Mentioned Characters: Yuyuko, Youmu, Reisen

Lunar War Gardener Youmu Konpaku, the Lunar War Gardener, normally wears a specialized Lunar Base military outfit. But not today. Today, she wore a futuristic kimono. Her twin swords are also a bit different from her usual Beam Roukanken and Beam Hakurouken. They allow her to trim the garden trees with ease.

The Gardener's New Hobby Lately, Youmu had gotten really into topiary. So with the New Year upon her, she decided to trim the trees in the cyber garden into some cool designs. With her creativity sparking, Youmu pondered which designs to go for. She was absolutely thrilled. After all, the most fun part is coming up with ideas.

The first thing that came to mind was the new year's zodiac sign. Supposedly, it was the Fire Horse. But maybe there was a better idea... (Should I make it something Lady Yuyuko likes?) She started thinking about what would make her master happy. Food? New Year's food? Mochi? As her thoughts spiraled, she felt a rumble in her tummy. (Hm, I want some mochi.) She swiftly convinced herself that Lady Yuyuko surely wanted mochi, too, and set about trimming the trees. Soon, they would take shape as the New Year's food she was craving.

Driven by her appetite, Youmu trimmed away. Before long, the trees in the cyber garden became round. All it took was a little imagination, and suddenly, mochi! But something wasn't quite right... Out of nowhere, Reisen appeared. She, too, was dressed in a festive kimono. She squinted at the trees, trying to figure out what they were supposed to be. "What do you think, Reisen?" asked Youmu. "I feel like they turned out pretty well this time." "Uhh... are they supposed to be phantoms? You know, 'cause you're half-phantom." "No, they're mochi." "Mochi?!" Reisen slapped a hand over her mouth. Her comment had slipped out, but... there's no way the trees looked like mochi. She offered some advice. "They need to be plumper. And rounder. Just looking at them should make you salivate." And so, under Reisen's supervision, Youmu got back to work.

The reworks were a success. No one could mistake the trees for phantoms now. No matter how you looked at them, they were as majestic as real mochi. Youmu and Reisen drooled as they gazed around the garden. In perfect sync, they turned to each other and suggested getting some mochi. But before that, Youmu decided she should show her glorious mochi topiary to Lady Yuyuko. She set off to find her master, but it was Reisen who spotted her first. "Is she... livestreaming?" Unbeknownst to Youmu and Reisen, Yuyuko had been standing behind them with her camera. "Well, chat, what do you think? These two look like they've been having fun, don't they?" Reisen chuckled. "Welp, she got us." Youmu started to panic. Had she been livestreaming the whole time?! Face bright red, she dashed over to her master. "Lady Yuyuko, turn that off!"