The Moon is Like Tapioca ch1

This is the long, long tale of a certain rabbit and kitsune...

Wah~ I love these!
I know. That's why I brought them.

Hey.
Hm?

Let's keep on eating
delicious things together from now on.
Of course.

It's a promise.

Things were going pretty well for me.

Eh? Holy cow, holy cow!
Can we get a selfie with you!?

Satsuki-chan!
Of course!

p4
Of course.

Kya~

U-Um, I'm always watching your videos.
Please do your best.

Thanks!
I'm a popular influencer with over a million followers on social media.

The bubble tea shop I introduced turned into a chain just like that,
and they made me their brand ambassador.
Things had been going a little too well for me these past few years.

It was like I was the princess of the Tapioca Kingdom.

LOOK OUT!!
Kya~ Kya~

Right up until

I got hit by that truck.

Hah~
Yet another dream about "back then"...

Hah~...

p8-9

Mm~

Lovely weather today.

p10

Yep.
Looking good.

p11

Hup.
Hup.

Okay.
And now...

a dash of tapioca!

Hmm hmm
Hmm~

And it's ready!

p12

Tapioca Fried Rice

Time to dig in!

Ah~
After that accident,
I had

turned into an unfamiliar Taiwanese girl.
Who!?
Gyah~

p13

Oh good. An ID card.
Luo... Yuepin.

I can read it...

That's one heck of a room...

I don't know why I had entered this girl's body,
but I had a really bad feeling.

And that feeling turned out to be right.

p14

Popular Influencer Dies in Accident

Influencer Shirai Satsuki-san (25) died on the 〇th of 〇〇〇 due to a traffic accident.

Hah...
No matter how many times I look at it, it's the same.
I guess... it's one of those reincarnation things
like you see in anime.

Mm.
This tapioca fried rice is actually pretty good.

There's no way that's true.

p15

What are you doing,
Yuepin?

Ah.
That girl.

She came to visit every now and again...
Erm...

Are you okay to be opening the store?
You were asleep for a long time.

p16

Uh, yeah, I'm full of energy! Thank you!
That's right. Luo Yuepin is
the OWNER of the Taiwanese restaurant "Daixinkou".

Man~ It was really touch and go for a moment there...
Thank god the body remembers~
It was that bad?

Hey.
Could you let me try that? I'm starving.

Of course!

Thanks.
Let's dig in.

p17

Sorry. This is gross.

Eeh~!? You're kidding me!
It's all springy, and the saltiness of the friend rice and the sweetness of the tapioca... don't really...

Was the seasoning no good?

I think it's pretty good...
There's something wrong with your tastebuds.

Just the other day, you put some in xiaolongbao the other day too.
Why are you so obsessed with tapioca?
Did you always like it that much?
That's...

p18

I just
wanted everyone to know.

Even if tapioca doesn't stand out, it can still be the star.
It can shine brighter on more stages.

I want it to break out of its shell
and find its own path.

Hmm...

p19

Well,
if you're that insistent, I'll support you.
How about serving it in the shop on Monday?

!!
Really!?
But only after you improve the taste.

I'll find it too.

My own new path.

Wha-...
Wha-...

p20

It's being flamed~!!

Daixinkou is so disgusting. That's just a plain weird combination.
Daixinkou's food is way too novel. If you're a fan of oddities that look scary, by all means check it out.
I'm never going again. My trip to Daixinkou was a huge shock. I was going out for a meal with my mother who I rarely see and thought I'd give her a treat.

Let's see...
"A complete waste of food."
"They should imprison whoever thought of this cooking."
"My pig really enjoyed it."

Nooo!

I told you to improve the taste, didn't I?
I-I did!!
In what way?

I added cilantro.

...
Say something!!

p21

Uuh...
They didn't have to go that far...

I guess I'm no good after all...

I'm sorry for telling you to serve it up too.
That's not!

