The sun had begun its descent into the horizon, casting long shadows across the dusty path as the group trudged onward through the rolling hills of Midgand. The wind was gentle, but a slight chill settled in the air. Velvet, who had been leading the group, adjusted her grip on the handle of her scythe. The ever-present weight of her past seemed to cling to her, but she didn't let it show. She was focused—though, there was one small thing distracting her this evening.

Laphicet, or Phi as they all affectionately called him, was walking beside her, his usual quiet demeanor replaced by a noticeable fidgeting. Velvet noticed the way his eyes kept darting around, scanning their surroundings with what she could only describe as longing.

"Is something bothering you, Phi?" Velvet asked, her voice low and concerned.

Phi glanced up at her, his eyes filled with uncertainty. "Um... Velvet, do you think... Do you think we'll come across any apples soon?"

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "Apples?"

He nodded eagerly. "I haven't had an apple in a while... and I... well, I think I'd like to taste one again."

Velvet smiled, a little surprised at his sudden craving, but she found it endearing. "I'm sure we can find some soon enough, Phi. Don't worry."

Eleanor, who had been walking ahead with Rokurou, overheard the conversation and turned back with a knowing look. "He's craving apples, huh? I think I could bake him an apple pie if we find some."

Phi's eyes lit up, his fingers twitching at the thought. "An apple pie? Oh, that sounds wonderful!"

Velvet's eyes narrowed slightly. She felt a strange knot forming in her chest, but she brushed it off as nothing. After all, it wasn't as if she could be jealous over something as trivial as baking a pie. But before she could think much more on it, Eleanor caught her eye with a warm smile.

"I'd be happy to bake one for him," Eleanor continued, her voice gentle and kind. "If we find the apples, I could make it just the way you like it, Phi."

Phi beamed at her, clearly excited. "That sounds amazing, Eleanor! I'd love that."

Velvet's expression darkened. She had to fight the sudden surge of irritation that bubbled up inside her. Why is Eleanor so eager to bake for him?

Before she could make sense of her feelings, a voice interrupted the air with a dramatic flair.

"Now, now! This is all very sweet, but I have to ask... why must Eleanor be the one to bake for Phi?" Magilou's voice rang out like a bell, full of mischief. She walked up to the group with a glint in her eye. "After all, I'm sure I could bake an apple pie far better than Eleanor, don't you think?"

Eleanor's smile faltered just a bit, and Velvet's frown deepened. "I'm sure you could, Magilou, but there's no need for a competition. I'm perfectly happy baking for Phi."

Magilou placed her hands on her hips, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh? But wouldn't it be so much fun if we all tried our hand at baking for Phi? A little contest, perhaps?"

Velvet's expression was practically stormy now, and she glared at the mischievous woman. "I'm not interested in playing your games, Magilou."

Magilou just waved her off, unfazed by Velvet's annoyance. "Oh, come on! This is a perfect opportunity! Think of how much fun we could have. Phi gets to be the judge, and we get to see who makes the best pie! What's the harm in a little friendly competition?"

Phi, caught between the two, tried to speak up, but his voice faltered as both Eleanor and Velvet stared each other down.

"I— I think it sounds fun, but—"

"No," Velvet snapped, her voice sharp. "I'm not doing this just to entertain you, Magilou."

"I agree," Eleanor said, crossing her arms with a stern look. "A competition isn't necessary. Phi deserves a pie made with love, not some silly challenge."

Phi glanced nervously between the two women, both of whom were now giving each other pointed glares. "Please, can we not fight over this?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. "I just really want an apple pie..."

Magilou, ever the instigator, gave a loud dramatic sigh. "Ah, but that's what makes this all so much fun! The tension! The rivalry! Don't you want to see who makes the best pie? I know Phi does. Right, Phi?"

He was silent for a moment, looking between the two women. "I don't really want anyone to get upset over this… but, um… I do think it would be fun to taste different pies... I could... maybe help decide which one tastes the best?"

Eleanor smiled at him, though her eyes remained cautious. "Well, if you insist, I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a little fun."

