She had expected Erina would never appear in the Izakaya, but she never thought she would encounter her father again instead.
"Father… Father, why are you here too?" Mana asked, somewhat incredulously.
"I've been a bit free lately, so I planned to come to the Izakaya for a drink and to cultivate my mood."
After just sitting down, the General waved his hand and said to Sosuke: "Sosuke, give me a bottle of sake first."
"Hmm, no problem."
Sosuke nodded, turned around, took out a bottle of sake, and gently placed it in front of him.
… …
Upon tasting the sake, the first impression was that it was quite clean in the mouth, without the strong alcoholic sensation of white spirits.
Upon closer inspection, it had a complex aroma of pear, apple, and grape, and with an alcohol content of 15°, as long as one drank slowly, there would be no feeling of intoxication at all.
Of course, although the taste was not very strong, there was always a lingering aftertaste after swallowing.
Perhaps even the General did not expect that he would unexpectedly encounter Nagiri Mana by simply coming to the Izakaya out of boredom, and thus his mood instantly became pleasant.
"Mana, why don't you go see Erina?"
Setting down his cup, the General glanced at Mana, seemingly with a hint of reproach, but more so with a sense of incomprehension.
"Father, I will go see her. But it's really not now. Maybe I don't know how to face her, or maybe I've just been choosing to escape?"
Mana's gaze at the end showed a hint of self-reproach and pain.
The General naturally took in her expression, and finally, he could only sigh.
In fact, he also understood very well that Nagiri Mana's fate also foreshadowed Erina's.
One day, Erina would also be swallowed by the storm of cooking, eventually becoming like Nagiri Mana, afraid to eat dishes anymore.
To break the God Tongue curse, the General had not been idle all these years. The first thing he did was to let Erina stay at Totsuki to study, refining her cooking skills to the extreme.
After all, in his eyes, the only person who could save Erina was herself!
And if she succeeded, if she could use her God Tongue ability to create a dish that could conquer the God Tongue.
Then, it would also mean that his daughter, Nagiri Mana, would also have hope.
So, under this concept, he ordered his son, Nekiri Sōei, to collect excellent chefs from all over the world, inviting them all to Totsuki Culinary Academy to learn, and through communication and sparring with Erina, to improve her own cooking skills!
To put it bluntly, all students currently enrolled in Totsuki were destined to be stepping stones for Erina from the very beginning.
And this plan, secretly orchestrated years ago, was hailed by the General as:
The Unpolished Jade Generation Plan!
… …
Unpolished jade refers to jade that has not been polished or carved.
Like Tadokoro Megumi at the age of 12, after being evaluated by Nekiri Sōei, she was an unpolished jade.
In other words, Tadokoro Megumi's ability to go to Totsuki to study at that time was all part of the General and Nekiri Sōei's plan.
Of course, besides Tadokoro Megumi, other excellent chefs were also secretly invited to Totsuki Culinary Academy by Nekiri Sōei, such as:
Hayama Akira, Takumi, Isami, Ryō Kurokiba, Alice Nakiri, and… Yukihira Soma, the son of Jōichirō Yukihira, personally invited by the General!
Then, these "unpolished jades" would undergo layers of training and polishing at Totsuki Culinary Academy to become true "jades."
These "jades" would then be used to continuously stimulate Erina's potential.
In this way, Erina might be able to create the most perfect dish in the world, avoiding the tragic fate of the God Tongue.
However, after witnessing Sosuke's dish, which could break the God Tongue curse, this so-called [Unpolished Jade Generation Plan] naturally "fell through."
"Mana, why must you be like this?"
"You should also know that the current Totsuki Culinary Academy, and the current Nakiri family, both need you very much."
"Nakiri Azami has long been expelled from Totsuki, Nekiri Sōei's mind has never been on family affairs, and Erina, as the future successor, is currently unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility."
"The only person who can bear the future of the entire family now is you!"
Out of concern for the family's future, the General couldn't help but persuade her after taking a sip of sake.
"I am your daughter, and the noble blood of the Nakiri family flows in my veins."
"But Father, you must know my current identity: I am a Special Executive Officer of the WGO Gourmet Organization, and I must be responsible to the WGO."
"Besides, after so many years, don't you know that I have never been very concerned about Totsuki Culinary Academy's matters?"
"Therefore, please forgive my willfulness!"
Nagiri Mana shook her head and looked at the General. She hadn't expected that the entire family now couldn't even find a qualified successor.
"Sigh, have you done few willful things in your life?"
"You have your own ideas and your own pursuits in life. As a father, what else can I do but understand?"
"What's more, you've suffered a lot these past years, and I really can't bear to make you work any harder!"
With that, Senzaemon Nakiri gulped down sake.
Upon learning that he couldn't persuade Nagiri Mana to take on the next General position, his mood was inevitably complex to the extreme.
Seeing this, Mana could only comfort him: "Father, you are strong and healthy now. You can definitely last for a few more years."
"Sigh, well, if it really comes to a point where I can't hold on, leaving the position to my grandson-in-law wouldn't be bad either."
The General secretly glanced at Sosuke, who was busy working, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said meaningfully.
Nagiri Mana, who was beside him, was stunned for a moment, then she understood. (End of Chapter)
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