Chapter 25: Judai and Erina
"Chef Dojima, I'm truly very sorry!"
When Dojima Gin returned to his office, he saw his deputy, who had been managing Totsuki Resort in his absence, bowing ninety degrees and apologizing.
Dojima Gin immediately knew something serious had happened, and after his deputy told him everything, he realized the problem was quite severe.
"I'm truly very sorry, Chef Dojima—please dismiss me, then use the reason that I didn't have the authority to agree to Kengan to refuse Toyo Electric and protect the students!"
Hearing his deputy say this, Dojima Gin helplessly rubbed his temples and slowly shook his head.
"No... First, even if everything really develops in the worst direction, protecting the students can't be considered wrong, and I won't dismiss you. Second... Although Toyo Electric had previously targeted Erina's God's Tongue for certain purposes and planned to use Kengan to forcibly take it, their methods hadn't been this direct until now."
The essence of Kengan was an extension of business warfare, not unrestrained violence.
So under normal circumstances, even Toyo Electric wouldn't adopt such direct methods.
Because such methods, even for the large and powerful Toyo Electric, could only be used once at most.
Moreover, just this once, if the situation really became serious, Meguro, whom they had protected for twenty years, might still be lost.
It was completely not worth the cost.
But would Toyo Electric do business at a loss?
It was precisely because Dojima Gin knew they wouldn't do losing business that he couldn't figure out what their real purpose was.
"You protecting the students wasn't wrong, and even if we could get by with such an excuse this time, since they've already decided to use the most direct methods, they'll definitely find ways to come a second and third time after you're dismissed..."
"The problem isn't here now, and personally, I think you did very well."
Dojima Gin patted his deputy's shoulder.
"You who protected the students are excellent. Please continue working hard as my deputy in the future."
After leaving these words, Dojima Gin left with a worried expression.
Behind him, his deputy was already crying with tears and snot flowing all over his face.
"I understand, Chef Dojima!"
...
Toyama Hirataka, the diplomatic personnel sent by Toyo Electric, was currently with Meguro.
Honestly, even he was somewhat afraid of someone like Meguro whose mind and body weren't normal.
But compared to fearing Meguro, with his entire family's lives in Toyo Electric's hands, he was more afraid of not completing the task Chairman Hayami had assigned him.
"Meguro, I'll drag out the Kengan until tomorrow. You take advantage of tonight to kill all the fighters at Totsuki Resort."
"..."
Meguro didn't reply to him, just stared at him with those eyes that seemed about to bulge out for a while, then nodded and turned away without looking at him anymore.
Facing such Meguro Masaki, Toyama Hirataka breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, communication was successful.
As for Dojima Gin returning and apparently planning to invite him to a dinner party and discuss the second round, Toyama Hirataka didn't care at all.
Because Kengan wasn't their purpose in coming this time.
—The main purpose was to divert Totsuki's attention, and during this time, Chairman Hayami would take advantage of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau not discovering the connection between Eizan Etsuya and Toyo Electric to detonate this chess piece and accelerate the implementation of the Shokugeki between Totsuki and Toyo Electric.
So their side was just bait.
Coming with Toyo Electric's name was just to attract attention, and using violent methods was also just to attract attention.
So whether there was Kengan or what price had to be paid for Kengan didn't matter.
As long as they followed the bottom line and didn't become Chairman Hayami's completely abandoned pieces, it was qualified.
As for other things...
—Compared to resolving issues with Totsuki Resort quickly through the fastest Kengan, naturally the longer this time was dragged out the better, and the more chaotic this side became the better.
So...
"Then I'll leave it to you, Meguro."
"..."
...
At Totsuki Resort, Erina was currently with Alice and Hisako.
Now that the sky was gradually darkening, Erina turned around from the window and looked helplessly at Nakiri Alice who was still staying in her room.
"Alice... Hisako is one thing, but why are you still staying in my room at this hour..."
Hearing Erina say this, Alice smiled and looked at her.
"Erina, introduce me to that guy who's good at molecular gastronomy... um, I think he's called Mutou Judai, and I'll leave right now. If you don't introduce me..."
Saying this, Nakiri Alice puffed up her cheeks and directly threw herself onto Erina's bed.
"Then I won't leave today! And I'll cling to you in the future too. Anyway, you'll have to see him eventually, so I'll find out where he is sooner or later!"
"Are you a child..."
Facing such Alice, Erina sighed, then crossed her arms and glanced at her.
"But suit yourself..."
Introduce Mutou Judai to Alice?
—Erina had never even thought about this.
As for the reason...
Well... that guy Judai wasn't good at molecular gastronomy at all! If she introduced him to Alice, they would definitely be very embarrassed when they met!
