Chapter 3: The Person Who Shouldn’t Be There

"Lady Erina, stay awake! What is this place?!"

On the outskirts of the Low Whispering Forest, a pink-haired girl staggered through the trees, a golden-haired girl slumped on her back. The pair—Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato—had appeared in the forest moments earlier, disoriented by a sudden, dizzying shift in reality.

Half an hour prior, Erina had brushed against a thorned plant. Though the scratch seemed minor, paralysis soon gripped her body, leaving her conscious but mute and immobile. Hisako, loyal as ever, refused to abandon her, trudging onward despite her growing panic.

Zed, drawn by the commotion, observed the duo from a distance. His enhanced senses—honed by Gourmet Cells and regenerationist training—immediately recognized their uniforms: Totsuki Academy from the Shokugeki no Soma world. Why are they here?

Before he could ponder further, his long-dormant Partner System flared to life:

[Compatible Partners Detected: Erina Nakiri & Hisako Arato.]

So the system wants cross-dimensional partners? Zed approached cautiously.

Hisako spotted him first. "Please! My friend's been poisoned—help us!" Desperation edged her voice, though her grip tightened protectively around Erina.

Zed knelt beside Erina. "Purple Thorn venom. Lucky for you, the dose was small." From his pocket, he withdrew a vial, daubing its contents onto his fingernail. The nail morphed into a green, needle-like spike—a technique borrowed from Teppei.

"W-What are you—?!" Hisako recoiled, but Zed's nail pierced Erina's arm, injecting the antidote. Seconds later, Erina gasped, flexing her fingers.

"It's... gone?!" Her voice trembled with relief.

"Regenerationist trick." Zed shrugged. "Now, explain: How did you end up here?"

The pair recounted their abrupt teleportation. Zed's brow furrowed. Cross-dimensional rifts weren't part of Toriko's lore—was this the system's doing?

"Stay close," he ordered. "This forest's crawling with Danger Beasts. We're leaving."

Ignoring his unfinished mission, Zed guided them outward. The Low Whispering Forest's whispers grew faint as daylight broke through the trees.

[Partner Bond Initiated. Rewards Pending.]

The system's alert flickered in Zed's mind. Finally.