"Of course," Emiya said. He didn't refuse Takashi Natsume's request and agreed without hesitation. "That was our promise."
Even so, the polite Takashi Natsume still thanked him.
The two of them walked to a quiet corner. Emiya activated his ability, sent Takashi Natsume and his cat-like companion, Nyanko-sensei, back, then returned alone to the venue.
He walked around for a bit and soon found Haruhi Suzumiya.
"Don't you have school today?" Emiya asked as he approached.
"Just skip it," Haruhi Suzumiya replied indifferently.
Yuki Nagato stood beside her, expressionless as ever, her thoughts unreadable. Mikuru Asahina, on the other hand, spoke timidly, "Skipping class isn't good, is it, Club Leader?"
"It's fine, it's fine," Haruhi Suzumiya waved her hand. "With our grades, missing a few classes won't matter. Don't worry."
Emiya thought about it.
She wasn't wrong.
Although Haruhi Suzumiya was willful, her academic and athletic performance were both outstanding.
Yuki Nagato was an alien. Her knowledge far surpassed that of Earth's PhD supervisors.
And Mikuru Asahina was from the future. High school-level material was trivial for her.
What they taught in class really didn't mean much to the three of them.
"Well, as long as you're happy."
Emiya had seen Takashi Natsume return to school and assumed Haruhi Suzumiya would do the same, which was why he came over to ask.
It turned out he'd misjudged her.
Haruhi Suzumiya didn't care about being late or skipping class at all.
Which, honestly, suited her perfectly.
Emiya didn't say anything else. After parting ways with Haruhi Suzumiya and her group, he went back to Loki.
Loki had originally planned to head to Venue A to look for Megumi Tadokoro. Seeing Emiya return instead, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Emiya pretended not to notice.
"Loki, have you seen Hestia and Hephaestus?"
He hadn't spotted either goddess while looking for Haruhi Suzumiya.
"Why are you looking for them?" Loki asked.
"Nothing important," Emiya replied. "I just didn't see them earlier."
Loki told him that the two goddesses had left after breakfast and were probably wandering around somewhere else. If he needed them, she could call them back anytime.
"No need," Emiya said, shaking his head. He really was just asking casually.
After that, the man and the god continued wandering through the venue, occasionally tasting the breakfast dishes on display.
As time passed, more and more students completed two hundred servings and successfully cleared this difficult hurdle.
Among the people Emiya was paying attention to, everyone except Soma Yukihira had already passed.
As for Erina Nakiri, she had long since exceeded two hundred servings. She had even passed three hundred and was now pushing toward four hundred.
When Emiya and Loki returned to Venue A, they happened to see Soma Yukihira struggling with eight pans at once.
The two of them walked over, each took a serving, and contributed a little to Soma Yukihira's passing count.
After taking a few bites, Loki nodded with mild satisfaction.
"Not bad. Not as good as little Megumi's, but I'm really looking forward to the food his father makes."
"Joichiro Saiba?" Emiya understood immediately why Loki was interested in the man known as the Shura.
Back when Joichiro was still called Gin Saiba, his cooking had been aggressive, overwhelming, and full of destructive impact.
Later, for various reasons, Gin Saiba lost his way.
While traveling, he met Soma Yukihira's mother-the woman he deemed "worth all of his cooking."
He changed his surname to Yukihira, opened a small shop called Restaurant Yukihira, and began cooking again.
By then, his culinary skills had reached a new realm. He could even make a high-ranking monk return to secular life.
More importantly, his dishes carried an indescribable gentleness.
Completely different from the sharp, aggressive flavors of his past.
They could harmonize cuisines from all over the world into one.
That was why Loki wanted to taste his cooking. The intent contained within it was even stronger than Megumi Tadokoro's.
Erina Nakiri herself was the clearest example.
As a child, she had been tortured by her so-called demon father, leaving deep psychological scars.
Later, Nakiri Senzaemon invited Joichiro Saiba to cook for her.
After eating his food, Erina gradually emerged from that shadow. To this day, she treasured the only photo she had with Joichiro Saiba.
That alone showed how terrifying his cooking truly was.
Loki's anticipation made perfect sense.
"Do you want me to invite that 'Shura' back?" Emiya asked. Using the Nakiri family's influence, it wouldn't be difficult.
Loki thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Forget it. If he's dragged back with semi-coercive methods, I won't get the food I want."
Emiya agreed.
If he put himself in Joichiro's position, being called back from abroad to cook for a stranger-even a high-status one-would still be annoying.
In that state, the dish wouldn't be cooked wholeheartedly.
Intent was a subtle thing.
Tick. Tock.
Soon, the two hours were up.
With the announcement of "Time's up" echoing through the venue, the fourth day of Totsuki Culinary Academy's training camp-the morning's new dish assessment-finally came to an end.
Almost immediately, Erina Nakiri came over.
"Emiya-sama. Loki-sama. My grandfather has been waiting in the room for quite some time."
"Oh?" Emiya said, surprised. "When did Nakiri Senzaemon arrive?"
"He arrived yesterday," Erina replied. "He's been in his room ever since, preparing to welcome the two of you."
"Are the things I asked for ready?"
"Yes." Erina nodded.
Emiya turned to Loki.
"So, do we go over there, or should we have him come here?"
"What are you saying?" Loki replied without hesitation. "Of course we go over. We should show respect to an elder."
Emiya rolled his eyes internally.
No matter how old Nakiri Senzaemon was, could he really be older than you?
Did you even know how old you were yourself?
Of course, those words stayed firmly in Emiya's head.
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