Chapter 2: Rainbow Fruit Arc:
A/N: I own nothing even though I want to own everything.
The next morning at around 5:30, Kimiko's alarm clock went off, causing the young woman to groan tiredly as she reached over to turn it off. The young woman rested her head on her pillow for a few moments longer before she forced herself to get out of bed. She had work today and she doubted her manager would be willing to give her a day off. She yawned softly as she made her way into the kitchen for some breakfast. Kimiko grabbed a pan from one of her cabinets, placing it on the stove before she went over to the fridge, taking out some eggs, bacon, and some shredded cheese. She started with the bacon, cutting it into little pieces before putting them in the pan on low heat.
Once the bacon was done, she put the pieces into a bowl before she started making scrambled eggs, mixing in a little bit of the cheese once they were fully cooked. She also added the pieces of bacon, mixing it all together before she turned the heat off, placing her food in the bowl the bacon was in. Before she started eating, she put the ingredients she had used away before washing the dishes, putting them on the drying rack. The young woman grabbed her bowl of food, making her way back over to her bed. She turned on the Gourmet news as she sat down on her bed to eat her breakfast. Finishing up her breakfast quickly, she put her bowl in the sink, planning to wash it later before she made her way to the bathroom. She grabbed another chef's uniform from her dresser before closing the bathroom door. The young woman was about to change into her chef's uniform when she heard a knock at her door. She quickly made her way to the front door, unsure of who it was this early in the morning. She wasn't expecting anyone, not even Johannes.
When Kimiko opened the door, no one was there. However, she did notice a package that was left in front of her door. She looked around, but she didn't see anyone. Kimiko picked the package up, looking at the address before she smiled, shaking her head. She walked back into her apartment with the package, closing the door behind her. She didn't exactly have time to open the package, so she threw it on her bed for later before she went back to the bathroom to change. She changed into her chef's uniform, tied her hair up in a braid, and slipped her shoes on. Once she was finished with everything, she looked at the clock. It was 6:00. She still had plenty of time before her shift started. The young woman grabbed her house keys before she walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.
Once she arrived at the Hotel Gourmet, Kimiko took the elevator up to the 92nd floor where the kitchen was at. The young woman spent the next half hour preparing ingredients before the manager came into the kitchen.
"Chef Kimiko." The manager said, getting her attention. The young woman stopped what she was doing and looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, sir?" Kimiko asked, placing the knife she had down on the counter before she approached the manager.
"I need you to do an errand for me." The manager said.
"Of course. What do you need, sir?" Kimiko asked politely with a smile before the manager handed her a piece of paper.
"I need you to go down to market and buy those ingredients for the Gourmet party. The Hotel will be paying for the ingredients as well." The manager said before he dismissed her. The young chef made her way into the changing room, looking down at the list she had in her hand. The young woman grabbed her bag she had brought with her, placing the list into it before grabbing her extra clothes. Kimiko quickly changed into a pair of dark blue, boot-cut jeans and a black tank top underneath a black and red checked pattern off the shoulder blouse. The young woman put her boots back on before she placed her chef's uniform in her bag along with her knives.
'At least I'm not in trouble.' Kimiko thought to herself as she walked to the elevator. As the elevator went back down to the first floor, Kimiko wondered if she should call Johannes or just a cab. Luckily, she didn't need to call anyone. When she walked out into the lobby, Johannes was already waiting for her by the entrance. "Good morning, Johannes." Kimiko greeted him with a smile.
"Morning, Kimiko. I got a call from your manager. You have the list of ingredients, right?" Johannes asked as they both walked out to the car. Kimiko showed him the paper with a nod as she climbed into the car. Johannes started the car and off they were to the market for last minute ingredients.
On the outskirts of the Gourmet city, a cicada was flying towards a house made out of sweets that happens to be Toriko's house. The cicada flew through an open window that just happened to be Toriko's bedroom window. The small bug landed on a chocolate pillar that was in the middle of the room as the blue-haired snored away on his bed. However, once the cicada started chirping loudly, Toriko started to wake up. He sat up in bed with a yawn, stretching his arms out before he looked over at the noisy cicada.
"It's already the season for chocolate eating cicadas, huh?" Toriko said to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he broke off a part of the chocolate pillar and eating it. As he made his way down stairs, he kept grabbing different kinds of sweets. The blue-haired man kept eating as he put a shirt on and grabbed his backpack before he left his house, eating the door knob as he went. As he passed his mailbox, he grabbed the newspaper that was sticking out, reading it as he walked down the path.
