Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Chapter 156 Proportional Reduction

The Earth Spirit Temple, nestled beneath a thick rock shell, has its doors tightly shut, making it completely airtight.

In the hall, a brownish-brown pipe floated in the air, surrounded by specks of light that continuously flowed into its shaft.

Akina Ze didn't dare to blink, watching the whole thing intently.

Before him, Komeiji Satoru stretched out his arms, palms facing upwards, and a phantom figure floated in his palms, appearing and disappearing.

But upon closer inspection, Akina Ze could immediately tell that the iconic blue, chest-length hair and the red and white hair buns adorning the temples were a miniature version of Miyaguchi Zuirei, only more transparent.

Moreover, there were some differences. The handcuffs that were originally on her neck and wrists had disappeared, and there was no trace of them binding her body.

Komeiji Satoru maintained her pose for a while until all the light spots were absorbed by the tobacco pipe, and Miyaguchi Zuirei floated from her palm onto the pipe. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is it over?" Akina Ze, who was watching from the sidelines, asked in confusion.

He was somewhat uneasy because it wasn't until he entered the Earth Spirit Hall that Komeiji Satori told him that she already knew Miyaguchi Zuirei would deliberately not resist during the battle, so she had taken measures to collect True Spirits in advance while observing the battle at the Hakurei Shrine.

This true spirit needs something to anchor it in reality to stabilize it, and that requires the use of Akina Zeya's pipe. Now, a hundred years after the time that Rui Ling lived, only it can serve as an anchor.

"Yes, but now she is no longer a vengeful spirit, but a tsukumogami."

After completing the ceremony, Komeiji Satoru swayed slightly, then steadied herself by holding her right arm with her left hand. A few glistening marks could be seen on her smooth forehead.

Akina Sawa noticed this as well, casually lifting a stool a meter away with one hand and placing it behind Komeiji Satoru, gesturing for him to sit down, before asking:

"Is it the kind of spirit or monster that comes into being from objects after years of use, as described in the books?"

“Yes.” Komeiji Satori didn’t refuse the offer, rolled up the back of her skirt with both hands and sat down. “Tsukumogami are a special kind of youkai. Although they are also bound, they don’t just have a destructive desire like vengeful spirits. In a sense, this should be one of the best outcomes for Miyaguchi-san.”

Will she stop thinking about revenge? Perhaps this isn't so bad... Akina Sawa silently thought, watching Miyaguchi Rui Rei's body gradually solidify.

The succession at Hakurei Shrine has changed countless times. By Reimu's generation, even the name Miyaguchi had been buried in the dust of history along with past grievances. However, every grievance has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. She killed a yokai, and the yokai killed her in return. The complexities and twists hidden within are simply too numerous to count...

Miyaguchi Ruiling slowly opened her eyes. Seeing what was before her, a look of obvious confusion crossed her face. She stammered, "I remember I was already dead...."

"You are indeed dead, no, you were always dead."

What am I saying...? Feeling that what I said was very strange, Qiu Mingze scratched the back of his head and forced himself to say, "Anyway, you're alive now, so thank Miss Xie Jue, she saved you."

Miyaguchi Rui finally realized that besides Akina Zeya's handsome face, which was magnified several times from this angle, there was also Komeiji Satoru, the master of the Earth Spirit Palace, standing next to her.

She glanced around at her surroundings, and said with a mix of sigh and complaint, "I made it clear that I wouldn't be going back to the Earth Spirit Palace that night, didn't I? I didn't expect you to go to this extent, but I won't thank you."

"Why? Didn't she save you?" Akina Ze asked, puzzled.

"Heh, is she trying to save me?" Miyaguchi Ruiling rolled her eyes at the still clueless Akina Ze and said, "She just wants to drag me back to the Earth Spirit Palace to continue my imprisonment!"

Huh? What's going on? I saved him and now I'm going to jail? Akina Ze was also puzzled, but since he had too little information, he could only turn to Miss Jue and hope she could explain.

Under his gaze, Komeiji Satoru nodded slightly and then said, "I need to obey the orders of the Hall of Right and Wrong and maintain the order of the Old Hell. Miss Exit of the Ghost Palace is a prisoner who has escaped from prison without authorization, so she needs to be brought to justice."

Upon hearing this, Miyaguchi Ruiling glanced at Akina Ze with an expression that said, "See, I wasn't wrong."

Akina Ze ignored Miss Rui Ling's little actions, but noticed one problem and stared intently into Jue's eyes, asking:

"Since she has already died as a vengeful spirit, can I understand that the current Miss Ruiling is actually just a completely new Miss Ruiling born from that pipe? And has nothing to do with the original one?"

Upon hearing this, Komeiji Satoru's expression softened slightly as he looked back and said, "Yes."

So that's the plan? Akina Ze also silently smiled and said to Jue:

"Miss Jue, mind-reading monsters are still too scary."

Komeiji Satoru smiled, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time: "It's just that I wanted to do it too."

"Hey!? What are you talking about? How come I'm not myself anymore?! Give me an explanation!"

