Eriri then asked Erina to send a portion of the prepared dishes to each member of the chat group. She didn't let her efforts go unrewarded and directly gave Erina a hundred thousand points as a bonus.
For Eriri, that sum of points was nothing, just a small amount she could easily earn through a few livestream tips, but to Erina, it was almost unimaginable wealth.
Afterward, Eriri, along with Arifureta, Mine, Akame, and Kurome, began to enjoy the remaining dishes on the table. The three young girls, who had been eyeing the food for a while, eagerly grabbed their utensils and began to dig in.
As they took their first bites, their eyes closed blissfully, each experiencing a happiness that made them feel as if they were floating on air.
For Mine, and for Akame and Kurome as well, this was hands down the best meal they had ever tasted in their four or five years of life.
As they continued eating, the girls couldn't hold back their tears, overcome with joy. The day had been so surreal that they felt as if they were dreaming, half afraid that they'd wake up and find themselves back in their cold, harsh realities.
But now, they had a future of happiness to look forward to.
As for Eriri and Arifureta, their reactions were more subdued. Although Erina's cooking was indeed delicious, it wasn't at the level of something that would truly surprise them. After all, they were used to the dishes prepared by Aoi Kujo, whose culinary skills had refined their palates over time. Erina's cooking simply didn't surpass that level.
In the chat group, other members were also enjoying the food Erina had sent over.
[Elaina (Level 4, Stage 5): Erina's cooking really is something special! The scenes in the memory images weren't an exaggeration at all!]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 4, Stage 4): Thanks so much, Erina! Both the meal I had at Eriri's house last time and your food today were amazing!]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 4, Stage 2): Delicious +1]
[Kiss-Shot (Level 4, Stage 9): Not bad!]
[Myne (Level 2, Stage 9): This is just way too good!!!]
The amount Erina sent wasn't small, enough to fill a single adult's stomach. Myne immediately shared it with her family. From the first bite, Myne and her family were stunned. Even with her memories of a previous life, Myne couldn't help but be captivated, and her parents and sister were in absolute awe.
For commoners like them, food was simple and meant to fill the stomach with no regard for flavor, so this dish was a revelation.
After swallowing, Myne's older sister, a cute young girl named Tuuli, couldn't contain her excitement.
"Myne, is this food really from another world? It's amazing!"
Tuuli, one year older than Myne, had the same green hair as their mother, Effa, braided down her back. She'd taken care of most of the household chores while Myne had been frail and was overjoyed to know her sister was well now.
"Yes, I've never tasted anything this good before," Myne exclaimed with a heartfelt sigh.
Across from her, their father Gunther, who had the same hair color as Myne, looked truly impressed.
"I'd bet not even the noblemen eat this well…though the portions are a bit small."
Gunther, a strong man in his early thirties, served as the gatekeeper of the Ehrenfest northern gate. Seated next to him, Effa looked at Myne with eager eyes.
"Myne, could you get the recipe for this from your friend?"
"Probably," Myne replied thoughtfully. "But, Mom, I think I should start by teaching you some of the recipes I know from my previous life!"
After learning from Eriri that she truly was the daughter of this family and not an outsider occupying the body of "Myne," she'd decided, with Eriri's encouragement, to tell her family the truth about her past memories and the existence of the chat group. Her family had easily accepted this; for them, Myne was and would always be their precious daughter and Tuuli's sister.
[Fubuki (Level 2, Stage 5): These flavors are incredible! Not a single bit of the "taste illusion" effect was exaggerated!]
[Kaguya Shinomiya (Level 4, Stage 2): Erina, would you be interested in working as my personal chef? I'd make sure you're well compensated!]
[Erina Nakiri (Level 1, Stage 4): Thank you all for enjoying my cooking! But I'll have to pass on the personal chef offer.]
[Kaguya Shinomiya (Level 4, Stage 2): That's a shame!]
[Erina Nakiri (Level 1, Stage 4): I wouldn't mind making food for everyone again, though, if there's an opportunity.]
After seeing the comment by Chika Fujiwara, Erina had a strong hunch that someone with excellent cooking skills must work for Eriri's family. She glanced over at Eriri, eating her meal elegantly and calmly, and saw Arifureta looking equally unperturbed. This only confirmed her suspicions further.
