Reshipi's voice still lingered in Takahashi Yuuki's ears. "Yuuki's cooking... might work." Those words slowly lifted Yuuki to his feet from where he'd been kneeling. The cold stone pavement left his knees. The trembling in both his hands gradually subsided. Around Nekuro, an ashen-green miasma of decay—that abominable aura that instantly rotted any ingredient it touched—swirled quietly. The accumulation of the next wave was beginning to build. There was no time. But something had been decided within Yuuki. "I'm doing this." "[surprised]Huh?" "[serious]I'm betting on the possibility that Nekuro has taste buds. I'm making the ultimate sandwich." Reshipi floated into the air, glowing. His translucent body trembled slightly. But his light wasn't flickering. It was a steady, focused glow. "I'll read the ingredient list!" "Count on me." "First—the seasoning Toast Hakushaku left behind." Everyone's eyes turned to the edge of the plaza. The rubble from Crouton Castle's walls, collapsed by the earlier wave, had piled up into a mountain. Somewhere beneath it should be the bottle of seasoning the earl had treasured. "...Under the rubble." "Yes." "Second—Momo's peach candy." Momo raised her hand. "I have it! In my pocket!" She rummaged through her jacket pocket. A glittering pink candy appeared. A special creation made from peaches from the Fruit Kingdom of Citrallia. "However, it will need to be crushed. If your magical power goes out of control, there's a risk it could—" "[surprised]Explode!?" "Third—Caramel Hime's caramel sauce." Caramel Hime quietly pulled out a small bottle. Golden sauce remained at the bottom—just a little. The very last drop. Her hand gripped the bottle firmly, quietly but with certainty. "...I'll use it." The moment all three ingredients were accounted for, Yuuki bolted across the plaza to solve everything at once. Thud-thud-thud— "[angry]Calm down!!" Both arms were grabbed simultaneously from left and right. Yuuki's feet stumbled in mid-stride. Hiroshi's large palm held his right arm, and Takeru's firm grip held his left. "One at a time." "Yeah, let's solve them one by one!" Watching this, Nekuro spoke quietly. "[cold]Inefficiency in preparation actions has been observed." A moment of silence. "[angry]Shut up!!!" Three voices spoke in perfect unison. Reshipi let out a surprised "whoa" and darted backward. Hiroshi and Takeru exchanged glances, then spoke together. "[angry]Shut up!!" Five voices echoed across the plaza of Gratinée. Nekuro said nothing. Standing with an emotionless face, he simply remained there. His expression somehow looked like "processing." ◆ Hiroshi and Takeru handled the rubble. As the two of them moved the stones aside, three bottles of seasoning emerged, covered in dust but unbroken. A deep amber liquid that the earl had treasured since his cooking days in Gratinée. When the cap was loosened slightly, a rich, fragrant aroma wafted out. Yuuki smelled it and narrowed his eyes slightly. (The taste from when the earl was cooking...) Next was Momo's turn. "[serious]Alright, here goes." Momo held the peach candy in her hand. All she had to do was crush it. Just that. But the magical power Momo had inherited from the earl had a nature of overflowing from her hands whenever her emotions wavered. Momo touched the candy. Boom. "Whoa!?" Everyone reflexively ducked. A blast of wind swept across the plaza, and dust swirled up. Light particles spilled from Momo's palm, and the candy—exploded into pieces. Only the scent of peach remained on the stone pavement. "[sad]...The candy's gone." "Get a new one!!" "I only have three more!?" "Stay calm! If you stay calm, it'll be fine!" "I know, I know!" Second attempt. Boom. "Everyone down!!!" Everyone crouched simultaneously. Blast. Dust. Peach scent. Momo let out a groan. Her pink short bob was disheveled by the wind. Fragments of stone clung to her candy-making apron. Her star-shaped orange eyes trembled slightly. Every time Momo remembered the earl, the trembling in her hands grew worse. That moment when he threw himself in front of her. That back, taking the full force of the decay wave. Thinking of it made the power she'd received try to exceed her control. "Momo." Caramel Hime walked over to Momo's side. Her loose golden long hair swayed in the wind. Her amber eyes gazed at Momo gently. "Try closing your eyes." Momo closed her eyes as instructed. Caramel Hime gently wrapped both of Momo's hands. Her delicate fingers quietly enveloped Momo's trembling hands entirely. It was warm. "[gentle]It's the power the earl protected you with." Her voice was low and calm. The commotion of the plaza seemed to pause in that one spot. Momo's trembling gradually, slowly subsided. The light particles at her fingertips slowly settled. And on the fifth try. Momo gently held the third peach candy in both hands. This time, it didn't explode. Slowly, carefully, she applied pressure and crushed it. Crack, crack—the candy broke into small pieces, releasing the scent of peach. The plaza fell silent. Everyone exhaled softly. "[excited]I did it!!!" Momo jumped up. The momentum made the sauce bottle on the table shake. Everyone instinctively reached for it. The bottle stopped just in time. "...That wasn't me." "That was totally you!!" Laughter spilled out. It was brief, but it was real. ◆ Next was Caramel Hime's turn. In her hands was the small bottle containing the last caramel sauce. The golden liquid remaining at the bottom. This was it. Caramel Hime held the bottle and stood before the sandwich. "Would you like help?" "[serious]No. It has to be me who pours it for it to mean anything." Takeru closed his mouth, looking slightly surprised. Caramel Hime faced forward and began shaking the bottle with all her might. Shake-shake-shake. Trying to squeeze out that last drop, shake-shake-shake. She'd put too much force into it. Her arm wouldn't