章節 96: Meeting the Chef Girls
"My reason for allowing such changes to the school was that Marcus is attending it even after achieving all he did. It means that he cares about these facilities." The Minister of Education said to the reporters who surround him.
Unlike the one who had the guts to talk to Marcus, these journalists have made a much safer choice.
Not that it matters in a few minutes, as the Minister wants to speak with Marcus regardless.
"Do you have any idea what he added to this school? It's bigger than any University grounds we have in our nation," one of the journalists asked curiously.
"I do not. We all know that Marcus Goldman operates under his own set of rules. All we can do is try to adjust to him." The Minister replied with a slightly strained smile.
He wasn't proud to say that, but it was the truth.
Thankfully, the journalist knew where to hold their tongue and not tell him to his face that what he was saying was irresponsible.
~~~
Meanwhile, Marcus went to get his new Student ID. However, he was more interested in how well the apps were prepared for his tablet, so he pulled it out.
"Transfer the apps."
"One moment."
The knight in front of a computer pressed a few buttons, and soon enough, apps started to pop up on Marcus' Tablet's screen.
The Inventor's attention immediately went to club activities. He wanted to see the list.
'...Palaeontology, Geopolitics, AI Research, pharmacy, sustainable energy, Astrophysics, Biology, Biotech, Ancient History, Prehistory…'
Marcus realised that all of this was there. The only issue so far is that he has no teachers for the extra classes.
But that's not an issue. For now, Aurora can use Realitus to create teachers.
He promotes the idea that everyone can study anything they want. The only thing that matters is that they want to study.
No matter how obscure, students will find something to throw themselves into.
When the time is right, when Technocracy takes over, he or she will have a job in the real world under Technocracy.
"All good here. Continue with your work."
After inspecting his tablet, he proceeded to enter the grounds. His knights saluted him for a second before returning to their work. Next were his girls, who swiftly got their stuff handed over to them.
Just like Marcus, they only needed Student IDs as they all had their own tablets.
Well, they got them last night. Sirin started to complain as she realised that she could have asked for phones and gadgets all the time!
The Inventor forgot all about that. He was far too excited about his Time travel and new school.
After the girls passed, they started to walk deeper into the school.
Sirin and Gu Yuena looked around behind him. They could see fresh trees being planted next to the walkway. Buildings as big as gymnasiums were placed one next to another, and they were all connected by corridors.
"I can assume they are not simple gymnasiums meant for sports activities."
Sirin commented as she recalled that Kiana's old school only had one gymnasium, while the Valkyries one had two, as they had been constantly practising to fight Honkai.
"You can check the map on the tablet or the HUD for more details. But yes, these are simulation rooms. In-depth classes and clubs will be used constantly." Marcus explained to his Herrscher.
"Heh, It would seem Enterprise and Tirpitz are missing out on this." Gu Yuena had a small smirk on her lips as those two warships didn't attend the school and instead went to help with preparations for the time travel they would be doing after the classes.
As they walked deeper, they soon arrived at the centre, where a statue stood. A bunch of people were taking pictures of it, and at the same time, others were taking pictures of people standing next to it.
"..."
"..."
"...So cool." Marcus stopped in his tracks as he saw a statue of Gundam Strike Freedom standing in the middle. It had the machine's legit size and looked like a real deal.
"Umm…"
"...Did you order it?"
The pair asked him.
"No. Not at all. All I gave to Aurora was the rough schematics I had drawn for this place." The Conqueror of Underworld clarified while stroking his chin.
"But this is great." He was happy with a legitimate killing machine placed in such a place.
He walked over to it. There were metal fences around it so that no one could touch it.
Of course, teens could get inside, but none of them had the balls to do that.
"Great? This machine is a killer robot from that anime you are droning about." Sirin exclaimed with a tired sigh.
"Another 'boys thing'. Killer robots are man's romance. After all, men were supposed to build and use them to wage war. The other side is boys' bodybuilding and using magic or their bodies to wage war." Marcus sagely explained something the Herrscher already knew.
"Yes, Yes, I know." The girl waved her hand as she already knew.
As they were talking about the machine, a group of people approached them.
