Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

Just a few days after the capture of the Surprise Apple, Kenji's name exploded in popularity, his fame now rivaling that of the Four Heavenly Kings like Toriko, who had become famous much earlier. A Surprise Apple with a scare level of 99 had made history, surpassing even the previous record holder, Ichiryu, whose record was Level 95. Of course, Ichiryu could have likely pushed the apple's level beyond 95, but for a being of his stature, such empty fame was unnecessary. He didn't care about it and would only sigh in admiration at the excellence of the younger generation.

Gourmet World, Second Continent, North-East Island, the NEO organization's base.

"PAIR, you said you suffered a loss at the hands of that Kenji last time?" Joie asked with great interest. While the Blue Nitro's power was inferior to that of the Eight Kings, it was still undoubtedly among the top echelon of the planet's powerhouses.

"His methods are a bit special. It seems he can immobilize my body," PAIR said flatly. In a direct physical confrontation, it was confident it could crush Kenji. Kenji wasn't a humanoid monster like Jiro. The advantage is mine, it thought.

Joie stroked his chin thoughtfully. Hehe, interesting. A young powerhouse. It seems he will be our enemy in the future. If there was a chance, it would be best to cook him and have him join NEO. If not, then they would just send him to the Soul World. To be able to push a Surprise Apple to Level 99, his methods were certainly not ordinary.

Kenji now had the qualifications to enter the line of sight of powerhouses like them.

Meanwhile, at the Gourmet Corp. base.

"Tommyrod, you really took a beating in the Ice Hell last time."

Tommyrod had ultimately avoided being locked up in Honey Prison. He had been intercepted and rescued by the Gourmet Corp.'s Vice-Chef, Grinpatch. If Teppei had been the one escorting him all the way to the prison, it wouldn't have been so easy.

"Hah! Next time we meet, I'll be sure to treat them with these new pets of mine."

"Toriko... Kenji..."

Tommyrod's eyes filled with killing intent. A horrifying aura seeped from his mouth, and the chilling hiss of insects echoed from within.

The Autumn Mountains. This was a mountain range filled with the essence of autumn.

The majestic mountain range stretched for 20,00t00 kilometers. Influenced by the westerlies, its autumn season was exceptionally long, and it was abundant with many autumn ingredients.

"Ahh... what a mountain range, brimming with autumn," Kenji said, stretching lazily. The location was excellent, and the climate was comfortable. Everywhere you looked, there were fruit trees heavy with ripe fruit, a perfect picture of fall.

"The Fountain Pear. A legendary pear that only bears fruit once every 38 years. It's said that if you take a bite, the succulent juice can spray dozens of meters high," Atashino said with anticipation.

"Sounds delicious. There's an apple near my house that can spray juice, but its taste is definitely inferior to the Fountain Pear," Kenji said, licking his lips.

As they walked through the forest, they saw beasts everywhere, searching for food to get through the winter.

BZZZZZZ—

The sound of extremely dense wingbeats filled the air. Kenji and Atashino turned to look, their brows furrowing slightly. It was a swarm of orange-colored wasps known as Persimmon Wasps. Their stingers contained a terrible poison, a thousand times more toxic than a Death Cap mushroom.

Swoosh!

Icy casually flapped its wings. A blizzard of extreme cold swept out, and the hostile Persimmon Wasps were instantly turned into blocks of ice.

Icy's inner thought: That's it? So weak. With just a slight effort, I'm already at the limit of the Human World.

"Nice work, Icy," Atashino said with a smile. While they could have handled it themselves, the result would have been more or less the same.

ROAR!

Two furry creatures descended from the sky, baring their teeth at Kenji and the others. Kenji was speechless. They had furry bodies, but not of a sheep, and the faces of wild boars. Did a goat cheat, or did a boar have an affair?

The Mutton-Boar, Capture Level 33.

Kenji had no intention of eating them. Although they looked sturdy, their bodies beneath the wool were just skin and bones, with almost no meat. These two Mutton-Boars also had several cubs with them. He wasn't short on energy, so he decided to let them go.

"If you want something to eat, follow us," Kenji said with a wave, heading towards the high mountain.

Atashino smiled. As a doctor, she could tell from their complexions that these two Mutton-Boars had been starving for a long time. Although their Capture Level wasn't low, their health and stamina bars were nearly empty, as they had no energy to expend. A good deed for the day. While the law of the jungle was weak-eats-strong, there was no need to hunt unnecessarily when you weren't hungry.

Perhaps sensing that Kenji and the others showed no killing intent, the Mutton-Boars followed behind them. The direction Kenji was heading was where their cubs were.

The Fountain Pear tree was located at the mountain peak. This height posed almost no difficulty for Kenji and his group.

Passing through the clouds, they reached the summit. A giant fruit tree appeared in their vision, like a massive umbrella blotting out the sky, absorbing the fruit-scented vapor contained within the clouds.

"So this is the Fountain Pear? What translucent flesh," Kenji said in surprise. If you didn't look carefully, you really wouldn't notice these crystal-clear fruits. The scent of the Fountain Pear was rather faint; if your sense of smell wasn't particularly developed, you wouldn't be able to find them. Each pear was the size of two hands held together. Through the transparent skin, you could see fine bubbles churning inside.

ROAR! ROAR!

The Mutton-Boars let out cries of longing. They had been hungry for too long and couldn't even nurse their young. Now that they saw food, they wanted to fly right up to it.

"Don't be hasty."

Kenji flew into the air and picked a dozen Fountain Pears. They were heavy in his hands, like carrying round, heavy watermelons.

"These are for you," Kenji said, keeping two for himself and giving the rest to the Mutton-Boars.

"Atashino, let's have a taste."

"Okay, time to eat."

PFFFT—!

The moment they bit into the pear's skin, Kenji and Atashino's eyes widened. It was like opening a floodgate. Sweet, bubbly juice shot out with incredible force. Since it was their first time eating it, neither of them managed to drink it all. The sprayed juice caught the sunlight and formed a beautiful rainbow in the air.

It was like a carbonated drink. Countless bubbles danced in their mouths, giving a unique, stimulating sensation. The taste of pear, the taste of persimmon, the taste of chestnut... The complex, interwoven flavors in the Fountain Pear's juice were like a mix of various autumn fruits.

"So good! The bubbles are stimulating my taste buds," Kenji marveled. The Fountain Pear was a pleasant little surprise, but it was still missing something. It couldn't be a part of his Full Course Menu.

"The clouds contain the vapor of various fruits. The Fountain Pear absorbs these vapors, which is why it has such a complex taste," Atashino said, looking out at the endless sea of white clouds.

Is that... purple?

Kenji's gaze suddenly shifted to Atashino's chest. The sprayed juice had soaked her clothes, and through the now see-through fabric, a purple bra was faintly visible. Underneath her loose doctor's coat, she had a very well-endowed figure. She was the "deeply hidden" type.

He recalled a famous Klee quote: The bigger the bra, the badder the Dodo-King. Or something like that. He couldn't remember who said it, but it was a very reasonable saying. Purple was indeed a very charming color.

"Ah! What are you looking at?!" Atashino looked down and let out a small shriek. Her pretty face instantly turned red, and she quickly covered her chest.

"It was an irresistible force." Kenji shrugged helplessly. "My eyes aren't controlled by my brain. I can't help it."

"Hmph." Atashino huffed coldly and circulated her energy, evaporating the moisture from her clothes. But the speed and frequency of her heartbeat did not slow down.

~~~

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