These eggs are currently unfertilized.

Mature yukkuri will periodically grow tendrils, and from these, something like a "manjuu fruit" will grow. During this time, one or two of these will spawn.

The children cannot bear fruit, but producing a "harvest" of ordinary manjuu is still possible.

These eggs have been fertilized.

If the eggs are fertilized, they instead grow into light-brown, thin-skinned manjuu.
After one night's growth, these fruits naturally detach and fall to the ground.

Yuyu~!!

The mother rubs its springy cheeks against the eggs for warmth. She also wraps them in composting leaves or straw, so that the heat produced by the decay will also warm the eggs.
In this way, the mother incubates the eggs and helps speed along their maturation.

"Babies, grow up easy~"

With these fundamental steps, she will continue to oversee the birth of her young within the nest.

Days 1~2.

The yukkuri has not yet grown into its recognizable shape. At this state, it osmotically absorbs the surrounding bean paste through its soft skin.

Days 3~4.

The yukkuri begins to take on the characteristic yukkuri shape, and becomes capable of movement. Around this time, it begins to eat the surrounding bean paste under its own power.

Mwunch, mwunch!

Yu~!!

Days 5~6.

The baby yukkuri has grown into the shape of a normal yukkuri, and has consumed all of the surrounding bean paste. Afterwards, all that remains is to break through the egg's thin skin.

Take it easy!!!

Chake ich eajy!!!

Tearing through the thin skins of their eggs and into the open, the baby yukkuri face their parents and perform their first "Take it easy!!!"
They lisp now, but someday they will grow into fine yukkuri, and may even have children of their own.
In this way, the life of the yukkuri is inherited from generation to generation.

Nnsho~ nnsho~ Sharing~!

Incidentally, yukkuri living near human habitats will occasionally appear bearing raised yukkuri manjuu (from fully-grown unfertilized eggs) as gifts.