Chapter 101: Gasai Yuno, a Challenger Arrives
In the quiet sanctuary of the Dimensional Restaurant, a story of madness and tragedy unfolded.
Ren did not interrupt. He did not judge. He simply poured more hot water into the teapot and listened.
For the next hour, the pink-haired girl, whose name he learned was Gasai Yuno, recounted her life.
Perhaps it was because this was Another World, a place disconnected from her reality. Or perhaps it was because her spirit, stretched to its absolute limit, had finally snapped in a way that required release rather than violence.
She spoke of her "cage."
She spoke of her adoptive parents, who had once been loving but became obsessed with molding her into the "elite." She spoke of the cage they locked her in when she failed a test or didn't eat properly. She spoke of the starvation. The darkness. The smell of her own waste.
And finally, she spoke of how she snapped. How she drugged them. How she locked them in the cage instead.
And how she watched them starve to death.
Ren said nothing throughout the harrowing tale. He maintained a neutral, empathetic expression, neither recoiling in horror nor offering false platitudes.
Only when Yuno's voice trailed off into a hoarse whisper did Ren speak.
"I won't comfort you by saying you did the right thing," Ren said gently, his voice low and steady. "Killing is killing. Nor will I say you did the wrong thing, given the torture you endured. That is for you to reconcile."
He looked her in the eye.
"However, the reality is this: Your adoptive parents have passed away. Their time is over. But you... you are still alive. Your heart is beating. Your life still has to continue."
Gasai Yuno looked up at Ren. Her eyes were red, filled with a mix of guilt, relief, and confusion.
"Don't you think I'm a monster?" she asked, her voice trembling. "I killed my parents. I watched them die. I... I kept their bodies..."
Ren smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but a knowing one.
"Yuno, many people who come through that door have saved thousands. And many have killed thousands. I have served demon kings, assassins, and warlords."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But no matter what, dead is dead. And in your case... you two parties could be considered to have harmed each other mutually. They destroyed your mind; you destroyed their bodies. This is your family matter. I have no right to question it, let alone interfere. To me, you are simply a guest who needs a meal. Nothing more, nothing less."
Yuno stared at him. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel judged. She felt seen.
"If you say you truly cannot let it go," Ren continued, "you can find a new goal in life. Obsession is a powerful fuel, but it burns dirty. If you can let it go, then get a 'new cup' as we discussed. Start over."
He paused, considering her situation.
"And from what you said about the... state of things back home... it seems your world is chaotic enough that you haven't been caught yet. Everything depends on your own thoughts from this moment forward."
Ren stood up from the table. He walked back to the counter, his movements calm and deliberate.
As he walked, he spoke softly over his shoulder.
"The question is simple, Yuno. Will you live in this matter, slowly driving yourself mad in that house with two corpses? Will you become a ghost haunting your own life?"
He turned to face her.
"Or will you properly bury your adoptive parents? Will you put them—and your trauma—into the ground? And then, carrying all your emotions, continue to live and embrace a new life?"
Gasai Yuno looked at Ren's back. Her hands clenched the tablecloth.
"Can I..." she whispered. "Can I really make my own decision? After what I did?"
"Of course," Ren replied. "You are your own master. Your future is a matter of a single thought. From the moment you stepped into my restaurant, you were free."
"If you plan to start a new life, then properly bury them. Whether you thank them for the early years, apologize to them for the end, or scream your hatred at them while you shovel the dirt... do it. Close the chapter."
"After that, you are yourself. You can only be yourself."
Gasai Yuno said nothing.
She remained silent, staring into the dregs of her tea. Her face showed no joy, no sorrow. It was a blank slate.
However, Ren noticed a subtle shift. Her shoulders were no longer hunched up to her ears. Her breathing was deeper.
Having vented the poison she had been holding inside, she was no longer as anxious or dazed.
Ren returned to his book behind the counter.
He knew he could not offer more comfort than this. In a tragedy like hers, taking an absolute moral side—calling her a victim or a villain—would only shatter her fragile psyche further. All he could do was prevent her from destroying herself completely.
Gasai Yuno had been holding on to a single, fraying thread of sanity. It had been getting tighter and tighter.
Ren hoped that by giving her a neutral space, the thread had relaxed just enough to prevent it from snapping.
Tick. Tock.
The clock on the wall marked the passing minutes.
Yuno sat there, occasionally taking a sip of the lavender tea, which was now lukewarm.
This scent. This tranquility.
There was no foul smell of decay here. No buzzing flies. No silence that screamed.
Gradually, the tension left her body.
After a long while, Yuno seemed to have come to a realization.
Some light returned to her pink eyes. It wasn't the bright light of happiness, but the steady light of resolve.
She put down the cup. She had drained every drop, even eating the rehydrated blueberries at the bottom.
"Shopkeeper," she called out softly.
Ren looked up from his book.
Yuno looked at him with a different expression. It was clearer. sharper.
"Shopkeeper, are you really not afraid of me? Or disgusted by me?"
Ren turned a page of his book calmly.
"Firstly, Yuno," he said without looking up, "you are not my opponent. If you tried to attack me, you would be on the floor before you could blink."
Yuno blinked, surprised by the casual display of confidence.
"Secondly," Ren continued, looking at her with a gentle smile, "besides this incident, you have always been a good student, haven't you? You were the top of your class. A model daughter. If so, why would I be afraid of a diligent girl?"
"As for being disgusted... I have served beings who eat human souls for breakfast. Compared to them, a girl who snapped under torture is hardly villainous."