"Let's see...Today's Gourmet menu...What, 'Succeeded in selective breeding of Galala crocodiles?" Toriko read before he got annoyed, "Those bastards from the IGO, why did they ask me to hunt one then..." Toriko asked with annoyance. Then he realized if they didn't ask him, then he'd probably never have met Kimiko. She was the most interesting person he'd ever met. Definitely different than everyone else. As Toriko thought to himself, he found himself at the edge of a cliff. He stretched his arms once more before he jumped, grabbing a hold of branches on the way down until he came to another cliff with a cave. He started walking into the cave, cracking his knuckles as he went.
"Well, well. Are you there? Shakre-kun?" Toriko called into the cave with a grin. A roar was the only answer he got from inside the cave along with glowing eyes. "There is one!" Toriko said happily as the creature lunged at Toriko, who in turn easily killed it.
"I caught a big one!" Toriko said with a laugh as he lifted the huge Shakrenodon onto his shoulders. "This probably weighs around 1.5 ton, huh? Today the market will be eventful." Toriko said with a huge grin on his face.
Kimiko wondered around the market with a smile on her face and the list of ingredients in her hand. She loved the world kitchen because of all the rare ingredients that show up, but she could do without everyone yelling.
"Kimiko, hurry up or our target will be sold." Johannes called back to the young woman. She didn't even realize she had stopped walking.
"Sorry. I guess I got distracted. Rare ingredients are everywhere." Kimiko said with a smile as she ran to catch up with the man before a familiar voice called out to her.
"Hey, Kimiko!" A voice behind her called. When she turned around to see who it was, she saw Tom pushing a cart with boxes on it.
"Tom-san! Thank you for yesterday." Kimiko said with a smile as she approached the man.
"Glad to see your wounds healed." Tom said with a grin. Kimiko huffed in response. The wounds caused by the Baron leeched were a pain to deal with because the wounds kept bleeding. It also stung when she tried taking a shower and cleaning the wounds before she replaced the bandages. "We're gonna receive some ingredients from Toriko today. You wanna come?" Tom asked, bring the young woman out of her thought.
"Really? Toriko-san is coming?" Kimiko asked before she heard a familiar voice behind her and it didn't belong to Johannes.
"Sup, Kimiko!" Toriko called out to the young chef as he dragged his huge catch behind him. Once again, Kimiko was amazed along with the other people in the market, who were surprised to see the blue-haired man there.
"Toriko-san! It's great to see you again." Kimiko said cheerfully with a smile on her face as the blue-haired man placed the Shakrenodon on the ground. Tom seemed to be amazed at his catch.
"That Shakrenodon is more than a ton, isn't it?" Tom asked with a grin.
"How does 40 grand a kilo sound, Tom?" Toriko asked before he added, "I've already done the knocking as well." The blue-haired man said, placing his hands on his hips as he turned to face the other man.
"Make it 30 grand then you have a deal. I've got a lot of poor retail customers on this." Tom said before he started walking away.
"Could you sell some to our Hotel, Tom?" Kimiko asked before he was out of earshot.
"Sure." The man said before he was stopped by Johannes.
"That will be a problem. If you don't follow the market price stated by the IGO...The price of the food will be altered." Johannes explained.
"Tell that to Toriko, the provider. If you dare, that is." Tom challenged with a grin on his face. Kimiko couldn't help laughing softly in the background as Johannes backed down.
"That's impossible." Kimiko heard Johannes mutter to himself before the man walked over to Toriko. "Toriko-san, I've heard the rumors. You finished off a Galala croc...As expected of the four kings. I truly wish the other three would follow your example and contribute to the development of the Gourmet age." Johannes stated as Toriko turned away from him with a smile.
"It's useless to expect that from them." Toriko simply said as Kimiko listened to them talk.
"Putting that aside...We've got one job request for you." Johannes said as he pushed his glasses up.
"I thought we were here for ingredients?" Kimiko asked.
"We are. However, I was also given a request for Toriko." Johannes explained to the young chef.
"There are a lot of Bishoku-ya who work for the IGO. It doesn't have to be me." Toriko said as he tried to walk away.
