"I have no plans."
"The only thing I want to do is defeat you!"
Alice said without hesitation.
"Is that all?"
This time, Erina's tone fluctuated slightly: "Alice, you still haven't recognized reality!"
"At Totsuki, even if you painstakingly defeat me, what then?"
"You should know that even I am only at the very bottom of the Elite Ten, and there are 9 other powerful Elite Ten members above me; they are the ones standing at the top of Totsuki!"
"This…"
Alice hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say.
Having just transferred to Totsuki Academy, she might not yet understand how intense the internal competition is.
Normal competition is simply like boxers, two people have a match, the winner gets the prize, the loser accepts defeat, then they continue training, and PK again in the next match.
However, at Totsuki, it's like there's a cake, and if A takes it, it's gone, and B can't get any no matter how hard he tries.
And there really is only one cake; other cakes from outside cannot participate, and resources are completely restricted.
Take Sōma in the original work; no matter how talented he was, the various Elite Ten members didn't even pay attention to him.
Even with the "Shokugeki" rule to resolve various conflicts between students.
Therefore, theoretically, students can also have a Shokugeki duel with the Elite Ten and replace them.
But rules are rules, and the Elite Ten also have the right to interpret them.
If Nakiri Azami hadn't instigated the Totsuki coup later, allowing Sōma and others to directly contend for power with seniors like Eishi Tsukasa and Rindo.
Perhaps, they would have had to wait a while longer to make their mark.
…
At this moment.
Seeing Alice fall silent.
Erina could only let out a soft sigh.
No one can predict the future, but if Alice doesn't recognize the current situation at Totsuki in time, she will stumble sooner or later.
"Hmm?"
"When did I finish the Mille-feuille?"
Unexpectedly, just then, Alice realized that the Mille-feuille in her hand had been completely eaten without her noticing.
She smacked her lips, and after a careful aftertaste, she still felt that this Mille-feuille was not enough.
So, she turned her gaze to the 5 super-large Takoyaki in Erina's hand.
"Erina."
"Can you give me one…"
"No, Sosuke gave these to me," Erina replied firmly.
Then, she seemed afraid that Alice would come and snatch them.
She picked up one Takoyaki directly and ate it in front of her.
The golden, crispy Takoyaki, with large, springy pieces of octopus inside, topped with plenty of mayonnaise and bonito flakes, was simply bursting with happiness.
And when eaten, the soft, powdery texture, the savory taste of the bonito flakes, plus the spiciness of the mustard.
In an instant, they all bloomed together in her mouth, satisfying her tongue and taste buds.
However, before she could recover from the taste of the Takoyaki, the sharp-eyed and quick-handed Alice snatched a Takoyaki from Erina's hand.
"Alice!"
"You… you…"
"Alright, alright, I'll just eat one of your Takoyaki, and I'll make you a Dragon Whispering Strawberry to compensate you later!"
"Huh?"
"Who wants to eat your scientific cuisine?"
Seeing the receding back, Erina was truly stunned.
When she reacted, she wanted to be angry but couldn't, so she could only grit her teeth, stamp her foot, and then quickly chased after her.
…
Day.
Night.
These are two different worlds!
Generally speaking, restaurants operating during the daytime usually end their business day before 8 PM.
Those operating at night generally start from around 5 to 6 PM and continue until 3 AM, or even before 7 AM.
Sometimes, even if a store usually closes at 3 AM.
But if customers don't leave, for example, if they still want to continue drinking with friends, then the restaurant has to stay open with the customers.
Therefore, it's hard to say when some night-operating restaurants will close.
However, Sosuke's Izakaya strictly adheres to the rule of closing after 12 AM; he generally doesn't serve customers after this time.
"Shopkeeper."
"Two servings of Wensi Tofu."
Just as Sosuke was busy organizing today's orders.
In front of him, a familiar, clear, and sweet voice suddenly rang out.
"We're closed!"
"Come back tomorrow."
Sosuke, busy with his work, seemed to know who had arrived by the sound of her voice.
So he didn't lift his head to see her, but directly issued an order to leave.
"Closed?"
"Isn't it supposed to close at 12?"
"We're only a few minutes late, look…"
Annie, hearing that this Izakaya actually closed on time, couldn't help but be stunned.
Thinking about how eager Nagiri Mana was to taste Sosuke's cooking, she quickly booked two plane tickets, and together with her, flew back to Japan overnight.
Then, immediately after getting off the plane, without even time to rest, they rushed to the Izakaya.
But after finally arriving, they were told it was closed?
"It's not that I want to rush you away, but we've run out of ingredients for today, so I can't make Wensi Tofu according to your needs," Sosuke explained.
"Is that so?"
"That's really unfortunate."
The woman behind Annie started speaking.
Her voice seemed somewhat frail, but also filled with a deep sense of regret.
"Hmm?"
"That voice…"
Upon hearing this, Sosuke couldn't help but lift his head.
…
Standing behind Annie was a mature woman in her thirties.
She was wearing a wide, dark red kimono with a cherry blossom pattern, and her cool, elegant makeup paired with sword-like sharp eyes made one shiver!
Perhaps because she hadn't eaten for many years, only maintaining her life by injecting nutrient solutions.
Even though the mature woman in front of him was wearing a wide kimono, it couldn't hide how slender her figure was.
Coupled with her abnormally pale complexion, completely devoid of color, it was clear that she was in a state of extreme malnutrition.
It's no exaggeration to say that even a slight breeze could probably blow her to the ground.
But even so, she still possessed a peerless, elegant, and regal "Queen" aura!
Hmm!
This kind of aura.
It could also be intimately felt on Erina, another person with Nakiri family blood.
"She?"
"How could it be her?"
Sosuke was instantly surprised.
He had absolutely not anticipated Nagiri Mana's first visit to the Izakaya.
His cooking had indeed won Annie's recognition and affirmation.
But as Mana's secretary, she shouldn't have incited the person who represents the strongest in the world to come to this small Izakaya just because of a Wensi Tofu dish!
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!