Hayashi gazed at Erina, whose eyes brimmed with longing, and couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of fate. He still remembered the first time he saw Erina Nakiri at the Nakiri household—her haughty demeanor had intimidated him so much that he avoided meeting her altogether, grumbling to himself that Megumi Tadokoro was far more likable than Erina!
But now? The situation had developed completely beyond his expectations! In such a short time, Erina had shed her prideful armor and was now facing Hayashi with an earnest and equal attitude.
"I have to admit, when I first set my sights on this world, I did have the idea of finding a traveling chef companion! After all, my own cooking skills are far from impressive, and I wouldn't want to survive on instant noodles in other worlds." Hayashi snapped out of his thoughts and said softly, "Initially, I actually had Megumi Tadokoro in mind—she's easy to get along with, and her home-style cooking suits my tastes better."
Erina exhaled softly and murmured, "Megumi Tadokoro? She really is a gentle girl."
Hayashi nodded and continued, "In comparison, you—with your aristocratic temperament and focus on Western cuisine—weren't exactly my first choice."
"..."
Erina didn't speak but clenched her fists nervously. Her heart pounded harder than ever before, fearing Hayashi might reject her outright.
"Don't look so worried. I didn't say no, did I?" Hayashi chuckled. "I shouldn't judge people based on old impressions, right?"
Erina's face lit up with joy as she looked at him and asked, "So... you're agreeing?"
Hayashi teased with a grin, "As long as you don't act like a spoiled princess, why would I refuse?"
Hearing these words, Erina couldn't help but smile. She gently extended her right hand and said, "I wouldn't dare throw any spoiled rich girl tantrums at you—so, let's get along well from now on!"
"Alright." Hayashi grasped Erina's hand, gave it a light shake, and replied, "Let's get along well!"
At least it was a good start, right?
...
...
Since Hayashi and Erina had reached their agreement, the person responsible for his three daily meals had shifted from the muscular Gin to the youthful and beautiful Erina—if nothing else, the visual appeal alone had improved by more than just one level.
"So cruel, absolutely cruel," Gin said with a pitiful look at Hayashi. "When you needed me, you called me sweetheart, but now that you don't, it's back to 'Mr. Dojima'!"
"No, no, no, I never called you sweetheart!" Hayashi waved his hand dismissively. "I've always called you Gin-san, okay?"
"Even if you didn't say it out loud, my heart heard it!" Gin placed a hand over his chest, speaking with deep emotion. "Every time you called me Gin-san on the surface, in your heart, you were calling me sweetheart!"
"Ugh! Buddy, no homo!" Hayashi shuddered involuntarily, rubbing his arms. "I'm a man who likes women—no interest in men, thanks!"
Gin burst into laughter. "What are you thinking? I'm not into men either—"
Then why are you acting so gay! Damn it, is it true that excessive gym gains attract the same sex, and you end up being attracted to them too?
Just as Hayashi was silently griping, Erina emerged from the kitchen pushing a dining cart. "I could hear your laughter all the way from the kitchen. What's so funny?"
Hayashi leaned back in his chair and called out, "Erina-chan! I suspect Gin-san likes guys. Otherwise, why is he still single at nearly forty?"
Gin's mouth twitched. "He's slandering me! Slandering me! I just haven't met the right woman yet!"
"Hah! Gin-san, I'm about to cast a magical spell!" Hayashi sneered, snapping his fingers in front of Gin's face. "From now on, you'll forget that you actually like men!"
Gin instinctively retorted, "I never liked men in the first place!"
Hayashi winked at Erina triumphantly. "See? He forgot!"
"???"
Gin paused for a second, then scowled darkly. "Fine! Get ready for Dragon Fist training tonight!"
"No—"
Hayashi let out a wail of despair, but Gin had already left the dining hall with a sinister grin, leaving Hayashi to wallow in misery.
