Ryuji rubbed his hands together, ready to carry Erina to a clean, quiet room. From there, he planned to proceed with this and that… that and this, and finally get reacquainted with her "track" and resume his romantic Grand Prix.
His hand slowly reached for Erina's chest, while Erina, pretending to be under the influence of her own cooking, started breathing faster.
It wasn't like she wasn't looking forward to it either.
The two of them had been forcefully separated right when things were getting good, and she hadn't experienced that kind of pleasure in a long time. So when she felt Ryuji's hand inching closer to her well-loved curves, her breath grew not only quick—but ragged.
But then—
"Yo! Erina! Heard you brought a guy home? Grandpa's fuming, by the way!"
The door burst open with a bang. A white-haired, red-eyed bombshell—whose figure could even outshine Erina's—strode into the room and caught the exact moment Ryuji's hand was just about to land on forbidden territory, and Erina's flushed face was clearly full of anticipation.
Startled, Erina instantly jumped up and backed away from Ryuji's hand, while Ryuji let out a painful groan and buried his face in his palm.
The voluptuous intruder couldn't help but stifle a laugh, a mischievous grin blooming on her face.
"Oh ho~ Looks like I came at exactly the wrong moment."
Despite what she said, she didn't show a hint of remorse—standing there enjoying the scene of Ryuji, Erina, and even the dazed bodyguards awkwardly picking themselves up from the floor.
Erina looked at her cousin with a headache brewing behind her eyes. She knew this unexpected visitor had only come out of concern, worried Ryuji might be taking advantage of her.
But really—at this point, all the "taking advantage" had already happened. She'd even been the one who started it.
This kind of out-of-place rom-com moment was just exhausting.
Letting out a sigh, Erina's voice was calm, unbothered. "Why are you here, Alice? Aren't you supposed to be preparing for your Shokugeki?"
Seeing her so composed, Nakiri Alice clicked her tongue in disbelief. She used to worry about Erina's overly mature, stiff personality, but ever since her cousin came back from vanishing, everything had changed. The God Tongue's curse was gone. She was more stable. More grown-up.
And Alice wasn't okay with it. She felt like she'd failed in her role as the older cousin.
No matter how hard they investigated, the only clue they ever found to Erina's dramatic transformation was the name "Ryuji." And according to everything they'd been told—he was already dead.
Even though Erina's medical records explained everything, Alice still wanted to know. What had truly happened between Erina and this mysterious man?
"Curb your curiosity, Alice," Erina said, exhaling. "Honestly, it's better if you don't know too much. My relationship with Ryuji is stronger than you think. And more importantly… I've already made my decision. No matter what anyone else says."
Alice frowned, clearly frustrated. She understood her cousin's resolve, but that didn't make it any easier.
Still… she didn't hate it.
"I just wanna know what kind of guy could charm my genius little cousin like this," Alice said. "Is he some world-class chef? A mystical cook from the East? Hey—you're Ryuji, right? What's your specialty?"
Ryuji thought hard. Compared to all these professional chefs, what was he even good at…?
"American-Style Iai Sauce."
He answered seriously.
…
Alice stared at him, then at Erina.
"Huh? What the hell is that? And wait—you can't even speak Japanese? Erina, didn't you not even know Chinese before? How the hell did you two even end up together?"
Erina sighed again. It wasn't that she didn't trust her cousin—but she definitely didn't trust the people Alice brought along.
Especially that Kurokiba Ryo guy. Even though he was Alice's personal retainer, he wasn't truly part of the Nakiri household. There were things he didn't need to know.
Her own bodyguards, at least, came from families loyal to the Nakiris for generations. That kind of loyalty didn't need to be questioned.
"This isn't the place to talk about that," she said.
Alice frowned, visibly annoyed. She knew exactly why Erina had said that—and she didn't like being excluded just because of her entourage.
"Fine. Then come home with me. We'll talk everything out."
Erina sighed again. She'd hoped for more time with Ryuji—just the two of them—but it looked like their cozy time together was being cut short by the icy cold world of politics and family interests.
If Ryuji had been a genius chef, none of this would've been a problem. He could've just married into the family without issue.
Unfortunately…
Ryuji's culinary talent… well…
Just remembering the dishes Ryuji had cooked in the past made Erina shake her head in resignation.
They were only at a normal person's level. Forget comparing him to herself—he wouldn't even qualify to enter Totsuki Academy, let alone graduate on his own.
But most importantly…
Ryuji didn't even like cooking.
That single fact alone meant he was destined never to become a culinary genius.
As that thought crossed her mind, Erina turned to look at Ryuji.
"Are you coming?"
"Of course. Honestly, if you hadn't gotten all moody yesterday, I would've already talked to your grandfather about marrying you. We might've even eloped by now."
