"Congratulations, Akira!" Akira's parents and friends surrounded him with smiles and cheers, congratulating him for his victory as he returned from the competition.
"Thank you, hehe, looks like I won," Akira said with a grin.
The Totsuki Junior Master Chef competition ended with a strange twist. Nakiri Erina, unable to handle the overwhelming flavor of Akira's dish, had run away without giving him any points. Yet, despite her dramatic exit, the other two judges had awarded him the full two hundred marks, making his victory overwhelming.
And finally, Akira got his hands on his long-awaited PG Gundam Seed model kits.
"I didn't expect you to win by a landslide, Akira-kun. And you even made that girl cry too?" Iori teased with a mischievous grin.
"Wait, I didn't make her cry! I have no idea why she did," Akira quickly explained, flustered, not wanting to be remembered as the guy who made a girl cry.
"Haha, Akira-kun, you're too cruel. Making a little girl cry like that," Iori laughed, until he was suddenly punched square in the face.
"Don't bully Akira, oni-san!" Erika snapped, her fist still raised. She was long used to her brother's antics and wasn't about to let him pick on Akira.
"You little traitor! It's only been a day, and you're already siding with Akira to punch your own brother. You're cruel, little sister," Iori said, dramatically clutching his chest as if wounded and pretending to cry.
"Stop talking, oni-san, or I'll punch you again," Erika replied, irritated as always by her brother.
Watching their interaction, Akira laughed, though he still couldn't shake the mystery of why Erina had run away in tears. "Why did she run like that? I didn't do anything...Had I teased her too much?"
"I really wonder what made her cry," he murmured, half to himself.
"A young lady's heart is a complex thing. Don't worry about it," Yuki said with a gentle smile, as if brushing away his concerns.
Ryuji, on the other hand, leaned forward eagerly. "Forget about that for now, Akira. That dish you made... can you make it again? I need to taste it at least once more."
"Yeah, I can. But don't worry, I made extra for everyone," Akira replied, conjuring a few El Burdigato Supremes from thin air with a magic circle.
"Oh? You can already use storage magic at such a young age?" Iori said, impressed. He knew Akira was talented with magic, but space magic at his age was something else.
"Well, let's talk about that later. Eat while it's still hot," Akira said with a grin, handing out the dishes to his family and friends.
But when they saw the plate in front of them, Everyone froze, staring at the plate in disbelief. The golden-brown crust glistened, the filling looked richer, and the aroma was even more mouthwatering than what had been served to the judges.
"...Akira," his father finally spoke, raising a brow, "why does this look better than the one you gave the judges in the competition?"
Akira smirked lightly, leaning back with a casual shrug. "Why would I give my best to them? That one was enough to win anyway. These are only for us," he pointed at the glowing, perfect El Burdigato Supremes before them.
Everyone's jaws dropped, the room falling into stunned silence at his audacity.
"Come on, don't just stare, eat already! I didn't make all this for decoration."
Akira urged everyone to dig in, and curiosity soon overpowered their shock. One by one, they lifted their forks and took a bite.
In the very next instant, the room erupted with cries. "AHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed in delight, their senses overwhelmed as vivid hallucinations swept over them, the flavors bursting across their tongues like dazzling fireworks.
Akira sighed, resting his cheek against his palm as he watched the chaos unfold. "Here we go again…"
And just like that, Akira's first outing into the outside world came to an end.
On the other side, Nakiri Erina sat in her room, sulking. Her pride still stung from earlier. She had been so overwhelmed that she'd run away in tears. Now that she'd calmed down, the embarrassment was unbearable. She couldn't believe what she had done in front of so many people. How would she ever show her face again?
"But that dish... how could I like something like that?" Erina thought, still grappling with the fact that she'd enjoyed the food. She couldn't accept it. She had wanted to call it disgusting, but when she saw Akira's smiling face, she couldn't lie and ended up running away.
But the dish went against everything her father had taught her, and she didn't understand why it tasted so good.
As she pondered this, Nakiri Senzaemon entered her room. Erina stood up to greet him.
"Good evening, Grandfather," she said politely.
"Hmm, Erina, how are you feeling?" Senzaemon asked, nodding at her.
"I'm doing well, Grandfather, sorry for my embarrassing display earlier," Erina replied.
"Don't worry, you are still a child after all, but Erina, what did you think of about that boy's dish?" he asked.
"I... I've never eaten anything like it before. It was completely new, but... I can't accept it," she admitted, hesitating at first but deciding to speak honestly.
Senzaemon smiled at his granddaughter's growth. He knew that before, she would have outright dismissed the dish as disgusting. He was now even more confident in the deal he had made with the Starlight family.
"Grandfather, who is that boy? I've never seen him before," Erina asked. She had met countless chefs and their children, yet had never heard of Akira. She knew her grandfather had arranged for him to participate, so she asked directly.
"Well, he's the grandson of an old friend. But before that, Erina, I have something for you," Senzaemon said, producing a small black box and handing it to her.
"What's this?" Erina asked as she opened it, her eyes widening in awe.
Inside the box lay a breathtaking ring, crafted entirely from a flawless white crystal so delicate that Erina couldn't imagine how anyone had shaped it. At its center rested a single gem, an otherworldly purple crystal, unlike anything she had ever seen. It shimmered as though it contained a sea of stars.
Erina stared, entranced. The ring was mesmerizing, but what struck her most was the gem's color. It was the exact same shade as Akira's eyes.
"What is this, Grandfather?" Erina asked, her voice soft with confusion at the sudden gift.
"I'll explain when you're older," Senzaemon replied, his tone unusually serious. "For now, always keep this ring close to you. Wear it as much as you can, and even if you're not wearing it, make sure it never leaves your side."
"Yes, Grandfather," Erina nodded, sensing the weight behind his words. She didn't understand why he was so insistent, but chose not to press further. At that moment, she had no idea just how deeply this ring would change the course of her life.