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However, these Little Fairies were the beloved pets of Yuuka Kazami, the Master of the Sunflower Field. Anyone who dared to touch a fairy was disrespecting her. And Yuuka Kazami would personally come to your door, beat you half to death, and plant you in the ground as fertilizer for her next harvest.
"Yo, Yakumo Ran! Are you here to buy potions?"
Wearing a large, stereotypical witch hat and brewing a bubbling cauldron outside her house, Marisa Kirisame greeted the fox. She looked to be in great spirits. The Forest of Magic provided plenty of mushrooms, and ever since settling there, Marisa's weight had been steadily and consistently increasing.
"I have business," Ran said curtly. "You know about Stardew Valley, right?"
Ran shook her head at the offer of potions. She wouldn't buy a potion from Marisa if her life depended on it. She had once witnessed a horrific sight: a youkai who drank one of Marisa's experimental brews and lost every single hair on their body. Hair, eyebrows, fur, tail fluff—gone. For a member of a Tailed Race, that wasn't medicine; it was a torture worse than death.
Most importantly, when Marisa sold it, she had labeled it as a "Hair-Softening Conditioner."
"I know it!" Marisa's face twisted in disgust. "It's that godforsaken place that produces the Parsnip of Death!"
Even Marisa, a woman ruthless enough to drink her own failed experiments, was unwilling to taste that medicinal soup again. The trauma was deep. Unforgettably, painfully deep.
"That was an accident," Ran defended. "That Lord is actually a very good person. I've come this time to ask for your help."
Marisa fell silent. If Ran hadn't tasted Leo's fish soup beforehand, she would have joined Marisa in cursing him.
"Help?!"
"Sure, I'd like to see what he wants," Marisa rolled up her sleeves, abandoning her cauldron. She grabbed her broom. "But let's get this straight: I'm not helping for free this time. This is punishment for making me drink that sludge!"
She really wanted to see what kind of maniac could grow something so inedible.
Through a gap provided by Yukari, Marisa appeared before Leo.
Seeing the rather handsome human standing there, Marisa's anger softened slightly.
He's cute, she thought. Someone who looks this good must have had a hardship to grow such terrible vegetables, right? If anyone is to blame, it's that trickster Yukari. If you get shot by a gun, do you blame the bullet or the shooter?
Marisa was a very moral person (when the person was handsome).
"Hello, I heard you needed my help?"
Name: Marisa Kirisame Race: Human (Magician) Ability: High-Firepower Magic Residence: Forest of Magic Occupation: Magician / Hoarder / "Borrower" Unlock Condition: Host a Sumptuous Mushroom Feast.
"Yes, hello. My name is Leo," he introduced himself. "I heard you've done a lot of research on mushrooms."
"Heh, you've found the right person, kid," Marisa puffed out her chest proudly. "When it comes to mushrooms, no one in Gensokyo compares to me. What's up? Need an appraisal? Let me tell you, no matter what kind of mushroom it is, one bite and I'll know if it's poisonous, hallucinogenic, or delicious."
These were mushrooms from another world. Poisonous or not, she had to taste them. For science.
"Not yet," Leo explained. "I invited you here because I want you to assess a location. I'm planning to convert this cave into a mushroom farm to produce fungi unique to this world. If it works out, I'll treat you to a mushroom feast."
Leo had realized that the "Game Mechanics" were flexible.
Cooking didn't require a Kitchen upgrade; a pot and fire worked fine. Fishing didn't require a Fiberglass Rod; bait and patience worked fine. Therefore, unlocking the Mushroom Cave shouldn't require waiting for Demetrius to show up with a scripted event. If Marisa could set it up now, he could bypass the wait.
"A mushroom feast? You really know the way to my heart, kid," Marisa's eyes lit up. She completely forgot her earlier demand for payment. "Wait here, let the expert take a look."
She pulled her Mini-Hakkero from her apron, lit a small flame for light, and dove into the dark cave entrance on the farm.
"Marisa said she wanted to be paid when we left," Ran whispered to Leo, watching the witch disappear. "That batch of Parsnips certainly made an impression."
She sounded resentful. Ran and Chen had also been forced to drink the soup. Ran had powered through it, but Chen had been bitter and listless for a whole day.
"Uh... I couldn't help it," Leo shrugged helplessly. "I only had those seeds. The good stuff takes time. By the way, do you have any vinegar? And some large, sealable glass jars?"
"Vinegar? Yes. And jars too," Ran nodded. She had mastered the phone app. "If you need supplies, you can place a 'Purchase Order' on the backend. Since we're the only ones with a phone right now, my household will see it."
"I see. I'll place an order later," Leo nodded. "I'll pay for it properly. I can't keep mooching off you guys."
His garlic would be ripe tomorrow. He planned to pickle all of it into Sweetened Garlic. Back home, his family used to buy huge glass vats specifically to pickle garlic. Having a few crunchy, sweet-and-sour cloves with a bowl of noodles was heaven.
A few minutes later, Marisa emerged from the cave, covered in cobwebs but beaming. She gave Leo a thumbs-up.
"Incredible! This place is perfect! Ideally damp, perfect temperature. It's a mushroom paradise. Wait here, I'm going back to grab my cultivation boxes. When they sprout, you must let me have the first bite."
"Deal," Leo agreed. "When the mushrooms grow, you're the guest of honor."
Then, Leo witnessed a scene that defied physics.
Marisa emerged from a gap carrying a wooden cultivation box. It was a meter wide, a meter long, and filled to the brim with damp, heavy soil. It must have weighed at least a ton.
Yet, Marisa carried it on one shoulder as easily as an empty cardboard box.
"Coming through!"
While Marisa went back for more, Leo walked up to one of the placed boxes. He gripped the edge and tried to nudge it.
He pushed. He heaved. He braced his legs and shoved.
It didn't budge a millimeter. It was like trying to push a mountain.
Leo returned to his spot, watching expressionlessly.
Marisa, Ran, and even Chen (in human form) were strolling back and forth, carrying these massive ton-weight boxes as if they were pillows. Chen was even skipping.
"Right," Leo thought, wiping sweat from his brow despite doing nothing. "Note to self: Never arm-wrestle a Touhou girl."