"Wha… why?"
Yu Zhou froze, withdrawing the hand that had been about to push the kitchen door. Scratching his head, he asked in confusion.
"It's nothing. Alright, you can come in now."
Soon, Camearra's voice came again from inside the kitchen, this time granting him permission.
Yu Zhou tilted his head, baffled by the sudden change of mind, but pushed the door open anyway and stepped inside.
To his surprise, though the air still carried a lingering burnt smell, the kitchen itself was spotless. Counters shone, the floor gleamed, and everything was neatly in place—as if the earlier chaos had never existed.
Yet the scent he'd caught outside wasn't lying. It was that same charred smell, identical to what had clung to the "coal" dish he had seen earlier with Darramb. And now, strangely, he couldn't even find the source of it inside.
"Don't tell me…" Yu Zhou glanced over the table. Nothing. No pan of scorched black lumps, no suspicious plates hidden under a cloth.
"Camearra, where's the food you've been cooking?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"It'll be ready soon. Just step outside for now."
What startled Yu Zhou most wasn't her answer, but her expression—an uncharacteristic flicker of embarrassment. This wasn't the domineering queen-like figure he knew. For a moment, she looked almost… shy.
Yu Zhou blinked. Was this really Camearra? Still, seeing she clearly wanted her space, he quietly backed out.
Fine. He would wait outside.
Twilight slipped into night, and before long, dinner time arrived.
Around one table sat Hudra, Darramb, and Daigo with his family. All were waiting for whatever Camearra had prepared.
Yu Zhou, however, had been placed in a separate room with a small dining table, opposite an empty chair—reserved, it seemed, for Camearra herself.
As for Himala, after stuffing himself with "coal" earlier, he'd promptly fainted again and was now lying useless on his bed.
At Hudra's table, dish after dish emerged from the kitchen. Black. Green. Red. Yellow. Each one steaming, each one radiating a pungent, indescribable odor.
"…This…"
Rena's hand froze halfway to picking up her chopsticks. Her expression stiffened.
These weren't dishes—they looked more like plates of poison.
"This stuff… shouldn't kill us, right?" Hudra's hand trembled as he picked up a chunk of something charred, looking like coal. But his courage failed before it reached his mouth.
"Perhaps," Camearra replied blandly, eyes narrowing on Hudra, watching closely.
"…Then I'll risk my life for the lady."
Gritting his teeth, Hudra made a snap decision—and promptly shoved the coal-like lump into Darramb's mouth instead.
"Wha—what is this… blegh!"
Darramb gagged, spitting it out instantly. The acrid taste had shot straight up his nose.
"Hmm?"
Camearra's gaze slid toward him, sharp as a blade.
"Miss! It's just… it's my first time eating a meal so carefully prepared by you. I got a little emotional, that's all! No other meaning, I swear!"
Usually the slowest of them, Darramb suddenly found the speed to explain himself, words tumbling over one another.
Daigo and his family fell silent. They all shared the same thought: this so-called food is clearly inedible.
Daigo frowned. There was no way he'd let his daughter, Hikari, touch even a bite of this nightmare.
Meanwhile, Darramb was glaring daggers at Hudra, nearly in tears. With no way out, he grabbed his chopsticks, picked up another piece of "coal," and shoved it into his own mouth.
The lump cracked between his teeth—and suddenly, his eyes widened. A strange, complex flavor burst across his tongue, overwhelming his senses.
"…How is it?" Hudra asked quickly, seeing that expression.
When Himala had eaten this same thing earlier, he'd worn a similar look of bliss. Could it be that this "coal" really wasn't so bad?
"…It's delicious!"
Darramb shouted, chewing faster, before swallowing it down and immediately reaching for more.
"You've got to be kidding me?!"
Both Hudra and Daigo's family gawked. This stuff looked inedible—yet here was Darramb devouring it like it was a gourmet delicacy.
Daigo clenched his fist. So Himala wasn't exaggerating earlier… this really might taste good.
"I'll try it too—"
Hudra lunged for the plate, only to find that Darramb had already stuffed the last piece into his mouth.
Hudra: "…"
He slumped back, defeated. So much for his courage.
Still, the evidence was clear. Himala's addiction, Darramb's reaction—it couldn't all be coincidence. Maybe Camearra's "coal" really was delicious.
"…Then maybe I'll try this instead."
Hudra's eyes shifted to the bowl of green soup placed before him. It glowed faintly, its origin questionable.
But if coal could taste divine, maybe this strange soup would too.
Daigo had been considering the same thing. He wanted to test the food carefully—find out what was safe, what wasn't, before letting his wife and son touch anything.
But just as Daigo reached for it, Hudra snatched up the whole bowl and raised it to his lips.
Closing his eyes, he downed a mouthful—
—and immediately doubled over. His stomach churned violently, as if something alive was writhing inside him.
"This soup… is not edible…"
With those last words, foam bubbled from his mouth, and he collapsed unconscious on the spot.
"Too close!"
Daigo's heart pounded. One second later, and that would have been him.
"Is he… going to be alright?" Daigo asked, frowning, still offering a token concern.
"…Still… alive."
Hudra, pale and weak, managed to lift one hand and croak out those words before passing out fully.