Food Wars: The Fishing System
Chapter 94: [94] - Mother and Daughter Reconcile, Azami Nakiri’s File (BONUS)

Chapter 94 - [94] - Mother and Daughter Reconcile, Azami Nakiri's File (BONUS)

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"That may be so, but Lady Erina and her mother haven't seen each other in so many years..." Hisako Arato was still somewhat worried.

After all, Mana Nakiri had abandoned Erina and left.

In all these years, they hadn't seen each other, not even a single phone call.

With such a strained mother-daughter relationship, how could Hisako not be worried?

....

Just like that, about two hours later, Erina Nakiri returned to the villa. At this moment, Erina's eyes were red and slightly swollen. She had clearly been crying.

However, Hisako Arato breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Erina looked like she had been crying, there was a smile on her face. Her entire demeanor had changed completely from when they first arrived.

The previous Erina Nakiri gave off an aloof, Ice Queen vibe, mixed with a hint of melancholy.

This melancholy had intensified after arriving at the WGO—

—Yet now, that gloominess was completely gone.

Her whole being felt much more cheerful and open.

This change was so drastic that even Hisako immediately noticed it. Clearly, this meant that Mana Nakiri and Erina Nakiri must have reconciled.

After all, the greatest source of conflict between them was the God's Tongue.

Although the issue wasn't fully resolved yet, Yuuki had made a dish that Mana Nakiri could actually stomach.

Moreover, Mana herself had been wavering—

—And Erina's worried expression when Mana was being checked by the doctor earlier was like a knife piercing Mana's heart.

So, not long into the conversation, Mana was the first to break down and revealed her true feelings. Seeing her mother like this, Erina Nakiri also started crying.

Years of conflict and estrangement vanished in that instant—

They were family, after all.

Mana didn't blame Erina; on the contrary, she felt guilty.

After the emotional release and reconciliation, they naturally also started to talk about other topics—

"Mother... about Father..."

Now that her mother was more or less back to normal, what about her father? Erina longed for a complete family.

As for Azami Nakiri's attempts to indoctrinate her with his warped philosophies, even locking her up when she resisted—Erina didn't care about those things anymore.

She simply hoped her family could, like before, be together happily.

....

"About your father... I guess it's time I told you. Take a look at this file."

Mana Nakiri was initially hesitant but ultimately decided to tell her daughter. Erina was old enough now; she had the right to know.

Taking the tablet from her mother, Erina felt a knot forming in her stomach.

Her mother's attitude suggested something had happened to her father.

As it turned out, she was only half-right—

Erina had thought something had happened to Azami Nakiri, but looking through the files, he was alive and well, even though he had been kicked out by Senzaemon Nakiri.

However, Senzaemon Nakiri also knew that the initial trigger for all this was Mana herself; Mana had been the first to act.

So, he let Azami keep the Nakiri name. He didn't revert him to his original name, Azami Nakamura.

....

But Azami had now completely lost it—

Actually, a similar thing had happened once before.

During his time at Tōtsuki, Azami had idolized Jōichirō Yukihira, always chasing his shadow—

—Yet in the end, because of actions by other students, his idol was forced to leave Tōtsuki before graduation.

At that time, this incident had a huge impact on Azami.

His heart was incredibly fragile, like glass, easily shattered.

With such a thing happening to his idol, feeling sad was perfectly normal, feeling indignant was also completely understandable.

But Azami's chosen way of dealing with it was disastrous.

Although his Culinary skills weren't weak, Azami became increasingly gloomy, his personal life a mess—almost like a completely different person.

Asahi Saiba was also born around that time.

After which, Azami met Mana Nakiri and fell in love with her. At that time, he was young, handsome, incredibly skilled in cooking, and also a Tōtsuki graduate.

So, in the end, Senzaemon Nakiri agreed to have him marry into the Nakiri family—

Before Mana Nakiri's God's Tongue developed problems, the three of them had been living very comfortably. Senzaemon Nakiri, seeing his daughter so happy, was also very pleased.

However, after the God's Tongue incident, Mana Nakiri abandoned her family and left.

Azami Nakiri's already fragile heart was completely shattered.

He then did a series of strange and problematic things, targeting his own daughter.

After all this, Senzaemon Nakiri had enough and directly kicked him out of the Nakiri household.

However, his last name was still retained.

It was precisely because of this that others knew Azami was only temporarily exiled; he still had a connection with the Nakiri family and could return someday.

So they still interacted with him and the Nakiri family, they didn't completely abandon Azami.

This also meant that Azami had been living quite comfortably all these years.

....

But things changed after that. This time, unlike the incident with Jōichirō Yukihira, it was much more serious, and there was no second Mana Nakiri to help him out of his depression—

So, Azami sank deeper and deeper into this darkness. His personal life, naturally, also became a complete mess.

In his view, since Mana had abandoned him, then she wouldn't interfere in his matters—

So he used his Culinary skills and handsome appearance to do as he pleased.

Erina could barely believe that this WAS her father.

What made her almost want to face-palm was that among those First Class Officers earlier, TWO had relations with Azami Nakiri.

"HOW... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??? Why would Father DO such things??" Erina was shocked—it completely shattered her perception of her father.

"Because of his recent behavior, I looked into his past. I hadn't known before—I WAS SHOCKED. Turns out, you have a half-brother." Mana Nakiri's expression grew more complicated as she said this.

Because of Azami's actions, Mana couldn't help but investigate his past.

Thus, Azami having a son was also discovered by Mana Nakiri.

