Different people require different methods to achieve the best results—so the hardest to deal with isn't the strongest or the weakest, but probably those living right in the middle.
Tadokoro Megumi's family inn was exactly this kind of existence that lived at just the right position for Toyo Electric.
So how to seize the land where their inn was located, demolish the inn, and then build a nuclear power plant there required Toyo Electric to put some thought into it.
After all, if you wanted to have a Kengan match with them—Tadokoro Megumi's family inn wasn't qualified!
This small inn completely didn't reach the level to participate in the Kengan Association, having no qualifications for Kengan matches at all.
If you wanted to use dirty tactics like dealing with nail houses... it would work on Tadokoro Megumi's family inn, but only to the extent of causing trouble.
After all, this city was too small, many dirty tactics couldn't be deployed here, and Tadokoro Megumi's family inn, having encountered a VIP in their early years, wasn't completely helpless in dealing with such situations...
Finally, combined with the fact that unlike Ajiro Fisheries where you could target the company's upper management, this was their own family business, and her family members were all satisfied with the status quo and not greedy, this left Toyo Electric at a loss for a while.
After all, you couldn't just send people to break down their door and rob them like bandits.
If Toyo Electric really did that, there were quite a few people watching them and planning to see their jokes.
So if not completely above board, they at least needed a reasonable excuse.
Then...
"You've accepted this Shokugeki, right?"
Hayama Akira wore a black coat, looking expressionlessly at Tadokoro Megumi and her family—he naturally recognized the Totsuki Academy uniform she wore.
Honestly, he hadn't expected his target this time to be from the same school as him.
But even so, he had no choice.
—This was all for Jun.
Even if Jun couldn't understand, I still had to protect Jun's research results...
Hayama Akira used this reason to steel his heart all at once.
Then, holding the Shokugeki permit from Toyo Electric, he issued the same cold inquiry again.
"—You've accepted this Shokugeki, right?"
What he held was a Shokugeki permit.
One party was Toyo Electric, and the other was this inn—both sides needed to hold a Shokugeki, where the stakes were very complicated. Tadokoro Megumi read for a long time before finally understanding the permit's contents.
Anyway... if they lost, their family inn would be demolished to build a nuclear power plant!
After understanding the contents, she looked at her mother uncomprehendingly.
Noticing Tadokoro Megumi's gaze, her mother sighed helplessly.
"Megumi... we could only agree at that time."
"We just didn't expect our family chef to suddenly..."
She seemed to have difficulties but didn't know how to express them.
After understanding this, Tadokoro Megumi stopped looking at her mother and instead looked at Hayama Akira in front of her.
She was very nervous now.
But she slowly stepped in front of her mother.
She was so nervous that she couldn't speak for a moment.
Yet she still looked at Hayama Akira.
She was trying to stop trembling, and...
—She was prepared to have a Shokugeki with him!
Because.
Her grandfather was old, their family's hired chef had suddenly met with an accident, and even her mother's hand was injured... So now, only she could protect this family.
Then...
No matter how nervous, no matter how scared—she could only choose to accept!
Thinking this, she planned to step forward and speak.
And at this moment, the inn's front door was pushed open, and a lazy voice came from outside.
"A Shokugeki... somewhat interesting. Can I participate too?"
Tadokoro Megumi looked over and saw Mutou Judai leaning against the door.
—She knew Mutou Judai.
She had watched the previous Shokugeki between Mutou Judai and Saiba Asahi. Although she couldn't understand the process, anyway, that Shokugeki that would definitely leave a mark in culinary history was won by Mutou Judai.
However, Hayama Akira, because Shiomi Jun's laboratory had suddenly encountered changes recently with several investors suddenly withdrawing funding, had been busy with these matters lately and hadn't paid attention to the Shokugeki between Mutou Judai and Saiba Asahi.
Moreover, Mutou Judai competed with Saiba Asahi in the morning, the matter ended at noon and spread, and Mutou Judai arrived here in the evening—counting the time, it spread during Mutou Judai's journey. Hayama Akira would have to wait until returning to Totsuki to know about this.