"The rainbow fruit is ripe." Johannes suddenly said in a low voice. That stopped Toriko in his tracks as he whirled around to face the man. Kimiko also stared at Johannes.
"D-did you say the rainbow fruit? The legendary fruit that changes its taste into seven different colors depending on humidity and temperature?" Kimiko asked softly, unsure if she was actually hearing him right.
"I've heard of it." Tom said as he approached the three. "It's a fruit with such a high concentrated juice that one drop turns a 25 meter pool into thick and luscious juice." Tom explained.
"The price of just one rainbow fruit could set someone up for life. There's even a rumor about how it's already extinct in nature." Kimiko said.
"That's probably some hoax made up by some Gourmet dealer to increase the price of the rainbow fruit." Johannes explained to the young chef before he continued, "Its tree has produced some fruit several days ago in the IGO's 'Garden'. Of course we can't say it's natural." The man in blacked explained, his expression neutral.
"It's one of your special selective breeds, right?" Toriko asked. The answer he got was a nod.
"The problem is that Troll Kongs have made their nest by the rainbow fruit tree. No one can get close to it. We mobilized a Gourmet tank that cost 2 billion several days ago, but the 40 ton military tank was turned upside down." Johannes said. Kimiko had no idea what Troll Kongs were, but the way Johannes told them what happened to a Gourmet tank, she figured that they were a force not to be messed with.
"Isn't Troll Kongs another selective breed? What are you thinking doing all these weird experiments?" Toriko asked before he waved the question off. "Anyways, is there only one Troll Kong? They're known to form groups." Toriko said before Tom interrupted him.
"You should take the request Toriko. Imagine the sweet smell of the fruit and its seven flavors." Tom said, which got through to Toriko, seeing how he was beginning to drool a little bit. Kimiko couldn't help, but smile.
"I want to go with you!" The young chef suddenly spoke up. Johannes tried to reason with her, but she just wasn't listening to him as she waited for Toriko's answer.
"You're really gonna die this time." Toriko said, but Kimiko only grinned up at him.
"Like I said before, I have things to do before I die. Besides I'm only 25. I still have a long life ahead of me." Kimiko said confidently with a smile. Tom and Toriko looked at the young woman in surprise.
"You look younger than 25." Tom commented.
"She also doesn't act her age." Johannes said sternly. Kimiko smiled at them both.
"I keep my skin healthy. If you take proper care of your skin, the younger you look. As for not acting my age, it's a unique charm of mine." Kimiko said with a confident smile on her face. Tom and Toriko laughed as Johannes shook his head before he turned to look at Toriko.
"We can discuss the reward later." The man said with a sigh, calling in a favor as Toriko turned to Kimiko.
"Looks like we're going to the nostalgic 'Garden'!" The blue-haired man said happily. Kimiko smiled and nodded with his statement. She knew skipping out on her job was not a good idea, but she'll deal with the manager later.
Later that day, Kimiko and Toriko were in the back of a limo with Johannes driving fast down a deserted road towards the biotope. Kimiko was looking out the window, watching as the scenery passed them by. Toriko, on the other hand, was enjoying golden salmon roe Tom had given him in exchange for some rainbow fruit.
"Hey Toriko-san, there's something that's been bothering me." Kimiko said, finally breaking the silence as she turned to look at Toriko. "Wouldn't the Troll Kongs eat the rainbow fruit long before we get there?" The young woman asked.
"Troll Kongs only eat other animals. Their objective is probably to prey on the animals that are attracted by the smell of the fruit." Toriko explained.
"Wouldn't the animals avoid getting anywhere near the fruit because the Troll Kongs made their nest by the fruit?" The young woman questioned.
"It's like a reflex. The animals that smell the scent of the rainbow fruit are controlled by that reflex of wanting to eat it." Johannes said from the front seat. Despite seeing the way he drives all the time, she still finds it funny.
"Looks like we're here." Toriko said as he glanced out the window to see an area blocked off by a wall. Once the limo pulled up to the front gate, both Toriko and Kimiko climbed out of the vehicle as they walked over to the guards as Toriko put a piece of a cigar tree in his mouth, lighting it with his fingers. Kimiko missed it though, seeing how she was distracted by how big the wall was before she noticed the wording on the gate.
"Biotope Garden?" Kimiko read out loud.
"It's an artificially created habitat for plants and animals. We're letting the animals live freely in an environment close to nature." Johannes explained.
