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"Setsuno, you're trying to set Nono up with him, aren't you?"
Granny Ayame asked as soon as Yuuki and Nono had left. She could see right through it. Arranging for Nono to go with him was clearly a move to push them together, to build a relationship.
"You saw it too, huh? That's right. I do want Nono to become his partner. She's my apprentice, after all. I have to think about her future."
"Yuuki's abilities are just too powerful. He's the most talented person I've ever met, in every single aspect. I don't even think Acacia-sama or Froese-sama could compare to him."
"If she could become his partner, it would be a wonderful thing for her."
Setsuno said with a smile.
It was what any parent would do—look out for the children. A pity that their own descendants consisted of a rough-and-tumble guy like Teppei. So, Setsuno could only look out for her apprentice.
Of course, it wasn't uncommon for men to partner with men in the world of Toriko. While partnerships between men and women often led to romance—partnerships between two women or two men were usually just deep friendships. There were, of course, a few rare exceptions.
"That might not be so easy. You've seen how exceptional he is. Incredible strength, unparalleled cooking, and master-level sharpening skills. His Reviver techniques are probably the same."
"He's a complete all-rounder. A person like that doesn't need a partner, especially not one who is inferior to him in every way."
Granny Ayame shook her head. In her eyes, Yuuki was simply too powerful and self-sufficient to need a partner who would only hold him back.
"It's precisely because he's so powerful, so self-sufficient, that he doesn't need a partner—which also means he wouldn't mind having one. He doesn't have to choose a partner based on their abilities."
Setsuno countered with a smile. She understood the logic, of course. But a partnership wasn't just about mutual assistance. It held another meaning—the kind of meaning she and Jiro shared.
This, of course, was a sore subject for Granny Ayame. That scumbag Girim had abandoned her—yet she still held a one-sided love for him. He, however, couldn't care less.
"Perhaps."
Granny Ayame had guessed as much, but she didn't want to continue the conversation and quickly changed the subject.
....
Meanwhile, Yuuki had no idea that Setsuno was trying to set him up with her apprentice.
And just as they had thought, he didn't need a partner. He was already a master of all trades. He couldn't imagine anyone being better than him in his fields of expertise.
His weakest area right now was his raw strength. His cooking was already on par with Setsuno's, and even showing signs of surpassing it. His Reviver proficiency was no less than Mohyan Shaishai's or Yosaku's.
His sharpening skills had already surpassed the second-generation Melk. As for the first generation, they had never competed, so he couldn't be sure. And while his Knocking couldn't yet compare to Jiro's—that was only due to the limitations of his power level.
Without that restriction, his Knocking might have already surpassed Jiro's. There were many techniques he simply couldn't use yet, with no opportunity to practice.
....
"Chef Yuuki, which ingredient should we capture next?"
Nono asked after they had left. In truth, she held a deep admiration for him. Nono was, at her core, a very proud person. Though it didn't show on the surface, she was.
In the original story, when she met Komatsu, she had never said anything to his face, but she had never understood why her master had invested so much in him.
On one hand, she was Setsuno's apprentice—yet her master paid more attention to Komatsu than to her.
She had constantly created opportunities for him, allowing his culinary skills to grow at a rapid pace.
Even when making the Zenmen—Nono had asked why she was training him when they could do a better job themselves.
It wasn't until the Four-Beast incident that she finally realized just how important Komatsu was. After that, her opinion of him changed completely.
Nono's talent was immense, and she was the sole apprentice of a Gourmet National Treasure. It was only natural for her to be proud.
But her pride never manifested on the surface, and it was always directed at ability, never at a person's character.
So, she would never look down on someone because of her pride. She just couldn't understand her master's actions.
But now, she wasn't facing Komatsu—she was facing Yuuki. From the very beginning, the Culinary skills he had displayed had been enough to shock her.
And his growth in every other aspect had been a constant source of wonder. In front of him, she felt like a complete mediocrity. He not only possessed all sorts of miraculous abilities but also surpassed her in every technique—and he was still growing at an incredible speed.
This had caused her admiration for him to grow deeper and deeper. A young girl admiring a young man—it was a very normal thing.
As long as one's orientation was normal, when an attractive person of the opposite sex who was excellent in every way and had a good character appeared, it was impossible not to be moved.
Nono was no exception. Her feelings for him had gone from calm indifference at the beginning to surprise, then to admiration, and finally, to affection.
This change had happened over time. But she had also witnessed his immense power. She was a chef—the only thing she had to offer was her cooking.
But now, his Culinary skills had already reached Setsuno's level. It was obvious she couldn't offer him any help in that area.
So, though she had feelings for him, she had never dared to confess. She knew the distance between them was too great. That distance made her retreat.
Setsuno, as someone who had been through it, had naturally noticed this. In fact, her own past was quite similar.
Jiro's master was the Gourmet God Acacia. When she had joined, Midora hadn't even appeared yet.
