That night, after the shop closed, the atmosphere felt different. Aruna was cleaning the counter, while Zael, for the first time, sat quietly in the corner, observing her. His usual lazy and complaining demeanor was replaced by a wary gaze.
"Something wrong, Zael?" Aruna asked without looking up. "You're not complaining. It's weird."
"That human," Zael whispered softly. "His smile is too perfect. No human smiles like that while drinking instant coffee. It's... not normal. I smell betrayal."
Aruna placed her cloth on the counter. "It's just coffee, Zael. He just likes coffee. What betrayal could come from a cup of instant coffee?"
"You're a fool, Aruna!" Zael stood up, stomping his foot. He was overreacting to a trivial matter. "Humans don't ask for instant coffee at a ramen shop unless they have another motive. It's a trick! It's bait!"
Aruna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She tried to ignore Zael, but his words bothered her slightly. Inside, there was a faint sense of unease, an intuition telling her that Zael might not be entirely wrong.
Suddenly, a small clinking sound came from the pocket of Aruna's apron. She reached inside and found a small bowl, the size of a coffee cup. The bowl, somehow, felt warm. Aruna remembered Takeru placing the bowl on the counter when he paid.
"What is this bowl?" Aruna picked it up and examined it. The bowl looked ordinary, just a white ceramic bowl. However, there was a faint carving on its base that looked like an ancient symbol.
Zael, who saw the bowl, immediately went pale. "That! That is the 'Boundary Seeker's Bowl'!" he shouted with exaggeration. "He's trapped you, Aruna! You have to throw it away!"
"What kind of trap? It's just a bowl," Aruna replied skeptically. She held it, looking at it as if it were a new ingredient she had never used. "Could this be a good vessel for broth?"
"You're not listening to me!" Zael approached her, his face panicked. "That bowl will take you to the border of another world! It's a gateway to the demonic grocery store!"
"The demonic grocery store?" Aruna frowned. "What a weird name."
"It's the name of a dimension. A grocery store where ingredients for demon recipes are sold. That bowl is the key! And we're about to be pulled in right now!" Zael pointed at the bowl, which had begun to glow.
Aruna felt a strange sensation. The entire shop began to tremble, and a peculiar aroma, a mix of coffee and sulfur, filled the room. Aruna knew Zael wasn't lying. This was the beginning of another crazy adventure.
Aruna didn't panic. She didn't scream. She placed the bowl on the counter, then deftly grabbed a kitchen knife. "Alright. If we have to go there, we need to bring supplies." She packed her knife, a spatula, and some spices into a small bag. "Zael, get me a container of pork broth. I think I'll need it."
Zael, still in a panic, grabbed the container of broth. "You're insane! We're going to fight demons, and you're bringing food ingredients?"
"I'm a chef, Zael. This is my weapon," Aruna replied, her voice calm.
With a flash of purple light, Aruna and Zael vanished from their comfortable ramen shop. They appeared in a dark place, filled with tall shelves of strange bottles with labels written in an ancient language. In the air, there was a strong smell of sulfur, but in between, Aruna caught a whiff of unfamiliar spices, which made her curious chef's brain tingle.
At a large counter, an old demon sat, wearing a tattered apron. "Welcome to the Underworld Grocery Store," the demon greeted. "Can I help you, Aruna?"
Aruna looked at him, not surprised at all. "You know my name?"
"Of course," the old demon smiled, showing his pointed teeth. "Who doesn't know the human chef who can defeat a demon with a bowl of spicy soup?" The demon then pointed to the bowl Aruna had brought. "I heard from our courier that you need new ingredients for a soup recipe."
Aruna looked at her bowl, then at Zael. There was a trap, a mystery, a new adventure, and it all started with a nonsensical cup of coffee. Aruna knew she had to be careful. Because in this world, she didn't know what ingredients she would find, or which demons she would have to face.
The real adventure had just begun, and this time, Aruna would not only have to cook, but also shop in the strangest and most dangerous place.