Kakuna, Kitakami Style

The sun blazed overhead. It was lunchtime again.

Mingyou packed up his stall, planning to head home early with Wyrdeer and make lunch for Ogerpon and the others.

Business had been pretty good today. Everything was new, but the Noctowl Berries were cute and cheap without any added effects, so they sold especially well. He had sold out by noon.

The Ekans Berries had sold out too. He had marked them with a warning not to sell them carelessly because they were mildly poisonous, but they had still gone fast. Their appearance really was tempting.

The Yarn Gourds, though, were a hard sell. One look at them killed most people's appetite, and they had to be cooked before eating. He could understand why nobody bought them...

What disappointed Mingyou was that no students had stopped by to buy his Move-Learning Fruit today, even though he finally had new stock.

He hadn't seen Akari come by to help sell them, either, despite arriving early specifically for that.

"Let's go. We can get home, have lunch, take a nap, and come back later. I've sold almost everything I brought today anyway, so we might as well rest a little longer."

"Yoo, yoo~"

After packing up, Mingyou rode Wyrdeer back to the Orchard. He arrived before long, unaware that something about the atmosphere felt off.

Not until he reached the Villa's front door...

"I'm back... Hm?"

Mingyou stared at the doorway, taken aback. Whenever he came home at noon or in the evening, Ogerpon was always there waiting for him.

So where was she today?

Did I come back too early? he wondered. Wyrdeer, meanwhile, sensed a faint familiarity through his Mental Power.

Mingyou dismounted and entered the living room. The moment he stepped inside, he heard movement in the kitchen, and a