"It means that the IGO is doing research on the Gourmet animals' behavior." Toriko explained further. Kimiko seemed to understand as Johannes walked up to the guards.
"Can you open the gate for us?" Johannes asked. The guards seemed to hesitate before one of them finally answered.
"I'm afraid be can't do that." The guard said. Before anyone could ask why, a noise that sounded like thunder was heard. Kimiko put her hands over her ears, wondering what was happening because it didn't sound like any thunder she's ever heard before. Once the noise stopped, she finally uncovered her ears.
"The watchtower from the research institute contacted us ten minutes ago. There's already one Troll Kong on the other side of the gate." The guard with a scar on his face said.
"The sound we heard just now, was that the Troll Kong knocking on the door from the inside?" Kimiko asked.
"No, there's probably a deep moat on the other side of the gate. It should be impossible that it got passed." Johannes said before they were both startled by the same sound that came from behind them. The noise didn't last long, it had stopped a few seconds after it had started. Kimiko looked behind her to see Toriko standing there with his fist on his chest.
"Try not to give me a heart attack, Toriko-san. What was that just now?" Kimiko asked as she tried to slow her beating heart. Two surprises was too much for a single day.
"It's drumming. Gorillas use it as intimidation. The sound earlier was caused by the Troll Kong hitting its chest multiple times." Toriko explained. Kimiko noticed that he was calm despite the sudden surprise.
"Intimidation? They could use it to scare people to death." Kimiko muttered with a sigh.
"I thought you said you won't be dying anytime soon." Toriko said with a grin on his face before he added, "The king of the garden is warning me not the enter."
"Even so, its surprising the sound could reach us despite the concrete wall." Kimiko said as she looked back at the wall.
"The drumming of the Troll Kongs is an explosive sound that can be heard tens of kilometers away. Generally, when animals hear the sound, they run away." Johannes explained.
"Doesn't matter. Open the gate." Toriko said to the guards as he let out a puff of smoke.
"That's not possible, Toriko-sama. There's the rule." One of the guards said.
"What?" Toriko asked.
"In the 8th biotope, when a beast is within the 5 kilometer perimeter of the gate and the beast has a capture level 5 or higher, we can't open the gate. Even with the moat on the other side." The guard explained before Toriko turned to them with a grin as he walked over to the concrete wall next to the gate.
"It's okay if they're not within 5 kilometers, right?" Toriko asked before he added, "In other words it'll be okay if they're already gone when we open the gate. The gorilla's method of intimidation besides drumming is the act of throwing or breaking something nearby." Toriko explained as he cracked his knuckles. Kimiko, Johannes, and the two guards could only watch Toriko, wondering what he was up to.
"Toriko-san, what are you..." Kimiko started to ask before Toriko yelled back at her and the others.
"Get back!" The blue-haired man yelled back at the others as he gathered his strength into his arm. "3-fold...Nail punch!" Toriko cried out before he punched the wall, damaging the wall. At first, the damage was limited, but when Toriko started counting, the damage expanded before it made a huge hole in the wall that reached to the other side. Everyone was completely shocked as pieces of the wall went flying.
"W-what was that?" Kimiko asked in shock.
"Nail punch. It's punching simultaneously multiple times. The more you punch, like striking a nail, the destruction will spread inward." Toriko explained. "It's open now." The blue-haired man said before he walked over the rubble, entering the biotope. Kimiko quickly shook her head before she quickly followed after him, careful not to trip over the loose rubble.
"What on earth were you thinking, Toriko-san. This is a very reckless way to enter." Kimiko said as she approached the man, who seemed to be looking for something.
"Get away, Kimiko! We're being attacked!" Toriko yelled back at the girl, causing her to freeze in place. Kimiko watched as snakes came flying through the air before they landed on Toriko, biting him. It was at that moment, Kimiko realized what kind of snakes they were.
"T-Toriko-san! Those are Zombie Taipans! Their venom is incredibly poisonous!" Kimiko called out to Toriko, her voice filled with worry.
"Yeah, I know. Now shut up and get as far as possible." Toriko said. Kimiko hesitated for a moment before she backed up a few steps. That's as far as she was willing to go. The young woman watched as the cigar wood he had in his mouth started burning faster before he swallowed the smoke. She didn't know how, but she watched as he expelled the smoke from his body, making the snakes drop to the ground before slithering away. "All right. You're good now. You were surprised when it suddenly threw you, huh? Go back to your nests." Toriko told the snakes.
