The one with a basket full of delicious hot spring treats is Shion Yorigami, the poverty god. Her ability makes people unlucky, including herself. As a result, it’s said her diet mainly consists of weeds, but things were different today. Perhaps it was because she was helping someone with an errand, or maybe her poverty god powers were running low. Whatever the case, it seemed her ability wasn’t activating, and she’d been able to acquire all the food she could want. For Shion, this was a rare occasion indeed.

“Let’s go buy snacks over there next!” exclaimed Utsuho Reiuji, pointing enthusiastically with the “third leg” attached to her right arm. Although her name is Utsuho, she’s often referred to as Okuu. She tends to be rather forgetful, with some going so far as to call her bird-brained, but she knew Former Hell well and was confident she could guide Shion around with ease. The pair swooped from shop to shop, eating as they went. Okuu clutched the basket of hot spring eggs she’d bought for Orin tightly, but one looked right on the verge of falling out…

Black hot spring eggs are one of the delicacies sold at the Former Hell hot springs. Boiling an egg in normal water won’t turn it black, and that holds true for most hot spring water. Only when iron and hydrogen sulfide in the water attach to the shell upon boiling, then chemically react to form iron sulfide, does the shell turn black… In other words, black hot spring eggs can only be made in specific regions thanks to a unique chemical reaction.

It’s said that eating a black hot spring egg increases your lifespan by seven years―not that that has any significance to youkai. With seven being a lucky number, perhaps it was the hot spring eggs that were keeping Shion’s poverty god powers at bay…

Three Nights in Hot Spring Hell
Ordinarily, Shion doesn’t get to eat proper food, but today, her basket was full of delicious treats, and she looked as happy as could be. She took a bite of another hot spring manju, but since she rarely ate big portions, that bite wasn’t very big. She walked next to Okuu, who had already gobbled down all of her own manju, and continued to munch away at her own pace.

“Eating’s so much fun!” she said, her voice filled with glee.
“It sure is!” replied Okuu.

And with that, the pair continued their stroll around the hot spring town.

As Okuu and Shion continued to eat their way around the hot spring town, they started to lose track of how many shops they’d been to. Shion reached absent-mindedly into her basket and pulled out two bottles of fruit-flavored milk. With neither of them having particular concern for anything but the present, they were able to fully enjoy the food they’d bought.

“Let’s both drink some of this,” suggested Shion with a grin.
“There are two bottles and two of us… It’s perfect!” replied Okuu.

The lids opened with a satisfying pop. They each took a sip, and their mouths were filled with a tropical flavor every bit as vibrant as the time they’d spent together so far. Before they knew it, the two of them had become friends.