Chapter 31: An Excuse for the Real Target (Bonus Chapter)
At my final stagiaire placement, my jaw nearly hit the floor.
The restaurant was fairly well-known. It wasn't quite star-level, but it had appeared in magazines often enough to have solid name recognition.
The difficulty of producing visible results was about average, but that wasn't what shocked me.
Nakiri Erina was at the same restaurant.
It was the kind of insane luck that felt like winning the lottery. The shallow, convenient idea I had dismissed yesterday had just kicked me in the face at full speed.
It was nothing short of divine intervention. The perfect alignment of fate that could solve my problem in a single stroke.
Don't rush. Rushing is forbidden.
The thing was, during stagiaire Erina clearly didn't want to talk to me face-to-face. She would still hold the necessary conversations, so I wasn't being ignored—that was the silver lining.
Just as I had expected, she was obviously conscious of my loss to Hayama. I could sense her uncertainty about how to act around me, how to speak to me.
Actually, that made things easier. I didn't need to resolve it during this one-week placement. I could make my move after stagiaire ended. Just like with Alice, the chance to talk to her alone would definitely come.
For the entire week I focused seriously on the training, passed alongside Erina, and safely completed the month-long stagiaire program.
But for me, the real test was only beginning—right now, as I waited for our ride with Erina.
"…Haa. …Time to go."
The weather was fortunately rainy. That meant the only place we could stand while waiting for the car was under the eaves. There was no way for her to awkwardly avoid me or run away. She had no choice but to talk to me like a normal person. I thanked the heavens for the blessing.
I looked at Erina's back—she had left the restaurant a little earlier—and steeled myself. This conversation was extremely important. I would treat it with the same seriousness I would give to deciding whether my ambitions would come true.
"Good work, Nakiri-san. …It's raining pretty hard. Why don't you step a little further under the roof?"
"S-Santoku-kun… Y-yes, I will."
She still wouldn't look me in the eye, but at least she didn't ignore me.
The question was how to begin. The easiest route would be if Erina asked first, but that was probably too much to hope for. Still, it wasn't impossible, so I decided to create a flow that would make it easier for her to speak.
"Stagiaire is finally over. The Autumn Elections are done too, so winter's almost here."
"…Y-yes."
"I lost in the Autumn Elections, though. I hope I grew from this test."
"..."
I stood beside her and listened to the rain together. I didn't force the conversation; I simply waited.
If I gave her enough time, she would bite the bait I had dangled. After observing her for the past week, I was certain: Erina definitely wanted to know the truth behind my defeat.
"…Did you really lose?"
Her whisper was almost swallowed by the sound of the rain, but my ears caught it clearly. I deepened my smile so I wouldn't miss the moment she bit and asked back.
"You mean… my loss to Hayama? What do you mean by that?"
"Ah, th-that… I'm sorry. That was rude. …Please forget I said anything."
"I'm not angry, you know? I was just… a little surprised. Nakiri-san… do you think I lost to Hayama on purpose?"
I wasn't going to let her end the conversation with an apology. You've been curious, right? Ask me more.
"Th-that's…"
"Don't worry. I won't get mad no matter what you say. We're important friends, after all."
I had carefully prepared the perfect environment for her to speak. Now it was up to her how she moved.
"...The dish you served in that match. Compared to the one in the qualifiers… it felt… noticeably weaker."
Nakiri finally looked at me and spoke. She seemed slightly apologetic, aware that her words might be rude.
"When I saw your dish in the qualifiers, to be honest I was convinced you would win the whole thing. That's why… I couldn't understand how you lost to Hayama-kun."
"…I'm surprised."
"D-don't misunderstand! The dish you served against Hayama-kun was still perfectly completed!"
"But you didn't think it was my real, full-power dish… right?"
"…Yes. That's what's been bothering me the whole time. That's why I couldn't look you in the face. …I'm sorry."
She apologized again and politely bowed her head. She had opened up this much; that was more than enough. Now I just had to give her the answer I had prepared for that exact question.
"Thank you, Nakiri-san."
"…Eh?"
Erina tilted her head, confused by the sudden gratitude. She let out a dumbfounded sound, as if she had expected me to be angry.
"I never thought anyone would notice. As expected of you, Nakiri-san."
"Then… you really did lose on purpose?"
I gave a small nod to confirm. Looking up at the darkened sky, I gave her the answer she was looking for.
"…I've always cooked alone. I guess you could call it talent. I never lost to anyone, and winning was just the natural outcome."
I spoke with a deliberately melancholic tone and continued.
"And somehow… that felt lonely. I wanted a rival I could compete with. Someone with skill equal to or greater than mine—a true worthy opponent."
"…Santoku-kun."
"Totsuki Academy is a wonderful place. There are so many chefs with promising talent here. …Chefs who might become the rivals I've been looking for."
She might not fully sympathize, but this feeling couldn't be completely foreign to Erina. After all, she was the queen who had stood at the top with overwhelming talent.
