Chapter 57: Off-Board Tactics
"The Santoku Group's overseas bases... are under attack by an unknown force!!"
Right before the start of the 3rd Bout on the second day of the Regimental Shokugeki, Minegazaki Yaeko burst into the venue and delivered a report that was difficult for me to comprehend.
Since it was right before the match, I didn't have my phone on me, so she had no choice but to come and report in person. Even though she was wearing high heels, she had sprinted at full speed. It was unavoidable, but I still felt a little sorry for her.
For now, I needed time to hear the full story. Suppressing the urge to cry tears of blood, I called out to Azami, who was seated in the special viewing area, and asked him to delay the start of the 3rd Bout slightly.
"Azami-san. I'm sorry, but could you please wait just a little before starting the match? I beg you."
"...Hmm. So you're asking to delay the match because of your personal circumstances?"
Calm down. I'm the adult. He's the brat.
Okay, I'm calm. In those two seconds, I mentally punched Azami about twenty times.
"...Due to an emergency, I humbly ask for your understanding."
"Fufu, it can't be helped. Everyone! Due to Santoku Shogo-kun's request, we will delay the start of the 3rd Bout by five minutes. ...There, I've done as you wished."
"Thank... you... very much...!!"
I think I deserve praise for enduring that with a forced smile. I want to pat myself on the back.
I clenched my teeth hard enough to nearly break them and somehow suppressed my anger. After taking one deep breath, I turned to Yaeko, who had finally caught her breath, and asked for the details.
"So? What exactly do you mean? Explain it to me, Yaeko."
I recalled that she had said something about the Santoku Group's overseas bases being attacked by an unknown force. Since she used the word attack rather than assault, it probably didn't involve physical violence.
"Ye-yes! Just now, we received a call from the person in charge of a large food processing plant operated by the Santoku Group in America! Pressure is being applied to procurement, distribution, and sales, and the entire factory has been forced into operational shutdown! If this situation continues, the damage will be severe, and we will lose credibility with our business partners!"
"Does my father know about this?"
"First, I thought I should report it to you, Shogo-sama... After all, the highest authority over the culinary division of the Santoku Group is not the current head, but you, Shogo-sama."
"That's right. Thank you for the report. Good work, Yaeko."
While offering Yaeko words of appreciation, I organized the situation in my mind. The target was clearly an attack on the Santoku Group. That would be the normal assumption, but given the timing, there was a high chance it wasn't that simple.
I didn't have concrete evidence yet. But I could say it with certainty. The one behind this commotion was—Nakiri Azami.
The goal was almost certainly to remove me.
By targeting our overseas bases, he wanted to force me to head there in person and remove me from the battlefield of the Regimental Shokugeki. After getting thoroughly beaten in both the 1st and 2nd Bouts, he had apparently switched from trying to win the match to simply eliminating me. It was a sneaky method, but effective. It was essentially Azami raising the white flag against me, but he had gone to quite a troublesome length.
"...Haa... ...Time to make a call."
I took out my phone and reluctantly moved my fingers across the screen. The name displayed on the contact I reached was Santoku Seiji. The current head of the Santoku family—and my father.
He was a strict, outstanding man with no flaws. He was so perfect that even making a single phone call to him required resolve. I think our father-son relationship is good, but when work is involved, I still get nervous. This is probably something I'll never overcome in my lifetime. That's how overwhelmingly large my father's back is.
Steeling myself, I tapped the call button. After the third ring, the call connected.
"Ah, hello—"
"It's Azami's doing. All the forces applying pressure were connections centered around wealthy individuals that Azami has built over the past few years. His goal is most likely to force you to head to the site in person."
"Th-that's what I wanted to talk about—"
"You don't need to do anything. I'll handle everything on this end. The fact that Azami is resorting to these kinds of tactics is practically an admission that he sees you as a threat. Finish him off while you're at it."
"Th-therefore—"
"That's all from me. I'm hanging up now."
He was way too quick to the point.
This isn't just fast—this guy could probably handle everything by himself. I'm still the one being targeted, so I could make an educated guess, but how does someone unrelated like him instantly identify the culprit? He probably anticipated Azami's desperate move and ended it with a single phone call.
"Wa-wait, please. You said you'd handle it, but what exactly are you planning to do? If you don't send someone to the site in person, I don't think we'll achieve a quick resolution."
"I'll dispatch people I can trust."
"More capable than me?"
"...You have another role to play. I told you before, Shogo. For the Santoku family to surpass the Nakiri family in the culinary world, I need you to become the greatest chef. Aren't you in the middle of the match necessary for that?"
He hit a slightly sore spot. Or rather, he was fully aware of the situation.
