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When Leo and Ran returned to the farm walking shoulder-to-shoulder, the Great Youkai (and the drama they brought) had already dispersed.
However, the Fairy Swarm that had been hiding in the tall grass to eavesdrop were currently being dragged out by their collars, one by one, by Daiyousei to get back in line for work.
Every single fairy looked extremely disgruntled. They pouted their little mouths, crossing their arms and refusing to make eye contact with the gentle but firm caretaker. Back in Gensokyo, the fairies' absolute favorite pastime was "shipping." They shipped everyone. Marisa and Alice, Marisa and Patchouli, Marisa and Flandre, Marisa and Reimu—if two people breathed in the same zip code, the fairies shipped it. Besides playing house, their daily routine consisted of flying around Gensokyo just to see who was hanging out with whom.
When they saw Leo and Ran walking back together, the entire Fairy Swarm wore expressions that clearly said: 'Thanks for the treat, we are full of sugar.' It made the thin-skinned Leo want to find a crack in the ground and crawl into the earth's mantle.
Forcing himself to ignore the dozens of little glowing, gossipy eyes, Leo asked Daiyousei to help clear the area. He moved a few wooden stools outside and began processing the massive haul of fish they had brought back from the Beach and the river.
The main course for the evening's BBQ would be charcoal-grilled fish, roasted wild mushrooms, and thick-cut potato slices. Slathered in garlic butter and spicy seasoning, it was going to be quite a feast.
"I'm f*cking here!"
A swirling black portal tore open the fabric of space just outside the farm gate.
Aya Shameimaru flew straight out of it. However, she didn't look like she was flying voluntarily; she came spinning out like a thrown football, crashing face-first into the dirt.
She was followed closely by two other girls, both wearing similar traditional Tengu outfits and octagonal tokin hats. One of them, carrying a heavy camera tripod, looked significantly more mature. She was just lowering the leg she had clearly used to deliver a flying kick to Aya's back.
"Which one is Leo?" The mature Tengu dusted her hands, surveying the farm with sharp eyes. "Come here and let me get a good look at you. Those strawberries you grow are damn delicious!"
"Lord Megumu Iizunamaru," Ran's face instantly darkened, stepping protectively in front of Leo. "This isn't Youkai Mountain. Restrain your 'Mountain King' behavior."
Where did this mountain bandit come from, trying to snatch the groom?!
The two new arrivals were high-ranking Ootengu from the Tengu Tribe: Megumu Iizunamaru and Hatate Himekaidou. Leo was already mentally prepared for Megumu, having heard many of her outrageous, borderline-criminal exploits from Ran. But he only knew Hatate by name; he had no understanding of her personality at all.
"Sorry for the intrusion," the second Tengu spoke up, bowing gracefully. "This is some Maple Syrup from our Tengu Tribe. Lord Iizunamaru has a rather... uninhibited personality. Please bear with her."
She had long twin-tails and dressed similarly to Aya, but in terms of basic etiquette and politeness, she completely outclassed the other two crows. Leo gave a disdainful, side-eyed glance at Aya, who was currently groaning and rubbing her lower back in the dirt.
Look at her, then look at you.
"What's with that look?!" Aya saw Leo's gaze and immediately glared back, scrambling to her feet. "You don't actually think Hatate is a good person, do you? No way, right?"
Aya brushed the dirt off her skirt. All crows under heaven are black. She freely admitted she wasn't a good person, but the rest of her tribe weren't any better.
"Let me put it this way," Aya smirked, leaning on her camera. "Our Tengu Tribe represents the full set of 'vices.' The 'Drugs' is Megumu getting hopelessly addicted to your strawberries. The 'Gambling' is me betting my life on whether my secret photos will be discovered by the subjects. And as for the 'Porn'... well, you can figure that out yourself. Just think about Hatate's ability. Think about it. Think carefully."
Megumu Iizunamaru Race: Youkai (Tengu) Ability: Manipulating the Starry Sky (Lunar Orbital Cannons, Meteor Showers. Just understand it roughly like that, it's not important). Profession: Tengu Tribe Ootengu (The 'Drugs' of the three vices). Residence: Youkai Mountain. Unlock Condition: The farm gets hit by a meteorite once.
Hatate Himekaidou Race: Youkai (Tengu) Ability: Spirit Photography / Thoughtography (Visualizing everything in the mind onto paper; a human printer. The ultimate ability artists want). Profession: Tengu Tribe Ootengu (The 'Porn' of the three vices). Residence: Youkai Mountain. Unlock Condition: Being observed by Hatate Himekaidou.
Wait, what does that mean?! What do you mean by "being observed"?!