Watching the comical back-and-forth between Hayashi and Gin, the young lady Erina suppressed a smile as she placed the dishes from the cart onto the table. "Ahem! Today's menu is Cantonese cuisine—steamed sausages, white-cut chicken, roast goose, and crispy pork."
"Oooh, looks delicious!"
Hayashi's eyes lit up as he eagerly picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of braised pork, and popped it into his mouth. With a satisfied "Mmm—" he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Delicious! Absolutely delicious! This alone makes my whole life worthwhile!"
Watching Hayashi's reaction, Erina fell silent for a few seconds before letting out a heavy sigh. Hayashi looked up curiously and asked, "What's wrong? Sighing will let happiness slip away, you know?"
Erina sat down across from Hayashi, propping her chin on her hand. "Guess why I've been making different dishes to feed you every day these past few days?"
Hayashi pondered for a moment before answering, "Hmm, to showcase your culinary skills and show off your prowess as a chef?"
Erina's lips twitched slightly. "I don't need to prove anything through such means! I've been changing the dishes constantly to observe what kind of flavors you prefer."
'Can that really be observed?' Hayashi blinked in surprise. "So, have you figured it out?"
At this question, a vein visibly popped on Erina's forehead. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Whether I make fish-flavored shredded pork, mapo tofu, shredded pork with green peppers, or braised pork, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, sweet and sour spare ribs, or sour and spicy fish, boiled meat slices, shredded pork with sweet potato noodles..."
Erina rattled off the names of all the dishes she had prepared without repetition these past days, then clenched her fist. "No matter if it's sweet, sour, or spicy, you always exclaim how delicious it is—the only thing that makes you frown is bitterness!"
Hayashi said with utmost seriousness, "Oh, and also celery and cilantro."
"That's not the point! The point is..." Erina pressed a hand to her forehead. "I feel like you're ridiculously easy to feed—you'll happily eat anything as long as it tastes good!"
Hayashi paused, pretending to be profound after a few seconds of thought. "I didn't expect you'd uncover this secret! You're right—I'm the kind of person who can survive on instant noodles for lunch and steamed buns dipped in noodle broth for dinner for a whole week!"
'Is that really something to be proud of?' Erina massaged her temples in exasperation. "With a captain like you, I feel like my skills are completely wasted!"
"Don't say that!" Hayashi waved his hand cheerfully. "It's just that I'm easy to please! Who knows? Maybe the teammates we recruit in other worlds will have pickier tastes, right? Then your godly culinary skills as the God's Tongue Erina will truly shine!"
Erina tossed her hair and let out a confident hum. "You can rest assured! No matter what food requests our new teammates have, I'll satisfy them all!"
"Wow! That's our Erina for you!" Hayashi clapped his hands happily. "Such confidence is amazing!"
Erina ignored Hayashi's flattery—she had heard far more exaggerated praise until her ears grew calluses! Propping her cheek on her hand, she asked, "By the way, do you have a target for the next world yet?"
"Great question~" Hayashi snapped his fingers with a grin and said, "I've found a world that's absolutely perfect for us! First, that world is extremely peaceful, with almost no life-threatening dangers. Second, it has an abundance of rare and delicious ingredients that can maximize your talents. Lastly, there are many incredibly adorable creatures there that no girl could possibly resist!"
Erina leaned forward curiously and said, "Stop teasing! Just tell me what world it is!"
"Ta-da—"
Hayashi pulled out his phone and showed Erina a yellow rodent. "This cute little guy is called Pikachu! What do you think?"
Erina's eyes were instantly captivated by Pikachu's charm. She moved closer to Hayashi's phone screen and said in disbelief, "Is this a creature from that world? It's way too adorable!?"
Hayashi was very pleased with her reaction. He swiped to the next picture and said, "It's not just Pikachu—look—"
Vulpix, Alolan Vulpix, Eevee, Growlithe, Clefairy, Seel... One adorable creature after another flashed before Erina's eyes, making her breathing grow increasingly rapid!
No one could resist the charm of these cuties!
No! One! Could!