Well, that made sense. Even if he never showed up to parent-teacher meetings, he always knew when they were happening.
"And I also told you this: Just as I use you, you should use me as well. —I won't let anyone interfere with you."
He was so reliable it was almost scary.
If I left it to my father, he would almost certainly resolve the issue. Knowing that, I had to refuse.
"Even so, the highest authority over the culinary division is me. Not anyone else—your son, Santoku Shogo."
"..."
"Three days. If I go to the site myself, I can resolve this in three days. Father, can you resolve it in three days?"
"...Impossible. It would take at least a week."
This is where he doesn't show false bravado and answers honestly—that's what makes him cool. He really is a father worthy of respect.
"Three days versus a week makes a huge difference. Considering the Santoku Group's interests, it would be best if I went."
"...However, that would mean—"
"Don't worry. I'm not abandoning the ongoing match. I've judged that we can win without issue even in my absence. I won't throw away anything over mere interference. I'm not that rusty."
"...Any further discussion would be a waste of time. Understood. I'll leave it to you."
I somehow managed to persuade him. That was a relief.
"Thank you, Father. I'll give you a full report once the matter is resolved."
"Yes. ...I'm sorry, Shogo."
With that apology, the call ended. From my father's perspective, he probably felt he had interfered with me. How dutiful.
Now then, what I needed to do was clear. The five minutes we had been given were almost up, so I needed to wrap up the handover quickly.
"Tadokoro-san, I have a favor to ask. I'm sorry, but I need you to take my place in the 3rd Bout."
"Eeeh!? M-Me!?"
"It'll be fine. If you work with Soma, you have more than enough chance to win. Remember the special training we did on the train."
I felt bad for the sudden request, but she had no choice but to accept. Erina or Megishima-senpai would have been fine too, but Tadokoro was the only one I felt comfortable asking.
After bowing my head to the flustered Tadokoro, I also reported the situation to Erina, our team leader.
"I'm sorry, Erina-san. This is as far as I go. I'm counting on you for the rest."
"Sh-Shogo-kun...! I... No, I understand. Leave it to me."
Good. She was momentarily shaken, but she quickly recovered. Her fighting spirit hadn't faded, and her expression showed firm resolve. She had really grown stronger. Azami could no longer control her.
"Soma, you too. Listen to Erina-san and crush the Council of Ten."
"O-Okay! I don't really get it, but leave it to me! We'll rampage enough for your share too!"
As always, Soma was easy to work with. He didn't ask for unnecessary explanations, which made things simple.
After giving brief farewells to the other members, I gave instructions to Yaeko, who was waiting.
"Yaeko. We're heading to the site immediately. Arrange the plane."
"Understood! The helicopter is already prepared! Please hurry!"
After watching Yaeko, who had gone ahead, I turned my gaze toward Azami. He was smiling openly, clearly pleased that things were going according to his plan. What a child.
"Thank you for your time, Azami-san."
"What a shame, Santoku Shogo-kun. Even if it's for your family's sake, it's a great loss for Totsuki Academy to have a chef of your caliber drop out. ...Truly, what a shame."
How easily he spouts lies he doesn't even believe. If he really feels it's a shame, he should at least make a face that looks even slightly regretful, you hack actor.
"I'm also disappointed, Azami-san. That it turned out this way."
"Fufu, yes. For you, this will surely become a stain on your life."
"No, that's not what I mean."
"...What?"
"You'll understand soon enough. The price for ignoring my warning... you'd better be prepared."
I had no intention of continuing the conversation, so I ended it on my own terms. Before heading to the helicopter Yaeko had prepared, I turned back to Erina one last time.
"Erina-san. ...No, E-ri-na."
"—! Y-Yes."
"Take this. I'm counting on you."
I untied the yellow scarf from my arm and wrapped it around Erina's. With two scarves now on one arm, I entrusted her with my feelings.
"...I will definitely win. I'll protect the Totsuki Academy that you'll return to."
"If you don't at least do that much, I'll be disappointed. —After all, you're supposed to be my rival."
"...Fufu. Yes, that's right. I'll defeat my father and prove my own strength."
That's good. Her mental state was stable, and I'd lit a fire under her. No matter who the opponent was, she wouldn't lose. The current Erina was that strong. When she fully displayed her God's Tongue, she was among the strongest even in the original story.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Take care... Shogo-kun."
And with that, my participation in the Regimental Shokugeki came to an end.
Since I wasn't worried about the outcome, I could focus entirely on what I needed to do.
On taking the best possible action to realize my ambition.
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Inside the helicopter that had taken off from Rebun Island, Yaeko endured the heavy atmosphere.
