"Do you want to take a shower with me, Hachiman?" Saeko's voice was filled with temptation as she ran her finger across her chest.
Hachiman hesitated, his mind briefly considering her offer, but he quickly decided to play it embarrassed. "Saeko, stop joking around."
Seeing his embarrassment, Saeko couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "What a shame. But I wasn't joking earlier. Since you're not willing, I'll just have to take a shower by myself."
With that, she walked past Hachiman, leaving a trail of fragrance in her wake.
She truly was a seductress.
Hachiman didn't want his relationship with her to progress too quickly, not like in his previous life.
Watching her graceful figure, Hachiman felt a dryness in his throat and muttered to himself. But he couldn't help but wonder why Saeko, his senpai, had been so assertive today.
Indeed, as Saeko made her way to the bathroom, she felt a sense of liberation, as if she had untied a knot in her heart.
Since reaching a certain level of mastery in kendo, no one in the Busujima dojo or in her clan could match her skills, except her father and that girl.
But the same-age peers were no match for her, easily defeated in just a few moves, except for that girl.
Even when she participated in the national kendo competition under the name "Busujima," she still couldn't find anyone her age who could truly challenge her unless that girl participated in that competition; then she would have a serious fight.
So, she gradually suppressed her own strength and kept her bloodlust and madness hidden deep inside.
But over time, her suppressed desire to fight grew stronger and stronger.
Until Hachiman appeared, allowing her to finally release the pent-up desire she had been suppressing for so long.
And today, she could finally go all out and defeat her opponent.
This stirred up a different kind of emotion in Saeko's heart.
As for Hachiman, he grew bored once Saeko went to take a shower.
There wasn't much to do in the kendo dojo besides the Muramasa sword, which belonged to Saeko's father.
It wouldn't be appropriate for him, an outsider, to just pick it up and play with it.
With nothing else to do, Hachiman found himself back in the small courtyard with the flowing bamboo.
Listening to the sound of flowing water and the rhythmic tapping, Hachiman wondered if he could find any Zen-like inspiration from it.
Unfortunately, as someone with a cluttered mind like his, he couldn't grasp the concept of Zen.
Just then, the doorbell of the Saeko house rang again.
Glancing back towards the direction of the bathroom, Hachiman realized that Saeko hadn't come out yet, so he reluctantly got up to answer the door himself.
He reached the entrance and opened the door.
To his surprise, he found three unexpected visitors standing before him.
In front of them was an elderly man dressed in black samurai attire, wearing wooden clogs.
The man had long white hair and a beard, resembling a furious lion. His right eye bore a scar, giving off an aura of dignity and intimidation as he stood before Hachiman.
This was... Nakiri Senzaemon!
Meeting the head of the Nakiri Family was unexpected for Hachiman.
When he previously encountered Yukihira Soma and Yukihira Joichiro in Tokyo, he suspected that there might be other notable figures from the anime "Food Wars" in this world.
His curiosity led him to search for information online, confirming the existence of the Totsuki Group.
The Totsuki Group, one of Japan's top four conglomerates, possessed vast assets, potentially in the hundreds of billions or even trillions, and exerted significant control over the Japanese cuisine industry.
It had a dominant role in over 70% of the food import and export trade, with involvement in tourism and manufacturing sectors as well.
Notably, the Totsuki Group oversaw the evaluation and management of all star-rated restaurants in Japan, effectively holding sway over the culinary scene.
Any restaurant seeking a star rating in Japan had to go through Totsuki.
Its subsidiary, the Totsuki Culinary Academy, was revered as a sacred place for chefs worldwide.
Over the decades, it consistently produced exceptional chefs from around the globe.
Totsuki-trained chefs garnered international recognition and accolades, elevating the academy's status in the culinary world.
Looking at the nearby Nakiri Senzaemon, Hachiman couldn't help but sigh.
No one could have imagined that this seemingly dignified old man was actually the controller of a top financial conglomerate.
After observing this big shot, Hachiman shifted his gaze to the two girls behind the old man.
One of them had soft golden hair, a pair of piercing purple eyes, and a strand of hair resembling elf ears on the sides of her head.
Her upper body was as voluptuous as Saeko, with her clothes pushed up high, and she wore black stockings on her slender legs, paired with black leather shoes.
Her golden hair shimmered under the sunlight, and she had a slightly proud expression on her face, resembling a peacock.
It seems that this girl is the "God's Tongue," Nakiri Erina.
The other girl had shoulder-length wine-red hair, and her red eyes occasionally flashed with admiration when looking at Erina.
She also had a well-developed chest, although not as much as Erina and Saeko, it was enough to outshine her peers.
This is Erina's personal secretary and medicinal food expert, Arato Hisako.
Seeing the unfamiliar face of Hachiman at the door, Nakiri Senzaemon was momentarily stunned, but then he spoke up.
"Young man, is your sensei home?"
Although his voice sounded aged, it still carried a strong presence.
"Sensei?"
Hachiman raised an eyebrow upon hearing that term, and then he understood.
It seemed that there was a misunderstanding, and Senzaemon mistook him for a new disciple of Saeko.
"If you're referring to Saeko-senpai, she's home."
In Hachiman's perspective, Saeko, who taught him the Busujima Sword Technique, could be considered his half-teacher.
"Please come in, all of you."
After saying that, he stepped aside, allowing the three people outside to enter the entrance hall.
Closing the door, Hachiman led the three of them deeper into the house.
However, it felt strange for him as the guest to be leading another group of guests. Perhaps something was misunderstood.
Fortunately, at that moment, Saeko emerged from the bathroom, holding a towel and wiping her still slightly damp hair.
When she saw the elderly man following behind Hachiman, a look of surprise appeared on her lovely face.
"Grandpa Senzaemon, why are you here?"