Chapter 59: The Magician Who Started Stealing Milk.
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After gulping down sweet spring water to wash away the fishy taste in her mouth, Marisa — now in fresh clothes — wiped the corner of her lips and shot Kihara a glare sharp enough to cut. "To think you'd actually do something like that to me… Just you wait…"
"Wait for what?"
"N-Nothing…"
Marisa stared at the three neat stacks of bills on the table, each about ten centimeters high. With zero shame, she asked, "Want to do it again?"
Kihara raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You're really treating what just happened as a fully paid transaction?"
"Why else would you give me money?"
"Because your boyfriend wants to support his girlfriend's research."
"Boyfriend? You and me?"
Marisa froze for a split second, then swiftly scooped up every single bill with her small hand. Like a bolt of lightning, she dashed out the door, laughing triumphantly. "I'm the elusive black-and-white thief of Gensokyo! You think this measly amount can buy my heart? Kihara-kun, you're dreaming way too big!"
After that incident, Marisa still came over to "borrow" things whenever Kihara was home alone. The only difference was that her stealing gradually shifted from objects… to food.
[The witch visited your farm last night and stole the day's first mouthful of milk.]
Whenever he tried to lift the blanket and catch the cunning witch, she would immediately flip out the window and escape, refusing to give him even a chance to speak.
…
Fishing was left to Tatsumaki, who loved Stonefish. Underground mining and monster material gathering were handed over to the newly blessed Shinjou Akane and the others. Watering the crops became Marisa's responsibility.
Kihara suddenly realized that the great farmer of Pelican Town actually had nothing to do. Was this still the same Stardew Valley where he used to chop trees and water crops until 2 a.m.? What kind of paradise had he stumbled into?
"I already have over two thousand pieces of wood and stone each… At least for the next while, I won't need to chop trees or mine."
The wheat that had fully ripened yesterday was harvested by Kihara. Instead of simply selling the golden, fragrant wheat directly into the shipping bin, he packed it up and headed to the Hakurei Shrine, asking Reimu to accompany him to the Human Village.
He had expected Reimu to demand payment, but for some reason she agreed unusually readily — almost as if she had already received some benefit from him in advance.
"What are you standing around for? Let's go already!"
She slung a bamboo basket onto her back and headed down the mountain with light, cheerful steps.
When the two arrived at the peaceful Human Village, early-rising villagers were already bent over working in the fields. The tofu seller pushed his wooden cart across the stone pavement with a creaking sound. Spotting Reimu, he quickly stopped and bowed.
"Good morning, Lady Shrine Maiden."
"Good morning, Uncle Fujiwara."
"And this gentleman beside you is…?"
"He's Kihara. He's… well, my fiancé, I suppose."
A faint blush of embarrassment flashed across Reimu's delicate face before she quickly returned to her usual calm,
indifferent expression. "Don't go spreading that around. I don't want Auntie Shichiku and the others bombarding me with questions every time I come to buy vegetables."
"Hehehe, I understand, I understand. As a congratulatory gift, please take these freshly made tofu slices!"
"Thank you."
Reimu accepted the tofu wrapped neatly in lotus leaves and string. She glanced sideways at the surprised Kihara, and a tiny spark of irritation rose in her chest. Her cheeks puffed out ever so slightly.
This guy… he didn't actually think I'm treated like a plague in the Human Village, did he?
She asked coldly, "So, what exactly did you come to the Human Village for?"
"Do you know where the mill for processing wheat is?"
"A mill?"
Reimu looked genuinely confused. "What's that?"
"Uh… a place that grinds wheat into flour. Going around asking shop by shop would be troublesome. Just take me to Hieda no Akyuu. She should know this village best."
"Fine, but you'll have to wait until I finish buying groceries first."
"Want me to carry the bamboo basket for you?"
Reimu shook her head. "No need. You'd better not use any power beyond common sense in the Human Village either, or the ordinary villagers might mistake you for a youkai."
"Understood."
Kihara casually took the bamboo basket from her back and slung it over his own shoulder, smiling at her. "Since I'm your fiancé now, it wouldn't look right for you to carry it. Let me do it."
Seeing his warm smile that seemed capable of melting hearts, Reimu's heartbeat skipped a beat. She forcefully suppressed the strange feeling in her chest and turned her head away, pretending to be indifferent.
"You're the one who offered to carry it! It's not like I wanted to slack off!"
"Of course."
"Let's… let's go. I still need to buy some eggs next."
Kihara wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but although Reimu had reminded Uncle Fujiwara not to spread the news about her "fiancé," whenever any vegetable seller asked about him, she would proactively mention the word "fiancé" herself.
Watching the bamboo basket gradually fill up with little complimentary gifts, Kihara finally understood.
This shameless shrine maiden was using her "fiancé" status to freeload off everyone's goodwill!
"Achoo!"
"Lady Shrine Maiden, are you catching a cold?"
"No, no. My nose just itched a little."
"That's good. Please take care of your health."
Reimu rubbed her cute little nose and shot Kihara a smug look.
Introducing her respected fiancé to everyone — his vanity must be extremely satisfied right now, right?
Seeing her triumphant expression, Kihara felt speechless. She was already getting all these benefits and still acting smug about it. It was truly a waste that her thick skin wasn't being used as a castle wall in some game.
This tiny misunderstanding didn't affect their plans. Kihara smoothly met Hieda no Akyuu, the young lady of the Hieda family responsible for recording Gensokyo's history.
From her, he learned the location of the village mill. Conveniently, the mill was managed by the Hieda family. Kihara simply handed over a portion of his wheat and entrusted them with grinding it into flour.
In Stardew Valley, this would require building a mill, which needed cloth in addition to wood and stone. Since he couldn't buy goats yet, he had no wool to weave cloth, so he had come to the Human Village to find a mill instead.
Rather than simply selling raw wheat, Kihara wanted to use high-quality flour to make delicious food for his girlfriends.
After waiting half a day, snow-white, fine wheat flour was delivered to the Hieda residence. The rich aroma of wheat made Reimu unconsciously swallow.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Hieda. Please accept this bag of flour as a token of gratitude."
"Thank you, Mr. Kihara."
Seeing that she — the guide and self-proclaimed fiancée — hadn't received any flour, Reimu anxiously tugged at Kihara's sleeve. "Wait, don't I get any?"
"If the Hieda family can turn the flour into food for you, I don't mind giving you some directly."
"Huh?"
Hieda no Akyuu chuckled and kindly reminded her, "Lady Shrine Maiden, your fiancé is planning to cook something for you with his own hands."
Reimu's cheeks instantly flushed a deep shade of red.
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Thank you for reading.