Night fell deeper.
As usual, Megrie arrived at Kai's house to prepare dinner.
The kitchen was softly lit. She placed the bag of cacao beans that Chino had brought back earlier onto the table and stared at them for a long moment, her brows knitting slightly.
Cacao beans…
Turning them into chocolate was no simple task.
Fermentation. Sun-drying. Roasting. Grinding.
Each step required specific equipment and time.
And in this world—
There were no roasters.
No temperature-controlled ovens.
Let alone fine grinding tools.
"…This is a problem,"
she murmured under her breath.
She knew exactly how to do it.
What she lacked were the crucial tools.
The moment that thought surfaced—
The silver necklace on her chest suddenly grew warm.
"—?!"
Megrie gasped, instinctively grabbing the round silver medallion.
In the next second, her vision lurched violently.
It felt as though something gently pulled her forward, then abruptly pushed her away.
Light flipped. The air changed.
She blinked—
And froze.
Before her—
Was not Kai's kitchen.
It was a place she knew all too well.
Stainless steel countertops.
A built-in oven.
A fermentation cabinet, mixer, grinder—lined up neatly.
The walls were clean and bright, every tool placed exactly where her hands expected them to be.
This was her kitchen.
The one she had personally designed and fully equipped in the modern world.
"…No way…"
She screamed out loud—
"Oh my god!! What is going on?! I'm back in my kitchen?!"
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst from her chest.
She rushed toward the door leading to the living room and twisted the handle—
It wouldn't budge.
She ran to the window.
Outside was pitch black, as if the world had been cut off entirely.
Only then did she begin to calm down.
She walked around the kitchen.
One step. Two steps.
The space didn't expand.
The only place she could move was this kitchen.
As if it had been perfectly preserved—
Embedded between worlds.
She checked everything.
All the appliances worked.
The oven lights came on.
The fermentation cabinet held a steady temperature.
She opened the refrigerator—
Inside were ingredients. Drinks.
She froze for a second, then reached out and took a can of cola.
She popped it open and took a sip.
Cold bubbles exploded across her tongue.
"…This is amazing."
She laughed softly.
With this kitchen,
she could roast cacao beans.
She could grind them, control temperature.
She could create dishes that simply could not exist in this world.
She lowered her gaze to the silver medallion, still warm against her chest, and spoke quietly:
"You're helping me, aren't you?"
"The Megrie of this world…"
As if responding to her words,
the warmth of the medallion slowly faded.
Just then—
A voice reached her from afar.
"Megrie—?"
It was Chino.
The sound felt distant, as if passing through water, or a dream.
In the next instant—
Her vision flipped again.
She blinked.
She was back in Kai's kitchen.
In her hand—
She was still holding the can of cola.
Cold. Solid.
Real.
"…I can really go back and forth,"
she whispered, her heart racing.
At that moment, Chino walked in.
He had a large sack slung over his shoulder, which he dropped heavily onto the table. There was a hint of anticipation on his face.
"I found more cacao beans,"
he said proudly.
"You like this fruit, right? So I picked up a whole bag."
He looked at Megrie, his gaze lingering for a split second.
As if waiting for something.
Waiting for her to react like before—
to light up, to jump in excitement,
maybe even… kiss him.
Unfortunately—
This time, Megrie simply came back to herself and gave him a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Chino."
Her tone was sincere, but there were no extra gestures.
She turned back to the stove and began preparing dinner.
Chino stood there, stunned.
The expectation fell flat.
A small, inexplicable sense of disappointment welled up in his chest.
He glanced down at the bag of cacao beans, then back at Megrie's focused figure as she cooked, lips pressing together slightly.
…Guess I was just overthinking it.
And yet—
That fleeting flutter in his heart refused to settle.
What Megrie didn't know was—
Her life hadn't just been opened to a new door by that necklace.
It had also unsettled the hearts of three men.
The scent of dinner slowly filled the narrow house, but Chino's thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
He watched Megrie slice, season, and move with effortless grace. Her motions flowed like water, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something about her had changed.
It was subtle.
As if she stood here in front of him—
but her soul had just returned from a distant place he could never reach.
"By the way, Megrie,"
Chino finally spoke, unable to bear the silence any longer.
"What was that thing you were holding just now?"
Only then did Megrie realize—
The red metal can was still sitting on the prep table.
Her heart skipped.
She instinctively hid the cola behind her back and laughed awkwardly.
"Th-this? I… found it at the bottom of the bag earlier. I wanted to study it."
"Really?"
Chino stepped closer suspiciously.
He caught a scent he had never smelled before—sweet, unfamiliar—along with a faint, cool fizzing sound.
Afraid he would press further, Megrie quickly changed the subject, gesturing toward the cacao beans on the table.
"Chino, thank you for bringing these back. I was worried about the equipment before, but now I've figured something out… I can handle them."
She paused, then added more quietly:
"For the next few days, I'll need you to keep this a secret. Please don't let anyone else into the kitchen."
Chino looked at her serious profile. His earlier disappointment was replaced by a strange sense of purpose.
"Keeping a secret? That's no problem."
He patted his chest, then lowered his voice awkwardly.
"And… if you need help carrying heavy things… or someone to taste-test, just call me."
"I definitely will."
Megrie turned and gave him a radiant smile.
That smile shattered the last of Chino's defenses.
He nodded clumsily and practically fled the kitchen, muttering,
"I'll go check if Kai's back…"
Out in the courtyard, Chino took a deep breath of the cool night air.
He pressed a hand to his chest.
His heartbeat was far too fast.
What he didn't know—
Was that inside the kitchen, Megrie was staring thoughtfully at the can of cola.
She knew that this "secret base" was not only her lifeline—
But also the deepest, and most dangerous, connection she now shared with this world.