The next morning, following Makoto's instructions, Soe took a taxi into the city early to find a construction team to help build the house.
The two Nakiri mother-daughter pairs weren't idle either.
They couldn't keep relying on Makoto for money. They decided to open a small roadside stall to earn some.
After all, a group of people camping here long-term without doing anything would look strange.
Makoto wasn't idle either. He went out again to search for traces of Pochita.
But today, he had a new idea. He didn't necessarily have to focus on finding Pochita. There was another lead: Denji.
In the original work, before Denji joined Public Safety, he lived in a rundown hut on the outskirts of Tokyo.
And he had met Pochita at his father's funeral.
Though 'funeral' wasn't quite the right word. Denji had just buried his father somewhere and then encountered Pochita.
That meant, even if he couldn't find Pochita's trail, intercepting Denji would work too.
Finding Denji was much easier than finding Pochita.
That evening, Makoto found a standalone wooden hut in another open area on the outskirts of Tokyo.
As he approached, he saw a middle-aged man kick the door open and storm out, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it! I don't believe I'll lose again today! Good thing that woman left some money before she died. Enough for me to live it up for a while."
Before the man had taken two steps, a boy who looked to be only three or four years old ran out of the hut and grabbed his pant leg, speaking timidly: "Dad, I..."
"Get lost!"
The man kicked the boy away and cursed angrily: "Damn brat! Spending my money and causing so much trouble. If you're hungry, go chew on tree bark. Don't bother me!"
With that, the man ignored the wailing boy behind him and left without looking back.
Watching this scene, Makoto clicked his tongue.
'No matter which world, there were scumbags like this.'
With that, Makoto disappeared.
Erina and the others, who were organizing menus and preparing to open their stall, were startled when Makoto suddenly returned.
"Makoto, you're back?"
Erina started to speak, but Alice was already the first to greet him.
The two mothers watched, a bit bewildered.
"Is there any lunch left?"
Makoto asked.
This time, Erina was quick to react. She had learned her lesson and didn't ask why. She quickly brought over the leftover food from lunch. "Yes, I was about to throw it away. Are you hungry? I can make you something new..."
"Thanks."
Without waiting for Erina to finish, Makoto said one word and used Flying Thunder God to disappear again.
Seeing Erina's slightly dejected expression, Alice felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction for some reason.
"Eat."
In front of the wooden hut, Makoto placed the food in front of Denji, who was about three years old.
Denji stared blankly at this uncle he didn't know. He was about to ask something, but the enticing smell made it impossible to resist.
Not even bothering to grab chopsticks, Denji used his little hands to scoop up the food and shove it into his mouth.
"Mmm... mmm! Delicious!"
It was no exaggeration to say this was the best food Denji had ever eaten in his short life.
"Huuh, huuh, huuh!"
A strange sound came from Denji's nose.
Makoto couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Although he knew that food in Food Wars! was practically an aphrodisiac, seeing a three-year-old make that face was still...
A few minutes later, noticing that Denji's stomach was visibly bulging and looked like it might burst, Makoto frowned slightly.
"Ugh!"
Just as Makoto was about to say something, Denji suddenly vomited.
But that wasn't all. Denji reached out, picked up the vomit, and looked like he was about to shove it back into his mouth.
This was too much. Makoto kicked the bowl of food away. "What are you doing?"
Denji's eyes filled with tears. "I, I was afraid of wasting it."
"You're already full. Why are you still eating?"
Denji lowered his head even more. "I, I don't know when I'll get to eat again."
Makoto was silent for a rare moment. After a few seconds, he said, "Don't eat grass or garbage anymore. I'll bring you food."
Hearing this, Denji's eyes lit up.
"Uncle, are you a god?"
Makoto smiled faintly and disappeared again.
"Oh, a god! A real god! I met a god!"
Denji jumped and shouted excitedly. Not only had he been given such delicious food, but he could also do magic. Wasn't that a god?
…
A week passed.
The construction crew Soe had hired finished building their residence.
It was a two-story wooden villa.
Everyone was thrilled. No more sleeping bags.
Erina, however, was blushing constantly. She and Makoto had agreed earlier: once the house was built, they would do that.
Makoto was also looking forward to it.
He had been pent up for a week too.
"Let's cook something nice tonight to celebrate."
Leonora said excitedly.
"Let's buy some alcohol too. It's a big occasion."
Alice raised her hand and cheered.
"We're underage!"
Erina objected.
Alice cupped her hands around her mouth and teased, "Erina, if you don't want to drink, don't. You're still a kid."
"Wh-Who says I'm a kid? I'll drink!"
Erina bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
But she didn't see the smirk hidden behind Alice's hand, 'Hmph, gotcha.'
That night, the newly built villa was brightly lit. The Nakiri Family was in high spirits, seemingly releasing the pressure of being in this world.
"Come on, come on, Makoto-sama! Let's keep going!"
Soe, reeking of alcohol, said with his tongue hanging out.
After a few drinks, he was feeling bold and insisted on playing rock-paper-scissors with Makoto. The more he lost, the more he drank.
"Uncle, stop. Do you want to be sleeping on the street when we get back to reality?"
Erina, also flushed from a few sips, called out.
Although Makoto had agreed to play with Soe, there were bets involved.
At this point, Soe had already lost the Nakiri International Culinary Research Center in Scandinavia, the patent for molecular gastronomy, and 50% of the inheritance rights from his father, Nakiri Senzaemon. He had lost everything he could lose.
"Shut up! Adults are talking. Kids don't interrupt."
Soe's face was red… he was clearly drunk.
"What else do you have to bet?"
Makoto asked cheerfully.
He didn't even need to use the Sharingan's predictive ability. Just from Soe's body language, he knew whether he was going to throw rock, paper, or scissors.
Soe, who was nearly suffering from alcohol poisoning, thought for a moment. He couldn't think of anything else he had to bet. Finally, noticing his wife sitting at another table, watching TV with his sister, he shouted:
"I'll stake Leonora as the bet!"
Mana and Leonora, who had also had some drinks, suddenly sobered up.
'Do you know what the hell you're saying?'
"Okay."
Makoto smiled.
"No! Absolutely not!"
The others rushed over to stop them.
But the two had already thrown their hands.
Rock-paper-scissors—
Unsurprisingly, Soe lost again.
In the living room, people lay about in disarray. After carrying Erina back to her room, Makoto looked at the promissory note he held, which Soe had signed with his thumbprint.
After a moment's thought, he stored it in his inventory.
Looking at Erina, collapsed on the bed, Makoto reached through her pink lips, took hold of that God Tongue, and teased it thoroughly.
"Still want to do it? In this state?"
Just then, a graceful figure approached and sat beside Makoto, bumping Erina aside with a nudge of her hip.
It was Alice.
Makoto turned his head. "Is something up?"
He had noticed earlier that Alice had been trying to get Erina, Leonora, and the others to drink heavily, while she herself drank very little.
"I haven't thanked you for saving me from that Devil yet."
Alice said as she moved closer. By the time she finished speaking, she was leaning completely against him.
Feeling the warmth of this foreign girl, Makoto certainly didn't hold back. He put his arm around her shoulder.
With his other hand, he hooked her chin. Just as their lips were about to meet, Makoto smiled and asked, "Are all you European girls this passionate?"
Alice's smile bloomed. "That depends on who it is."
They came together with a soft smack.
Surprisingly, Alice was the more aggressive one. She not only wrapped her arm around Makoto's neck but also pressed her chest against him.
Seeing this, Makoto scooped her up in his arms, just like a week ago, preparing to take her to her own room.
"No. Right here!"
Alice said, her voice unwavering.