Extra chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones.
...
Roughly 8 years ago.
The Nakiri mansion was a beautiful and silent place, a stark contrast to the busy, vibrant campus of Totsuki beside it.
It was a place of perfection, a place of discipline.
But today, the silence was broken by a different kind of sound. The frantic, high-pitched sobs of a young girl.
Three-year-old Erina Nakiri sat alone in a pristine white room, her face stained with tears.
Just days ago, her world had been torn apart.
Her father, Azami, had found out that she had finally awakened her God's Tongue, a fabled ability that allowed her to taste and analyze flavors with superhuman precision.
Her father's excitement, remembering his wife Mana's legendary palate, had quickly turned into a singular focus on training her to become a perfect chef.
It was an intense training regimen that began immediately.
He forced her to taste and criticize hundreds of dishes, her small palate overwhelmed by the sheer volume of flavors. She just wanted to go play with her cousin Alice, but she couldn't.
She was exhausted, scared, and, for the first time in her life, she felt truly alone.
The person who had ever truly understood her, her mother, had just left.
Mana, her beautiful, kind mother, had given her a last, sad look and turned her back on her, walking out of the Nakiri mansion and out of her life.
Erina couldn't understand why.
All she knew was that her mother was gone, and her father's training was becoming more and more unbearable.
She curled up into a small ball, burying her face in her knees, her small shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
She suddenly heard someone coming up to her room and quickly wiped away her tears and turned around.
The door to her room suddenly opened, and she heard her grandfather's deep, kind voice.
"Erina, my dear," Senzaemon said, his voice soft, "we have guests. I want you to come and meet them."
Erina didn't want to. She just wanted to be alone.
But she knew that her grandfather only wanted what was best for her, so she chose to follow him.
She walked into the spacious living room, the beautiful, regal decor and large windows that offered a breathtaking view of the Totsuki campus, making the room feel even more intimidating.
Her grandfather sat down on a couch, and across from him sat a couple she had never met before.
A kind-looking woman with warm, golden eyes, and a tall, handsome man with a gentle smile.
They looked at her with such kindness that she couldn't help but feel a little shy.
"Akari, Kenjiro," Senzaemon said, a warm smile on his face, "this is my granddaughter, Erina. She's a little shy, but she's a genius in the kitchen." He then looked at her and said, "Erina, this is my old friend, Akari Sumeragi, and her husband, Kenjiro Sumeragi. Akari was a very talented chef during her time at Totsuki. I was hoping you could get to know them and their son, Haruya."
"It's good to see you, Erina-chan." Akari greeted.
Erina's eyes fell to the side of the couch, where a small boy was sitting.
He had dark, messy hair and big, curious golden eyes. The same as his mother.
He was looking at her with a sweet, innocent smile. He was a little bigger than she was and was clutching a teddy bear in his hands.
"Nice to meet you," he said. "My name is Haruya!"
Her grandfather then looked at Erina and said, "Erina, why don't you take Haruya to the garden to play?"
Erina, who was still feeling a bit shy, nodded and took Haruya's hand, leading him toward the back of the mansion. As they passed by the sitting adults, they heard Akari's hushed voice.
"She's just a little girl," Haruya heard his mom say. "I can't imagine what she's going through. I tried to talk to her mother, Mana, but she refused to even look at me."
Erina's heart sank at the mention of her mother's name, and she picked up her pace, pulling Haruya with her until they reached the large garden.
Once they were outside, away from the adults, a fresh wave of tears began to well up in her eyes, and she finally let them fall.
"Are you okay?" Haruya asked, his voice small but caring.
"My mom left," she said, her voice a small whisper between sobs. "She's not coming back."
Haruya looked at her, his little brow furrowed in thought.
He didn't understand what it meant for a parent to leave a child, but he understood what sadness was. He thought hard about how to make her feel better.
Suddenly, he remembered something his mom had told him a few weeks ago, something that had made a lot of sense to him at the time.
"It's okay," he blurted out, a big smile on his face. Why don't I share my mom with you? I heard my mom call my dad's father 'dad.' She told me that when people get married, they can share their parents."
Erina looked at him, confused. "Married? What's that?"
"It's when two people like each other!" Haruya explained, his voice full of excitement. "And then they share a mom and a dad! My mom is the best! She can make really good pastries and cakes. And when we get bigger, we can find your mom together!"
Erina, who was still just as young and naive, stared at him, her purple eyes wide with hope.
