious. "For this meal alone, I'm protecting Natsumi! Nobody can touch her!"

As she spoke, she secretly pressed her hand against her chest. Luckily, she almost vomited what she had just eaten.

"I...I can't go on anymore, let me sit for a while longer." Marisa Kirisame tried twice but gave up, slumping in the chair and groaning.

Her belly was so round that she felt food would spill out of her throat if she moved even slightly.

Xia Xun looked at the two of them, one struggling and the other limp, and felt that the gazes of the surrounding diners were somewhat piercing.

He quickly stepped forward, took each of the two chubby girls by the arm, and helped them out of the restaurant.

Along the way, pedestrians turned their heads and made way for them. One of the girls was being supported, while the other clutched her stomach and moved slowly. It was clear that she was several months pregnant.

After walking all the way from the southern district of the Human Village to the Willow Tree, Y's food had finally been digested, and he had at least regained his ability to move independently.

Xia Xun breathed a sigh of relief, stopped paying attention to them, took out a wooden box from her backpack and put it at the fishing spot, then took out the fiberglass fishing rod and skillfully baited and cast the line.

Unfortunately, the rain had stopped by then.

Xia Xun muttered to herself, wondering if there would still be any rain-limited catfish that would bite in this kind of weather.

In her dream, Hakurei saw Natsumi focused on fishing. Having eaten so much, she was too lazy to move. She cleared a small, clean spot on the grass nearby and lay down comfortably, squinting her eyes as she enjoyed the lazy time after her meal.

Marisa Kirisame, on the other hand, wasn't so uninterested. Seeing Natsumi fishing, she became interested too. She asked him for his discarded bamboo fishing rod and sat down enthusiastically to try fishing herself.

The whole afternoon passed quietly in this leisurely fishing.

Xia Xun once again enjoyed a bumper fishing harvest, with the types and quantities of fish caught being almost the same as yesterday, and the wooden boxes were quickly filled with the catch.

In comparison, Marisa Kirisame's catch was quite meager, with only three small whitebait and one small crucian carp.

Watching Xia Xun keep reeling in her fish while her own float remained completely still, she pouted in frustration, even suspecting that Xia Xun's fishing rod was some kind of hidden magical artifact.

"Natsumi! Let's try a different fishing rod!" Marisa Kirisame protested.

Xia Xun smiled and exchanged fishing gear with her.

But nothing changed. Xia Xun still caught fish with a bamboo pole, and Wu Yu Marisa held a fiberglass fishing rod, but the float remained as still as ever.

"This is outrageous!" Marisa Kirisame was even angrier, and almost pulled out her octagonal stove to fire a spark at the river.

As dusk approached, the setting sun cast a warm, golden glow on the river's surface.

Reimu Hakurei, who had been lying on the grass all afternoon, stretched and sat up, yawning. She looked at Natsumi, who was still fishing, and asked, "It's almost dinner time. Are you going back, Natsumi?"

“Lingmeng,” Xia Xun glanced at the sky and suddenly said, “I’ll pay you the full amount for today’s wages.”

"Really?" Reimu Hakurei's eyes lit up instantly as she looked excitedly at Natsumi. She had thought that since she only started working at noon today, her wages would be reduced.

“But,” Xia Xun changed the subject, “I’m going night fishing tonight.”

"..." The joy on Reimu Hakurei's face immediately vanished.

Well, as expected, nothing comes for free, but earning two hundred coins is better than one hundred.

“Then I want not only dinner, but also a late-night snack!” she immediately bargained.

"No problem." Xia Xun readily agreed, then looked at Kirisame Marisa beside her, "Marisa, do you want to come along?"

"Never mind," Marisa Kirisame waved her hand and yawned, "Fishing is so boring, I'm going back to rest. I'll come find you guys to play da★ze again tomorrow!"

After saying that, she picked up her broom, sat on it, and flew away towards the Misty Rain's house deep in the Magic Forest.

Xia Xun shrugged when he saw this, "Perfect."

He had arranged to meet Hieda Akyuu at 10 p.m., so he could fish a little longer and make up for the time he lost in the morning.

On a whim, he took out the still-warm food box from his backpack, which was the breakfast and lunch that Okunoda Miyo had prepared for him that morning.

Due to a series of unexpected events, it has been left until now, but it is now a good time for him and Reimu Hakurei to have dinner.

Opening the three-layered food box, the top layer contains plump rice balls, the middle layer is neatly arranged with stir-fried seasonal vegetables, golden and crispy fried meat patties, and perfectly pan-fried fish pieces, and the bottom layer contains miso soup carefully simmered with kelp and tofu, with a fresh and fragrant aroma.

"Wow—this looks delicious!" Reimu Hakurei's eyes lit up as she approached, exclaiming in surprise, "I never knew you were such a good cook, Natsumi?"

