Erina's phone continued ringing in her hand.
Hisako, still standing faithfully beside her, glanced at the screen and frowned.
"Hoshino Akira… That's him, isn't it, Erina-sama?"
Erina hesitated for a second, then answered.
"…Hello?"
Instead of Akira's voice, Selena's calm, slightly amused tone came through.
"Erina? It's Selena. I'm calling from Akira's phone."
Erina blinked.
"Selena… Where's Akira?"
Selena replied with exasperation,
"He's occupied. Erika is aggressively fluffing him right now."
Erina asked in shock,
"I am sorry, WHAT?"
In the background, Erina could hear soft laughter and the unmistakable sound of hands sinking into thick, fluffy fur, followed by Erika's gentle, playful voice.
"Akira, you're so soft and fluffy… Why don't you always stay in this form?"
There was also the sound of a large wolf struggling and huffing.
Erina's eyebrow twitched.
Selena chuckled lightly.
"Erika discovered how nice his Direwolf form feels as a giant plushy. So she's been doing it for the past hour."
"…Fluffing?"
Erina's cheeks warmed slightly.
She remembered how fluffy his wolf form had been when she rode on his back.
Too bad she hadn't had time to really appreciate it back then.
"Yes, she'll probably be at it for a while," Selena continued, her tone turning warm and familiar.
"Anyway, Erina, the Rainbow Fruit is ready. If you want to taste it, you can come to our house tomorrow. We'll prepare everything."
Erina was silent for a moment, thinking,
"It's finally ready."
But she replied haughtily,
"…I'll think about it."
She hung up.
Hisako, who had been listening with growing suspicion, crossed her arms.
"Erina-sama… are you going somewhere tomorrow?"
Erina tried to sound casual.
"Keep my schedule open for tomorrow."
Hisako's eyes widened in shock.
"Are you going on a date with him?!"
Erina's face turned bright red.
"NO!"
The next morning, a sleek black car pulled up in front of the Starlight mansion.
Erina stepped out, adjusting her elegant coat, and immediately froze.
The building before her was a towering black gothic mansion that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a horror story.
Dark spires reached toward the sky, ivy crawled up the walls, and the windows had an almost sinister tint.
Even though the garden was impeccably maintained—flowers blooming beautifully and pathways neatly trimmed—the tall trees surrounding the property were completely covered in crows.
An army of them.
They perched silently, watching her with glossy black eyes.
Raven and Rose were among them, looking far too pleased.
Then Rose sent a telepathic message to Erika.
"The target is here."
Erina swallowed.
"…Is this really the right place? It looks haunted."
Before she could decide whether to get back in the car and pretend she never came, the front door opened.
Erika stepped out, waving with a bright smile.
"Erina! You came. Welcome."
Erina straightened her posture, trying to look composed.
"…Your house is… interesting."
Erika laughed softly as she walked over.
"It looks creepy from the outside, right? Don't worry, it's really old. Akira's family has owned this place for generations, so they kept the exterior mostly the same. But the inside is completely different."
She gestured toward the door.
"Come in."
The moment Erina stepped inside, her eyes widened again.
The interior was warm, modern, and surprisingly cozy.
Soft lighting, comfortable furniture, sleek high-tech displays built seamlessly into the walls, and a faint pleasant scent in the air.
It felt nothing like the gothic exterior.
"…This is the complete opposite," Erina muttered.
Erika smiled.
"Right. I had the same reaction when I first came in when I was little, but don't be too surprised yet. There's more to come."
Erina nodded, still slightly dazed.
Erika led her down a set of stairs into the basement.
The moment they passed through the reinforced door, the atmosphere changed completely.
It was like stepping into a magician's lair.
The basement was impossibly vast—far larger than the mansion above could possibly contain.
Massive bookshelves stretched endlessly, filled with ancient tomes, glowing magical texts, and doorways leading to rooms straight out of Hogwarts.
And in the distance…
Erina stopped dead.
"Is that… a colosseum?"
Erika nodded casually.
"That's the training arena. Apparently Akira used to train with his parents there when he was little."
Erina stared at the enormous stone arena, complete with spectator stands and magical barriers.
"…Why is it this big?"
Erika shrugged with a small smile.
"Well, from what I heard, Akira's family used to be so big back then, they even used it for tournaments among themselves."
Erina asked in confusion,
"If there were that many of them, why are only Akira and Selena here now?"
Erika smiled and said,
"Well, that's a secret."
Erina nodded, deciding she didn't want to get involved.
They continued walking until they reached the far end of the basement.
Two massive black obsidian double doors stood before them, engraved with the Starlight family crest—a towering tree with a sword planted at its roots, glowing faintly with purple light.
Erika placed her hand on the door and, with a complicated smile, added,
"Don't get too excited. Akira really wanted to impress visitors… though we don't get many."
She pushed the doors open.
Brilliant purple light spilled out.
Inside was a breathtaking crystal throne room.
The walls and floor were made of shimmering crystal, and at the center sat a majestic purple crystal throne.
Akira stood there in formal attire, looking unusually princely.
Beside him, Selena stood with a graceful smile.
All around them stood rows of robots in different shapes and sizes.
Akira spread his arms with a dramatic flourish.
"Welcome, Erina… to the land of stars, Asterisia."
Erina's brain short-circuited.
Her knees wobbled.
For a moment, she genuinely thought she was going to pass out.
Erina found herself sitting at an elegant tea table on a wide crystal terrace overlooking a breathtaking garden bathed in soft starlight.
