too tired to come here often... when I do, I reblog 100 posts and disappear again adult/ Czech republic/ amateur GIF maker/ she/her/ way too old to watch cartoons - does it anyway
The March issue of Shonen Sirius magazine it will publish the final chapter of Tsugaru Toba's manga adaptation of writer Midori Yuuma and illustrator Laruha's "Kakuriyo Yadomeshi (Afterlife Inn Cooking)" light novel series on January 26, 2026. Kodansha will ship the 11th and final volume on February 27.
The series centers on a female college student named Aoi, who inherited the ability to see spirits from her late grandfather. Aoi prides herself on her cooking. One day she's feeding some agricultural spirits when suddenly a god and the master of the "Tenshinya" (Heavenly Inn) appears and takes Aoi away. He says that due to her grandfather's debts, she must become his bride. Aoi hates this idea and instead declares that she will pay back her grandfather's debt by working at the Tenshinya.
what i love about my language is the fact that theres no difference between the pronounciation of i and y. instead we just say "soft i" and "hard y", so imagine you're trying to explain to an english speaker that y just has a permanent erection in your language
I just finished Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi (Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits), it was a short and sweet one that gave me serious kamisama hajimemashita nostalgia. So here’s O-Ryo because I wanted to draw her as soon as I saw her
Desperately - Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits fanfiction
Basically, I have Second Lead Syndrome and needed this out of my system. XD So I used it as an opportunity to play with more flowery prose, for once.
Aoi loved so many ayakashi, and in turn was loved by many ayakashi right back. But she had a very different relationship with a specific two. Which would ultimately end in heartbreak, one way or another.
There was no way to avoid it, unless Shiro Tsubaki himself had decided against going on a debt spree all those years ago. Or maybe if Aoi had been more passive and willingly submitted to Master’s instruction she marry him. But then again, if that had happened, she would not be the girl that loved so many and was loved in return. Nor would she be the girl who had altered the course of fate for the southern land and umibozu.
The fact Aoi was the girl she was was part of the issue. And unintentionally, she’d collected two hearts, which she currently kept very precariously balanced. ‘Twas unfortunate that she was unable to keep herself from returning the love of these two hearts. Platonically, to be sure, but romantically in some semblance, as well.
Which was why there was no avoiding one heart breaking in this unbalanced equation.
Tenjin-ya’s staff was not oblivious. Some may not see as clearly as others, but most knew that underneath the calm surface, a tempest was brewing between three of the most prominent figures of the inn: Odanna, their gracious master; Ginji, their capable young master; and Aoi, the human adored by all.
When it came to Odanna, he openly loved his promised bride. When Aoi had first arrived in the hidden realm, most would have said he was simply marrying her because she was promised to him. He likely cared for the status of marrying a human, and it wasn’t impossible that he held some curiosity about her. For certain it was him collecting on Shiro’s debt.
But now, with enough time past, it was clear to all he loved her. Spoiled her. Whatever she wished, he would grant. This human girl with an infamous grandfather had the ogre god wrapped around her finger.
For her part, it wasn’t as though she didn’t love him. In the beginning, it was clear she hadn’t, but she’d slowly warmed to Odanna’s advances. She indulged him in dining together, in spending evenings in each other’s company. She treasured the gifts he gave her, evidenced by the fact she wore them proudly. Smiles were given out to him freely whenever she saw him.
It could almost be said they acted like a sweet married couple. He was the doting husband and she the beloved wife. Even when they had to part, the sweetness between them could almost be considered too sweet, even for the ayakashi palate. With a doting smile, she would wish him well on his journey, tell him to keep safe, and he’d return the sentiment before asking if she wanted anything from him during his travels.
When he was gone, she’d lament openly about how she missed him around, but she remained perfectly composed, assured of his return. Moonflower would run smoothly, and one could almost assume there was nothing out of the ordinary. The duo would have some conversations over a communication board Odanna had bestowed upon her, and that was enough contact for them until they reunited.
Upon his return, Odanna would greet her happily. It would be in the privacy of his quarters later that he’d present to her his findings and she would reward him with a bento or a meal to welcome him home. ‘Twas perfectly domestic.
At this point, it would come as a shock to no one should they get married. And they likely would have already been…
Should it not have been for the second heart.
Ginji was, in a sense, Odanna’s right hand. And although he was a fox, Ginji was as loyal as a dog. Nothing would make him cross his master. He only wanted the best for Odanna, including for Odanna’s bride to love him unconditionally.
But over time, Aoi tested the limits of his faithfulness, to the point a handful of the Tenjin-ya staff, Orio-ya staff, and select few others could see.
At the beginning, anyone would say Ginji was just being kind and supporting Aoi. That he liked her cooking and thought her a nice girl. They quickly became like partners in crime, running Moonflower together and facing every problem that came along side-by-side. Any time Ginji fretted over Aoi, it wasn't out of love for her but rather because he cared for her as a person and wanted her to get better for his master.
Because Ginji was protecting her for Odanna, as well as doing everything he could to put in a good word for him to Aoi. That much was evident. And as such, no one would have questioned their relationship beyond friends.
But in hindsight, maybe it had been more.
Because Aoi had fought for Ginji with all her heart when Orio-ya had come to collect him for the ceremony. And Ginji had fought for her at Orio-ya to keep her safe. They’d become closer, both growing all the more attentive of the other. And all the more inseparable.
