Fushokuou Nekuro's mouth didn't move. "[cold]Data processing——" The words stopped midway. Normally it wouldn't take even a second. Processing complete. No emotion. End. That pattern had crumbled. Fushokuou Nekuro's mouth remained half-open. His eyes, which held no light, trembled faintly——truly faintly. Something crossed his emotionless face. Just for an instant, but unmistakably. And then something traced down Fushokuou Nekuro's cheek. It was a transparent liquid. Whether it was a tear, a component of decay, or something entirely different, no one could tell. Takahashi Yuuki couldn't judge. Neither could Momo nor Caramel Hime. Even Reshipi could only tremble his translucent body slightly, unable to say anything. As the liquid traced down his cheek, Fushokuou Nekuro's outline began to blur. There was no sound. No words. The ash-green miasma of decay thinned, spreading like mist, and then slowly——simply vanished. Silence returned to the plaza. Takahashi Yuuki stared at the place where Fushokuou Nekuro had been for a while. His feet wouldn't move. Had they won? Had they saved him? Or had something entirely different happened? All that remained on the stone pavement of Gratinée was the aftertaste of Fushokuou Nekuro's silence——an answer that would never come. ◆ "[excited]We won!!!!!" Reshipi cried out with his light at full brightness. That radiance spread across the plaza, and Takahashi Yuuki finally came back to himself. Hiroshi and Takeru were embracing each other. Both of them were crying out loud. Takeru was patting Hiroshi's back, and Hiroshi had buried his face in Takeru's shoulder. Seeing Takeru, who normally didn't show much emotion, trembling at the shoulders, Takahashi Yuuki felt warmth spreading through his chest. Then, all at once, everyone lost their strength. Their knees buckled. Like a thread had been cut, they collapsed onto the spot. Takahashi Yuuki felt the coldness of the stone pavement as he placed both hands on his knees. The body that had been moving so much just moments ago now had no strength anywhere. Then, a sound came. Clink. A light, dry sound. Everyone reflexively turned toward it. Caramel Hime had her hands gently spread open, looking at a small bottle rolling across the stone pavement. Her golden long hair was slightly disheveled. The special caramel sauce bottle she always carried——already empty inside, it seemed she had accidentally dropped it when she relaxed with relief. Someone laughed. Momo was the first to burst out, then Takahashi Yuuki, and Hiroshi and Takeru were laughing while crying. Caramel Hime herself was also laughing softly, pressing her hand to her mouth. It was hard to put into words exactly what was so funny. But that sound——not the heavy clang of a full bottle, but light and dry because it was empty, so small it was almost anticlimactic——somehow loosened everyone's tension. Fushokuou Nekuro disappearing, the battle ending, it all mixed together and came out as laughter in a strange way. The laughter gradually subsided. Momo clenched both her hands tightly in front of her chest. The warmth of the magical power she had inherited from Toast Hakushaku still remained there. She had been carrying that heavy magic all this time. Even now, she could feel its temperature. Momo looked up at the sky. The sky of Gratinée seemed a little brighter than before. The clouds were thinning. The Unified Cooking Ordinance——that dark decree that had bound all of the Shokusai异界——had ended, and the resonance of flavors might be gradually returning. "[whispers]……Earl. I protected it" It was a small voice. Not meant for anyone to hear, just words directed at the sky. Takahashi Yuuki said nothing and sat down beside Momo, responding with only "[gentle]Yeah". Caramel Hime quietly sat down on Momo's other side. She picked up the empty bottle she had dropped and held it gently in both hands. The three of them remained sitting side by side, looking up at the sky for a while. It was the kind of silence where nothing needed to be said. Reshipi, floating a little distance away, was quietly confirming the arrangement of the three. Momo on Takahashi Yuuki's right, the princess on his left——he stared at that positional relationship as if memorizing something important, then hastily looked away. Even though no one had asked anything. ◆ Caramel Hime held the empty bottle gently in both hands, facing forward. Normally she would search for some polite words. Something like, "Takahashi-san, what do you think about this?" or "Thank you for your hard work." But now, words wouldn't come. All she could do was be here beside him, and it seemed there was nothing more