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"That's all the food I have. If you don't eat it, I'm taking it back. I still have a fox and a cat to feed at home."
Yukari slumped listlessly on the sofa, her earlier regal composure slipping. The dried meat was precious. Since the Human Village vanished, she had been hoarding it, too afraid to consume it herself. And now, she had emptied her entire stock for this human.
"Uh... what happened? Aren't you a Great Youkai? How can you have nothing to eat?"
Leo picked up an apple and bit into it with a loud crunch. Ran had thoughtfully washed the fruit beforehand, so it was ready to eat. The sweetness exploded in his mouth, the best thing he had tasted in 24 hours.
"Ah. This is exactly what I wanted to discuss with you."
Yukari straightened her posture, her expression turning serious. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.
"For reasons unknown, the Dragon God moved the Human Village out of Gensokyo. We lost our primary food source overnight. Now, we are facing a catastrophic famine. The sporadic crops grown by a few amateur youkai are monotonous and pathetic. They can barely sustain life, let alone host a banquet."
She sighed, her golden eyes dimming slightly.
"I asked the Dragon God for a solution. He gave me one set of coordinates—right here. Although this world is wild and overgrown, it has resources. There are fish in the lakes. But when I tried to catch them, my hands passed right through them. I couldn't interact with this world at all... until you arrived."
"That's when I realized: This dimension is tied to you. I can only take things that have passed through your hands. Yesterday, I had Ran retrieve that fish you placed in the bin. Chen had a feast. Ran and I... shared the soup."
Yukari's face twisted into a rare expression of genuine resentment.
"A two-pound fish. And that brat ate the whole thing. We only got the broth."
"So," she leaned forward, her gaze intense, "please. Plant crops. Plant everything. We will buy it all. Name your price. Ask for anything you want."
"Anything I want?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. If this were a different kind of novel, that line would lead to something spicy. But here, he was a gentleman farmer.
"Planting isn't the problem. This world is designed for agriculture," Leo said, swallowing his mouthful of apple. "The problem is, I don't have seeds or food. Without these few fruits you just gave me, I'd starve to death in two days."
He spread his hands helplessly. "Even the best chef can't cook without rice. I need supplies."
"No problem. Leave that to me," Yukari nodded quickly. "Gensokyo can scrape together some seeds. I'll give them all to you. You focus on expanding your fields."
She paused, considering. "The Deities on Youkai Mountain can catalyze some seeds with their powers, but since the humans left, they've lost their faith source. They're basically eating at the kid's table with the fairies right now. But we'll manage."
"And then..."
Leo checked his phone.
Yukari's profile in the Social tab had unlocked new features.
Name: Yakumo Yukari Race: Youkai (Gap Hag... cough Sage) Ability: Manipulation of Boundaries Residence: Everywhere and Nowhere Unlocked Function: Stardew Valley Shop Unlocked Function: Invitation Code
Stardew Valley Shop: Allows you to open a digital storefront on your phone, listing agricultural products for sale to other worlds.
Invitation Code: As the Master of this World, you can invite individuals from other dimensions to visit or reside here. Without your explicit invitation, outsiders cannot interfere with this reality.
Leo smirked. "So it's basically an e-commerce platform? I know this. I worked in logistics for three years. Item price, stock quantity, customer reviews, Q&A... I can handle the backend."
He looked up at Yukari. "But if I'm only supplying Gensokyo, do I really need to set up a whole store page? I can just toss the goods into the Shipping Bin."
"True," Yukari agreed. "The Shipping Bin is convenient. Ran can collect the goods directly from there. As for payment... we can offer gold, magical assistance, or... well, you can specify your terms."
Leo fell silent, scrolling through the backend options on his phone.
The Sage of Youkai was not a naive girl. Her current persona—a polite, slightly weary 17-year-old—was a calculated move because she needed him. But everyone knew Yukari was a scheming mastermind who could sell you your own soul and charge you interest.
Seeing his hesitation, Yukari narrowed her eyes. Her mind, as always, was three steps ahead.
"Besides our world... do you have a mistress?"
"Mistress?" Leo blinked. "Why does that sound so scandalous? But... maybe. I'm not sure yet. I just have a hunch."
"I see." Yukari tapped her chin with her folded fan. "Do you need help? The residents of my village are very... capable."
She was offering muscle. Not necessarily to undermine Leo, but to place her pieces on the board early. Having Gensokyo residents living on the farm would secure their food supply and give her influence.
"Sure," Leo agreed easily. "But let's set some ground rules. They can live here and play here, but they cannot intentionally cause destruction. If they break my farm, I kick them out. Permanently."
He wanted Stardew Valley to be lively. Being the last man on Earth was lonely. He wanted neighbors. But he didn't want neighbors who would nuke his parsnips.
"Rest assured," Yukari giggled, covering her mouth with her fan. "This isn't the ancient era of blood and war. We are just a group of weak, helpless, peace-loving youkai who enjoy tea parties and banquets."
Even she felt a little embarrassed saying that. She knew exactly what kind of chaotic lunatics lived in Gensokyo.
"Since the deal is concluded, I'll return to prepare the seeds. We don't have much stock left, so I'll bring what's suitable for Spring first."
Yukari stood up and opened a gap. She needed to hurry. The sooner the seeds were in the ground, the sooner she could eat something other than dry berries.
The Dragon God was being a cryptic jerk again. "Planning something big," he had said. Yukari hated riddles when she was hungry.
Hakurei Shrine.
Reimu lay face-down on the wooden floorboards, conserving every calorie. She was entering a state of zen-like starvation. Although she was powerful enough to survive without food, her stomach didn't seem to know that.
"Reimu, get up! I've secured the deal!"
Yukari's voice boomed from a gap. "We'll have food soon. Now, follow me. We're going to Youkai Mountain to demand seeds!"
"Food?!"
Reimu snapped upright like a zombie reanimated by the smell of brains. Her eyes blazed with a terrifying light. She summoned her Yin-Yang Orbs instantly.
"Seeds, huh?" Reimu cracked her knuckles, a dark aura flaring around her. "Let's go."
If anyone dared to hoard seeds or threaten the solidarity of Gensokyo right now, they shouldn't blame the Shrine Maiden and the Youkai Sage for delivering a righteous, hunger-fueled beatdown.
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