It was the Minister of Education, with reporters and school staff.
"Here we go again." Sirin softly mumbled under her breath. She had already expected this after seeing what had happened to the school.
There will be some individuals who will want to speak with him about the smallest of things.
In truth, Sirin was just jealous that some people were taking away the time she could spend with him!
"Mr Goldman, may I have a moment of your time."
Marcus' eyes went to the group. He immediately got bored. His experience with politicians is not the best.
"What is it."
"Well, I would like to introduce myself—"
All Marcus could hear was 'blah-blah-blah'. That was until he heard something interesting!
He immediately turned off his autopilot.
"What do you say? Will you take over this school as the new principal?"
"...But Minister! He is still a student. He should at least graduate." His vice minister complained, but a single look from Marcus made him question his life choices.
"I can. However, my AI and my fiance will be my second in command."
As Marcus told his terms, his fiance walked over, noticing them some time ago.
"You are not going to ask for my opinion?" Athena asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Please. You want this place more than I wanted. You left the house at six in the morning." He teased her without skipping a beat.
Marcus easily saw through her fake 'annoyance'. He already knows her well enough.
"...Fine…Fine…"
She waved her hand while looking away.
'He is like a brick… right in front of cameras as well.'
Athena decided to tell them to delete the footage of her blushing like this!
"Good. As you can see, Goddess Athena agrees to be my vice principal." Marcus smiled at the Minister, who looked like he was over the moon. To think that Goddess of Wisdom is here! He sort of forgot about her with all the madness in his life.
~~~
As Athena huffed and puffed by smiling at the same time, she started to arrange things for future lessons. Marcus barged into his new office.
He smiled. His plan to force the principal was a success. Well, it was not a plan; it was more of an aftereffect of the refurbishment.
But yes, he improved the office. There is an aquarium there with several different fishes, as well as a good view of the school grounds.
"...This doesn't look that bad." Sirin looked around the office while Marcus got comfortable in his seat after inspecting the aquarium.
"So what now?" she asked him, turning her eyes to Gu Yuena, who was already checking a bowl of fruits on the table.
"Checking out. Today, we won't be doing any learning considering that teachers still need to get the hang of the layout and learn how to use the tech."
He explained to her while learning in his new comfortable office chair.
His eyes then went to the stack of paper, which he inspected with a frown.
The inventor swiftly realised that these were student transfers.
As he read the student's name, one of his eyebrows went up.
'...Erina…Nakiri? Where did I hear your name before?'
He pondered for a second before seeing her previous school's name.
'Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy.'
His eyes widened as he recalled that place! It was from another anime and manga.
The moment he realised, his lips twitched from amusement. It kind of makes sense. The Food Wars have the whole 'foodgasm' with elements of Ecchi, which fits very well with the DxD verse he was in…
Oh… and he has pieces of Fate, which was eroge before it went whole mainstream.
'Right… how amusing…now I am interested… Erina… I want to taste your cooking. It would be counterproductive if I were to time travel without one of the best cooks humanity has produced.'
As he finished reading the paper, he placed it back into the pile and ordered his AI.
"Aurora, show me a map of the private jets that are supposed to land in my lands."
[One moment.]
A hologram appeared above the table right in front of him.
"Show me the planes in more detail."
Sure enough, he saw a large number of private jets travelling towards lands he controlled.
Considering the little air traffic they used to get, now the planes are coming one after another.
"What are you planning?" Sirin asked him as she noticed his curiosity being peaked at something.
"I am thinking of adding a chef to my Technocracy," he said with a smile as he placed his head on his right palm.
He never expected to find something like food wars under the radar.
Not that he ever was interested in food beyond basic needs like everyone else.
Now, with her around, he might experience something new that doesn't need extensive research or invasion.
"Oh? Food, you say?" Both Sirin and Gu Yuena looked at him.
'Right… both of them like their food too.'
"Heh. Then let's go greet her."
"...Her?"
"Of course, it's her. Who else could it be!?" Sirin huffed. She knows her darling well enough. He would never invest in some guy!
~~~
Erina looked bored as she was waiting in line! Yes, in line! The amount of private jets landing is absurd! A limo was waiting for her, but it did not matter.
