Chapter 39
The following morning, Mineo woke up earlier than usual.
Checking his device, he found a new message from Toriko waiting for him.
"Mineo-kun, I've finished buying the items you requested at the market!"
"In addition to the Therapy Tulip nectar, I've also prepared plenty of high-quality ingredients for cooking. When can we meet up?"
"Mr. Toriko, I'm actually a bit busy this afternoon," Mineo typed back. "How about tonight? I'll contact you again once I've finished my business."
"Tonight? Understood. See you then."
"OK!"
Around 1:00 PM, Erina arrived in front of Mineo's restaurant in her private car.
As she spotted Mineo, she felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks. He looked remarkably handsome in his casual attire.
"Mineo-kun, are you ready? If so, let us depart immediately."
"I'm all set. Let's go."
"Right!"
Just as Erina was about to give instructions to her chauffeur, she noticed Mineo was carrying several bags in his hands.
"Mineo-kun, what is that you're carrying?"
"These? They're gifts for your grandfather."
"Gifts!?"
Erina cried out in surprise, her face turning a deep shade of crimson. She looked at Mineo nervously, her voice trembling slightly.
"Wh-why are you bringing gifts? Mineo-kun, do you... intend to...?"
"Erina, why have you suddenly become so tense?" Mineo asked, tilting his head.
"In China, it is only natural to bring a gift when visiting the home of a relative, a friend, or an elder. It's a form of respect. I only brought some fruit and tea. This tea is a premium quality blend I brought from China; it tastes quite good. You can try some later if you're interested."
Erina felt a wave of relief wash over her after hearing his explanation.
She had momentarily forgotten that Mineo was from China, a culture that placed great importance on etiquette and gift-giving. For a second there, she had actually thought Mineo was bringing gifts to make some sort of formal marriage proposal. She quickly shook the thought away, wondering why her mind had even wandered in that direction.
Mineo didn't pay much mind to Erina's shock. To him, bringing a gift when visiting someone was just a standard social procedure. Besides, the items had been taken directly from the Super Dimension Restaurant's storage room at no cost to him.
Stepping into the car, Mineo caught a faint, pleasant fragrance. It was the same scent that lingered around Erina herself.
Erina felt incredibly restless with Mineo sitting right beside her, watching him as he took in the car's interior.
She sat on the left side, her legs—clad in black over-the-knee stockings—pressed tightly together. She rested her hands on her knees to keep the hem of her skirt in place. This was the first time a man other than her grandfather had ever sat inside her private car.
She wondered why Mineo wasn't saying anything. Was he feeling as nervous as she was?
Breaking the silence, Mineo turned to her. "Erina, may I ask why your grandfather invited me for a meal? Even if I am a new guest lecturer, this treatment feels a bit too special."
"Mineo-kun... have you forgotten that you possess the God's Tongue? The God's Tongue is a specific bloodline ability of the Nakiri family. Grandfather was bound to take notice once he found out."
Mineo looked at Erina with genuine curiosity.
"Does your grandfather suspect I might be a long-lost member of the Nakiri family? That would be impossible, considering I am 100% Chinese."
"...."
Erina felt a flash of irritation at Mineo's blunt, deadpan response. Her grandfather simply wanted to get to know him over a meal, yet Mineo was busy imagining completely irrelevant scenarios.
Suppressing her emotions, Erina managed a thin smile.
"Grandfather simply wishes to have a casual chat and get to know a genius young chef like yourself. As a great chef willing to serve as a guest lecturer at Totsuki, Grandfather—in his capacity as Director—felt it necessary to give you a warm welcome."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
100 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon: patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 45+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —