A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

The morning hours passed leisurely in the quiet routine.

After leaving the Human Village with Hakurei Reimu, Xia Xun, as usual, first went to inspect his farm, carefully checking the condition of the soil and crops. After confirming that everything was fine, he straightened up with relief and patted the dirt off his hands.

"Let's go fishing again," Xia Xun said to Hakurei Reimu, who was kicking pebbles around boredly beside him.

"Oh," Reimu Hakurei replied, lazily following behind him.

Her thoughts were still on the scene she had witnessed that morning at the Minamoto-tei, where Natsumi had exchanged her catch for a heavy bag of coins from Okunoda Miyo.

Upon arriving at the fishing spot, Xia Xun skillfully put down the wooden box, took out a fishing rod, baited it, and cast the line, all in one smooth motion.

Unlike yesterday, Reimu Hakurei didn't immediately find a comfortable place to lie down. She stared at the fishing rod in Xia Xun's hand, and then looked at the wooden box at his feet.

"Xia Xun," she suddenly spoke up, "could I borrow your spare fishing rod?"

Xia Xun turned her head in surprise: "Hmm? You want to go fishing too?"

"What, it's not possible?" Reimu Hakurei raised her chin. "You caught it so easily, it doesn't seem difficult at all."

“Sure, of course.” Xia Xun laughed and took out the bamboo fishing rod he had replaced from his backpack and handed it to her. “Here you go, but fishing takes patience.”

"Hmph, I still have patience." Reimu Hakurei took the fishing rod, baited it like he did, found a spot not far from him, and cast the fishing line into the water in a very professional manner.

Then, she imitated Xia Xun, holding the rod with both hands and staring intently at the float on the water.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Xia Xun has already cast his line two or three times, catching a fish each time.

Reimu Hakurei's float, however, seemed to be welded to the water's surface, remaining completely still.

She initially remained focused, but gradually, her eyelids began to feel heavy, and her arm holding the rod started to ache.

The warm sunshine shone on me, and the river breeze carried the scent of grass and water vapor, making me feel lazy and comfortable.

"Ah—" She couldn't help but let out a small yawn.

After persisting for less than half an hour, Reimu Hakurei finally gave up.

She stuck her fishing rod into the grass beside her and muttered, "What a waste, I can't catch any fish at all. It's definitely more comfortable to lie down."

After saying that, she tilted her body and skillfully found the most comfortable position on the soft grass, lying down comfortably. As for her grand plan to make money by fishing, it had long been forgotten.

"Reimu! Natsumi! I'm here!"

A lively shout grew louder as Marisa Kirisame, riding her broom, made a graceful dive and landed steadily beside the two.

She jumped off the broom, glanced around, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? Reimu, you're fishing?!" She pointed at the fishing rod stuck in the grass and ignored by everyone, then looked at Reimu Hakurei lying to the side, her face full of disbelief.

Reimu Hakurei didn't even bother to open her eyes, and mumbled, "Um, I tried it, but it wasn't fun."

"What? I thought you'd changed your personality." Marisa Kirisame pouted, then turned to Xia Xun with renewed interest. "Xia Xun, how was your catch today? I want to go fishing too! Yesterday must have been a disaster!"

She took out several brightly colored mushrooms from her magic pouch—her specially made mushroom fishing bait—then picked up her fishing rod, sat down next to Xia Xun with high spirits, and began her morning's struggle.

On the edge of the magic forest not far away, under the dense shade of the trees, several pairs of round little eyes were cautiously peering at the riverbank through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

Several round, brown-grey tabby cats huddled together, their little heads pressed together, making soft "hmm hmm hmm" and "squeak squeak squeak" sounds in their throats, as if they were having a heated discussion.

One raccoon dog gestured with its paw in Natsumi's direction, another pointed to Reimu Hakurei lying down and Marisa Kirisame fishing, and yet another kept looking back nervously, afraid of being discovered.

They observed for a while before quietly retreating into the depths of the forest.

The news was quickly brought back to the depths of the Forest of Yokai Tanuki, a stronghold heavily protected by ancient trees and illusionary barriers.

Eryan sat on a wooden chair, listening to the little tanuki below reporting with gestures and gesturing, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"To actually get the Hakurei Shrine Maiden to go to such lengths, providing close protection and all that, this human is way too shameless!"

She gritted her teeth, a look of indignation and resentment appearing on her face.

But the more this happened, the more vigilant and wary Eryanzi became, truly befitting a human valued by both the fox and demon clans.

Having only been in Gensokyo for a short time, Natsumi not only quickly gained a foothold, but also managed to have Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame revolving around him.

You should know that, according to the information she had received before, the two of them had a huge fight over Xia Xun just a few days ago, and even got into a physical fight. How long has it been since then, and they've already made up as if nothing happened?

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the edge of the stone table, where a newspaper, delivered that morning by a tengu from the Youkai Mountain, was spread out.

The front page featured a photo of Xia Xun supporting someone walking on a street in the Human Village.

