Chapter 25: Graduation and Going Home

After the time was called on the challenge, everyone began to decompress the tension in their bodies, but before they had a chance to rest, Gin spoke once more on the speakers, and told everyone that passed, that they would be getting 4 hours to rest up before the next challenge would take place, and while everyone else was dreading the camp, a select few felt that it was fun, while only 2 felt that this camp was a bother, and those 2 people were Erina, and Soren, these two had breezed through the challenges, and felt that this camp was too easy. Soon, 4 hours passed, and everyone was running towards their next destination, while some were more at ease, and took the challenge like a walk in the park, and a few hours later, everyone was once again asked to gather in the assembly halls, where talks of confusion were being heard throughout the crowd, while the group from Kyokusei were having an aneurysm, as things seemed to be repeating for them, as nothing about this gathering was scheduled on the training camp itinerary, making them feel that this would be another all nighter for them, but soon, Gin came up to the stage and began speaking into his mic for all to hear.

[Very well… It seems that you're all here… I have just a few words before we get started… So far, 360 students have failed, leaving 622 students remaining… Though it may seem cruel… This is a taste of what it's like to be a chef… You must keep your cool in unfamiliar situations, and always retain a "dialogue" with your ingredients… If you become a chef, you'll face even greater pressures than this… There will be sleepless nights where you must endure anxiety and indecision, deal with various situations, and handle yourself well… Being a chef is like being out in a wasteland, braving the storm all alone… The longer you endure it, the more difficult things become, and you can lose sight of your goal... And even if you realize you've reached the summit, you may forget the way back… But!... I want you to remember this… Remember that here at Totsuki, there were comrades with whom you left tracks in that wasteland with… The fact that you traversed it together should comfort you when one day you set out on your own… From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the best as you fight on… Now then… Let's begin the final segment of this training camp's program…]: gin

As Gin spoke this, all the students began to freak out, and upon hearing the doors open from behind them, they all turned with a sense of fear in their eyes, but upon seeing all the staff from the Totsuki Resort begin to welcome them, Gin finished his sentence.

[The final act is to congratulate you on completing your training, and offer you this humble meal… Please, enjoy a full-course dinner served up by our graduates… To all the 622 of you who remain: You've cleared the challenges of this training camp! Enjoy your dinner, everyone!]: gin

As Gin finished speaking, everyone began to shout and cheer, as they all began to go and take their seats at the tables that have been prepared, while Soren stayed back, as he wanted to take to Gin, and ask him a favor.

[Gin-san… I would like to ask you a favor]: soren

[And what would you like to ask of me, Soren?]: gin

[I want to treat my friends from Kyokusei with a dinner prepared by me, so would you mind if I get into uniform and join the graduates in cooking?]: soren

[Hmm… Under normal circumstances, I'd have to decline, but if you promise to make me some food as well, I'll happily let you start cooking, but do you really want to? You have just finished this training camp, so aren't you tired?]: gin

[Thank you!... And as for being tired… I'm not tired in the slightest bit… After opening my diner, I received an influx of customers who couldn't help but beg for my food, so I ran a 24/7 service for about a week, where I made and delivered food, so I have built up the stamina to be able to cook for a week straight, so this camp was quite easy for me]: soren

Upon hearing Soren's reply, Gin felt like he was standing before a monster, as even he couldn't cook for a week straight, let alone cook for 24 hours straight. Gin then saw Soren go to a changing room nearby, as he changed into his chef's uniform, and then went into the dining hall where everyone looked at him in confusion as to why he was dressed up in his cooking uniform, but everyone's questions were soon answered, as Gin spoke into the mic.

