chapter.00

I'm not the type to give up so easily."

Hearing that, Erina couldn't help but refute Alice's comment.

"Let's go!"

After calming her breathing, she finally followed in Nakiri Senzaemon's footsteps.

"Heh!" Alice just smiled, choosing not to say anything more. She found it increasingly pointless to keep competing with her cousin. In this kind of setting, Senzaemon could only shake his head with a sigh. They were his granddaughters, after all what could he say?

"Mr. Ryuji!"

When they approached, Ryuji was still chatting with Kaguya and Chika. Senzaemon cleared his throat first, then greeted Ryuji sincerely.

"My name is Senzaemon Nakiri. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ryuji!"

"I know you—Head of Totsuki Academy, right?" Ryuji replied with a friendly smile as Senzaemon approached.

"I've heard a lot about the cuisine at Totsuki. Food is the foundation of life, after all. Once you reach a certain level of strength, you start seeking other pleasures… like good food." After all, this world wasn't just about the culinary battles of Totsuki; it encompassed all kinds of realms. While Totsuki had a prominent place in the food scene, it was still, in the end, just a culinary school.

"Is that so?" Senzaemon, who'd initially worried that approaching Ryuji might risk offending him, felt a rush of relief at his warm reception. Smiling widely, he replied, "If you ever have the time, Mr. Ryuji, you're always welcome at Totsuki. We would be honored to host you."

This was a rare opportunity to form a connection with Ryuji, and Nakiri Senzaemon was not about to let it slip.

"Hahaha! I'll make sure to visit when I can," Ryuji said with a nod. It would be interesting to see the quality of Totsuki's cooking and whether it lived up to the hype.

"This is my granddaughter," Senzaemon continued, encouraged by Ryuji's friendliness. "Erina Nakiri. When it comes to cooking, I assure you, she won't disappoint."

Ryuji nodded slightly, glancing at Erina Nakiri, who stood as the queenly and proud protagonist of the culinary world. Just as he'd imagined, her demeanor exuded arrogance and a sense of superiority. However, after overhearing her previous conversation, Ryuji also thought she seemed rather naive.

In his early days after arriving in this world, he might have been fascinated by meeting a "heroine" from anime, even trying to strike up a conversation. But now? After everything he'd been through, the term "heroine" had lost its luster. Ryuji no longer felt the need to go out of his way to impress anyone, let alone someone with such a limited worldview.

Erina, who was already conflicted, had wanted to introduce herself politely. But remembering what she'd heard about Ryuji's actions, she found herself hesitant. She couldn't shake her disapproval of his ruthlessness; even if someone had threatened his family, killing everyone involved seemed unnecessarily brutal. But given Ryuji's strength and status, Erina certainly couldn't voice her thoughts openly. She wasn't just representing herself here; the Nakiri family was on the line, and she didn't want to bring trouble to them.

Yet, just as Erina gathered the resolve to speak, Ryuji turned away from her, looking instead at her cousin, Alice.

"And who might this be?" he asked, feigning curiosity as he glanced at Alice.

In terms of looks, Alice Nakiri was certainly on par with her cousin.

"Hello, Mr. Ryuji! I'm Alice Nakiri," she said with a bright smile, not waiting for her grandfather to introduce her. She recognized the opportunity and seized it.

"If you'd like, you can just call me Alice!" she added warmly.

"Alice? I like it—nice name, very fitting," Ryuji responded. His comment felt like a clear confirmation of what Alice had been telling Erina earlier: times were changing. Those unable to adapt to the new world would be left behind, regardless of their titles or backgrounds.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Ryuji!" Alice replied with a smile, while Erina's expression soured. She wasn't oblivious; she could tell this was a veiled criticism of her.

She was about to retort, but Nakiri Senzaemon intervened, seeing the tension. He smiled diplomatically and said, "Yes, Erina can be a bit naive. I'm sure she'll broaden her perspective soon enough."

Ryuji wasn't one to press an issue unnecessarily. Since Senzaemon had smoothed things over, he simply waved his hand dismissively, signaling he was done with the topic. Understanding this, Senzaemon quickly guided his granddaughters away.

As they left, Alice grinned. "If it weren't for Erina, maybe I could've chatted with Mr. Ryuji a bit longer!"

