Chapter 52: Kazami… Yuuka?
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In Stardew Valley, offerings were clearly categorized—crops, fish, artisan goods, and so on.
But for the Gensokyo fairies…
There was no such structure.
At the moment, only Cirno's offering page was available.
Required items:
Frog
Milk
Reward:
"Fairy Blessing" (effect unknown)
The frog was easy enough to catch.
But the milk…
Was it… normal milk?
With a "better safe than sorry" mindset, Kihara decided not to overthink it.
During a certain "Black Flame Dragon vs Magical Girl" battle, he managed to collect a bottle of milk and tossed it into his inventory.
Then he headed to the lake beside Akane's carpenter villa and quickly fished up a frog.
With both items ready, he rushed to the Community Center and called Cirno over.
"Here. These are for you."
"Whoa! How did you know I wanted these?!"
Cirno's eyes sparkled.
"I hereby declare you an official member of the Cirno Army! Uh… what was it called… advisor? Something like that! Anyway, you get it!"
[You have received: Blessing of the Ice Fairy]
[Effect: Reduces damage taken from ice-based attacks]
"A defensive passive… nice."
Kihara nodded in satisfaction and patted Cirno's head, letting her sit on his shoulder while happily drinking the milk.
Opening the offering menu again.
Two new pages appeared.
One for Daiyousei,
One for Rumia.
Daiyousei's requirements:
Wild forage from all four seasons
Crops
Rumia's requirements:
Various monster drops
The rewards?
Aside from more Fairy Blessings, there was something called:
"Farm Helper."
So once completed… the fairies might help manage the farm? Watering crops, feeding animals…
Kihara's eyes lit up slightly.
As more and more Stardew-like systems awakened, he became increasingly convinced.
He needed to travel to other worlds soon and bring back heroines to act as key NPCs and push Pelican Town's development forward.
After declining Cirno's invitation to play, Kihara prepared to head to Eientei.
But the moment he stepped out of the Community Center.
He froze.
Standing at the entrance was a small girl.
Green, wavy hair.
A parasol in hand.
She wore a red checkered vest and a matching skirt.
Her crimson eyes scanned the building with interest.
Then landed on him.
Before she could speak.
Kihara walked up and casually patted her head.
"Are you here to play with Cirno and the others too? You're adorable. What's your name?"
The girl raised an eyebrow slightly.
Her red eyes narrowed.
Like a predator locking onto prey.
"Kazami Yuuka."
"…Hahaha, what a nice name. Really nice name. Well then, big brother has something to do, so I'll be going now."
Kihara calmly withdrew his hand.
At the same time—
He pressed the acceleration device on his wrist.
"START UP!"
Before he could even take a step.
His vision blurred.
The next second—
He was being dragged by the collar into a vast field of sunflowers.
Golden blossoms stretched endlessly.
Like countless gravestones.
Kihara's legs trembled.
No matter how hard he tried—
He couldn't understand it.
Why was Kazami Yuuka, one of Gensokyo's strongest beings.
A flower youkai—
Appearing as a little girl and casually ambushing him?
And worst of all—
He had just patted her head.
I'm dead. I'm absolutely getting turned into fertilizer.
"…Yuuka."
He swallowed.
"Before I die… can I say one last thing?"
"Go ahead."
"You look absolutely amazing like this."
"I think so too."
Yuuka smiled beautifully.
Then—
From the tip of her parasol.
A beam of pure youkai energy fired straight through him.
Strangely…
The sunflowers didn't treat him as fertilizer.
Yuuka walked over and poked his "corpse" with her parasol.
"Not knowing is no crime. Dying once will count as your apology. Get up—I have business with you."
At that—
Kihara sprang up like nothing had happened.
"I'm listening! As long as it's something I can do, I'll give it my all!"
"Your town seems to have flowers I've never seen before."
Yuuka looked out over the sunflower field.
"Find them. Bring them to me."
"No problem. Though… I'm not sure if they can grow outside my town."
"That's fine. Just find them first. Their presence is still faint… perhaps they haven't bloomed yet."
This was a rare opportunity.
Gritting his teeth, Kihara made a bold request:
"Um… Yuuka… could you train me in combat?"
"Oh?"
She turned to look at him again, intrigued.
"You clearly know what kind of youkai I am. Why would you ask something like that? Aren't you afraid I'll actually turn you into fertilizer?"
"Because I'm not a genius."
Kihara met her gaze directly.
"If I want to get stronger, I can only temper myself through battle. When an opportunity like this is right in front of me—there's no way I'd let a little fear stop me."
"…Not bad. Ambitious."
Yuuka nodded slightly.
"Now tell me your real reason."
"…I like you."
He didn't hesitate.
"When I get strong enough to beat you… will you marry me?"
His answer—
Was Yuuka's fist.
Don't be fooled by its small size.
When Kihara regained consciousness—
He realized he had been killed in a single punch.
Literally.
As a flower youkai, Yuuka possessed not only overwhelming magical power.
But terrifying physical combat ability.
"Why are you just standing there?"
Her cold, youthful voice rang out.
"Do you enjoy getting hit without moving?"
Darkness fell again.
But this time—
Kihara understood.
She had accepted.
At first, Yuuka described him as:
"A large punching bag that won't die."
Then—
"A human who cheats when he can't win."
And eventually—
"A rebellious disciple trying to flirt with his master."
How difficult it was to earn her acknowledgment…
Only Kihara—who had died who knows how many times—truly understood.
"Yuuka! I'll come back tomorrow for more training!"
"Once a week is enough."
She replied flatly.
"I don't want to be bothered by you every day."
"…Alright. See you next time!"
After watching him leave.
Yuuka casually tapped her parasol against empty space.
A gap opened.
And from it stepped out.
Yukari Yakumo, wearing her yin-yang patterned robes, a teasing smile on her face.
"Yuuka taking in a disciple on her own initiative… If I sell this news to the tengu, what do you think tomorrow's headline will be?"
Yuuka shot her a sideways glance.
Her voice turned cold.
"Try it—and I'll flatten that newspaper office tomorrow."
"Oh my~ Already being protective?"
"…As if you weren't protecting him just now."
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Thank you for reading.