Ah, the bliss of a slacker's life!
As the saying goes, once you accept your own weakness, you become invincible.
Just as Hayashi was about to embrace his inner dead fish, he forgot one crucial detail—he'd already spilled his weaknesses to Gin. He'd confessed that he was prone to complaining and giving up, so he needed someone to push him from behind!
"Human life is surprisingly resilient!" Gin grinned at Hayashi, who lay sprawled like a freshly caught salted fish. "Besides, dead men don't talk, do they?"
With that, he bent down, grabbed Hayashi by the collar, hauled him up, and dumped him onto a treadmill. "Come on, let's jog together!"
"Have mercy, Gin!" Hayashi looked utterly defeated, on the verge of tears. "Too much of anything is bad! My body needs gradual training—you can't get fat in one meal!"
"Maybe not fat, but you've gotta at least eat your fill!"
"I'm full, seriously full!"
"I don't believe you!" Gin patted Hayashi's stomach thoughtfully. "Hmm, I'd say you're only about 30% full. Plenty of room for more!"
Gin Dojima, may your instant noodles always come without seasoning packets or plastic forks!!!
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Thanks to Hayashi revealing his "passive" attribute right from the start, Gin temporarily handed over his work at the Tōtsuki Resort to his subordinates in the following days, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to managing Hayashi's daily life.
This level of care, akin to "24/7 one-on-one SVIP service from a top-tier fitness trainer," made Hayashi's first thought upon waking up every morning a mental montage—how did I survive yesterday? And how am I going to survive today?
Before he could even come up with an answer, Gin would push open his door in workout gear, smiling brightly at the dazed Hayashi sitting on the bed questioning his life, and enthusiastically say, "Oh! You're already awake? Looks like you slept well last night! GOGOGO, let's start today's training!"
Hah, hahaha!
The kicker was, Gin wasn't the type to guilt-trip Hayashi with "I'm doing this for your own good!" After all, fitness training was genuinely beneficial for Hayashi, and the intensity Gin set was just right, causing no harm to his body.
So what could Hayashi do? He could only swallow his grievances and endure Gin's "hegemonic" fitness regimen like a pitiful little wife.
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...
Under Gin's relentless supervision, Hayashi's fitness routine lasted a full month before he finally got his first break—mainly because he had stayed in this world for a month, allowing the Interdimensional Gate to evolve to its second stage. It no longer required him to remain continuously in this world to synchronize coordinates.
For old man Senzaemon, this was nothing short of fantastic news! A month ago, he had wanted to ask Hayashi to deliver takeout to Mana Nakiri, but after learning the rules of the Interdimensional Gate, he had no choice but to wait anxiously for an entire month.
It was agony—he felt even more impatient than when he had waited for his daughter and granddaughter to be born.
Hayashi didn't keep the old man waiting long. As soon as the Interdimensional Gate reached its second stage, he summoned it and returned to the world of Cooking Master Boy, heading straight to the Kikkaro Restaurant to find Chef Pai.
"Whew! I'm back!" Hayashi waved his right hand at Pai, then scooped up the charging Mao into his arms with a grin. "Mao, have you been a good boy?"
"Yep!" The still-little Liu Mao Xing replied energetically. "Mao listened to Mama super well!"
"Such a good boy!" Hayashi chuckled, deftly pulling a White Rabbit Creamy Candy from his pocket and popping it into Mao's mouth before setting him back down. "Go play with your sister now."
Bribed by the milk candy, Mao covered his drooling mouth with both hands and scampered off toward the backyard, eager to find a quiet spot to savor the delicious treat.
So tasty! It's practically heavenly!
After sitting down in front of Pai, Hayashi smiled and said, "Mao is such a good kid."
Hayashi absolutely detested bratty kids—not just because they were brats, but also because bratty kids usually had bratty parents. Together, their brattiness could make anyone loathe them to the core.
But for well-behaved and obedient children, Hayashi had no reason to dislike them at all! Who could hate a little sweetheart who, after you've had a long, exhausting day, carefully brings you a glass of water and says, "Brother Hayashi, you've worked hard! Have some water and rest a bit"?
Hearing Hayashi's praise, Pai smiled gently, her expression filled with joy. She said softly, "You're a good kid too."