Even though it was clearly morning outside, the sky above this place was a deep, star-filled night.
She felt completely disoriented.
Akira, Erika, and Selena sat with her.
Selena poured tea with graceful movements while Erika smiled warmly beside Akira.
"Tea?" Selena asked.
Erina nodded stiffly.
"Yes… thank you."
As she accepted the cup, her gaze kept drifting to Selena.
The girl looked strikingly similar to Akira—same snow-white hair, same shimmering purple eyes—but somehow more refined and beautiful.
"No wonder they're twins…"
Her mind raced with questions.
"Where exactly is this place? Why is it night here when it was morning outside? How can a basement be this enormous?"
Gathering her thoughts, she finally spoke.
"So… about the Rainbow Fruit. Did you already make something with it?"
Akira nodded casually.
"I did. It should be ready now. Don't worry, they'll bring it out soon."
Erina muttered under her breath, glancing at the rows of robots standing at attention nearby.
"They… of course."
She sighed.
Akira smoothly changed the subject.
"By the way, did you try the Silphium I sent you?"
Erina's eyes lit up slightly despite herself.
"I did. The flavor is… extraordinary. Clean, vibrant, with a perfect balance of herbal freshness and subtle sweetness. It has incredible potential in high-end cuisine. It could elevate so many dishes."
Akira leaned forward, interested.
"What do you think about selling it commercially?"
Erina paused, thinking like the professional she was.
"It would sell extremely well… but it's supposed to be an extinct herb, isn't it? People will be suspicious."
Akira shrugged.
"I was thinking of creating a genetic engineering company and claiming we successfully revived it through advanced research. We could do the same with some of the Toriko ingredients later."
Erina frowned.
"You want to sell those here? I'm not sure you can get the necessary permissions easily. And many people will avoid genetically engineered ingredients out of fear."
Akira smiled confidently.
"Don't worry about the legal and PR side for now. Just tell me—based on taste alone, will they sell well?"
Erina considered it carefully.
"…They should. But I think you should start small. Begin with Silphium and a few low-risk, low-capture-level ingredients first. Test the market before going big."
Akira nodded.
"Makes sense."
Selena suddenly smiled.
"Enough business talk for now. It's here."
Erina turned.
C-3PO and R2-D2 were approaching the table, the protocol droid walking with elegant, gentlemanly steps while carrying a silver tray.
R2-D2 rolled beside him, beeping softly.
C-3PO stopped before Erina and bowed politely.
"Ladies and Gentleman, presenting… Rainbow Fruit Pudding, prepared especially for Lady Erina."
On the tray sat a beautifully arranged, shimmering rainbow-colored pudding that seemed to glow with shifting hues.
Erina stared, momentarily speechless.
Erina stared at the shimmering pudding.
Its surface swirled with shifting rainbow colors, as if liquid light had been captured inside.
Then, almost instinctively, she picked up the spoon with slightly trembling fingers and took a small, elegant bite.
The moment the pudding touched her tongue, the flavor began to change.
The first four flavors came in rapid succession, shifting so quickly she could barely grasp them.
One moment it was bright and refreshing.
The next it turned rich and mellow.
Then light and floral.
Then deep and fruity.
Before she could fully process any of them, the cycle accelerated.
Among the swirling sensations, one flavor suddenly rose above the rest—
Mango.
A concentrated sweetness struck her palate as if hundreds of perfectly ripened mangoes had been compressed into a single spoonful.
Her eyes widened.
Then the next dominant note crashed in—
Tartness.
A sharp, overwhelming sourness far beyond lemon or kiwi exploded across her tongue, making her cheeks tense and her shoulders shiver.
Before the shock could fade, the fifth flavor arrived.
A rich, fragrant warmth like sweet roasted chestnuts spread gently through her mouth, wrapping around the previous chaos like a comforting embrace.
Then the sixth flavor erupted.
A sudden surge of pure sweetness rushed down her throat and through her entire body like lightning.
Her fingers tightened around the spoon.
Finally, the seventh flavor settled in.
A deep, lingering satisfaction that harmonized everything before it.
It left her strangely full, deeply content… and craving another bite.
Erina sat frozen, spoon still in her mouth.
In Erina's mindscape…
She stood in an endless paradise of swirling rainbow flowers.
Wave after wave of flavor crashed over her without mercy.
The rapid cycling, the overwhelming mango sweetness, the piercing tartness, the comforting roasted chestnut warmth, the explosive sixth flavor that made her whole body tremble, and the final lingering satisfaction that wrapped around her heart.
Her imagined chef uniform tore apart at the seams from the sheer intensity.
She fell to her knees in the flower field, face flushed crimson, eyes sparkling with tears of overwhelming pleasure.
"This… This flavor… It keeps changing… It's too much…!! I can't… I can't handle it…!!"
Back to reality.
Erina slowly lowered the spoon.
Her cheeks were flushed bright red.
A tiny, involuntary moan escaped her throat.
"…Nn."
Akira, Erika, and Selena watched her in silence.
After a long moment, Erina spoke in a dazed, almost dreamy voice.
"…I haven't tasted something this good in a whole day."
Akira blinked, then—remembering Selena's earlier advice—suddenly leaned forward with a serious expression.
"Erina."
"Hmm…?"
She looked up, still floating in the afterglow.
"Want to go on a date with me?"
Erina froze.
Her brain, still recovering from the Rainbow Fruit, short-circuited for the second time that day.
"...Huh?!"