Eat this and cheer up.

p22

Bao xin fen yuan

Wah~ What is this?
Red bean paste and... tapioca?

?
What are you talking about?
This is bao xin fen yuan, not tapioca.

Ah, th-that's right! Sorry, guess I've got tapioca on the brain right now. Ahahahaha.
Oh crap, oh crap.

Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-Thanks for the food!
...

p23

Delicious!!

It looks like tapioca on the outside,
but there red bean paste inside!

It's certainly different from tapioca...
Hey.

Who the hell are you?

p24

Eh...?

I always knew something was up.
The way you talk is different,
and you're wearing makeup when you never did before.

You're not Luo Yuepin at all, are you?
No, um...
What do I do? What do I do?

Don't tell me...

p25

!!
Wh-Why is it so cold all of a...

This way!
Eh?

p26

Hey!

Salt?

Rinse your mouth with it and spit it out.

Um, how exactly...

Quickly now.
The gui cha are coming.

p27

Gui ch-

Ack
Ack
Sorry.

p28

Tell me your real name.

But...

Please.

p29

Shirai...
Satsuki.

Louder!!

BAIJING SHAYUE!! [tn: Same kanji spelling but with Chinese pronunciation]

p30

Did they...
leave?

p31

Yeah.
Looks like we evaded them for now.

I-I see.

So you said
your name's Baijing Shayue?
You Japanese?

Yeah, sorry. I'm...
Shh!

I don't need any unnecessary explanations. It won't help you.
All I need is one thing.
When were you born?

I was born in 2001.
A modern girl, huh? No problem there.

p32

I'm
Lin Yanyan.
A psychic.

Ps-
Psychic!? Those really exist!?
We're called Xengu around these parts,
but we're something like what you Japanese would call exorcists.

And those gui cha just now
are what you'd call grim reapers.

p33

They were coming for your soul,
or more specifically, Luo Yuepin's soul.

So Yuepin is...
Yes, unfortunately.

I'm guessing the gui cha couldn't find Yuepin's soul,
so they went after her body instead.
At this rate, there's a chance you'll be taken away in Yeping's place.

I'm... going to die again?

Don't worry.

p34

I will find Yuepin's soul.

Leave it to me.
I'm an expert at this stuff.

That must've been scary, huh?
All you have to do is wait here.

You've got the store to run, after all.

I-

p35

I'll help too.

Honestly, it's been pretty tough since I entered this body.
I can't go back to my old body anymore

and I was scared of being in a foreign country by myself.

But recently, I've finally come to enjoy the food and scenery.
Honestly, I have no idea... what I was reincarnated here, but this is a new life I've been given.

p36

I want to do my best
and face it properly.

Or something like that...

p37

...
You never change.

Alright.
We'll search together.
!
Really!?

Well, for now...

p38

Let's eat, shall we?

The Moon is Like Tapioca ch2

Are you ready?
Yeah! Thanks for waiting!

Your makeup's on top form today.
Eh? Is it wierd!?

Not really.
It's pretty cute.
Th-That's good.

Ah, did you bring the rosary?

Yep!
Made sure of that!

Keep that on you at all times to protect you.
In Japan, it'd be something like this...
Yeah!
Are rosaries like a super item in Taiwan?

Not really.
It is related to kitsunes, though.
It reacted strongly to you.
Foxes?

It seems you raised a good kitsune.

I don't think people in Japan really keep kitsunes.
Like I would know that.
Hmm.

Um,
can I ask one more thing?
What is it?

I noticed it this morning.
Look...
!

It wasn't there before yesterday, so... it was probably cos of what happened.
What if it's... a curse?

...

It's something like a mark the gui cha placed on you,
but it doesn't look all that bad to me.
Really?
Yeah.

Besides, it's kinda like a stylish tattoo.
It suits you.
Shalala~
Eeh~!?

Come to think of it,

Yanyan-chan should be sad about Yuepin dying,
but she doesn't look it at all.