She couldn't help but ask, "Eriri, do you have an amazing chef in your household?"
"You mean Aoi? Yeah, she's really skilled. She's probably the best chef in our world."
"The best in the world, huh… I'd love to see her work one day. She must be incredible!" Erina was filled with a sense of intense rivalry. Becoming the strongest chef was her ultimate goal, after all.
"Don't worry, there'll be a chance for you to meet her soon enough."
"Thank you, then."
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Eriri took Arifureta and the three young girls back to the world of Saekano. A food tour of Erina's world could wait until next time.
After introducing Mine and the Akame and Kurome sisters to the family, Eriri went back to her room, leaving the rest of the details to be arranged by Aoi Kujo.
Eriri lay down on her white canopy bed and closed her eyes, entering the chat group, where she opened up the Sparring System. She planned to boost her combat experience there.
The Arena was a vast space, its edges stretching out beyond sight, with an enormous central arena and spectator seats on one side. On the other three sides were independent spaces, each containing a familiar figure.
Eriri recognized them immediately: Luo Hao, Jibril, and Erica were each battling against training dummies. All three bore some injuries, and Erica, in particular, seemed to be struggling, sustaining multiple wounds as her opponent relentlessly pressured her.
Eriri was surprised to find Jibril here; she'd assumed Jibril had been in her room studying knowledge all this time, but it turned out her combat cravings had eventually driven her to the Arena to blow off steam. The look of glee on Jibril's face made it clear how much she was enjoying herself.
Training dummies were not limited to human forms. When choosing one, users could set attributes such as its level, species, and even appearance. Since Eriri had programmed the chat group to exclude male forms, there were only female and feminine dummies.
At the moment, Luo Hao, Jibril, and Erica each faced their own identical-looking female dummy opponents.
When Eriri arrived, the three of them noticed her immediately and paused their training to approach her. As they stepped out of their respective arenas, their wounds and tattered clothing healed instantaneously.
"Master!" Jibril rushed forward, hugging Eriri's leg and nuzzling her face against it with a grin that bordered on obsessed.
"Lady Eriri." Erica knelt and greeted her respectfully.
Luo Hao, meanwhile, simply chuckled as she observed Eriri. "Are you here to train, Eriri?"
"Yes, I'm planning to improve my combat experience."
Eriri waved for Erica to stand, then shook her leg a little in an attempt to dislodge Jibril. When that failed, she left her there for the time being.
The three couldn't help but glance at each other, each a little surprised. With her power at level eight, none of them could imagine what training looked like at Eriri's scale.
"So, how do these dummies compare to fighting each of you personally? Do they seem equally matched?"
"They're strong!" Luo Hao said seriously. "At first, I couldn't keep up with the one I faced. It's only with this additional practice that I've managed to gain the upper hand."
"These training dummies know every technique we have, even using my Flying Phoenix Twelve Divine Palms or countering my powers," she explained. "They also use techniques that exploit my weaknesses, making them incredibly challenging."
Erica nodded. "Exactly! To be honest, I'm still getting completely crushed by mine."
Erica's initial pride at becoming a Campione had been quickly humbled in the Arena. During her first match, she'd been obliterated within seconds, blinking in shock when she reappeared on the platform. Compared to Luo Hao, who was a seasoned Campione, Erica still had a long way to go. She'd spent the last few days constantly training in the Arena and was already leagues beyond her former self.
Jibril remained silent, but the fact that she'd been evenly matched with her opponent spoke volumes. With centuries of combat experience, she had held her own well, not least because of her extensive history of facing down giants, dragons, and fantasy creatures.
However, despite being a combat-crazed warrior, this heavenly-winged being still clung tightly to Eriri's leg.
Eriri looked at the trio thoughtfully. "The dummies seem to be extremely helpful. I'd imagine anyone who can defeat one at their level would become unbeatable among their peers."
Thanks to their input, Eriri's expectations for her own training grew. Since reaching level eight, her body had absorbed energy from the universe at an incredible rate, so her progress at this level had been faster than at levels six or seven. She had advanced from Level 8, Stage 5, to Level 8, Stage 6, in under a month.
With her strength already at the limit of the training dummy level in the Arena, she hoped these sessions would make a significant difference in honing her skills.