Neither Suke nor Emma agreed to Nikaido Hiro's sudden, delirious request.
Don't ask. If you ask, it's just the Witch Factor's influence making her speak nonsense.
Thinking about it, for a young lady who can pull a fire poker out in public and believes in the existence of hand-crafting black holes, it wouldn't be surprising for her to do anything.
It was just a bit too depressing.
It was also hard on the Sakuraba Emma from their original world.
Although Hiro realized the impropriety of her mindless words after calming down later and apologized to her own pink puppy, Suke still remembered the scene.
He remembered the sight of the pink puppy—that ordinary girl—running to a corner and constantly shedding little pearls of tears, muttering something like "it would be better if I didn't exist."
If Suke hadn't forcibly stuffed a Magic Rock Candy into her mouth, looking at the situation, the child probably would have become Witch-transformed on the spot.
Okay, fine, Suke was mainly heartbroken over his Magic Rock Candy.
After all, this wasn't his employee Emma; there was absolutely no chance of reaping any value back from the things he gave out.
Stardew Valley, The Mines.
As if to vent the emotion of having suffered a massive financial loss, Suke slaughtered his way straight down to Level 120 of the Mines.
With the buff from his early-game graduation gear—the Gold Pickaxe and Neptune's Glaive—the small bats, shadow brutes, and rock crabs were all mere clay chickens and pottery dogs.
Putting on the Space Boots he opened from the mine chest on Level 110, which provided +4 Defense and Immunity, Suke ensured he hadn't forgotten the Skull Key for the Mines' Level 120 in his backpack.
"Time to go to the Calico Desert's Skull Cavern to bomb for Iridium ore."
"While I'm at it, I need to redeem the Galaxy Sword. Although this Neptune's Glaive is sturdy enough, it truly can't keep up with the version meta anymore."
Walking out of the mine elevator, Suke weighed the Neptune's Glaive that had accompanied him for three years of springs and autumns in his hand, thinking that his old partner could finally retire.
Neptune's Glaive was actually not weak.
Its powerful knockback effect, combined with the data-fication buffs of Stardew Valley, was enough to knock back and injure even the Witch Debris in the Magical Girl Witch Trial world that could withstand Vulcan Gatling fire.
But that was its limit. Now Suke was counting on the Galaxy Sword to improve his base physical combat power.
He couldn't just be a bomberman every single time, could he?
[Sakuraba Emma: Mr. Suke, Noah drew a picture for you today. I put it in the chest outside your room!]
[Sakuraba Emma: Mr. Suke, Rhea asked me to tell you that she hopes you can come to watch their stage play performance tomorrow at noon. She thinks you are a very precious audience member!]
[Sakuraba Emma: Mr. Suke! Sherri asked if there are any extra cabbages. She has already used up thirty of them practicing her knife skills. Everyone has been eating cabbage salad for all three meals today...]
In the bottom left corner, trivial messages were constantly being sent in the Farm's public channel by Emma, who was temporarily acting as the liaison between the two worlds.
After the Owl Warden no longer dared to show its face and cause trouble, the Prison Island of the "Magical Girl Witch Trial" world had basically calmed down.
With the conditions of losing the mastermind's manipulation and improving the food and entertainment, even if they couldn't get rid of the Witch Factor's influence immediately, the girls' progress toward Witch-transformation had slowed down significantly.
According to the resonance of the "magic" possessed by Sakuraba Emma with the Witch Factor, even the most severe cases could be suppressed for another year or two without issue.
So even if Hikami Meruru's corpse was missing, she had ample time to search for it.
It seemed that as long as they continued, victory was already set in stone.
Was the intelligence of Emma, who had graduated from the first playthrough, really too overpowered?
"Truly a scene of vibrant life, with all things competing for freedom right before my eyes."
Smacking his lips, Suke wasn't worried about anything happening to Sakuraba Emma over there.
This was also something he had only recently confirmed—
As "Farmhands," both Sakuraba Emma and Elysia shared the same "Infinite Resurrection" ability as him.
This was thanks to Miss Pink Elf. Who knows who took advantage of his inattention to wander off to the seaside south of the town on her own?
Then, coincidentally, she encountered high tide. Since she couldn't swim, she ended up being swept away, bubbling as she sank into the sea.
No wonder Miss Elf slept in that morning; turns out she was still counting down her resurrection timer.
"Brother Suke~!"
Just a few steps out of the Mines, Suke saw Abigail, who was watching the scenery by the lake—or perhaps waiting for him.
After stepping out of the Singularity's stage, the Abigail of this moment was strictly speaking no longer that Puritan little girl with only twelve or thirteen years of life experience.
She was the existence known as the "Door Witch," who had traveled through the infinite cosmos accompanied by bubbles for a thousand years. The wondrous words she occasionally popped out also corroborated this point.
