Chapter 13: What Does That Have to Do with Me?
The door to the private room was kicked open with a resounding crash, abruptly cutting off Nakiri Senzaemon mid-sentence.
Senzaemon was furious. He couldn't fathom what kind of lawless individual would dare to act so recklessly in a place like this. Standing up abruptly, he glared toward the entrance, his expression tight with pure rage.
A bald man wearing a kimono strode into the room, flanked by a squad of private bodyguards.
When he saw the man's face, Senzaemon's anger instantly evaporated, replaced by an involuntary furrow of his brow.
Of all people, why did it have to be him?
"Man, that smells incredible."
The moment the bald man stepped inside, he took a deep breath. His eyes were immediately drawn to the dishes spread across the private table. The aroma radiating from the food was so potent that it triggered an almost primal craving.
"Old Man Nakiri, you've really done it this time," the bald man spoke up first, his tone arrogant. "I came all the way to your place to have a meal, and yet you go ahead and hide the truly good stuff from me. I had to sniff it out and find it myself. Does this mean you're looking down on me?"
He considered himself a true connoisseur of fine dining. Born into immense wealth, he had tasted every luxury the culinary world had to offer. High-end delicacies that ordinary people could never hope to afford were nothing more than a daily routine to him. If a restaurant was booked solid and refused to take reservations from the public, he could simply summon their executive chef to his estate to cook for him privately.
Yet, despite the countless exquisite meals he had enjoyed throughout his life, they all paled in comparison to the dishes sitting on the table before him. The quality was on an entirely different tier.
In fact, it wasn't even a fair comparison.
The dominant, captivating aroma practically begged to be eaten, pushing his self-control to its absolute limits.
Suppressing the irritation rising in his chest, Senzaemon kept his face stern and spoke deliberately. "Young Master Oka, you must be joking. If there is ever something exceptional available here at Totsuki, we make sure to announce it far and wide. We would never dream of hiding it."
He paused, gesturing toward the table. "The truth is, the ingredients for this particular meal were brought in by the guest himself."
"Even we were utterly shocked," Senzaemon continued. "We had no idea a meat that completely surpasses A5 Wagyu even existed in this world."
"Oh? Is that so?" The bald man, addressed as Young Master Oka, seemed to understand. His gaze shifted, locking directly onto Kazuma Yumesaki. "So you're the one who brought these ingredients. Who exactly are you, and where did you get your hands on this stuff?"
Yumesaki, however, didn't pay him any mind. He simply continued to eat his food heartily, completely ignoring the man's presence as if he hadn't spoken at all.
Oka's expression darkened. As a prominent member of the Shinomiya family, he had never been so blatantly disrespected in his entire life. To think someone would dare to ignore him.
Anger flared hot within Oka Shinomiya, his gaze gradually turning icy. However, before he could ascertain who these people were and what kind of backing they had, he wasn't about to let his temper explode recklessly.
He turned his eyes back toward the head of the Nakiri family.
Senzaemon remained perfectly calm. "Is there something you need from me, Young Master Oka?"
Oka offered a cold, mocking smile. "Who exactly are these people, Old Man Nakiri? Do you not intend to introduce them to me?"
"I am afraid I do not know their origins either," Senzaemon replied smoothly. "All I know is that they are highly honored guests of our Nakiri family. That is all."
Oka let out a sharp, frigid laugh. "Is that so? I see how it is. Honored guests of the Nakiri family, huh?"
That old fox is actually trying to play me for a fool, he thought, his irritation growing. This is getting ridiculous.
He lowered his head to look down at Yumesaki again. "Hey, brat. I'm buying your dishes. Just name your price. How does ten million yen sound?"
Yumesaki finally lifted his head, his eyes locking dead-on with Oka.
For reasons he couldn't comprehend, the moment Oka met Yumesaki's gaze, a sudden, violent chill shot through his entire body.
It felt as though he wasn't looking at a human being at all, but rather staring into the eyes of a dragon, or perhaps a god. It was a cold, detached, patronizing stare that looked down on him as if he were nothing more than a corpse.
An icy dread pierced through Oka's heart from deep within, making him feel as though he had suddenly been dropped into a frozen abyss. He could barely breathe.
