158: Erina? Nakiri Erina!

"Eh? Who is that elderly lady talking to Mr. Toriko?" Komatsu looked over there in surprise. After all, for someone as boisterous as Toriko to be so respectful, the person must be a highly respected elder.

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly: "I guess... this must be Granny Setsuno herself."

"Eh——?!"

Before Komatsu could recover from his shock, Lin Luo's gaze suddenly caught a very familiar figure—it was a young girl, standing not far behind Granny Setsuno.

His gaze instantly swept past Toriko, who was still adjusting his comical hairstyle, and locked onto that figure. When he saw her face clearly, the smile on Lin Luo's face could no longer be contained and naturally emerged.

"Erina," he called out, his voice carrying clearly to where she was, "Nakiri Erina."

The voice was not loud, but it was just enough for the people over there to hear.

Toriko, who was slightly bowing while talking to Setsuno, froze and turned his head toward the sound. The girl also looked up at the sound. When her eyes met Lin Luo's, a flash of confusion first crossed her violet eyes, as if she were trying to recognize a distant dream. Immediately after, her pupils contracted sharply, and disbelief washed over her face like a tide.

Lin Luo walked through the crowd and stopped in front of the girl. Looking at her stunned expression, he reached out and waved his hand gently in front of her eyes, a gentle yet slightly teasing smile appearing on his face: "What's wrong, stunned?"

In a completely strange world, encountering an acquaintance so unexpectedly.

She had thought she had already grown accustomed to this bizarre environment, carefully sealing away her fear of the unknown and deep-seated homesickness in her heart, and was already able to pretend to be relaxed while following her teacher around the market.

However, when Lin Luo stood before her so realistically and without any warning, the seemingly solid dam in her heart instantly developed cracks.

An indescribable feeling of suffocation suddenly seized her breath.

Following that was a surging bitterness, and a grievance that had been accumulating for who knows how long, one she hadn't even clearly realized herself.

They came so violently, so unreasonably.

Drip.

A crystal-clear teardrop slid down her smooth cheek without warning and fell to the ground.

"I... what is this..." Erina instinctively raised her hand to wipe it, only to find that the tears could not be wiped away at all, and instead, they increased the more she wiped. She didn't know whether she should laugh with joy or cry with grievance at this moment. Complex emotions intertwined, causing her usually proud and exquisite face to reveal a rare, childlike helplessness.

The smile on Lin Luo's face gradually faded, and his gaze revealed clear heartache. Watching the teary-eyed girl before him, who appeared unprecedentedly fragile, he stepped forward gently and tenderly pulled her into his embrace.

He felt the body in his arms stiffen at first, and then begin to tremble slightly.

Lin Luo lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his voice filled with deep apology and tenderness:

"I'm sorry... I'm late."

Erina gave him a light, annoyed punch on the shoulder while in his arms. With a heavy nasal tone, her voice had already regained some of her usual pride: "Hmph... I'm not as fragile as you imagine."

As she spoke, she unceremoniously wiped the remaining tear stains and snot on her face onto Lin Luo's clean clothes, then pulled back a little, lifting her still-reddened eyes to glare at him, though that look no longer held the initial panic.

Lin Luo looked down at the obvious wet patch on his chest, feeling both annoyed and amused, and shook his head helplessly: "As expected of the next successor of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, this psychological resilience and... recovery speed, is as 'excellent' as ever."

Although he was teasing, the relief and relaxation in his eyes were clearly visible. Being able to adjust so quickly at least showed that she had not been completely crushed in this world.

"Oh my, little Erina has found her sweetheart too~" Granny Setsuno's voice, with a clear teasing tone, interrupted the slightly subtle atmosphere between the two at just the right moment.

Erina's pretty face instantly turned crimson, and she hurriedly stepped back half a step from Lin Luo, waving her hands in a panic to explain: "T-Teacher! It's not what you think! He, he is a friend I knew from my original world! Just a friend!"

Granny Setsuno smilingly turned her gaze to Lin Luo, looking him up and down, and nodded: "So you come from the same place as little Erina... It seems you are also a little one with good Gourmet Luck."

Toriko, who was nearby, also came over, scratching his pompadour hairstyle, and grinned: "Granny Setsuno, Lin Luo is my good brother who I've gone through life and death with! Can you add a seat for him for tonight's meal? Please!"

Granny Setsuno remained smiling, but turned her gaze to Erina: "Whether he can go... let little Erina decide. After all, he is her 'friend'."

"That's right," Lin Luo immediately chimed in, looking at Erina with eyes full of expectation, his tone carrying undisguised nostalgia, "It's been too long, too long since I've eaten your cooking, Erina. I really miss it."

Granny Setsuno added fuel to the fire at the right moment: "He says so. Little Erina, what is your decision? Do you want to host this... guest who suddenly 'cut in line'?"

All of a sudden, everyone's eyes were focused on Erina.

The flush on Erina's cheeks deepened, her gaze drifting, not daring to look at Lin Luo's burning gaze, and her voice lowered: "A-Anyway, I have to prepare dinner... it's just one more person. However, I still haven't reached Teacher's level yet, so don't complain when the time comes..."

"How could I!" Lin Luo immediately leaned in, his face wearing a bright smile, "I'm just grateful to be accepted, Lady Erina!"

"Cut it out!" Erina's ears grew hot from him calling her "Lady," and she reached out to push away his face, which was too close, turning around hurriedly, "I, I'll go pay for the kitchenware I was looking at earlier... Wait a moment."

