Sengoku was about to lay into Finn when suddenly, Finn interrupted him, his voice loud and dramatic.
"My God! What is this?"
Sengoku frowned, momentarily thrown off. "That's my breakfast... a sauce pancake. What? You want to try it?"
Without waiting for a reply, Finn grabbed a piece and took a small bite. His face immediately twisted in disgust. "This is horrible! Grandpa Sengoku, your breakfast tastes worse than garbage!"
He spat it out, staring at Sengoku with exaggerated disbelief.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Rewarded: Ten times stamina boost!"
Finn couldn't help but smirk inwardly, feeling the surge of energy flow through him. That had been too easy.
"You little brat! What did you just say?" Sengoku's face turned red with anger, his mustache quivering as he glared at Finn. "You're saying I've been eating trash for breakfast every day?"
Tashigi, standing nearby, could only gape in shock. This was the "distraction method" Finn had been boasting about?
Finn waved his hand, casually dismissing Sengoku's outrage. "Grandpa Sengoku, I mean it. That sauce pancake is so bad, even pigs wouldn't touch it. Do you seriously eat this stuff every morning?"
Sengoku's face flushed even more. "I eat other things too!" he sputtered, looking away defensively.
"However!" he continued, regaining his composure. "If you don't give me an explanation for yesterday's mess, I won't let you off the hook, sauce pancakes or not!"
Finn laughed lightly, reaching into the air and pulling out a basket of steaming char siu buns, their aroma filling the room.
Sengoku's eyes widened, sniffing the air in disbelief. "Is that... barbecued pork buns?"
"Grandpa Sengoku, you should try one. It'll change your life," Finn said, holding out the basket, letting the rich fragrance waft through the office.
Sengoku hesitated for only a moment before grabbing a bun. The first bite hit him like a revelation. The juicy, flavorful pork melted in his mouth. His eyes rolled back in pure bliss.
He devoured one bun, then reached for another, but Finn pulled the basket back, smiling slyly.
"Grandpa Sengoku, do you still think your sauce pancakes are the best breakfast?"
Sengoku froze, caught between the delicious char siu buns and his pride. Reluctantly, he muttered, "Fine... compared to these, maybe my pancakes aren't... quite as good."
"Not quite as good?" Finn teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay! Compared to your buns, my sauce pancakes taste like trash!" Sengoku admitted, his hunger overriding his dignity.
Finn handed over the rest of the buns with a triumphant smile. As Sengoku eagerly wolfed down the rest, Finn leaned back and said casually, "By the way, Grandpa Sengoku, about that Marine Academy thing... I heard you've made arrangements for me, but I'd like to bring my assistant, Tashigi, along with me. You can put her in the same class, right?"
Sengoku, still chewing, barely registered the request at first. "Hmm? What? Oh, sure—wait." He looked up sharply. "You want to bring someone else into the Academy with you?"
"Yeah, it's no big deal, right?" Finn said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Sengoku paused, his mind working quickly. This was a rare opportunity. He had been trying to get his hands on Finn's super battleship for a while now, and here was the perfect chance.
Feigning seriousness, Sengoku shook his head. "Finn, entering the Marine Academy is no joke. There are strict selection criteria. Every year, we only take the top recruits from various branches—those who meet the highest standards."
Finn frowned, leaning in. "Come on, Grandpa Sengoku, you're talking about outsiders. We're family, right? You can bend the rules a bit."
He pulled out another basket of buns, waving them temptingly in front of Sengoku's face.
Sengoku resisted, even though his stomach growled. This was bigger than breakfast.
"Finn, the only way I could justify bringing someone else in is if you made a significant contribution to the Marine. For instance..." Sengoku's eyes gleamed as he leaned closer. "If you donated your super battleship to us, that would be a huge contribution. I could easily recommend not just Tashigi but anyone you wanted to the Academy."
Finn narrowed his eyes, realizing where this was going. Sengoku was trying to trade Tashigi's entry for his warship.
"Of course, I'm not suggesting this because I want your warship," Sengoku added hastily, but his tone was anything but sincere.
Finn thought for a moment, then asked, "What if I don't want to donate the warship? Is there another way?"
Sengoku, still chewing, smiled. "Well, if you don't want to donate it, the only other option is the competitive assessment. Every so often, we hold challenges where soldiers can compete to earn a spot in the Academy. Tashigi would have to challenge and defeat a top recruit."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "And these top recruits... how tough are we talking?"
Sengoku's smile widened. "Let's just say they're the best of the best. A sergeant like Tashigi wouldn't stand a chance. But hey, if you're willing to risk it..."
Sengoku was sure he had Finn trapped. Either he gave up his warship or Tashigi would fail the assessment. But Finn wasn't so easily cornered.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes," Finn said, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
Sengoku paused, suddenly uncertain. Was Finn planning something? He couldn't tell, but one thing was clear: this wasn't going to go as smoothly as he thought.