The moment her private plane landed, she got into her car. There was a line of rich people who wanted to leave the airport, and all of them were getting checked.
'This is crazy… I could pass this faster in commoners line instead of this.'
She could see the border patrol checking people's luggage and other things.
It is not that the rich people could complain as everyone is running into this small country to survive the 'doom'.
…
…
…
But then the whole area brightened as golden light was cast on the airport.
Erina looked curious as she poked her head and looked up.
Her eyes bulged out as she saw a spaceship emerge from the grey clouds of late autumn.
'I-I-Is this!?'
Seconds later, two gunships left the warship and flew down, landing on the other side of the border patrol.
"...Is that?" Hisako, Erina's assistant, softly commented.
"...Technocracy…" The chef girl commented with crossed arms as sweat was on her forehead.
She wonders who gets THE VIP treatment for Marcus to send one of his infamous vessels to pick someone up.
The girl tried to figure out who it was for a while. Not that she could leave her car and check out in person.
But she could not figure it out, so she gave up and waited for her turn.
After twenty minutes or so, she finally passed the border, and her limo was about to drive away, but bulky golden armoured men with tower shields and plasma pikes intercepted them.
"What's wrong?" The girl complained. Is there something else? Another check-up?
"...Erina-sama…" Hisako, with a terrified voice, made the Heiress look at her.
"...They are coming our way."
Erina's eyes widened as she looked where her assistant was pointing.
She saw golden armoured guards walk over to the window.
Instead of knocking, they moved aside, revealing a very familiar man standing behind these guards.
Erina paled. She looked like a deer who was caught in the car's headlights.
'H-He is coming for me!? B-B-But…'
'I wasn't ready yet!'
She thought of figuring out some new dishes and then organising something to get his attention. But he went right for her! Hell, she didn't even sleep for over sixteen hours!
"Erina-sama, we shouldn't make him wait!" Hisako, in a scared voice, snapped her out.
"R-Right!"
The girl swiftly lowered the window.
"M-Mr Goldman, is there something I can help you with?" Erina sounded as friendly as possible with a very twitchy smile.
"...Erina Nakiri. I would like to hire you as my chef for the duration of a trip." He went right for the kill with his request.
When she heard that, her eyes widened for a second.
'W-What an oppurtinity.'
She could not believe what she was hearing. Erina looked at her assistant to ask if she heard the same thing.
"You must accept, Erina-sama!"
Hisako whispered to her. The girl's eyes were sparkling. She forgot the scariness of this man for a second.
"...O-Of course. I would be honoured to work as your chef."
'As if there is any sort of alternative.' Erina thought to herself.
"Fantastic. Then come with me. We are leaving…now." He motioned for them to come with him.
"..."
"..."
"...Huh?"
Before the girl realised, she was out of her limo, and golden armoured men took her belongings before she could even raise her voice to complain.
Marcus motioned to come with him.
The girl with shaky legs followed. Soon enough, she was aboard the gunship, which rose into the sky and headed towards the warship.
All Erina could do was look around as she was experiencing something new. The mode of transportation was…alien to her.
"...So you are the Heiress of the Nakiri family?" A silver-haired girl with dark purple eyes approached the cherry-blonde heiress.
When the chef girl saw her she could feel something strange from her.
Something scarily… primal?
"...Yes. I am Nakiri Erina. My grandfather is the Principal of Totsuki Academy." Erina tried to sound as humble as possible, including her mannerisms.
She has spent several days learning to tone down her mannerisms, as she can't beat her 'opponents' through cooking or influence.
"Great!" The girl looked happy and even clapped her hands as she then looked at Marcus.
"Master! You should have employed a chef way back when we were waging war in the Underworld. With a chef, we could leave them to make something fresh and unique every day!"
'Master? Is she some sort of creation of his?'
Now that Erina paid attention, she noticed the girl's pearless look and incredible body lines.
"I know. That's what I am doing now." He sighed at her before looking at Erina.
"This is Gu Yuena. She is a dragonoid. Or, more precisely, a human and dragon hybrid I created a while ago."