"The Zombie Taipans are said to never stop biting until their prey dies...Why did they suddenly stop biting?" Kimiko asked as she slowly approached Toriko again.
"They dislike the smoke from the cigar tree. You can use it as insect repellent because of the smell." Toriko explained before Johannes called out to them from the other side of the hole.
"Mr. Toriko! What on earth happened? Are you alright?" Johannes called out.
"I'm good. Don't worry." Toriko called back to them. "Go wait in the research institute and get some Gourmet tea. I'll get the rainbow fruit soon enough." Toriko said before he walked over to a switch on the wall.
"Toriko-san, what about the poison? If you don't inject the serum soon enough..." Kimiko said, her eyes showing concern for the blue-haired man as she approached him.
"It's alright. I already have it." Toriko said. Kimiko looked at him in confusion as the bridge was lowered. She didn't recall seeing him with anything like that. However, seeing how he looked just fine, she let the topic drop as she quickly followed him across the bridge. As they walked, Kimiko fell behind as she discover some leaves of bacon.
"We have to hurry, Kimiko. The tree of the rainbow fruit is pretty tall, so it would be troublesome if lightning began to strike." Toriko said as the young woman ran up to him with the leaves of bacon in her arms.
"Sorry. I got a little distracted by the leaves of bacon. This is the first time I've seen them in the wild. Imagine all the combinations you could do." Kimiko said with a smile as her mind focused on different combinations that might work with the bacon.
"Did you see? There were some banana cucumbers too." Toriko said as he took one of the bacon's from the young woman before he wrapped it around the banana cucumber he had. "It's a delicacy if you wrap the leaves of bacon around it." Toriko said with a smile as he ate.
"Speaking of which, wouldn't the rainbow fruit go well with the leaves of bacon?" Kimiko asked as Toriko slid down a slope.
"Oh? You do say chef-like things now and then, don't you?" Toriko asked, glancing back up at her. "That does sound tasty." Toriko added before he stepped on the ground below. Once he stepped down, the ground he stepped on suddenly became a sinkhole. As Toriko started to fall, a giant ape-like creature with four arms jumped out of nowhere, carrying a boulder in each arm. The creature roared before he threw the rocks at Toriko, burying him. The beast landed near Kimiko, who could only stare, frozen in place. The young woman could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears as the Troll Kong roared at her. At that moment, Toriko freed himself from the rubble, leaping at the Troll Kong with something in his hand.
"Knocking!" Toriko said, jabbing the device into the beast shoulder. The Troll Kong roared before he fell to the ground, covering Toriko with it's spit.
"Toriko-san?" Kimiko said softly as she forced herself to calm down and turned to look at the blue-haired man.
"Don't worry. I did knocking on it. It won't be able to move for a while. That was a Troll Kong." Toriko said. "You alright, Kimiko?" The hunter asked, noticing how Kimiko was shaking.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry." Kimiko said softly before she followed after Toriko again, glancing back at the Troll Kong. "Why did you use knocking?" Kimiko asked suddenly as she faced Toriko.
"Our objective is the rainbow fruit. There's no meaning in killing it. I don't kill anything I won't eat." Toriko said as he walked ahead. Kimiko only nodded in understanding as she followed behind the man before he started smelling the air. "The rainbow fruit is near! I can smell it!" Toriko said as he started drooling. Kimiko couldn't help laughing after she finally stopped shaking.
"We'll be able to grab the fruit now, right?" Kimiko asked.
"Troll Kongs hunt in herds. The one we defeated was the weakest one in the herd. They're also as smart as chimpanzees. It's within their intelligence to make pitfall traps and throw snakes. However, they're truly frightening when they get serious." Toriko said with a grin as they both stood on a hill, looking over the herd of Troll Kongs with the rainbow fruit tree in the back. Kimiko didn't know how she should feel. One of them was terrifying enough, but now she's faced with more than a dozen Troll Kongs.
'The Troll Kongs won't hesitate to attack me. Looks like a fight can't be avoided. Even with intimidation, I doubt if it'll work. There's still the smell of the weak one on me.' Toriko thought to himself before he turned to Kimiko.
