The air in my apartment crackled with magical energy, and not the fun kind. Chef Grimgut, a towering spirit in a chef's hat who looked like he bench-pressed cauldrons, loomed over my dining table, his giant ladle glowing with an ominous green light. My kendo buddies, Kenji and Ryo, were frozen—Kenji clutching a broom like it was Excalibur, Ryo still munching on mochi like this was just another Tuesday. Yuna was under the table, her glasses glinting as she stared at the chaos. And Aiko, the silver-haired spirit who'd gotten me into this mess, floated above it all, looking way too amused.
"Haruto, you gotta beat Grimgut in a cook-off!" Aiko shouted, dodging a flying dumpling. "He's the Spirit of Culinary Dominance. If you don't, he'll turn us all into soup!""
Soup?!" I yelped, ducking as Grimgut's ladle sent a wave of glowing broth crashing into my couch. "I can't even make toast right! How am I supposed to beat that?""
Figure it out, nerd!" Aiko snapped. "The pact's magic summoned him because you went all Top Chef with your feast. Now prove you're worthy!"
Grimgut's voice boomed, shaking my windows. "PUNY MORTAL! YOUR KATSU CURRY INSULTS THE CULINARY ARTS! FACE ME IN A DUEL OF FLAVORS, OR PERISH!"
I glanced at my friends, expecting panic. Kenji was hyped, yelling, "Kick his butt, Haruto!" Ryo gave a thumbs-up, mouth full. But Yuna… she wasn't freaking out. She crawled out from under the table, brushing off her skirt, and fixed Grimgut with a calm, almost analytical stare. "What are the rules?" she asked, like we were debating a math problem, not facing a soup-slinging spirit.
Grimgut paused, his ladle hovering. "INSOLENT GIRL! THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: EACH COOK PREPARES ONE DISH. MY JUDGES—" he waved, and three tiny ghost chefs in toques poofed into existence—"WILL TASTE AND DECLARE THE VICTOR. IF YOU LOSE, YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!""
Cool," Yuna said, pushing up her glasses. "Haruto, you've got this."
I gaped at her. "You're way too chill about this! Why aren't you screaming?"
She shrugged, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I've seen weirder."
Before I could unpack that, Aiko clapped her hands. "Let's do this! Haruto, pick your dish. Grimgut's probably gonna make some fancy-pants spirit food, so go with something you know."
My mind raced. My katsu curry was decent, but Grimgut would probably laugh at it. Oyakodon? Too basic. Then I remembered Yuna's cookies—simple, but so good they'd made Kenji shut up for five whole seconds. Maybe simple was the key. "I'll make… tamagoyaki," I said, swallowing hard. It was just rolled eggs, but my mom's recipe had a secret dash of dashi that made it awesome. If I didn't screw it up, maybe it'd work.
Grimgut sneered. "A MERE EGG DISH? I SHALL CRAFT A CELESTIAL PHO, INFUSED WITH STARLIGHT AND ETHER!""
Great," I muttered, heading to my wrecked kitchen. "No pressure.
"The cook-off was surreal. Grimgut conjured a spectral stove that floated in midair, simmering a pot of pho that smelled like heaven and sparkled like a galaxy. I was stuck with my scratched-up frying pan, whisking eggs while Aiko heckled me. "Don't burn it, Haruto! You're not making charcoal!
"Kenji and Ryo cheered like this was a sports match, but Yuna pulled up a chair next to me, watching quietly. "You're doing fine," she said, her voice steady. "Just focus.
""Easy for you to say," I grumbled, pouring the egg mixture into the pan. "You're not cooking against a soup demon.
""Spirit," she corrected, then hesitated. "Can I help? I'm good with a spatula.
"I blinked. "You cook?""
A little." She took the spatula, her movements precise as she helped me roll the tamagoyaki. Her hands were steady, like she'd done this a hundred times. "My grandma taught me. She said cooking's like writing a story—every ingredient's a word.
""That's… kinda cool," I admitted, watching the egg layer perfectly. "Why didn't you tell me you're a kitchen ninja?
"She smiled, but it was sad. "I don't talk about it much. Reminds me of her.
"Before I could ask more, Grimgut bellowed, "FINISHED!" His pho glowed, tiny stars swirling in the broth. My tamagoyaki looked pathetic by comparison, but it was golden, fluffy, and smelled like home. Yuna gave me a nod, and I carried it to the ghost chefs, my heart pounding.
The judges tasted Grimgut's pho first, moaning in ecstasy. "DIVINE! TRANSCENDENT!" one squeaked. I was doomed. Then they nibbled my tamagoyaki. They paused, whispered to each other, and the head chef floated forward. "The pho is a masterpiece of the cosmos… but the egg dish carries warmth, memory, and heart. The mortal wins!"
Grimgut roared, his ladle shattering into sparks. "IMPOSSIBLE!" But the pact's magic flared, and he vanished in a puff of steam, leaving only a faint smell of noodles.
Aiko whooped, high-fiving me. "You did it, nerd! Task three: cleared! I'm free!" She paused, frowning. "Wait, why am I still here?