[Soren, here, has asked me to let him join the graduates in cooking the meals for tonight's dinner, as a congratulations to his friends on making it through the training camp… Please, feel free to stop by his station if you wish to try his food]: gin

Gin then put the mic down, as Soren began making some dishes, and placing them out on some trays in a buffet-style, and at first, nobody really went towards his station, as they would rather eat a graduates food, rather than some students food, but the people from Kyokusei started grabbing some plates from him, as he was their friend, and these dishes were specifically made for them. Kouki was one of the first to take food from Soren's table, as he was well informed as to what his fathers food tasted like, and he knew that Soren's food was a lot better than any of the graduates foods, and it was obvious, when other members from Kyokusei tried his food, and compared it to the other graduates, and before they could shout about it, they noticed that Soren placed his pointer finger to his lips to signal them to be quite about it. Everyone then enjoyed eating Soren's food, while the others didn't even want to fill up on a student's food, and stuck with all the graduates, leaving Soren's food for him and his friends to eat, as well as Gin, and some of the graduates who knew about the battle between Soren and Kojiro, as they all snuck in and took some plates, and secretly relished in how good his food was, while Gin thought that this was even better than the previous dishes he tried during the training camp.

[Enjoy the food everyone, as this is my treat to you, as well as motivation to get better, otherwise you all will just stay behind me]: soren

Soon, everyone went back to their rooms, while all of the Kyokusei group had gathered in Zenji's room once again, and played cards all night, until everyone went to sleep, leaving Soren to chuckle over his newly made friends. Soren then began to think back on the time he died, and about the journey he had taken so far, as he then began to talk to himself before he dozed off, and entered his dreams.

'Wow… It's been almost 21 years since I had been given this gift, and now I'm almost 40, but I've never really made any friends like the ones I've made since coming to this world… This group of knuckleheads is something else entirely… I should do something grand for them before I decide to leave this world': soren

The next morning, everyone got onto the bus, and were taken back to Totsuki Academy, but it wasn't until everyone got off the bus that they noticed Soma was missing. Everyone from Kyokusei began to freak out, while Soren just went back to his room so he could sleep for a while, as he knew that Soma would be back in a few hours along with Erina, and just like that, night came, and everyone was drawn to the kitchen to see a man cooking next to Fyumi. He had shoulder length brown hair with a hint of red, that was kept up in a ponytail, while a few tufts of hair were left out, as they framed the man's face, thick black eyebrows, and golden colored orange eyes, along with a bunch of stubble strapping under his chin. He wore a skin tight black T-shirt, while blue jean pants, and a white apron tied around his waist. The man saw Soma, and began giving him tasks to help him around the kitchen, and Soma just answered him with positive responses, as if he was used to helping this man, but after a moment, Soma spoke out.

[Wait!... What the hell are you doing here, dad!]: soma

[Dad!?!?]: everyone at kyokusei

Soma then began to introduce his father to everyone, while Soren already knew who the man was, but let Soma introduce him anyway, and then everyone knew that the man known as Joichiro Saiba, or now known as Joichiro Yukihira was Soma's father. Soma and Joichiro then began cooking in the kitchen, while everyone else began sitting at the table, while waiting for food to come out, and after a little wait, the food was ready, and Joichiro began explaining the reason for his little visit, while everyone else ate the food that was brought to the table. Soon, everyone went to bed, and Soma had a food war with his father, but like usual, he lost, but Joichiro did compliment him on his improvement, making Soma happy, and after a few days, it was officially summer break, and all the students were allowed to go home for a week, before coming back to school. Soma went back to his hometown, while Soren made through on his promise, and for that whole week, he cooked all the food Gine could want, as well as was used as a sex stress relief doll, as he was forced to lay there, while Gine road the shit out of him, to the point that he became raw to the touch. Soren then went back to Totsuki a week later, and heard about the "Selection" and from his knowledge, it was a competition where the best of the best were selected to show off their skills to a bunch of people with power, and winning gave you amazing prizes, but Soren wasn't interested, so when someone came to inform him of his selection seat, he declined, and went on with his day.

'I guess i can watch the battles, but for the rest of my time here, I'll only be doing the minimum required to let me graduate… I don't want to hold a seat on the 10, I just want to graduate': soren

Soon, 6 years passed, and the day of graduation came for everyone at Kyokusei, with Soma holding the title of seat 1 on the council of 10, while Kouki was upset, as he played Rock, Paper, Scissors, for it, and lost in the end, while settling for the second seat, pushing everyone a seat back, and kicking seat 10 out of the circle, but the previous seat 10 holder still graduated. Soren along with all his friends had graduated, and Soren had brought up the idea of having another wife to Gine, but she declined, as she thought that she could still handle Soren all by herself, and upon walking the stage, Soma decided that he would travel the world just like his father, while Kouki wanted to master something else, and like that, Soren decided it was time to go back to Cultivation Chat Group and see how things were going, while he planned on coming back in the future to gather people to join his restaurant that he planned on making all throughout the multiverse.