Seeing Hatate's unlock condition, combined with what Aya just said and Hatate's specific ability to print whatever was in her mind onto paper, Leo suddenly had a very, very bad feeling.
"Let me tell you a secret," Aya whispered loudly, cupping her hand around her mouth. "Hatate is the most amazing doujin artist in Gensokyo. Her pen name is Fourth Sister..."
THUD!
A heavy, sickening impact echoed across the farm. A good sound means it was a good hit.
Returning the heavy metal tripod to Megumu, Hatate maintained a perfectly proper, serene smile. Her elegant temperament rivaled that of Princess Kaguya in her serious state.
As for Aya Shameimaru who was just speaking? Sorry, she's gone. She was currently embedded head-first into a pumpkin patch. There might have been an annoying mosquito flying around just now.
"How about you all take a seat?" Leo coughed, deciding to ignore the corpse in the pumpkins. "I'll wash some strawberries for you. It's still early, so I haven't prepared much yet."
Leo washed his hands at the outdoor sink. The large wooden tables and chairs for the banquet had been provided for free by Nitori Kawashiro. As Kappa Heavy Industries' current largest—and only—customer, such small logistical things were complimentary. Unlike a certain Yamawaro Heavy Industries that calculated every single penny for every nail they hammered.
"I love you to death!" Megumu cheered, slamming her hands on the table. "I came here specifically for a bite of your strawberries! Those brats at home have incredibly fast hands and won't even offer any to me. It's so annoying."
Sitting at the table, Megumu was just a somewhat boisterous, unkempt, tomboyish older-sister type. She didn't show any of the "aberrant" behavior Ran had described, like running on all fours and tracking scents from the Lost Home all the way to the Moriya Shrine like a rabid dog.
Hatate calmly walked over to the pumpkin patch, grabbed the physically amnesiac Aya by the ankles, dragged her out of the dirt, and unceremoniously dumped the dazed reporter into a seat. This girl really had some nerve, actually daring to expose her secret R-18 pen name in front of others.
As the afternoon progressed, more Youkai arrived through portals one after another, each bringing Leo various housewarming gifts. There was all sorts of stuff.
Even Flandre made a special trip back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to bring a "Head-hugging squat" Remilia Fumo plushie. But as soon as Flandre left the room, Sakuya Izayoi stepped out of stopped time, smiling politely as she swapped the Fumo for a neatly folded set of tailored maid clothes.
(Brand new, never worn!)
When the sun finally set, painting the Stardew Valley sky in strokes of brilliant orange and purple, the BBQ banquet officially began.
The location was the wide clearing between the farm's southern exit and the edge of Pelican Town. Since the farm itself was currently packed full of spring crops, there was no room for a massive chaotic banquet. This spot was perfect; once the trees and weeds were cleared, it offered a flat, open space. Leo even planned to hire Robin (or Nitori) to build a permanent warehouse here to store supplies specifically for these banquets.
Now that he was hanging out with this group of Great Youkai from Gensokyo, there would surely be a small banquet every three days and a massive, destructive one every five.
The bonfire was lit, crackling merrily in the twilight.
In the center of the clearing was a waist-high platform made of thick wooden boards and filled with clean sand. In the middle of the sand were glowing, red-hot charcoal coals. Whoever wanted a skewer could pick one out from the raw ingredient table and stick the wooden stick directly into the sand, letting the ambient radiant heat from the coals slowly cook it.
This was a traditional way of eating Leo had seen in a video by Reiko on Bilibili. It was Japanese, called... Irori-yaki? Or something-yaki? Anyway, it didn't look like it added much specific flavor, it was mostly just for the communal atmosphere and the primitive, aesthetic feel.
So, besides that forgotten "something-yaki," Leo also personally manned a standard iron grill to cook the massive Catfish.
Ran helped out by his side, tying her apron tight. She prepared the fish racks, replenished the spicy cumin and garlic seasonings, and ran around in circles managing the chaos like a perfect, virtuous wife.
Chen, the poor kid, was put on "smoke duty." She stood downwind of the grill, sniffing hard at the fragrant smell of roasting fish carried in the white smoke. She soon became quite dazed, drooling slightly as she waited for her portion.
In the distance, sitting at a table specifically designated for "Medical Observation," Yukari Yakumo tilted her head back and downed a full cup of medicinal wine provided by Eientei.
She slammed the empty cup onto the wooden table with a loud thwack. She glared at Leo and Ran working the grill together, looking exactly like a classic, jilted childhood friend in a romance anime whose love had just been stolen by the transfer student.
(Image: A chibi Yukari biting a handkerchief in jealousy while Leo and Ran sparkle in the background).