she could do. Takahashi Yuuki was looking up at the sky beside Caramel Hime. She glanced sideways. There was still a little whitish dust from the stone pavement on Takahashi Yuuki's black short hair. His fingertips bore several small burn marks——evidence of the cooking he had continued. Their eyes met. Caramel Hime was slightly startled, then slowly smiled. She didn't say her usual "As planned, everything's fine" or anything like that. She simply smiled. Takahashi Yuuki's face moved slightly. "[gentle]……Thank you very much" It was a low, quiet voice. Whether it was gratitude for the battle ending or for her being by his side all this time, even Takahashi Yuuki himself didn't seem entirely sure. But certainly, those words were directed at her. Caramel Hime's ears gradually turned red. Normally she would cover it up with a smile, quickly avert her gaze, drop the sauce bottle and get distracted by that. But this time, the bottle was already empty. Dropping it wouldn't make a sound, and she couldn't cover it up. "[gentle]……No" She returned only those words in the smallest voice. She didn't hide the redness of her ears. She didn't avert her face. She only gripped the empty bottle a little tighter. The way she held it——as if something precious were inside, even though it was empty. Takahashi Yuuki glanced at her hand. Noticing that her grip had tightened, his eyes narrowed slightly. His face grew warm again——even he thought it was strange timing for this. He thought so, but he couldn't stop it. Beside them, Momo glanced at the two of them. Then she faced forward again. She said nothing. Her star-shaped orange eyes remained fixed on the sky. Reshipi gave a small "hm" and his light wavered briefly before returning to normal. The silence of the plaza continued. ◆ A voice broke that silence. It was a low voice. Not Fushokuou Nekuro's voice. Something deeper, a voice that made the very air tremble. There was no form, no appearance. Only the voice descended upon the plaza of Gratinée. "Why did those who once loved cooking become monsters?" Everyone looked up. Takahashi Yuuki, Momo, Caramel Hime, Hiroshi, Takeru, Reshipi——all of them looked at the sky at the same moment. But they saw nothing. Only the voice remained. Void——the being that Fushokuou Nekuro had served, the next threat. The question it posed hung in the plaza. Why had those who once loved cooking become monsters? Had Fushokuou Nekuro been one of them too? The answer was nowhere to be found. Reshipi spoke in a trembling voice. "[sad]……Three of the Four Heavenly Kings still remain" Silence. Hiroshi said in a hoarse voice, "[surprised]There are still more……?". Takeru replied shortly, "[serious]……I see". The two who had been crying moments ago were forming serious expressions again. Takahashi Yuuki placed his hand on the stone pavement and slowly stood up. His knees felt weak. His body was honest——it was telling him he was still exhausted. But he stood. He slowly clenched his fist. "[serious]Let's go. If there are still people we can save" "[angry]I thought it was finally over!!!!" Momo shouted with all her might. Her pink short bob swayed, and her star-shaped orange eyes widened to their limits. Even as she stood up, her feet were already pointing forward. "[angry]Absolutely!" Takeru followed. Hiroshi began crying again. Whether these were tears of a different meaning, he stood up while pressing his fists to his eyes. Caramel Hime picked up the empty bottle she had dropped. She held it gently in both hands again and stood up. Then she smiled quietly. "[gentle]But——let's go" That smile seemed different from the princess of moments before. Different from the princess they had met in the castle town of Gratinée at first, the one who had faced forward despite her fear of Toast Hakushaku. They were smiling from the same place, but the strength behind it was different. It was something that couldn't be put into words, but it was unmistakably different. Only Takahashi Yuuki noticed, and his eyes narrowed slightly. The sky of Gratinée was beginning to be dyed in the light of dusk. The gray clouds were thinning. The resonance of flavors might be gradually returning. The sky wasn't completely clear yet. But it was definitely getting brighter. Short shadows stretched across the stone pavement. Takahashi Yuuki looked at that scenery for just one second, then faced forward. Void's question still hung unanswered in the air. Why had those who once loved cooking become monsters? Whether the liquid that traced down Fushokuou Nekuro's cheek had been a tear remained unknown to everyone. Three of the Four Heavenly Kings still waited somewhere.