Night draped the forested grounds around the Polar Star Dorm, but its windows still glowed warm.
In Room 308, Shun had just finished a call with Miyoko and was about to sort paperwork for the Chinese Cuisine Research Society when a frantic knock rattled the door.
He figured it was Soma or another dorm mate. Instead, the person on the threshold made him blink.
Short pink hair, face pale, breath unsteady—Hisako stood there, anxiety written across her features.
"Hisako-san?" Shun softened his voice for the girl he'd always had a soft spot for.
New to some as the "most orthodox beauty," she was, much like Megumi, the gentle, reliable type. Even before crossing worlds, Shun had liked her archetype—so seeing her now only warmed his impression.
"Shun-dono… forgive me for intruding so late!"
She was nearly panting. "I came for Erina-sama. Please—save her!"
"What happened to Erina?" Shun asked at once, stepping aside so she could enter. He handed her a cup of warm water. "Here. Sit. Tell me everything."
Hisako laid it all out:
The God Tongue's severe agitation. Her inability to eat. Insomnia. And the looming Shokugeki against Shigeharu Kajiyama of the Fermentation Research Society.
Together, they'd driven Erina to the brink.
There was one thing Hisako did not mention—that ember of feeling Erina had for Shun. Unless it was truly necessary, she would not speak it.
"The Commander also advised Erina-sama to seek you out," Hisako said, voice hitching. "But she refuses to bow her head no matter what! At this rate, she'll surely lose the Shokugeki… her body and mind will collapse!"
Tears pricked her voice as she lowered her head. "Shun-dono, please—I beg you. Only you can help her now!"
Shun's brows knit.
He knew the Nakiri God Tongue carried a curse. Erina would be no exception.
The high-grade ingredients he'd brought from the Gourmet world had undoubtedly impacted her palate—he just hadn't expected the backlash to hit so soon.
He pictured the proud queen now cornered, and a tug of pity pulled at him.
Just then, the system chimed in his mind.
Ding—Quest triggered: [Plea of the God Tongue].
Objective: Soothe Nakiri Erina's taste-anxiety and help her win the Shokugeki.
Reward: Lesser Gourmet Cell Activator ×1 (slightly enhances physique and sensitivity to gourmet energy); Energy Points +200.
Shun's heart gave a jolt.
Lesser Gourmet Cell Activator—exactly the kind of thing he needed right now.
Ever since telling Miyoko about the Shokurin Temple, one practical issue had nagged him: her body.
Thanks to the system and temple training, Shun's own physique had strengthened almost without him noticing. Miyoko, however, remained fully human—no Gourmet Cells, no superhuman stamina or recovery. In that state, she'd struggle with the temple's harsh regimen—let alone the broader Gourmet World, where beasts weighed tons and savagery was the rule.
This activator could be Miyoko's first safety net.
And the energy points mattered too—more ingredients and tools from the Gourmet side.
Decision made in a breath.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced to Hisako. "Give me a moment—I need to make a call."
He dialed Miyoko and explained the situation as it was.
A short silence. Then her voice: "Go, Shun. If Nakiri-san's condition is that serious, we can't just stand by. Do you want me to come help?"
Her calm support sent a warmth through him. "It's okay. Rest. I've got it."
He hung up and nodded to Hisako. "Take me to her—but I need to prep a few things."
Shun moved toward the locker—outwardly casual, inwardly opening the system shop.
His eyes quickly locked on a suitable ingredient.
Bacon Leaf
Capture Level: 2
Cost: 8 points
That would do.
He exchanged the points and withdrew a vivid, emerald leaf that breathed a gentle, smoky aroma. He slipped it into a special preservation case.
"Okay," he said, turning back to Hisako. "Let's go."
They hurried through the night toward the Nakiri estate.
Arriving before the sprawling, austere manor, Shun found Senzaemon already waiting by the gate, as if he had foreseen this visit.
"…"
Shun recovered in an instant and bowed. "Good evening, Commander."
Senzaemon's deep eyes lingered on Shun for a beat. "You're here. I leave that child… in your hands."
No wasted words—only the weight of a grandfather's worry.
Shun kept it simple. "I'll do everything I can."
Guided by Hisako, he reached Erina's room.
He opened the door—and the sight before him was nothing like the imperious queen he knew.
Erina was curled on the sofa. Her once-silken golden hair lay tousled; strands clung to her sweat-damp brow. Her face was pale, eyes rimmed red. At the sound of the door, she looked up and tried to mask the pain.
Then she registered him—and shock froze her. A heartbeat later, shock burned into anger.
"How did you get in here… Hisako, was it you?!"
Her voice was weak but bristling. Even now she tried to maintain that lofty poise, but her trembling hands betrayed her state.
"Erina-sama, I—"
Hisako started to explain, but Shun lifted a hand gently to stop her.
He stepped forward, gaze steady. "I heard you were in trouble. So I came."
"I'm not!" Erina flared, turning her face aside. "I don't need your help! J-just—get out."
Her tone shook; her fingers shook more.
Shun didn't move.
"Then don't accept my help," he said evenly. "Accept my cooking."
Her breath hitched.
He set the preservation case on the side table and opened it; a clean, smoky fragrance unfurled—bright and comforting rather than heavy. He drew out the emerald leaf.
"Bacon Leaf," he said. "Capture Level Two. A leaf whose vascular 'veins' carry a delicate cured savor. It resets palate fatigue without flooding it with noise."
Erina's God Tongue twitched at the scent—curiosity spiking against her will, irritation rippling right behind it.
"I didn't ask for—"
"You don't have to." Shun glanced at the kitchenette. "But I'll be borrowing your burner."
Even Erina couldn't quite muster the strength to stop him as he moved with calm, swift efficiency. A light blanch to wake the leaf's oils; a brief waft to release the reserved smoke hidden in the cells; a whisper of salt to key the vascular lines; a paper-thin chiffonade to spread surface area without overloading receptors.
He plated a small tasting—no theatrics, no garnish—then held the plate out.
Hisako watched with both hope and fear. "Erina-sama…"
Erina clenched her jaw. "I said—"
Her God Tongue pulsed again, the craving and the pain spiraling. The cushion trembled under her fingers.
She snatched the tiniest ribbon of leaf—and let it touch her tongue.
The effect was immediate but gentle: the smoke note didn't attack; it embraced, then lifted. The salt did not sting; it drew a line through the chaos, and along that line, the palate's frantic static began to settle. The cured undertone threaded through bitterness and metallic fatigue, rounding the edges, reintroducing order without deadening sensitivity.
Her shoulders eased a fraction. The headache's vise slackened by a notch.
Shun's voice was low, even. "You've been swallowing flaws that your tongue can't unsee. This won't silence the God Tongue; it will re-center it."
Erina stared at the plate, then at him. Pride warred with relief; relief almost won—almost.
"D… don't get the wrong idea," she muttered, cheeks warming despite the pallor. "This is only… marginally acceptable."
Hisako exhaled a breath she'd been holding for far too long.
Shun allowed himself the faintest smile. "Good. Then let's proceed to the next step—very light congee of equilibrium, and a single-note fermentation to map Kajiyama's attack lines."
He set the pan to warm. "Erina-sama, you don't have to ask me for help," he said, without looking up. "But as a chef, I won't ignore a palate that's in pain."
The spoon tapped the rim—clean, precise.
Outside, the night deepened.
Inside, the cage door nudged—just a little—ajar.
(End of Chapter)
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