'...Dragon?' She might know that the supernatural is real through her roots as Nakiri, but this girl doesn't look like a dragon at all.
Aren't they supposed to be big scally lizards with wings and breath fire?
'I should have studied supernatural more.'
"...I see…"
"Yes. So pay attention, as a half-dragon, she eats more than regular people."
As he explained, he then pulled another girl. This one gave Erina goosebumps. Those rhombus-shaped pupils told her that this girl was not normal at all.
"This is Sirin, another creation of mine." Marcus introduced her as he pulled the standoff-ish girl closer to himself.
"An honour to meet your creations, Mr Goldman." The girl slightly bowed to them, and so did her assistant.
"It's alright. Just remember, both of them like to eat a lot." He teased Sirin and Gu Yuena as he pulled them closer to himself.
"Don't say that in front of other girls!" Sirin huffed at him with rosy cheeks. How can he embarrass her like that?
But Marcus ignored her as he looked at Erina.
"Regardless, there are some more people with whom you should meet up."
As the inventor commented, the gunships landed in the hangar area.
When it opened up, the group felt the smaller vessel. The pair of newcomers looked around. They immediately noticed that it was…
It felt like it was cramped up.
There is not that much space for armies or other vessels. All she could see was four gunships in total and several robots stored up at the end. It doesn't even feel like a carrier ship she has heard over the TV.
'Where are the jet fighters?'
Marcus Goldman's distinctive jet fighters are well known throughout the world, and they are missing.
"I know what you are thinking, but this vessel has been retrofitted for survey and adventure. The military is not necessary." He clarified as he motioned to follow after him.
A few steps later, they met an array of maids.
Some of them send cold chills through Erina's back.
One of them had blue and red hair. She felt like winter itself… or death?
The other blue-haired girl felt primal in the same way as Gu Yuena; the others felt like she should worship.
'The rumours of him having Goddesses as maids… it would seem that it is true.'
"These are my maids. You can learn more about them in upcoming months, if not years."
"...Years?" Erina stopped in her tracks. How long this journey will last!?
"...Yes. We are going to the distant past, after all. More specific Triassic Period." He clarified to her, though one could see that he is not telling the whole truth.
"..."
"..."
For a second, the pair tried to process what he meant.
Only after a few seconds did the two understand.
"...By Triassic, you mean… 250 million years ago?"
"Something like that! Regardless, you know! Yes, we are going on an expedition to collect samples, specimens, and blood from dinosaurs and ancient people and experience a few distinctive extinction events.
Like the meteor that wiped out dinosaurs and the supervolcano eruptions that ended the Permian, it's going to be Fun!" he brightly explained to the pair, though some maids looked confused he was messing up the eras! Is he hiding something?
The pair paled when they heard that! What the hell did they end up in!?
"W-Wait, isn't it dangerous? It's a meteor and super volcano!"
Hisako tried to reason with him. She had no doubt he had the means to travel into the past. Sadly, the girl had no idea if you could travel to such a distant past. By this point, things like meteors and super volcanoes are nothing more than 'weather' phenomena for someone like Marcus Goldman.
"Not at all. Do you understand where you are standing? This is mark 3 of my Daedalus Class vessel. It's equipped with Graviton Armour, three perpetual motion reactors, a Time engine, Byfrost and four Graviton thrusters.
It was designed to survive planetary cataclysms." Marcus smiled while saying that.
This Daedalus model could challenge the UFOs everyone has been discussing since the 1960s because it ignores physics in the same fashion as those flying saucers.
On top of that, he has a Byfrost Drive that is faster than light travel.
However, this is something they still need to test before using it.
"...I-I see…"
"The only thing you two should worry about is making good food from dinosaurs' meat." Marcus joked at the pair, who looked spacey for a second.
"Master, Ars Almadel Salomonis is in Moon's orbit as you instructed."
Quinella walked over as she was dressed in an officer's uniform in white and gold.
"Good, then we still need a couple more experiments before we can dive into a rabbit hole called time."
Marcus nodded at his assistant before instructing his crew.
"Set course to Moon. We are leaving."