I wonder if it hurts to talk to me?

What're you sulking about?

You're gonna do your best
at soul hunting, right?

Yeah!

Wah~!

Now that's luxury!!

What's this...? A temple? A shrine?
It's so colorful...
I guess in Japanese terms, it's like a shrine?
Before going on a reckless search for a soul, we need to ask God a few things.

Eh?
You can talk to God!?
Yeah.

With poapoe.

Poa...?

It's like fortune telling.
Let's go.
R-
Right.

Here.
That's some long incense~!!

...
This really is a foreign country.

Well then,
let me teach you about poapoe.

Sure! What do I do?
First...

here's the poe.

God answers our questions through these.
They're made of wood, huh?

The flat side is the front and the round side is the back.
Okay.

p10

First, you tell God your name, address and date of birth.
Then you light an incense, ask a question and throw it with all your heart.
If both sides are front-side up, that's "chao poe", meaning "I'm not sure".
If both sides are backwards, that's "inpoe" meaning "no".
If there's one of each side, that's "shenpoe", meaning "OK".

Okay! Let's give it a try!

Ah.
What should I ask about again?
Ehehe

We just need to take it in turns.
Okay!

p11

Wang Ye Gong, are the gui cha still searching for me?

That's a yes...
Don't worry.
Onto the next one.

Wang Ye Gong, is the reason for my ressurection related to a kitsune?
Another yes.

Kitsune...
I went to Fushimi Shrine on a school trip, but that's about it.
Amazing~

p12

Wang Ye Gong,
is it okay for me to believe in the existence of this kitsune and ask for its help in overcoming this hardship?
That's a yes.
Wang Ye Gong, if the need ever arises,
may I have permission from this kitsune to use its powers to protect me?
Another yes.

Oh~ It feels like...

the kitsune is really doing its best...!

Sure sounds like it.

p13

Once you're done asking questions,
finish by giving thanks to Wang Ye Gong.
Right.

Thank you very much.

...
For some reason,

p14

even though it's another Asian country,
it feels completely different.

I wonder if Tokyo's
in its cold season right about now.

Your makeup's on top form today.
Am I going
to be here forever?

p15

Hey.
Come with me.
?

Wah~!!

It smells so good...!!
Two please.
Coming up!

p16

Taiwanese Sausage

Thanks for the food!

Mmm~!!
So juicy!!

The kaoliang alcohol and wuxiangfen spices make it taste really good...!
Not to mention it's sweet and salty~!

And eating garlic with it is such a guilty pleasure...!
Hyu~

p17

Erm~ But y'know~
If garlic's okay then...

tapioca should be...
Absolutely not.

Eh? I can't!? It'd definitely go together!!
I told you to stop mixing side dishes with dessert!
Eh~ But it'd be sweet and salty and taste good.
I assure you, it won't...

Tch~ That so~
Yum.

p18

Feel better now?

Eh?
You've been looking pretty down since we left the shrine.

God and the kitsune said they'd protect you,
so you'll be okay if you keep that rosary on you.

p19

N-
No, that's
not...

All this stuff... like grim reapers happened so suddenly.
I can't keep up...

Even though I've never been in this place before,
I can read the text and speak the language, and that scares me.
I've been making do somehow,
but I sometimes think about if I should even be here.

...I guess so.

Don't worry.

p20

Things will get better.

...Huh?

p21

I feel like I've heard that line before...
Was it from a tv drama or something?

I can calm down when I'm with you, Yanyan-chan.
Pretty strange considering we've only just met.

...I guess so.

p22

By the way, how would you like to be called?
Like a nickname or something.
!

Call me Yue!

What should I call you?
Whatever's easiest for you.

Alright. Yan then.

p23

?
What's wrong?

...Nothing.
It's fine.

The bus should be here soon.

p24

Let's hurry,
Yue.

Alright!
Yan!

Warning