World: Shokugeki no Soma.
Time: Half a year before the main story begins.
Location: In front of Yukihira Diner.
"Hah… Whether this works or not depends on this moment." Hayashi patted his cheeks, nervously licked his lips, and glanced down at the bento box in his hand. He muttered, "But with Chef Pai's skills, she should dominate this world, right?"
...
...
A month ago, Hayashi Sora woke up from an afternoon nap to find a pink wooden door in his mind. Through the door's built-in beginner's guide, he learned that this was an Interdimensional Gate capable of connecting and traveling to any anime world.
After obtaining this ability, Hayashi was initially ecstatic. He immediately opened 'myanimelist' and began searching through anime listings, eager to find the perfect world for an exhilarating adventure, an epic saga, and the chance to become a world-saving hero!
But after an entire afternoon of compiling a list of over a dozen worlds—even fantasizing about sweeping through battles and forming "certain" friendships with heroines—hunger jolted him back to reality with a sobering thought:
An exhilarating adventure? An epic saga? A world-saving hero?
Wait, what do these three things have to do with a modern-day, out-of-shape young man who wheezes after running a mere kilometer? With his current combat ability, if he were thrown into worlds like One Piece, Naruto, Akame ga Kill, or Shield Hero, wouldn't he die in seconds?
Snapping out of his delusions, Hayashi splashed cold water on his face to calm down. He ordered a bowl of spicy mala tang on his phone, then sat back down to think rationally.
The first priority was safety. Until he obtained enough power to protect himself—whether through personal strength, items, or bodyguards—he should avoid high-risk worlds. Otherwise, the moment he arrived, he might find himself face-to-face with a certain Irithyllian knight raising a greatsword to cheer for him… and promptly meet his end.
The second consideration was resources. As a modern person, Hayashi knew the saying, "Money isn't everything, but without money, you can't do anything." He couldn't just hop between 2D worlds every day like an interdimensional wage slave, could he?
But here's the problem—how the hell does a struggling writer like me even get resources? Hayashi stared at the cramped one-room apartment and the laptop he used for writing, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Am I supposed to become a black-market trader?"
Hayashi had naturally read many novels about dual-world transmigration, where the protagonists often took advantage of the opportunity to become traders, the most typical example being exchanging modern society's food for "luxury goods" from ancient or post-apocalyptic worlds.
But becoming a trader by transmigrating into a 2D world? That seemed a bit too strange, didn't it? Trade what?
Yukinoshita Yukino's used indoor shoes? Kasumigaoka Utaha's used spoon? Or Sakurajima Mai's discarded bunny girl outfit?
Would anyone actually believe in that stuff? Seriously!
Placing his spicy hot pot on the table, Hayashi murmured, "Man is iron, rice is steel—skip a meal and hunger's real! Let's eat first and think later... Wait a minute!"
Looking at the fragrant spicy hot pot before him, Hayashi thoughtfully stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Hmm, seems like there might actually be some gullible fools I could trick?"
...
...
After some research, Hayashi purchased a few exquisitely crafted glass products and then used the Interdimensional Gate to enter the world of Cooking Master Boy, choosing to arrive on the day before the story began—when Shouan stole all of Kikkaro's assets.
After explaining his origins to Master Chef Pai, Hayashi expressed his long-standing admiration for her culinary skills and his unwillingness to see Kikkaro fall into decline. With his help, Pai did not overexert herself to revive the restaurant and die young as in the original story, but instead safely weathered the toughest period.
Additionally, after his first transmigration, Hayashi learned about the three stages of the Interdimensional Gate:
First Stage: Upon arriving in a new world, the gate only allows the host to understand the world's language for seamless communication. At this stage, summoning the gate requires about ten seconds of "casting time."
Second Stage: The host must stay in the new world continuously for about a month (if they leave midway, the timer resets). After this, the gate records the world's coordinates, and the host no longer needs casting time—they can summon the gate instantly.
Third Stage: After accumulating about six months in the new world, the gate fully adapts to the world's rules, allowing the host to transport living beings.
Beyond this, the Interdimensional Gate would deploy a shield when Hayashi was under threat (including dismemberment). The shield's lower limit could block common firearms, while its upper limit depended on Hayashi's strength. Simultaneously, it would cleanse all abnormal statuses within the shield's range—though the shield only had ten initial charges. Once depleted, Hayashi had to recharge it himself.
Thus, to execute his plan, Hayashi first returned to Earth to settle his affairs before coming back to Cooking Master Boy's world. After staying continuously for a month, he confidently brought bento boxes meticulously prepared by Master Chef Pai and entered the world of Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma)
...