"The salt circle under my floorboards pulsed again, and a soft voice echoed: "The pact is not yet fulfilled. The summoner's heart must align with the sustenance given.
"Aiko groaned. "Ugh, fine print! Haruto, we'll figure it out later. For now, party's back on!"
Kenji and Ryo cheered, diving back into the curry. But I noticed Yuna slipping out to my balcony, her cookies untouched. Something was off. I followed her, leaving Aiko to argue with Ryo over the last mochi.
The night air was cool, and Yuna leaned against the railing, staring at the stars. Her dark hair caught the moonlight, and for a second, she looked… untouchable, like she belonged somewhere else.
"Hey," I said, joining her. "You okay? You were badass in there, but you're kinda quiet now.
"She glanced at me, her eyes guarded. "I'm fine. Just… thinking.
""About what?
You said you've seen weirder than a soup spirit. That's not normal, you know." I tried to keep it light, but I was curious. Yuna was a mystery—quiet, sharp, and way too calm about magic.
She sighed, hugging her arms. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?
""Nope," I said, grinning. "Spill, kitchen ninja.
"She hesitated, then spoke, her voice soft but steady. "When I was a kid, I lived with my grandma in a village up north. She wasn't like other grandmas—she told me stories about spirits, not just fairy tales. She said our family used to be… connected to them. Like, we could see things other people couldn't.
"I raised an eyebrow. "Like Aiko?
""Kind of." Yuna looked down, her fingers tracing the railing. "Grandma taught me to cook because she said food could bridge worlds. She'd make these amazing meals, and sometimes… things would show up. Not scary things, just… shadows, lights, voices. She called them 'guests.' I thought it was normal until I told my parents, and they freaked out.
"My stomach twisted. "What happened?
""They thought she was crazy. Said she was filling my head with nonsense." Yuna's voice tightened. "They made me move to the city when I was ten. Grandma stayed behind. I haven't seen her since. My parents don't even talk about her.
""That's rough," I said, not sure what else to say. "Do you think she was… like, for real? About the spirits?
"Yuna nodded, her eyes distant. "I know she was. I saw them, Haruto. Not just her 'guests,' but other things. Once, I wandered into the woods behind her house and found a circle of stones. I touched one, and… something spoke to me. Not with words, but in my head. It felt like it knew me.
"I shivered. "That's creepy. And awesome. Why didn't you tell anyone?
""Who'd believe me?" She gave a bitter laugh. "Kids at school already thought I was weird because I read too much and didn't talk. If I started babbling about spirits, they'd lock me up. So I stopped talking about it. I stopped cooking, too, until tonight.
"I remembered her steady hands with the tamagoyaki, the way she'd jumped in without hesitating. "You're good at it, though. And you didn't even blink when Grimgut showed up. Most people would've run screaming.
"She smiled, a little warmer this time. "I guess I'm used to weird. And… I don't know, being around you and Aiko feels familiar. Like Grandma's stories.
"My heart did a weird flip."Glad I'm not too weird, then.''
She rolled her eyes, but there was a spark in them. "You're plenty weird, Tanaka. Summoning spirits for ramen? Come on.
""Hey, it worked!" I laughed, then sobered. "For real, though, I'm sorry about your grandma. If you ever wanna, like, talk about it… or cook again… I'm here.
"Yuna looked at me, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded. "Thanks. Maybe I will.
"We stood there, the city lights twinkling below. For a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. Then Aiko's voice cut through: "Yo, lovebirds! Kenji's eating all the cookies!
"Yuna flushed. "We're not—!
"I grinned, dragging her back inside. "Come on, let's save your cookies.
"Later, after Kenji and Ryo left (with half my leftovers), Yuna headed home, promising to text me about a book she thought I'd like. Aiko sprawled on my couch, picking at the last of the mochi. "So," she said, smirking. "Yuna's got spirit mojo in her blood. That's gonna complicate things.
""Complicate how?" I asked, scrubbing dishes. "And what was that 'pact not fulfilled' nonsense?
"Aiko sighed, unusually serious. "The pact's deeper than I thought. It's not just about food—it's about connection, like what you did with Hiroshi and Yuna. But Yuna's family history? That stone circle she mentioned? Sounds like an old summoning gate. If she's got latent magic, the pact might be pulling her in, too.
"I froze, sponge dripping. "You mean she's stuck in this mess with me?
""Maybe." Aiko shrugged. "We'll find out soon. The pact's magic always picks its players for a reason.
"I groaned, slumping against the sink. "Great. Just what I need—more spirits, more cooking, and now Yuna's some kind of magical chosen one.
"Aiko grinned, back to her usual chaos. "Look on the bright side: you've got a cute partner now. Better start practicing your curry.
"I threw a dish towel at her, but she vanished, laughing. As I finished cleaning, I couldn't stop thinking about Yuna—her sad smile, her steady hands, her stories of spirits and stars. Whatever the pact had in store, I had a feeling she was more than just a sidekick.
And maybe, just maybe, I was okay with that.