"Kimiko, when we get back, you should take week long break from your work." Toriko said with a smile directed at her before one of the Troll Kongs roared and the all launched themselves at the two. "Kimiko! Hold on to me with all your might! If you let go even 100th of a second, you're dead!" Toriko said as he let the young woman climb on his back.
"O-okay!" Kimiko said quickly before Toriko started moving around quickly, avoiding the beasts attacks. The young woman had her eyes closed as Toriko avoided the incoming attacks. Against the fierce attacks of the Troll Kongs, Toriko's movements were gentle because if he moved the way he usually did, Kimiko won't be able to hold on to him for even a split second. With every opportunity, Toriko used knocking on the Troll Kongs as Kimiko held onto him as tight as she could. The blue-haired hunter replaced the cartridge of the knocking gun quickly as he searched for the Troll Kong that was the boss of the herd. It was at that moment when the rain started to pour.
"Kimiko, I need you to keep a lookout for the boss of the herd. Unless we find the boss, they won't stop." Toriko yelled over the sound of the rain. The young woman could only nod as she opened her eyes, looking around at the beasts that surrounded them. "There's no end to this!" Toriko said as he kept using the knocking technique. That is, until one of the Troll Kongs grabbed his arm, pulling him off the ground. Kimiko could feel her heart pounding again, she was sure Toriko could probably feel it too. Before the young girl knew what was happening, the Troll Kong suddenly released Toriko's arm, letting him drop to the ground.
'The smell of the underling is being washed away by the rain!' Toriko said before he started using his intimidation. "This is great." Toriko said. At that moment, Kimiko was calm. Her heart wasn't pounding and she wasn't terrified. Her mind was clear as she looked around, spotting a Troll Kong with white fur. The young woman watched the white ape move before lightning suddenly struck, illuminated the area.
"We need to find the boss ASAP. Who was the one that ran away the fastest from the lightning just now?" Toriko asked.
"Isn't the one that doesn't run away the boss?" Kimiko asked.
"No, it's the opposite. To be a boss, one needs the ability to detect danger more than brute strength." Toriko answered before Kimiko pointed to the white one in the back.
"Before the lightning struck, the white one in the back hid itself beforehand." Kimiko said, strangely calm.
"A silverback, huh?" Toriko said with a grin before he started walking towards the elder Troll Kong, the others backing off because of his intimidation. Once Toriko stood in front of the silverback, it tried to attack, but stopped when the blue-haired man gave off his intimidation again, causing the silverback to back down. At that moment, the rain stopped, letting the sunshine through as it shined down on the rainbow fruit tree. Kimiko took the opportunity to release Toriko as the blue-haired man went up to grab one of the fruits. The young woman couldn't help the shiver. She was cold from the rain and her clothes were sticking to her. Since her hair was wet as well, she decided to pull the ribbon out, shoving it in her pocket. Once she gets home, she'll have to take a warm shower to avoid getting a cold. As Toriko grabbed one of the fruits, Kimiko noticed the Troll Kongs looking up at the man.
"Don't worry. I'm only taking one. I don't intend to endanger your way of life." Toriko called down the beasts before he made his way down to Kimiko, grinning at her. "Ready to head back?" Toriko asked. Kimiko only nodded before she followed Toriko back to the entrance. Once they had made it back, Johannes started making arrangements for the fruit. Half of it would go for research, a portion of it would go to Hotel Gourmet for Kimiko to prepare it and the rest would go to the World Kitchen. Despite Kimiko's protesting, she ended up getting a week long vacation from work. She figured out why Toriko said that the day after she got home. Every muscle in her body were screaming at her when she tried to move around. The young woman never thought it'd be so hard to move as every muscle worked against her.
A week later and Kimiko was back to work, despite the lingering pain in her shoulder muscles. True to his word, Toriko reserved the 97th floor restaurant for himself. The young chef greeted the Gourmet hunter that night when the elevator doors opened. The young chef noticed that he was wearing a white suit. She was surprised he even owned one, but she kept that to herself.
"Good evening, Toriko-san." Kimiko said with a polite smile. She could slightly hear her coworkers whispering among themselves about how lucky she was to even know Toriko.
"Yo, Kimiko. How's your muscles doing?" Toriko asked with a grin, bringing the young chef back to reality.
"Still a little sore, but I'll manage. I did promise you a full course." Kimiko said, smiling back at him as she lead the man to a large table before she motioned for one of the waiters to come over.
