"By the way, Arato-san, there's something... don't forget..."
Hisako hesitated for a moment.
What was it? Did she forgot something?
"Ahem, the ingredients," Kamisaka Yuto coughed twice before muttering the two words in a low voice.
'This made him look a little cute.'
Yuto already had the fine looks of a boy-toy, and the way he was muttering under his breath now made him seem even cuter.
"Pfft— Please rest assured, Kamisaka-kun. I won't deceive you." Hisako couldn't help but be amused by him at this moment.
Her heart fluttered with a little excitement at this newly discovered side of him.
'So the Kamisaka-kun who could say such mature things also had such an adorable side.'
The young woman's gaze couldn't help but soften.
"That's good!" Yuto smiled.
The car had arrived at Ichinosuke Street.
After reminding Hisako about the ingredients, Yuto pushed open the car door and got out.
"Arato-san, thank you for driving me back. I've troubled you," he said very politely.
Hisako hurriedly returned the courtesy.
After they bid each other farewell, the luxury car turned around and drove away.
Yuto also turned and walked towards his own restaurant.
He didn't have much to do every day.
The only thing he usually had to go out and do was buy groceries, but today, he didn't need to do that either.
He would choose to spend the rest of his time cooped up at home.
His home was on the second floor, accessible from the backyard of the restaurant.
The first floor was the storefront, and the second floor was his living quarters. This integrated design made it very convenient for him to run his shop or rest.
The time spent at the Nakiri residence was about an hour, with the main time-consumer being the journey there and back.
After all, traffic jams in Tokyo are a daily occurrence.
...
It was now a little after eight in the morning, and none of the establishments in the red-light district were open yet.
They worked at night, just like Yuto, but they hadn't been physically enhanced.
After a long hard night, they had to rest well during the day.
When Yuto first arrived in this world, he had received help from these neighborhood folks for trivial things, like where the market was and how to get there, along with other kinds of assistance.
The red-light district had adult bars, adult KTVs, adult massage parlors, and adult movie theaters.
Everyone would open their doors in the afternoon to clean their shops, then start business around seven in the evening.
Sometimes in the afternoon, when everyone was free, they would sit together.
The employees from each shop would gather to share interesting stories.
When Yuto first arrived and knew nothing, he had also sat and chatted with everyone.
Although those onee-sans often made adult jokes, they all looked out for him, after all, he was very cute.
It was also quite strange, come to think of it.
Ordinarily, when similar shops are concentrated on one street, many conflicts tend to arise over customers and territory.
But Ichinosuke Street, as a street of shops that people would subconsciously look down upon, was remarkably united.
Everyone helped each other out, and the relationships between them, whether employees or bosses, were very good.
A certain scene often occurred on Ichinosuke Street.
When a customer caused a conflict with a shop for not following the rules, the employees from the neighboring establishments would come out to back up the bullied employee.
Yuto understood why.
It was precisely because they were all looked down upon that they would sympathize with and protect one another.
Even if the law permitted and recognized red-light districts, some things, like societal prejudice, could not be erased.
That was why Yuto was very fond of this street.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a red-light district; the people here were cleaner than those dressed in respectable clothes.
"Oh, Yuto-chan! Where did Yuto-chan go?"
As Yuto passed by a karaoke bar, the door happened to open and a middle-aged woman walked out.
Her figure was a bit out of shape, and her looks were only slightly better than average.
This was the mama-san of the karaoke bar, Hanako.
She had entered this line of work when she was young, and after being cheated by men many times, she had remained single.
Now, she finally had her own business.
Back then, she was one of the people who had taken the best care of Yuto.
Once, when she was drunk, she had cried in front of him.
If she had grown up normally like an ordinary girl, her child would have been his age by now.
It's just that fate often plays tricks on people.
"Good morning, Aunt Hanako. I just went to a friend's house," Yuto greeted her politely.
"You must get along well with your friends, Yuto-chan," Hanako said with a hint of admonishment.
Yuto didn't argue, just nodded silently.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he left.
He walked a few steps and then looked back, a little puzzled.
Why was she out so early today? He usually passed by in the morning but had never run into her.
He looked at Hanako; an irrepressible joy hung on the corners of her mouth.