stop. Tremble-tremble-tremble-tremble. "...Hime, your arm..." "[serious]It's fine." Tremble-tremble-tremble-tremble-tremble. It wasn't stopping. Not at all. Her entire arm was trembling. Her golden hair shook. Her amber eyes remained serious. Yuuki approached the hime with the sandwich still in progress. Slowly, he held it beneath her bottle. "That's enough now." Caramel Hime shook her head. Her trembling arm continued without stopping. And then—plink. The last drop fell onto the sandwich. The golden sauce soaked into the bread. A sweet aroma wafted out. "..." Caramel Hime lowered the bottle. Her trembling arm slowly came down. Yuuki watched her profile from close by. Close. Closer than he'd expected. The sweet scent of caramel mixed with the faint fragrance of her hair, and Yuuki's face grew slightly warm. He thought about how inappropriate this was in such a situation. But it was definitely warm. From a distance away, Momo was watching the two of them. "[whispers]...The hime really is cool." It was a whisper, but it was heard. Yuuki nodded quietly. Caramel Hime noticed their gazes, and her ears began to turn slightly red. This time, she didn't say "this is part of the strategy." Instead, she held the empty sauce bottle quietly in both hands and looked directly at Yuuki. "[gentle]Go ahead, Yuuki." That was all. But the weight of those words reached Yuuki's heart clearly. ◆ "It's complete!!!!" Reshipi unleashed his full light. In that instant, seven colors of light burst from the sandwich. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—the seven colors illuminated the entire plaza of Gratinée. It was as if a rainbow had descended to earth. Everyone froze in place, bathed in the light. Nekuro's face moved slightly. "[cold]Light phenomenon confirmed—analysis impossible." Everyone's body went rigid. Analysis impossible. Nekuro had said he couldn't understand. It was the first time. Until now, no matter what happened, Nekuro had processed everything as "○○ kilocalories" or "emotional parameters nonexistent." But now, for the first time, he said "I cannot analyze." Yuuki stood up, holding the seven-colored glowing sandwich in both hands. His feet trembled slightly. He walked straight toward Nekuro. The ashen-green aura of decay swirled slowly around him. With each step closer, the stone pavement faintly turned gray. But he didn't stop. He stood before Nekuro. "[cold]The purpose of this action is—beginning analysis." "[angry]Shut up." He cut him off. Nekuro stopped. Yuuki's voice trembled. But his eyes—were steady. He looked directly into Nekuro's emotionless eyes. "[serious]Eat." He held out the sandwich. Nekuro opened his mouth. "[cold]The necessity of—" "[serious]Eat." Again. The same words. Silence came. Wind blew across the plaza. The seven colors of light swayed gently. No one spoke. No one moved. Hiroshi's lips were pressed tightly together. Takeru's hands were clenched. Momo watched with her star-shaped eyes, holding her breath. Caramel Hime stood quietly, holding the empty bottle to her chest. Reshipi held his light still, present in that moment. Nekuro extended his hand. He took the sandwich. He opened his mouth. He took a bite. "[cold]Data processing—" There, he stopped. His mouth didn't move. "..." His eyes wavered. The emotionless eyes wavered slightly. Just barely. But it was unmistakable. Those watching could clearly see the change. Something ran down Nekuro's cheek. Whether it was a tear, the liquid of decay, or something entirely different, no one could tell. Nekuro's outline slowly blurred. The ashen-green aura grew faint. Thin, thinner, spreading like mist—and quietly, it vanished. "..." Momo whispered something small. "[whispers]...We won." "[excited]We won!!!!" Reshipi unleashed his full light and shouted. Hiroshi and Takeru embraced each other. Both of them cried out, tears streaming down their faces. Caramel Hime relaxed, her strength leaving her. The empty bottle she'd been holding slipped from her hand and fell to the stone pavement. Clink. A light sound. Completely different from the heavy sound of that bottle breaking so many times before—the light sound of an empty bottle. Hearing it, Caramel Hime laughed softly, as if amused. ◆ Quiet returned to the plaza. Everyone sat down where they were. The stone pavement felt slightly warm. The seven colors of light had faded, replaced by ordinary, gently softening evening light that illuminated the plaza. Momo clasped her hands to her chest and looked up at the sky. "[whispers]...Toast Hakushaku. We protected it." No one corrected her. Yuuki sat down beside her and simply replied, "Yeah." Caramel Hime sat quietly on Momo's other side. The three sat in a row, silently gazing at the sky. Only Reshipi, floating a little distance away, quietly confirmed the arrangement: Momo on Yuuki's right, Caramel Hime on his left. Reshipi briefly intensified his light with a "hehe," then returned it to normal. A voice cut through that quiet atmosphere. It was a low voice. Not Nekuro's voice. Something deeper, a voice that made the air itself tremble. "Why did those who once loved cooking become monsters?" Everyone looked up. There was only a voice in the sky. No form was visible. Where it came from was unclear. But that question remained clearly in the plaza of Gratinée. Void—Yuuki instinctively felt this was the voice of the next threat, the one Nekuro had served under. Reshipi spoke in a trembling voice. "[sad]...Three of the Four Heavenly Kings still remain." Silence. Yuuki stood up. He slowly clenched his fist. His knees felt weak, but he stood anyway. "[serious]Let's go. If there are still people we can save." "[angry]I thought it was finally over!!!!" Momo shouted. She shouted with all her strength and stood up. Caramel Hime picked up the empty bottle and stood. Then she smiled quietly. "[gentle]But—let's go." The sk