Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 93 Deeply Buried Exhaustion

"That's not necessarily true!"

Looking at the exquisite face so close to his, Lin Yu smiled and shook his head.

"The fact that you can still joke around means that you still care about each other."

"Erina may be a bit spoiled, but she's not a child."

"She's incredibly arrogant!"

"Given her personality, if she really didn't care about someone, she wouldn't get so angry over some trivial teasing."

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Alice Nakiri's eyes narrowed and she paused for a moment, but then she pouted and put on an indifferent look.

"cut!"

"Why are you suddenly saying such pointless things? It's boring!"

Lin Yu gave a helpless smile. "So what should I say to make you find it interesting?"

Alice Nakiri suddenly perked up, rubbed her hands together, and chuckled, "Of course I want to hear you say things like, 'I'm really, really interested in the moment when a tsundere girl breaks down!'"

Lin Yu rolled his eyes at the other person, said nothing more, leaned back, and rested his head on the sofa.

Despite Lin Yu's indifference, Alice was not angry. She jumped and threw herself into the sofa, but was bounced up by the sofa's elasticity.

If Lin Yu hadn't caught her in time, this girl would have definitely fallen to the ground.

"Thank you, Lin Yujun!"

Despite the harrowing experience, Alice acted as if nothing had happened. She patted Lin Yu on the shoulder, smiled, and gave him a thumbs-up as a way of thanking him.

As she sat back down on the sofa, Alice Nakiri turned to look at Hisako Shinto, who stood upright with her hands behind her back.

"Little follower!"

"Go get me a glass of water, and please remember to add ice!"

"Of course, an iced Coke would be even better! Thank you!"

Faced with Alice's nonchalant instructions, Hisako Shinoto almost gritted her teeth before finally managing to control herself and not lose her temper.

"Excuse me, Miss Alice."

Hisako Shinoto said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "There's no ice water here, and no iced cola either."

"Eh?"

Alice's face immediately showed displeasure, and her lips pouted high.

"Why is there nothing here?!"

"You're such a terrible lackey of Erina!"

Hisako Shinoto shuddered, her clenched fists turning white from the force.

But she suppressed her anger and patiently explained, "It's like this, because Lady Erina isn't interested in carbonated drinks, I don't usually prepare them."

"All right..

""

Alice, feeling paralyzed, fanned herself with her hand. "So, what do you have to drink now?"

"We only have hot tea available right now, and we have both black and green tea," Hisako Niito replied.

"Hot tea?"

Alice Nakiri gave a disgusted look. "Never mind then, that stuff just makes you hotter!"

Unable to find satisfaction with Hisako Niito, Alice decided not to continue the conversation and tried to find another topic.

Alice looked at Lin Yu and asked curiously, "By the way! Why are you here, Lin Yu-jun?"

"You were the first to finish the assessment this afternoon. I thought you'd already gone back to your hotel room to rest!"

Lin Yu answered truthfully, "Erina invited me here."

"is that so?!"

Alice Nakiri's tone was clearly surprised, and her eyes widened.

"Erina...would she actually invite people to her lounge?"

"And it's a boy?"

Alice Nakiri's tone was quite wistful.

"That's really strange..."

"..." Alice Nakiri seemed to have thought of something, and with a grin, she moved closer to Lin Yu, covered her mouth with one hand, and whispered in his ear, "You don't know, do you?"

"Erina, she has obsessive-compulsive disorder and is a germaphobe!"

Alice Nakiri winked at Lin Yu, looking as if she were telling a story with great conviction.

"That's why I was surprised she would invite you out first. That's unusual!"

"Erina is probably up to something! Lin Yujun, you'd better be careful! Be careful not to fall into her trap!"

Exposing her cousin's shortcomings made Alice reveal a wicked smile of triumph, appearing quite pleased.

Little did they know, Kirie Erina was fully aware of her cousin's character and had been keeping an eye on her from the very beginning.

Listening to Alice's unbridled slander and defamation of her, Erina felt an immense headache coming on.

Faced with Alice's eyes constantly conveying the "Trust me!" "Trust me!" hints, Lin Yu surprisingly showed a hint of interest.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"But I believe your cousin isn't that kind of person."

"Erina only said she was inviting me for tea, and also..."

'

"We should also observe him further!"

