In the eyes of outsiders, Cynthia might be seen as a perfect goddess, but only those close to her knew she actually had a hard time making decisions.
Of course, this wasn't really a flaw; instead, it added a bit of a cute and silly charm to her otherwise aloof goddess image.
"The red bean paste seems nice... but the chestnut looks delicious too, and the sweet berries are quite rare, the honey one also seems..."
The shop owner stood behind the stall, watching her struggle for almost a minute, unsure whether to speak up.
Ultimately, it was Ash who made the decision.
"Boss, one of each!"
"You got it!"
A few paper bags were quickly placed in front of Ash.
Cynthia finally realized and quickly tugged at his sleeve, "I can't eat all that, how will we taste other things afterwards?"
"Sis, it's not just you here."
Ash pointed at himself, then at the Pikachu beside him.
"Pika Pika!"
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
Exactly! Can't Pokemon have snacks too?!
Cynthia blinked.
Oh right... She was just focused on choosing for herself and almost forgot about the two who also wanted to eat.
"Sorry about that, we'll taste them all then."
Ash took the dorayakis, handing two to Cynthia and one to Pikachu.
"Pika~"
Pikachu sniffed the dorayaki, nodding in satisfaction.
Even though it's not tomato-flavored, it smells pretty good!
Cynthia first took a bite of the red bean paste flavor, whereas Ash split his dorayaki in half, only eating one half.
Seeing this, Pikachu's eyes lit up and followed suit by splitting its own dorayaki.
As soon as Ash finished, he turned his attention to Pikachu's remaining half.
"Pikachu, let me have a bite."
"Pika~"
Pikachu generously handed it over.
And then...
With one bite, Ash left Pikachu with just a tiny piece in its hand.
"Pika?!!"
You call that one bite?!!
"Hmm, delicious."
"Pika Pika!!!"
Is that your idea of one bite?!
Pikachu quickly stuffed the last bit into its mouth, cheeks puffing in frustration.
Cynthia watched as the two squabbled over half a dorayaki and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Alright, Pikachu, I have more here."
She split her other dorayaki and handed half to Pikachu.
"Pika!"
Pikachu instantly perked up, yet the moment it accepted, Ash was watching again.
"Pika Pi!!"
It quickly devoured the half dorayaki, spreading its little claws wide.
No more!
Ash: "..."
"Is it really necessary to guard against me so much?"
"Pika!"
Absolutely against you!
"Fine, I'll just trade with Sis."
Ash handed over his remaining half and naturally took the red bean paste dorayaki Cynthia had just bitten.
By the time Cynthia realized, Ash had already taken a big bite and was munching with satisfaction.
"Hmm, how delightful."
Seeing Ash eat to the point of losing his enunciation, Cynthia chuckled and waved her hand.
He's just a kid, why fuss over something so trivial? Besides, no one's here to see that they're not siblings. It doesn't matter if he eats after her, it's quite normal between siblings.
"Is it tasty?"
"Very tasty!"
With his mouth still full, Ash's words came out muffled.
Cynthia's smile grew even brighter.
The next morning, the three of them managed to wander through almost all of Jubilife Village's bustling spots, stopping at stalls with unseen treats before.
Cynthia had a sizable appetite as it was, Ash didn't lack in that area either, and although Pikachu might seem small, it also didn't hold back when it was time to eat.
After eating so much, Ash and Pikachu's stomachs have noticeably rounded out!
In contrast, Cynthia's belly remained slim and flat, looking like she hadn't eaten a thing.
Even Ash and Pikachu couldn't help but admire this belly capacity.
Besides eating, they also stopped by a salon and a clothing store, and visited Ginkgo Guide to check for any new items.
Unfortunately, Ginkgo Guide didn't have the special tools needed by them this time, but since the day's aim was relaxation, it didn't affect their mood to not find anything.
By the time they finished at the marketplace, the sun was already high above them.
"Where to next?"
Ash patted his happily full stomach.
"We've spent the morning in the village, let's go for a walk outside in the afternoon."
Cynthia thought for a moment, "Let's not head to any dangerous areas, just a loop around our usual haunts in the Obsidian Fieldlands."
For them, taking a break didn't have to mean lying in a room.
Riding on a Wyrdeer, feeling the breeze, seeing the fields untouched by cities and roads in this era, counts as a break too.
Of course, Ash wouldn't object.
So the two of them went back to gather some simple supplies and soon left Jubilife Village with Pikachu.
Ash and Cynthia were now both Five-Star Team Members of Team Galactic; leaving the village together, naturally, left a record. Before long, this mundane record was sent to Kamado.
"They went out again?"
Kamado looked up at the guard who came to report.
"Yes."
The guard nodded, "The direction is the Obsidian Fieldlands, and both are equipped with their outdoor gear."
Kamado paused for a moment.
They had only just calmed Miss Lilligant yesterday and handled matters at the Cobalt Coastlands this morning.
And not even half a day later, the two of them have left Jubilife Village again.