"Little Lin Luo, did you come specifically to find Erina?" Watching Erina queuing at the cash register, Granny Setsuno leaned on her cane and asked gently.

Lin Luo nodded and said frankly: "If it weren't for finding Erina, I might still be in my original world going to school." He paused and looked at this national treasure of gourmet curiously, "By the way, as a figure like you, why would you take Erina as a disciple? I don't mean to look down on her talent, it's just... you know, she has never been exposed to the ingredient system of this world before."

Granny Setsuno smiled, her wrinkles showing kindness: "This is also the result of Gourmet Luck guiding us. From the first moment I saw little Erina, I knew she was fated to be with me. And at that time, this little one was pitiful, just like a frightened little kitten that was trying hard not to show fear, making one unable to help but want to take care of her."

Lin Luo recalled his turbulent experiences over the past few months and couldn't help but sigh: "Looking at it this way, it was really lucky for Erina to meet you from the very beginning."

"This is what I call 'Gourmet Luck'." Granny Setsuno's voice carried deep meaning, "People protected by Gourmet Luck, no matter where they are, can often turn danger into safety and encounter turning points."

Lin Luo covered his face, his tone somewhat complex: "I don't even know if I have Gourmet Luck or not. When I first arrived here, I was at an altitude of ten thousand meters; not dying from the fall was probably lucky. When I finally landed, I found myself in the Gourmet World... If I hadn't happened to meet Great Master Jiro passing by who saved me, I probably would have died there and would never have been able to see Erina."

"What?! You've been to the Gourmet World?!" Toriko, who was nearby, heard the keyword and turned his head sharply, his eyes wide.

Lin Luo glanced at him annoyedly: "You guy, weren't you listening carefully? I said I 'fell' into the Gourmet World and almost died, not that I 'went' there."

Komatsu also realized: "No wonder... when we met Great Master Jiro on the train before, you two looked quite familiar with each other."

"So it was Jiro who saved you." The smile on Granny Setsuno's face deepened, with a hint of nostalgia, "That really is fate. Back then, my partner was Jiro; we partnered for a long time and also ventured through the Gourmet World together..." She paused, her tone taking on a bit of teasing, "We even dated."

Upon hearing this, Toriko subconsciously touched his fluffy pompadour hairstyle that had been "arranged" by Granny Setsuno, and muttered helplessly in a low voice: "So... that's why you had to make my hair look like this."

"Alright, let's go." Setsuno looked at Erina, who had finished paying and was walking back, smiled, put away her thoughts of the past, and asked gently, "Erina, do you have any ideas for tonight's cooking?"

Lin Luo also immediately cast an expectant gaze.

Erina, however, slightly raised her chin, with a hint of her usual pride: "Whatever I make, he will eat. I won't go out of my way to prepare anything for anyone."

"Erina, you're being a tsundere again." Lin Luo exposed her mercilessly, smiling and pouting.

"What did you say!" Erina was instantly embarrassed and angry, and raised her foot to lightly step on him.

"No, no, no! I didn't say anything!" Lin Luo immediately raised his hands to surrender, but his face carried a smile, "Naturally, whatever Lady Erina prepares, I will eat it with gratitude!"

Erina then gave a light hmph and turned her face away: "It's good that you know."

The group soon left the bustling center of the Gourmet City and headed towards a slightly quieter district.

"As expected of the restaurant of a national treasure of gourmet... it's so big!" Komatsu looked at the magnificent star-rated hotel in front, whose top could only be seen by looking up, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

However, Toriko's voice came from the side: "Hey, Komatsu, what are you looking at! Come over here, this way!"

"Eh?" Komatsu was stunned and looked in the direction Toriko pointed—only to see, next to that luxury hotel, right beside it, was an extremely ordinary, even somewhat inconspicuous, commoner-style bungalow! A simple wooden sign hung on the porch, with the words: Setsunos Diner.

"W-What?!" Komatsu couldn't believe his eyes. The castle-like building in front of him... was not Granny Setsuno's restaurant? The real Setsunos Diner was that plain-looking little house next to it?!

Seeing Komatsu's shocked expression, Toriko smiled and explained: "Don't look at the fact that Granny Setsuno's shop is in the suburbs and doesn't seem popular; in reality, reservations here... have long been booked ten years in advance! Presidents of various countries, top tycoons, and famous gourmets are all breaking their heads trying to get a seat."

Pushing open that simple wooden door, the space inside was not big, but it was kept spotless. The tables, chairs, tableware, and even the cooking utensils in the kitchen looked very ordinary, even to the point of being called "cheap."

But for a true chef, what determines the outcome is always the cooking itself; everything else is irrelevant. Even using ordinary utensils found everywhere, one can cook the most top-tier ingredients for guests; this is what truly means "skill approaching Dao."

"Ufufu~!" Granny Setsuno had already changed into a clean apron and put on a chef's hat, standing behind the small cooking counter with a beaming smile, "Welcome! Welcome to Setsunos Diner!"

Erina also changed into a simple chef's uniform, her expression focused and serious. Seeing Erina in a chef's uniform again, Lin Luo couldn't help but give her a thumbs up, his eyes filled with a smile and nostalgia: "I'm looking forward to it more and more."

Erina glanced at him, but the corners of her mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, then she turned around and began to check and prepare the various top-tier ingredients that had already been prepared.