The moment he said that the graviton projectors, which were glowing in dull gold, ignited in bright gold, and the newly installed graviton thruster ignited in the same gold colour, they started to send ripples through the very fabric of space.
In mere seconds, the newly reclassified survey ship disappeared from the airport area.
~~~
"The floor above the hangar was redesigned for our leisure." Marcus started showing Erina and Hisako the Mark 3 Daedalus-class survey ship.
"Are we… outside?" Because what they saw is outside? But there is a corridor, and there is grass and a sun? But it's late autumn, so why does it feel like summer?
The chef girls were confused by what they saw.
In the distance, they can see mountains, and there is wind and a very nice breeze, but then they can see tables and an outdoor kitchen.
"You can call this a relaxation area. You see, we will be travelling billions, if not trillions, of kilometres. Such an amount can take months, even with my tech," he said with a small smile.
"So, I installed the Realitus system, or more specifically, a simulator that simulates outside for those who want to be outside.
Apart from that, follow me."
He motioned for them to follow.
As the small group walked forward, they saw another corridor that looked like it had been carved into the fabric of reality.
The moment they walked in, they realised that they were still in the spaceship, as there was metal all over them.
'Just how crazy advanced was that room! It felt like legitimate outside, with wind and sun!' The pair had sweaty foreheads as they realised that they couldn't even trust their senses!
But then they almost screamed as they realised that they entered some sort of empty void.
"Relax. This is what we call an observation deck. Look behind you."
The pair looked back. Sirin and Gu Yuena followed. They looked around before looking back. What they saw was Earth slowly shrinking in size.
"...W-We are already in space!?"
"Yes. But it will take around twenty minutes for us to reach the Moon at current speed. We are not rushing as I show you two around my ship."
"...Wow…"
The girls realised that they would be legitimately on the moon! How many people had ever done that before? Not that many!
"...S-Say…can we walk around the moon?" Erina asked with an embarrassed blush. She then quickly clarified herself.
"B-But if we are in a rush, you can ignore my request!"
Marcus chuckled upon hearing that.
"Sure, we can. I was already here before, but we can prepare some suits for you girls."
"I want to walk on the moon too!"
Gu Yuena chipped in.
"Same. I want to see if there is a difference between the moon I was on this one." Sirin chipped in as she looked at the moon.
"Sure."
Marcus nodded before deciding to show the small features this place has.
"Before we go, let me show you the most important feature of this place."
"Aurora, activate dinner mode."
As he commented, the ground on which they were standing reacted, and a table with seats rose up. In the distance, the actual kitchen rose up as well. The kitchen had a cooker, microwave, fridge, tables, and other stuff.
"Once we are in specific periods, we can observe from the safety of a kitchen," Marcus explained with a smile.
"..."
"..."
'He really prepared for this trip, didn't he?' Erina was proud of her preparation when she needed to. But this… well… this takes the cake and the cherry on the top.
The guy prepared an actual spaceship to travel to the distant past. How many people would kill and sell their fortune to join this journey?
After showing 'dinner mode,' they left the observation deck and walked back. They passed the leisure room and walked to another lobby… which looked like a changing room.
"Welcome to the indoor spa resort."
"...Huh?"
The pair looked confused, but he just winked and motioned to follow him.
Sure enough, they left the changing room and showers before walking into the swimming pools, artificial sea, jacuzzi, and other water attractions.
"As you can see, there are enough amenities in this place to relax as we travel through time."
The pair just dumbly looked at the large resort in front of them.
"Heh, he just wants to see us in Bikini." Sirin snorted as she saw through her hubby.
"Of course I do." He pulled the white-haired girl for a one-arm hug.
The other two chef maiden girls blushed as well, making her blush for a second. They never expected to hear that! But then they realised that behind every inventor and scary guy capable of nuking a country was a teen who liked girls.
"Anyway, this floor is finished, so let's go up." Marcus motioned for them to follow back to the main corridor.
"Wait! You are telling me that you turned an entire floor meant for soldiers into a resort, leisure and observation deck!?" Sirin realised that there was nothing else on this floor!
"Yeah. However, there are small barracks and bio chambers for healing if any of you loses a limb or dies by accident."
