Chapter 5: Another Heroine is Dead
Ah, this...
Yumesaki felt completely bewildered. He subconsciously scratched his head while staring at the corpse floating in the artificial lake.
This situation was not right.
This was supposed to be the second time already.
Did he possess some sort of incompatibility with this anime crossover world? Why was it that no matter where he went, he always stumbled upon a corpse?
What was more, this corpse looked incredibly familiar.
Yumesaki dropped down on one knee, plunging his hand into the surface of the artificial lake. Utilizing the power of the Float-Float Fruit, he manipulated the water currents to draw the corpse closer.
The corpse floated right before him. Yumesaki observed her intently for a few moments until recognition finally dawned on him.
Long blonde hair, a beautiful face, and the distinctive school uniform of Totsuki Academy.
Unbelievable. Isn't this Nakiri Erina?
Why was she dead too, and dead right in the artificial lake of Totsuki Resort?
How did this situation even come to be?
Another heroine is dead?
The malice of this world toward heroines seemed a bit too overwhelming. Before it was Asuna, and now it was Nakiri Erina. Was this anime crossover world really that dangerous?
"Umu, another corpse." Nero walked over, gazing down at Nakiri Erina's pale face. "And such a young woman. This is truly a pity."
"It really is a bit of a pity." Yumesaki patted his own cheeks. "Since it's a pity, let's just bring her back to life."
Inversion of Yin and Yang, from Death to Life.
Time to experience the power of the Revive-Revive Fruit.
A few seconds later, the deceased Nakiri Erina suddenly snapped her eyes open. She sat up straight from the ground, fully resurrected.
"I'm... not dead?"
"No, you were completely dead just a moment ago, but you were brought back to life by me," Yumesaki spoke up, startling Nakiri Erina.
Supporting herself with both hands on the ground, her legs kicked out in panic. Her entire body moved like a crawling spider as she scurried backward several meters at lightning speed, staring at Yumesaki in sheer terror.
"Who are you?"
"You could say I am your savior," Yumesaki said.
"Savior?"
"Yeah, didn't I just say it? You were completely dead, and I brought you back to life." Yumesaki pointed to his own head and remarked, "Though considering you just came back to life and your brain must be a total mess right now, I won't hold your rudeness against you."
Jolted by Yumesaki's reminder, Nakiri Erina's pupils dilated as fragments of memory suddenly rushed back to her.
"I remember now... Earlier, when I was taking a walk by the edge of the artificial lake, I accidentally slipped and fell into the water. My leg cramped up, so I..."
Recalling the moments right before her demise, that icy feeling of absolute despair welled up in her heart once more.
A suffocating sensation that pierced straight to her marrow exploded within her, causing Nakiri Erina to collapse onto the ground and retch violently.
She vomited until even bile came out.
She was in a truly miserable state.
After a short while, once the wave of nausea finally subsided, she pushed herself up from the ground and spoke with profound gratitude, "Thank you. Thank you for saving me."
As for the phrase "brought back to life" that Yumesaki had used, she didn't read too deeply into it. She merely assumed Yumesaki had performed CPR or artificial respiration to rescue her.
The concept of rising from the dead never even crossed her mind, because her logic dictated that such a thing was flat-out impossible.
"Don't mention it." Facing Nakiri Erina's gratitude, Yumesaki waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, there is one thing I must warn you about."
"What is it?"
"Your death was not an accident."
"Huh?" Nakiri Erina was bewildered. She had clearly just slipped and fallen into the water. It was a pure accident.
Yumesaki pointed toward his own eyes and explained, "Perhaps to you, slipping and falling into the water felt like a pure accident, but from what I see, it wasn't. I saw it very clearly. You were cursed."
"Cursed?"
"That's right, a genuine curse. A black and red curse. This is truly... surprising."
Yumesaki let out a soft laugh. Right after he resurrected Nakiri Erina, a faint, ominous blackish-red aura had slowly seeped out from her body, coiling around her.
This aura was far too familiar.
"Surprising? What do you mean by that?" Nakiri Erina failed to understand.
"It's very simple, because I've seen the curse on your body once before." Yumesaki stated unhurriedly, "Not long ago, I met a girl around your age. She was attacked by a Youkai, and her body was wrapped in the exact same curse as yours."
"Are you serious?" Nakiri Erina gasped. "There's really a curse on my body?"
She still found it difficult to believe such unscientific anomalies.
Seeing her skepticism, Yumesaki took a few steps forward and patted her shoulder. In an instant, the residual water on Nakiri Erina's body and the droplets clinging to her hair were violently repelled outward.
Time to experience the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit.
This ability could deflect even sickness and pain, let alone mere moisture from Nakiri Erina's clothes and hair.
Having been submerged in the lake, Nakiri Erina had been soaking wet, shivering, and utterly uncomfortable.
Now that the water droplets had been deflected away, her body felt dry, fresh, and incredibly comfortable.
"Ah, this..."
She looked down at her bone-dry clothes and body, then glanced at the sphere of water hovering in mid-air behind her. Her entire being froze.
She felt her world instantly collapse.
She had lived for over a decade firmly believing that this was a purely scientific world.
Now, out of nowhere, someone was showing her that the world was not scientific at all. Her worldview was shattered to pieces.
"So... am I really cursed?"
"The real deal, no fabrications."
Yumesaki narrowed his eyes, observing Nakiri Erina whose facial expressions shifted rapidly, before asking, "I want to ask you one thing. Has your Nakiri family ever offended Asahi Heavy Industries?"
"Asahi Heavy Industries? That corporation with an underworld background?"
