Chapter 227: Childhood Stories
The door was ajar, and light slipped through the crack. The sound of two people whispering could be heard from within.
"Although there's 'Alice in Wonderland,' this is no wonderland. Alice, you've got the wrong door."
"I'm not sleepwalking!"
"Kenji, let me tell you a story about my sister's childhood."
"Please, go on."
When "childhood stories" were mentioned, Kenji was suddenly no longer tired. That other woman also loved to tell stories about her childhood.
"Although I left this country when I was very young, I still remember what happened before."
"Don't be fooled by how good Erina's cooking is now. Her first dish... it couldn't even compare to mine."
Alice took out a photo album. The main character in one of the pictures was a little blonde loli, holding a plate of pitch-black, unknown matter. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was ink. This was Erina's first dish, before anyone had taught her. So what if she had the God's Tongue? It wasn't like she was born knowing how to cook. She could also make dark cuisine.
Her own first dish, while not delicious, was at least edible. This was her one and only victory. After that, once Erina got a dedicated tutor, Alice never had a chance to win against her sister again.
"And that's not all. After grandfather took a sip, his face turned green. I heard he had diarrhea for a whole day. My dear sister, on the other hand, was shedding little pearls, rolling on the floor, and pounding the ground..."
As Alice told the story, she couldn't hold it in any longer and clutched her stomach, laughing.
A smirk played on Kenji's lips. He could already picture the scene.
"And also..."
"A↗li↘ce↗!"
BANG!
Erina, her face flushed red, slammed the door open and burst in. There were daggers in her eyes.
She's telling my dark history! Do I not have any face to lose?!
"Erina, what are you trying to do?"
Alice was a little scared. Even if she fought with all her might, she couldn't defeat her monster-strength woman of a sister.
"Don't you dare touch me! You'll regret it!" Alice said, trying to sound tough.
"Alice, I am the master here!" Erina sneered.
Not good! Alice had a feeling she was about to be tickled by Erina. Her only hope...
Kenji!
Alice looked up, and when she found Kenji, he was already at the door. She hadn't even seen him move.
NIGERUNDAYO...
Click!
Kenji, being very polite, shut the door on his way out.
Hope you two have fun~
Erina smiled, looking "kindly" at Alice as she cracked her knuckles.
Are you ready?
Alice: "Can we reconcile?"
"Ladies, what are you two doing here?"
Kenji went out into the courtyard and saw two women sitting in a tree, both holding binoculars.
Wait, is this right? In the middle of the night... in a tree... with binoculars... are they spying on their own daughters?
"Ah!" x2
"Thud!" x2
Luckily, they hadn't climbed very high. The two of them just had sore butts from the fall. They hadn't expected Kenji to suddenly appear behind them.
"Ahaha..."
The two of them patted the dust off their clothes and laughed dryly. Being caught in the act... even adults like them were flustered with shame.
"What a coincidence," Mana said awkwardly. She had wanted to see what kind of progress her daughter was making, but instead, she saw the interaction between Erina and Alice and had gotten addicted to watching.
"You were peeping?" Kenji said, not mincing his words at all. What else would you be doing in a tree in the middle of the night? Catching mosquitoes?
"Ahem, just curious," Mana coughed.
"That's right. I was quite surprised when Alice was in your room, Mr. Kenji. I was curious if something... beyond friendship... would happen. Is it too fast if you just met? Not that I have any objections..." Leonora nodded.
She talks a lot, Kenji thought to himself. Although Leonora would comment like a telegraph machine after eating gourmet food, it seemed she wasn't quiet in her daily life either.
"Mr. Kenji is very handsome. I wonder if Alice likes this type."
As expected of someone from Europe. She didn't beat around the bush at all and got straight to the point.
"Stop. Ladies, I'll pretend I never saw you," Kenji said, cutting Leonora off.
"Mana, I remember there's a classic line in Japan that can be used at this time," Leonora said.
"Hmm?" Mana looked confused. She couldn't think of what it was.
Kenji could roughly guess what Leonora was about to say.
"Ahem." Leonora cleared her throat. "Ma'ams... you wouldn't want your daughters to find out about this, would you?"
"Pfft!"
Mana almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood. What kind of awful line is that? What kinds of movies have you been watching?
"Ma'ams, you wouldn't want...?"
Since she had mentioned it, Kenji naturally had to play along a little. Boss Cao had a saying: I wonder if the ladies would be willing to share a pillow with me tonight?
Alice's mother... she really knew a lot. She had definitely appreciated that kind of movie. If one were to compare the looks of the two, Leonora's were more outstanding. That eyebrow of Mana's... it was a little strange.
"That's not funny."
Mana felt like a green recruit. She was completely outmatched by these two. The thickness of her skin was nothing compared to theirs.
"It's very late now. Please be careful on your way home, ladies."
Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Kenji vanished. He arrived in space, stretched his body, and, with the galaxy as his bed, entered dreamland.
Besides sleeping with Elysia and the others, his favorite thing was to sleep in space like this. The energy of the stars made him feel very peaceful. The stellar energy of different worlds was different, and it could bring Kenji new insights, enhancing his own power.
Mana and Leonora were astonished. Was that teleportation? Sugoi!
They didn't stay any longer. There were too many mosquitoes in the woods. They had already been bitten several times.
After staying in the Shokugeki world for a few days, Kenji had tasted the world's characteristic "drugged" cuisine. He now understood the reason for it: a special law was affecting everything. No matter how delicious food was, it wasn't right for it to make you blush and moan, and even the "completely exhausted from pleasure" reaction after eating was 99% not right.
"Kenji, what are the requirements to settle in your world?" Erina asked.
Ever since she had found out that she would make those strange expressions and movements after eating, she had been extremely careful. When she ate extremely delicious food, she would even release the Nakiri family's "Pulse." It was fine when she didn't know, but after knowing, she could no longer face this situation. She didn't even dare to eat in crowded places anymore. It was too lewd.
In other worlds, this special situation didn't occur. She could eat with peace of mind.
"There aren't really any requirements. You just need to discuss it with your family."
Kenji didn't try to dissuade her. If Erina settled in his world, she could open a restaurant. Chefs were a very popular profession in the Gourmet World.
"I understand. I'll go and discuss it with them."
Erina nodded. She knew this was no small matter, and she didn't know if her mother and the others would agree.
"Another world, huh..."
"Sister... you won't be able to handle it on your own."
Behind the door, the corner of Alice's mouth curved upwards in a mischievous smile. She then floated lightly away.