It seemed as if something wonderful had happened to her.
'Forget it, it's just a chance encounter. Why am I being so sensitive?' Yuto turned back and continued walking towards his small restaurant.
Meanwhile, Hanako was on the phone while smiling.
...
Sitting in the car on her way back to the Nakiri estate, Hisako's heart was not as calm as her expression suggested.
The words Kamisaka Yuto had said in the car replayed in her mind over and over.
Shokugeki.
Disapproval.
She had to admit that what he said made sense.
As the secretary to one of Totsuki's Elite Ten, she knew far more than the average student.
Every year—no, every single semester—the number of students expelled from Totsuki was countless.
The number was too high.
She used to feel sorry for those people, but later, as she handled more and more documents, she grew numb.
She had completely ignored the fact that behind each expulsion notice was a real person.
They had entered Totsuki Culinary Academy with great passion, only to be eliminated by the extremely harsh system.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to those passionate students.
Hisako had never paid attention to the lives of the students who were expelled.
Among those people, how many could still maintain their passion and love for cooking?
And how many would see their expulsion from Totsuki as a shadow looming over their entire lives?
"Kamisaka-kun, you are truly astonishing," Hisako murmured softly.
Although she had only known him for less than a day, he had left an extremely deep impression on her.
"Arato-sama, we've arrived." The driver's voice brought Hisako back to her senses.
They had reached the Nakiri Estate.
She got out of the car, politely bid the driver farewell, and then walked into the main hall of the residence.
She had to first report to Senzaemon that Yuto had returned safely, and then go attend to Erina.
Both Senzaemon's and Erina's rooms were accessed through the main hall.
When she walked inside, however, she saw that both Senzaemon and Erina were already sitting there.
"Hisako."
"Senzaemon-sama, I have seen Kamisaka-san home." Hisako spoke respectfully to the old man seated on the sofa.
Erina, sitting on another sofa, still had a sour look on her face.
It seemed she was still angry.
"Did you talk about anything on the way?" Senzaemon asked faintly.
Hisako hesitated for a few seconds before giving a slight bow.
"I asked Kamisaka-san why he would not have a Shokugeki with Erina-sama. Kamisaka-san gave me an answer."
Her words made Senzaemon's eyes brighten slightly.
Erina's expression also became somewhat complicated, as if curiosity and anger were intertwined.
"Tell me."
As Senzaemon's voice fell, Hisako began to recount calmly.
She repeated what Yuto had said in the car about his views on Shokugeki.
When she finished, all three of them in the main hall fell silent.
The anger on Erina's face was gone, replaced by a look of contemplation and seriousness.
Senzaemon took a deep breath, his expression as calm and solemn as ever.
"Erina, what are your thoughts?" He looked at his granddaughter.
Erina didn't answer immediately.
Her heart was in turmoil.
For her, Kamisaka Yuto's words were undoubtedly another clash of ideologies.
She was all about winning and losing, about proving superiority; she had never considered the things Yuto mentioned.
Now, after hearing them, she actually felt that he was right.
She even found herself yearning for and fantasizing about the emotions he described.
Although she thought so, she was somewhat unwilling to admit it out loud.
Her difficult personality made it impossible for her to be entirely frank.
After some deep thought, Erina sighed. "I think he has a point."
She finally admitted it, though her words were very simple.
This was but a fraction of the turbulence in her heart.
Upon hearing his granddaughter's reply, the corner of Senzaemon's mouth curled up in a barely perceptible, fleeting smile.
"Hisako, what about you?"
"I also believe what Kamisaka-san said makes sense," Hisako replied respectfully.
"Good. Are we still going to that kid's place for dinner tonight?" Senzaemon didn't state his own opinion.
He just gave a broad smile and asked the question.
"Yes!" Erina was very enthusiastic.
She hadn't given up on the Shokugeki!
"I will accompany Erina-sama wherever she goes," Hisako also expressed her intention.
"Good, we'll go to that kid's place again tonight!" Senzaemon said with a laugh.
...
Senzaemon returned to his room.
He sat at his desk, closed his eyes, and sank into deep thought.
A somewhat emotional sigh slowly escaped him.
"Kamisaka Yuto, you've brought me quite a few surprises."