Although Azami didn't have this son after they married, Mana couldn't bring herself to just swallow her anger and ignore it. Right now, she regretted her choice in husband.

Mana Nakiri really wanted to go back in time and smack some sense into her younger self.

"I have a brother...??"

The shock was simply too great, causing Erina's brain to short-circuit.

"Yes. Your half-brother. And he's also quite something. His past was also quite tragic."

As Mana spoke, Erina Nakiri also read the files about her half-brother. She was absolutely stunned.

Turns out, her brother was related to her idol, Jōichirō Yukihira.

And her half-brother had changed his name to Asahi Saiba, taking on Jōichirō's last name—

—Moreover, her half-brother's experience had been far more tragic than her own. Although successfully born thanks to his mother's efforts, because no one knew who his father was, his mother later regretted giving birth to him, resorting to drinking to cope.

Whenever anything happened, she would take it out on Asahi Saiba, constantly scolding and beating him. He had never experienced any maternal affection.

After his mother's death, Asahi Saiba went to an orphanage and encountered Jōichirō Yukihira.

Because Jōichirō Yukihira's cooking had that heartwarming quality, and because of Jōichirō's easygoing nature, Asahi Saiba directly saw Jōichirō as his father figure and changed his surname to Saiba.

Now, Asahi Saiba had already made a name for himself among Midnight Chefs.

"A special ability that replicates others' cooking through their knives... And a Midnight Chef!" Erina exclaimed in surprise after reading this.

"Yes. His ability is very powerful. And it was precisely because of this ability that he chose to become a Midnight Chef. This way, stealing others' knives was much easier." Mana Nakiri was very clear why Asahi Saiba chose to become a Midnight Chef.

After all, as a Midnight Chef, he could do things almost unscrupulously.

This way, stealing knives naturally became much easier. If he were a normal Chef, wanting to steal another's knives, he would still need to bet against them. If they refused, there was nothing he could do.

"Then Mother, what do you think we should do?" Erina asked, referring to both Azami Nakiri and Asahi Saiba.

"About your father... after reading all this, some actions simply shouldn't be forgiven. Of course, I'll still ask him one last time and see what he has to say," Mana said, her intent clear.

She wasn't ready to forgive Azami's actions. But this matter was, in a way, caused by her actions as well. So, she wanted to give Azami one last chance.

If Azami's answer satisfied her, then, although their marriage was done, he would keep the Nakiri name. He'd still be Erina Nakiri's father—

—But if this guy was still irredeemable, then Mana wouldn't leave Azami anything at all.

Hearing this, Erina didn't say anything. If it were the previous time Azami messed up and had a child (Asahi) before meeting Mana Nakiri, there was nothing more to say.

But all his subsequent actions—even Erina Nakiri couldn't easily forgive this father. Although Mana had left, she hadn't caused any chaos or done anything wrong.

Conversely, after leaving, Azami had completely let himself go.

....

"As for your half-brother... Erina, this decision is for you to make. He and I are not blood-related, but you are his sister. So, it's up to you to decide on his matter."

Mana Nakiri left Asahi Saiba's matter in Erina's hands.

"You don't need to give me an answer now. Think about it carefully and then let me know. This isn't a decision to take lightly," Mana Nakiri said sternly.

Hearing this, Erina Nakiri, who was about to answer directly, held back. She would think it over later.

After they finished talking, Erina returned to the residential villa. And thus unfolded the scene Yuuki and Hisako Arato had seen earlier.

....

"Yuuki-kun... thank you so much!"

After entering, Erina walked up to Yuuki and bowed deeply.

She knew that the reconciliation with her mother had only been possible thanks to Yuuki. If not for him, she really didn't know how long she would have had to wait to see her mother again.

As for her father, well, there was nothing to be done there.

She no longer expected Azami Nakiri's return to the family. After all the things he had done, his chaotic personal life—Erina knew very well that some lines just couldn't be crossed.

Clearly, Azami Nakiri had obliterated every last one. This also made Erina's view of him change drastically.

Even after being treated so badly during her childhood, Erina Nakiri had still chosen to forgive him.

But this time, it really was TOO much.

"No need for thanks, Erina-san. The God's Tongue problem hasn't been completely solved yet. Although I did make a dish your mother could eat, the fundamental problem remains. She can't have me be her personal chef, right?"

Yuuki said that it was about time to seriously tackle the God's Tongue issue. Now that he had Ki, perhaps using Ki could change her sense of taste.

As long as the God's Tongue's tendency to amplify flaws was addressed, the problem would essentially be fixed.

"No matter what, I being able to reconcile with my mother—it's thanks to you." Erina shook her head.

Regardless of everything else, her mother being more or less back to normal—that was the most important thing.

Although Mana Nakiri couldn't return home yet, at least their relationship had improved; this was already very good for Erina Nakiri.

....

After some discussion, everyone went to their respective rooms.

At the same time, the news of Yuuki becoming a First Class Officer spread throughout the WGO like wildfire.

Hearing this news, everyone was practically dumbfounded.

A FIRST CLASS OFFICER!

This position—and the person who got it was a kid who was still in school!

If it weren't for the well-established status of WGO, they would have suspected foul play. Who had ever seen someone this young becoming a First Class Officer?

Among them, the Second Class and Third Class officers were the most suspicious.

But with the First Class Officers and the Special Class Officer Mana Nakiri all standing up to vouch for Yuuki—those with doubts could only accept the reality.

After all, who could question such authority?

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