"Okay, let's go back then."
Minami Rika turned to Hinako Inui and the other two girls and said:
"Go and get ready. Pack your luggage and arrange your affairs. The time limit is one hour."
"OK." The three girls went to gather their luggage as quickly as possible. As for what would happen to their restaurants after they left, they were not worried. After all, this was considered working for the Nakiri family, and the family would naturally handle the caretaking and compensate for any losses. Alice Nakiri was also saying goodbye to Erina Nakiri. Since she would be back in a few days, she didn't say much. At the same time, she also called her parents to check in. She told them she would return to rest in a few days and suggested they could visit her then, or she would find them. An hour later, the three women gathered their luggage. Alice Nakiri and Minami Rika took them back to Dimensional City.
...
"This is...!"
"How can it be?!"
"!!!"
After passing through the dimensional gate and arriving at Dimensional City, the three women were stunned.
They never expected Alice Nakiri to bring them to such a place.
"Welcome to Dimensional City."
Alice Nakiri followed Takumi's example with a smile and began to explain the city to the three girls.
"Incredible! Is this actually real?"
"It's unbelievable!"
Hinako Inui and Fuyumi Mizuhara both looked shocked after hearing the explanation.
Sonoka Kikuchi was completely stunned and froze on the spot, looking quite dazed.
Minami Rika didn't give them much time to recover and reminded Alice:
"Okay, take them to complete the formalities with Riveria. Have Takumi come over to establish a contract with them, and then you should get back to work."
"All right."
Alice Nakiri put away her playfulness. Accompanied by the three girls who had not yet gathered their thoughts, they went to Riveria's temporary office.
"Sister Riveria, we are back."
"Oh, you're back. Are these them?"
Riveria Ljos Alf smiled and nodded to Alice, then looked at Hinako Inui and the others.
"Yes."
"Well, let them fill out these forms while I notify Takumi."
"OK."
Alice Nakiri took the stack of forms and handed them to the three girls. By this time, the three had realized what a magical place they had entered. At the same time, they looked at Riveria with surprise.
An elf!
They never expected to one day see an existence that originally only existed in fantasy. But now was not the time to dwell on it. They quickly regained their focus and began filling out their identity forms under Alice's guidance.
Then, Takumi arrived.
Seeing Hinako Inui and the others, he was slightly startled. He hadn't expected Alice to recruit these three specifically. But he didn't say anything.
"Welcome to Dimensional City. I am the master here, Takumi."
"Hello, Mr. Takumi." x3
"Since you agree to this contract, once you sign, you will officially become members of Dimensional City."
Hinako Inui and the others felt the contract appear in their minds and realized their previous assumptions were naive. They really had to sign a binding agreement! Legal recognition didn't matter; this was a soul-binding contract!
But it was too late for regrets. Not only was it uncertain if Takumi would let them go, but the Nakiri family would surely find trouble for them if they backed out now. Moreover, after seeing the wonders and benefits of Dimensional City, they weren't inclined to regret it anyway. Just as Senzaemon had thought, they were somewhat grateful to the old man for the opportunity.
After signing the contract, Takumi gave them his favor, along with a package of cultivation methods, basic magic, and a magic pattern. After some words of encouragement, Takumi went back to his work. After handing their information to Riveria, the three women were assigned to work under Alice Nakiri. As for housing, they were temporarily placed in the family residential building.
"This is your main battlefield in the future, and also where we will work together."
"Dimensional City currently has a population of over two hundred, and everyone's three meals a day are provided here. If we work together, it won't be too difficult."
"Let's get familiar with things over the next few days. After that, we will be divided into two groups and take turns being in charge, so the other group can rest."
"If you have questions, ask now."
Alice led them to the cafeteria and kitchen to introduce the situation.
"What about staff other than us?" Fuyumi Mizuhara asked first.
Alice replied: "There are a few assistants, but their cooking skills are not high. They haven't studied systematically and are currently limited to prep work."
"Question! Where are the ingredients?" Hinako Inui asked.
"Ingredients are collected from the warehouse or fields daily, but there is a quota. You can take three standard meals per person per day, with a maximum increase of one-fifth unless there are special circumstances."
"This is because the ingredients here are special; they are fortified. Eating them enhances a person's physique. Therefore, control is very strict. Consumption must be reported daily, and leftovers require special treatment."
"I will teach you the procedures later. Next?"