He said, 'dies' with a very straight face, which took the pair of newcomers several seconds to process.
"D-Death!?"
"Yeah, I mean, we will be going to a place where we have no idea about diseases, a lot of heat, air or poisonous teeth. So yeah, I do have prepared excessive medical chambers for healing and bringing back to life."
He explained to the pair.
"...I-I see." Erina sighed in relief. Thankfully, he is prepared. He will trust in his abilities. Not just everyone can put the entire planet under this thumb.
"Good. As I said, the only thing you two need to worry about is making food for us." He smiled at the pair, which started to make them nervous.
It would seem he has high hopes for them, which makes the pair start feeling the pressure.
~~~
After this floor, he took them to the crew floor, where he finally let them into their room.
When Erina and Hisako saw the place they would be staying, they were slightly blown away. It was more like a spacious flat than a room in a spaceship with a little bit of space.
Nope, they had enough space to relax and even cook their own dishes!
'Wait… if we are travelling to the distant past.'
"How much time would pass if we return?" Erina asked him as she realised that she had a lot of time to build up her cooking experience!
"...Ideally, we should return by morning. Right on time for school."
The cherry-blonde girl looked dumbly at him. What is with this timing?
"I promised my mother I would take my fiance on a date, which I am, by the way. So we will be returning in time for her work and my class time," Marcus explained to her in a serious tone.
'So him visiting Earth 250 million years ago is nothing more than a night out!?'
'This is a date on another level!'
The pair were out of words! It would seem he is operating at a different frequency.
"I see. Then… you said that you are 'hiring' me. Does it mean I am getting paid in some shape or form?" The girl decided to go to the 'meat' of this 'dish'.
"Indeed. It depends on what you want, Erina."
The girl blushed when he called her by her name. She realised that she was dealing with a European who had no sense of her culture.
However, she doesn't realise yet that he is doing that on purpose.
"...Then, I can ask for you to save Totsuki from the incoming 'doom'?"
*Snort*
Sirin snorted when she heard that. They are already asking more than they can chew!
"As I said. It depends on you. If you can impress me enough, then I wouldn't mind taking your academy to the stars." He said with a small smile.
"The reason the doom is coming is because I don't see a reason for current society to exist. But, if good elements of this society surface…
Now that is a different story."
'God Complex…'
The cherry blonde realised that the guy in front of her had God Complex.
But then again… to have God Complex, you have to have the power to back it up.
'Ugh… it's not complex if he has maids as Goddesses, is it?'
The girl didn't even know what to say to that.
"Sure. Then I agree. I will cook for you daily. If it's satisfactory, then you can save Totsuki." Erina inquired to make sure they were on the same page.
"Indeed. If this is what you want as payment for your services, then it's fine with me."
Marcus slightly shrugged before turning around and preparing to leave them to unpack their things.
"You girls have ten minutes. After ten minutes, we will arrive at the moon. You will have two to three hours of walking on the moon if you want."
As he explained, the doors opened up, and Jeanne and Hypolita walked in.
"Jeanne and Hippolyta will show you the rest of things and answer any questions you two might have." After telling that, he grabbed Sirin's and Gu Yuena's waist and pulled them out of the room as they left. Sadly, Erina didn't see his disappointed expression.
His disappointment comes from Erina's desire for payment. He thought that she was more ambitious than that.
Sadly, his hopes were too high.
The moment the doors closed and sealed behind, Hippolyta swiftly walked over and grabbed Erina by her shoulders.
"Why do you take such a basic request!?"
"W-What?" The girl was baffled by this red-haired girl's actions!
"Listen! He didn't give you limits! That means you could have asked for anything! Do you realise how many Goddesses and devils would want that!?" The Warrior Queen said that with nearly burning eyes.
"If it were me, I would have asked him to marry me!" Eventually, the Warrior Queen turned maid sighed in resignation.
Why it's not her!? Should she start learning how to cook?
"...You saying… that we could have asked something like that?" Erina was baffled to hear what Hippolyta just said.
"He didn't set boundaries for your wish. Normally, he should have been placed in the hierarchy of Technocracy! But he did not do that with you!"
~~~
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~~~
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