"That's enough." Seeing the few of them start to argue, Dylan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. His voice carried a strange aut
"That's enough."
Seeing the few of them start to argue, Dylan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. His voice carried a strange authority that instantly quieted the scene.
Normally, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to say such things in someone else's home, but there were too many contemptible buffoons in this world, and too many people who couldn't read the room.
After all, this wasn't ancient times, where one could simply kill someone in such a situation and ride off into the sunset. He had to use his cooking to speak for himself.
Of course, he had already reached the level of a high-star Special Grade Chef, so he naturally couldn't personally deal with such unknown small-fry; that would be lowering his own status.
However, being mocked with such words, he couldn't possibly remain indifferent. So, he glanced at the eager Alice Nakiri beside him.
"The Nakiri family, just like Tōtsuki, likes to play by the rules of survival of the fittest. But this is also a truth I believe in. Since that's the case, then let's have a Shokugeki!"
As Dylan's voice fell, the scene was suddenly silent for a moment. Then, the man who had previously acted as a peacemaker's face twisted into a sneer, and he spoke:
"Alright then! Let me, Nakiri Kaede, see if your skills are truly that of a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef!"
"A Shokugeki? That's indeed a good method. My two dear little sisters, let your big cousin here help you expose this liar's true colors. Don't mistake a stone from the latrine pit for gold. Although they're both yellow, their nature is quite different."
The tall woman couldn't help but laugh. They were of a similar age to Dylan and had all obtained seats in the Elite Ten back at Tōtsuki. They were absolute figures of renown and were confident they couldn't lose to their peers.
Although Erina Nakiri possessed astonishing talent, a genius who hadn't fully matured was ultimately lacking. Plus, since both sides were from different factions, they naturally weren't afraid of offending them.
"Hahahaha."
On the other side, the shorter girl also started laughing heartily as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, her posture showing she didn't take them seriously at all.
"You may have misunderstood something. To deal with trash like you, Master Dylan doesn't need to act personally. Alice and I are more than enough. And you, Third Uncle and Third Aunt, you've spent too much time in America. It's normal that you've just landed and don't understand the situation here. But, not understanding doesn't mean you can randomly make enemies for the Nakiri family. With such a childish mentality, how can you represent the image of the Nakiri family abroad?"
Receiving the signal from Dylan's eyes, Erina Nakiri stepped forward first, looking very much like a student eager to perform well in front of her teacher.
Alice Nakiri saw through her thoughts as if looking into a clear mirror, so she silently retracted the words she was about to say and didn't compete with her for the chance to show off.
She had already won Dylan over, having exchanged their 'firsts' with each other. Her heart was very stable, so she naturally wouldn't be anxious about such trivial things anymore.
If one were to use a phrase to describe her current state, it would probably be the calm demeanor of the main empress.
"How dare you, Erina! You're merely a candidate for the family head right now, yet you dare to put on the airs of a family head with me! You should know that we are your elders!"
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, the Third Uncle and Third Aunt, who were initially a bit apprehensive seeing Dylan's confident demeanor, could no longer hold back. They spoke to her with ashen faces.
As elders, to be reprimanded by Erina Nakiri with the posture of a family head.
If this matter got out, where would they put their faces? Wouldn't everyone who came up to them mock them?
"Little friend Dylan was invited by me. He is a genuine Seven-Star Special Grade Chef. To put it bluntly, he is an existence that even I must look up to. You two have been away for too long and dare to be so disrespectful. Kneel and apologize to me!"
With such a major incident happening in the manor, Senzaemon Nakiri naturally received the news immediately.
But he didn't appear right away. Instead, he waited for the conflict to escalate before showing himself.
The reason was simple: these few were from the second faction. In the past, they had often clashed with his faction, causing a lot of chaos.
It was just that he didn't have a legitimate reason to intervene.
But now, these two brainless individuals had provoked Dylan, and their children had been even more disrespectful with their words, almost creating a great enemy for the Nakiri family.
As the family head, he had the right to punish them.
"Elder Brother, we..."
