Senzaemon Nakiri had lived for decades.
He knew what was appropriate to look at-and what wasn't.
While the two goddesses wrestled, he calmly picked up his teacup and turned to look out the window.
He let out a long sigh.
These truly were peaceful days.
Emiya was already used to this scene. He neither tried to stop them nor bothered to persuade anyone.
Hephaestus, meanwhile, was focused entirely on the computer screen and didn't even notice what was happening nearby.
"Let's go with these five for now," Emiya said, handing over five personal files to Senzaemon Nakiri. "You can assign a few members of the Totsuki Elite Ten to assist them. Or have them act as waitstaff. Is that fine?"
"That won't be a problem," Senzaemon replied.
"Good. Then let's end things here for today. Also, gather them as soon as possible and bring them here to receive their Blessing. From this point on, they'll be members of the Hestia Familia."
"I'll handle it immediately."
"Excellent."
Emiya nodded in satisfaction.
Senzaemon Nakiri stood up, bowed lightly, and left the room at once.
He felt he really shouldn't stay there any longer.
Once Senzaemon left, Loki immediately subdued Hestia.
Without divine power, Hestia was no match for her.
That said, Loki didn't come out unscathed.
During the struggle, Hestia's constantly jiggling chest dealt continuous, unavoidable critical damage.
Even after pinning Hestia down, Loki's eyes were still brimming with tears.
Emiya couldn't help but sigh.
Why put yourself through this?
Once both of them finally calmed down, Emiya stepped forward and separated the two goddesses.
"Most things are settled now. When we get back, we can start setting up the restaurant. Goddess Hestia, it'll be yours. Have you decided on a name?"
Hestia thought for a moment. "Not yet. I'll discuss it with my children."
Emiya nodded.
That made sense.
Loki crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "You're my child. Why are you always siding with the shorty?"
Hestia glanced at Loki's flat chest and was just about to speak-
When Emiya covered her mouth.
"Goddess Hestia, calm down. You can't beat Loki."
Hestia shot Loki a spiteful glare but, out of respect for Emiya, held her tongue.
Loki, however, didn't appreciate this.
She glared at Emiya instead, clearly unhappy that he seemed to be protecting Hestia.
Emiya smiled wryly.
He really wasn't taking sides.
At that moment, Hephaestus walked over.
"I've finished reviewing the data. As expected, modifying it won't be easy."
"That's fine. Take your time," Emiya said. "You've got plenty of it."
He was well aware that these goddesses had lived for hundreds of millions of years-and could live for millions more.
Time was the least of their concerns.
Hephaestus nodded. "Then I'll start by forging the divine weapon you want. This world doesn't have the materials I need. Take me back to Orario. I'll get them there."
"Alright."
Emiya turned to Loki. "You've been gone a while. Aren't you going back to check on your Familia? Don't forget your promise to Riveria."
Loki thought for a moment. "Fine. I'll go back too."
Emiya then looked at Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, you should stay here for now. Senzaemon will soon bring the people you chose. You can establish your Familia here and explain Orario's situation to them in advance."
Hestia nodded easily. "I understand. I'll stay here. You two should come back quickly."
"No problem."
Before leaving, Emiya first found Haruhi Suzumiya and her group and sent them back to their own world.
As she left, Haruhi reminded him not to forget her if he ran into anything interesting.
Emiya agreed without hesitation.
After sending her off, he returned to the office.
By then, Loki and Hephaestus had sealed their divine power.
If they didn't, they would be forcibly sent back to the God Realm the moment they returned to Orario.
That was the rule.
A god who descended to the lower world must never use divine power.
After that, Emiya took the two goddesses back to the Labyrinth City of Orario.
Loki returned to her Familia.
Emiya followed Hephaestus to collect the materials.
Forging a divine weapon wasn't simple.
Ordinary materials wouldn't work.
Fortunately, the Hephaestus Familia had accumulated a massive stockpile over the years.
They already had everything needed.
Once the materials were secured, Emiya and Hephaestus returned to the Food Wars! world.
Materials alone weren't enough.
Forging a divine weapon required overwhelming heat.
After some discussion, they settled on a location.
Mount Fuji.
A towering peak capped with snow, shaped like an inverted fan.
A symbol of Japan.
Known as Fuji-no-mine. Fugaku. The peerless peak.
More importantly-
It was an active volcano.
An abundant heat source.
After entering Mount Fuji, Hephaestus began drawing upon the volcanic heat to forge Emiya's divine weapon.
From that night on, metallic clanging echoed from within the mountain.
Residents at the base heard the sound.
No one knew what it was.
For a time, the nightly noise became an urban legend.
It even attracted television crews.
Meanwhile, Emiya-too weak to observe the forging process-could only stay at the Totsuki Resort and wait.
Two days later, Senzaemon Nakiri finally gathered everyone and brought them to Hestia.
Hestia bestowed her Blessing one by one.
Thus, the Hestia Familia was officially established in the Food Wars! world.
After discussion, Gin Dojima became the leader.
Mana Nakiri was appointed vice-leader.
The members were Joichiro Saiba, Jun Shiomi, Sonoka Kikuchi, Erina Nakiri, and Hisako Arato.
Since most of them were already familiar with one another, they got along well.
With one exception.
Jun Shiomi.
The moment she saw Joichiro Saiba, her face went pale.
Her body trembled.
She remembered her student days.
She broke down crying, begging to leave and refusing to work with him.
Joichiro spent a long time calming her down.
Senzaemon also brought several members of the Elite Ten to assist.
Rindo Kobayashi.
Momo Akubo.
Nene Kinokuni.
Fuyumi Mizuhara.
Takumi Aldini.
They were meant to support Gin Dojima's group.
Technically, Fuyumi Mizuhara and Takumi Aldini had already graduated.
How Senzaemon brought them back was anyone's guess.
Emiya pretended not to notice.
Once everyone was assembled, Emiya sent them to Orario.
With three hundred pounds of gold and Hestia as their goddess, they wouldn't face any immediate problems.
The restaurant would likely open soon.
As for Emiya, he returned to the Food Wars! world and waited.
Several days later.
One evening, while Emiya was enjoying a meal personally prepared by Senzaemon Nakiri, Hephaestus appeared and placed a ring in front of him.
"The divine weapon you asked for."
Emiya's eyes lit up.
He set down his chopsticks, picked up the ring, and slid it onto his right middle finger.
The instant it touched his skin, his mind cleared.
His Psychic surged, more active than ever.
He could feel a massive increase.
The exact amount would require testing.
"Thank you."
Emiya thanked Hephaestus sincerely, then invited her to join him for dinner.
She accepted.
Upon hearing the news, Senzaemon returned to the kitchen and prepared several of his signature dishes.
They were all served to Hephaestus.
While eating, Emiya asked, "Are you staying here, or heading back to Orario?"
"I've been away long enough," Hephaestus replied. "My children will worry."
"Alright. I'll send you back after the meal."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Emiya said, then added, "Once you're back, finalize the modified phone blueprints as soon as possible. As long as they can be mass-produced, they'll be a gold mine. No matter how Orario changes, as long as you control mobile phones, the Hephaestus Familia will never fall."
Hephaestus nodded. "Don't worry. I already have several ideas."
In truth, she valued the phone project even more than Emiya did.
Hearing that, Emiya gave her a thumbs-up.
"As expected of Hephaestus. Amazing."
After dinner, Emiya sent her back to Orario.
Then he quietly returned to his own world, found a secluded location, and began testing the power of his divine weapon.
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