Yuyuko Saigyouji is a ghost who manages the Netherworld as the mistress of Hakugyokurou. One gloriously sunny spring day, she floated down to a park in the human village famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. She came all this way to see them. There were so many people around her that even though she’s a ghost princess, you could easily mistake her for an ordinary girl. The phantoms accompanying her seemed to oddly enjoy all the lively merrymaking. Perhaps they were merely excited to go on a trip somewhere so far away from Hakugyokurou.

“Oh, my. They’re the same cherry blossoms as back home, but this change of location shows them in a new and refreshing light. This is so exciting.”

The cherry blossoms in Hagugyokurou were also in bloom at this time, but Yuyuko had grown tired of the endless parties she ordered her phantom servants to put on. This shocked Youmu, who was used to always running around trying to cater to her mistress’s insatiable appetite.

“Are you really saying you don’t want us to organize a party or lunch today…? Um, are you OK, Lady Yuyuko? You didn’t eat something you shouldn’t have, did you?!”

Yuyuko had her reasons for going to see the village’s cherry blossoms in secret. And while she initially felt a bit bad for Youmu, she soon forgot about that as she got caught up in the joyous atmosphere.

“Quietly enjoying the cherry blossoms is nice, but being among all this merrymaking is pretty fun, too. Now, where are they…?”

Yuyuko continued to walk around the village, but now she did so while snacking on some pink, white, and green dango she bought at one of the stands. It’s not like she had any complaints with the dango Youmu prepared for her at Hakugyokurou, but there is a certain pleasure that can only be gained by snacking on store-bought food.

“Our dango are extra delicious!” shouted one of the street vendors, eliciting a longing gaze from Yuyuko. It may have looked like Yuyuko was just wandering aimlessly beneath the cherry blossoms, but the wheels in her head were constantly churning, trying to discern which stall’s food she should try next.

“I love how dango can taste so different even when they look the same.”

“They became a person of Hakugyokurou” is an old Chinese euphemism used to indicate that a scholar, poet, or artist has died. Yuyuko, the mistress of Hakugyokurou, doesn’t seem to have any memories of her life before she became a ghost so long ago. She is a ghost who “lives” in the moment. It may seem strange that a ghost is so fixated on eating whatever she can get her hands on, but perhaps she is just making the most of the freedom offered by her present state. She is no longer shackled by the limits of a physical body.

Yuyuko is always kind and compassionate toward the many phantoms that gather around her. She probably wishes for the day when they can be reborn and experience all the joys of life once again.

“Nothing makes you happier to be alive than eating yummy food!”

“My melancholy gaze
Upon the flowers
Brings pain most familiar
So, this falling parting
Is more sorrowful still.”

The above poem is attributed to an old Japanese poet, exceptionally skilled at his craft. It is ambiguous whether the “falling parting” refers to the poet’s parting with a thing or a person. Yuyuko is well-versed in poetry, so she could have multiple reasons for reciting this poem. Then again, she loves food just as much as she loves flowers, so perhaps she was simply feeling sad at having to part with the dango that can only be eaten during cherry blossom season.

“I want to visit all the stalls again. Hmm, maybe I should send Youmu to apprentice under one of the stall owners…”