Chapter 48: Housewarming
"Master, my house is finished. Are you free to come by sometime soon?" Kenji called Jiro. He didn’t know many people, so he was inviting everyone he knew for a housewarming party.
"I’m free. Any day is fine. I’ll bring Setsuno with me," Jiro’s drunken voice came through the phone.
"Then the day after tomorrow," Kenji said after a moment’s thought. He would use tomorrow to prepare.
Jiro chuckled and agreed before hanging up. Kenji didn’t have to guess to know he was going right back to drinking.
Kenji then contacted Toriko and the others. They were all free on that day and promised to come. As for the ingredients for the party, he just needed to make sure there was enough.
On the day of the housewarming, his neighbor Toriko was the first to arrive, bringing a red-furred pig as a gift.
"It’s nice, but it doesn’t look edible," Toriko said with disappointment. He still felt that his own Candy House was better; it wasn’t delicious at all.
"Hajikeru, you idiot. Your Candy House gets eaten in a short time, and if you leave for a while, it gets eaten by other creatures," Kenji retorted, speechless.
The Heavenly King Coco’s house, although built in a somewhat special location, was made of durable materials. Toriko’s house, on the other hand, although he had never seen it, was made entirely of ingredients and was definitely not built to last.
"But what the hell is ’Hajikeru’?"
Toriko just laughed. To each their own. He loved to eat, so his house had to be delicious too, a place where he could enjoy sweets anytime, anywhere. Next time, he would have Smile build him a candy castle. His previous house wasn’t big enough for him to eat; he’d lose control for a moment and eat the whole thing. With his appetite, even a gourmet tower would be devoured in no time.
Komatsu waved, and beside him were Mansam, Coco, Rin, Tina, Sunny, and Tom.
Kenji’s dealings with Tom were mostly ingredient-related. Although he hadn’t known Tom as long as Toriko had, their relationship was quite good, largely thanks to Tom’s wife. Kenji often brought rare and hard-to-capture ingredients to Tom for trade, and because of this, Tom’s wife was much gentler with him. Toriko also brought ingredients, but as a glutton, he would often eat them on the way. So, for a straightforward, high-volume client like Kenji, Tom’s wife had encouraged him to befriend him; rare ingredients would not be in short supply in the future.
"Nice style," Sunny said with appreciation. "It was built by that genius gourmet architect, Smile, wasn’t it?"
Sunny knew of him. The landmark of Gourmet City, the Gourmet Tower, was designed by Smile. If he and Toriko were geniuses in the field of gourmet hunting, then Smile was a genius in gourmet architecture.
"I remember this is near Toriko’s house. You’re neighbors now?"
"That’s right," Kenji nodded.
An old man and an old woman slowly walked up the path. They looked like an ordinary elderly couple, but in reality, they were legendary figures.
The old man was his master, Knocking Master Jiro, and the old woman was his master’s wife, Setsuno, a Living National Gourmet Treasure. She was stooped with age and wore a pink dress, full of a girlish spirit. Her hair was styled like a disk, and her slightly aged face was kind and approachable.
Don’t be fooled by her frail appearance; the energy within her body was terrifyingly immense. Besides Jiro, everyone else present combined probably couldn’t match her energy reserves. Her age was a factor; she hadn’t had any major battles in years, and the energy she had accumulated through Food Immersion was an astronomical figure.
At the Cooking Festival, when they were both hit by the Light-Eater’s energy drain, Setsuno was fine, while Chiyo immediately collapsed. The difference was clear. The Light-Eater could drain at least 10 million kilocalories at once. During the Gourmet Pyramid arc, even Zebra, the one with the highest calorie count among the Four Heavenly Kings, only had 4.5 million, and Toriko had 3 million. This meant the Light-Eater could drain both of them dry with a single move at that time.
"You must be Master Setsuno. My name is Kenji," Kenji said, walking up to greet them.
"Ho ho, what a handsome young man," Setsuno said, looking at Kenji with approval. She was very pleased with Jiro-kun’s disciple.
Kenji smiled and nodded, relieved that he didn’t have to get Jiro’s hairstyle. He knew that when Toriko went to Setsuno’s Diner, he had to get a pompadour, or he wouldn’t be allowed in.
"Setsu... Granny?!" Toriko exclaimed. He hadn’t expected to meet this legendary figure here. His reservation to eat at Setsuno’s Diner, which he had made four years ago, was almost up. Many people’s reservations were for ten years in the future; they didn’t even know if they would still be alive by then.
"It’s Toriko," Setsuno said, looking at him and the others.
Coco and Sunny nodded respectfully. The short old man must be Knocking Master Jiro. It was the first time they had seen the mysterious Jiro in person.
"Oh my, what a great personage!" Tom took off his sunglasses, his face filled with shock. He had also tried to make a reservation at Setsuno’s Diner but couldn’t even get a spot. Even the presidents of many countries had to make reservations like everyone else; their privileges were useless.
Tina’s reporter instincts kicked in. She was already recording the scene with her camera. An opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime scoop.
"Heh, no need to be so nervous. We’re just here for a meal today," Jiro said, putting on no airs.
"Yo, it’s a Battle Wolf. What a coincidence."
When he saw Lotta, Jiro’s eyes widened, and he said with emotion, "I was raised by the Wolf King Guinness. I never thought my own disciple would also take a Battle Wolf as a family member."
Setsuno slowly nodded. She had seen the Wolf King Guinness; he was Jiro-kun’s family.
Lotta looked at Jiro, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She sensed a familiar, kin-like aura from this human.
"Komatsu, I’ll leave the cooking to you. Use any ingredients you want," Kenji requested.
"Hah... alright..." Komatsu’s already large nostrils flared even wider from nervousness, and his eyes were wide. The others were one thing, but this was Setsuno. If he was too casual, he might embarrass himself.
"Don’t be nervous. Just cook simply," Setsuno said, shaking her head. In her eyes, Komatsu was a chef with great potential. The future belonged to these young people.
In the dining room, the group sat around a large table: three of the Four Heavenly Kings and two legendary figures. Komatsu didn’t make anything too complicated. He used ingredients with low Capture Levels, like Piano Lobster, Cheese Rabbit, and Pork Belly Tofu.
Everyone ate happily. Kenji glanced at Toriko; the glutton had been eyeing his furniture. It was a good thing he hadn’t built everything out of ingredients, or Toriko would have taken a few bites.
Setsuno tasted the food and was very appreciative of Komatsu’s skills. In the great Gourmet Age, there were many naturally delicious ingredients that required no cooking. The higher the Capture Level, the more delicious the ingredient itself. To be able to cook such a high-level dish with simple ingredients was a testament to Komatsu’s skill.
"Kenji, when are you planning on entering the Gourmet World?" Setsuno asked with a smile. With Kenji’s current strength, he could handle beasts with Capture Levels of two to three hundred. Exploring the outskirts of the Gourmet World shouldn’t be too much of a problem for him.
We cross the 1400 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus Chapter
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