Elves, as a species, can actually be placed at the very top of the food chain.

Watching that six-meter-long, no-less-than-three-thousand-jin fish—its mouth packed with rows of razor-sharp, saw-like teeth, the self-proclaimed overlord of the sea—thrash on the ground, Mengyue thought silently.

Great white shark, alias man-eater, white death. A large aggressive shark, distributed in tropical and temperate waters of every ocean, usually living in the open sea but often entering inland waters.

Because she’d had to catch fish in the sea, Yuzuru’s movements had been a step slower than Kaguya’s.

Although it was said to be the world’s largest carnivore, at this moment this six-meter titan could only lie on the ground, occasionally flapping its crescent tail. All that was left was to wait silently to be grilled into fish steak.

But come to think of it, even if the worlds were different, both Siberian tigers and great whites were still precious, endangered species. If not for the fact that they were elves, the Yamai pair would probably have been sentenced long ago.

Then again, having eaten a brown bear herself, she wasn’t really in a position to talk.

“Dissatisfied. Please do not ignore Yuzuru.”

Feeling her shoulder shaken, Mengyue’s wandering mind finally returned. She found Yamai Yuzuru puffing her cheeks slightly, eyes showing displeasure.

“Ah ahem! Sorry, sorry. I spaced out thinking about something.” Realizing her rudeness, Mengyue gave an awkward cough. “Speaking of which, are you planning to grill the fish, Yuzuru?”

“Affirmative. Shark meat is tender, nutritious, and pleasantly chewy after cooking. It is the finest ingredient for roasting!”

“R-Really?”

The corner of Mengyue’s mouth twitched; seeing the utterly serious gleam in the other’s eyes, she wisely chose silence.

Yuzuru cautiously surveyed the surroundings, then spoke in a low voice: “Question. Has Kaguya arrived?”

“Hm? Kaguya’s been here a while. By now she’s probably started cooking. That smoke over there should be her.”

Mengyue pointed to a column of smoke rising about three hundred meters away; clearly Kaguya was working there.

But is she trying to smoke-roast? Making the smoke that obvious?

A bad feeling stirred in Mengyue’s heart.

“Is that so…” Muttering softly, Yuzuru seemed to reach a decision. Staring straight at Mengyue, she declared, “Request: for this cooking contest, please declare Kaguya the winner.”

Having now heard similar words from two different people, Mengyue felt something odd, two different people, Mengyue felt something odd, but kept her expression calm. “Why?”

On the usually listless face now appeared a rare, self-satisfied look, as though showing off: “Explanation. Kaguya is far superior to Yuzuru. Leaving aside everything else, her cooking skill is something Yuzuru cannot hope to match.”

“Well, that’s true…” Watching the distant smoke grow thicker, Mengyue didn’t even believe her own words.

Sensing the lack of persuasiveness, Yuzuru hurriedly added: “Further argument. Kaguya is also very cute. Though a bit competitive, she is simple-minded, takes good care of others, and the pleasure of embracing that frail body which might snap at any moment—no paradise can compare; choosing Kaguya will surely bring many enjoyments…”

“That has nothing to do with cooking! What do you two sisters take me for? Hurry up and go cook!”

A powerful hand-chop from Mengyue shut Yuzuru up.

Rubbing her head, Yuzuru complained not at all, simply dragging the shark’s tail in the opposite direction of Kaguya.

Halfway there, she looked back. “Memo. Please declare Kaguya the winner. Otherwise, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, Yuzuru will chase you forever.”

Truly sisters—even their threats are alike, Mengyue thought with a wry smile.

Each hoping the other will win?

Honestly, Mengyue already regretted agreeing to referee this contest. From their attitudes, she faintly sensed this was no simple culinary showdown.

“Such a pain!” With an irritated sigh she sat on a tree trunk, too dispirited to open her laptop and surf the net, only staring blankly at the sky, lost in thought.

——————————————I am the boundary where cooking is finished——————————————

“Well? Mengyue, art thou not already enchanted by my supreme dish? Surely thou now knowest who the true victor is!”

“Objection. Mengyue surely finds Yuzuru’s dish more delicious.”