Upon hearing this, Erina Nakiri quickly stood up, hurriedly interrupting Lin Yu, and even added a guilty remark.

That's all!

There's no other reason...

""

Faced with her cousin's suspicious gaze, Kiri Erina took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

"I am the only member of the 'Top Ten' in my first year."

Erina Kiri, feigning composure, argued, "I heard there were some quite capable students in my grade, so I invited him to talk to me and assess his abilities. Isn't that reasonable?"

Alice Nakiri tilted her head, giving him a suspicious look.

"is that so?"

"Of course!"

When she said this, Erina Kiri's tone was resolute.

"As one of the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy, it is only natural for me to care about the students' cooking skills."

Erina Kiri nodded slightly, as if she herself believed what she said.

"This is an action that is entirely in line with my identity as one of the Elite Ten, and it is a manifestation of fulfilling my duties within the scope of my responsibilities as one of the Elite Ten."

"You're not one of the 'Ten Heroes,' so it's normal that you don't understand these things."

Although Erina's explanation was not flawed, Alice, who clearly did not believe it, still began to have doubts.

"I always feel like there's something strange about you, Erina..."

""

"Alright! Aren't you going to greet your friends?"

Feeling guilty, Kiri Erina quickly tried to change the subject, gesturing to Hojo Miyoko and Marui Zenji, who were sitting somewhat reserved in the outermost area as soon as they entered.

As for Kurokiba Ryo, he casually picked out a comfortable sofa, slumped down on it, and didn't show the slightest discomfort on his face.

"Alice, this is a friend you brought back. It's very rude to leave her hanging, you know?"

"Go and greet them quickly, don't let people think that the Che family is ill-mannered."

"oh..

""

"Oh what?!" Erina Nakiri tapped Alice Nakiri on the head. "Aren't you going yet?"

Alice Nakiri covered her forehead, pouting reluctantly, "Fine! Erina's so long-winded, like an old woman!"

"you!"

Alice stuck out her tongue and ran away before Erina Nakiri could get angry.

Seeing that Alice had already started talking to Miyoko Hojo and the others, Erina Kiri had no choice but to suppress her frustration.

"Hisako, guests are guests, go and serve them tea."

"Understood, Lady Erina!"

Upon receiving the instruction, Hisako Niito quickly served hot tea to the group, then stepped back and stood behind Erina Michikiri.

Erina Nakiri felt a little tired, so she relaxed and leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her temples.

Suddenly, Erina Kiri noticed that Lin Yu was staring at her.

"I'm so sorry, Lin Yu, you must have found this amusing!"

"fine."

Lin Yu waved his hand with a smile and said softly, "Having such a quirky cousin must be quite a headache sometimes, right?"

Upon hearing this, Erina sighed, nodded, and gave a somewhat helpless, bitter smile.

Alice isn't a bad person, it's just that sometimes she's a bit... well, too lively and willful.

'

Lin Yu chuckled softly, "A little tired?"

"Thank you for your concern, but no."

Lin Yu revealed a sly smile, "So... you're envious?"

"Who's envious!"

Erina Nakiri nearly jumped off the sofa as if she'd been stepped on.

Although it was only for a moment, Lin Yu was certain that he saw it.

Through the gaps in her flowing golden hair, Erina Nakiri's eyes revealed a mixture of shyness and annoyance, along with a touch of blush on the tips of her ears.

Lin Yu didn't speak, but a slight smile appeared on his lips as he laughed silently.

As expected...

Noticing that her reaction was a bit too excited, Kiri Erina stared straight at Lin Yu.

"If you keep making things up, I'm kicking you out!"

"Don't worry, young lady!"

Lin Yu raised his hand to his mouth, making a "zipping" motion, and winked at Erina Nakiri.

"I'll keep it a secret."

"you...

""

Noticing the smile in Lin Yu's eyes, Erina Nakiri felt both embarrassed and annoyed. She gave him a coquettish look and glared at him fiercely.

"snort!"

"Hisako was right after all, you're just a jerk who only knows how to annoy people!"

I can't be bothered with you!

Erina Nakiri hurriedly turned her head to the side, raised her hand, and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

What was revealed to Lin Yu at this moment was the girl's slender and smooth neck, her silky and smooth golden hair, and her perfect profile.

Lin Yu smiled, curled up on the soft sofa, looked at the sulking girl opposite him, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of the refreshing and fragrant green tea.