Velvet, however, crossed her arms tightly, glaring daggers at Magilou. "Fine," she muttered. "But this doesn't mean I'm doing it for you, Magilou. I'm doing it for Phi."

Rokurou, who had been watching the scene unfold with interest, nudged Eizen, who was staring at the ground with an annoyed frown. "What do you think, Eizen? You should join in too! Maybe you could get something other than pie, huh? A little fun for everyone!"

Eizen gave him a sharp, warning look. "I don't need to be part of this ridiculous contest, Rokurou. And my Reaper's Curse will just get in the way of this nonsense."

Rokurou grinned. "Oh, come on. You don't have to bake anything, just judge like Phi!"

Eizen scoffed. "Fine. If this turns into a disaster, I'm not cleaning it up."

"That's the spirit!" Rokurou laughed.

The group had decided, much to Eizen's dismay, to bake pies for Phi, who had simply wanted to taste an apple pie. However, the day had already devolved into madness.

Phi stood to the side, his innocent curiosity shining through as he watched the others frantically scramble to gather ingredients. He didn't fully understand the tension, but he could feel it building in the air.

Magilou, as always, was the first to break the silence. With a smug grin, she sauntered toward her bag and pulled out a few items that seemed entirely out of place. Among the common baking supplies—apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon—Magilou had a few… questionable ingredients: bottles of strange syrup, colorful powders, and even what appeared to be crushed gemstones.

"I'm going to make the most extraordinary pie this world has ever seen," Magilou declared, clearly not even pretending to be subtle about her cheating. "Who says pie has to be boring, huh?"

Velvet, who was already dealing with her own set of frustrations, shot her a glare. "Magilou, you can't possibly—"

"Oh, I can, Velvet, trust me," Magilou interrupted. "This is going to be the most magical pie in existence! Just wait."

Eizen, who had been standing in the background with his arms crossed, groaned in exasperation. "This is a waste of time," he muttered under his breath, leaning against a nearby rock. "What's next? A pie contest?"

"Oh, it's not just a contest, my dear Eizen," Magilou replied with a dramatic flourish. "It's a spectacle."

Eizen rolled his eyes and leaned back, letting out a long sigh. "The only time I've ever baked a pie was for my little sister. And it was out of necessity, not this... ridiculousness."

Velvet shot him a glare. "Maybe if you actually helped instead of standing around, you'd get something done."

Eizen shrugged nonchalantly, uninterested in participating. "I'm not a baker. Never have been. Never will be."

The rest of the group, meanwhile, was having a far more difficult time than expected.

Rokurou, ever the optimist, had gotten involved despite his complete lack of experience in baking. He had no idea what he was doing. His pie crust looked more like a flattened lump of dough than a neatly rolled sheet, and his apples were being hacked into jagged pieces instead of being neatly sliced.

"Uh, is this how you're supposed to cut apples?" Rokurou asked, holding up a mangled piece of fruit. His grin was sheepish, but there was no hiding the fact that he was completely out of his element.

Velvet, on the other hand, was already beginning to lose patience. She had finally managed to roll out her dough, but the apples she had gathered were mushy and overripe, leaving her with a filling that didn't quite have the texture she was used to. Despite the simplicity of her pie, it was still turning into a battle against the dough that just didn't want to cooperate.

"Why can't anything go right today?" she muttered under her breath, pinching the dough together in frustration.

Across from her, Eleanor was methodically preparing her pie, but even she was struggling. She had expected a bounty of sweet apples, but the fruit she found was tart and firm, far from the juicy, fragrant apples she had in mind. Her pies were turning out more sour than sweet, and even her expert technique couldn't save them.

"I should have brought more sugar," she grumbled, feeling the weight of the situation settling in. She glanced over at Phi, who was looking at her with wide, trusting eyes. "I'm sorry, Phi. I'll try my best."

Phi, who had been carefully watching the proceedings, suddenly looked more concerned than ever. "Maybe… maybe we don't need to do this. I don't want anyone to be upset over my craving for apples..."

