Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto did not respond to Eizan immediately.

It was not because he lacked confidence.

He simply had no interest whatsoever in the terms Eizan was offering.

Still, Haruto knew that if this were all Eizan had prepared, he could simply refuse the Food War and walk away.

Which meant Eizan almost certainly had another card to play.

Haruto was rather curious to see what it was.

Eizan watched Haruto’s silence without losing his composure.

As far as he was concerned, Haruto had obviously realized that the nineteen consecutive Food Wars had been arranged by him. If Haruto accepted his challenge too easily after all that, it would actually have been suspicious.

Eizan had anticipated this reaction from the beginning.

So he offered Haruto a very ”helpful” reminder.

”You should know that any booth obtained through a Food War cannot be voluntarily surrendered afterward.”

”And according to Totsuki’s rules, if your business performs poorly during the Moon Festival, you can be expelled.”

Haruto raised an eyebrow as understanding flashed through his eyes.

So that was it.

He finally saw Eizan’s entire scheme.

The nineteen challengers had not merely been intended to exhaust his stamina and concentration.

The booth itself had been part of the trap.

Now that Haruto had won Booth B-16 through Food Wars, he was no longer allowed to simply abandon it. The application quota had already been filled as well, so he could not even deliberately lose the booth to someone else.

That meant he had no choice but to open his shop.

And if Haruto refused Eizan’s Food War now, Eizan would simply arrange for people to sabotage his business during the Moon Festival and force him into expulsion through poor performance.

”You really are underhanded.”

Haruto chuckled, then leaned slightly forward without bothering to hide the mockery in his voice.

”But when you strip all of that away, you’re just scared, aren’t you?”

”You’re afraid to face me when I’m at my best.”

”Afraid I’ll crush you head-on in a Food War.”

”Coward.”

Eizan’s expression stiffened for the briefest instant before returning to its previous calm.

”History only remembers the winner. No one cares how you get there.”

”If a method gives you victory, then there’s nothing wrong with using it.”

”And afraid of losing to you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

”I simply don’t feel like wasting unnecessary effort on some nobody like you.”

That was what he said aloud.

Deep down, however, Eizan knew there was some truth in Haruto’s accusation.

He had been watching Haruto for a long time.

And the more information he gathered, the stronger his suspicion became that Haruto had been hiding far more than anyone realized.

That was exactly why Eizan had arranged this entire trap.

He would exhaust Haruto first, then step in personally and guarantee victory.

”Is that so?”

Haruto raised an eyebrow, his smile growing wider.

”Then tell me something.”

”What do you think matters more to me—those special ingredients, or my status as a Totsuki student?”

Eizan’s expression froze completely.

There was no need to think about the answer.

Obviously, the special ingredients were far more valuable.

Food Wars had always required the voluntary agreement of both sides.

Even as a member of the Elite Ten, Eizan had no authority to simply order another student into one.

That was why he had intended to use the threat of expulsion to pressure Haruto into accepting.

But he had overlooked one critical fact.

Haruto’s status as a Totsuki student was nowhere near as valuable as the source of those special ingredients.

If those were the only stakes involved, there was no reason for Haruto to accept the match at all.

Watching Eizan’s expression change, Haruto slowly straightened.

Then he took one step closer.

”If you want a Food War with me, fine.”

”Put your Ninth Seat on the line.”

”If you win, you get my supply channel.”

”If you lose, you hand over your seat on the Elite Ten.”

Truthfully, aside from a seat on the Elite Ten, Eizan possessed almost nothing Haruto cared about.

More importantly, Haruto knew that Totsuki would soon be dragged into a considerable amount of trouble.

If he could obtain an Elite Ten seat now, it would give him a convenient way to interfere with certain people’s future plans.

Besides...

Haruto did not actually have a supply channel to hand over in the first place.

If he won, he would effectively be gaining an Elite Ten seat for nothing.

Eizan stared at him in disbelief.

Then veins immediately bulged across his forehead.

”My Elite Ten seat? Absolutely not.”

That seat formed the foundation of all the authority and influence he possessed within Totsuki.

He had never once considered placing it on the table.

Eizan opened his mouth to continue negotiating, only for Haruto to cut him off coldly.

”I won’t accept anything else.”

The contempt in Haruto’s eyes was no longer even disguised.

”If you don’t have the guts to wager it, then take your pathetic little schemes and get the hell out of my sight.”

”Trash.”

