At the same time, Akira's father, Ryuji, was in the middle of a tense meeting with Nakiri Senzaemon.
"As I was saying," Ryuji said, his tone calm but firm, "what we're proposing would benefit both sides in the long run. Think it over, Senzaemon-san, before making your decision."
Senzaemon leaned back with a heavy sigh, a furrow between his brows. "I understand what you're saying, Ryuji-kun. And I agree, it makes sense… but still…"
Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp ring of a phone. Both Senzaemon and Iori turned toward Ryuji, whose phone was buzzing on the table.
Ryuji let out a small cough, clearly embarrassed. "Excuse me. It's an important call."
Even though he was in the middle of a serious negotiation, he picked up immediately. His wife rarely called him during meetings, so if she did call him, it must have been an emergency.
But the moment he answered, his expression shifted.
"…What?" he blurted, blinking in disbelief. "He wants to what?"
Senzaemon and Iori watched with mild curiosity as Ryuji stood up and turned away slightly, still trying to make sense of what he'd just heard.
"Where did that come from? Why does he suddenly want to join a cooking competition?" Ryuji bombarded his wife with questions, trying to understand his son's newfound interest in cooking.
"I know it's sudden, but I think it started because he wants one of the prizes, the Gundam model kits. He said he wants to win the competition to get it," Yuki replied with a sigh.
"Well, if it's just about a prize, we can buy it for him, right? Why should he enter the competition all of a sudden?" Ryuji asked, clearly confused.
"That's what I said too, but he thinks participating in the competition will be fun. This is the first time he's shown interest in anything other than magic, so I don't want to discourage him," she explained.
Ryuji understood her reasoning, but he still couldn't wrap his head around how Akira planned to win. "He doesn't know how to cook. How is he going to win this competition?" Ryuji knew his son had never even set foot in a kitchen.
"I know, but he said he's going to start learning now and will be ready in 30 minutes. You know how fast he learns, right? I think he has a chance," Yuki reasoned.
"I know he learns quickly, but learning something and putting it into practice are two different things. How does he plan to win?" Ryuji asked, still skeptical.
"Well, it doesn't matter if he wins or loses. The important thing is that he's showing interest in something new, so I'm going to support him. Please take care of the registration for him. See you later," she said, cutting the call before Ryuji could respond.
"Wait, wait…." Ryuji tried to say more, but she had already hung up. All he could do was sigh.
"Cough, So, Senzaemon-san, could you help me register my son for the cooking competition?" Ryuji asked, turning to Senzaemon, who was sitting next to him.
"I can, but you mentioned your son doesn't know how to cook, right?" Senzaemon asked, raising an eyebrow. After all, the other participants were children from elite culinary backgrounds.
"Well, apparently, he's going to start learning now. Knowing him, he might actually pull it off," Ryuji said. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Senzaemon released an intimidating aura. Any ordinary person would be terrified, but no one in that room was ordinary.
"Ryuji-kun, I've already told you how important this competition is to me and my granddaughter, right?" Senzaemon asked with a serious tone.
Ryuji understood. This competition was not just any event, it was deeply personal to Senzaemon. He knew about Senzaemon's granddaughter, Nakiri Erina, and the difficult circumstances she had grown up in. Her father, Azami, had raised her in an abusive environment, forcing her to only eat food he considered perfect and dismissing everything else as trash. Even though Senzaemon had rescued her from her father, Erina still believed in that rigid standard. She only ate what she deemed perfect, and she had lost the joy of cooking.
This competition was Senzaemon's attempt to help Erina rediscover the fun in cooking and understand that even imperfect dishes could be enjoyable. That was why the theme was fast foods, and the participants were children. He had even made Erina a judge, hoping it would help her see the value in less "perfect" foods. Senzaemon didn't want her to end up like her mother, trapped by the same harsh expectations.
He had even sought help from the Starlight family, hoping they could do something about Erina's "God's Tongue," a supernatural power passed down in the Nakiri family. Both Erina and her mother had inherited this ability, and Senzaemon feared it would lead his granddaughter down the same troubled path her mother had taken.
"Senzaemon-dono, I understand how important this competition is to you. But do you really think a bunch of children, even if they are from elite culinary backgrounds, can change your granddaughter's mind?" Ryuji asked. He found it hard to believe that they could make a real difference.
"I don't know what else to do," Senzaemon sighed. He knew the chances of success were slim, but he had to try something for his granddaughter.
"Then why not let my son participate? If anyone in this world can create miracles, it's him," Ryuji said confidently. His son had been performing miracles ever since he was born, and he believed that Akira could create another one now.
"Sigh, Alright, I'll let him participate," Senzaemon relented. After all, he had nothing to lose.
"Thank you, Senzaemon-san," Ryuji said gratefully.
"Ryuji-san, do you really think Akira-kun can win this competition?" Sendo Iori, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "It's impossible to learn how to cook in just thirty minutes."
Ryuji chuckled. "For other children, maybe. But my son is invincible. If anyone can pull it off, it's him." His smile carried the same unshakable confidence as his wife's.
With that, he picked up his phone to call his wife and share the good news.