Munieru-ba knocked on the underground door just as night broke into dawn. *Concon*, a dry sound echoed down from the stone steps. In the Forgotten Kitchen—a ruined cooking space hidden in an alley of Gratinée—Takahashi Yuuki jolted awake. He'd apparently been dozing with his back against a dust-covered counter. Beside him, Caramel Hime with her golden curls was already sitting up straight, her posture impeccable even in sleep. Truly, royalty maintained their dignity even while napping. "...A friend?" Yuuki asked. "I believe this is the person Recipe-san contacted last night," Caramel Hime replied. The old woman descending the stone steps was small, easily over seventy. Her white hair was tied in a bun, and a large bread basket nearly hid her apron. The owner of "Munieru's Shelf," a food shop on Grey Market Street—the person Recipe had quietly told them about last night. "I came through. Food and directions to the exit," Munieru-ba said. As she set down the basket, freshly baked bread and several unidentifiable vegetables emerged. Forbidden ingredients that had been secretly hidden under the floorboards, she explained. When Yuuki picked up the bread, it was still warm. "Thank you, Munieru-san," Caramel Hime said. "Don't mention it. Ever since that bastard's Unified Cooking Ordinance—that stupid law forbidding free cooking—I've been resisting in secret. Helping you two is only natural," Munieru-ba replied. Twelve years of something lay compressed in the old woman's words. Yuuki watched her face while chewing the bread. Each wrinkle seemed to tell a long story. "So, the exit?" Yuuki asked. "Underground pipes. Old conduits running beneath this city. They used to transport food to the castle, but nobody uses them anymore. If you go through them, you can get outside the city walls," Munieru-ba explained. "How narrow are they?" Caramel Hime asked. "Well... if you fold your body small enough, you'll manage," Munieru-ba said. "...Fold your body small, huh," Yuuki muttered. Recipe giggled on his shoulder. Yuuki pretended not to hear. ◆ He learned what "folding your body small" meant only after entering: it meant crawling on all fours in a triple-fold position. The pipe's diameter was less than a meter. Yuuki kept his head down, crawling forward on his knees and palms against the stone floor. Behind him was Caramel Hime, and leading the way was Munieru-ba. The fact that a woman over seventy was moving through this without hesitation was somehow more terrifying. "I'm definitely never getting used to this..." Yuuki muttered. "There's a puddle ahead, Yuuki-san," Caramel Hime warned. "Huh—" Yuuki started. *Splash.* His knees landed directly in the water. His slacks were soaked. He could tell there was a slight incline in the dimly lit pipe. What he hadn't known was how steep it was. After advancing a few minutes, the floor suddenly disappeared. "Ah!" Yuuki gasped. "Yuuki-san?" Caramel Hime called out. *Slip.* He slid. Gravity pulled everything downward. He tumbled through the dark pipe like a slide, his hands unable to catch purchase, unable to stop—and then the exit— *Splash.* He plunged headfirst into a drainage ditch. "..." He stayed like that for a moment. His head was buried in the ground, his legs floating in the air. The smell of mud was overwhelming. Eventually, Munieru-ba hopped out of the pipe with ease, and then Caramel Hime descended—without a single scratch, her golden hair perfectly in place—landing gracefully. "Are you injured?" Caramel Hime asked. "Yeah. My pride," Yuuki said, pulling his head free. His face was caked in mud. Recipe was glowing and bobbing on his shoulder. It was obvious he was laughing, just without making a sound. Munieru-ba waved goodbye and disappeared back the way she came. Before them lay the Syrup River—a massive waterway flowing east-west across the continent, its upper reaches apple juice, its lower reaches orange juice—flowing gently. The walls of Gratinée were visible far behind them. They were out. They had escaped. "This is crazy, right? We actually made it out," Yuuki said. "Yes. We owe Munieru-san our gratitude," Caramel Hime replied. Yuuki looked down at his mud-covered clothes. His white shirt had turned a magnificent shade of grey again. His slacks' knees were beyond mention. He rinsed slightly in the river water and turned north. Peppern, the capital of Spicy Nation. From here, following the base of the Mishu Mountain Range, it was roughly eighty kilometers. As the two figures began walking, a heavy grey sky pressed down on their backs. ◆ The narrow path along the mountain range's base was quiet. To the left, the Mishu Mountain Range—a dough-textured mountain range running north-south through the western region—rose majestically. Up close, the rocky surface did indeed resemble bread crumb texture. Recipe had mentioned that it swells slightly when it rains, but today the overcast sky kept it dry. Wind howled through the distant mountains, carrying the faint scent of baking wheat. After walking in silence for a while, Caramel Hime spoke. "Yuuki-san, why do you love cooking so much?" she asked. Yuuki was quiet for a moment. Why he loved it. He'd been asked before. But he'd never really answered properly. "...My mom's curry bread, I guess," he said. "Curry bread?" Caramel Hime asked. "When I was little, my mom made it a lot. She'd knead it alone in the kitchen, and when I watched from the side, flour would fly at me—my hands covered in powder, sunlight streaming through the window," Yuuki said. Walking, he remembered that distant kitchen. His mother's back in an apron. Her laughter. The sweet and spicy aroma filling the kitchen air. "I still remember the smell when it came out of the oven. That scent would spread through the whole house. And when I took a bite—I realized, this is delicious because she made it. I understood, even as a kid, that the cook's feelings go into the food," Yuuki said, laughing a little self-consciously. Caramel Hime listened quietly. Her amber eyes stayed fixed ahead, but her ears were fully receiving his words. "...You cook while imagining the face of the person eating it," she said softly. "Yeah. That's everything, I think," Yuuki replied. The princess softened. Not her expression exactly, but the air around her. "I too... while making caramel sauce in my cell, I was always thinking about that. Someday I want to feed this to someone, to give it to my comrades. I made it with only that thought," Caramel Hime said. Yuuki looked at her profile. Three months alone in a cell. Making caramel sauce without anyone to eat it. The same. The roots were the same. A touching atmosphere drifted between them. The mountain wind passed quietly through. For just this moment, even the grey sky seemed to thin slightly— "That's such a nice story~~~" Recipe said. A loud sniffling sound came from Yuuki's shoulder. Yuuki turned around. Recipe was wiping his eyes with his little hands, his round face scrunched up in exaggerated tears. "Don't you dare join in!!" Yuuki shouted. "But I got emotional! Mother's taste! The origin! I'm allowed to cry too!!" Recipe protested. "You're not! Read the room!" Yuuki snapped. "Sorry, sorry," Recipe said. He didn't look sorry at all. Caramel Hime laughed softly. The distance between them seemed to have closed just a little. ◆ Peppern came into view past midday. The cityscape of red-brick-style buildings radiated an unusual heat even from a distance. The exterior walls, baked from chili pepper material, asserted themselves in vivid red even beneath the overcast sky. At the city's center stood a large circular building—the Scorching Arena, a cooking competition venue with a capacity of three thousand—looming solidly. But. The moment Yuuki stepped into the city, he noticed the silence. There was no vitality. The streets that once bustled with spicy food stalls and the scent of spices so strong it made your eyes water now had nothing but closed shutters. The Unified Cooking Ordinance—the law Toast Hakushaku had imposed twelve years ago, forbidding any cooking outside of the approved forty-seven dishes—naturally extended to Spicy Nation as well. The city whose soul was blazing hot cuisine now lay dormant and flavorless. The residents' eyes were dead. The sound of footsteps on the cobblestones echoed unnaturally loud. "...This is terrible," Yuuki said. "It has been like this for a long time, I imagine," Caramel Hime replied. A five-story building appeared deeper in the city. Heat shimmered from its entire wall—the Red King's residence, the "Flame Tower Palace." Standing before it, Yuuki took a deep breath. The spicy air of chili peppers filled his lungs. "Please tell him I wish for an audience," Yuuki said to the gate guards. One soldier glanced at him and ran inside. After a while, he returned with "You may enter." When they were shown to the great hall—there he was. The Red King was larger than Yuuki had imagined. A man in his prime, built as wide as a bear. His flaming red short hair matched his name perfectly. His gaze was sharp. Standing before him felt like standing before a smoldering fire—a slow, steady pressure. He sat deep in his throne with arms crossed, observing them—not with contempt, but with an appraising eye that missed nothing. Yuuki explained in broad strokes: his resistance to Toast Hakushaku, the three-nation alliance, that he was a "taste guide." The Red King listened without interrupting once. When Yuuki finished, he slowly opened his mouth. "Anyone can talk," the Red King said. His voice was low and resonated through the hall. "If you're truly a taste guide, prove it with cooking. A cooking competition in the Scorching Arena. Whichever sandwich tastes better—that's all. If you run, I'll have you thrown out immediately," the Red King said. "I accept!" Yuuki said without hesitation. "Hey," Recipe whispered from his shoulder. "The food we have on hand right now is... one slice of bread from Munieru-ba and honey and... whatever's in your pockets," Recipe said. Yuuki froze, still smiling. (What?) He dug through his pockets. Out came three hard candies and a crumpled receipt. From his high school cafeteria. Why would he bring that to another world? "...If we combine mine as well," Caramel Hime said softly. The princess held out a small bottle. Honey and a small amount of spices—ingredients from her special caramel sauce that she always carried. Her amber eyes quietly said "let's do this." Yuuki gripped the hard candies. "This is crazy, right?" Yuuki said. "It is quite crazy," Caramel Hime agreed. The two looked at each other. ◆ The cooking station in the Scorching Arena was more professional than expected. Scattered throughout the circular audience seating were Spicy Nation citizens. Their expressions were dark. But they came. They heard there was a cooking competition and came anyway, even if just barely interested. That was enough for Yuuki. The Red King went first. His movements were fast. Despite his large frame, his fingers moved with precision. Red ingredients stacked one after another. Scorching chili peppers—Spicy Nation's specialty, so hot they turned your vision red—and numbing Sichuan pepper piled impossibly high into a brilliant red sandwich. "The Flame King Sandwich. I've seen people pass out from one bite," the Red King said. His expression didn't change as he said it. Yuuki accepted the plate. It was bright red. Just the smell made his eyes water. (Here goes.) He steeled himself and took a bite. In that instant, his brain caught fire. "Ghhhhh!!" Sweat poured from his entire body. Genuine tears streamed from his eyes. His nose ran. His hands shook. The floor seemed to sway. It wasn't swaying. It was Yuuki's perception that was shaking. His mouth was on fire. The audience erupted in laughter. They laughed at the dying otherworlder, their faces showing genuine jo