After staring at the unbelievable sight for a few moments, the Totsuki contingent finally snapped out of their stupor and called out to Erina, asking if she was alright. Although she was still breathing hard, she turned to them with a look of determination on her face and shouted back, "I'm perfectly fine! Don't worry about me – you need to worry about your own matches!" before storming off as it was announced over the loudspeaker that Erina was to report for her first-round match of the main tournament.
Everyone else began to worry about Erina, as she had been through an absolute hell just to get to the main tournament, and was now expected to immediately turn around and wage another food battle against a formidable opponent – one of the Noir chefs, no less. Plus, the look on her face made everyone worry that she was placing too heavy a burden on herself. Although they all thought it was mostly due to what she had just been through, her reaction to their concern was also not what they expected, and they couldn't figure out why. Daniel, however, had a feeling it had to do with what Hisako had told him over the phone, though he wasn't certain. Despite everyone's worries, Erina proceeded to completely destroy the Noir chef in the subsequent battle and move on in the tournament before the proceedings for the day were done.
The next morning, the Totsuki chefs gathered around the hotel lobby, still worried about Erina's well-being, as it looked like the stress of everything she had been through was really getting to her. They were especially curious as to why she was the only one who had to directly defeat so many chefs just to get to the main draw. Takumi suddenly turned to Daniel and asked, "Where's Hisako in all of this? She's the one who's usually able to keep Erina calm and relaxed!" Daniel just sighed as he replied, "Unfortunately, she's with Alice on a mission specifically set out for them by Master Senzaemon. I can't get into the details beyond that." His friends looked at him in confusion before Ikumi narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "You know something about all of this, don't you?" Daniel's eyes widened momentarily before he gathered himself and responded, "I've been sworn to secrecy – I can't tell you any more than I already have."
This just made Soma even more determined to find out what was going on as he suggested that all of them head off to the tower and confront the mysterious WGO bookmaster themselves. Daniel tried to talk them out of it, but there was no stopping Soma, and the rest decided to follow. After sneaking past the tower guards, they made their way to the interior where they followed Erina's voice as she was speaking to the bookmaster behind a screen. Specifically, she was arguing over whether her God Tongue could create the kind of cuisine this person desired from the BLUE competition, and sounded determined to prove that it could. She then ended the conversation with a bombshell that shocked the eavesdropping chefs (except Daniel) by referring to the bookmaster as "mother." As she said this, Daniel cringed as he thought to himself, 'Well, at least no one else has to know that Hisako already told me that fact.'
As everyone else was processing the fact that the WGO bookmaster was, in fact, Erina's mother, the sliding door suddenly opened as Erina walked out, passing her friends with a dark look on her face while asking in a low voice, "So, you heard?" before walking away. Anne then saw the group of chefs there and asked what they were even doing there before the bookmaster indicated that it was alright and for Anne to let them in so she could see them. As they stepped in, the bookkeeper, whom they now could see had light pink hair and very pronounced eyebrows, seemed to collapse as she pleaded with Anne to get her an I.V., almost crying out in pain.
Once the I.V. was administered, she seemed to be herself again almost immediately, making everyone else wonder just what was going on. The bookmaster, who introduced herself as Mana Nakiri, then explained that the I.V. was just her regular meal for this time of day, which only served to confuse them even further. She then looked around at the group and commented that it was very nice to be able to meet some of Erina's friends, before explaining that for this competition, the God Tongue couldn't possibly deliver what she was looking for. Before they left, she informed Takumi that his opponent in the next round would be Erina, and also said that he should do everything he could to defeat her and get the God Tongue out of the tournament.
As Anne led them outside to the bridge outside the tower, the group wondered aloud why Erina's mother would want her to lose. Anne then explained that the relationship between Erina and the WGO bookmaster wasn't widely known, due partially to the fact that Mana also possessed the power of the God Tongue. She further explained that her insatiable desire for gourmet food as a result had become so overwhelming that she could no longer ingest regular food, hence the need for her I.V. drips. Anne further told them that the reason Mana had organized this edition of the BLUE was to find someone who could make her want to eat actual food again, and that it was believed that the God Tongue couldn't cure what it had caused.