Senzaemon instantly picked up on the terrifying shift in the room's atmosphere. Oka's breathing had turned incredibly shallow, his face was completely pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat. He looked utterly terrified, as if he might lose consciousness at any second.
Moments later, Oka's bodyguards realized something was horribly wrong with their master.
Yet, they found themselves completely unable to move forward to protect him.
Yumesaki's overwhelming pressure wasn't just bearing down on Oka; it was pinning the bodyguards down as well. It felt exactly like a massive wave of Conqueror's Haki crushing their spirits, or the terrifying spiritual pressure of a high-ranking Soul Reaper. Everyone in the room felt as though they were bound in place by an invisible, suffocating force, utterly paralyzed.
"Lord Yumesaki, please, calm your anger."
Senzaemon spoke up immediately, terrified that if he hesitated for even a fraction of a second, Oka would be completely obliterated right then and there.
Even though he had absolutely no affection for the eldest young master of the Shinomiya family, he absolutely could not allow the man to die on these premises. If Oka died here, the Totsuki Resort would be completely ruined. The Nakiri family itself would be dragged down with it, likely facing total financial ruin.
Left with no other choice, he swallowed his pride and pleaded with Yumesaki, begging him to show mercy just this once.
Responding to the plea, Yumesaki casually reined in the invisible pressure. The moment the weight lifted, Oka looked like he had just been dragged out of a river, his entire body soaked through with sweat.
"Get out!"
With that single, quiet command, the bodyguards instantly grabbed Oka, supporting his limp weight as they scrambled out of the private room without looking back once. They fled exactly like beaten dogs that had lost their master.
"Thank you, Lord Yumesaki." Watching them retreat, Senzaemon let out a long, heavy sigh of relief and bowed deeply in gratitude once again.
"You're overthinking things. I had no intention of killing him," Yumesaki said nonstantly. "Killing someone while you're trying to enjoy a meal is just unpleasant. If it doesn't ruin your appetite, it certainly ruins mine. Besides, I'm really not the type of guy who enjoys fighting and killing."
Hearing those words, Senzaemon found it incredibly hard to maintain his composure. If you genuinely dislike killing people, then how on earth did Tanaka Asahi vanish from the face of the earth?
"That's because he actually deserved to die."
As if reading Senzaemon's thoughts perfectly, Yumesaki spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. "I looked through that guy's memories. The things he did throughout his life were incredibly numerous and utterly atrocious. The number of people he killed wasn't small either. According to the law, getting executed ten times over wouldn't even begin to cover his crimes."
He paused to take another bite before continuing. "Yet, because he held power and wealth, he didn't just escape justice—he lived a life more lavish and prosperous than anyone else. That Oka guy from earlier doesn't even hold a candle to him."
"People like that are just wasting perfectly good oxygen by staying alive. So, I simply sent him to his grave."
Senzaemon narrowed his eyes, his fingers gently tapping against his knee. It seemed he had vastly underestimated the sheer depth of Tanaka Asahi's sins. Some people truly were monsters who didn't deserve to walk this earth.
Not long after, Senzaemon pulled up his phone and managed to find the actual news reports regarding Tanaka Asahi.
As the president of Asahi Heavy Industries, Tanaka Asahi was a prominent public figure, making his sudden demise a massive headline across various media outlets. However, the official news stated that he had tragically passed away after falling from a high-rise building.
What an absolute joke.
Senzaemon looked up at Yumesaki, his eyes filled with lingering doubts.
Yumesaki bit into a perfectly tender piece of potato stew, chewing happily as the rich flavors melted in his mouth, his eyes narrowing with pure culinary bliss.
"Why are you looking at me like that? What the news said is technically true. Tanaka Asahi really did die from falling off a building."
He swallowed and smiled faintly. "It's just that I was the one who told him to jump."
Understanding dawned on Senzaemon. Seizing the moment, he finally asked the burning question that had been weighing on his mind. "Was Tanaka Asahi truly a member of the Star Religious Group?"
"Yeah. And he wasn't just a regular member either; he was a high-ranking official," Yumesaki nodded. "Didn't that guy mention over the phone earlier that he was dragged into the Star Religious Group by some influential big shot?"
