Luc Vaudelier placed the Mora that Furina had given him into a small sack and headed out into the streets of Fontaine. The city was bustling with life, its cobblestone roads flanked by elegant architecture and melodic street performances that made the whole atmosphere feel both regal and relaxed—like returning to a slower, more rural pace of life.
After picking up everything he needed from the local market, Luc noticed that there was still some Mora left in the bag. He chuckled to himself.
"It must be because she's the Hydro Archon," he thought. "Any other probably wouldn't even spare change for instant noodles."
Back at Furina's home, Luc dove into cooking with fervor. As dish after dish was laid out on the long, pristine dining table, the aroma filled the room, and Furina's eyes began to sparkle with hunger. She struggled to maintain her composure, drooling slightly.
There was roasted whole chicken, sauce-glazed steak, fruit salad bursting with vibrant colors, and even dishes Furina couldn't name. Although many were unfamiliar to her, the colors, aroma, and presentation spoke of extraordinary craftsmanship.
Furina devoured the meal with almost divine intensity. She alternated between mouthfuls of meat and refreshing bites of salad. Before long, she and Luc had polished off everything on the table.
Leaning back in her chair with a satisfied sigh, she patted her slightly bulging belly.
"Haaah~ It's been so long since I had such a divine feast. A dessert would be the perfect ending…"
Luc was impressed. He hadn't expected such a petite woman to possess such an impressive appetite. If only he had an oven, he would've gladly baked her a cake—he found it strangely endearing, almost like doting on a younger sibling.
"Oh, right, here's the leftover Mora," he said, reaching for the sack.
But when he picked it up, he frowned. It felt unusually heavy.
"Huh? What's this?"
Curious, Luc opened the bag—and to his complete bewilderment, found an entire baking oven inside.
"What the hell? Where's the Mora?"
He turned the bag over and over, but no currency fell out. Only the oven remained.
Furina's gaze grew increasingly sharp and suspicious.
She narrowed her eyes. "You're not… embezzling, are you?"
Luc stared at her, then at the oven, then back at her, completely baffled. "Why would I tell you there was some Mora left if I wanted to keep it for myself?"
Furina leaned back, thinking carefully. After a few moments, she nodded solemnly. "Hmm… That actually makes sense. Alright, I'll tentatively consider you trustworthy."
Luc was still confused about how the oven appeared, but he figured it was a mystery for another time. Since he now had what he needed, he started prepping ingredients to bake a cake for Furina.
Though the oven was an older model, his culinary expertise made up for it. As the cake baked, Luc sat beside the sack, deep in thought. He considered the possibility that the bag transformed the Mora into something he desired in that moment—almost like a wish being granted through some unseen energy exchange.
"Law of conservation of energy," he muttered. "Nothing just disappears… it transforms."
(That actually got a laugh out of me 😭🙏)
To test his theory, Luc began placing ordinary kitchen items—cutting boards, bowls—into the sack to see what would come out.
Just as he finished stuffing in a few porcelain bowls, he noticed a figure standing silently at the kitchen doorway.
Slowly turning his head, Luc saw Furina standing there with her arms crossed and an expression that screamed "caught in the act."
He looked at her, then the sack, then at the bowls.
"No… no, it's not what it looks like—"
"Thief!!" she cried out on reflex, despite the fact that they were the only ones in the house.
In the next instant, her three aquatic mimics materialized, surrounding Luc with hostile glub-glub noises.
Luc panicked, hands raised, and stammered his explanation. It took a while, but eventually Furina called off the mimics and allowed him to clarify.
"So, you're saying this sack transforms items into what you desire, at an equivalent value?" she asked, skeptical but intrigued. "If you're lying to me, I'll summon Neuvillette and he'll have your head."
Luc gulped. "Let me prove it."
He reached into the sack again and pulled out… a wooden board.
He raised it for Furina to see. "See? This time it didn't transform—"
"You stole it!" she interrupted.
But then…
Confused, Luc flipped the board over—and saw that it had been altered. Lines had been drawn on the surface in black ink, arranged in a perfect 19x19 grid.
Furina squinted at it. She had clearly seen him put in an ordinary chopping board, but what came out was now marked in a strange way.
Luc smiled faintly. "It's called a Go board."
He retrieved some small black and white stones from the sack, polished and uniform in shape. "And these are the pieces."
Furina tilted her head. "What's it for?"
"It's a board game from my world. Go is considered a masterpiece of strategy and intellect. Despite the simple appearance—just black and white pieces—it has more possible board positions than atoms in the universe. It's a game of balance, foresight, and territory."
Furina blinked at him, then at the board, then picked up a piece, flipping it like a coin and spinning it on the table like a top.
"Well… I guess I have time to kill before dessert."
She glanced at Luc. "Want to teach me?"
Luc smiled. "Gladly."
After patiently explaining the rules of Go, Luc asked, "So, do you understand?"
Furina folded her arms and looked defiant. "Of course I do! With my intelligence, I can play and listen at the same time!"
Luc arched a brow. "You were just spinning the pieces…"
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she shot up from her chair. "T-That's just multitasking! I was listening!"
"Then tell me the rules again."
"…Okay, fine! I admit I didn't fully get it. Please explain it again," she mumbled, cheeks puffed out in defeat.
Luc chuckled, already reaching to reset the board. "Alright, let's take it from the top."