Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"What would you two like to eat?" 

The elderly store manager spoke in a gentle tone, gesturing toward the notice board by the entrance. It displayed the recommended ingredients for the day. 

"Our signature dish is fresh fish sashimi. If you're interested, you can select your ingredients directly from the fish tank over there." 

---

Amamiya followed the man's gesture to a corner of the restaurant, where several fish swam silently in a glass tank. 

---

"Whew…" 

Breathing in the aroma of sizzling oil wafting through the air, Sajuna felt herself relax. 

The restaurant seemed safe. 

The guests—all elderly men and women—exuded an air of warmth and friendliness. For the first time, Sajuna felt reassured. 

Earlier, she had worried that the town might be completely devoid of living humans, its population limited to ghostly tales. But clearly, that wasn't the case. 

Although it seemed this mysterious town was inhabited only by the elderly, it made sense. Most older adults have limited mobility, so it wasn't surprising they seldom ventured outside. 

Still, she couldn't shake her concern for Fujiwara's whereabouts…

"Wait." 

Sajuna pursed her lips, suddenly noticing something strange. She raised her gaze to Amamiya. 

"Why haven't you said a word, Amamiya?" 

Amamiya stood silently, his gaze fixed on the fish tank in the corner, a slight frown on his face. 

"Is something wrong?" Sajuna asked, following his line of sight curiously. 

Inside the ordinary glass fish tank, where live fish swam lazily, a white object floated on the water's surface. 

---

'Splash.' 

Water rippled as a fish leaped energetically from the tank, only to fall back in with a soft plop. 

"Hey, is that… a koi?" 

Sajuna immediately recognized the fish and tilted her head in confusion. 

'Since when do people make sashimi out of koi?' 

Was it some peculiar regional delicacy? 

It didn't seem appetizing. 

As the saying goes, '"Live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water."' In Japan, where marine fish are abundant, sashimi almost always features seafood. Freshwater fish weren't typically used. 

'Bang.' 

Another fish suddenly rammed the side of the tank, startling Sajuna. This one was much uglier, and it seemed to be attacking the koi. 

"So ugly!" Sajuna exclaimed instinctively. 

Now that she could see it clearly, the fish was grotesque—a tentacle sprouted from its head, tipped with two glowing, lantern-like appendages. Its enormous mouth was lined with jagged teeth, and its skin was warty and toad-like. 

"It looks a bit like an anglerfish…" Sajuna murmured, though doubt lingered in her voice. 

---

Anglerfish were deep-sea creatures. Could they even survive in a fish tank? 

---

Silently, Amamiya stepped forward, heading toward the tank. 

Sajuna trailed after him with quick, hesitant steps. 

When they reached the tank, Sajuna finally got a good look at the white object floating on the water. 

An origami airplane. 

It was crumpled and waterlogged, its shape distorted from being submerged. 

"That's our paper airplane," Sajuna blurted, immediately recognizing it. 

How had it ended up in the tank? 

Had it gone off course? 

"Wait!" Sajuna's pink eyes widened as a dreadful thought crossed her mind. 

"The paper airplane is made of special material—it's resistant to wind, rain, and snow. It only becomes an ordinary paper airplane after reaching its owner's hand." 

She gulped. 

"If the airplane is damaged by water, that means it's reverted to a normal airplane… Could it be that Fujiwara-san is in the fish tank?!" 

'Splash!' 

The sound of water breaking drew Sajuna's attention. 

Amamiya had reached into the fish tank and grabbed the grotesque fish that had been chasing the koi. 

The restaurant's atmosphere shifted abruptly, becoming tense and oppressive. 

"This guest…" 

The old store manager's previously kind voice grew lower, almost foreboding. 

Sajuna held her breath, her nerves on edge. Something terrible seemed imminent. 

Before the tension could escalate further, Amamiya broke the silence with an easy smile. 

"Manager, I saw a job advertisement at the entrance. Are you hiring?" 

The store manager hesitated for a moment, then adjusted the glasses perched on his nose. 

"That's correct. Are you applying for the position of waiter?" 

Amamiya shook his head. 

"The hourly wage for waiters isn't worth it," he said with exaggerated boldness. "I'm applying for the position of head chef."

"Huh?" 

Sajuna's jaw dropped slightly, her pink lips parting in disbelief. She stared at Amamiya with wide eyes. 

Wasn't this a bit reckless? 

How could someone just casually apply to be head chef on a whim? 

Surely, there was no way they'd agree. 

"Allow me to introduce myself," Amamiya began calmly. "I am a gourmet enthusiast. You can call me Toriko. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you'll guide me well." 

---

Sajuna: '"…"' 

The phrase "gourmet enthusiast" made Sajuna's lips twitch slightly. She had read 'Toriko', serialized in 'Weekly Shonen Jump', and couldn't help but think of its infamous protagonist. 

