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"YOU'RE AFTER YUUKI-SAMA'S KNIVES!"
The moment Asahi Saiba finished speaking, Sarge interjected angrily. She now considered Yuuki her boss; someone coveting her boss's knives obviously infuriated her.
As a Midnight Chef, she had also heard of Asahi Saiba and knew about his special ability.
Although Asahi Saiba hadn't explicitly stated what his special ability was, every time he competed, he aimed for the opponent's knives, and after seizing them, he kept them.
The number of knives on his person grew larger and larger, making him look like a knife peddler. Moreover, when he cooked, many people noticed Asahi's abnormality.
Once he used someone else's knives, it was as if he were possessed by the original owner of the knives; he could easily perform their signature moves and even use their special abilities.
People weren't fools—they obviously knew Asahi's special ability was replication and was related to knives.
As Asahi's fame grew, many Chefs who knew his situation didn't want to compete with him—After all, not everyone wanted their knives taken away.
Of course, there were exceptions...
Never mind others; just look at Sarge here.
Sarge knew what Asahi's special ability was. If she hadn't met Yuuki, then facing Asahi's challenge, Sarge would inevitably have agreed—
—The reason was simple: Sarge had absolute confidence. She didn't think she would lose.
This confidence stemmed from her formidable Culinary skills.
Although there weren't many like Sarge, there were some. This type of person, apart from a very few with blind confidence, others were all highly skilled.
....
"Yuuki-sama, this guy's special ability is to copy others' Culinary skills and special abilities by coming into contact with their knives—" Sarge directly told Yuuki about Asahi's special ability.
As for what decision to make in the end, that was not her business.
"Copying others' Culinary skills and special abilities... that's quite interesting. If I compete with you, what benefits can I get?"
Yuuki asked, somewhat amused.
Asahi's Culinary skills could indeed serve as "Nourishment" for him, why should he agree? He was very curious about what kind of wager Asahi could offer.
Hearing this, Asahi Saiba was taken aback for a moment.
Facing Yuuki, he really couldn't offer any good wager.
In terms of strength, he wasn't sure if he could defeat Yuuki. In terms of influence, the powers behind Yuuki were much greater than his. It could be said that whatever wagers he could offer, Yuuki already possessed. So, for a moment, he didn't know what to do.
"Can't think of anything?? How about wagering your loyalty against me?"
Looking at the somewhat dazed Asahi, Yuuki proposed his idea.
But as soon as these words were out, Asahi directly shook his head—
—He wanted to challenge Yuuki because he was after Yuuki's knives; he wanted to replicate Yuuki's Culinary skills through Yuuki's knives.
He himself wasn't sure if he could defeat Yuuki. After all, the Culinary skills Yuuki displayed just now were too astonishing.
To rashly wager his freedom under such uncertain circumstances—he couldn't bring himself to do that yet.
"Since you don't want—then there's no need for more words. Sarge, let's go!"
Yuuki didn't waste any more breath on Asahi.
Although the other party could serve as his "nourishment," not just anyone could challenge him.
This precedent couldn't be set lightly—otherwise, there would be endless trouble later.
As for Asahi Saiba, although he was the final BOSS and possessed an extremely strong special ability, he wasn't of much use to Yuuki—
—In Yuuki's view, Asahi's special ability was best used as a whetstone. Because as long as he obtained someone else's knives, he could replicate everything about them.
Competing with Asahi under such circumstances was equivalent to facing one's own mirror image, even a mirror image stronger than oneself.
Facing one's own mirror image, one could naturally see one's own shortcomings very clearly.
So, Asahi's special ability was actually a very good whetstone!
Of course, the premise was that this whetstone allowed you to sharpen yourself; otherwise, it was useless.
And another point: Yuuki felt Asahi was completely misusing his special ability. Through knives, one could replicate a person's special ability and Culinary skills, but only when holding others' knives could this be achieved.
It could be said that as long as Asahi obtained someone else's knives, it was equivalent to being able to unconditionally learn the their Culinary skills.
Such an opportunity was quite rare.
Even between teacher and student, often something would be held back. But his ability could achieve direct replication, equivalent to the other party unconditionally letting him learn.
Asahi's special ability should have been about seizing others' knives and then continuously using these knives to learn various techniques and experiences, not just taking them out during competitions.
In Yuuki's eyes, Asahi had only used his special ability correctly once: The knife Jōichirō Yukihira gave him before leaving.
That knife was one Jōichirō had used in the past, so Asahi learned Jōichirō's Culinary skills through that knife and used it as a springboard to rise quickly.
This was the true use of "Cross Knives." Subsequent uses, although they could allow Asahi's Culinary skills to improve rapidly—as long as he switched to a different knife, Asahi's Culinary skills would plummet...
....
"Sarge, after you've handled your matters, come find me at WGO headquarters."
After returning to his residence, Yuuki said to Sarge. Although Sarge was already his secretary, Sarge also had her own things to do. Yuuki planned to let her handle her own affairs first.
"Rest assured, Yuuki-sama! One day will be enough for me. My forces are mostly managed by my subordinates—there isn't much that requires my personal attention." Sarge stated.
She only needed one day to resolve her matters and then follow Yuuki.
In Sarge's view, just following Yuuki was enough—these other things weren't necessary.
But on second thought, since she was following Yuuki, she would naturally also unconditionally dedicate these things to Yuuki. So, she couldn't just ignore them.
"One day is enough?? In that case, I'll stay here one more day." Yuuki nodded.
Since one day was enough, then there was no need for him to go back early; he would wait for Sarge.
Hearing Yuuki's words, Sarge was very happy—
—After bidding Yuuki farewell, she went to handle her work matters.
As for Yuuki, he stayed in his room to rest.
However, when night came, something happened that left Yuuki somewhat speechless:
A thief had broken in...
Although his hearing hadn't been enhanced, with the help of Food Honor, Yuuki could clearly hear the movements around him. Someone suddenly entered the room.
Although the movements were very slight, he still sensed it!
The room was pitch black, but Yuuki's Vision had been enhanced—now he could also easily achieve night vision. He could clearly see a figure completely covered up sneaking into his room.
Yuuki recognized this person: it was Asahi Saiba, who had wanted to challenge him during the day.
It seemed this guy wasn't planning to give up on his knives. But since he couldn't get them openly, he resorted to covert means.
Yuuki wasn't very surprised by this operation.
This guy was a Midnight Chef—And in the original story, they had even kidnapped Erina Nakiri. Although it was just for fun, they indeed did it.
Now, coming to steal knives was a very normal thing.
Yuuki just watched as the other party fumbled their way to where he kept his knives. Although Yuuki's space could store knives, he couldn't just take things out of his space in front of others.
So, he usually carried his knives with him. The knives were in a box on the table.
....
"Found it!"
At this moment, after Asahi Saiba felt the box containing the knives, he was overjoyed.
During the day, he had memorized what Yuuki's Seven-Star Knife box looked like.
Such a large box—even in the dark, it was very easy to find.
However, just as Asahi was about to take the knives away, he found this set of knives was surprisingly heavy...
He had to use a lot of effort just to move the box.
Asahi was somewhat troubled.
It wouldn't be easy to take away these heavy knives. He had entered very carefully.
Now, carrying those heavy things, wanting to leave silently seemed difficult.
After thinking for a moment, Asahi's eyes suddenly lit up.
This Seven-Star Knife set consisted of seven knives, all used by Yuuki. For him, one knife versus seven knives actually didn't make much difference.
So, Asahi now planned to open the box and just take one of them.
Thinking of this, Asahi carefully opened the box without making any sound.
Then, he went for the smallest knife.
For him, this one knife was enough—
However, when he picked up the knife, he suddenly froze. Because he found that his special ability could copy very few things—only some simple cooking experience.
As for Yuuki's Inferno special ability and other things, there was NOTHING. It was as if this knife wasn't Yuuki's.
"What's wrong?? Can you copy my abilities??"
Just as Asahi Saiba was puzzled, a voice suddenly sounded. The appearance of this voice made the hairs on Asahi's body instantly stand on end—
However, his reaction was extremely fast. After dropping the knife in his hand, he immediately turned around, intending to run.
Yet, before he could run out—a hand landed directly on his shoulder. Instantly, an immense force came through. Asahi only felt a sharp pain and simply couldn't break free...
After Yuuki grabbed Asahi's shoulder, he directly dragged this fellow and turned on the light.
Looking at Asahi, who was fully armed with only his nose, mouth, and eyes exposed, Yuuki estimated this wasn't the first time this guy had done something like this. He directly pulled off the mask concealing Asahi's face.
"Now, is there anything else you want to say?" Yuuki looked at Asahi Saiba, somewhat amused.
When he discovered Asahi earlier, Yuuki hadn't acted immediately. He was also curious about how much of his stuff the other party could copy.
So, he let Asahi search here.
It wasn't until Asahi picked up his knife and froze that he was certain Asahi couldn't copy his abilities and Culinary skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have just stood there dazed.
"I never thought I'd fall into your hands. Your strength is REALLY something! I feel like my shoulder is about to be crushed by you!"
Knowing he couldn't escape, Asahi Saiba shook his head.
Looking at Asahi's reaction, Yuuki also found it somewhat amusing.
His strength just now was indeed a bit much, and his hand was also gripping a joint. With a little force, Asahi's experience would definitely be particularly "refreshing."
"You were acting like a thief. Now that you're caught, you have nothing to say, right? Looking at you, you probably can't copy my abilities, can you?" Yuuki said after putting the knife back into the box.
"Indeed, I can't copy them. Only some basic experience. As for other things, it's as if it's a blank slate. This is the first time I've encountered this situation. Is that knife REALLY yours?" Asahi Saiba was also very puzzled.
He looked at the knife Yuuki put back in the box, not knowing why his special ability had failed.
"Special abilities like these have upper limits. Once that limit is exceeded, the ability naturally becomes useless." Yuuki shook his head.
It would be a miracle if Asahi could copy his things.
Keep in mind, Yuuki's various abilities and techniques all came from other worlds.
Secret Techniques required a vast knowledge reserve and sufficiently strong physical fitness to perform.
Asahi simply couldn't replicate them.
The special abilities in this world had an upper limit. Yuuki had broken the upper limit of the God's Tongue, which was why Mana Nakiri could taste deliciousness.
Asahi Saiba's special ability was limited to copying things from this world. And abilities like the God's Tongue—Asahi also couldn't copy.
....
"The upper limit of a special ability, huh? So, you've already surpassed the upper limit of special abilities. What a MONSTER!" Asahi Saiba was speechless regarding Yuuki.
This guy was terrifyingly strong in every aspect.
Culinary skills being like that was one thing, but his combat power was frighteningly high. He simply couldn't muster any thought of resistance.
"Alright, we're done talking about special abilities. Now we should talk about how to deal with you. How about I send you to the police station? Breaking and entering—but you didn't steal anything. You'll probably be out after a while!" Yuuki said with a smile.
As soon as these words were out, Asahi Saiba's face instantly turned black.
If he were really sent to jail—for breaking and entering at that, how could he ever show his face in the culinary world again??
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