Disgust flared across Nakiri Erina's face. After thinking things over carefully, her expression gradually turned grave. "Now that you mention it, I remember. Not long ago, Totsuki Resort wanted to undergo a renovation. Asahi Heavy Industries tried to force their way into the project, but Grandfather rejected them."
"Are you certain?"
Nakiri Erina nodded, crossing her arms beneath her chest, which subconsciously accentuated her ample bust.
Even though she was young and still a high school student, her physical development was already impressive enough to make many adult women feel inadequate.
"I'm certain," Nakiri Erina affirmed. "Head Chef Dojima mentioned this matter to Grandfather. I was present at the time, and Grandfather turned down Asahi Heavy Industries very firmly."
Her eyes flashed with sudden realization as she stared at Yumesaki. "You suddenly brought up Asahi Heavy Industries... Could it be you suspect that the person who cursed me belongs to them?"
"It's not definitive yet," Yumesaki replied. "But the previous person who bore the exact same type of curse also targeted because her father rejected an acquisition request for a studio by Asahi Heavy Industries."
"Could it really be that much of a coincidence?" Nakiri Erina's eyes widened.
"It is indeed a massive coincidence."
Yumesaki nodded. When coincidences piled up to a certain degree, they ceased to be coincidences.
Looking at it this way, Asuna's suspicions were entirely logical. The shadow of doubt looming over Asahi Heavy Industries was immense.
Nakiri Erina looked at Yumesaki and said seriously, "I must inform Grandfather about this matter. Can you help me prove it to him?"
Yumesaki shook his head, waving his hand as he declined, "There's no need for proof from me. You're still young, so you don't understand the cruelty of this world, but an old fox like your grandfather definitely knows the reality of things."
"You just need to tell him that you were cursed, that your life is on the line, and that you could drop dead at any moment. He will naturally find people to verify whether what you're saying is the truth or a lie."
After all, the Nakiri family of Nakiri Erina's generation lacked male heirs.
Aside from her, only Nakiri Alice remained.
Nakiri Erina was the legitimate successor to the Nakiri family.
Therefore, Nakiri Senzaemon would absolutely never treat a matter like this lightly.
"I understand."
Nakiri Erina was no fool. Guided by Yumesaki's words, she quickly caught on. After offering her thanks to Yumesaki once more, she immediately hurried away.
However, before leaving, Nakiri Erina placed a call to the reception manager of Totsuki Resort, informing him that Yumesaki was her esteemed guest.
From that moment on, all expenses incurred by Yumesaki's group at the resort would be fully covered by her.
As a member of the Elite Ten Council, the heir to the Nakiri family, and the owner of the world-renowned God's Tongue in the culinary sphere, she wielded that kind of authority.
The reception manager instantly welcomed Yumesaki's group with utmost hospitality.
Yumesaki didn't dawdle either. He immediately led Nero and Cosette to indulge in the luxuries of Totsuki Resort.
They first checked into the most opulent grand suite within the resort, then ordered a table laden with an immense feast.
The waiter tasked with recording the order felt his eyes twitch, simply because the sheer volume of food Yumesaki requested was utterly preposterous.
Never mind Yumesaki's party consisting of only three people—one male and two females.
Even thirty grown men wouldn't be able to finish this mountain of dishes.
But keeping in mind that this group consisted of the young mistress's honored guests, the waiter did nothing to stop them. After all, the Nakiri family could easily afford to write off this level of culinary extravagance.
Yumesaki noticed the waiter's inner turmoil but offered no explanation.
Ever since he was injected with the Superhuman Serum, Yumesaki's physical conditioning had become unimaginably potent. This amount of food was practically nothing to him.
Even if the portion size were doubled, Yumesaki could still devour it all without breaking a sweat.
The current him was no longer the same person who had just stumbled into the world of One Piece.
Back then, he would feel full after eating just a little bit, but the present Yumesaki had transformed into a literal gluttonous force of nature.
Devouring an entire ox in a single sitting posed absolutely no challenge to him.
Once the dishes were laid out, Yumesaki began digging in, filled with immense anticipation.
Back when he watched the anime, Yumesaki had been utterly dumbfounded by the exaggerated visual style portrayed in Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma.
Was it really necessary to go that far just for eating food?
People who didn't know any better might genuinely suspect the chef of lacing the food with illicit substances.
Because of this, Food Wars! was frequently mocked by netizens as a food-induced aphrodisiac show, and the male protagonist Yukihira Soma was widely dubbed the King of Drugs.
For that reason, Yumesaki had long harbored a profound curiosity toward the culinary arts of this world.
This time, upon discovering that this crossover universe incorporated elements of Food Wars!, Yumesaki had rushed over without a second thought.
Now, the actual dishes from Food Wars! were served right before his eyes.
Naturally, Yumesaki was going to feast to his heart's content.
Without hesitation, he picked up a slice of beef and popped it into his mouth.
Delicious!
It was truly magnificent!
Yumesaki's palate had already been thoroughly spoiled by Cosette's cooking, meaning ordinary dishes rarely met his standards. Yet, he had to admit that the culinary expertise of Totsuki Resort was undeniably top-tier.
Even Cosette, after sampling a bite of the resort's fare, couldn't help but comment, "It is genuinely delicious."
However, it was merely limited to being delicious. The food on this table didn't quite trigger the legendary sensory explosions depicted in the anime.
So, was it because the Food Wars! manga utilized over-the-top marketing, meaning the actual peak level was just this much?
Or was it simply that the chef who prepared these dishes lacked the ultimate refinement?
Harboring a trace of doubt, Yumesaki turned to the waiter and asked, "Who prepared the food on this table? Was it Dojima Gin?"
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