Mentioned Characters: Nemuno

Ubame Chirizuka is the chief of the yamanba. She watches over the Sanctuary, and keeps a quiet eye not just on her fellow yamanba but on everyone who calls the Sanctuary home. When someone comes to her for help, she offers guidance that's gentle, yet firm when it needs to be. In other words, she's the mother of the Sanctuary. And people kept coming back just to see her, which is why the yamanba's little eatery was always bustling with business.

Nemuno Sakata is a yamanba who lives in the Sanctuary, said to be hidden somewhere on the Youkai Mountain. Cooking is her specialty, and the little eatery is where she truly puts it to work. Nemuno usually prefers to work alone, but she apparently has plenty to learn from Ubame, so every now and then the two of them team up. If Ubame's the big mom, Nemuno's the little mom. Word has it that customers really come flocking on the days when both of them are working together.

"Let's get all this prep done before we open up." "Awright, let's get crackin', Miss Ubame!" Spread out in front of Ubame and Nemuno was a heaping pile of fresh mountain produce. Dressed in their best aprons, the two gripped their knives and psyched themselves up. And then they tore into the ingredients, knives flashing faster than the eye can track.

Mighty Moms The kitchen is, in a sense, a chef's territory. With their roles already decided, Ubame and Nemuno went about their tasks calmly and methodically. They didn't need to speak as they moved in practiced sync, and worked their way through the prep. For a while, the only sounds in the room were the brisk tap of a knife, the low bubble of a simmering pot, and the soft rattle of a clay-pot lid... "All done over 'ere!" "Ah, I'm just about finished too." It was only then that they finally spoke, and it was a sign that the work was done.

"...Mm. Now that's a good flavor. Wanna give it a taste, Nemuno?" "Can I really?!" Ubame had been working on a brand-new dish. It took countless revisions before any dish of hers went on the menu, and until she was satisfied with it, no one else was allowed even a taste. Getting to taste such a near-mythical dish was a privilege reserved for those who worked at her side. "Mmm, this is so good! That kinda deep richness just ain't a level I can hit yet." "Hehe, you think so? You'll be able to make it yourself soon enough." "Yeah. Next time, I'll pay real close attention to how ya make it." She could just ask to be taught, but that would take all the fun out of it. Ubame understood that side of her, so she wouldn't step in unless she was asked. Respecting one another is simply the yamanba way.