The weather was pleasant, and the sun shone brightly.
Saku Hayashi strolled leisurely along the sidewalk, the gentle breeze stirring his neat black hair.
His well-defined features seemed to have the word exhausted written all over them.
He had just broken up with his girlfriend on peaceful terms.
There had been no argument, and both of them had calmly said goodbye, but he still felt a lingering sense of regret.
“A future where I can already see how everything ends…
I wish I could experience a completely different life.” After glancing at the traffic light, Saku Hayashi stepped onto the crosswalk and muttered absentmindedly to himself.
“HOOOOONK—!” Bang!
An irresistible force suddenly slammed into Saku Hayashi.
It felt as though his body was about to be torn apart, but with adrenaline flooding his system, he did not immediately feel much pain.
He flew through the air like a broken rag doll.
In the final instant before darkness swallowed his vision, he saw what had hit him.
It was a Dayun truck.
Talk about being struck by great fortune…
“?” He could no longer speak, but ten thousand curses stampeded through his mind.
He had just broken up with his girlfriend, only to get hit by a Dayun truck.
If he had known this would happen, he would have checked the almanac before leaving home today.
He had not noticed the truck at all before the collision.
By the time he sensed it, he had already been hit.
The Dayun driver watched Saku Hayashi vanish into thin air and nodded in satisfaction.
That was the final quota for this period completed.
Since he had happened to hear Saku Hayashi wishing for a different life, he had decided to grant that wish and send him to another world.
“Young man, your journey has only just begun.” “Go, go, go!
Off you go!” …
Someone once said that there existed a beast whose entire body was made of succulent pork belly that melted the moment it entered one’s mouth.
There was also a spring that endlessly produced a refreshing beverage.
Its rich, mellow flavor resembled fragrant melons and perfectly ripened mangoes, while bubbles infused with their sweetness and aroma continuously rose to the surface.
There was also a…
Unknown delicacies beyond imagination intoxicated the hearts of all who sought them.
This was the Gourmet Age.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” “MOOOO!” Saku Hayashi sprinted desperately across the grassland.
A white-haired cow nearly two meters tall relentlessly pursued him from behind.
Its enormous, bell-like eyes glared ferociously as they remained locked onto him, while two columns of white vapor blasted from its nostrils like jets of steam.
He had probably transmigrated, but there was something seriously wrong with where he had appeared.
He had materialized while the cow was sleeping and stepped directly on its tail.
The irritable beast had awakened in a terrible mood and immediately decided to use Saku Hayashi as an outlet for its anger.
He had already been sent flying by a Dayun truck before transmigrating.
He certainly did not want to be launched into the sky by a cow immediately after arriving in another world.
His body appeared to have changed during the transmigration.
He had become a brat again, looking roughly twelve or thirteen years old.
He was young again!
Unfortunately, the grassland stretched endlessly in every direction.
There was not a single obstacle or place to hide—not even a tree for him to climb.
At that moment, Saku Hayashi sincerely believed that he was the unluckiest person alive.
The cow was about to catch him.
He could not outrun it at all.
If it rammed him, pieces of him would probably be scattered across the grassland.
“Knocking!” A dark figure flashed past as a crisp, pleasant female voice rang out.
The pounding of the cow’s hooves and the tremors running through the ground abruptly ceased.
Saku Hayashi gradually slowed down before turning to look behind him.
A black-haired woman dressed in black outdoor sportswear had appeared.
In one pale hand, she held something resembling a stun gun.
The white-haired cow had become completely motionless, as though someone had pressed a pause button.
“White-Haired Cinderella successfully captured.” The woman lightly patted the White-Haired Cinderella’s foreleg, seemingly satisfied with the ingredient’s quality.
Although farm-raised White-Haired Cinderellas had a Capture Level below 1, wild specimens could reach Level 1.
Their flavor was also richer, possessing a wild quality that their domesticated counterparts lacked.
“Hey, little guy.
It’s very unwise for an ordinary person to wander into the wilderness alone,” the black-haired woman said as she looked at Saku Hayashi.
Her beautiful face still carried a hint of youthful innocence.
Her black hair was tied into a single ponytail, giving her a valiant and capable appearance.
“Thank you…
Phew…
I’m saved.” Saku Hayashi dropped onto the ground and gasped for breath.
He had relied entirely on adrenaline to keep running while the cow chased him.
Now that he had finally relaxed, exhaustion and weakness instantly spread throughout his body.
A beauty saving the hero?
Not bad.
“You should replenish your fluids and energy.” The woman walked over, took a semi-transparent apple from her bag, and offered it to him with a smile.
