Chapter 48: Embracing Death

In the evening, Kira returned home with Riko. Riko's house was located above the gymnasium.

As soon as they opened the door, Kira could smell a very distinct aroma of food, which quickly stimulated his appetite.

Although Kira, as the top-ranked player in the team, had relatively high-quality meals every day, after more than half a month, eating the same fixed dishes for every meal became monotonous, no matter how delicious they were.

"Welcome back, my darling Riko!"

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Kagetora Aida , wearing an apron, immediately rushed out with a polite smile on his face. But when he saw Kira, he furrowed his brow.

"Oh, it's you again, kid."

"Aida Uncle is cooking again. It smells so good."

Kira greeted him with a smile. Previously, when he had urgent training in the gym, Kagetora Aida was responsible for preparing his daily meals.

Although Riko occasionally cooked for Kira herself, she mainly focused on nutritional value, completely disregarding presentation and taste. One could say that those meals were too avant-garde for modern aesthetic and dietary preferences.

"Flattery won't work on me. I'm just cooking delicious food for my darling Riko. I'm being generous to you, a freeloader!"

"I understand. Thank you very much, Aida Uncle."

Kira knew that despite Aida Kagetora Aida 's stern appearance, he was actually a very kind person. During his previous training sessions, he had received guidance and assistance from him.

Moreover, without Aida Kagetora's cooking, Kira would probably have starved to death because of Riko's meals.

"Perfect timing, Dad. Have you prepared the ingredients? I've learned a signature dish these past few days. Let Kira taste it! Kira, just wait a moment!"

Riko said with a smile, then eagerly ran into the kitchen.

Kira turned his head towards the sofa, where there were many books about culinary arts. It seemed that Riko had made a lot of preparations for Kira's return.

"Kid, mind having a chat?"

Aida turned to Kira after seeing his daughter enter the kitchen and start bustling around.

"Sure."

Kira quickly sat on the sofa with Aida, and the latter spoke up.

"Have you heard about the plan regarding the Blue lock? It's quite crazy. What do you think?"

"Yes."

Kira nodded.

"Well, Kira, what do you think of this Blue lock plan? That person's name is Ego Jinpachi, right?"

Aida's expression gradually became serious. He wanted to hear the answer from Kira's mouth.

As a former national team player, Aida was aware of the insider details of the Blue lock burying the careers of 299 players.

"I don't agree with his methods."

Kira voiced his answer.

"To sacrifice the careers of 299 individuals in order to bring forth a super forward, I don't approve of such an ideology. It shows disrespect towards all players, not just those in the Blue lock but also players in various positions whether it's football or basketball. It's not a competitive sport where the outcome is solely determined by individual abilities. The most important aspect is teamwork. And by staying in the Blue lock, I aim to prove that his concept is wrong."

"Good."

Upon hearing Kira's words, Aida nodded in satisfaction. The two of them continued to discuss some matters regarding the Blue lock. After several tens of minutes, Riko walked out carrying a dish.

"Ta-da! This is my proud masterpiece, Beef Stew with Potatoes that I just learned!"

Riko placed her creation on the dining table and proudly introduced her culinary skills to Kira.

Kira looked at the dish and couldn't find words to say for a while.

The taste seemed normal.

There was indeed beef and potatoes on the plate...

But the beef was a large uncut piece, not sliced at all.

And the potatoes were even more outrageous, not only were they two whole potatoes, but they hadn't even been peeled.

Beef Stew with Potatoes, perhaps Riko had some misunderstanding about the dish's name.

"Um... Riko, did you learn this dish from these books?"

Kira's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, but I only read the seasoning part! The other parts seemed too complicated, so I skipped them!"

"..."

"Alright, let's start eating!"

The three of them sat around the table. Riko's mother was on a business trip and wasn't at home.

"I'll taste my precious Riko's culinary skills!"

Aida picked up his chopsticks and aimed for the beef in Riko's dish. However, in mid-air, his chopsticks were intercepted by Riko's chopsticks.

"The beef is prepared for.....,It's rich in protein, which is crucial."

As Riko spoke, she flicked her father's chopsticks away and placed the meat into Kira's bowl.

"Kira, eat! Dad will just have the potatoes."

"Thank you very much!"

"Potatoes are fine too!"

Aida immediately picked up a whole potato and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing forcefully a few times.

In an instant, his expression turned pale, and his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"What's wrong, Uncle Aida!"

Kira asked anxiously.

"It's nothing... my precious daughter... retch... gulp... the dish you made is really delicious! retch..."

Although Aida said so, his pained expression was still evident. Kira felt as if he could see Aida's soul floating slowly above his head.

"Uncle, did you just make a vomiting sound?"

Kira was surprised. He didn't expect Riko's cooking to have such a strong impact.

He wondered why following the recipe's process would result in such an effect, even if the taste might not be great.

"Riko, did you really follow the seasoning instructions in the recipe?"

"Yes."

Riko nodded firmly.

"That's strange..."

"But to give you extra nutrition, I also added some protein powder, electrolyte water, and creatine chewable tablets..."

"I see."

Kira suddenly understood. He turned to Aida, whose features were contorted, but eventually he forcefully patted his chest, swallowing the food.

At that moment, it seemed that a look of resignation appeared on his face.