"Don't set your sights on Erina. Your enemies should only be Managi and me, right?"
"You know about me?" Shirou's expression darkened, and a trace of Conqueror's Haki mixed with dragon's might leaked out involuntarily.
Nakiri Senzaemon instantly felt his heart tighten, and even his breathing became hurried.
Erina, his granddaughter at his side, was forced back several steps. Her back hit the doorframe, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Enough! Take my head if you want it. I only ask that you spare Erina."
"Looks like you've been waiting for this day for a long time."
"Half a month ago, after I investigated your past, I knew this day would come."
Shirou fell into thought. His state of mind gradually calmed, and he asked in a low voice:
"If that's the case, why didn't you fight back? Half a month should have been enough time."
"Would it have mattered? Your influence is spread across every country in the world. Even replacing a prime minister would only take a word from you." Nakiri Senzaemon paused before repeating, "You can take my head. I only ask that you spare Erina."
"Heh... How deeply moving. But do you really think that's possible?" The gloom on Shirou's face deepened.
Nakiri Senzaemon took a deep breath, slowly stepped forward, and prostrated himself on the ground in a dogeza before speaking again:
"Take my head if you wish. Please spare Erina."
This scene left Shirou silent.
He had not come here today to start a war.
But because of Nakiri Senzaemon's attitude, he had gotten a little carried away just now.
"Can you make me a dish?"
"If that will make you spare Erina, then I'd be happy to."
Behind Shirou, Minezaki Yaeko stood dumbfounded. She lowered her head, her thoughts running wild.
Until just now, she had believed that Sakurai Shirou had made an appointment in advance to eat at the Nakiri family's home.
What is going on? Didn't we come here to eat? Why did it turn into this?
And why did old Mr. Nakiri say that Boss's influence spans countries all over the world? Isn't Boss just the president of a large construction company?
Why is old Mr. Nakiri, who has such a forceful reputation outside, being so submissive before Boss? Even if it's for his granddaughter...
She followed closely behind Sakurai Shirou, occasionally raising her head to sneak a glance at him.
Come to think of it, after Boss slimmed down yesterday, he seemed several years younger all at once. He looked almost the same as when I first met him seven years ago.
When they reached Nakiri Erina, who was still leaning against the doorframe, Minezaki Yaeko saw the anger and fear intertwined in her eyes. She wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but after opening her mouth, she hesitated and said nothing.
As a secretary, although she had used her own methods over the past seven years to stop Sakurai Shirou from indiscriminately killing many innocents, that had only ever been done in secret.
She simply did not have the courage to openly stand in his way.
Several dozen minutes later, inside the Nakiri family dining room.
"Please enjoy. This is a work into which I have poured all my heart and soul."
Dressed in a chef's uniform, Nakiri Senzaemon stood beside the dining table with an extremely solemn expression.
Three dishes sat on the table: sea bream sashimi, a dried fish appetizer, and seafood soup.
Shirou looked back at him, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of sashimi, and gently bit into it.
In that instant, it was as though a vision of the sea appeared before his eyes, and a powerful appetite rose within him.
In the blink of an eye, he finished all three dishes.
"So this is cuisine that stands at the pinnacle of the world?"
"From now on, I will establish a new Chef Academy and compete with Totsuki fairly."
Nakiri Senzaemon let out a long breath and cautiously asked:
"So, you're willing to spare Erina? As for Managi..."
"You two are outsiders. I can pretend you don't exist. But that woman Nakiri Mana, I will make sure she experiences hell."
"I am willing to take Managi's place..."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of killing her. Sometimes, living is more painful than death."
"Sigh..."
Nakiri Senzaemon sighed softly and did not press the matter further.
No matter what, as long as Erina was safe, that was enough.
As for Managi, they could only take things one step at a time.
At that moment, a man's voice came from outside the door:
"Director, there are so many people here. Did something happen?"
Soon afterward, the sounds of bodyguards stopping him from entering came from outside.
"Let him in," Shirou said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Boss."
The next moment, a middle-aged man walked in.
After standing at the door and looking around, he fixed his gaze on Shirou. He looked hesitant as he asked:
"What is your relationship with Sakurai Shirou?"
"I am Sakurai Shirou."
"You don't look like him. I heard from Soma that Sakurai is a huge fat guy."
The man paused, then said solemnly:
"But since you say so, I'll assume you're Sakurai."
"Yesterday, you won my family's restaurant from Soma and left him with quite a bit of psychological trauma."