[You guys ready to go back now?]: soren

[Yes, I quite miss Mother and Father in law… I wonder how strong they are now]: gine

[So do you think Grandpa and Grandma will be angry with you, dad?]: kouki

[Haha… Probably… So don;t bring it up, unless they bring it up first]: soren

After Soren said this, he began to sweat a bit, as he had been gone for a total of 10 years, and Kouki was now 21, meaning he just stripped his mother of quality time watching her grandson grow into a young man.

'Maybe I should get Gine pregnant again?... But it can't be that simple, can it?': soren

After setting his resolve to meet with his parents again, and face their wrath, Soren teleported everyone back to the world of Cultivation Chat Group, and appeared inside their house, but something was different, the air gave off a spiritual filled presence, and upon feeling someone enter the house, it's current occupants seemed to appear out of thin air due to their speed, and seeing their reactions, Soren could tell they were ready to fight.

[What's going on?... Why are you guys so antsy?]: soren

Upon hearing and seeing their son, they dropped their guard and immediately rushed up to hug him, as they felt relieved that he finally came back.

[My son!... You have returned!... We've missed you so much!]: serah

Serah hugged Soren and spoke, while Mark, his father just stayed silent, and from afar, the voice of a little boy was heard, as he came into the area where everyone currently was, and he spoke.

[Mom?... Dad?... What's going on?... Who's that?]: ???

Serah and Mark separated from Soren and turned to the boy to speak with him, and when his parents moved, Soren was able to see the figure of a 6 or 7 year old boy with long black hair, and hazel eyes, with skin that was a white as snow, appearing to be perfect without any blemish, and had thin pointed eyebrows giving the boy a girlish appearance, but it was obvious that he wasn't a girl.

[Nothing's wrong Mikael… It's just that your brother has finally returned… Quick, come say hello to him]: mark

Mark called over the boy known as Mikael, and he came over, albeit a bit timid, as he had heard stories and seen pictures of his older brother, but he had never seen him in person, and although he didn;t want to admit it, the pictures didn't do his current appearance any justice in his handsomeness.

[H-Hello… My name is Mikael, nice to meet you, big brother!]: mikael

Soren smiled at his little brother's way of speaking to him, and knelt down to give him a hug, and upon hugging him, Soren noticed that Mikael was a cultivator, but he wasn't just a cultivator, he had reached the Fifth Stage Spirit Sovereign, and seeing such a level for a boy this young was shocking to him, but then he looked at his parents, and noticed that they were both at the Eighth Stage Profound Saint, and he realized that the entire house was covered in a seal that would detect intruders, and this was the reason why he was detected, and his parents came in ready to fight.

'I really have let my guard down for far too long… I've completely forgotten about keeping a guard up at all times… I guess that's what you get when you go to a world with no supernatural powers': soren

[Wow… You guys are so powerful now… So tell me, how's that chat group doing?]: soren

[Well shortly after you left, we continued to use your phone to converse with the group, and upon finding out that we had a high cultivation base, and were related to you, they told us to download the group chat app, and added us to the group, so ever since then, your phone has been left alone]: serah

[I see… So what are your Daoist names so that I can add you guys as friends… Then the next time I enter a world, I can keep in contact with you, as long as it lets me]: soren

[Mine is Immortal Mountains Yang Flame… Cool, right?... It took me a whole week to come up with]: mark

Soren's father seemed to be proud of what he came up with, while his mother just sighed and shook her head towards her husband's actions, and how childish they were.

[I choose to be known as the Immortal Yin Empress… I tried to get your father to be known as Immortal Yang Emperor, but he wanted to seal his fate with a name that is such a mouthful to say]: serah

[Those names are quite amazing and well thought out… I guess I should go login and find everything else out for myself… I'll see you all at dinner, I'll be cooking, so don't worry about making anything]: soren