Yuno pursed her lips. A faint flush appeared on her pale cheeks.
"Shopkeeper... can I order food?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Mm. A little." Her stomach gave a quiet rumble to confirm it.
Ren put down his book and stood up properly.
"It seems you've come to a realization. That's good. To be honest, if you were still holding on to that thread of madness, I would have been helpless to feed you."
"What would you like to eat?"
Yuno thought. Her mind was blank. She hadn't really tasted food in months.
"Cake, perhaps..." she whispered. "Something sweet."
"Just that?"
Yuno thought for a moment longer, then shook her head. "I can't think of anything else I want to eat right now. My stomach feels... tight. But I'd really like a slice of cake."
Ren nodded understandingly. "In that case, I think I know what you need. Please wait a moment."
He walked over to her table.
"Should I change your tea to warm water?"
"Eh? Can't I order another cup of the lavender tea?"
"Drinking too much of that herb will make you drowsy," Ren explained. "And with an empty stomach, it might make you nauseous. Warm water is better."
"Warm water, then..."
Ren nodded. He quickly replaced her empty cup with a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon.
"For you right now, warm water is the best choice. It will warm your stomach and prepare it for food."
After speaking, he turned and walked into the kitchen.
Yuno held the warm glass with both hands. The heat seeped into her palms.
The warmth finally allowed the tears that had been welling in her eyes to fall.
Drip. Drip.
They fell into the water, creating tiny ripples.
She gripped the cup tightly. The confused, chaotic look in her eyes gradually dissipated. It was replaced by a hint of determination.
She wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
I will bury them, she decided. I will bury the past. And I will find a new future.
Just as Gasai Yuno was greedily enjoying the cozy feeling of the Restaurant—the fresh scent of baking, the soft jazz, the safety—the bell on the door chimed.
Ding-dong.
The door opened.
A man walked in.
He was relatively well-built, wearing a sharp suit and a trench coat. He had short hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses that gave him an intellectual yet stern appearance. He carried a briefcase.
He stood in the entryway, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the room.
"Oh? Is this the Restaurant that Senior Dojima and Senior Saiba said I absolutely had to visit?"
[Akarin's Note: This is Kojiro Shinomiya, the "Legumes Magician" from Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma). He is a Totsuki alumnus and a famous chef specializing in French cuisine.]
Gasai Yuno glanced at the man. Her instincts flared for a second—Is he a threat?—but seeing he was just a normal human, she lost interest.
With a trace of boredom in her eyes, she turned her head away, focusing back on the kitchen door.
The man, Kojiro Shinomiya, was still looking around the Restaurant.
His eyes were critical. He checked the floor for dust. He checked the tables for alignment. He checked the lighting.
After a quick survey, Shinomiya nodded in satisfaction.
Cleanliness: Pass. Atmosphere: Pass. Decor: Minimalist but effective.
The tidiness and professional atmosphere of the place met with the "Magician's" high standards.
Thinking back, he felt a bit ridiculous. He had a flight to catch back to Paris the next day. He should be sleeping.
But because of what Gin Dojima and Joichiro Yukihira had said to him over drinks—"Go there, Kojiro. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your culinary life"—he couldn't sleep.
His curiosity had gotten the better of him.
Ren walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.
He saw the man at the doorway and recognized him instantly. The intense aura of a top-tier chef was hard to miss.
"Welcome," Ren said with a professional smile. "Table for one?"
Shinomiya looked at Ren. He analyzed the young chef—his posture, his hands, his eyes.
He looks calm. Confident.
Shinomiya nodded and walked to a table near the window, placing his briefcase down.
"What do you have here?" Shinomiya asked, his voice deep and demanding. "Where is the menu?"
"I don't have a fixed menu," Ren replied smoothly. "Anything can be made, as long as the ingredients are available in my pantry."
Shinomiya raised an eyebrow behind his glasses.
"Anything? That's a bold claim for a small shop."
"It's a promise I keep."
"Interesting..." Shinomiya drummed his fingers on the table. "Very well. Let's test this confidence."
He looked Ren in the eye.
"Then give me a Vegetable Terrine to start. Specifically, a Terrine de Légumes with a saffron vinaigrette. For the main course, a classic Duck Confit (Confit de Canard). And finally, for dessert, a Napoleon Cake (Mille-Feuille)."
He paused, challenging Ren with his gaze. "Can you handle French haute cuisine in a place like this?"
Ren didn't flinch.
"A classic selection. Highlighting texture and technique."
"And wine?" Shinomiya pressed. "What wines do you have here? Do you even have a cellar?"
"It seems you're a French cuisine enthusiast," Ren noted with a smile. "I do have what you'd like."
Ren gestured to the shelves behind the counter.
"Would a Sweet Martini as an aperitif to stimulate the palate, and a dry White Wine—perhaps a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc—to cut through the richness of the duck be acceptable?"
A hint of genuine surprise flashed in Shinomiya's eyes.
He hadn't expected a random late-night diner chef to know the proper pairings so instantly.
He nodded slowly, a smirk touching his lips.
"It seems you truly understand the basics at least. Then that will be all. Don't disappoint me."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"Alright, please wait a moment. Your meal will be prepared shortly."
Ren turned and walked back into the kitchen, his mind already calculating the steps.
Terrine. Confit. Mille-Feuille. And a simple cake for Yuno.
It was going to be a busy night.
[Akarin Note:
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