---

Amamiya gestured toward Sajuna and said, "This is my companion, Komatsu." 

---

"…Who is Komatsu?" 

Sajuna nearly blurted the question aloud, her thoughts swirling. 'That's clearly a boy's name!' 

---

Oblivious to her inner protest, Amamiya continued speaking with utmost seriousness, "To be honest, Komatsu and I recently returned from an adventure in the Dark Continent. We've mastered the art of cooking dark ingredients and even passed the God of Cooking Competition." 

---

Sajuna's mouth twitched again. 

'What Dark Continent? That's the world of hunters! I've never been there with you!' 

---

As he spoke, Amamiya retrieved a black badge from his game inventory and pinned it to his collar. 

The badge shimmered faintly with a purple hue, its craftsmanship intricate and unusual. 

"Manager," he said confidently, "would you be interested in hiring me as a chef?" 

---

The store manager remained silent, his expression unreadable. 

---

[Item: Dark Chef's Badge] 

Description: When equipped, the bearer gains the professional title of 'Dark Chef.' Grants the ability to identify edible ingredients from dark creatures and adds special bonuses to dark dishes prepared. 

Note: "The world's top ten restaurants are in the UK, yet all of them serve French cuisine. How disgraceful! It's time to reclaim the honor of British cooking with dark culinary arts!" 

---

Amamiya's gaze shifted to the koi fish swimming in the tank, its golden scales shimmering under the dim light as it blew bubbles, seemingly vying for attention. 

---

[Prompt: As expected of the Secretary blessed with luck! Even as a fish, she's still a lucky koi.] 

---

He glanced at the grotesque anglerfish still writhing in his hand. 

[Prompt: A fish so ugly it's hard to look at directly. A brilliant idea crosses your mind—it would make an excellent ingredient for dark cuisine.] 

---

As the Dark Chef's Badge settled on his lapel, a flood of knowledge surged into Amamiya's mind: the perfect techniques to prepare the monstrous anglerfish—how to debone it, slice it, and transform it into a masterpiece of dark cuisine. 

'From this moment on, I am the top dark chef!' 

---

"Manager, why not give him a chance to prove himself?" 

The sudden suggestion came from a woman sitting in the corner, her voice soft yet oddly compelling. 

---

Sajuna turned to look at her, and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She stifled a scream by clamping her hands over her mouth. 

The woman in the kimono had turned her head a full 180 degrees, revealing another face—pale and expressionless beneath thick black hair. 

---

The second face licked its lips with a long, unnervingly agile tongue, its eyes gleaming with twisted delight. 

"I'm tired of ordinary food," the woman said, her smile widening unnaturally. "I'd like to try something... different." 

---

'This is bad,' Sajuna thought, her hands trembling slightly. 'A ghost story! A vengeful spirit! A yokai!' 

---

Her gaze darted nervously around the restaurant. Were the other elderly guests also monsters in disguise? 

---

The manager broke the silence with a slow nod. 

"Toriko, was it? If you can earn the approval of our customers, I'll consider hiring you as a special chef." 

The kimono woman grinned, her expression both eerie and expectant. 

"But if you fail to satisfy me," she purred, "the consequences will be... severe." 

"No problem," Amamiya replied with unwavering confidence. "I'm just a humble gourmet who cooks for fun. You won't be disappointed." 

---

Sajuna, however, was less assured. She bit her lower lip, worry clouding her pink eyes. 

---

"Komatsu," Amamiya said as he strode toward the kitchen with the anglerfish in hand, "come and help me." 

---

"Huh?" Sajuna blinked, momentarily confused before realizing she was "Komatsu." 

Scrambling to follow, she trotted after him, her short legs working double-time. "Coming, coming!" 

---

Meanwhile, the store manager resumed his work, and the other patrons returned to their quiet conversations. The air seemed to settle, and the restaurant returned to its seemingly ordinary rhythm. 

But for Sajuna, the unsettling truth of their situation remained vivid. Something was very wrong here. 

"What am I supposed to do?" 

Sajuna's voice was barely a whisper as she glanced at Amamiya, anxiety evident in her tone. 

---

Amamiya lowered his gaze and replied nonchalantly, "Help wipe the sweat from my face and massage my legs." 

---

Sajuna blinked, visibly confused. "What does that have to do with cooking?" 

---

Amamiya held up the grotesque fish in his hand, its slimy, malformed body catching the dim light. "Then, how about you handle killing the fish?" 

---

Sajuna recoiled immediately, taking a step back as her face turned pale. "…It's too ugly. I can't." 

---

"Then help me tie my apron." Amamiya winked as he handed it to her. 

---

"I-I understand." 

