The village square of Hanataba was packed with banners, spices, sizzling meats, and a very enthusiastic crowd.
Today was the Annual Hearth & Flame Cook-Off, an event so beloved it once halted a civil war for lunch.
Kazuki had exactly one goal:
"I'm gonna win that apron."
He pointed at the grand prize—a frilly, enchanted apron with embroidered flames that shimmered in rainbow colors. It even said "Kiss the Chef (or Else)" in glowing script.
Tala looked concerned. "You're doing this… for a cooking outfit?"
"It's limited edition," Kazuki said solemnly. "Also, Smile wants it."
Smile jiggled furiously and showed a mental projection of itself wearing the apron. Somehow it had a chef hat, too.
✦
Getsuryu lay nearby like a shaggy guardian god.
"You do realize that one of the contestants is a hell-spawned demon chef, yes?"
"Demon chef?" Kazuki asked.
Tala handed him a flyer. It showed a towering horned figure in a bloody apron carving meat with twin cleavers.
"He goes by Sous'Fury the Flavorflayer," she muttered.
"Oh," Kazuki said, unbothered. "Bet he's got great knife skills."
✦
The Contest Begins
A golden gong rang across the square. Contestants took their positions. Magic stove stations hummed. Elemental spices danced in glass jars.
Kazuki stepped up, placing his Pan of Eternal Flame reverently on the cooking slab.
"Let's do this, buddy," he whispered to the pan.
It hummed. Somewhere in the distance, a volcano rumbled in approval.
Smile took its own station nearby, bubbling with uncontainable excitement. It had a whisk made of solidified mana and a cutting board made of polished crystal.
Meanwhile, Sous'Fury stomped onto the platform, trailing smoke, his cleavers weeping magma.
"Flesh and flame!" he roared. "I shall sauté your soul!"
Kazuki blinked. "Hi! I'm Kazuki. Let's have fun!"
✦
Round One: The Starter Dish – Theme: "Warming the Heart"
Sous'Fury summoned a dozen skeletal hands to prep a demonic chili stew, each hand tossing cursed peppers and lava onions with uncanny grace.
Kazuki… fried eggs.
The audience stared.
Tala facepalmed.
Aurelis, standing nearby with arms crossed, muttered, "That idiot's going to burn toast again."
Kazuki plated his dish: fluffy rice topped with golden eggs and herbs shaped like smiley faces.
"Warm Eggy Hug Rice."
The judges—a fire mage, a retired adventurer grandma, and a local noble—took cautious bites.
The grandma burst into tears. "It tastes like childhood…"
Kazuki wins Round One.
Sous'Fury screams into the void.
✦
Round Two: The Main Dish – Theme: "Controlled Fire"
Sous'Fury unleashed his signature Infernal Boar Roast, a beast basted in hatred and lava oil, cooked on hellfire.
Smile prepared slime-seared mana-miso ramen, humming to itself with blobs of mana-spice orbiting like stars.
Kazuki scratched his head. "Controlled fire, huh?"
He flipped the pan. The runes glowed.
"I summon thee—Kaigon!"
A dragon skull appeared again, shrieking into existence.
"ANOTHER MEAL, HERO?"
"Let's roast a chicken!"
The crowd screamed. The chicken screamed. The judges blinked in awe as Kaigon roasted the bird with a beam of golden fire.
Kazuki added herbs, sauce, and a perfectly timed drizzle of honey glaze.
Dish Name: Dragon-Kissed Dinnerbird.
It smelled like heaven. It roared like destiny.
Kazuki wins Round Two.
Sous'Fury foams at the mouth and short-circuits a spice elemental.
✦
Final Round: Dessert – Theme: "Surprise"
Sous'Fury summons the Soufflé of Eternal Suffering. It shrieks every time it rises.
Smile makes something sparkly and pink that explodes into happy thoughts.
Kazuki?
He looks down at the leftover ingredients. Then at the crowd. Then at his friends.
He grins.
"Time to go big."
He tosses a banana, some chocolate, three weird berries he found near a glowing rock, and a splash of milk into the pan.
The pan sings.
The batter lifts into the air and begins rotating midair. Mana threads stitch into the swirl like edible stardust.
A phoenix made of sugar and fire circles the dish as it bakes.
Name: Oopsie Surprise Cake.
It explodes gently into a cloud of sweet mist shaped like a heart.
The judges fall silent.
Then cry.
The noble stands and bows deeply. "I have never… tasted anything so accidentally divine."
Sous'Fury falls to his knees.
"…Teach me, Pancake God."
✦
Award Ceremony
Kazuki receives the glowing apron, confused but proud.
Smile wears it instantly, smug as a queen.
Sous'Fury becomes his disciple. The crowd chants his name.
Getsuryu nods with approval. Tala just eats more cake.
Aurelis watches from a rooftop, holding a half-burnt muffin.
"…How is this my rival?"
✦
Elsewhere…
A dark-robed seer watches the sky fracture slightly.
"The Flamebonded Relic has reawakened. The Oopsbringer stumbles toward destiny… again."