So, whether it was Acacia, Froese, Ichiryu, or Jiro, their abilities were far beyond hers. The Setsuno of that time was not the Gourmet National Treasure she was now.
Before being taught by Froese, she had felt a certain sense of inferiority upon joining that family.
But Froese's kindness was beyond words. With her help, Setsuno had broken through her mental barriers and had worked tirelessly to improve her culinary skills.
And she had chosen to stay. Later, after Midora joined, she had discovered that his talent was also terrifying.
She was also very fortunate. At that time, the only chefs were her and Froese. Froese was Acacia's partner, and she was Jiro's.
Nono's situation was even worse than Setsuno's back then. After all, Yuuki's talent was something even Froese couldn't compare to. So, Setsuno had also counseled Nono, and now she was even helping to create opportunities.
The rest was up to Nono herself. If she couldn't make a decision, then no matter how much Setsuno tried to help, it would be useless.
....
"Let's go for the Jewel Meat first. Though it's a Human World ingredient, it tastes incredibly good. I've been craving it ever since we had it last time. A pity it's so hard to find a Regal Mammoth in the outside world!"
Yuuki said.
Don't be fooled by the Regal Mammoth's massive size—there were plenty of kilometer-class beasts in the outside world. So, Yuuki hadn't gone looking for another one, waiting instead to come here to capture this ingredient.
The Regal Mammoths here were very easy to find. A herd of dozens of them was running across the land. You'd have to be blind to miss them.
"The Jewel Meat is indeed a very precious ingredient. It's almost impossible to find in the outside world. I've only had it a few times thanks to my master."
Nono said.
The Regal Mammoth didn't just exist in the Human World—there were also some in the Gourmet World, though they were larger and stronger.
But neither Jiro nor Setsuno would go out of their way to capture the Jewel Meat from them. They would only capture some if they happened to see one.
Nono only had it a few times. She also missed its taste.
"In that case, let's go for the Jewel Meat first!"
....
With that, Yuuki took the lead. Nono immediately followed. The two of them chatted about various topics along the way. He often stayed at Setsuno's—so he was very familiar with Nono.
They were both chefs and had common topics to discuss. Of course, most of the time, it was Nono asking him for advice. After all, his culinary skills were far superior to hers.
"Is this where the Nitro race used to live? A pity it's all in ruins now!"
On their way to capture the Jewel Meat, Nono and Yuuki passed through a village. It had been in decay for a long time, with only some broken walls remaining.
"That's right. It was left by the Red Nitro. The characters on this are their language."
Yuuki said.
"Red Nitro? Are there different colors of Nitro?"
Nono asked with confusion. She only knew of the Nitro—she didn't know they were divided by color.
"The Nitro are actually divided into two groups: the Red Nitro and the Blue Nitro. Of course, this division isn't based on their skin color, but the color of their cells."
Yuuki explained. The Nitros that appeared in the original story came in all sorts of colors. Red Nitro was a general term for the color of their cells, not their skin.
"The color of their cells? Cells have different colors?"
This was the first time Nono had heard such a thing.
"That's right. Gourmet Cells have different colors. This is mainly related to the universe. Did you know? There isn't just one universe—there are five."
"The five universes each have their own color: Red, Blue, Green, White, and Black."
"Gourmet Cells exist in each universe, so to differentiate them, they are classified by color."
Yuuki nodded, telling Nono about the Five-Color Universe.
"So our universe is the Red one?"
"But then why are there Blue Nitro in our universe? Shouldn't they be in the Blue Universe?"
Nono was confused again.
"That's right, the Blue Nitro should be living in the Blue Universe. But because of an accident, the Blue Universe has basically been destroyed."
"To escape, and also for a certain matter, the Blue Nitro came to the Red Universe."
"Then they discovered the Red Nitro race. Logically, they should be part of the same race, but the Blue Nitro are very arrogant. They called themselves the 'Gourmet Nobles' and enslaved the Red Nitro."
Yuuki said. He could understand their arrogance... He just found them disgusting.
Perhaps it was because of their infinite lifespan and their bug-like ability to revive after a period of time even after death.
But in terms of strength, these guys were really not that good. And there were ways to deal with them. Though they would revive after being killed—there were ways not to kill them. For example, using the same method as NEO.
The creatures NEO devoured were stored in a space within its body.
Yuuki didn't know how big this space was, but to be able to hold all the ingredients of the Blue Universe, it meant the space within NEO was terrifyingly large.
The Blue Nitro it devoured didn't die—they were just sealed, which was no different from being dead.
The best way to deal with these Blue Nitro was to seal them. Of course, he didn't plan to deal with them now—he didn't have the strength. When his strength was high enough, he wouldn't let them go.
As long as you were human, you were an enemy of the Blue Nitro. They captured humans to be used as fuel and ingredients.
How could he let them go?
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