Both girls were slightly clutching their stomachs in the photo, which was taken at an extremely tricky angle. Coupled with the sensational title, "Breaking News! A Shrine Maiden and a Magician Are Simultaneously... The New Successor to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden Is Pre-ordered?!", the impact was immense.

"Hmph, those Tengu guys have a keen sense of smell, they've noticed something's wrong too?" Eryan Yuanzang sneered and laughed disdainfully, "They actually used such petty tricks to deal with this old woman, trying to make us Tanuki Demons take the fall first."

But she had to admit that, although the other party's tactic was shameless, it was effective.

She made the first move, and as a result, she not only failed but was also discovered by the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.

Moreover, the relationship between the Tengu and the Oni clan is not as strained as that between the Fox Demon and the Tanuki Demon.

“There’s no other way.” Niiwa Makoto took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began to think of a new strategy. “With the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and that little mage protecting him every step of the way, it’s too risky to directly attack that man again, and the success rate is slim.”

She rose and paced, her fluffy tail swaying slowly behind her. "But even if we can't directly eliminate this most dangerous source, we must find a way to delay or even disrupt their progress."

A resolute glint flashed in Niiwa Makozo's eyes as he looked at the little tanuki standing beside him: "Pass down the order to mobilize the yokai near the Human Village and capture a few of the human regulars at the Minato-tei."

"We don't need to hurt them, we just need to make them disappear for a while."

That izakaya called Nituntei should be the stronghold of the Oni and Fox clans in the human world.

However, if the regulars at this shop keep getting into trouble, then this izakaya located in the human world can forget about continuing to operate.

Although this would break the rules among the youkai in Gensokyo, Niiwa Mamizo is too preoccupied with that now.

Her intention is to create a continuous low-intensity panic and trouble in the human realm, preventing Ni Tun Ting from speaking normally.

This opportunity will also escalate the situation, exposing the sinister forces of the demon and fox clans to the power of Gensokyo.

In this way, the human realm will not fall into the hands of the enemy without them realizing it.

Around noon, the sunlight became quite scorching.

"Let's go, we should head back." Xia Xun neatly put away her fishing rod; the morning's catch was still quite good.

Almost the instant he finished speaking, Reimu Hakurei stood up from under the shade of the tree, her face filled with surprise, and said, "Going back so early? I thought you were going to spend the whole day here again!"

“I want to too.” Xia Xun shrugged helplessly as she tidied up her fishing gear. “But have you forgotten about the temple school? Akyu and I made some discoveries last night.”

"We need to go to Suzuna-an to find Xiaoling at noon today."

"Huh?" Reimu Hakurei was taken aback, her face showing curiosity: "You found the yokai that was causing the trouble?"

Marisa Kirisame, who was struggling with her float nearby, suddenly perked up and immediately dropped her fishing rod to come over: "Really? What kind of amazing guy is he? Tell me quickly!"

Seeing the two people instantly ignite, Xia Xun shook his head: "It wasn't us who found it, it was Xiao Ling."

Chapter Sixty-Six: Ah Qiu, have you already betrothed me?

After lunch.

With one arm around each of them, Xia Xun slowly moved towards the entrance of Suzuna-an, supporting the still bloated Marisa Kirisame and Reimu Hakurei.

From a distance, he saw Hieda Akyuu holding Motoori Kosuzu's hand, and the two seemed to be arguing.

"Ling, you're clearly terrified of monsters, so why did you go and contact them alone?" Hieda Akyuu's voice was full of worry: "What if you get hurt? Monsters are very dangerous!"

"I'm sorry, Akyuu, I promise I won't do it again next time." Knowing she was in the wrong, Motoori Kosuki hugged her friend's arm and gently shook it, apologizing in a coquettish manner. "Besides, this time I made sure that monster didn't have any bad intentions before I went."

"And look!" she said, pulling a talisman from her bosom. "Qiangqiang, I still carry the talisman that Lingmeng gave me with me, so nothing will happen!"

Huh? They didn't invite me to the group buy!

Upon seeing this, Xia Xun immediately let go of the two embarrassing figures she was supporting and curiously stepped forward.

"Xiaoling, you've already met the monster that left the writing in the temple?" Xia Xun asked, somewhat surprised, then looked at the girl with concern. "Are you alright?"

"No, no!" Motoori Korin quickly shook her head, tilted her little face up, and said to Xia Xun and the other two with a bright smile, "The one who caused the trouble this time is a very cute little fox demon, there is no danger at all!"

Then, she chattered excitedly towards the fishy-smelling creature.

It turns out that during the investigation at the temple school yesterday, Motoori Kosuzu, with her ability to read any language, immediately recognized that the writing left on the door was actually the writing of a fox spirit, and the content was more like a classroom note.

She guessed at the time that it might be a little monster secretly listening to lessons at a temple school, and that it had resorted to this tactic because it didn't have a notebook.

So, after returning home, she looked up written information about the fox spirit and went to the temple that night to leave a reply on the door: if it was because she didn't have a notebook, she could help.

