webnovel

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: There will probably be spoilers, so scroll up to see what characters there are and if you don't know or aren't caught up, then you should do so. Enjoy!

"...and the winner of this Shokugeki is... Yukihira Soma!"

A 5-foot 6-inch 16-year-old male stares at a TV as it starts blaring the noise of a cheering sound. A sigh escapes his mouth before he turns off the TV. He sits up, and with a quick stretch, starts walking to the restroom.

On his way there, a couple of things can be seen. A bunch of posters and clippings of different chefs and foods are tacked onto the walls. There were recipes and papers strewn all over the floor.

The teenager walks into a bathroom, grabs a toothbrush, and after applying some toothpaste, he looks up and starts brushing his teeth. After a couple of minutes, he hears a ringing sound, and after spitting out the remains of his teeth-brushing session, he swiftly walks towards the source of noise, his cordless phone, and presses the answer button.

"Hello?"

The teen stifles a yawn, before leaning against a nearby wall, leaving the phone in the machine.

"Ohayo, okaa-san."

"Ohayo! How are you doing over there? It's been a while, so we wanted to check up on you."

"I'm doing fine, okaa-san."

"That's good to hear! So, did you find a cooking teacher?"

The teen flinches, before replying in a slightly shaky voice.

"Y-yes, I found someone."

"OH! That's great! You finally found someone to teach you how to cook."

"H-hai."

"It must have been hard, wasn't it? Especially with your... condition..."

Yuu immediately put his right hand over his left arm, or at least,

Where it should have been.

"Ever since you lost your arm in that one accident, you still tried to be a chef, but no one took you, but I'm finally glad you found someone."

Yuu was now extremely shaky.

"H-hai, I'm really lucky. I have to go now Okaa-san, I- uh, can call you back later."

"O-oh, did I interrupt something? Sorry about that, I'll leave you be!"

"S-see you next time."

"Bye!"

Yuu immediately ended the call, before slumping onto the ground. He took a shaking breath, before wiping his eyes.

'Sorry Okaa-san, but I lied. This son of yours didn't get a teacher at all.'

Yuu looked up, tears building up. It wasn't fair.

'I just wanted to be a chef and own my own restaurant. Was that too much to ask for?'

He clenched his teeth, before slamming his right hand into the wall next to him.

'Of course, no one wants me. Who would try to teach a one-armed kid how to cook? If I didn't lose it in that Earthquake...'

(π™›π™‘π™–π™¨π™π™—π™–π™˜π™ )

"Okaa-san, can I watch you cook today again?"

...an innocent moment.

"Of course, you can-what is this shaking?"

...a simple flip of a switch.

"Run Yuu! Run! This way- WATCH OUT!"

...a searing pain.

"HIS ARM! QUICK, GET HIM TO THE ER!"

...worried faces.

"YUU! STAY STRONG! DON'T DIE ON ME!"

...a sobbing mother.

"...Sorry, but he won't have a left arm after getting hit by all that. Everything else can recover over time, but his left arm will not. The bones are entirely shattered, his muscles are beyond recovery, and his veins are so smashed that blood is clogging up. Either his arm or his life."

...the blunt truth.

"Yuu-kun, I-I don't think you will be able to cook. I-I'm sorry."

...broken dreams.

(π™›π™‘π™–π™¨π™π™—π™–π™˜π™  π™šπ™£π™™)

'Okaa-san has sacrificed so much for me already, I can't worry her any more than she has to.'

Yuu quickly shook himself, before slapping himself mildly on his right cheek.

"Right, no use in crying over spilled milk. If anything, I still have a few recipes memorized, so that might help..."

Yuu walked over to a window and opened it up, allowing rays of light to hit him.

'Still, if there is some sort of miracle, then please, give me a chance. Give me a fair chance of being able to achieve my dream!'

That was the last thing Yuu remembered before he disappeared from his apartment.