"Call me Family Head! The younger generation is ignorant, and you as elders do not stop them but instead join in the foolishness. This is truly unacceptable! After this matter, you will be confined to the ancestral hall for three days, without food or drink, until you have reflected and repented. Only then may you come out."
Seeing the two seem to want to explain, Senzaemon Nakiri continued with a cold face, as if they had committed a heinous crime.
However, offending a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef was a great crime in any family. In severe cases, they would even be expelled from the family.
Of course, modern society valued civilization and wouldn't execute these people. Expulsion mainly meant being driven out to fend for themselves.
And for these people who had lived in luxury, being driven out of the Nakiri family and losing everything they had now was more unbearable than death!
"What a cunning old fox."
Dylan took all of this in, his face expressionless, but he was sneering inwardly.
As a master of martial arts, he knew exactly when Senzaemon Nakiri had arrived. As for why he only came out now, he could guess one or two reasons.
This guy was probably using a borrowed knife to kill.
And he, by a stroke of bad luck, was the knife in his hand.
But Dylan didn't care. Anyway, the Nakiri family would either be led by Erina Nakiri or Alice Nakiri in the future.
In the end, it would likely become his. In that case, the old master was also clearing obstacles for him, so he naturally had nothing to be unhappy about.
"My dear brother, this matter is a beautiful misunderstanding. These two have been working hard for the Nakiri family's assets lately. You see, they haven't caused any actual harm to this little friend. I think it would be better to give some substantial compensation, and let's just forget about this matter."
Just then, a lean old man with a monocle walked out from the house, playing the role of a peacemaker with a smile on his face.
He then took out a key from his breast pocket and quickly came to Dylan's side.
"This is the key to a courtyard in a summer villa in the western suburbs of Tokyo. It has a private hot spring inside, perfect for a relaxing bath! Consider it my apology to you, little friend."
As he spoke, the key had already been pressed into Dylan's hand. The little old man smiled at him with a wrinkled face, looking very affable.
If nothing unexpected, this should be the leader of the second faction, Nakiri Sen'uemon, Senzaemon Nakiri's younger brother.
On the way here, he had heard Alice Nakiri mention that this guy was a typical smiling tiger, extremely humble to those stronger than himself.
But once you fell from grace, he would stab you without a moment's hesitation.
"A summer villa? That's a good place. Since you are so sincere, then let's forget about this offense."
Looking at the key Nakiri Sen'uemon handed him, Dylan held it in his hand, twirling the key ring with his finger twice, a satisfied expression on his face.
Coincidentally, the Dark Cooking Society lacked a base in Japan. With such a place, the Dark Cooking Society should be able to develop rapidly in Japan.
Although he had already confirmed his relationship with Alice Nakiri and could also use the Nakiri family's resources.
But those were ultimately someone else's, far less convenient than using his own.
"Since my younger brother has pleaded for you, and the main party in this incident has forgiven you, the three-day confinement is waived. It will be changed to one day of closed-door reflection."
Hearing Dylan speak, Senzaemon Nakiri breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He couldn't possibly make them kneel; that would be a loss of face for the Nakiri family.
Now, seeing Nakiri Sen'uemon make a great sacrifice, and Dylan also satisfied, he took the opportunity to lessen the couple's punishment.
Compared to the three-day confinement and the accompanying lack of food and drink, this punishment could be said to be extremely light, as everyone was well aware.
And the couple looked at each other, seeing the humiliation in each other's eyes, but still stepped forward, forced a smile, and sincerely apologized to Dylan.
"We're sorry, Your Excellency Dylan. It was I who had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, misinterpreting your meaning out of my own cleverness and causing such a big joke. I am truly sorry!"
Looking at Dylan, who remained composed and hadn't even glanced at them directly from the beginning, the couple stepped forward and bowed at a ninety-degree angle, perfectly demonstrating the spirit of bowing.
Dylan was sure.
These two had only submitted on the surface. Who knows what they were plotting behind his back.
But, since the other party had already put on an act and paid a sufficient price, he couldn't be bothered to hold onto this matter.
"It's fine. Since it was just a misunderstanding, it's good that it's cleared up now."
Dylan said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He wasn't going to get angry over such a small matter. He then turned his gaze to the trembling trio of provocateurs.
