Chapter 44: Fishing and Preparing for the Banquet.
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With a backpack full of fish, Kihara dumped everything into the shipping bin. While the sun hadn't fully dipped below the horizon yet, he grabbed his axe and pickaxe again and cleared out another open space near his house.
Luck was on his side—while chopping trees, he unexpectedly obtained sap.
Ding!
A notification rang in his mind.
The crafting system had officially been unlocked.
In the original Stardew Valley, crafting was available from the start, and sap dropped from nearly every tree. But here in Gensokyo, things had… changed in strange ways.
Still, Kihara quickly figured out why.
Opening the crafting menu, he scanned through the available recipes.
Aside from storage chests and torches, everything else—like wooden signs and fences—was completely unnecessary for now.
Using the sap and wood he had, he crafted four torches.
He planted one into the ground and observed it carefully for a while.
Then—
Snap!
He snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up.
"It's exactly like in the game… a nuclear-powered torch!"
To test it further, he poured a bucket of water directly onto the flame.
Nothing happened.
The torch burned steadily, completely unaffected.
The only way to remove it was with an axe or pickaxe.
"If this still works outside Pelican Town… I could literally become the richest person in another world just by selling torches."
Grinning, he placed the torches around his cleared land and farmland, lighting up the area before heading back inside to prepare dinner.
Late at night…
The black-and-white thief returned.
She hadn't forgotten the humiliation of nearly losing her "innocence" here last time.
This time, she was much more cautious.
Instead of going straight inside, she focused on the new torches outside the farm.
"These things… look nothing like normal torches."
Squinting at them, she muttered:
"If I had to describe it… it's like a glowing stick made of blurry little cubes."
Her treasure radar began going beep beep beep.
"Could this be some weird magical item that pervert guy made?"
Decision made.
She would borrow one for research.
After all—
A magician's business isn't called stealing.
It's called academic exchange.
She reached out.
No heat.
Reassured, she grabbed the torch and pulled.
…It didn't move.
She frowned, crouched down, and grabbed it with both hands.
"Heave—!"
Her face flushed red from effort.
The torch didn't budge an inch.
It was as if it had roots buried deep underground.
"Magic? No… I don't sense any mana."
"…Don't tell me most of it is buried underground?"
After a long struggle with no results, she finally gave up.
Mounting her broom, she flew off—but not before muttering dramatically:
"I'll be back!"
The next morning, Kihara received a strange system notification:
[A witch visited your farm last night… but nothing happened.]
"A special event?"
He remembered—if you had a coop and chickens, this event could turn an egg into a Void Egg.
Unfortunately, his farm only had a few parsnips.
So… nothing happened.
After a quick wash, he rushed outside without even eating breakfast.
Yesterday, he had sold plenty of silver- and gold-quality fish.
According to the game's rules, they should've been collected overnight and converted into money.
Opening the shipping bin.
The fish were gone.
In their place was a bulging pouch of gold.
The moment he touched it, the pouch dissolved into light.
[+1531 Gold]
At the same time, he noticed an additional note:
Gold can be converted into currency from any world at a fixed rate.
However, other currencies cannot be converted into gold.
"Well, that solves my money problems across worlds."
That alone saved him a lot of trouble.
After watering his crops, Kihara grabbed his fishing rod and headed back to the sea.
His plan was simple:
Fish during the day
Clear land at night using torchlight
"Come to think of it… tomorrow's the banquet Yukari mentioned."
He paused.
"…Should I bring some Pelican Town specialties as gifts?"
After comparing, he found that wild berries from Pelican Town tasted noticeably better than the ones Akane had brought.
So naturally, other foods would be just as impressive.
And building relationships with Gensokyo's factions?
Absolutely necessary.
After all—
His goal was Gensokyo harem domination.
Raising affection with future "wives" early? No downsides there.
"Alright. I'll save today's catch and bring it to the banquet tomorrow."
"Money can wait… but opportunities like this don't come often."
Decision made, he suddenly spoke to the air:
"Hey, Yukari. Let the other youkai know in advance, tell them I'm bringing gifts. Make sure they all show up."
A pale hand suddenly emerged from a gap in space. It opened and closed slightly.
Even that simple gesture somehow radiated shamelessness and a blatant "freebie" aura.
Kihara sighed and handed over a freshly caught sardine.
"Taking my stuff means you agree. If any youkai cause trouble tomorrow, you've got my back."
Silence.
Another hand appeared.
…Clearly asking for more.
"Seriously?"
Clicking his tongue, Kihara pulled out a gold coin and handed it over.
"That's all I've got. Ask for more and I'm taking the fish back."
The hands instantly vanished—faster than ever.
"…Wait. Were Yukari's hands smaller just now?"
"…Did I fish too much and start hallucinating?"
Yakumo Residence
Yakumo Ran stared blankly at the sardine that had suddenly appeared on her cutting board.
Then—
Yukari's voice echoed.
"Ran, I want that fish for breakfast."
"…Y-Yes, Lady Yukari."
Glancing at the already-prepared breakfast, Ran sighed helplessly and picked up her knife.
Back at the Farm
"Welcome home, darling~"
Akane greeted him sweetly.
"Do you want to take a bath first, eat first… or—"
Before she could finish.
Kihara grabbed her chin and pulled her into a deep kiss right at the doorway.
"Akane, you're finally back. I missed you so much."
"How much?" she asked, cheeks flushed, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.
Her eyes shimmered like overflowing spring water.
"Hey! You two idiots at the door—wash your hands and come eat already!"
Rikka stood in the kitchen wearing an apron, waving a spatula like a weapon.
"If you start something right there, don't blame me when this spatula lands on you!"
"Ehehe… let's eat first!"
Akane shrank back immediately, clearly traumatized by the spatula's authority.
During dinner, Kihara brought up the banquet.
Akane's eyes lit up at the mention of youkai—she agreed instantly without hesitation.
Kihara added:
"Akane, bring some high-quality ingredients tomorrow."
"If you see a shrine maiden in red and white, give them to her as a gift."
"She's basically Gensokyo's strongest 'law enforcer.' Getting on her good side is a smart move."
"Okay~"
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Thank you for reading.