"Hmph~" At this point, Motoori Xiaoling showed a proud little expression, her nose almost sticking out to the sky, "I knew I was right! This morning, that little fox demon came to find me."

"I gave her a new notebook and told her that she could exchange her old one for a new one when she finished using it!"

"Xiaoling is such a good child!" Marisa Kirisame couldn't help but step forward, rub Motoori Kosuki's head, and sincerely praise her kindness.

"Haa~, is that all?" Reimu Hakurei yawned widely. She was sleepy after eating, and lost interest in the yokai from the temple school.

"That's not how it is!" Hieda Akyuu couldn't help but raise her voice, reaching out to grab Natsumi's sleeve, and said angrily, "Natsumi, tell Xiaoling what's going on!"

Xia Xun looked down at Hieda Akyuu, who was full of resentment, then at Kirisame Marisa, who had a "this is fine" look on her face, and Motoori Kosuzu, who was shrinking her neck like an ostrich. Then she looked back at Hakurei Reimu, who was yawning and had a "you guys are so easy" look on her face.

So... am I supposed to play the role of the lecturing adult?

But I'd rather be a close companion to beautiful girls.

Xia Xun mentally complained, but after scratching her head, she still walked over and squatted down in front of Motoori Korin.

He gently pulled the girl out from behind Marisa Kirisame and looked at her with gentle eyes: "Ling, you actually know where you went wrong, don't you?"

"Ugh~" Looking at Xia Xunping's calm yet serious expression, Motoori Xiaoling shrank her neck, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, "I know I shouldn't have come into contact with dangerous monsters."

“But I’ve confirmed that the child just needs a notebook, and I want to help her.”

"Xiaoling is such a kind and good child."

Looking at the girl in front of her who was willing to take risks because she wanted to help others, Xia Xun felt a warmth in her heart. Who wouldn't like a child like that?

He couldn't help but reach out and affectionately ruffle Motoi Kosuzu's hair, then gently lifted her lowered cheeks, making her look at him.

Meeting Motoori Kosuzu's clear eyes, Xia Xun smiled and said, "Then next time, if Kosuzu encounters a similar situation, come find me."

"I'll go with you, so you won't be alone when you encounter the monster."

Hieda Akyuu, who had been nodding along, froze upon hearing this, looking at Natsumi in disbelief: "Natsumi! How could you do this!"

Motoori Kosuzu, who had been looking somewhat dejected, suddenly brightened up and looked at Natsumi with joy and excitement.

Suddenly, she happily rushed towards Xia Xun, hugged him tightly, and eagerly exclaimed, "Xia Xun! From now on, can I call you Brother?"

"Huh?" Xia Xun was startled by the sudden lunge.

He looked down at the girl clinging to him like a koala, and at the eager, expectant light in her eyes. The bewilderment he felt at Motoori Kosuzu's sudden action melted away.

Xia Xun smiled and ruffled Motoori Xiaoling's hair again: "If Xiaoling is willing, of course you can."

As an only child who grew up in a rural area, Xia Xun could understand Motoyuu Xiaoling's feelings at this moment. After all, he had once wanted an older brother or sister who could take care of and love him.

"Mmm! Big brother~!" Motoori Suzu shouted happily, burying her face in Xia Xun's arms and rubbing against him.

Xia Xun could clearly feel the girl in his arms' unreserved closeness and joy, and a gentle smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

It's wonderful that someone is willing to become my family.

"Ah! Xia Xun, don't spoil her too much! This won't do!" Hieda Akyuu ran to Xia Xun's side, trying to separate the two who were stuck together, while glaring angrily at Xia Xun, her cheeks puffed out.

Xia Xun stood up, hugging Motoori Kosuzu. Looking at Hieda Akyuu, who seemed genuinely angry, she quickly smiled apologetically and gently reassured him, "Don't worry, Akyuu, I promise I won't let Kosuzu act recklessly alone next time! I promise!"

"Hmph, and then it turns into you two causing trouble together, right?" Hieda Akyuu angrily exposed.

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun's smile froze instantly, while Motoori Korin, who was hiding behind him, was still laughing happily.

Hieda Akyuu looked at the two of them and sighed deeply: "Natsumi, you're like this, and Rin is like this too. You two are really in sync."

Upon hearing this, Motoori Suzume blinked, puzzled, and poked her head out to ask, "Akyuu, Akyuu, what do you mean?"

But Hieda Akyuu didn't answer her question. Instead, he looked up at Natsumi with a serious expression and asked, "Natsumi, do you remember what we said last night?"

Xia Xun was startled, and the image of A Qiu's solemn admonition under the moonlight last night flashed through her mind: humans in the human world must not associate with monsters.

He still doesn't fully understand the meaning behind those words, but he can sense from Hieda Akyuu's expression that it's important.

Ugh, I hate riddle tellers...

Xia Xun sighed inwardly, then replied seriously, "If things really can't be done, I will stop Xiao Ling."

“Or,” Xia Xun looked down at Motoori Kosuzu, who looked completely bewildered, and smiled, “we can have Kosuzu move in with me then.”