"Mm… I overreacted yesterday."
A flush of red crept up Erina's cheeks. She stood and walked past Alice, tossing a short command over her shoulder.
"Let's go. I'll explain everything once we see Grandpa."
Alice felt like she was going crazy. Being surrounded by cryptic people speaking in riddles was driving her mad. Still, curiosity—and a sense of responsibility as the older cousin—forced her to follow along, muttering under her breath.
Kurokiba Ryo, on the other hand, tactfully walked away toward the school. It was a Nakiri family matter—he had no interest in getting involved.
In the car, Ryuji had originally sat peacefully in the back with Erina. But Alice had unexpectedly wedged herself between them, pressing in close enough for Ryuji to catch a whiff of her subtly sweet scent.
She didn't speak right away. Instead, she gave him a full up-and-down scan before finally opening her mouth.
"So, you—this utterly average-looking guy—what exactly made Erina fall for you?"
Ryuji found Alice surprisingly pleasing to the eye. Not just because of her striking red eyes and silver hair, but because her figure was objectively devastating.
Still, this was Erina's world, and she'd made her choice. He respected that.
He was more surprised that Alice could speak fluent Chinese.
"Hmm… Maybe it's because we went through a lot together. But since Erina wants to wait and explain later, I'll follow her lead. No point saying everything twice—we may as well do it properly in front of your grandfather."
Ryuji's smile was gentle, with a curious warmth that made Alice frown in confusion. For someone who seemed like nothing more than an ordinary salaryman, there was something off about him.
"You're older than Erina, right? If you stay this soft, she'll walk all over you."
She really couldn't figure out what Erina saw in him. He wasn't particularly handsome—just average in every way.
Unless…
Her gaze drifted downward instinctively.
"Don't let your imagination run wild." Erina coughed lightly, voice flat.
Because the Nakiri estate was located within the Totsuki campus, the car ride ended quickly. To Ryuji's surprise, an elderly man with a commanding presence was already waiting at the gate.
When Erina stepped out, her expression mirrored Ryuji's surprise.
"Grandfather? What are you…?"
Erina hadn't expected to see the head of the Nakiri family, Senzaemon himself, waiting at the entrance.
The old man's voice was gentle when addressing her—but his eyes, when they turned to Ryuji, carried a subtle but chilling intent.
"As a grandfather, wanting to see what kind of man my granddaughter has chosen—isn't that natural?"
Even though his tone was polite, Ryuji could practically feel the killing aura aimed at him. He could only respond with a stiff, awkward, yet respectful smile.
Erina was of legal age, yes. But Ryuji was much older. So he fully understood the unspoken threat in the old man's gaze.
"You seem utterly ordinary," Senzaemon said. "But if my granddaughter chose you, I'll assume you're something special. Let's go. I want to hear what gave you the courage to challenge me so boldly. Just yesterday, she looked ready to fall apart over my possible disapproval."
He hit the nail on the head. Erina had rushed to send Ryuji away not just out of anger, but to buy time—time to somehow get him accepted into Totsuki.
That way, even if he lacked talent, even if he lacked a future, he could still marry her.
"We will, Grandfather."
With a nod at Ryuji, the group entered a conference room deep within the Nakiri estate. Once everyone had taken their seats, Senzaemon wasted no time.
"We're all here. Start talking."
He stared Ryuji down, clearly expecting tricks or bluffs. Ryuji, sensing the tension, decided to keep things as gentle as possible.
"The truth is… I'm from another world. Erina and I weren't just 'missing.' We ended up in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. That's where we met—and survived together."
As disbelief filled the room, Ryuji calmly reached into a small pouch.
Before their widening eyes, he pulled out a wooden frame—over a meter long—from a pouch no bigger than his palm.
Senzaemon and Alice both gawked.
"And not just that," Ryuji continued. "I gained magic."
He raised a hand. Flames erupted in his palm, instantly turning the wooden frame to ash.
Senzaemon stared, utterly stunned. His mind was close to shutting down.
But even in the shock, his instincts as a chef remained.
"Then… what did you eat in that zombie world?" he asked, half automatically.
Without thinking, Ryuji pulled out a piece of store-bought processed meat.
"This" he said simply.
Senzaemon's eyes gleamed.
"Let me taste it."
Ryuji hesitated. "Um… about that—"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not really."
So…
He handed over the meat.
And then, Ryuji watched—with his own eyes—as the old man's clothes exploded clean off his body.
Boom.
Fabric burst apart in all directions, vaporized in the sheer force of culinary ecstasy.
There Senzaemon stood, his muscular torso bared, a transcendent expression frozen on his face as the flavor coursed through him.
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.