Compared to their parents, they had said quite a few bad things about him.
This, he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard.
"Let the younger generation's matters be solved by the younger generation's methods."
Seeing Dylan's gaze shift, and worried that he would make a fuss, Nakiri Sen'uemon spoke up first.
These were the elites of his second faction; no matter what, they couldn't come to any harm!
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Senzaemon Nakiri glanced at Dylan, saw him nod slightly, and then spoke.
"Your side will send out Erina and Alice. They are young and lack culinary experience. How about this, my side will send out one person to duel both of them at the same time. If my side wins, let's just drop this matter, how about that? Of course, we will still provide compensation. This is the key to a modified off-road vehicle, as compensation for you this time. This off-road vehicle is suitable for all kinds of terrain, has a very large interior space, can seat twenty people, and is suitable for wilderness exploration and collecting ingredients."
Taking out a car key he had prepared long ago from his pocket, Nakiri Sen'uemon said with a beaming smile.
He had long been prepared to make a great sacrifice. The reason he was late was that he felt things were going to go bad and had someone fetch the gift originally intended for a distinguished guest in advance.
He had specifically instructed his several children in the Nakiri family not to cause trouble, but he hadn't had time to look after the couple who had rushed back from America, which was how this incident occurred.
Thinking of this, Nakiri Sen'uemon shot a fierce glare at the couple. The couple could only lower their heads, feeling extremely wronged in their hearts.
Who knew there would be such a young Seven-Star Special Grade Chef, and that he would happen to be brought back by Alice Nakiri? This was simply an unreasonable existence!
Who would have thought that acting prestige in one's own house towards an outsider could lead to trouble?
"Inappropriate."
"Erina and Alice are not so weak as to need two people to deal with one. How about this, all three of them can go up together. Erina and Alice together. Both sides will cooperate as a team. Let's see who is stronger."
Dylan shook his head, rejecting Nakiri Sen'uemon's proposal. He didn't want Alice Nakiri to experience a meaningless Shokugeki.
That would undoubtedly be a waste of both sides' time.
This time, he had specially accompanied Erina Nakiri back to let her establish her authority in the Nakiri family and show off the style of a Special Grade Chef.
"Two against three? This..."
Nakiri Sen'uemon's expression was peculiar, a hint of confusion in his heart.
He was very confident in the strength of his own grandchildren.
Although they hadn't reached Special Grade, they were all outstanding among first-grade head chefs.
And because they had lived together and sparred with each other since they were young, honing their culinary skills, they could even make Special Grade dishes by playing to their respective strengths.
He didn't object to his grandchildren winning, but if they won too overwhelmingly, this person's face would be lost, and he was afraid he would vent his anger on their faction.
In that case.
Everything he had done now would have been in vain.
They could win, but not too easily. They needed to save face for both sides. This was his thought, so he looked at Senzaemon Nakiri.
"Good! It should be so! It's a rare opportunity. Let the two of us old things and little friend Dylan serve as the judges for this match."
Who would have thought that after hearing Dylan's words, Senzaemon Nakiri would suddenly clap his hands and laugh heartily, readily agreeing to this seemingly 'unfair' duel.
He also wanted to see Alice Nakiri's limit!
Alice Nakiri, with Special Grade strength, and Erina Nakiri, who had just entered first-grade. When these two cooperated, what level could they reach?!
"There's no time like the present. We've been busy all day and haven't even had dinner. I've grown tired of beef and mutton recently. For the theme of this Shokugeki, let's just set it as ingredients from a pig."
Snapping his fingers, Dylan proposed.
"If we use ingredients from a pig as the theme, there are free-range local pigs behind the Nakiri manor. But it's been getting cold recently, and the two butchers who usually work for the family have both caught a cold and fallen ill. I just called this afternoon to find a new butcher, and the soonest they can get here is tomorrow morning... How about we change the theme? Since we're not eating beef or mutton, there's still seafood, or fruits and vegetables. We have enough ingredients here!"
Hearing Dylan's proposal, Senzaemon Nakiri's voice revealed a hint of helplessness, and he then began to discuss a solution with him.