“I don’t have that skill,” Xia Xun shook her head and replied casually, “Meixiao gave it to me this morning.”

Reimu Hakurei, who was happily taking a bite of the rice ball, was taken aback by what she heard.

Miyo, who is this?

"Hey~" she chewed her rice ball, her voice muffled but deliberately drawn out, "So you two are pretty close, you even prepared food for you."

Xia Xun, who was eating a rice ball, was taken aback, and then a smug smile involuntarily appeared on her face: "Oh yeah~ Mei Xiao and I are so close now, she even prepares food for me."

He took a bite of his rice ball, a smile playing on his lips, "But that's because Miyo is a really good person."

Reimu Hakurei was taken aback by Natsumi's undisguised boastful tone, and then took a big bite out of the rice ball in her hand.

I've already personally protected you.

But the next moment, the delicious taste that rushed into her mouth instantly dispelled the inexplicable competitive spirit in her heart, and Hakurei Reimu's face showed happiness.

The mascot of the Minato-tei restaurant, with her wholehearted culinary skills, paired with high-quality vegetables from the Natsumi Farm, instantly won over the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's taste buds.

"It's delicious!"

Immediately afterwards, she grabbed a rice ball in each hand and began to eat it quickly and in large mouthfuls, even forgetting her original intention to find out more about who Meixiao was.

"Hey! Reimu! You reincarnated starving ghost! Leave me some!" Xia Xun was shocked when he saw this and immediately joined the battle.

The food box, which was full, was emptied at an astonishing speed during the two people's scramble. Even the soup and the few remaining grains of rice were scraped clean.

The two, having eaten their fill, lay side by side under the gradually darkening night sky, surrounded by the sparse stars that began to twinkle.

"Natsumi," Reimu Hakurei suddenly turned her head, her voice unusually gentle, "tomorrow, why don't you go and beg that girl named Miyo to cook for us again?"

"How about I deduct it from your wages?" Xia Xun turned his head and met her gaze, smiling as he asked.

"No way!" Reimu Hakurei sat up straight instantly, objecting sternly.

"How can you ask me to bother Miyo again?" Xia Xun rolled her eyes at the money-grubbing shrine maiden. "She's the shrine's mascot, she's very busy."

"Please, Natsumi~" Reimu Hakurei suddenly grabbed Natsumi's arm, looked up at her with a pitiful expression, and pleaded, "After experiencing this, I can't live without it anymore~!"

She even softened her voice deliberately, blinking her eyes: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime request! Oh, yes!"

Xia Xun felt the soft touch on his arm and stared at Hakurei Reimu's cunning, pleading eyes, cursing inwardly.

Damn it, that priestess definitely did it on purpose!

But, well, he's the one who falls for that.

“Alright,” Xia Xun turned her face away, trying to keep her voice calm, “You can go during the work week, every night when Meixiao is working.”

"Yay~!" Reimu Hakurei immediately let go, cheered, and a triumphant smile spread across her face.

Chapter 61 The Strange Reputation Gains Momentum (Bonus Chapter 1 for Average Subscriptions)

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Xia Xun packed up his fishing rod and prepared to head home.

Although the night fishing trip was short, the catch was in no way inferior to that during the day.

Nighttime is when big fish are most active and foraging, and most of the dozen or so fish he caught were silver star quality, making it well worth the extra hundred coins he paid Lingmeng for protection.

Of course, there were some minor hiccups along the way.

A few low-level monsters, oblivious to the danger, sneaked out of the forest, but before they could even get close, Reimu, who was guarding the side, casually slapped them into ashes, without even giving them a chance to scream.

"Let's go, it's time to go back." Xia Xun picked up the wooden box full of the catch and said to Hakurei Reimu sitting next to him.

Under the starry sky, the girl who had been hugging her knees and resting her chin on them, seemingly otherworldly, came to life instantly upon hearing this.

"It's finally over~" Reimu Hakurei stretched and muttered as she got up, "It's amazing that you could sit by the river for so long without moving. This kind of patience is really suitable for a hermit's training."

"If that guy Cihuaxian saw you, he would definitely like you to death."

"Isai no Sen?" Xia Xun asked casually, lifting her foot to walk towards the Human Realm. "Who is that?"

Reimu Hakurei followed behind him, her arms behind her back, like a child deliberately stepping on Natsumi's shadow. Hearing this, she casually replied, "A rather talkative immortal, although he's actually a nice person."

"Hey~, an immortal?!" Xia Xun suddenly stopped and turned around.

Reimu Hakurei, who was following behind him, was completely caught off guard and bumped into his arms before she could react.

Xia Xun took the opportunity to support her shoulders, his hands unconsciously tightening their grip.

"Immortals! Are they the kind of immortals from Chinese legends who can ride the clouds and live forever?" Xia Xun's voice was filled with excitement.