~ Thank You for 300 Powerstones, Here's Your Bonus Chapter!
~ Thank You for the Support!
~ Lets Keep Pushing!!
<><><><><><><><>
"I can't believe the God's Tongue has such serious drawbacks. If it gets out of control, you have to rely on nutrient solutions to survive? ERINA-CHAN—that's awful!"
After hearing the explanation, Yoshino Yuki's eyes welled up.
She even started calling Erina "Erina-chan." Normally, she wouldn't do this, but she was clearly overcome with emotion—she genuinely felt sorry for Erina.
"....E-Erina-chan?! Are you... talking to me?"
Erina Nakiri was completely stunned. She never expected this girl with such a cheerful personality to suddenly address her so casually. For a moment, she didn't know how to react.
After all, everyone she interacted with before had always treated her with respect and caution.
No one was like Yoshino Yuki, not even Hisako Arato.
However, she didn't dislike this feeling.
On the contrary, it felt somewhat heartwarming—after all, the people she usually met would flatter and praise her, solely for the sake of getting on the Nakiri family's good side and gaining benefits.
Erina Nakiri also wanted more friends, but after seeing through the true faces of so many people, she ultimately gave up. Hisako Arato was her only true friend.
Having interacted with those sorts of people for so long, she could naturally see that Yoshino Yuki's concern was genuine, not some attempt to cozy up to her.
"Sorry, sorry! Yuki's always like this." Ryōko Sakaki said with a chuckle.
However, her tone was very casual, completely different from those who panicked and apologized profusely after accidentally offending Erina Nakiri.
....
Everyone was now discussing the God's Tongue issue, all of them feeling that Erina Nakiri's situation was rather unfortunate. Of course, it wasn't pity they felt, but more of a heartfelt sympathy.
If nothing else, the Polar Star residents were truly kind people. So, they naturally sympathized with Erina Nakiri. After all, knowing that your future held such a grim fate—just putting yourself in her shoes made it clear it wouldn't be an easy life.
Erina was a Nakiri and couldn't openly express her emotions. She still had to deal with those people, living a difficult life without even the freedom to be herself. They naturally felt for her.
Actually, Erina Nakiri's interactions with outsiders weren't forced by Senzaemon Nakiri—she made that choice herself.
The reason was simple: She was a Nakiri.
And in this generation of the Nakiri family, there were only her and Alice.
Moreover, she had awakened the God's Tongue. This burden was destined to fall on her shoulders, so Erina forced herself to do these things.
After all, it was inevitable. Instead of scrambling and fumbling after becoming an adult, she might as well start now—at least, she had already adapted.
"I-It's okay. There's no need to apologize—" Erina Nakiri said with a tiny smile.
She really wanted to join in with everyone, but years of habit didn't allow it.
So, she now forced down this urge. Seeing Alice Nakiri getting along with everyone so easily, she was quite envious.
....
Watching this, Yuuki shook his head. Erina Nakiri was living a tiring life, constantly wearing a mask.
Having read the original story, he naturally knew what kind of person Erina Nakiri truly was. But having been born into such a family, some things certainly weren't her own choice.
She was quite fortunate, though, to have been born into the Nakiri family.
If it were any other family that prioritized profits above all else, it would be terrifying to imagine how she might have been used as a tool.
Yuuki didn't try to advise Erina Nakiri to drop the act or anything. From his perspective, telling her to take off the mask and live as she pleased would be considered a kindness.
But thinking about it carefully, for Erina, it wouldn't actually be a good thing, unless she was willing to abandon everything about the Nakiri family. Otherwise, dropping the act and showing her true self would only lead to her being devoured, leaving not even bones behind.
During the meal, everyone took extra care of Erina Nakiri. After all, in their eyes, Erina was someone who needed to be looked after.
Actually, their perception wasn't wrong.
Although Erina was adept at interpersonal communication and socializing, she was practically clueless about daily life.
This was also because Hisako Arato had taken too good care of Erina.
Besides things that absolutely required Erina to do herself, Hisako would handle everything else.
Honestly, for Hisako Arato's Culinary skills to reach such a height was entirely due to her own natural talent and Erina's God's Tongue.
Otherwise, considering the amount of work Hisako took on, reaching that level of skill in cooking would have been a pipe dream—
—She spent far more time on chores and daily tasks than she did on cooking.
At this moment, Hisako Arato was also quite happy. She could feel that everyone's kindness towards Erina was genuine.
She also hoped her Young lady could have some real friends, someone she could open up to.
Although this was just the beginning, and considering her Young lady's personality, it would take a long time for them to truly become her friends, having a good start was positive news.
....
Soon, everyone finished Yuuki's dish, leaving nothing behind. Actually, Yuuki could easily have made enough to completely stuff everyone. But there were other dishes too.
So, although the amount he made was generous, it didn't prevent them from enjoying other dishes.
"You Polar Star folks are seriously incredible! If you were in our year, the Elite Ten wouldn't have had a place for us!"
Rindō Kobayashi exclaimed after tasting everyone else's food.
Although she knew before that the Polar Star residents were skilled, she hadn't expected them to be THIS amazing.
Besides Daigo Aoki and Shōji Satō, who were just above average, everyone else's Culinary skills were undoubtedly top-notch among their peers.
Keep in mind, this generation was the Jewel Generation, far more talented than Rindō Kobayashi's generation.
In the original story, everyone from Polar Star who participated in the Autumn Elections scored in the eighties, with Soma Yukihira, Ryō Kurokiba, and Alice Nakiri even scoring over ninety.
That level of skill would have been enough to win in Rindō Kobayashi's generation.
Moreover, now Yuuki was even training them.
While it was still early to see any significant improvements, when the Autumn Elections came around, everyone's Culinary skills would surely have undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
<><><><><><><><>
~ 17 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon (Soon +20)!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><><><><>
~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
~# Add to Library!