The idea of having a mom who could make delicious pastries and a friend who would help her find her own mom was too good to pass up.
A smile grew on her face. "Okay! Let's get married!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a newfound joy.
They finalized their plans for a couple of minutes and decided, the two of them hurried back to the living room to tell their parents and grandfather.
As they entered the room, they found that even more people had arrived.
A woman with beautiful silver hair and a kind face was sitting on the couch, talking with his mom.
Beside her sat a quiet, solemn-looking man with a gentle face. And sitting beside them was a little girl with silver hair, her eyes an exact copy of the woman's.
Alice Nakiri.
"You two came back just in time," Akari said, a warm smile on her face. "Haruya, I want you to meet my friends. This is Leonora and Soe, and this is their daughter, Erina's cousin, Alice!"
The two girls locked eyes for a moment before Alice looked at Haruya with a curious look.
"You're Haruya?" she asked, her voice filled with a childlike mischief. "I heard a lot about you!"
Haruya nodded, and then, a proud grin on his face, he turned to his parents.
"Mom! Dad!" he exclaimed, grabbing his mom's hand, "Erina and I are getting married! She's gonna have you as her mom, too!" He then looked at everyone in the room and added, "I promised to help find Erina's mom, too!"
A stunned silence fell over the room as every adult stared, mouths slightly agape, at the two young children.
Senzaemon cleared his throat.
Kenjiro was the first to break, letting out a laugh so loud it made Akari jump.
"Well, that's certainly a direct approach!" Kenjiro chuckled, and a grin appeared on his face. "It seems my son has found a friend in Erina."
"Oh, my!" Leonora exclaimed, her face beaming with amusement. "That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!"
Akari chuckled quietly.
Alice, however, wasn't laughing.
She looked at Erina and Haruya, a small pout on her face. "What?! You're getting married? I wanna get married too!" she exclaimed, a competitive fire in her eyes.
Without a moment's hesitation, Alice grabbed Haruya's other hand.
Erina, who was still holding on to his other arm, refused to let go.
The two girls started to contend with each other, pulling him back and forth.
The adults watched on with amusement.
Haruya, who was getting dizzy from all the tugging, finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!" he yelled out, rubbing his arms.
"Who would you like to marry?" Erina suddenly asked.
"Yeah!" Alice added, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Who do you like more?"
Haruya looked at the two of them, then at his mom, who was watching with a mischievous grin on her face.
He then turned back to the girls.
"I'll marry you both if you can cook as good as my mom!" he declared, and then ran off toward the garden, leaving the two girls in stunned silence.
...
The flashback of the past ended as abruptly as it began, the memory fading into the present.
She opened her eyes, and her gaze turned more gentle as it fell upon Haruya.
The flicker of surprise was back, stronger than before, but it was quickly hidden by a cold, formal mask. "It is... acceptable," she said, her voice flat. She then added, her voice becoming more gentle, "You're still far from our level, though."
Haruya nodded, a small smile on his face. He knew she was right. But in his mind, he was confident that his Adaptability could help him surpass any chef.
"I hope to learn more in the future from you and the Nakiri family," he said, his voice firm and filled with a quiet resolve.
Erina stared at his determined eyes, a flash of memory running through her mind. She saw a small boy with messy hair and a curious smile, his voice filled with an innocent hope as he asked her to marry him.
The memory was so vivid that she couldn't help but feel a pang of embarrassment.
She quickly looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Hmph," she mumbled softly, hoping no one would notice her change in demeanor.
Alice, on the other hand, had noticed everything. She pouted and grabbed Haruya by the hand. "I'll definitely teach you, and you'll definitely be blown away by how good my dishes are!" she exclaimed, trying to get his attention.
Senzaemon, Soe, and Akari all exchanged a knowing glance, a warm, nostalgic smile on their faces.
They all remembered that day, a day filled with laughter and a small, silly promise that had now come back to haunt them.
Akari looked at the three children, her heart filled with a mixture of happiness and worry.
She was happy that their relationship seemed to be going back to what it was in the past, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. 'If only that didn't happen in the past, then perhaps they wouldn't have been separated for so long…' she thought, a haunting memory of a past event flashing in her mind.
...
POWER STONE GOAL - 1 EXTRA CHAPTER WHEN REACHED:
100 POWER STONES (✔)
200 POWER STONES (✔)
300 POWER STONES (✔)
400 POWER STONES (X)
500 POWER STONES (X)
600 POWER STONES (X)