...
"Welcome!"
When Hayashi stepped into Yukihira Diner, the red-spiky-haired Sōma Yukihira greeted him enthusiastically, "Customer, what would you like to order?"
"Hmm, I'll have an omelet rice, please." Hayashi thought for a moment before sitting down on the chair with a smile. "Could I meet your father?"
"Oh!" Sōma didn't think much of it and shouted toward the kitchen, "Dad! Someone's looking for you!"
"Huh?" Jōichirō Yukihira poked his head out with a puzzled expression. "Looking for me? Who is it?"
Hayashi raised his right hand high. "Me, me, me! Mr. Saiba, I have something very important to discuss with you!"
Seeing the stranger who had just called out his former surname, Jōichirō's eyes narrowed slightly, but he immediately laughed it off. "Ah, customer, you've got the wrong person! My surname is Yukihira, you know!"
"Oh, did I make a mistake?" Hayashi feigned distress. "Ah, I really need to find Mr. Saiba for something very important."
"Though I don't know who this 'Saiba' is, if you don't mind, customer, you could tell me about this important matter." Jōichirō wiped his hands with a towel as he walked over cheerfully.
"Dad, why are you being so nosy?" Sōma, completely oblivious to the subtext of their conversation, mumbled around a squid tentacle in his mouth. "Is it midlife crisis or something?"
"..."
His fists clenched. Hard.
Jōichirō took a deep breath and repeated to himself internally: 'My own flesh and blood, my own flesh and blood, my own flesh and blood! Her and my child, her and my child, her and my child!'
Hold it in!
After smacking Sōma on the back of the head and sending him off to the kitchen, Jōichirō plopped down in front of Hayashi and said in a relaxed tone, "Alright, young man, let's hear it. This 'important matter' of yours."
"Very well." Hayashi nodded. He lifted his hands and placed the bento box made by Chef Pai on the table, then took a deep breath before opening it. "Before I explain my purpose, Mr. Yukihira, please taste this bento."
"You're not... trying to get into Tōtsuki through me, are you?" Jōichirō gave him a strange look before picking up a pair of wooden chopsticks from the nearby holder. "If that's your plan, you might be disappointed. I don't—"
The moment the first slice of boiled pork touched his tongue, Jōichirō's words froze. It was as if Medusa's gaze had turned him to stone—only his mouth moved instinctively, savoring the incredible flavor.
'What is this?'
'Why does it taste so good?'
'The ingredients are ordinary, but... but...'
'The technique—it's on a completely different level! Flawless, like a divine masterpiece born perfect!'
A chef's hands should be steady, but Jōichirō's trembled slightly.
"It seems to have worked." Hayashi let out a sigh of relief, smiling as he looked up at Mr. Jōichirō before him. "Saiba... no, Yukihira Joichiro! Allow me to explain my purpose here—I hope you can introduce me to the esteemed elder, Nakiri Senzaemon. I believe the level of craftsmanship in this dish is enough to save the 'God's Tongue' of Nakiri Erina and Nakiri Mana."
Yes, this was Hayashi's plan!
Using Master Pai's culinary skills as a stepping stone, then having the Nakiri family from the world of Shokugeki no Soma become his "resource backbone"!
The reason he sought out Jōichirō Yukihira first was simple—he figured that if he showed up at Tōtsuki's gates with a lunchbox and asked the gatekeeper, "Can I meet the director and have him taste the dish I've prepared?", he'd probably be dismissed as a lunatic and thrown out.
...
...
An hour and a half later.
Nakiri Residence, reception room.
"Emmm..."
Hayashi's lips twitched as he stared at the director, now clad only in a loincloth, his intimidating muscles on full display. He couldn't help but think that if he ever got into a fight with Nakiri Senzaemon, it would take all of three seconds for Senzaemon to be on his knees, begging him not to die.
"I have never tasted such a miraculous dish in my life." Senzaemon's expression was that of a devout believer witnessing their faith manifest before them. Having pursued the path of culinary arts his entire life, to finally see a road ahead—how could he not be moved? Moreover, such skill meant there was hope for redemption for his daughter and granddaughter, whose tongues were both a blessing and a curse.
"I'm glad it suits the director's tastes. That's the best outcome." A faint smile appeared on Hayashi's face—it seemed this collaboration was secured. His inability to hide his excitement earned a knowing glance between Senzaemon and Jōichirō.
"Hayashi-kun—" Senzaemon studied the young man before him. "This dish... it wasn't made by you, was it?"
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