"That's probably why. I had high hopes for Hayama. I thought the guy who would only get stronger from here on… might become the kind of chef I've been searching for. If I beat him in the semifinals, I might end up crushing that talent. But if I let him reach the finals and they clashed again, he would grow even more as a chef. …That's what I was hoping for."
When I looked back at Erina's face, her eyes were wide with shock. I didn't know what answer she had expected, but at the very least her favorability didn't seem to have dropped. Was it safe to say this had gone well?
"…Were you lonely, Santoku-kun?"
"…Maybe. You probably think I'm arrogant, don't you? But I've seen it happen many times—chefs who challenged me, then despaired at the difference in talent and quit."
"The difference… in talent."
"Everyone wants to believe it. That you can't beat a genius. That no matter how hard you try, it's pointless."
I was talking like some tragic genius, but since I had coasted my 100% cheat ability the whole time, I had to laugh at myself internally.
"That's why I'm glad I came to Totsuki. Hayama, who won the Autumn Elections, and Soma, who took second. Every chef who made it from the qualifiers to the main tournament has talent that won't be crushed by someone like me. I'm grateful for these encounters. —Of course, that includes meeting you too, Nakiri-san."
"…Meeting me."
"Chefs only grow through encounters. If you stare at a plate alone, all you see is the same version of yourself you've always been. …Or so they say."
That should have been enough of an excuse. Now, how would she react? Please misunderstand in a good way and don't let your favorability drop. If I'm allowed to be greedy, let it skyrocket. If I'm allowed to be extremely greedy, fall for me. …Yeah, that last one is probably impossible. If she were that easy to conquer I'd actually be disappointed.
But those worries were unnecessary. Nakiri Erina was, after all, a top-tier prize.
"…I'll become that for you."
"Nakiri-san?"
"I'll become… your worthy rival."
As expected, she really was an amazing woman. My eye for quality had been right on the mark.
I was truly glad I had chosen her as the woman to fulfill the ambition I decided on after reincarnating into this world.
"…Yeah. I'm looking forward to it, Nakiri-san."
"I'll show you the power of the God's Tongue, Santoku-kun."
We stared at each other for a few seconds, then—both of us laughed.
I could safely say I had achieved more than I had aimed for. From now on I had no plans to hold back like I had against Hayama, and there was no longer any risk of disappointing Erina. A major event for conquering her was also coming up soon, so I couldn't let my guard down.
"Ah, our ride is here. …That's the Nakiri family limousine. Thank you for your hard work, Nakiri-san. See you at the academy."
"Y-yes. That's right. …See you at the academy."
The timing was perfect; Erina's ride had arrived. It was time to part.
But because I had overcome this hurdle, my relationship with Erina had improved. We would be able to have casual conversations at the academy again, and I could even try calling her. With the perfect excuse of "cooking" at my disposal, I wouldn't have any trouble finding ways to attack.
"..."
"…?"
While I was basking in satisfaction, Erina suddenly stopped moving. The limousine door was open; all she had to do was get in.
"What's wrong, Nakiri-san? Did you forget something?"
"…Um… Well…"
She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. After she had been frozen for dozens of seconds, the limousine that had come for me pulled up near the restaurant.
"Looks like my ride is here too."
"Ah…"
Erina swallowed whatever she had been about to say. It must have been really hard for her to say. I decided to throw her a lifeline.
"Nakiri-san. There's something you want to tell me, right? I'll listen properly, so go ahead."
"Santoku-kun…"
My encouragement seemed to give her courage. Blushing with embarrassment, she looked me in the eyes and spoke hesitantly.
"…If you'd like… would you like to ride back to the academy together? …I still want to… talk with you a little more…"
—This time it was my turn to freeze.
For a second I couldn't process what she had said. My thoughts locked up. Eh? What? She was inviting me to ride back with her? Huh? Isn't that way too cute?
"I-I'm sorry…! Please forget what I just—"
"—I'd love to. I still wanted to talk with you too, Nakiri-san."
"…Eh?"
I couldn't possibly turn down such a luxurious piece of bait. I quickly took out my phone and called the driver who had come for me.
"Hello. Sorry to make you come all this way, but I'll be riding with Nakiri-san. …Yeah, that's right. Sorry about that. Drive safely."
"S-Santoku-kun…?"
"Now I don't have a ride anymore. Nakiri-san, I'm sorry to impose, but… could I get a lift with you?"
I kept my tone humble and made it easy for her to accept. Since she had probably never invited a member of the opposite sex before, I had to be this careful.
"O-of course! Come on, get in."
"Thanks for having me. And thank you for inviting me, Nakiri-san."
My favorability with Erina might be higher than I had realized.
Feeling that my conquest was progressing smoothly, I spent the ride back to the academy sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Erina, chatting happily the whole way.
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A/n: Goal: 300 power stones = +1 bonus chapter immediately. Don't forget to give your stones.
For early access to 10 chapters ahead: p@tre~~.com/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).