She belonged to a super-plus edition that not even Chaldea could summon~
"Little Abi, it's still raining. Why did you run so far out here?"
"Spirit's Eve is in a few days. Aren't you learning how to make Jack-O-Lanterns with Big Sister Elysia? Did you learn it?"
The rain in Stardew Valley pattered down; even the autumn rain carried a gentleness that caressed the earth.
Facing the girl who ran toward him in the rain, her clothes soaked through and clinging to her thin, delicate body, Suke hurriedly took off his outer coat and draped it over her.
Although it was unlikely for the Door Witch to catch a cold, and the concept of a cold didn't exist in Stardew Valley, the attitude still had to be shown.
"I've pretty much learned it~ When Spirit's Eve comes, Abi wants to give Brother a surprise~"
Lowering her head to sniff the scent on the coat, Abigail's cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled:
"By the way, Brother Suke, Abi came over to tell you something~"
"'Uncle' has come to Stardew Valley to see Abi. She is currently in the General Store in town~ Does Brother want to go meet her?"
Huh?
Uncle? She?
His brain skipping a beat, Suke didn't react for a moment to what Abigail meant.
He opened the Farm System's map interface. Sure enough, a strange, blurry avatar was located in the house in Pelican Town that originally belonged to "Pierre's Seed Shop."
Good lord, as expected of that personage—coming and going as they please!
Suke estimated that given the uniqueness of his Farm, the existences in the myriad worlds who could appear and disappear here at will could be counted on one hand.
But Abi, isn't your Uncle a man? What the hell is this "She"?
"Let's go, let's go, take me to meet him!"
Led by Abigail, the two walked past the Carpenter's Shop and the abandoned Community Center. Before long, Suke arrived in front of the General Store at Pelican Town's central square.
"You're here? I've been waiting for ages~"
However, before Suke could even knock, the door to the General Store was pulled open from the inside.
A purple-haired girl with hime-cut bangs, wearing a standard Lolita long dress and not much taller than Abigail, appeared before his eyes.
Black silk stockings wrapped her legs, her long hair reached her waist, and a bright red butterfly ribbon was tied on her head.
The girl's eyes were embellished with bright stars; upon closer inspection, it seemed as if the universe was being born and destroyed within them.
And it was also upon seeing the girl's image that Suke's brain nearly crashed.
Ah...
It's the beloved maiden...
It's Eli... No, it's Mabe...
No!
I say stop!
I just want to farm ordinarily, not be reduced to the plaything and Star Slave of some crazy Outer God!
Get out, get out, you are not welcome here!
"Hey, hey! Why turn around and run the moment you see someone? That's very rude, okay!"
Seeing Suke turn around and try to flee while dragging Abigail, the purple-haired girl reached out directly to grab the hem of his clothes. As a result, she was pulled by Suke into a stumble and nearly fell to the ground.
"Ouch!"
"What is this crappy place! It hurts, hurts, hurts...!!"
The wide Lolita dress made the purple-haired girl's movements extremely inconvenient. Added to the fact that she didn't have much experience being human,
Under the unreasonable suppression of Stardew Valley, she nearly performed a face-plant on the spot, losing all dignity.
It was also after seeing the purple-haired girl trip that Suke calmed down.
Perhaps he should trust this space he was in a bit more.
"Uncle, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Little Abi. So this is the feeling known as 'pain'...? I would have changed into a more convenient form for movement if I had known!"
"And you there, that smelly farmer, listen to me!"
I'm listening!
Helping the purple-haired girl, who was clearly a useless klutz at sports, back into the store with Abigail, Suke prepared himself to be scolded a few times by her to vent her anger.
After all, he was the one who was rude first, so he was in the wrong.
"From now on, this General Store in your crappy town will be managed by me!"
"As Abigail's 'Uncle' Pierre, it's very reasonable for me to reclaim my rightful property, isn't it?"
The purple-haired girl cursed as she took out a house deed belonging to Pierre's General Store from her clothes and slammed it in front of Suke.
Under Stardew Valley's Farm System, Suke could sense that this deed possessed power similar to a game item.
—In other words, Stardew Valley recognized the purple-haired girl's possession of the General Store. From now on, she was 'Pierre'.
"However, the name Pierre sounds bad. From now on, this place is renamed Mabel's General Store!"
"As punishment for disrespecting Mabel-chan, from now on, the price of everything you trashy farmer buy in this shop will increase by 50%!"
The flavor of this trashy mesugaki is almost overflowing!
The purple-haired girl looked triumphant and snapped her fingers.
The system identification name above her head instantly transformed from "Pierre" to "Mabel."
Suke: "Ah?"
____
New Story: COTE: Natsuki Subaru Returns to School, but as the Purge King
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan