After enjoying a delicious breakfast (Mana had hers prepared by Chef Abe), the group tidied up the dishes with the help of the secretary and neatly gathered around the table.
Hayashi held a cup of floral tea in both hands, his face brimming with excitement as he asked, "Shall I begin?"
"Go ahead," the old master nodded, his gaze fixed on Hayashi. "Let us hear about this world's original future!"
Hayashi nodded, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "First, let's start with the name! The story that unfolds in this world is known in our world as Shokugeki no Soma."
"Shokugeki? Tsk tsk, isn't that our Totsuki's age-old tradition?" Jōichirō stroked his chin, winking at Gin as he remarked, "Back in the day, we made Polar Star Dorm the top organization in Tōtsuki through Shokugeki!"
"Why does it sound like you're talking about gangsters expanding their turf when you say it like that?"
"Pretty much, hahaha—" Jōichirō laughed boisterously, proving once again that he was truly the father of the "Crown Prince of Cuisine"—their laughter was practically identical.
"I get the 'Shokugeki' part, but what does 'Sōma' mean?" Gin tilted his head in confusion.
"That's the name of the manga's male protagonist—" Hayashi blinked, then glanced at Jōichirō. "Mr. Jōichirō, doesn't that sound familiar?"
"No way?" Jōichirō, mid-laugh, froze for a second before smirking. "It can't be what I'm thinking, right?"
"Ehehe~" Hayashi grinned at him. "Unfortunately, it's exactly what you're imagining—congratulations! Your son, Yukihira Sōma, is the protagonist of Shokugeki no Soma!"
Jōichirō covered his face with a complicated expression, muttering in exaggerated disdain, "That brat, seriously?"
"Stop pretending to be annoyed when you're clearly bursting with pride!" Gin smacked Jōichirō's chest in exasperation. "Don't get too cocky! What if the plot involves the protagonist's father dying unexpectedly, and then—"
"You bastard, you're just hoping something bad happens to me, aren't you?"
"Says the guy who disappeared for years without a word!"
"Shut up! I came back, didn't I?"
"STOP!" Hayashi raised his voice. "If you two want to flirt, do it later! Right now is my fun spoiler time!"
"..."
Jōichirō and Gin immediately fixed Hayashi with a death glare, their sinister expressions suggesting they were debating whether to make him dance to Compendium of Materia Medica or Dragon Fist tonight.
"Speaking of Yukihira Sōma, I have to mention his nickname—" Hayashi smirked mischievously at Jōichirō. "Since this is a gourmet world, the story emphasizes just how delicious the characters' dishes are by exaggerating their reactions after tasting them. One of the most famous examples is the old master's clothes bursting open."
"Pfft—"
Gin couldn't help but ask, "So, in your world, tens of thousands of people have already seen the old master stripping?"
At this remark, the old man himself couldn't hold it together anymore—though he usually enjoyed dramatic clothing explosions, the thought of tens of thousands witnessing his clothes bursting open gave him an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
"Uh, it might not just be tens of thousands. Maybe millions or even tens of millions," Hayashi scratched his cheek and said softly. "Oh, and there's another iconic scene—your pocket..."
'That must not be mentioned!' The old man's eyes widened instantly as he hurriedly cut Hayashi off, saying, "Let's not talk about this old man's affairs! No one would be interested anyway! You should continue talking about Sōma Yukihira's nickname."
"Oh, sure." Hayashi scratched his head and said, "In food-themed anime, to emphasize how delicious the food is, they usually focus on the characters' reactions when eating. But the reactions in this world are exaggerated, leading some to joke that 'the dishes in Food Wars are all drugged!' So, as the protagonist, Sōma Yukihira earned the nickname 'Drug King.'"
"Drug King..." Jōichirō raised a hand to his forehead, staring blankly at the table in front of him as if questioning his life. He muttered, "Why do others get nicknames like 'God's Tongue,' 'White Knight of the Table,' 'Asura,' or 'Vegetable Magician,' but my son ends up with 'Drug King'?"
[Beep—] What kind of nonsense is 'Drug King'?! Enough already!
"Ahem, doesn't this just prove your son's exceptional cooking skills?" Gin suppressed his laughter as he comforted Jōichirō. "After all, he's the protagonist! That's a good thing, ahem, a good thing!"
"A good thing? How about I gift this title to you? 'Drug King Gin Dōjima'—sounds cool, right?" Jōichirō glared at his teasing friend through gritted teeth. "What do you say? I promise to spread this awesome nickname far and wide while traveling the world!"
