"This is really incredible... Are you sure all of this was eaten by just five people?"
Jōichirō asked with visible disbelief.
After all, several chefs had cooked for six to seven hours straight, and now there were only piles of empty dishes left behind. The sheer volume seemed impossible for just five people to consume.
"Indeed, they ate everything," replied Gin. "I even have the restaurant's surveillance footage on my phone if you want to check."
He stood up slowly, clearly fatigued from the all-nighter, but as the one in charge of Tōtsuki Resort, he naturally had to greet the guests. Jōichirō accompanied him without hesitation. His identity as one of the pinnacles of the culinary world meant he had an inherent curiosity when it came to anything extraordinary.
As for the others, Gin arranged for them to get some rest.
Soon, the two made their way to the restaurant, where waiters were still cleaning up the mountains of dishes. It was a sight to behold—evidence of an unnatural appetite.
"Hello, Mr. Zed, Ms. Strauss, Ms. Kuchiki. I'm Dōjima Gin, head of Tōtsuki Resort. And this is Jōichirō. We haven't seen each other in some time," Gin greeted warmly.
"Saiba Jōichirō!" Erina exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement upon seeing her childhood idol.
After the Nakiri Azami incident, though Azami had been removed from power, the psychological trauma and twisted ideologies he inflicted on Erina remained deeply rooted. With few options, Nakiri Senzaemon invited Jōichirō to tutor her. Compared to Azami, Jōichirō was far gentler, never imposing his views, guiding her instead to gradually find her own culinary path.
It was no surprise she had come to idolize him. Had he stayed longer back then, Erina might have come to regard him as her true father figure.
"Erina, it's been a while. You look much healthier than before. Oh—and I go by Yukihira Jōichirō now," he said with a smile, surprising both Erina and Gin.
In Japan, it's common for a woman to take a man's surname after marriage, but men taking their wife's surname—like Azami, originally Nakamura Azami—is much rarer, usually implying they've married into the woman's family.
Naturally, they couldn't help but speculate—what kind of woman could convince a culinary titan like Jōichirō to change his name?
"Don't misunderstand—I changed my surname to honor my late wife," Jōichirō clarified, sensing their confusion.
Upon hearing this, both Gin and Erina nodded in understanding.
After some light conversation, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Gin and the others tactfully avoided asking Zed and the others why their appetites were so monstrous. Even now, they weren't sure what questions were appropriate.
The night passed quickly.
By the next afternoon, Nakiri Senzaemon arrived at the resort with Nakiri Mana. Seeing her mother, Erina was overwhelmed with joy. Mana, seeing her daughter's healthy and radiant appearance, felt both relieved and guilty for her prolonged absence. She knew she owed Erina an apology—and much more.
Meanwhile, Gin and Jōichirō found Senzaemon to voice their lingering questions.
"Commander, about last night... that appetite—was that really normal?"
"You've only seen the tip of the iceberg," Senzaemon replied gravely. "Their power is beyond what normal people can comprehend. And I can't say more than that."
Gourmet Cells, Soul Power, World Travel—these are not things meant for public knowledge. Even though Gin and Jōichirō were longtime allies, they were still outsiders.
"...We understand," Jōichirō said after exchanging a glance with Gin. Some truths were better left alone. Knowing too much might do more harm than good.
"Then, about those ingredients..."
Jōichirō changed the subject. The strange but undeniably divine ingredients had captivated him. He had asked Gin earlier if they could purchase some, but the resort didn't have ownership over them—Erina had brought them in.
Senzaemon nodded. "I'll need to consult with Zed first. Even if those ingredients aren't rare to them, they're still theirs. But with Erina and Hisako accompanying him, I don't imagine it'll be a problem for the Nakiri family to obtain some."
"Then we'll leave it to you, Commander. For now, we'd better start preparing lunch..."
As they headed off, the two veteran chefs wore fatigued expressions. Just thinking about having to cook for Zed and his party for the next few days made their shoulders slump.
But just then, a figure appeared in front of them.
"Gin-senpai, Yukihira-senpai—you won't have to worry about that."
It was Arato Hisako.
"Hisako? What do you mean?" Senzaemon asked.
"Even if we mobilized the entire resort staff, we couldn't meet their needs. So Erina-sama and I will handle the cooking ourselves."
The two chefs exchanged glances filled with resignation. So even their best efforts had been inadequate. Their cuisine had been... rejected.
"In that case, we'll leave it to you," Senzaemon smiled. It was a good opportunity to see just how far their cooking had come.
Though he had traveled with them to another world before, the meal back then was prepared by the Fairy Tail guild. He hadn't seen the girls' skills firsthand.
And if the Arato family continued to remain loyal to the Nakiri's, he intended to support them fully.
Roughly an hour later, Erina and Mana finished their conversation. As they prepared to cook, Zed requested a hall be cleared and brought out a massive array of high-end cooking equipment from his storage.
"Where did all this come from?!"
Gin and Jōichirō were stunned.
"Don't be surprised, Gin," Senzaemon reminded calmly. He had witnessed Zed's capabilities before.
"Mr. Zed, there's already a kitchen at the resort. Why set up another one?" Mana asked.
"Because the ordinary kitchen can't keep up with their cooking speed," Zed explained.
In the Gourmet World, fast cooking was not only due to physical prowess and precise control, but also thanks to highly advanced equipment. Even if one could chop ingredients instantly, without proper tools to keep up, the process bottlenecked at heating and preparation.
The special gear stored in Zed's subspace was essential for unleashing their full potential.
Once the space was ready, Zed handed over the ingredients, and Erina and Hisako unsheathed their Melk kitchen knives—blades forged from legendary materials of the Gourmet World—and began their work.
What followed shocked everyone.
They couldn't even see the girls move clearly.
The ingredients were diced in an instant. They could barely trace the flash of a blade before the dish was already simmering or plated.
In mere breaths, dish after dish was completed.
Since the ingredients this time weren't extremely rare ones, there was no need for excessive care, allowing their full speed to be unleashed.
Soon, the entire hall was filled with vibrant, fragrant dishes—each more tempting than the last. The aroma alone had everyone salivating, struggling to resist digging in early.
Outside, even staff members forbidden from entering were peeking in hungrily.
But Zed and the others remained seated, waiting until all dishes were complete.
In just one hour, Erina and Hisako produced a hundred times more dishes than Gin and Jōichirō had made the previous night.
And that was only because of space constraints. If they had a larger area and more gear, they could've gone faster.
"T-too fast. I couldn't even follow their movements. The food just... appeared!" Gin muttered, thoroughly defeated.
He had once been slightly indignant that his cooking had been left unfinished last night—but now, he fully understood.
"There's no comparison. This isn't human," Jōichirō agreed. He now understood what Senzaemon had meant earlier.
"In that case—cooking's done! Let's eat!" Zed called.
Everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks. The scent alone had been torture.
One bite—and they were stunned.
"There's... nothing to critique. This level surpasses everything I've ever known!" Jōichirō exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.
Even Mana, with her God Tongue, couldn't find fault.
After the trauma of her powers going berserk, she had long stopped cooking. But her discerning taste remained.
And this food? It transcended the culinary ceiling of their world.
"These dishes defy all logic... What exactly happened to them while they were gone?"
Gin and Jōichirō could only guess.
But Nakiri Senzaemon and Mana knew the truth.
Though only a few days had passed here, Erina and the others had spent years in another world—gaining power, mastery, and skills far beyond the scope of Earth.