Erina, that girl, is still envious of Alice, isn't she...?

Lin Yu gazed at the girl's delicate profile.

Always sensitive to emotion, what he sensed from Erina Kirei at this moment, besides her breathtaking beauty and charm, was also a weariness and loneliness buried deep in his soul...

Lin Yu suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the girl in front of him.

"well...

Lin Yu rubbed his temples and sighed deeply.

As evening fell, the sun began to set.

The warm yellow sunlight shone in all directions, dyeing the distant mountains and sky a warm orange-yellow hue.

At the entrance of the Far Moon Resort Hotel building, several young people were gathered together, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Hey everyone!"

Lin Yu looked at the Polaris dormitory group waiting at the hotel entrance and waved happily.

"I'm back!"

"Lin Yujun, you're so slow!"

Yoshino Yuuki waved her arms, deliberately feigning anger, and complained loudly, "Everyone's been waiting for ages!"

"You're so late for the assembly! We were so worried!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Lin Yu looked embarrassed and apologetic. "After the project ended, something came up and I was delayed for a while."

Hearing this, Ryoko asked with some concern, "Did you run into any trouble?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing."

"Oh, right, I also brought Marui-kun back with me!"

Lin Yu raised his arm and showed everyone Marui Zenji, who was being "held" in his hand and was breathing but not breathing in.

"Pfft!"

"Haha! What happened to Marui-kun?!"

Looking at Marui Zenji, who looked like a "living person who is almost dead," the crowd wanted to laugh, but felt it was immoral, so they had to suppress their laughter.

Well, that's a long story.

Lin Yu shrugged and spread his hands.

"Marui and I were in the same assessment room this afternoon, although not in the same group. But I can only say that he probably ran into a... well, a rather assertive partner, which might have put him under a lot of pressure!"

Lin Yu's words may have triggered some unpleasant memories for Marui Zenji, causing him to react somewhat agitated.

"Waaaaah, it's so fierce! So fierce! My head is on fire..."

""

"That Kurokiba Ryo guy, he definitely wants to eat me alive!"

Marui Zenji broke down in tears, even howling to the sky.

But the Polaris Dormitory members, who were trying to suppress their laughter, couldn't hold back any longer when they saw this scene. Even though they felt it was immoral, they all burst out laughing.

"Don't laugh!"

Marui Zenji broke down and blamed everyone, especially Yukihira Soma, Aoki Daigo, and Sato Shoji, who were laughing the loudest.

But his actions only made those guys laugh even more unrestrainedly.

"Everyone seems to be in pretty good spirits!"

Lin Yu looked around at everyone present, nodded, and his eyes were filled with undisguised satisfaction.

"Day 1 of the [Residential Training Program]!"

Lin Yu smiled and said, "Everyone passed smoothly, that's great!"

"Of course, including Lin Yujun and Maru-kun, everyone from Polar Star Dormitory is here, not a single one is missing."

Tadokoro Megumi clapped her hands together, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "Isshiki-senpai will be so happy to know!"

The ever-lively Yoshino Yuuki stood in the middle of the crowd, excitedly raising her hands and shouting with jubilation, "Everyone, let's cheer!"

"All members of the Polaris Dormitory survived on Day 1!"

"Long live!"

Everyone who successfully completed the first day of training was very happy and cheered along with Yoshino Yuuki.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

Yoshino Yuuki let out a clear, bell-like laugh, which cheered everyone up and drew the attention of other students around her.

"It seems this so-called 'residential joint training' is nothing special after all!"

Soma Yukihira raised a finger, rubbed his nose, and said with a hint of smugness.

"I thought it would be really scary!"

"As it turned out, none of us were stumped!"

"I'd heard before that this residential training program is nicknamed 'Ultimate Purgatory'!"

"Now it seems that this nickname is somewhat undeserved!"

"Yukihira-kun, don't say that! Today is only the first day!"

Yoshino Yuuki echoed this sentiment.

"Yes, yes, we need to remain vigilant and give it our all in the coming days!"

"And then again..."

Yoshino Yuuki stretched, yawning to ease her aching body. "Even just the first day, it's already exhausting!"

Marui Zenji wholeheartedly agreed, nodding repeatedly. "Exactly! I almost collapsed from exhaustion today!"