That final word struck Eizan like a slap across the face.

His face turned crimson.

His features twisted, and his teeth ground together audibly.

Ever since entering Totsuki, Eizan had always been one of the outstanding students of his generation.

After taking a seat among the Elite Ten, practically no one dared insult him to his face.

Yet Haruto had called him a coward and trash as though his Ninth Seat were something he had picked up off the ground.

”You bastard... Fine!”

”I accept!”

”We’ll wager my Elite Ten seat!”

Eizan glared murderously at Haruto.

”I’ll show you exactly how enormous the gap is between an arrogant brat like you and me!”

A smile appeared at the corner of Haruto’s mouth as he watched Eizan finally lose his composure.

Once Eizan made his decision, he acted immediately.

He called the Food War Administration directly.

Haruto had just endured nineteen consecutive matches and had already spent a considerable amount of stamina and concentration.

The longer Eizan waited, the more Haruto would recover.

So he wanted to settle everything as quickly as possible while the advantage remained firmly in his hands.

He was aiming for an overwhelming victory with no room for doubt.

Less than three minutes after the call ended, officials from the Food War Administration arrived at the scene.

Naturally, Eizan had arranged for them to remain nearby in advance.

Under their supervision, Eizan added one more condition.

Neither competitor would be allowed to use special ingredients. All ingredients had to be selected from Totsuki’s own ingredient warehouse.

Although Eizan possessed a small amount of special ingredients himself, he had heard that Haruto had access to even higher-quality ones.

There was no chance he would allow Haruto to use that advantage.

Eizan also demanded that the theme of the Food War be selected randomly on the spot.

That condition was meant to favor him as well.

Haruto accepted both requirements without hesitation.

His immediate agreement, however, caused a dark glint to flash through Eizan’s eyes.

Once the rules were finalized, the Food War Administration scheduled the match for one hour later.

It was not that Eizan wanted to give Haruto that much time to recover.

A formal Food War involving an Elite Ten seat simply required strict procedures.

Judges with sufficient credibility had to be summoned. They could not simply grab a few random people and call it official.

Since the theme would also be chosen at random, Totsuki’s ingredient warehouse needed to inventory and prepare every major category of ingredient in advance, ensuring that both competitors would have access to whatever they might require regardless of the theme.

Even under ideal circumstances, those preparations would take at least an hour.

Once the starting time was settled, Haruto and Eizan headed to the Food War arena.

The two entered separate waiting rooms.

The moment Haruto stepped inside his, he began taking out food and eating.

He intended to face Eizan in peak condition.

...

In the other waiting room, the noise outside was completely cut off.

The sealed room contained only the sound of Eizan’s slightly heavy breathing.

He tugged at the tie around his neck and was just about to sit down and calm himself when the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

Its sharp ringtone sounded unusually harsh in the silent room.

Eizan pulled out the phone.

The instant he saw the caller’s name, his expression darkened.

A vein at his temple twitched faintly.

Nakiri Azami.

The man who had been cast out of the Nakiri family.

Eizan hesitated for two seconds before finally accepting the call and raising the phone to his ear.

The moment the line connected, Azami’s cold voice came through.

”Eizan, what exactly is going on with this Food War?”

”Why would you wager your Elite Ten seat at such a critical time?”

Eizan’s fingers tightened violently around the phone, his knuckles turning pale from the pressure.

His expression became almost frighteningly dark.

He hated being spoken to like this.

But Eizan also understood that Azami was the key to advancing his own position in the future, so he had no choice but to suppress his irritation.

”It’s nothing more than a minor nuisance.”

”I’ll deal with him.”

”It’s only one Food War. Nothing will go wrong.”

”It absolutely will not interfere with our plans, so you can rest assured.”

Silence lingered on the other end of the call for several moments.

Then Azami spoke calmly.

”It had better not.”

”Do not make any mistakes.”

”Otherwise, you already know the consequences.”

Before Eizan could respond, the line went dead.

Azami had hung up.

Silence returned to the waiting room.

Eizan stared at the phone in his hand, gripping it so tightly that veins stood out along the back of his hand.

He was Eizan Etsuya.

The Ninth Seat of Totsuki’s Elite Ten.

The Alchemist.

Since when did anyone have the right to order him around and speak to him in that threatening tone?

”I’m not going to lose...”

Eizan ground the words through clenched teeth, his gaze hardening.

”I absolutely will not.”

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