As the day's matchups were announced, the known matchup of Takumi and Erina was made official, as well as the match that would happen simultaneously alongside it – Megumi against Asahi. Both of them were nervous, as they would both be facing formidable – and some would say insurmountable – opponents. As most of the Totsuki contingent took their seats in the stands, Daniel went down to the field level to provide support to his friends from behind the scenes. As he came to where they were waiting, he saw them engaged in conversation, trying to reassure provide confidence to one another, even giving each other warm smiles during their conversation. Now that he thought about it, Daniel had noticed that the two of them had grown closer and cozier with each other over the last several months, especially since the regimental food war. Daniel then came up to them to wish them good luck before Megumi had to head off to where her designated entrance was.
Once Megumi was out of hearing distance, Daniel grinned at Takumi and commented, "I must say, you have really good taste, Takumi." Takumi then looked quizzically at Daniel and asked, "What do you mean?" Daniel just continued to grin and said, "I think we both know what I'm talking about. It seems that you're crushing big time on a certain bluenette that we both know and love." Takumi then stiffened up a bit, indicating to Daniel that he was right on the money. Daniel then chuckled before stating, "Relax, I promise to keep a lid on it if you want me to." Takumi sighed in relief as he said, "Thanks, I appreciate that. I don't want Megumi to have to think about that while everything else is going on right now with Erina and the BLUE." Daniel nodded in understanding before giving a bit of advice to his friend. "Just be gentle and honest with her, and you should be fine." Takumi thanked Daniel again before heading off to his designated entrance and Daniel made his way to the stands.
When he got to where his friends were sitting, there was a spot waiting there, as Soma had saved him a seat. Just as he sat down, the two matchups were announced as well as the themes. Magumi's match with Asahi would involve using inexpensive beef, while Takumi's match with Erina would be using lamb. Before Megumi's match began, Asahi was doing everything he could to intimidate her, including bringing out the tools of the two Noir chefs she had previously beaten. This included not only Zuiwang Huang's claws, but also the knife of a chef called Monarca – the master of the Luxury Dish – whom she had bested several months earlier at a ryokan.
In Takumi's match, Erina offered to allow Takumi to bring his brother in to provide extra help, but Takumi declined, saying that even though he knew she was probably a far superior chef to him, he would battle her alone, even if just for the experience. Erina replied angrily that he was a fool and that such an attitude would never allow him to win. At this, Takumi definitely knew not only that Erina truly wasn't herself right now, but that he had to try to make something that would snap her out of it. 'Right now, she looks like she just wants to kill and destroy,' he thought to himself.
When they presented their dishes to the judges, Erina had made a stuffed lamb chop, which tasted unbelievable and looked like something from a three-star restaurant – to the surprise of absolutely nobody there. Even Takumi could see that his odds of winning this bout were next to nothing. Still, he felt that he had to try to snap Erina out of her cold and angry state the only way he knew how. For his dish, he presented something that he hoped would remind Erina of everything she had gained over the last several months – Hachis Parmentier, the dish they had all made together when training for the regimental food war and had acknowledged their own defeats. This one had been enhanced even further, with Takumi's own techniques, and the lamb providing an even more intense flavor. For a brief moment, it looked like Erina would come back to them. However, her current state overwhelmed the sentimental message Takumi was trying to convey and the match was a clean sweep for Erina. As she walked away, she still looked frustrated over her own efforts.
Meanwhile, Asahi had used the combination of his cross knives ability and the tools he chose for this match – the claws to infuse the right favors deep into the meat muscles, and the knife to make the correct cuts to make the meat a luxurious product – to present the judges with a roast beef dish that was on par with the very best roast beef they had ever had. He had done something seemingly impossible – taking cheap beef and cooking it so that it was indistinguishable from luxury cuts served in the finest restaurants in the world. Although this overwhelmed Megumi, she maintained her resolve and presented her dish to the judges, which they found to be absolutely remarkable, as it tasted like it had been slaved over for a whole day and was luxurious, with Megumi having taken the cut's flavor to the absolute maximum it could go. However, Asahi's techniques had increased the very quality of the meat, making the maximum level he took it to be far greater than what Megumi could do. As much as the judges praised Megumi's efforts, they were no match for Asahi, as he was declared the winner in a 3-0 decision.