Senzaemon nodded in confirmation.
"The truth is actually the exact opposite. That man had been a part of the Star Religious Group since he was a kid. His parents were members, and he followed right in their footsteps."
Yumesaki casually spat out a small bone and continued. "The one who actually got dragged into the mess wasn't Tanaka Asahi. It was the influential figure who got tangled up with him."
Senzaemon hesitated for a brief moment before asking, "Lord Yumesaki... if I may ask, who exactly is this influential figure?"
Yumesaki looked at him with an amused expression. "Do you really want to know?"
Senzaemon went completely silent. He was well aware that in certain circles, the more you knew, the shorter your lifespan became. Some secrets were better left buried.
Yet, human curiosity was a powerful thing.
In the end, however, he forced his curiosity down. The Nakiri family was a lineage of chefs and law-abiding businessmen. They had absolutely no ties to the political underworld and didn't align themselves with any factions. No matter who this powerful figure turned out to be, they would likely never have any interaction with the Nakiri family anyway. There was absolutely no need to actively court disaster.
With that realization, Senzaemon decisively shifted the topic. "I see. If I may ask, what are your plans moving forward, Lord Yumesaki?"
Yumesaki thought it over for a brief moment. "Eating. I plan on tasting the dishes of the prominent Totsuki Elite Ten alumni."
"Whether it's Hinako Inui's Kirinoya, Sonoka Kikuchi's Shunkatei, or Taki Tsunozaki's Spanish restaurant, Taki Amarillo, I intend to try them all."
"Of course," Yumesaki added, his eyes sparkling slightly, "I don't plan on missing out on Fuyumi Mizuhara's Italian restaurant, Ristorante F, or Kojiro Shinomiya's French cuisine restaurant, SHINO'S, either. I'm going to taste everything."
Since he had traveled all the way to this world, it would be an absolute sin to miss out on these incredible delicacies. Yumesaki had never forgotten his original purpose for traversing through different universes. He hadn't done it to constantly fight and kill. He did it to travel to places he had never seen before, taste incredible foods he had never eaten, and live the kind of ideal life that others could only dream of.
Senzaemon was utterly stunned. This response was completely outside of anything he could have anticipated.
"Then... what about the matter regarding the Star Religious Group...?"
"What does that have to do with me?"
Yumesaki cut him off cleanly before he could even finish his sentence.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something here, Old Man. I'm not some grand hero driven by an overwhelming sense of justice. If anything, I'm actually a pretty selfish guy. The only things I care about are myself and the people close to me."
He took a sip of his drink. "If something happens right in front of my eyes, sure, I'll take care of it. But if I don't see it, I'm not going to go out of my way to interfere."
"It's just like what happened with Nakiri Erina. Because I happened to see what was going on and I had the power to change it, I decided to lend a helping hand. If I hadn't been there to see it, then that would have been the end of it."
"The Star Religious Group situation is exactly the same," Yumesaki stated calmly. "I stumbled across it, so I wrapped it up cleanly. But as long as the Star Religious Group doesn't actively come out to provoke me, I have absolutely no intention of looking for trouble with them."
Senzaemon frowned slightly, his voice tinged with worry. "But Tanaka Asahi was an important member of their organization, and you have taken an item that belongs to them. I am deeply concerned that the Star Religious Group will not simply let this matter drop."
"It doesn't matter," Yumesaki waved his hand dismissively. "At worst, I'll just deal with them when they show up. If the Star Religious Group truly has a death wish, I can easily pull them out by their roots and erase them from existence entirely."
Senzaemon understood completely. The young man sitting before him truly didn't care about the Star Religious Group at all, an organization that struck terror into the hearts of so many.
This realization made Senzaemon incredibly curious. Just what kind of unfathomable power did Yumesaki possess to look down on such a massive threat with such absolute disdain?
"Lord Yumesaki."
Right at that moment, Cossette, who had remained completely silent throughout the entire conversation, elegantly set her utensils down. She gently wiped a small trace of oil from the corner of her mouth and looked at Yumesaki with an incredibly serious expression. "There is one thing I would like to ask of you."
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