"Pfft—ahem, no, no, no." Gin quickly coughed a few times, waving his hands awkwardly. "This... this honor should remain yours!"
Jōichirō scoffed.
"Next is... hmm..." Hayashi pondered, rubbing his chin in frustration. "Tsk, if I narrate the entire plot, I might just die of exhaustion. No, I need to find a way to slack off—"
So, Hayashi looked up with a customer-service smile and said, "Everyone, how about we binge-watch the anime together?"
"Huh?" xN
...
...
Half an hour later.
Tōtsuki Residence, living room.
A 100-inch TV mounted on the wall was playing the first season of Food Wars, while Hayashi sat on the sofa, happily munching on snacks prepared by Hisako and secretly observing everyone else's expressions.
When the first episode showed Sōma's classmate, Mayumi Kurase, eating Jōichirō's fried rice—her eyes glazed over, cheeks flushed—Jōichirō, Gin, and the old man all simultaneously covered their faces in unison.
"Now that I think about it carefully... it really does seem like that..." Jōichirō's voice was filled with desolation. "Why did I never notice it before?"
"Perhaps it's because everyone has grown accustomed to it?" Gin silently raised his head and said in a heavy tone, "It wasn't until Hayashi pointed it out that we realized how bad it was."
"Wait, wait—" At this moment, Erina, having snapped out of her shock, turned to look at her uncle, mother, and grandfather, and said in a distraught voice, "Does that mean I usually act like this too??"
"Ah, about that, you don't need to worry, Miss Erina!" Hayashi cheerfully gave her a thumbs-up and said, "If Sōma is the male lead, then you're the female lead! So your reactions to delicious food are naturally completely different from those of ordinary female characters!"
"R-really?" Erina let out a small sigh of relief. As long as she hadn't been caught making such suggestive expressions, everything was fine!
Soon, the plot progressed to the scene where Sōma Yukihira's bacon and potato dish captivated Yaeko Minegasaki! Watching his son's performance on screen, Jōichirō stroked his chin and said smugly, "Hmm! His cooking skills still need work, but his creativity is quite good!"
'What a show-off!'
Gin shot Jōichirō a sidelong glance. Was having a son something to brag about?
Meanwhile, Erina looked at Sōma Yukihira on screen with slight disdain. She couldn't believe that the son of her most admired Uncle Jōichirō would make such an "utterly commoner" dish!
As everyone watched with great interest, the story moved to the second episode—Sōma Yukihira, under Jōichirō's arrangement, was about to take the entrance exam for Tōtsuki Academy, only to find that the examiner was none other than the legendary "God's Tongue," Erina Nakiri!
"Most babies start speaking between one and two years old, but Miss Erina uttered her first words at just three months old…"
"She said: The flavor isn't strong enough!"
When everyone heard the background character narrating Erina's legend, and saw the baby Erina on screen making that disgusted expression, the entire group—including Hayashi—burst into shameless laughter.
"Pfft—HAHAHA! That's priceless! Old man, did Erina really say something like that when she was little?" Jōichirō laughed without restraint.
"Ah—" The old man sighed and said, "More or less. She was truly hard to please back then! I even had to personally adjust the formula for her baby milk powder…"
"AAAAH—" Erina, now red-faced with embarrassment, covered her face with her hands and let out a wail—What was this?! A public airing of her darkest history?! And in front of Uncle Jōichirō, no less?!
Just kill me now! Waaah!
In stark contrast to Erina's mortification, her secretary, Hisako, was desperately pinching her nose shut, barely containing her overflowing loyalty as she excitedly thought, 'L-little Miss Erina was so adorable—'
Several minutes later, when Erina took a bite of Sōma Yukihira's "Transforming Egg Rice Bowl," the entire room fell into silence.
"Ah… ah… ah…"
Erina's face flushed crimson as she opened her mouth wide. With great difficulty, she turned to Hayashi and wailed, "H-Hayashi! Is this what you meant by a reaction completely different from ordinary female characters?!"
"Exactly! Totally different, right?" Hayashi flashed a refreshing smile at Erina and gave her a thumbs-up, saying, "As expected of the heroine, the level of allure is something none of the other female characters can compare to!"
"Nooooooo————"
At this moment, Erina clutched her head and let out a wail of despair. Even as she wailed, she silently swore in her heart: 'Sōma Yukihira, even if you're Jōichirō's son, I will never forgive you!!'
This grudge, I, Nakiri Erina, will remember it!