Erina, on the other hand, looked visibly annoyed. She'd always been revered at Totsuki, winning respect from all who knew her. Today's encounter was a bitter first.

"But…" she began, clearly upset.

"Enough," Alice interrupted, not interested in prolonging the argument. "Maybe you should rewatch the live broadcast from a few days ago, Erina. It might help you understand the true power of those cursed spirits and why Mr. Ryuji's strength is in a league of its own."

It was clear to Alice that her cousin didn't fully grasp the threat level of cursed spirits or the unique abilities required to deal with them. Erina's limited perspective kept her from understanding why people felt both awe and fear toward Ryuji.

Erina fell silent, unsure how to respond. She truly hadn't seen the broadcast. To her, cursed spirits were dangerous, but they could be managed by trained people. She didn't realize how far beyond that Ryuji's power went.

Seeing his granddaughter's conflicted expression, Senzaemon shook his head. Some lessons could only be learned through experience; no amount of lecturing could make up for personal understanding.

---

Meanwhile, Ryuji continued chatting casually with Kaguya and Chika. Suddenly, he stopped, his gaze shifting toward the outskirts of the hall.

"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked, a bit startled by his sudden change in focus.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ryuji replied, his expression turning into a playful grin. "Just seems like something interesting is coming our way."

Kaguya and Chika exchanged confused glances, both unsure of what he meant.

At the same time, Mei Mei, who was sipping her drink nearby, picked up on Ryuji's change in demeanor. She, too, glanced in the same direction, her expression briefly sharpening.

"A special-grade curse spirit?" she murmured. The powerful aura she sensed was unmistakable, and the curse wasn't bothering to hide its presence at all.

Mei Mei's eyes shifted to Ryuji. She doubted he'd missed it either.

When Ryuji noticed her glance, he raised an eyebrow and gave her a reassuring smile. Seeing this, Mei Mei relaxed. With Ryuji here, one or even ten special-grade curses weren't anything to worry about.

Everyone else at the banquet remained blissfully unaware, still engrossed in trying to get close to Ryuji.

"Is something wrong?" Suzuki Tomoko asked, feeling a strange tension in the air. Though she was an ordinary person, her instincts told her something was off.

"It's nothing," Mei Mei replied, waving her hand. "Just stay close to me for a bit."

Mei Mei didn't mind Suzuki Tomoko or her daughter, Sonoko. She was willing to offer them a bit of protection as a courtesy.

"Huh?" Sonoko asked, utterly baffled, just as she was about to ask for more details. Her mother pulled her aside.

"Understood," Tomoko replied, choosing to follow Mei Mei's advice without further questions. Whatever was going on, she trusted that staying close to Mei Mei was the safest course.

---

Elsewhere in the hall, Sayuri Sawamura had also sensed something. "Mom, shouldn't we go say hi to Ryuji?" asked her daughter, Eriri, eager to approach him.

But Sayuri, who had accompanied her daughter to the banquet, shook her head. As a member of another powerful family, she knew the Sawamura family could visit Ryuji at any time.

"Let's wait. Today, he's the guest of honor. We can invite him over later, after things settle down," Sayuri advised.

Eriri understood and, though disappointed, agreed. After all, not everyone at the banquet had as close a relationship with Ryuji as she did. She could see him whenever she wanted. Smugly, she thought, Let's see these people try to compete with that!

Suddenly, Eriri's smile vanished, her gaze drawn to the direction where she felt a dark presence approaching. "Mom, stay close to me. Something's coming," she warned.

"…What do you mean?" Sayuri asked, alarmed. Just then, a hulking figure, nearly two meters tall, appeared outside the manor.

It was the special-grade curse spirit that Noritoshi had manipulated—the Gun Curse. The cursed spirit, standing at nearly two meters tall, had a distinctive, unsettling appearance. Its head was shaped like an automatic rifle, and both of its hands looked like pistols, embodying the very essence of firearms.

The Gun Curse had no eyes; beneath the automatic rifle on its head, its mouth split into a sinister grin, revealing sharp, jagged fangs. It was an unnerving sight, radiating an aura of violent intent.

"This is the place, huh?"

The Gun Curse spirit, born from humanity's fear of guns, thrived on violence and chaos. Fueled by Kenjaku's words, it hadn't hesitated to seek out the powerful sorcerer supposedly lurking within the manor. It wanted nothing more than to test its strength against someone formidable.