"Today, I originally planned to ask the Director to look into your background. Since you're here, that couldn't be better."
"Compete with me! I'll win Yukihira Teishokuya back."
Perhaps This Is Talent
Chapter 59: Perhaps This Is Talent
"Oh...? Why should I compete with you?" Shirou asked in return.
"You aren't afraid of losing, are you?" Yukihira Joichiro narrowed his eyes, attempting to provoke him.
"Heh... This may not be a Shokugeki, but you're still wagering a restaurant. You don't have any stake to put up, yet you want something for nothing?"
"Of course not! I'm willing to put up an amount of money equal to the value of Yukihira Teishokuya as the stakes for this Shokugeki."
Shirou shook his head slightly and rejected the offer.
"Not enough. I intend to turn that street into a residential district."
"If even one of the shops is missing, the plan will fail."
"To you, Yukihira Teishokuya may only be worth one house. But to me, it is tied to the entire street, making it worth as much as the street itself."
Yukihira Joichiro could not help falling silent. What Shirou said made some sense, but the problem was that although he had some savings, it was nowhere near enough to buy an entire street.
A few seconds later, he turned to Nakiri Senzaemon and tentatively said:
"Director, you know something of my cooking skills. Could you lend me the money?"
Nakiri Senzaemon looked hesitant. As he considered it, he suddenly noticed Sakurai Shirou staring at him expressionlessly. He hurriedly looked away and refused:
"Sorry, Joichiro. This is your Shokugeki. I have no reason to interfere."
What was going on?
A trace of confusion appeared on Yukihira Joichiro's face as he thought:
Isn't Sakurai just a wealthy construction contractor? Why does the Director act like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he sees him?
Could it be that he has something on the Director?
Given how sinister this guy is, that's probably it.
"Looks like I'll have to borrow money from someone else."
"I'll lend it to you!"
Nakiri Erina seemed to have recovered from her fear. She stared straight at Yukihira Joichiro, her expression extremely serious.
"Thank you very much! Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Yukihira Joichiro did not refuse. Borrowing money from a junior was somewhat embarrassing, but he had faith in his cooking.
"If I win, then besides Yukihira Teishokuya, every shop on that street will belong to me."
"Fine." Shirou nodded slightly.
"Director, let me use the kitchen," Yukihira Joichiro said, looking at Nakiri Senzaemon.
"Of course. Use it as you please."
Nakiri Senzaemon paused, then said quietly:
"Be careful. Don't let your guard down."
"Don't worry, Director. I'll give it everything I've got."
Yukihira Joichiro rolled up his sleeves and confidently headed for the kitchen.
Watching him leave, Nakiri Erina quickly walked over to Nakiri Senzaemon and whispered:
"Grandfather, can we talk?"
"I know you have many questions, but now isn't the right time. We can talk after all the guests have left."
"No, now. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what I'll do to these so-called guests."
Silence.
Nakiri Senzaemon let out a long sigh and nodded slightly.
There was no choice. To keep Erina from acting on impulse and causing a disaster, he could only agree.
"Mr. Sakurai, may I leave for a moment?"
"This is the Nakiri family home. Go wherever you want. There's no need to ask me."
"In that case, my apologies. Erina and I will leave for a while."
After the two left, Minezaki Yaeko quietly slipped out of the dining room and secretly followed them.
In a secluded corner of the courtyard, Nakiri Senzaemon sighed and said:
"Erina, what do you want to know?"
"Who exactly is that man? Why... why are you so afraid of him? This is a society governed by law. Can he really kill people in public?"
"Erina, you don't understand. Wherever there is light, there is inevitably darkness. And he is darkness itself."
"So what? With the influence of our Nakiri family, we shouldn't need to fear him."
"No, we are completely incomparable to him."
Nakiri Senzaemon shook his head slightly, raised his eyes to watch the birds in the sky, and sighed.
"If he is an eagle looking down upon the earth, then we are ants crawling on the ground."
"There are more than two hundred countries in the world, and his companies are in nearly every single one of them, across every industry."
Seeing that Erina still did not understand, Nakiri Senzaemon pondered for several seconds before slowly speaking:
"Let me put it another way. Then you should understand. At least one-fifth of the people in the world are his employees."
"How is that possible?" Nakiri Erina asked instinctively.
"I also find it unbelievable, but that is the unquestionable truth."
"Then wouldn't becoming his enemy be equivalent to fighting the entire world?"
Before you continue