This morning, the usually healthy butchers had suddenly caught a cold and were bedridden, two of them at once.
Because the family banquet was in two days, they weren't in a hurry. They just had someone find another butcher to come and slaughter the pig tomorrow morning.
Who would have thought that Dylan would want to use 'pig' ingredients as the theme, which really put him in a difficult position.
"It's fine. I'll slaughter the pig. But as chefs, slaughtering pigs and butchering cattle are all basic operations. For such a large chef family as yours, do you only rely on those two butchers?"
Dylan was a bit puzzled. As a culinary family, it was normal to have a few who knew how to slaughter pigs and butcher cattle. How could they be short-handed?
"They can kill, but not well. It's better not to kill at all."
Hearing Dylan's puzzled words, Senzaemon Nakiri spoke the truth.
When he was young, he could easily slaughter pigs and butcher cattle, but now that he was old, although his body was still strong, he was somewhat lacking in strength.
As for the other members of the Nakiri family.
Not all of these people were chefs. In fact, the proportion of the Nakiri family engaged in the culinary industry was only one-third; more of them were in business and finance.
For example, his youngest son, Soe Nakiri.
And among this one-third of chefs, there were a few who knew how to slaughter pigs, but because slaughtering pigs was considered crude, they were unwilling to immerse themselves in it for a long time. Their skills were very unpracticed, and they would only make a fool of themselves if they came up to perform.
And in this generation, only about ten people had reached Special Grade strength, with the highest being only Four-Star Special Grade. It could be said to be a generation with a talent gap.
This was also why he valued Erina Nakiri so much, because she possessed the God Tongue, a talent that could easily lead a chef to the pinnacle!
"In that case, then I'll trouble you."
It was rare for Dylan to be willing to demonstrate. Senzaemon Nakiri agreed without even thinking, his heart full of anticipation.
"It's no trouble. Take me to where the pigs live."
Dylan shook his head gently. He had eaten too much beef and mutton during this period and really wanted to eat some pork, which was why he decided to act as a butcher for once.
"Follow me."
Senzaemon Nakiri said, leading the way in front.
The Nakiri manor covered a large area, its scale even exceeding that of Tōtsuki Academy. It had its own set of ingredient production lines.
Inside, pigs, cattle, sheep, fish, and crabs were all available.
The backyard was filled with vegetables, the mountain was full of wild produce—it was a veritable treasure trove of ingredients!
Except for those extremely rare and difficult to transplant and cultivate ingredients, all other ingredients were abundant here, and there was even a dedicated spice garden.
Soon, the group followed the path of the manor to the back mountain and saw the local pigs frolicking on the mountain road, making "oink oink" sounds.
Because of the superior growing environment, the local pigs raised on the mountain ate wild grass and trees and ran freely in the mountain forest. Their meat was firmer and more delicious, not only nutritious but also extremely flavorful.
It was absolutely the most perfect cooking ingredient!
"Little friend Dylan, please wait a moment. I'll have someone go over and catch it."
Looking at the lively local pig before him, Senzaemon Nakiri waved his hand, and then two bodyguards stepped forward from behind him, walking towards the local pig from the left and right.
"No need. Just have them carry the meat down later."
Dylan said as he drew the Pojun blade from his back. With a light tap of his foot, he arrived beside the local pig.
Because his movements were very light, he was not discovered by the local pig, which was in the middle of eating. The local pig continued to bury its head in the ground, eating mushrooms.
"Boar's Crimson Flame Cut!"
With a soft cry, those who were concentrating only saw a flash of white light. The local pig grunted twice, then stood rigidly in place without moving.
Looking at the unchanged local pig in front of Dylan, and Dylan who silently sheathed his knife, the people at the scene showed puzzled expressions.
However, because of the lesson from the two couples, although they were puzzled, no one acted as a guinea pig again, silently standing in place waiting for Dylan to speak.
The next moment, a burst of golden light erupted from the local pig's body.
Immediately after, several gaps appeared on the pig's skin, and blood flowed out from them, forming a small red stream flowing down. And the pork was divided into various parts, resting securely on the pig's skin.
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