"You two, stop!"
Nakiri Erina gasped, shouting to stop the two who were about to leave.
Keli looked back in confusion, then leaned into Kazuma's ear and spoke.
"Oh no! It seems my protagonist's physique has activated, and we're encountering the mandatory plot point of being looked down upon when going out in a modern light novel."
Kazuma on the other side also looked troubled.
"To be honest, in reality, there are indeed people who look for trouble for no reason. Like a post I saw translated from abroad, where a player was playing Star Marine, and everyone on the spaceship saluted the Astartes he controlled, except for one cleaner who, perhaps because the program forgot to include it, didn't salute him. So he posted asking if that cleaner had some background story that allowed him not to salute him.
And there are also those thugs who constantly harass women, and if the women refuse, it's considered disrespect, and they resort to violence."
Nakiri Erina saw that both of them had stopped but were still chatting, completely disregarding her, which made her even angrier.
She really wasn't looking for trouble. This year, she had just been promoted to the high school division with the top score in the middle school division, and had defeated the former Tenth Seat of the Ten Elite of the high school division, becoming one of the new Ten Elite of Totsuki Academy.
In this culinary academy, everything is based on cooking skill, and the top ten spots, constantly refined through intense competition, are the Ten Elite. This basically means the school forcefully promotes them as star players using this title. The Ten Elite also have more power within the school than a normal student council, and even with half their consent, they could fire the local landlord and principal.
So Erina really wasn't being unreasonable. Seeing students wandering around like stray cats during class time, it was her duty to ask. If the other party said they were a senior from the high school division, needing to go out for some research, then it would have been fine. But the other party actually said they were here to see her grandfather.
Furthermore, since the other party said her grandfather was looking for them, to prevent them from impersonating her relative to enter the school, it was also her duty to ask for clarification.
Plus, these two guys, the taller one looked a bit older, but still only around 20, and the shorter one just looked like a normal high school student. Her grandfather was busy coordinating the entire Japanese catering industry every day and resolving disputes between various groups. What could he possibly want with them?
As a result, she, the dignified God's Tongue, the queen of the academy, just wanted to ask for clarification out of duty, and the other party was so perfunctory.
"You two, explain yourselves! How could Grandfather possibly be looking for you?"
Seeing Nakiri Erina completely overheated, the two, who felt they hadn't done anything wrong, exchanged glances.
"What should we do now?"
Sato Kazuma looked at Keli in confusion.
"I know this one. We'll let her kick us out first. Then, when her grandfather comes looking for us, we'll act all high and mighty, and then she'll have to apologize to us."
The two spoke without lowering their voices at all. Upon hearing this, Nakiri Erina's chest heaved violently.
"What are you two talking about? How could Grandfather possibly...?"
However, before Erina could finish speaking, a car drove up.
"Gentlemen, the General Manager has finished his discussion. Please come with me now."
The driver was the same man in a suit they had seen before. He first got out and opened the car door for the two, greeted Keli and Kazuma, then looked at Erina.
"Young lady, I'm taking the two guests to see the General Manager now. If you still have something, you can go to the Upper String Building on the mountain later."
Watching the two, whose mouths were curving upward like crazy, get into the car and drive away with the car's exhaust, Erina stared blankly and let out a confused sound.
"Eh?"
...
Several tens of minutes later, following the driver's lead, the two met the renowned old man of the Japanese gourmet world.
Nekiri Senzaemon, dressed in a dark blue kimono, revealed a few chest muscles that time had not destroyed. His pale beard on his chin was powerfully curled, just like his granddaughter's hair.
Nekiri Senzaemon's face had a distinct knife scar, running vertically across his right eye, reminding one of a lion dog. He didn't look like a gentle elder at all, but rather like an old boss of the Japanese yakuza.
This visually 'unapproachable' appearance made Kazuma feel a little uneasy inside.
However, what Kazuma didn't know was that the old man sitting opposite him was far more uneasy.
Nekiri Senzaemon reviewed the information he had gathered. These two young men, he thought, might each have hundreds of lives on their hands. In an era where killing five people with a katana and escaping legal punishment could be praised as a contemporary 'man-slayer,' these two were undoubtedly dangerous individuals.
If it weren't for Sanae Kochiya, the genius shrine maiden of Japanese Shinto, who, along with the Moriya Shrine, spirited away four years ago; if it weren't for Itoshiki Nozomu, the leader of contemporary Onmyodo, who entered the fray three years ago to save a girl's soul; if it weren't for Kamui, the strongest rogue psychic, who was completely exhausted after a battle with an unknown monster two years ago and could no longer fight. 9
Although he knew that the people they killed deserved it, and he admired the chivalrous spirit of these young people, if the entire Japan couldn't find anyone to deal with the current situation, he wouldn't have swallowed his pride and invited such dangerous individuals to his school.
After some thought, Senzaemon decided to open the conversation himself.
"Gentlemen, I wonder if you are comfortable with your new identities? Since you didn't specify any requirements, I had someone fill in the names myself."
However, upon hearing his opening, Keli and Kazuma both looked bewildered.
"New identities? Didn't that Kappa say he would handle the reporters and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for us first, and then give us the new identity documents after we finished our business?"
Nekiri Senzaemon's old face also stiffened upon hearing this.
"Kappa...? Oh, you mean him. He told me that for you two to help, I had to agree to cook a meal for him, and that I needed to have the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department drop their investigation into you two, and get you two new identities, and also silence the media."
The old man and the two young men stared at each other.
Kazuma gasped, never having expected that he, Kazuma-dono, would be used in such a way.
That bastard Kappa is truly an unimaginably devious scoundrel!
With this, the three finally had a topic, and Nekiri Senzaemon could state his request.
"Actually, I'm not very clear about the matter. It's just that something happened at the academy during the last Totsuki Academy break. Two students died, and my subordinates told me that there's something circulating in the school that can grant wishes and kill people.
But these were all just unsubstantiated hints. It's a family misfortune, to be honest. Many years ago, our Nakiri family had a son-in-law who caused some trouble, and I kicked him out. I heard he's gained some influence in America these past few years and wants to come back. I suspect this matter might be related to him, but the Totsuki Academy cannot stop operating. So, I wanted to ask the two of you to help investigate."
Keli's face twitched upon hearing this.
Oh no, this isn't going to be some kind of Hell Communication or Hell Girl thing in front of me, is it?
Kazuma's expression also changed, and he whispered to Keli.
"I was catching up on new anime a while ago, and there was something like this in 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story.' Are we perhaps encountering a Witch?"
P.S.:
Sanae Kochiya: From Touhou Project, a high school girl who entered Gensokyo from the real world.
She possesses the ability to cause miracles.
Nozomu Itoshiki: From 'Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei.'
It appears to be a daily life of complaining about Japanese politics with a group of beautiful female students, but the underlying context is actually about exorcising spirits.
Mr. Kamui: From 'Kamui: Behind the Scenes.' He relies on his 'Cow Holy Water' for exorcism.
The Dio manga panels you can find online, where he unzips his pants as soon as he catches an urban legend, mostly come from him.
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