Still oblivious to the situation, Miyako Ruiling couldn't help but jump out and ask when she saw the two of them talking in such a cryptic way.

Has her mind changed along with her body? Akina Ze glanced at Miss Rui Ling, who was expressing strong dissatisfaction, but just smiled and didn't respond.

Miss Komeiji ignored him and simply closed her eyes to rest.

The tightly closed gates of the Earth Spirit Palace suddenly swung open, and accompanied by a cheerful "one two one," Miss Lianlian, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, skipped and hopped into the room.

"Huh? What's Akina doing here? Did he come to hang out with me?"

As soon as she entered, Komeiji Ren saw that tall figure, and her face showed obvious surprise. She completely ignored her older sister and Miyaguchi Rui, who was hiding in the tobacco pipe, grabbed Akina Zeya's hand, and smiled broadly.

"Want to go check on the construction progress of the hot spring inn? You've been keeping an eye on me lately, always overseeing those little guys!"

Short? Are you talking about the Kappa girls? Akina Ze glanced at Renren's equally short stature, but ultimately refrained from commenting.

Akina Ze composed herself and declined, saying, "Sorry, Lianlian, your sister and I have something to do, so we won't be going."

Upon hearing this, Komeiji Ren visibly paused, her expression turning cold as she murmured, "It's my older sister again..."

Noticing that something was clearly wrong with the girl in front of him, Akina Ze quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "But now that it's all over, I'll go with you, Lianlian, to take a look."

As soon as Akina Zeya finished speaking, Komeiji Ren, who had been somber just moments before, underwent a complete 180-degree turn in expression, her face now beaming with smiles. However, her words carried a chilling undertone: "I knew it! Akina-nii, you clearly knew me first. Compared to my sister, I'm more important, aren't I?"

...Something feels a little strange. Akina Ze's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously turned around to see Komeiji Satoru's opinion, but she didn't make any move and remained in a state of rest with her eyes closed.

"Let's go, let's go~" Komeiji Ren said cheerfully, "Oh, and don't forget this, it's yours, Akina-kun, right?"

Komeiji stuffed the floating tobacco pipe into Akina Sawaya's arms and shoved him outside the Earth Spirit Hall.

Once there was no more noise outside, Komeiji Satoru sighed, silently shifted his position, and pressed his back tightly against the chair.

......

Chapter 157 People from the Ground

"Hey, Akina-nii-san, listen to me~"

Komeiji Ren skipped ahead, when suddenly a gust of wind blew by. She pressed her hand to the brim of her hat, turned around, stuck out her pink tongue, and said cutely, "The big house in the hot spring is growing every day, all thanks to me supervising its construction~ Akina-nii, aren't you going to praise me?"

Looking at Komeiji Ren's radiant smile, Akina Sawa couldn't help but sigh, thinking that she was completely different from her older sister, Komeiji Satoru...

But when did I assign Miss Lianlian to be the supervisor? I don't have that authority, do I?

Although completely confused, Akina Ze still praised her at the right time: "Yes, Miss Lianlian, you are the best."

How to deal with a child? Just go along with her, of course, this only applies to well-behaved children. This approach may backfire on unruly children.

After hearing this, Komeiji Ren's eyes crinkled into a smile, she put her hands behind her back, crossed her legs, and said playfully:

"Will Akina-nii-san give me some kind of reward?"

"Reward? What reward do you want?"

Akina Ze also raised an eyebrow, pondering what he had brought with him today, but even with his belt and backpack, he had nothing in his pocket except for some necessary farm tools.

After all, what kind of hoarder would you be if you didn't store everything in a box and only brought a few essentials when you went out?

Akina Ze, a seasoned hamster enthusiast, thought exactly the same way.

But here's the problem: I don't have any little trinkets on me that I can use to appease Lianlian...

Looking at Miss Lianlian's lips about to speak, Akina Ze silently prayed that it wouldn't be something difficult to obtain.

"Um, my sister's been acting a bit strange lately. Akina-nii-san, please don't get too close to her anymore. If you need anything, just ask me, Renren~"

The words, tinged with a hint of pleading, came from Komeiji Ren's mouth, accompanied by her large, captivating eyes and pitiful expression.

He instinctively wanted to agree to Miss Lianlian's request, but as soon as the words reached his throat, Akina Ze realized something was wrong. Wait a minute? What does this have to do with the reward?

And isn't Miss Satoru a little strange? Akina Sawa also recalled the past few days when he accompanied Reimu to the Human Village to search for the criminal Ms. Fumiya Deguchi, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything wrong with Miss Satoru.

Could it be that Komeiji Satoru, Reimu, and I have been spending too much time together lately and haven't been at the Earth Spirit Hall for a long time, causing Koishi to think that something is wrong with her?

Since that's the case... Akina Ze also came to his senses, looked at Komeiji Ren who was looking forward to a response, shrugged, and stroked Ren's black bowler hat with one hand as if stroking her hair, "Don't worry, Miss Kaku won't be leaving the Earth Spirit Palace anytime soon."

