The apartment Lott used to live in was no longer usable.
Coincidentally, at this time, a group of Fish-Men, led by Neptune and his daughter Princess Shirahoshi, had relocated from the Planet Pirate to Planet Terra.
Senzaemon proactively proposed allocating a section of the Totsuki Academy's grounds for Lott and the Fish-Men to reside in.
Senzaemon then called the two sisters into the Headmaster's office.
The elderly Headmaster of Totsuki sat down and placed the Kuku Kuku no Mi, obtained from Lott, in the center of the desk in front of him, causing the expressions of both Nakiri sisters to change dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, the Nakano Quintuplets, which are the same age as Lott, the Nakiri Sisters, and the others had reached their third-year high school graduation. (T/N: From what I know, Lott should be second year while Erina and Alice were still first year, but now, it seemed to be changed that they are of the same year.)
Although Lott hadn't been to school in a long time, many people his age were still living lives not much different from before.
The Nakiri Sisters, also nearing graduation, were entering a pivotal stage in their lives.
"The Kuku Kuku no Mi can turn any non-living object it touches into any kind of food. However, the deliciousness of the created food depends on the user's culinary skills,"
Senzaemon spoke slowly:
"For us chefs, it could be called a treasure worth a fortune."
In fact, 'worth a fortune' was an understatement!
It was practically priceless!
The Nakiri Sisters' eyes shone with intense desire.
Although the world had undergone earth-shattering changes, their lives were still tightly bound to the word 'chef'.
It was impossible not to be tempted by such a treasure.
Senzaemon continued:
"Erina, Alice, you two will graduate soon. I called you here to discuss your futures."
"I plan to resign from the position of Totsuki Headmaster soon. One of you sisters will take this position,"
"And the other will eat this fruit and henceforth stay by that man's side as his personal chef."
Alice proudly stepped forward, a confident smile on her face.
She looked very much like Charles's expression when Morgan, the City Lord of the Planet Ling Cage, was selecting the next city lord.
But Alice felt there were reasons her grandfather would grant her the right to eat the Kuku Kuku no Mi.
Long before Lott's identity was exposed, Erina had always been groomed as the successor to the Totsuki's Headmaster.
Secondly, although her relationship with Lott wasn't particularly deep, it was certainly better than Erina's, right?
After all, when Lott went berserk before, and Genos gathered people close to Lott to leave Planet Terra-
She had been chosen, while Erina didn't have that qualification.
By both sentiment and logic, Alice believed her grandfather would give the Kuku Kuku no Mi to her.
Senzaemon spoke again:
"Erina will eat the Kuku Kuku no Mi. Afterward, you will go to Lott's side as his personal chef, but do not neglect your culinary training."
Alice's pupils shook with disbelief as she looked at her grandfather, then turned her gaze to Erina.
Senzaemon's voice sounded again, calm and measured:
"Alice will remain at Totsuki for training, learning as soon as possible how to shoulder the responsibility of the Totsuki Headmaster."
"Grandfather!?"
Alice's ruby-like eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets as she stared at Senzaemon.
"Wh-Why!?"
While the expression on Erina's face beside her wasn't as exaggerated as Alice's, it wasn't far off.
'It's given to me?'
'Wh-Why?'
Senzaemon slightly narrowed his eyes, offering no explanation, his tone still flat as he said:
"Erina, after eating the fruit, go report to Lott."
"... Yes, Grandfather."
Erina stepped forward and picked up the oddly shaped Kuku Kuku no Mi.
She took a small bite.
Devil Fruits didn't taste good to begin with, and coupled with Erina's [God Tongue], which infinitely amplified the pros and cons of food-
With one bite, the bizarre taste was infinitely magnified on Erina's taste buds.
It was so disgusting she nearly gagged.
Alice's crimson eyes reflected the image of Erina eating the Kuku Kuku no Mi.
A thin layer of mist immediately welled up in them.
The next second, she turned and ran out, slamming the door behind her.
She thought about how Erina had awakened the God Tongue at birth, receiving the entire family's favoritism since childhood, always receiving the preference of her father and grandfather.
No matter how hard she worked, she was always overshadowed by Erina.
The only thing she was better at than Erina was probably her interpersonal skills.
Originally, Alice thought that with her better relationship with Lott, the Kuku Kuku no Mi would definitely be hers.
She never expected her grandfather would still choose Erina.
This plunged Alice into despair and even twisted her feelings somewhat.
'Before, with the God Tongue, you could overshadow me in culinary skills.'
'But why this time?'
'Why do things that should belong to me always end up with you!?'
'Why... just why?!'
However, what Alice didn't know was that Senzaemon chose Erina precisely because she wasn't good at interpersonal relationships.
Separated from her mother from a young age, and then influenced by that nutjob Azami for several years-
Erina had a strong exterior but an extremely sensitive and fragile interior.
Therefore, Senzaemon felt it necessary to find his eldest granddaughter a reliable partner to depend on.
Alice, having grown up under the doting care of both parents, had a stronger personality.
Senzaemon believed she could definitely find a partner who, while not comparable to Lott, was still absolutely excellent.
Moreover, he was passing the position of Totsuki Headmaster to her.
He considered it a small compensation for Alice.
However, Senzaemon overlooked one thing: the times had changed.
Compared to the identity of 'Lott's Personal Chef', the position of Totsuki Headmaster was nothing!
If you ever left Planet Terra, and said you were the 'Totsuki Headmaster', aliens would just look at you with question marks asking 'what's that?' and then blast you with an energy wave.
But if you said 'I am Lott's chef', they would only be scared out of their wits, then bowed and beg for mercy.
Oh no, you didn't even need to leave Planet Terra.
Even if you encountered some monster, just announcing you were Lott's person, even a Dragon-level monster, wouldn't dare to touch you.
…
Thud!
Alice, tears in her eyes, didn't know how long she had been running when she stumbled and fell.
A trace of blood was scraped on her pretty face.
She finally couldn't hold back and burst into loud sobs.
"What are you crying about?"
Just then, a familiar voice reached Alice's ears.
Looking up, she saw Lott standing in front of her, looking down at her.
Noticing Lott's outstretched hand, Alice pursed her lips and placed her small hand, paler than average due to her Nordic Heritage, into his.
"Being bullied? Want to borrow Rover to blast them?"
Lott pointed to the large black dog Rover following behind him.
Passing students who heard Lott's words shuddered in fear, speeding up and lowering their heads to avoid Lott's notice.
This dog was originally given to Chika to raise.
But after learning Lott had moved to Totsuki Academy, he often came over to freeload food and drinks.
At first, he always scared the Totsuki's students out of their wits.
But after multiple visits, people here gradually accepted Rover's presence.