When Yamai Kaguya and Yuzuru met again, they had returned to the mutually hostile relationship Mengyue first saw. Without experiencing it firsthand, no one would believe these two fiercely competitive girls had just begged the referee to let the other win.

“Hmph… thy obstinate skull is truly beyond reason. At this hour we must rely upon the referee to deliver the wisest verdict!”

“Affirmative. Mengyue, please give a fair judgment.”

Mengyue was speechless. With your faces screaming “Pick Yuzuru (Kaguya) or else,” how can you utter “fair and wise” so righteously?

Yet in truth, she had long since reached a verdict.

Pick Kaguya? Pick Yuzuru? Why cling to these two narrow choices?

As a true protagonist, one should jump out of the box, broaden one’s horizons, open one’s mind, and seek new possibilities amid thick fog.

Thus, Nigetsu Mengyue took a deep breath and shouted, “Both of you FAIL, ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Stunned for a moment, the two elves then bristled.

“What meaneth this? Mengyue, to dare mock my sacred war!”

“Protest. No answer could be more excessive.”

Facing their protests, Mengyue fearless pointed at the two plates of unidentifiable black lumps before them and roared, “You dare talk of victory with this level? What is this? Charcoal? Obsidian? A mysterious object? Do you look down on me, on cooking, on roasted meat?!”

Chastened, Kaguya and Yuzuru coughed and averted their eyes.

“Er… my compatriot! All phenomena are full of delusion; never be fooled by surfaces. Beneath murky darkness oft lie truths beyond imagination.”

“Citation. Things are not always what they seem.”

“Oh is that so!” Mengyue sneered, skewered a tiny chunk from each black lump with a twig, and, faster than lightning, stuffed them into the sisters’ mouths.

“But as the makers, you taste your dish before presenting it to the referee. That’s common sense, you know”

The next instant, the two pretty faces turned from pink to white, white to cyan, cyan to purple, purple to black. Had any Peking-opera troupe witnessed such color-changing artistry, they would have recruited them on the spot.

“A clear stream lies a hundred and fifty meters southwest; when you wash up, scrub off the fishy, earthy smell too. I’ll stand guard… I won’t peek.”

Mengyue pointed, expression unruffled.

Kaguya and Yuzuru exchanged glances, then without hesitation transformed into whirlwinds and flew off.

She should have realized: whether Siberian tiger or great white, handling such ingredients demands professional knowledge. Even experienced cooks might fail with top-tier fare, let alone elves who normally need not eat at all.

When Mengyue had cooked bear paw, she had done it while looking up data online.

Besides, neither of them had truly sought victory.

Soon the two returned pale-faced, looking at Mengyue in terror.

“Careless, to perform such a terrifying deed without batting an eye.”

“Trembling. Truly a devil incarnate.”

“Have you forgotten those unidentifiable charred lumps were your own handiwork?”

Mengyue sighed helplessly, rolled up her sleeves and said, “In the end lunch is up to me. By the sky’s color it should be dinner; luckily ingredients remain—grilled meat and shark-fin soup should be doable.”

Watching the two Hurricane Progeny sprawled motionless, Mengyue grew irate and struck them with a bolt of lightning.

“You two! Get up and help, NOW!”

…

After much fuss, night had long since fallen, and Mengyue’s lunch had literally become dinner.

“Wow! So tasty—never imagined tiger meat could be this delicious.”

Sitting by the fire, Kaguya happily devoured the meal made from her own prey, sighing in bliss.

“Greedy. Shark-fin made from the shark is surprisingly scrumptious.”

Beside her, Yuzuru used chopsticks carved from wood to ferry leftover fin to her mouth.

“Ah, unfair! Share some fin with me!”

“Refusal. Kaguya, share the grilled meat!”

“Can’t you two stop arguing even while eating?”

Across from them, savoring long-coveted bear-paw meat, Mengyue sighed in exasperation.

The two Yamai girls looked sheepish.

“Sorry, Mengyue, in the end thou treated us to dinner.”

“Ashamed. To eat without offering thanks.”

“It’s fine. This feels rather nice—like camping in the wild.”

Truthfully, since arriving in this world, this was the first time anyone had eaten with her. Mengyue rather enjoyed the feeling.