At Orio-ya, the staff soon began to wonder what stock Aoi’s nickname of “Ogre Bride” truly held. Ranmaru himself wondered if his brother had actually stolen himself a bride. It would be like Ginji to do so, sly trickster he was. But the more he watched them interact, the less he thought Ginji had stolen his master's bride and more thought the fox might have gone and fallen in love with her. Ginji was attentive and protective to a fault, more than Ranmaru had ever seen, but he would never voice his suspicions.
Suspicions the staff at Tenjin-ya began to echo when Aoi and Ginji soon returned to them, and not simply because the two of them seemed especially close when they ran Moonflower together or almost clingy in the way they frequently checked in with the other.
And all that came to a head the first time Ginji left for an extended period of time.
Aoi didn’t bid him well, instructing him he come home safe while giving him a smile. He didn’t return her words nor offer to bring a souvenir. Instead, she did her best to hide the warble in her voice as she warned him to come back. And he calmly assured her he would return. Though, a few who’d witnessed the exchange silently questioned just how calm Ginji actually was.
There was a notable difference in Aoi when Ginji wasn’t around. Aoi became worried. Some might even say she was frantic. But everyone agreed that whatever she felt, however strongly, she was trying to hide it.
Upon Ginji’s return, there was no bento awaiting him, no sweet smile. On the contrary, their meeting had only been witnessed by a silent Sasuke, who had spotted Aoi being the first to greet Ginji back with a desperate hug in the quiet peace of Moonflower at sunrise. There had been no other evidence afterward that suggested their clandestine meeting other than Aoi’s return to normal.
It was after that happened a second time that the Tenjin-ya staff would not deny it: Aoi not only had two hearts wrapped around her finger but had her heart tied to two ayakashi.
Oryo was most vocal about it, claiming to be devastated that Aoi stole not one but both the last good bachelors at Tenjin-ya. Byakuya, ever practical, always reminded her Aoi would have to choose one. To which Oryo would lament further because even though Aoi would make a choice, there would be a broken heart left in her wake that wouldn’t be open to love any time soon.
But as for who Aoi would choose… it wasn’t so immediately obvious. Not even to Byakuya, who admitted that while Aoi had a contract with Odanna specifically, Moonflower was prospering and Aoi might very well be able to pay off Shiro’s debt by the deadline. Meaning she would be free to make a choice.
Or to break more hearts than two and leave the hidden realm entirely.
To which everyone loudly voiced their dissenting opinions on that. It became an inside joke that was actually no joke at all that should Aoi wish to leave, they would kidnap her and keep her here.
A feat that did not come to pass, for it hadn’t needed to. Aoi did manage to pay off her debt before the deadline but ultimately decided to remain in the hidden realm, as the owner of Moonflower with her friends and patrons who adored her.
Which left her open to choose whoever she wished, much to the intrigue of many nosy—and some not-so-nosy-but-making-an-exception—ayakashi.
Because these two hearts she held were slowly becoming unsteadily balanced.
It was no longer hidden beneath the surface but in full display for everyone to see. Odanna knew Ginji had surrendered his fight to convince Aoi to marry the ogre god, and Ginji was openly regretful about that. The relationship between the masters of Tenjin-ya had strained.
Because they each knew how this would end.
Both men respected each other highly, strongly, like brothers. Both men also loved Aoi, who, despite being a human, was worth fighting for. So both men made a decision to leave Tenjin-ya in the capable hands of the staff for a day and take a ship away so as not to drag anyone else into their personal clash.
But before either man could board the ship, Aoi made a decision.
Her decision wasn’t verbal. In fact, it wasn’t a decision at all. But when she heard from Byakuya that Odanna and Ginji were leaving, she ran to them.
Frantically.
By now, all the staff knew that it was not the ogre god who could stir such a reaction in her. When she disappeared from sight, Byakuya simply opened his fan. It was time to return to his books, for there would come a time Moonflower would close for a week while Aoi was on her honeymoon. No proposal was necessary for the chief accountant to know as much.
This realization slowly spread across the staff. For Aoi was inconsolable for the day both Ginji and Odanna were gone, the duo on a ship talking over the issue that lay between them.
When they returned, Aoi was the first to greet them.
And Ginji the first to greet Aoi.
It was over; the fox had won.
Odanna did spend a few days nursing his wounds, falsifying a smile while acting reserved when alone. His respect for Ginji never faded, never wavered. Ginji’s respect for Odanna remained the same, as well. They were not too boys fighting over a girl, but two men who wanted nothing more than the best for the same incredible young woman.
Aoi apologized to Odanna, her guilt for leading him on weighing on her heart. But Odanna held no grudge. He couldn’t even if he tried. Because being graced with her love, even for a short while, had been an honor. It would take a while before their working relationship was not weighed down with awkward tension, but it would happen.
Because Aoi still loved Odanna as an ayakashi, and Odanna still loved Aoi as a person. Just not romantically. For while she loved Odanna sweetly, she loved Ginji desperately. And being apart from him was no longer an option for the human girl. She relied too much on him, and he was too willing to cave to her.
The two were inseparable after that, Ginji frequently assisting Aoi at Moonflower or Aoi visiting him on her off-hours to assist him. They made for a fantastic team, a dynamic duo. Best friends at a glance, sweethearts for those who studied, and lovers away from prying eyes.
It could be said she truly was Shiro’s granddaughter, subverting all expectations and causing chaos by shying away from her title of ogre bride only to become the kitsune’s wife.
Here is my piece for @herstrayskies fic for this year’s @noragamibigbang! I had an absolute blast working on the kakuriyo au with you. I was also so incredibly lucky to have one of the most talented and amazing partners I could ask for! I hope you enjoy!
