Shirou's clones number 30 million

"Let's have a match! I'm going to win back Yukihira Sadaya."

Chapter 59 Perhaps this is talent

Section 59, Chapter Fifty-Nine: Perhaps this is talent.

"Oh...? Why would I want to fight you?" Shirou asked in return.

"You're not afraid of losing, are you?" Yukihira Joichiro narrowed his eyes, trying to provoke him.

"Heh... This isn't a food battle, but it still involves the restaurant. You're trying to get something for nothing without even a wager?"

"Of course not! I'm willing to offer the same amount of money as Yukihira's restaurant as a stake in the food battle."

Shirou shook his head slightly, denying it:

“That’s not enough. I want to turn that street into a residential area.”

"Without any one of these stores, the plan will fail."

“Yukihira Satakaya might be worth only a house in your place, but in my place, it’s connected to the whole street and is worth the same as the street.”

Yukihira Joichiro fell silent. What the other person said made some sense, but the problem was that although he had some savings, it was far from enough to buy the whole street.

A few seconds later, he turned to look at Senzaemon Nakiri and tried to say:

"The commander-in-chief is quite familiar with my cooking skills. Could you lend me some money?"

Senzaemon Nakiri hesitated, then, as he pondered, he suddenly noticed Shirou Sakurai staring at him expressionlessly. He quickly looked away and refused:

“Sorry, Joichiro, this is your food battle, I have no reason to interfere.”

What's going on here?

A hint of doubt appeared on Yukihira Joichiro's face as he thought to himself:

Isn't Sakurai just a wealthy construction contractor? Why does the commander-in-chief react to him like a mouse sees a cat?

Could it be that he has caught the commander-in-chief in a compromising situation?

Given how cunning this guy is, that's very likely the case.

"It seems I'll have to borrow money from others."

"I'll lend it to you!"

Erina Nakiri seemed to have recovered from her fear and was staring intently at Joichiro Yukihira with a very serious expression.

"Thank you very much! Then I won't be polite."

Joichiro Yukihira did not refuse. Although it was a bit embarrassing to borrow money from a junior, he believed in his cooking skills.

"If I win, all the shops on that street, except for Yukihira Street Restaurant, will belong to me."

"Okay." Shirou nodded slightly.

"Commander, may I use the kitchen for a moment?" Yukihira Joichiro looked at Nakiri Senzaemon.

"Sure, feel free to use it."

Senzaemon Nakiri paused for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Be careful, don't be careless."

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I will give it my all."

Joichiro Yukihira rolled up his sleeves and confidently headed towards the kitchen.

Watching him leave, Erina Nakiri quickly walked to Senzaemon Nakiri's side and whispered:

"Grandpa, can we talk?"

"I know you have many questions, but now is not the right time. Let's wait until all the guests have left."

"No, right now. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I would do to the so-called guests."

silence.

Senzaemon Nakiri sighed and nodded slightly.

There was no other way; to prevent Erina from causing a major disaster due to her willful and reckless behavior, this was the only option.

"Mr. Sakurai, may I leave for a moment?"

“This is the Nakiri family home. You can go wherever you want. There’s no need to ask me.”

"In that case, I'm very sorry, Erina and I will have to leave for a while."

After the two left, Yaeko Minegasaki quietly left the restaurant and secretly followed them.

In a secluded corner of the courtyard, Senzaemon Nakiri sighed:

"Erina, what do you want to know?"

"Who exactly is that person? Why are you so afraid? This is a society governed by law; he wouldn't kill someone in public, would he?"

“Erina, you don’t understand. Where there is light, there is also darkness. And he is darkness itself.”

"So what? With the influence of our Nakiri family, we shouldn't be afraid of him."

"No, we are not comparable to him at all."

Senzaemon Nakiri shook his head slightly, looked up at the birds flying in the sky, and sighed softly:

"If he is an eagle overlooking the earth, then we are ants crawling on the ground."

"There are more than 200 countries in the world, and his company is in almost every country, in all walks of life."

Seeing that Erina still didn't understand, Senzaemon Nakiri pondered for a few seconds before slowly speaking:

"Let me put it another way, and you should understand. At least one-fifth of the world's population are his employees."

"How is this possible?" Erina Nakiri asked instinctively.

“I also find it incredible, but it’s the undeniable truth.”

"Wouldn't being his enemy be tantamount to fighting against the entire world?"

"It's not that exaggerated, but the difference isn't significant."

"This……"

"Do you want to know about the feud between our Nakiri family and him?"

"Ah."

"It all started thirteen years ago. Managi had the same God Tongue as you, and her personality when she was young was also very similar to yours."

Senzaemon Nakiri paused, then sighed:

"Because of the God Tongue, her tastes gradually became more discerning, and her temper became increasingly irritable after marriage."

"Thirteen years ago, when she was serving as an entrance examiner at Totsuki Academy, she scolded and drove away every single student who applied, without exception."

“And Sakurai is one of them.”

"This... shouldn't be enough to make him hold a grudge to this day, right?" Erina Nakiri asked hesitantly.

I think I've done something similar before? No, I've always told the truth and never deliberately made things difficult for others. If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't.

"Not only that, a few months later, Managi went to a small restaurant with rave reviews and overreacted, causing the restaurant to go out of business overnight."

“This…” Erina Nakiri hesitated.

Senzaemon Nakiri glanced at his granddaughter deliberately, then continued:

“Sakurai comes from a single-parent family. His mother was originally a hostess. It must have been very difficult for her to save up enough money to open a bar.”

"After the restaurant went out of business, Sakurai's mother fell ill and passed away not long after."

"According to my investigation, the main causes are prolonged overwork and mental illness."

Erina Nakiri remained silent, feeling a sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe.

From her mother's perspective, she probably doesn't think she did anything wrong.

After all, having tasted many delicacies in the world, her palate has become incredibly discerning, and an ordinary little shop can hardly satisfy her.

For her, that might just be the truth.

However, she underestimated her own influence.

"Then... how did Mr. Sakurai become like this? Thirteen years ago, he should have just been a high school student, right?"

“Perhaps this is talent.” Senzaemon Nakiri looked up at the sky and sighed, “Just like God Tongue, he also has similar business acumen.”

Erina Nakiri was silent for a few seconds, then asked:

"So, all those recent problems at Totsuki Culinary Academy were his doing?"

"Yes. But since he's willing to use fair competition, there's no need to worry too much."

"Really...don't you need to worry?"

Chapter Sixty is merely a means to an end.

Section 60, Chapter Sixty: It's just a means to an end.

About an hour later, Joichiro Yukihira walked into the restaurant carrying a plate of food.

"This is one of my masterpieces, and I put a lot of effort into it. Please use it!"

The moment the lid of the plate was lifted, a fragrant aroma wafted out, instantly filling the entire room.

On the plate sits a whole roasted turkey, with a special sauce on the side.

“It’s clear you’ve put a lot of effort into this.” Shirou glanced at Yukihira Joichiro.

"How about it? Are you going to admit defeat?" Yukihira Joichiro chuckled.

"No, you've already lost."

If you use magic tricks like hypnosis, the person will never be convinced when they look back on it afterwards.

Therefore, in situations like this, it's best to stick to the old tricks.