Seizing the rare chance, she chatted with the Yamai sisters.

To her surprise she discovered that Kaguya and Yuzuru were actually quite close. Though they bickered, affection showed through: if oil stained Kaguya’s lips, Yuzuru gently wiped it; if Yuzuru wanted something, Kaguya instantly passed it.

Forget mortal enemies—get them a yuri label and Mengyue would believe it.

“Say, you’ve kept saying ‘who deserves the Yamai name’—what does that mean? And that weird cooking contest too. Something feels off.”

At her question the air stilled; finally the sisters spoke.

“True. To keep hiding it would show only selfishness.”

“Agreement. Mengyue has the right to know.”

From their explanation Mengyue learned the truth.

Kaguya and Yuzuru were not sisters; they were originally one Yamai spirit who, upon manifesting in this world, had split into two due to an accident.

From birth they knew: one day the two would merge again, restoring the original Yamai.

With the original personality gone, the dominant self after fusion would be one of them, so they sought to decide who would become the main personality through duel.

The loser would vanish.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me something this important first, damn it!!”

Furious, Mengyue grabbed and yanked their cheeks.

“Owowow! We’re shorry, we know we’re wrong!”

“Apology! Pwease calm down, Mengyue!”

“Geez… did you ever consider how I’d feel?!”

Luckily both were so awful she hadn’t chosen either. Had she picked one, she’d have lived her life drowning in guilt.

Realizing their error, the two hung their heads.

She had every right to rage, yet remembering how they’d even threatened her to let the other win, her anger somehow melted.

“…This time I’ll forgive you. Call this match a draw. If you want a referee, fine—but explain everything first, got it?”

“Mm… understood.”

“Roger. The warning is etched in mind.”

The atmosphere ruined, Mengyue lost her appetite. She leapt onto a tree and lay on a branch, eyes closed.

Honestly, she had never wanted to “disappear” faster than right now.

The Yamai pair exchanged glances, then each found a place to sleep.

——————————————I am the boundary when morning comes——————————————

“Oh, Mengyue, thy hospitality yesterday warms my heart. Next we meet, I shall entertain thee properly.”

“Farewell. Thanks for yesterday’s meal.”

“You’re leaving?” Mengyue said, reluctant.

After a night’s sleep, moods had lifted; last night’s awkwardness was deliberately ignored.

But…

“Can’t you just stay like this?”

At her question the two showed wry yet happy smiles.

“Grateful for thy worry, my friend, but the fusion of ‘Yamai’ is an irresistible fate. Between me and Yuzuru, a victor must be decided.”

“Affirmative. Please speak of it no more.”

“…I understand. But grant me one request.”

Knowing her wish was selfish, she still couldn’t bear to watch them walk toward such an end. After hesitation she spoke:

“Oh, my friend. Ask whatever thou wilt! Thou shalt feel fortunate to be friend of Yamai!”

“Seconded. Yuzuru will strive to grant it too.”

Looking at her first friends in this world, Mengyue said sincerely:

“Besides deciding the winner, I hope you two can stay good friends and cherish each other.”

“Hah? What speakest thou? Did we not say our holy war cannot be avoided…”

“But being friends and rivals isn’t contradictory”

With a playful wink at their startled faces, Mengyue almost laughed.

“Speechless. That’s quibbling.” Yuzuru sighed. “Reply. Since it is our friend’s request, Yuzuru will reluctantly comply.”

“What do you mean reluctantly!” Kaguya bristled, then caught herself, cleared her throat, and grandly declared, “If that be thy wish, I suppose I can give it a try.”

“Mm. Got it. Then safe travels.”

“Of course—know that I am the shrine maiden who commands the wind!”

“Correction. That was merely a normal farewell phrase.”

“Sh-Shut up! Dost thou think I know not such petty things?”

Wind-controlling spirits, arriving as suddenly as the wind, depart equally boisterous.

After watching them go, Mengyue spun and punched a large tree.

CRASH! The decades-old trunk toppled under an elf’s monstrous strength.

“Ah that feels better!”

Dusting her hands, she sat on the fallen log, gazing blankly at the sky, a bitter smile on her lips.

“Treasure the present… that’s all I can do.”