"I can't wait!" Kimiko heard Toriko say as she disappeared into the kitchen where the other chef's were waiting. She imagined Toriko was probably drooling at the thought of the food he was going to be served. The young woman smiled at the thought before she focused her attention on the other chef's. She sort of felt isolated, seeing how she was the only woman in the kitchen, but she quickly shook that thought away.
"Think of tonight as a full house of customers!" Kimiko said before the orders started coming in. The chefs' got to work instantly. They were about an hour in when the chef's started panicking.
"Head chef Kimiko!" One of the other chef's called out to her. She turned to see who was calling her, when she felt a stab of pain in her shoulder. She winced slightly before she composed herself, turning to the other chef.
"What's wrong?" Kimiko asked, pretending nothing was wrong.
"The food supply is almost gone!" The chef panicked.
"It's alright. That was within my assumption. Go ahead and prepare the dessert." Kimiko said with a smile. The other chef nodded eagerly before he ran off. The young woman could only sigh as she rubbed her shoulder slightly. Once the rainbow fruit was done, Kimiko placed it on a cart before she wheeled it out herself.
"That's it for today's menu, Toriko-sama." Kimiko heard one of the waiters say as Toriko sighed. Toriko's response almost made the young woman laugh out loud.
"I'm only about a tenth full...Oh well." Toriko said as he leaned back in his chair before he caught the scent of the rainbow fruit. Kimiko had to force herself not to drool at the smell herself, but Toriko didn't bother restraining himself at all.
'Kimiko, this restaurant has the quality of being called five star, but the food you make is beyond that.' Toriko thought to himself as he got up from his seat, drooling.
"Please enjoy, Toriko-san." Kimiko said as she put the plate in front of the moan before bowing slightly as stepping a step back.
"I finally get to eat this!" Toriko said happily before he dug his spoon into the jello. 'Its soft..Like pudding, but it's heavy. Almost as heavy as gold...' Toriko thought to himself before he took a bite. Once the Gourmet hunter took a bite, he was surprised when the taste changed four times in his mouth and three more times when he swallowed it. The man seemed like he was in heaven.
"Kimiko! This is delicious! I've decided to make it part of my full course." Toriko announced, looking over at the young woman, who clapped her hands together with a smile.
"I'm happy you like it." Kimiko replied before a spoonful of the rainbow fruit was shoved into her mouth, courtesy of Toriko, who had a grin on his face. At first, Kimiko was mad at him for shoving a spoon in her mouth, but when she tasted the seven different flavors, her anger evaporated for a moment. She savored the flavors for a moment, a smile on her face.
"Gather the staff. We need to celebrate the fact I finally decided something on my full course." Toriko said as the waiters in the room cheered before running to get everyone else.
In a town 900 kilometers east of Hotel Gourmet lies the town of fortunetelling. A long line of people stood in front of one of the buildings. Inside were two men, a younger one and a older gentlemen.
"H-how is it, Coco-sama?" The older gentlemen asked, a worried expression on his face.
"Darn...Give up..." The younger man, Coco, said a little bit distracted as he looked at his own palm.
"Give up!? I invested 10,000,000 in the golden corn! You're saying the price won't go up?" The older gentlemen asked with a horrified look on his face.
"No no no. I didn't mean you. I was talking to myself." Coco said, reassuring his customer.
"Eh?" The man asked confusion written on his face.
"It says there will be a customer. A man with three scars under his left eye. I happen to know his really well. Damn, what an ominous feeling..." Coco said with a sigh as he looked at his hand again.
Kimiko sighed tiredly as she walked into her small apartment, locking the door behind her. It had been a long day and she was starting to feel sore again, but she was happy. Toriko liked the rainbow fruit and even added it to his full course. The young chef sighed again when she realized she'd have to go to work again the next day since she took so many days off. Thankfully, the manager made a deal with her. She'd have to work all day long, every day she isn't on an adventure with Toriko. She agreed to the terms, seeing how they were fair.
The young chef smiled to herself before she noticed the package on her bed. She had almost forgotten about it. She grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen before she made her way back to her bed, taking the package into her arms. When she finally got the package opened, she smile at what was inside. The young chef took out circular candle lantern with cat patterns. She smiled fondly as she put the delicate object in the open space beside her TV. She stared at it for a moment before she began her nightly routine.
5 CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS 3-7.