Right, this was just to prevent them from being too embarrassed when they met!
With such thoughts, Erina opened the door.
"If you want to keep staying here, then keep staying here... I'm leaving first."
Erina had noticed that since returning today, Dojima Gin's expression hadn't been very good.
She felt that something might have happened at Totsuki Resort, so she planned to ask about the situation.
Seeing Erina leave, Arato Hisako hurriedly followed—during the time Erina was expelled, Hisako had actually thought about many things.
Before, when she was always by Erina's side, she had actually already noticed that she was depending on Erina.
During this separation, Hisako had been in a daze the whole time.
This resulted in her becoming even more clingy to Erina after she returned.
Seeing Erina and Hisako both leave, Alice also followed with puffed cheeks.
She had a childish temperament.
So...
—If she said she'd follow Erina, she would definitely follow Erina!
Originally, this wouldn't have been a problem.
After all, this was inside Totsuki Resort. Two young ladies from the Nakiri family plus a little secretary definitely wouldn't encounter trouble on their own territory.
However...
—Today was different from usual.
Today, Meguro was hunting the fighters at Totsuki Resort under cover of night.
Those guys weren't weak as fighters, but compared to Meguro, they still weren't enough.
After Toyama Hirataka had held back Dojima Gin and secretly used Toyo Electric's people to dismantle Totsuki Resort's defense and security, Meguro quickly dealt with those trash!
Then...
—On his way back, covered in blood, he ran into the trio of Erina, Alice, and Hisako.
'Hiss—'
Meguro was already scary-looking to begin with.
Eyes about to bulge out, full of bloodshot veins, the crazy smile on his face, his bent body, and now the blood on him—he looked like a demon!
When Erina and the other two encountered such a Meguro, they were so scared their faces turned pale and they nearly fainted!
Meguro also looked at the three of them at this moment.
"I've been discovered..."
He scratched his face, then instantly lowered his center of gravity and rushed toward Erina and the others at extremely high speed.
"In that case... you can all die too~!"
Meguro's speed was extremely fast. Basically in the blink of an eye, he had crossed the distance between them.
"Erina-sama—"
Hisako was also afraid, but at this moment she overcame her fear and directly blocked in front of Erina and Alice.
Erina looked at Meguro's blood-stained hand reaching toward them, and for a moment she thought of many things.
She thought about Totsuki's affairs, about her regret at not reaching the pinnacle of her culinary path, and felt she might have dragged Hisako and Alice into this...
But in the end, she thought of Mutou Judai.
Then...
Just as Meguro's hand was about to fall on Hisako's neck—as if Erina's fantasy had been materialized, a figure directly shot out from behind them, then leaped over their heads.
Meguro's bulging eyes saw a black shadow suddenly shoot out, then a shoe sole pressed against his face at a speed he couldn't react to!
He didn't feel much pain.
He even automatically reacted to the attack the moment he was hit.
Unfortunately...
That force was too great.
A strong feeling of weightlessness appeared on him the moment he was hit.
His reaction completely missed, and his mind went blank for an instant.
When he came to—
He was surprised to find that the distance between him and that person was... at least ten meters!
Just one kick... actually kicked me, who am 195cm tall and weighs 130kg, more than ten meters away... Noticing this, Meguro's mouth was grinning almost to his ears.
He wore such a smile, rubbing his hands on his face, getting the blood on his hands onto his face, connecting all the way to his eyes, looking like two streaks of blood tears covering most of his face.
This was just like the title Toyo Electric gave him when they planned to have him participate in Kengan—Crying Man, Crying Man Meguro Masaki!
—Watch carefully, father. The way I kill him will be even better than how I killed you... heh, hahahaha!
At this moment, he forgot about the mission and everything else.
Now.
—He just wanted to kill the opponent in front of him!
Whether it was because Meguro was kicked away or because she saw that figure—Erina felt relieved, her legs went weak, and she sat directly on the ground.
What surged up in that instant was joy, happiness, and surprise.
Then...
When these emotions reached her lips, she spoke to Mutou Judai like this:
"Why did you come back, Judai..."
Hearing Erina say this, with his gaze still fixed on Meguro dozens of meters away, Mutou Judai let out a breath.
He felt relieved that he had arrived in time.
He was even a bit afraid of the fact that if he had been one minute later, Erina might have died.
Good thing he made it in time—that's what he thought.
But like Erina, when the words reached his lips, Mutou Judai responded to Erina like this:
"If I didn't come back, I might have lost my meal ticket for the next year. Wouldn't that be a huge loss for me? Don't you think so, Erina~"