"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?!"
Around the table, everyone had their own reaction.
Erika choked on her tea.
Selena looked positively pleased, a small smile playing on her lips.
And somewhere miles away at Totsuki, Hisako suddenly shivered as if she had sensed a great disturbance in the force.
For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
Erina shot up from her seat.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Well, it's… huh—" Akira tried to explain, but before he could finish, Erika—who was sitting right beside him—grabbed his wrist, yanked him close, and slipped behind him in a perfect rear naked chokehold.
"Erika…?" he asked, struggling from the sudden attack.
Erika smiled sweetly, though her grip didn't loosen.
"What exactly is this about a date?"
Akira, still in the choke, frantically patted her arm.
"It's the thing we discussed, remember? It's Selena's plan!"
Erika blinked, then released him with a small sigh.
"Oh… that."
She still gave him a look.
"Can you please say things normally next time?"
Akira tilted his head, genuinely confused.
"What did I say wrong?"
Erika pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You can't just ask a girl, 'Want to go on a date with me?' out of nowhere. Of course she'll think it's romantic."
Akira frowned.
"But 'date' simply means a pre-arranged appointment or engagement at a specific time. It doesn't automatically mean anything romantic."
Erika pinched his cheek.
"Any normal girl who hears 'Want to go on a date with me?' would immediately assume romance, you idiot."
Erina, who had gone completely red, finally exploded.
"What nonsense are both of you talking about?! Explain it to me first!"
Selena finally stepped in, raising a hand with graceful calm.
"Allow me to explain."
She looked at Erina with a gentle, almost sisterly smile.
"The engagement contract between the Nakiri and Starlight families includes a clause that Akira must help resolve the issue with your God Tongue. The 'date' is simply part of that assistance. Creating positive memories and new experiences should help your palate recover from being overwhelmed by the Rainbow Fruit. It's not romantic at all—just hanging out. In fact, Erika is more than welcome to come along."
Erina stared at her, then at Akira and Erika.
Akira suddenly struck a dramatic pose, one hand extended like Aladdin asking Jasmine.
"Do you trust me? So I can show you the world~"
Erina gave him a deadpan look.
"I don't."
Akira immediately turned to Erika with a betrayed puppy expression.
"Erika, she's bullying me."
Erina snapped,
"When did I bully you?!"
Selena chuckled softly, watching the chaos with clear amusement.
"So… what do you think, Erina?"
Erina thought for a moment, her gaze drifting to Akira, who was still complaining to Erika.
Erika smiled softly and reached up to give him gentle headpats, calming him down like an oversized puppy.
Erina shook her head, trying to clear the ridiculous scene from her mind, then asked seriously,
"Before anything else… exactly where are we going, and what will we be doing?"
Selena answered calmly,
"Don't worry. We're not going to another world. It will just be a normal hangout in this one. Nothing complicated."
Erina nodded.
"I see… Good then."
But for a split second, a faint trace of disappointment flickered across her face.
Akira, now fully restored by Erika's headpats, sat up straight and asked casually,
"So, do you want to hang out with me? Erika will be there too, and you can bring anyone you want."
Erina considered it for a long time, arms crossed, before answering.
"…Okay. But I'm busy for a while, so I'll tell you later when I'm free."
Akira shrugged easily.
"Sure. I'll be busy with a few things too, so we can decide on the time later. No rush."
Erina suddenly straightened.
"But first, we need to talk about something."
Akira tilted his head.
"What is it?"
Erina turned serious, arms still crossed.
"We need to talk about the ingredients from the Toriko world."
For a moment, everyone at the table went quiet.
Then Akira said nonchalantly,
"You want a share, don't you?"
Erina snapped instantly.
"At least let me finish talking…!"
She took a deep breath, calming herself, and continued—her voice growing a little smaller and more flustered toward the end.
"Yes… well… I need them. I want to know how to cook them properly…"
Akira smiled.
"Sure. I'll send you some regularly."
Erina blinked, surprised.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Akira said casually. "I already replanted all the ones we brought back, and you helped me choose them, remember? So I don't mind sending samples to you regularly."
Erina looked genuinely taken aback, though a faint blush crept up her cheeks.
"Really…?"
Akira nodded.
"But I do have something I need your help with in return."
Erina tensed slightly.
"What is it?"
Akira smiled at her.
"It's nothing too difficult. I want your help promoting what we talked about earlier."
Erina raised an eyebrow.
"You mean the genetic engineering company and selling Silphium along with the other Toriko world ingredients?"
"Exactly," Akira nodded. "Like you said, genetically engineered foods aren't very popular with people. But if the famous God Tongue publicly backs them up, I'm sure they'll become much more accepted. What do you say?"
Erina weighed his words carefully for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"As long as you properly secure all the necessary permissions, ensure nothing is dangerous, and everything meets my standards… I'll help you promote them."
Akira practically lit up.
"Alright then! Let's go to the field right now and pick out what you want."
He started rushing off excitedly, but Selena's voice stopped him.
"Brother, wait. She hasn't even finished her Rainbow Fruit pudding yet."
Akira paused and looked back at Erina.
The bowl in front of her still had most of the glowing pudding left.
She had only taken that one overwhelming bite earlier.
"Oh… yeah."
He wondered for a second—if one bite had caused that strong of a reaction, could she actually finish the whole thing?
In the end, Erina did finish the Rainbow Fruit pudding… somehow.
She ate it with quiet pride and determination, though her cheeks faintly flushed the entire time.
Afterward, they took her to the special growth field behind the castle.
Erina carefully selected the ingredients she wanted—Cream Mushrooms, Golden Carrots, Peach Potatoes, Bacon Leaves, and several others.
Some she took with her immediately.
The rest, Akira promised to send regularly since she couldn't carry everything.
As they were about to leave, Erina glanced at the glowing Rainbow Fruit trees.
"How about a whole Rainbow Fruit?"
Akira hesitated.
"I'm not sure about giving you the raw fruit. It needs to be processed properly before eating. The pudding I gave you earlier was made from a heavily diluted version. Eating it straight can be… intense. How about I prepare some processed juice for you instead?"
Erina considered it for a moment, then nodded.
"…That's fine."
Once she had gathered everything she wanted, Erina checked the time.
"I have other matters to attend to. I should head back."
Akira and Erika walked her to the front gate.
"We'll stay in contact," Akira said.
Erina paused before getting into her car.
"Don't forget to send the ingredients."
As her car drove off, Akira and Erika returned to the terrace where Selena was waiting.
Selena's calm expression didn't change, but her eyes had turned serious.
"I have important news for both of you."