"Ugh~ I didn't mean... that..."

With a firm stroke, Komeiji Ren's voice gradually became indistinct, replaced by soft inhalation and exhalation sounds expressing comfort.

After gently massaging for a while, Akina Ze withdrew his hand. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue looking at Miss Lian, who was comfortably squinting her eyes and really looked like an adorable cat; it was simply because they had arrived at their destination.

Looking at the bustling construction site below the mound, Akina Ze was also slightly shocked.

The high-hanging mechanical equipment, with its exquisitely crafted large gears exposed, was driven by the rising steam, which in turn rotated the densely packed, tightly connected small and medium gears around it. Meanwhile, the kappa stood by, each holding a long-necked bottle that looked like it was filled with lubricating oil. They used a long, stick-like tendril to splash the liquid from the bottle onto the mechanical gears, creating a perfectly orderly rhythm.

However, some discord is also occurring...

Akina Sawa frowned as he noticed a group of kappa gathered in a corner of the construction site. Among the generally short kappa, he immediately spotted a very conspicuous figure – the head maid, Izayoi Sakuya, with short silver-gray hair.

To be honest, Akina was quite surprised when he saw her, because he never imagined that he would meet Sakuya in the old hell.

The scorching, burning, and violent old hell seems completely mismatched with the elegant Sakuya-san.

Out of surprise, Akina Sawa blinked and looked at it carefully again.

"Huh? Are they arguing?"

Akina Sawa also noticed that the person standing opposite Izayoi Sakuya seemed to be Kawashiro Nitori.

Judging from the details of their facial expressions, Izayoi Sakuya maintained a calm expression throughout, while Kawashiro Nitori was clearly agitated, with an excited expression, flushed cheeks, and occasional use of body language.

Even so, the two sides did not fight, maintaining a relatively even intensity.

"Aki... Akina-nii-san, what are you looking at?"

Hearing Komeiji Koishi's voice behind him, Akina Sawa didn't turn around. He just pointed in the direction of the construction site and saw Sakuya and Kawashiro Nitori seemingly arguing.

After just one glance, the blush on Komeiji Ren's cheeks vanished, and she asked in confusion:

"Hey, is the silver-haired sister here again?"

"Sakuya, uh, is the silver-haired older sister you mentioned often coming here?" Akina Sawa asked.

"She's been coming a lot lately~" Komeiji Ren nodded emphatically. "Every time I see her, she's arguing with Kawashiro Nitori~"

"Do you know what they're arguing about?"

"Hmm... Lianlian doesn't know this~"

Komeiji Ren first shook her head in distress, but after a moment, her face broke into a smile. "If Akina-nii-san wants to know, I'll go ask them right now~"

"No need, I was just asking casually."

Seeing that Ren was really about to rush down and ask them, Akina Sawa quickly grabbed Komeiji Ren's wrist to prevent her from actually going down.

The moment his hand grasped Lianlian's wrist, a few thoughts inexplicably popped into Qiumingze's mind... So small, so cold, so fragile, as if he could crush her with the slightest force.

"Akina-nii, you're pinching me too hard!"

"Oh? Sorry, sorry! I was lost in thought for a moment. Miss Lianlian, are you alright?!"

Startled awake by the sound beside his ear, Akina Ze realized that he had been holding Lianlian's wrist tightly. Seeing that tears were about to well up in her eyes, he hurriedly apologized.

"Hmm, Lianlian is alright~ Be gentle next time, Akina-nii-san."

Komeiji wiped her eyes, and a bright smile returned to her face, as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lianlian, it's all my fault..." Akina Ze looked ashamed and was still shaken. "Let's stop here for today."

For some reason, the moment he made physical contact with Lianlian, he felt his emotions surge several times over, causing him to be stunned for a while.

"No, you promised to check on the progress with me, Akina-nii, you can't leave!"

Komeiji Ren grabbed Akina Sawaya's wrist and, with a look of surprise on his face, pulled him down the hill toward the construction site.

Amidst the sweet, bell-like laughter, Kawashiro Nitori and Izayoi Sakuya, who were arguing at the construction site, simultaneously spotted the two rushing down the hill.

"Akina Zeya...? What's he doing here?"

As the two approached, Izayoi Sakuya focused her gaze on Akina Zeya's face, a playful expression on her face.

"interesting......"

......

Chapter 158 Can Do Everything

The hill is not far from the construction site.

As he walked from the hilltop into the construction site, Akina Sawa noticed that Izayoi Sakuya was nodding and smiling at him.

Seeing this, he also nodded politely in response, although he was being pulled along by Miss Lianlian's sleeve and walking quickly, so the nod looked a bit comical.

In the autumn, Akina Sawa delivered wine to the Scarlet Devil Mansion several times, and he was always received by Ms. Sakuya. After several encounters, his impression of Ms. Sakuya was that she was beautiful, capable, and very reliable; he saw absolutely no unreliable side to her.