So he found Mutou Judai very unfamiliar. Combined with feeling guilty about facing his schoolmate and because Shiomi Jun had been ignoring him recently due to his helping Toyo Electric, Hayama Akira was already irritated and casually waved his hand.
"I'm busy. Anyway, let's start quickly—whoever of you goes is fine, I don't care!"
At this time, Mutou Judai came to Tadokoro Megumi's front.
"If you're a Totsuki student, did you see my Shokugeki with that Saiba Asahi before?"
Hearing Mutou Judai's inquiry, Tadokoro Megumi instinctively nodded.
"In that case, I'll help your side conduct this Shokugeki against him—can you entrust this matter to me?"
Tadokoro Megumi's mother and grandfather didn't know Mutou Judai, but seeing that Tadokoro Megumi seemed to know him, they nodded to her—they could only let her decide.
Tadokoro Megumi looked at Mutou Judai, then exhaled and nodded again.
Seeing Tadokoro Megumi directly nod, Mutou Judai was a bit surprised.
He had thought he would need to spend more words, but since Tadokoro Megumi nodded, he looked at Hayama Akira.
"Then let's prepare a bit—if it's a Shokugeki, let's have a match between us two~"
Mutou Judai spoke directly like this, and Hayama Akira casually waved his hand.
"I said... I don't care."
They settled it like this.
And afterward, when gathering Shokugeki judges, preparing the venue, and choosing the Shokugeki theme, Mutou Judai learned from Tadokoro Megumi the biggest reason she trusted him.
"World's number one chef? You're saying I'm the world's number one chef!?"
Tadokoro Megumi's mother and grandfather were also hearing this for the first time, but Mutou Judai was obviously more surprised than them!
Tadokoro Megumi nodded.
"Yes... the Saiba Asahi-san you defeated had defeated Seiichiro-san who had the implicit title of world's number one chef... After that, the world's number one chef position that had been undecided could be defined as Saiba-san."
"Then you defeated him afterward, so—you're the world's number one chef."
...
The world's number one chef is having a Shokugeki!
This news quickly reached the Shokugeki Administration Bureau and they began gathering judges.
Normally, if Seiichiro was having a Shokugeki, these judges would wish they had two extra heads and would squeeze forward wanting to judge.
But after hearing that Mutou Judai was having a Shokugeki...
Very quickly!
In less than thirty seconds, basically all the judges in the Shokugeki Administration Bureau had run away clean!
Some even ran away leaving their shoes behind without going back to pick them up!
Mutou Judai became the world's number one chef, and in just half a day, his infamous reputation had spread through the judges' circle through Dojima Gin and Shinomiya Kojiro's dissemination!
No one was willing to go!
After all... judging a monster required courage and guts!
Then...
Just when the Shokugeki Administration Bureau was at their wits' end, three very laid-back judges who seemed to have arrived late walked in.
"I heard someone's having a Shokugeki?"
The three obviously didn't quite understand the situation, then were caught by the Shokugeki Administration Bureau!
Everyone else had run away, and these three hit the muzzle, so it would be these three!
Originally, not having five wasn't a problem—three people could judge too!
Although they sympathized with these three, they had no choice—and when the Shokugeki Administration Bureau recorded information about this Shokugeki, they sympathized even more with these three judges.
Because...
These three judges actually all knew Mutou Judai!
Even their becoming laid-back and not caring much about Shokugeki matters was greatly related to Mutou Judai!
When Mutou Judai had a Shokugeki with Eizan, it was these three who judged!
When Mutou Judai had a Shokugeki with Shinomiya Kojiro, it was also these three who judged!
After those two times, these three judges who originally had great enthusiasm for Shokugeki became shut-in all at once, becoming increasingly laid-back, not competing for Shokugeki judging work—they'd judge if they could, forget it if they couldn't.
That's why the three of them always gathered together.
But unfortunately...
—The three of them still couldn't escape.
This time, Mutou Judai and Hayama Akira's Shokugeki... very coincidentally, the judges were these three again!
...