Sajuna stood on her toes, tying the apron with small, trembling hands. She wasn't entirely sure what his wink meant, but she knew better than to make a fuss. At moments like this, she thought, it was best to simply cooperate. 

---

With the apron secured, Amamiya scanned the kitchen counter, his eyes quickly locking onto a knife. He picked it up with a steady hand, and in an instant, his demeanor transformed. 

---

His grip firm and precise, the smile that spread across his face was calm and assured. Sajuna, who had been nervously watching him, felt her shoulders relax. 

'Confidence.' 

That serene smile radiated assurance, as though nothing could possibly go wrong. 

---

Amamiya's focus fell entirely on the strange fish. To him, nothing else in the room existed. 

---

The fish, identified earlier as a "dark ingredient," trembled weakly in his grasp. Though it was incapable of expressing fear, its body quivered as if it sensed its grim fate. 

---

Without hesitation, Amamiya began slicing. The movements of his hands were fluid, his blade gliding through the fish as if it were nothing more than butter. 

Sajuna stood by, her curiosity piqued. Though she could cook, her skills were modest—barely enough to get by. Watching Amamiya's graceful technique felt like witnessing a work of art. 

---

In his hands, the repugnant fish was quickly dismantled. Its bones, skin, head, and even its unblinking eyes were sorted with precision. 

The sight reminded Sajuna of an old idiom: 'butchering an ox with ease.' 

---

But if the preparation made some sense to her, the next step left her baffled. Amamiya's choice of seasonings and sauce was... unusual, to say the least. The combination looked more like a concoction fit to poison someone than anything remotely edible. 

'This can't taste good,' she thought, wrinkling her nose. 

---

Time passed in a blur. 

"It's ready," Amamiya finally announced, exhaling lightly. 

---

On the counter before him, the monstrous fish had been transformed into an array of dishes. 

---

Carrying the plate, Amamiya approached the kimono-clad woman and set it gently in front of her. Placing a hand over his chest, he gave a respectful bow. "Please enjoy the dish in the order I recommend." 

—

The woman turned her head slowly, revealing her second face beneath her curtain of long, dark hair. Her eerie smile widened. 

"You're the chef. I'll follow your lead." 

---

"Then, let's begin with the eyeballs," Amamiya said, his smile unwavering. "Please dip them into the sauce first." 

---

Sajuna, standing nearby, couldn't help but glance at the plate. Under the dim lighting, the fish's eyeballs seemed to glisten unnaturally, as if glowing faintly. 

---

Her stomach churned. 'Raw fish eyes?! That can't possibly taste good!' 

---

Holding her breath, she watched nervously as the woman picked up her chopsticks, plucked up one of the gleaming eyes, and placed it in her mouth. 

---

The first bite. 

The two-faced woman's expression froze. Her brows furrowed slightly. 

---

'It's over!' Sajuna panicked internally, her heart racing. 'She hates it!' 

---

"Relax," Amamiya said gently, reaching out to pat Sajuna's head. His tone was calm and composed. "Don't worry." 

---

His voice carried an air of certainty as he added, "If the first bite were the best in the world, the rest of the meal would feel bland. Trust the process. Continue eating in the order I suggested." 

---

The woman hesitated briefly but soon lifted her chopsticks again. She moved on to the next ingredient. 

---

This time, her brows unfurrowed. 

With each bite, her expression shifted—first surprise, then delight. By the time she reached the final morsel, tears streamed down her face. 

---

Soft sobs escaped her lips. 

The sound of ragged, heavy breathing filled the dining area. 

---

The woman leaned weakly over the table, her face flushed and her breathing uneven. Beads of sweat trickled down her pale skin, soaking through her kimono and outlining her figure beneath the damp fabric. 

---

Even the chair beneath her bore sweat stains, the sheer dampness bordering on absurd. 

---

Sajuna stared, dumbfounded. "This can't be real," she muttered. 

---

She couldn't help but feel as though she had just witnessed the impossible. 'Food capable of making a ghost sweat?' It was almost as though forbidden substances had been mixed into the meal. 

But Sajuna had watched Amamiya's process carefully—there had been no contraband. 

'Could food like this actually exist?' 

---

"This is... amazing." After several long moments, the woman sat upright and wiped her tears away. Her cheeks were still faintly pink, her voice trembling with emotion. "I've never tasted anything so delicious in my entire existence." 

Her gaze fell on Amamiya, a hint of reverence in her eyes. 

"Young man," she purred, "come home with me. From now on, you'll cook for me, and I'll show you the joys of adulthood." 

Her tone was sultry, but Amamiya's polite smile didn't falter. 

---

"Sorry, I'll have to decline." Taking Sajuna's hand, he added matter-of-factly, "I prefer a girl like her."