Before anyone could respond, a voice piped up from behind them, sweet and deceptively innocent.

"Why worry when you can make it fun?" Magilou said, her voice dripping with mischief. She had, of course, already mixed her "special" syrup and colorful powders into her pie, and it looked... interesting, to say the least. The crust was golden, but it shimmered in an unnatural way, and the filling glowed with an otherworldly hue.

"What is that?" Velvet asked, her suspicion palpable.

"It's my secret ingredient! A touch of magic, of course," Magilou said, a proud smile on her face as she set the pie on the makeshift table. "Just a little something extra to make this pie stand out from the rest."

Eizen raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Just don't come crying to me when you poison someone with that nonsense."

Magilou chuckled, unfazed. "Poison? Oh, come on. It's safe. Mostly."

Velvet, clearly losing her patience, threw her hands up in exasperation. "I've never been so frustrated in my life."

"And that is why I said this was a waste of time," Eizen added, not bothering to hide his disdain. "You've all gone mad."

"Well, maybe you can help with the judging, Eizen," Rokurou said, clearly unbothered by the complete disaster unfolding in front of him. "That way, you won't have to bake anything. Just tell us which pie you think looks the best."

Eizen gave him a long, heavy stare. "I didn't ask for a pie contest, Rokurou. I just want to move on."

"Well," Rokurou said, scratching his head, "too bad. We're stuck with this for now."

Phi watched them all, still standing to the side, looking more and more like a deer caught in the headlights of a massive train wreck.

Finally, he stepped forward, unable to stand by and watch the madness any longer. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to cause all this trouble."

"No, Phi," Eleanor said gently, kneeling beside him. "You didn't cause any trouble. It's just that… well, things got a little out of hand."

"Well, it's not like I wanted this chaos," Velvet muttered, wiping flour from her hands. She sighed deeply, her frustration still very much visible on her face. "But I can't say I'm not invested now."

Eizen, with his arms still crossed, sighed heavily. "You've all lost your minds over a pie. At least I'm not getting involved."

Rokurou snickered. "Come on, Eizen. You're just being grumpy. At least have some fun for once. Who knows? You might discover you're secretly an expert pie maker."

Eizen didn't even dignify that with a response.

The group continued to argue and bicker as the pies slowly began to take shape, the atmosphere filled with a mix of frustration, impatience, and odd determination. Magilou hummed to herself as she made her way toward the oven, carefully placing her "unique" pie inside.

Meanwhile, Velvet and Eleanor exchanged exasperated glances as they both tried, once again, to salvage their pies with what little supplies they had. Rokurou, to no one's surprise, was still hacking away at apples and flour, completely ignoring the real challenge at hand.

Phi stood at the sidelines, watching the baking disaster unfold in front of him. His heart ached at the sight of his companions working so hard, each struggling to make something special for him. He smiled softly, despite the chaos.

"I... I guess I don't need a perfect pie," Phi murmured. "I'm just happy to be with all of you."

But Eizen, overhearing the sentiment, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "See? Even Phi knows this is a waste of time."

Phi stood quietly to the side, his wide eyes watching as his companions tried to outdo each other with their attempts to make him the perfect apple pie. He had no idea that his innocent request for something sweet would ignite such fierce competition.

Magilou was standing at the edge of the clearing, humming a tune as she shaped her dough with unnatural confidence. She glanced over at the others and couldn't resist making her announcement.

"Well, well," she said, raising her voice just enough for everyone to hear, "I just have to say that my pie will be filled to the brim with love for little Phi. After all, I'm sure he deserves a little extra something sweet, don't you think?"

There it was—the taunt. The words hung in the air like a spark just waiting to set everything off.

Eleanor, who had been diligently slicing apples and measuring sugar, froze for a moment, her brow furrowing. She glanced up, clearly not pleased.

"Love?" Eleanor's voice was laced with sarcasm as she turned to face the mischievous witch. "Is that what you're calling whatever you've conjured up in that so-called pie of yours?"

