Erina actually truly wanted her secretary to speak up, for example to say that she did not want to sit here, so that she would have an excuse to leave. She really did not want to encounter that disgusting guy.
But this time her secretary also played the ostrich, which made her so angry.
Pretending that she did not care, she sent the other side a look as if saying: "Hurry up and say something," but the other side returned a helpless look, as if saying: "I don't dare."
Erina, seeing the helpless and somewhat frightened expression in her secretary's eyes, seemed to remember something. She forgot that this scoundrel had bought 38% of her family's shares some time ago, specifically those scattered shares from the period when the family was rising, and that this guy had picked up all of them.
In other words, the person in front of her was a shareholder of their company, and Hisako truly did not have the position to speak.
"Why are you here?"
Although Erina did not want to talk with that disgusting guy, she was a little curious why this fellow appeared exactly here.
"I'm at a meeting, there is an amusement park here, so we came to have some fun."
"It's just that you are really busy with work, you even have to come all the way here for a tasting."
"Do you think I'm like you, idle the whole day?"
"I am the God Tongue, many people invite me to their homes, unlike an unemployed loafer like you."
Erina's words immediately turned into an attack. She also noticed who was with him. She had seen that person before, but she was not close to her. After saying that, she politely greeted the other side.
Kirishima Shoko also responded very politely.
"God Tongue?"
"Still only a beginner in the kitchen, wasting such a tongue."
Erina immediately exploded when she heard that.
"Bastard, who are you calling a beginner?"
Erina could no longer maintain her usual composure, speaking through clenched teeth, her gaze fixed on Shiro.
After all, if she could, she would have torn him apart long ago, because there was a history of conflict between them.
"Isn't it the truth? A beginner. At best, a little better than those who only know how to make homemade dishes."
Erina felt humiliated when she heard that.
"You scoundrel, I challenge you to a Shokugeki!"
Her mood had originally been quite good, but she did not expect to meet the person she least wanted to see, and then for Shiro to stir up her anger again. Looking at his irritating face constantly rubbing salt into her wound, how could this proud young lady, who had been praised all her life, endure it? Those words slipped out of her almost instinctively.
The secretary's eyes widened when she heard that. She never expected that her young lady would be provoked to the point of saying something so fatal.
Usually, in the secretary's eyes, her young lady was the most powerful, but she had encountered such a monster. She had already been burned once. If Miss Alice had not helped at that time, her young lady would have suffered a heavy defeat. Had she forgotten that incident now? She still dared to say such words. Just when she wanted to stop her, Shiro spoke first.
"Alright, since you want to seek defeat, I can fulfill you. However, I possess 38% of your family's shares. And for a Shokugeki there must be equal conditions. I put those 38% of shares on the line against you, what can you offer?"
When Shiro said that, he looked completely indifferent, as if he did not take this Shokugeki seriously at all, with an expression of complete confidence in victory.
Just when Erina wanted to answer, the secretary finally reacted and immediately stopped her.
"Erina-sama!"
That urgent voice brought her back to reason. Only then did she realize that by betting with such stakes against this guy, she would actually be condemning herself.
Erina turned pale when she realized that, because if she put so much on the line this time, she would still almost certainly lose.
"Shiro-sama, I apologize. My young lady's emotions were unstable just now."
The secretary immediately stepped in front of Shiro, bowed, and apologized.
"It is not your fault. The main problem is that the beginner is weak but likes to play."
Erina gritted her teeth, furious because of Shiro's humiliation, but she did not dare to bet against him.
"What is it, you have no confidence? This is a great opportunity to get back those 38% of shares that were scattered before your family's rise, you know."
"An opportunity like this, once it passes, it never comes back."
Erina, hearing that, spoke through clenched teeth.
"I will buy them back from you with money."
Shiro snorted mockingly.
"Who are you looking down on? Am I lacking money? How about you sell me the remaining 62% of your family's shares? I will offer you three times the price, what do you say? If three times is not enough, four times, if even four is not enough, five times."
"Don't you understand? In my current situation, the one thing I lack the least is money. Who are you underestimating?"
Erina clenched her fists, obviously frustrated. She had lived so long, and only in front of this scoundrel did everything go wrong.
So irritating!
Earlier I thought that this guy was only a culinary monster, but now it turns out that he is also a super-rich tycoon, someone who can in one move buy so many shares of a conglomerate. His background, no matter how much it is investigated, appears ordinary, but no one is a fool; it certainly is not an ordinary background. It seems that I can only accept this.
I cannot compete in skill, I cannot compete in money, so what should I do? Not to mention that I instinctively feel a certain pressure when facing him.
Basically, if Alice had not been so close to him at that time, almost inseparable, and begged on my behalf, I probably would have already gone from being a girl to someone's wife. The bet we made back then was quite serious.
Because of that, although I am very annoyed with him and truly want to get rid of him, it is still a dark past. I cannot prevent myself from instinctively feeling awe.
At that moment, the atmosphere finally calmed down a little. The main reason was that someone started bringing out the dishes, and four portions at once.
"These are the dishes for evaluation."
"As thanks for your previous advice, please try them, both of you."
Kikuchi Sonoka made two additional portions and placed them in front of Shiro and Kirishima Shoko. Actually, what she most wanted was to see Shiro's reaction.
Shiro started eating without saying a word. However, unlike the three of them who were enjoying the food, he remained expressionless, creating a sharp contrast.
Kikuchi Sonoka watched his expressionless face, and her hands unconsciously clenched. Still no reaction?
Shiro ate while observing the expressions of surprise on their faces. He had to admit that as long as he was not drugged, watching their expressions gave him a strange, but not bad feeling.
After Erina finished enjoying the dish, she put down her knife and fork and began to comment.
"This is excellent. You can definitely include it as a main dish here, but there are several minor flaws that need to be corrected."
Kikuchi Sonoka listened carefully at that moment. Although the other side's skill was not at her level, thanks to the God Tongue, Erina could precisely point out many flaws, and such feedback was exactly what she needed.
"First, during the marinating…"
Erina pointed out six places for improvement. Of course, these were not flaws that would lower the evaluation of the dish, but changes that would make it even more perfect.
After finishing, she deliberately looked at Shiro, as if saying: "This is the God Tongue!"
Shiro was somewhat helpless in the face of such behavior.
"Really, is it necessary to be like that? I am not in this industry, so it is meaningless to target me."
Kikuchi Sonoka listened carefully and remembered everything, intending to make a new dish with the changes in order to see the effect.
Just when she wanted to thank them, she suddenly heard Shiro's voice.
"Come on? For it to become perfect with just those few points, at least twenty more things would have to change, from beginning to end. Besides those small problems you mentioned, there are at least twenty more flaws."
-------------
Every 20/50/100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter.
If you'd like to support me, check it out: patreon.com/_BlackRose
Enjoying the story? Read 110+ advanced chapters on Patreon.