(π™‘π™žπ™£π™šπ™—π™§π™šπ™–π™ )

'W-where am I?'

Yuu looked around frantically, finding himself in a pitch-black room.

No, a room wouldn't be the right term. It was more of a void.

"Greetings, Yuu Makoto."

A voice boomed throughout the black space as a pair of eyes appeared in the void, the color of amber. However, the moment they appeared, the void shook. Yuu found himself trying to crawl backward, only to find out he had no physical body.

'I- I can't m-move.'

Yuu felt like he was soaked in sweat. The pressure slowly decreased to the point where he could somewhat move around. However, the pressure was not fully gone, and Yuu was now on high alert.

"I apologize, it has been a while since I sent out a fraction of my real self to talk to others."

"I-It's fine." Yuu was inwardly panicking.

'Don't make it mad, don't make it mad.' He chanted like a mantra.

"I-I apologize for asking a question, b-but where am I, and w-why am I here?"

"Ah, this place is a little something I made in order to talk to you. As for why you are here, I am here to talk to you about that so-called wish you made."

The amber-like eyes continued to stare, not even a blink. Yuu felt naked as if everything about him was revealed.

"M-my wish to become a c-chef?"

"Precisely. I decided to help you out in this wish of yours."

"M-may I ask w-why?"

"Truth be told, I am not quite sure. To me, you are very insignificant. At the same time, there is an outer force that is pushing me towards helping you. I think it is called "plot"? I am not sure."

Yuu felt confused.

"C-called what?"

"Plot."

"I-I don't know what you are saying. I'm sorry!"

The eyes did not move, but something similar to a sigh spread throughout the void.

"Do not worry about it. It appears that only certain people may understand that word."

"I-I see..."

"Moving along now, I have decided to do 3 things for you. The first of the three, I shall restore your arm. That should help you, will it not? The second of the three is a restaurant. This is something you will own."

"T-thank you very much!"

Yuu felt like crying. This was too much for him. He had a chance as well as a head start in his dreams now! He should be questioning how any of this was possible, but at this rate, he didn't care!

"Finally, the last of all is a grand one. Your restaurant will not be for your world. Instead, it will be linked to the grand Multiverse! Anything is possible in this! However, it will only be of the worlds you call "manga" and "anime". If you had access to every single thing, your puny mind would be destroyed."

He couldn't believe it anymore. He would be able to serve anyone from the multiverse? He could do almost anything then! Meet the Protagonists of stories! Get a girlfriend! Find Obama's last name! Anything was possible!

"However, this all comes at a price. Just like others, when meeting me, there will always be a price..."

Yuu gulped, before hesitantly asking.

"A-and what would that be?"

"You will no longer be able to go back to your world. You can not meet the people there, you can not access them, and you can not EVER go back."

Yuu felt like all the blood was draining from his face.

"B-but what about my family? I can't just-"

"An eye for an eye. Blood for blood. Dreams for dreams. By getting your dream of being able to become a chef and own a restaurant, you lose your dream of making your family happy."

Yuu immediately felt like arguing, but the pressure came back, stronger than before. The eyes grew closer and closer to him, and Yuu could do nothing but watch, as the monstrosity, appeared in front of him for half a second.

A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.

That was not that part that scared Yuu however. It was what came after it.

Even though it was half a second, he felt it.

Madness. Insanity. Chaos. He felt it all.

He felt like peeing his pants even though he could not do it. He felt like throwing up even though he could not do it. He felt like killing everything and them himself but he could not do it.

When that half-second ended, Yuu could do nothing but panic, asking the deity one final question with all his might.

"W-w-who a-are you?!"

It was shot out of desperation. Out of fear.

The creature-No, the monstrosity laughed, and Yuu started blacking out.

"I go by many names, but you may call me Cthulhu. This is the last time we will ever meet, so good luck young one."

As if someone snapped their fingers, everything disappeared, and the start of a journey began.

(AN: Alright, let's do this 1 more time!)

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