After the judges announced their decision, Asahi showed just how overwhelmingly confident he was by not only declaring that he didn't even break a sweat in his last match, but that he would surely win the whole tournament. He then began to address the bookmaster directly, saying that it would be him who would be able to fulfill her ultimate desires and asked for a specific prize which he said he knew "would require her specific blessing for." As the judges and audience were aghast that he would have the gall to address the bookmaster in such a manner, Mana eventually responded through the loudspeaker that she would "award a prize of the absolute highest caliber" to anyone who could create what she desired.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Soma had gone to the backstage area to meet up with their defeated friends and offer their support and reassurances. "You two have nothing to be ashamed about," Daniel told them. "You made all of us proud out there." As Megumi and Takumi thanked him, they all heard Asahi and Erina arguing with each other. When they went over to where they were, they could see Asahi acting very cocky and declaring that he would not only be the one who make Erina's mother happy, but would be taking Erina's hand in marriage. Although Erina tried to refute this angrily, Asahi just laughed evilly and stated, "You know I'm absolutely right. If you think anyone can possibly beat me, please let me know."
Soma then interrupted the conversation by stating that it would be him who would be defeating Asahi and the tournament, with Daniel chiming in that Asahi still had to get past the both of them, and that they would bring everything they had to defeating him. This caused Asahi to laugh evilly again, stating that Erina thought differently. When they looked in her direction, she had a look of fear in her eyes, a look that Daniel had only seen when she had been facing her father on the last night of the Moon Festival. As Megumi was asking if it was true that she would be marrying Asahi, said person took his leave for the time being as the rest made their way back to the hotel to sit down, rest, and get a better idea of what was going on.
When they arrived and sat down in one of the lounges, Erina had finally calmed down enough to explain to the rest of her friends present there what the deal was with her mother. It had to do with the God Tongue ability, which was something unique in the Nakiri bloodline. In her case, it was especially unique because it was the first time that it had occurred in two consecutive generations (usually it happened once every several generations). However, while the birth of a God Tongue was a cause for celebration in the culinary world, it was an absolute curse to those who were born with it, as every God Tongue had grown to absolutely hate food and leave the Nakiri family in misery after a certain point in their lives.
This is what had happened to Mana, as she could no longer stand just about any type of food – even food that was widely considered gourmet – as it was never enough for her palate. It got to a point that when Erina was very young, her mother left the Nakiri household. While her grandfather had told her that she needed time to figure herself out, Mana hadn't been back to the mansion since then. She also had memories of trying to please her mother with her cooking, and while she never criticized it, Erina could tell that she never really enjoyed or approved of the dishes she made.
After she finished, Erina began wondering about whether Asahi was right, and whether he really was the one to make her mother happy, which is what she really wanted out of this. However, Soma was having none of it, as he declared, "Sorry, but I'm going to be beating him before he ever gets to you, and I will be the one that defeats you. It sounds like this situation of yours sucks, but it really doesn't concern me." At this, Daniel tried to admonish Soma, saying, "What have I told you about using tact!?" Soma then stormed out of the room without saying another word, with Daniel following just behind him.
Outside the room, when Daniel finally caught up to Soma, he asked why he had been so insensitive at that moment, with Megumi coming up to them and asking Soma the same thing. Soma then groaned and commented, "Man! This God Tongue thing is a real pain in the ass!" He then turned to Daniel and Megumi and said, "Still, we have to beat Asahi. We cannot let Noir win this thing and discredit all of those chefs who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft in an honorable way." He then looked at Daniel directly in the eyes and stated, "You know what we have to do, right? Are you with me?" Daniel could only sigh and nod as he replied, "Yeah…yeah, I'm with you."