"What about the menu? Are there rules?" Sonoka Kikuchi asked.
"There are standards, but no restrictions within those scopes; free play is allowed. However, if food is unpopular and leads to waste, there will be reprimands or wage deductions."
"What are the tastes here? What cuisines do people prefer?"
"Most prefer Chinese cuisine, but others are acceptable in rotation. Chinese food is the staple."
The three girls gradually acclimated, asking more questions as Alice shared her experience.
"Any other questions?"
"None." x3
"Then let's start. Show off your skills today and let everyone know you've arrived."
"Yes!"
Alice's time in Dimensional City hadn't been wasted. In cafeteria management, her skill was now on par with the experienced Hinako and Fuyumi. She could lead them effectively due to her home-field advantage. This made Alice very happy. After working hard alone for so long, she finally had capable subordinates, and she no longer had to do everything herself.
Alice enjoyed her leadership role that night, mostly supervising and giving instructions. The three women didn't mind, as Alice was the senior member in Dimensional City. The residents were also happy. Although Alice's cooking was impeccable—especially after she obtained the inheritance of Mao—they enjoyed variety. With new chefs specializing in Japanese, Italian, and Western styles, dinner was a hit. The three women, wanting to establish themselves, showcased their special skills. Takumi was satisfied with the new cooks. Even Hestia and Riveria, whose original worlds lacked such culinary variety, enjoyed the meal. The cooks were pleased with the positive reception.
However, news soon arrived that gave them a headache: the City Lord's Mansion was almost complete! To celebrate this and the completion of the city's first landmark, they needed to prepare a banquet.
"What! The day after tomorrow?! Can we prepare in time?!"
Alice was stunned. The banquet was in two days, and she was only just informed? That left only tomorrow for preparation, during which they still had to maintain daily operations... and they hadn't even finalized the menu!
The newcomers were also flustered. What a coincidence! They had just arrived and were already tasked with a banquet.
"Mr. Takumi said if you are rushed, keep it simple: ten dishes per table for ten people. It won't be much different from the usual routine," the messenger said.
Alice disagreed. "Ordinary dishes can't compare to banquet staples. Those take a lot of effort!" She felt Takumi was being overly optimistic. A banquet without "hard dishes" wasn't a real banquet. She couldn't just serve home-cooked food. But banquet dishes like Buddha Jumping Over the Wall take hours. Fortunately, with three helpers, it was manageable.
"Forget it, let's discuss the menu. I need to get the ingredients in advance."
Alice resigned herself to the task. She knew she couldn't really blame Takumi. With magic, construction progress was unpredictable. Even a specialized engineering office was needed to coordinate the rapid progress.
"OK." Hinako and the others joined the project.
"For the banquet, we'll stick to mainstream Chinese cuisine. I'm proficient in this, so I'll be the head chef. You three will assist," Alice decided.
"For the menu, let's start with long-prep items. The main course will be Buddha Jumping Over the Wall. I'll use the dry goods from our supplies. Then, soups. We can stew them in advance. I'll select options based on available ingredients. Then cold appetizers. For fish and shrimp, if we lack ingredients, I'll go back and get some."
Alice quickly finalized the plan based on her memories. She checked the ingredients and prepared to return to the Shokugeki world for missing items while assigning prep work to the others.
The next afternoon, the mansion project was officially finished! Takumi inspected the magnificent building, tens of meters high and covering tens of thousands of square meters. He was satisfied. The entrance featured a spacious hall for banquets and offices. The first floor had rooms for a library and archives. The second floor had halls for ceremonies, a conference room, and a potential courtroom. The floors above contained various rooms, with the fourth floor serving as the core office.
The fifth and sixth floors were Takumi's private areas. His living quarters and those of his household were on the sixth floor. The fifth floor was for storage and a treasury, as well as rooms for the staff. Access to these top floors was restricted to an elevator from the fourth floor, making it a secure, independent space.
Takumi praised the engineering team and began arranging furniture—desks, chairs, and decorations. He focused on the banquet hall for tomorrow's celebration. He asked Hestia to return to Orario to invite Kanae's group and Hephaestus. Takumi himself sent a magical letter to the Harry Potter world, inviting Hermione. These were his acquaintances, and this was an event worth sharing. In the cafeteria, Alice and her team accelerated their work. As head chef, Alice worked tirelessly to ensure everything was perfect.