Shogo, sitting beside her, had been silently gazing out the window for some time, and the mood was not conducive to conversation. To Yaeko, it felt like he was radiating a strong "don't talk to me" aura.
Still, that was understandable. He had been forcibly removed from the match he had been fully committed to, forced to move exactly as the enemy intended. For someone as proud as Shogo, it had to be an unbearable humiliation. Yaeko accepted that it was her own powerlessness that had forced him to rely on her and steeled herself to endure the oppressive silence with her back straight.
"—…Fufu, hehe."
What she heard next was a small laugh. It was so quiet it was nearly drowned out by the sound of the rotors and engine.
Yaeko's ears clearly caught it, sending a slight chill through her body as her attention was drawn toward the source.
"Sh-Shogo-sama…? I-Is something the matter…?"
When Yaeko hesitantly asked, Shogo's laughter stopped. He slowly turned his gaze away from the window toward her, wearing the expression of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
There was no anger, no sadness. No shame, no resignation. Only a look of amusement as he met Yaeko's eyes.
"Ah, sorry about that. I just couldn't hold back my laughter."
"Eh? U-Umm… What do you mean by that?"
From a third-party perspective, Shogo was undoubtedly on the losing side. He had withdrawn from the Regimental Shokugeki and accepted expulsion.
And yet the man himself looked like this. Yaeko's mind couldn't keep up, and a dumbfounded sound escaped her lips.
"This whole incident is undoubtedly Azami's doing. His goal was probably to remove me—Santoku Shogo—from the Regimental Shokugeki. To anyone watching, it looks like he succeeded. Of course, from Azami's own perspective as well."
"That is… yes."
"He certainly succeeded in removing me. —But this choice… was a huge mistake."
"…Eh?"
It couldn't be mere sour grapes. Yaeko was certain of that. There was no reason to think so—after everything she had seen of Santoku Shogo, she could never believe he would resort to such a thing.
"Azami made two mistakes. The first, of course, was laying a hand on the Santoku family. Right now, the Nakiri family is experiencing a mild internal split due to Azami's rebellion. In other words, they don't have sufficient power to oppose the Santoku family. To launch interference operations that harm us in such a state… there's no other word for it but stupidity."
Shogo explained while laughing from the bottom of his heart. He sat with his arms and legs crossed, wearing an extremely wicked expression.
"The second mistake was targeting overseas bases instead of domestic ones. …Well, I suppose that part was somewhat unavoidable for him. If he had targeted domestic bases, dealing with it would have been easy. If it was on a scale that could be resolved without me stepping in, there would be no point in taking such a risky gamble. …But precisely because of that, he should never have targeted overseas. He should have taken the lower-probability option and attacked domestic bases."
"Th-Then… what exactly do you mean?"
Yaeko still couldn't fully grasp the second point. She desperately turned her thoughts over, but no satisfying answer came.
Shogo smiled gently at her, then turned his gaze back to the window and continued.
"I like fighting on the opponent's home ground. As long as Azami challenges me with cooking, I was planning to respond with cooking as well. After all, the outcome was already decided."
"That is… yes. …Of course. There's no way you would lose, Shogo-sama."
"But the annoying thing is, I'm actually a little similar to that guy. In the way we think, in the way we act. Maybe that's why I hate him so much. Perhaps it's what they call 'hatred of one's own kind.'"
Even as he said it, his expression turned slightly displeased. But he quickly changed it again, resting his chin on his hand and speaking in a tone as if making a convenient excuse.
"Azami was the one who started the off-board tactics first. —In that case, there's no problem if I do the same… right?"
"…!!"
At that moment, Yaeko felt a pressure she hadn't experienced in a long time coursing through her entire body. It brought back memories of that day on the bed when every part of her had been devoured. Facing Shogo when he was like this was incredibly foolish—practically suicidal. Knowing how terrifying Shogo could be, Yaeko could only feel sympathy for Azami.
"No, actually, I should even be grateful that he chose this pattern. He basically twisted the noose around his own neck. I should thank Azami."
"D-Don't tell me… you anticipated that this would happen?"
"Of course. How much preparation do you think I've made? …Well, for Azami, this is probably the worst possible pattern."
"Sh-Shogo-sama…? Exactly what are you planning to do?"
"Haha. Well, I'm an efficiencyist, so I don't waste any opportunity that rolls my way. …I did warn him, after all. Yaeko, contact the team I dispatched to America."
"Ye-yes, understood."
Yaeko hurriedly took out her phone and moved to carry out the order.
What faintly reached her ears as she prepared to make the call was Shogo's voice—looking down on everything.
"…So the one who ends up crushed is you. Nakiri Azami, you poisonous parent."
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