“Thank you.” Saku Hayashi had never seen such a strange apple before.
However, his mouth was dry, his throat felt as though it were burning, and the apple’s fresh, sweet fragrance tugged irresistibly at his senses.
Crunch!
The moment he took a bite, Saku Hayashi’s eyes widened.
It was like opening a bottle of soda after vigorously shaking it.
Apple-flavored juice overflowing with bubbles erupted from the fruit and instantly filled his mouth.
A refreshing sweetness soothed his entire body, while countless bubbles seemed to dance and burst across his tongue.
Saku Hayashi could feel his depleted strength rapidly recovering.
Even the exhaustion weighing down his body quickly faded.
“It tastes like soda, but it’s even better!” Saku Hayashi licked the juice from the corner of his mouth, his eyes sparkling.
He had tasted plenty of juices and soft drinks before, but this was undoubtedly the most delicious beverage he had ever experienced.
“My name is Tsurara.
What’s yours, little guy?” the woman asked with a smile.
“Tsurara?” Saku Hayashi searched through his memories.
A moment later, inspiration flashed through his mind.
“My name is Saku Hayashi.
Miss Tsurara, what famous organizations or major powers exist in this world?” he asked.
He needed to confirm exactly which world he had entered.
“Famous organizations?
There’s the IGO, the Gourmet Corp…” Tsurara casually named several without needing to think.
Hearing those names, Saku Hayashi could not hide his surprise.
His guess had been correct.
The woman standing before him was Tsurara, a chef who would eventually enter the World Chef Ranking.
As for this place…
It was the world of Toriko.
Food was worth far more than money in this world.
Ingredients with high Capture Levels were priceless, and food itself could be considered a form of hard currency—one even more valuable than gold.
It was also an extremely dangerous world.
The Four Beasts alone, despite merely coming from the Gourmet World, had devastated the entire Human World.
During the Gourmet World arc, beasts with Capture Levels in the thousands could be found everywhere.
The final battle over GOD had nearly reduced the planet to cosmic debris, despite this world’s Earth being many times larger than the one Saku Hayashi had come from.
Tsurara looked much younger than she had in the anime and manga.
At this point in time, she was probably still working as a Gourmet Hunter.
(The manga never revealed Tsurara’s exact age, so this can be considered her younger self.
The current timeline is set before the beginning of the main story.) “Miss Tsurara, I’ve heard about a dish called Century Soup.
Approximately when will it next mature?” Saku Hayashi asked, hoping to confirm the current point in the timeline.
“Century Soup?
If I remember correctly, it last matured eighty-five years ago.
There should still be about fifteen years until the next time,” Tsurara replied after thinking for a moment.
Century Soup only matured once every hundred years.
Saku Hayashi rubbed his chin and made a rough calculation.
Toriko had met Komatsu when he was around twenty-five years old, and Century Soup had matured at approximately the same time.
From this, Saku Hayashi concluded that Toriko should currently be about ten years old—several years younger than him.
He was probably training under Ichiryū alongside the other three Heavenly Kings.
Tsurara was still working as a Gourmet Hunter.
In another few years, she would probably retire from hunting and devote herself to running a restaurant as a chef.
[Ding!] A cold voice suddenly sounded inside Saku Hayashi’s mind.
A virtual screen visible only to him appeared before his eyes.
[Dimensional Chat Group successfully loaded.
Congratulations on becoming the Group Leader.] [The Group Leader possesses administrative privileges, including the authority to remove members from the chat group.] [New members will randomly join the chat group at irregular intervals.] Saku Hayashi quickly browsed through the chat group’s information and confirmed that this was his cheat ability.
Since he had been the first person to join, he had automatically become the Group Leader.
When Saku Hayashi noticed that the Group Leader came with a Starter Pack, his spirits immediately soared.
However, there was no need to open it right now.
“Miss Tsurara, are you a Gourmet Hunter?” “That’s right.” Tsurara nodded.
Her main profession was currently that of a Gourmet Hunter, while working as a chef was merely her secondary occupation.
That was why she had not formed a two-person combo with a partner.
“Could you teach me how to survive in this world?” For now, it appeared impossible for him to return home.
Since he was already here, he could only accept his situation and adapt.
What he needed most was an experienced guide, and the woman before him was the perfect candidate.
“Hehe, I think I understand what you mean.
Our meeting must be the guidance of Food Luck.” Tsurara smiled.
“Follow me.
Let’s see how far you can keep up.” “All right.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Masked_Narrator Liked it!