Volume 1. Chapter 12: The Dessert

Dinner ended with a sense of warmth and comfort, leaving behind an atmosphere filled with soft conversation and gentle smiles. Lily gathered the dishes while Ken watched her, feeling the peaceful, almost homely calm wrap around everything. It was as if time had slowed down, allowing them to enjoy a long, quiet evening together.

For dessert, they only had some fruit, but then Ken suddenly remembered something that made him smile. The backpack he’d accidentally brought with him when he was transported to this world had remained untouched. Just before his “journey,” he’d stocked up on a variety of treats - and now, they were finally about to shine.

“Lily, wait a sec,” Ken said, walking over to his bag. He opened it and pulled out a few packs of chocolate and snack cakes. In this world, where sweets seemed like a rare luxury, he figured these could make quite an impression.

Lily, having just put away the last of the dishes, glanced over with interest at what Ken was placing on the table.

“What’s that?” she asked with mild curiosity and surprise, eyeing the packages.

“These… well, let’s just say they’re the real deal when it comes to sweets,” Ken replied with a grin. He picked up a bar of chocolate, unwrapped it, and broke off a piece, offering it to her.

Lily carefully took the chocolate, looking at it with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation, as if she wasn’t sure it was something she should actually eat.

“Go ahead, give it a try, don’t be scared,” Ken encouraged her, noticing her reluctance. “It’s called chocolate - one of the best things humanity’s ever created.”

Lily looked at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, even more unsure now. Still, she gently placed the piece of chocolate in her mouth - and froze. Her eyes widened in shock.

“This… is this magic?” she whispered, barely able to believe that flavor was real.

Ken laughed, delighted by her reaction.
“Nope, no magic,” he said. “Just well-processed cocoa beans and a bit of sugar. In our world, chocolate’s actually pretty common.”

Lily closed her eyes, savoring the taste, and smiled dreamily.
“It’s incredible,” she murmured, blushing and lowering her gaze. “We don’t have anything like this here. Sweets are rare, and they’re nothing like… this.”

Ken, seeing just how much she was enjoying it, decided to tease her a little.

“See, Lily? In our world, we’ve got way more tasty stuff than you’d imagine. If you lived there, you’d probably be eating treats like this every day,” he said playfully.

Lily blushed even deeper, her cheeks turning red as she looked away.
“Uh… I… That must be amazing - to have so many different delicious things…” she mumbled, not knowing how to respond.

Ken wasn’t done yet. He handed her another package, this time with snack cakes.
“Try this one. It’s called a sponge cake. Soft, with filling - I promise you’ll love it just as much as the chocolate,” he added with a wink.

Still blushing, Lily took the cake and took a bite. Instantly, her face lit up with a pure, almost childlike happiness, and her eyes sparkled.

“This… it’s like… a cloud, but with a magical flavor! How can you have so much of this stuff?” she asked, her smile filled with amazement - then quickly looked away, realizing how excited she sounded and feeling embarrassed.

“Get used to it, Lily,” Ken laughed. “Our world isn’t so boring. And who knows - maybe someday you’ll see it for yourself.”

Lily looked up at him, blushing again, unable to hide a soft smile. But she couldn’t find the words to respond - his words had struck something deep inside her heart.