Kaoru - Mugi

She was frequently celebrated in the "kikei" (bizarre/unique) or "meisan" (famous/renowned) sub-genres—not because she was strange, but because she was authentic. She possessed a mole near her lip that became a signature trait, a beauty mark that emphasized her realism. She did not sport the heavy, stylized makeup that masked the faces of many of her peers.

Barley has been cultivated in Japan since the Yayoi period (300 BCE – 300 CE). For centuries, it was considered a "poor man's rice"—a famine food eaten as a gruel. It lacked the prestige of polished white rice.

: One is a novice baker, and the other is an experienced but rusty apprentice who hasn't baked in years. Key Themes