"Uh…" Hayashi coughed awkwardly a couple of times. He hadn't received much praise growing up—unless you counted his teachers saying, "You're a smart kid, you just don't apply your intelligence to studying"—so straightforward compliments like this always made him feel a little embarrassed.
"Tell me about your trip this time?" Pai didn't tease him further and instead smoothly changed the subject with a smile. She was so kind—Hayashi could practically cry from how sweet she was.
"Okay!" Hayashi nodded and recounted everything about his journey to Tōtsuki with Pai's bento. When he mentioned Gin, he gnashed his teeth in frustration and complained, "That was practically domestic abuse! I don't even know how I survived it!"
"It sounds awful, but you really did need some training," Pai said, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Even my strength is greater than yours."
"How could I compare to you—" Hayashi slumped weakly onto the table. Though Pai was just a woman, as a chef who spent her days chopping, stir-frying, and flipping woks, her grip strength far surpassed that of many grown men.
"That's why you need to train," Pai encouraged cheerfully. "You can do it! Keep going!"
'Ahhh, stop praising me—I can't even keep complaining now!' Hayashi puffed out his cheeks and buried his face in his arms, mumbling, "Then, then there's the second thing! It's about the 'God's Tongue'—"
Hayashi briefly explained the situation with the Nakiri family to Pai, then stayed slumped on the table, waiting for her response. But after several seconds of silence, he grew puzzled and lifted his head.
What greeted him was Pai's smiling eyes—she had copied his posture, resting her chin on the table and swaying her head slightly as she watched his every move.
"Ahhh, why are you staring at me?!" Hayashi couldn't take it and covered his face with his hands, hastily changing the subject. "Pai, if it were you, how long could you keep up with feeding the God's Tongue?"
"Hmm, I don't know the current evolution level of that God's Tongue yet, nor am I familiar with their culinary skills. So when you suddenly ask me this question, it's hard for me to give a proper answer—" Pai made a troubled expression and said, "Hayashi, how about you go back and have them prepare their signature dishes for me?"
"Got it!" Hayashi nodded, standing up and summoning the Interdimensional Gate before returning to the world of Food Wars.
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After returning to Food Wars and relaying Pai's request to the old man, the latter's confidence soared instantly! He immediately gathered Gin and Sōe Nakiri, then brought along Mana Nakiri as they all dove into the kitchen. Before long, the four of them emerged, each carrying a bento box—these might not be 100-point dishes, but they were dishes made with 100% of their skill!
Hayashi promptly took these four dishes back to the world of Cooking Master Boy. After tasting their peak culinary creations, Pai closed her eyes and pondered for nearly three minutes before giving her answer: "If we deliberately slow the growth rate of the God's Tongue, then with my cooking skills, I can probably hold out for about three to four years."
For Hayashi, this answer was nothing short of a pleasant surprise! After all, the three to four years Pai mentioned were based on ordinary ingredients. If Hayashi could procure even better ingredients, this timeframe could likely be extended further—and the longer this period lasted, the more time Hayashi would have to develop his plans!
In Hayashi's plans, solving the God's Tongue problem required venturing into a mystical world where magic existed. However, charging unprepared into such a world would likely mean not even knowing how he died. That's why he was so overjoyed to learn he still had several years to prepare.
Mana Nakiri was also delighted, and seeing Mana's enthusiastic eating made the old man happy too. And seeing the old man happy, Sōe and Gin were also happy.
In short, everyone had a bright future ahead!
"Hayashi, we truly can't thank you enough," the old man expressed his gratitude once more, bending his imposing upper body in a deep bow as he solemnly said, "Whatever help you need, as long as it's within the Nakiri family's power, we will spare no effort!"
"Well, if you're asking what help I need..." Hayashi hesitated, stopped, hesitated again, thought for a moment, then glanced at Gin before whispering, "Can we stop the morning exercises? Others might just scheme for money, but Gin's routines are downright murderous!"
"Cough cough—"
The old man choked on his own breath at this remark. After coughing to recover, he still struggled to maintain a straight face—Damn it, I want to laugh so badly! But would laughing now damage my reputation as the head? Tarnish my image as the Demon King of Cooking?
No, mustn't laugh. Hold it in!
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