Journal Entry 1

[grandduchess_anya]

Sender: Anya
To: Everyone
Subject: Strange Riddle

Hi everyone. I don’t know if anyone has noticed this right now, but I have found something that arrived with my talismans while I was cleaning up my treehouse weeks ago. Strangely enough, it has a similar handwriting to the writing on the pieces that I found in the hut with my partner last month. This one sounds a lot like a riddle but I’m still trying to understand what it is talking about.

It said that someone knows when we’re sleeping and they still stay where they were when we’re awake, and a warning about a being that has a fang-toothed grin, and said figure could either be man or a rabbit munching on cheesecake. That’s what I am getting at the moment. Has anyone else found a copy of the riddle coming with their set of talismans too? Maybe we can find out what it is trying to tell us together.

Comments

[perfectenn]

[ He flips through his journal to direct her to the right entry. Ah, here it is. The illustrations are still... poor, but at least it’s something. ]

Their report on the mutton man is a few pages back.

The citizens sent us to find Baba Yaga when the moon grew and the sky turned red. The mutton man was lurking near her hut, attacking those it came across, and there were ink stains in the grass. I don't think it's a coincidence. There appeared to have been a fight.

In common folklore, if one looks at the full moon, the shadows on it form the shape of either a man's face or a rabbit. Some say the rabbit is pounding rice to make mochi cakes. Others say the moon is a celestial being resembling a man, or perhaps a spirit banished from the earth.

[grandduchess_anya]

(She did a good read on the report on the Mutton Man and is left shocked by absurdly strong he was/is. Now she is wondering if the Mutton Man is either a new form of Eraser, or a new form of the Story Eater, or possibly both.)

Ah, so that is what the Mutton Man looked like. I didn’t expect to hear how dangerous he could be until I read the report just now. Hm, I will have to watch out for him if ever I run into him in the near future.

That is really fascinating. So many stories about the man itself. Though I am not that knowledgeable of what mochi cakes are, but I assume that they are a kind of sweets. Never had them before.

[perfectenn]

Mochi cakes are sweets made with rice. Sometimes other flavors are added. They're a popular dessert in Japan, where I'm from.

Moon cakes are also sometimes made with rice. The conversation with Nier made me think of it. Though neither has sinister connotations. They are usually sold during holidays and festivals.

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh, so they’re festive Japanese sweets? I have never been to Japan before, but they do sound delicious, maybe I could try to make them someday.

I wonder what kind of flavors they usually come in.

[perfectenn]

Oh, what country are you from?

Rice absorbs flavors easily, so there are a lot of choices. I like green tea, and some of the regional varieties sold during flower festivals. They have a mild sweetness, so it’s easy to eat a lot.

[grandduchess_anya]

I’m originally from Russia in Europe.

(Actually, it is called the Soviet Union in her world these days, but who is checking right now?)

Oh, that sounds really delicious. Might want to give those a try someday.

[perfectenn]

So that's why the cold doesn't bother you?

[ Gently teasing; being a yuki-onna sure did fit her then! ]

I'd like to make some in the spring once the flowers are blooming again. I'll let you know if I do.

[grandduchess_anya]

Yeah, it gets snowed a lot in Russia since we’re located up north.

Oh, that sounds really great. I’ll be looking forward to it.