Velvet, who was busy trying to salvage her own pie, barely held back a groan. She was already struggling with the simplest ingredients, and Magilou's words made her stomach churn with frustration.

"You've got to be kidding me," Velvet muttered under her breath, shooting a sharp glare at the witch, but she knew better than to start an argument with her just yet. Still, she couldn't help the edge in her voice. "Love, huh? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Magilou, of course, was having entirely too much fun with the situation. She flourished her hands, putting on an exaggerated expression of innocence.

"Oh, come on, girls," she said sweetly, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "You know what they say—when you bake with love, it always turns out perfect."

Eleanor's expression tightened as she set her knife down. "You're just saying that to antagonize us."

"Maybe," Magilou replied with a sly grin. "But does it matter? I'm confident Phi will appreciate the effort." She winked at Phi, who was still standing awkwardly, trying to figure out whether he was caught in the middle of something serious or just a strange, friendly game.

Velvet, on the other hand, was no longer pretending to be calm. She slammed the rolling pin down onto the counter with a force that rattled the utensils. Her hands were covered in flour, her face set in a permanent scowl as she glared at Magilou.

"I'm going to make the best pie," Velvet said, her voice low and dangerous. "And no amount of 'magic' or 'love' will stop that."

Magilou simply chuckled. "We'll see, Velvet. We'll see."

Meanwhile, Eizen, who had been standing to the side and watching the entire interaction with an air of indifference, couldn't help but shake his head. His arms were crossed over his chest, his usual scowl in place, but there was something almost... amused about the way he was observing the group.

"Do you all have nothing better to do?" he asked, his voice sharp as he turned toward Magilou and the others.

"Oh, Eizen," Magilou said with a dramatic sigh, "we're just having some friendly competition. You know, fun."

Eizen raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "You call this fun? All I see is a disaster waiting to happen. I've seen fewer arguments during battle than what's going on in this camp."

"Well, you know," Rokurou said, appearing out of nowhere with a big grin, "if you baked a pie, maybe you'd actually enjoy it."

Eizen shot him a glare, but Rokurou was already too deep into his own chaotic pie-making to care. Eizen, despite himself, actually seemed to consider the challenge for a moment. Maybe I should make my own pie, he thought. Just to prove a point. But then again…

The thought was interrupted when Velvet, clearly frustrated, dropped her dough onto the counter with an audible thud.

"Fine. Fine," she muttered. "If it's a contest, then it's a contest. I'll make the best damn pie here, even if it kills me."

Eleanor glanced over at her, nodding. "I'm with you. I'm not going to let some absurd pie made with magic and 'love' win this."

Eizen, still standing off to the side, sighed heavily. "I still think this is a waste of time. But I'll participate, just to get some peace."

"Ah!" Rokurou said, his grin widening as he turned to Eizen. "So you're baking after all!"

"Don't get too excited," Eizen warned. "I'm not going to take this seriously. I just don't want to hear another word about love and magic."

"Sure, sure," Rokurou laughed, "but at least you're joining in! That's progress, right?"

The firelight crackled as the group went back to their respective pies. Despite the clashing personalities and the growing tensions, there was a strange sense of camaraderie in the air. They were all in this together now, baking their hearts out for Phi, whether they wanted to or not.

And Phi? Well, he just stood there, unsure whether he should be worried or not. He had never seen Velvet this serious before. And Eleanor, usually so kind and calm, seemed to be... irritated by Magilou's antics.

"Is it really going to be okay?" Phi asked quietly, looking to Eizen for reassurance.

Eizen, despite his earlier complaints, gave him a slight nod. "It'll be fine. Just stay out of the way and let them finish their nonsense."

Phi gave a small, uncertain smile, glancing back at the others, who were now fully immersed in their pie-making with increasing focus.

But as the night wore on, it was clear: each member of the group was determined to make the best pie for Phi. For some, it was about proving themselves—whether it was about the skill of their baking, or something deeper. For others, it was about something far more personal. But no matter what their reasons were, the group was united in this bizarre, sticky, flour-covered mission.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.