Chapter 321

Teppei ignored Komatsu’s complaint and turned his attention toward Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna, who were standing nearby.

"And you three are?"

"I’m Haruto, a chef—and a part-time Gourmet Hunter."

Haruto smiled as he introduced himself.

"These two are my companions, Kagura and Kanna."

"Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna, huh?"

Teppei studied the three of them and nodded thoughtfully.

He could sense a faint sense of danger from Haruto, which alone was enough to tell him that this chef was far from weak.

"Mr. Haruto is amazing," Komatsu added enthusiastically. "His cooking is delicious, and he even captured and prepared a Puffer Whale before!"

Back when they went after the Puffer Whales, Haruto had actually reached the area before them.

"Really?"

Teppei gave Haruto a more surprised look.

Successfully capturing a Puffer Whale already proved that Haruto possessed considerable skill.

Being able to prepare one without poisoning it meant his culinary ability was equally impressive.

Yet Teppei searched through his memory and could not recall ever hearing Haruto’s name before.

How could a chef and Gourmet Hunter this capable have practically no reputation?

Still, Haruto clearly knew both Komatsu and Toriko, and nothing about him suggested he was dangerous to them, so Teppei did not dwell on it.

Just then, Haruto’s ears twitched.

He caught the faint sound of approaching footsteps.

Without moving his head, he glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Rin was creeping toward Toriko from behind with a mischievous grin, leaning forward as though preparing to scare him.

Haruto calmly looked away.

He had no intention of warning Toriko.

"Boo!"

Rin suddenly jumped out from behind him and slapped both hands onto Toriko’s shoulders.

Toriko turned around and stared at her in mild surprise.

"Rin?"

There was not the slightest sign that she had frightened him.

"What are you doing here?"

Work at the Gourmet Coliseum kept Rin fairly busy, so under normal circumstances she rarely left for long.

"Hehe! Because I knew you’d definitely come here for the Surprise Apples!"

Rin grinned brightly.

"So I secretly came over to surprise you! Well? Weren’t you shocked to see me?"

She looked at Toriko expectantly, clearly hoping for a more enthusiastic reaction.

Toriko merely nodded.

Then he turned back toward the apple orchard, his thoughts obviously already occupied by the Surprise Apples.

"Ugh..."

Rin stared helplessly at the side of his face.

Of course.

She should have known.

Other than food, Toriko barely paid attention to anything.

Haruto shook his head at the sight.

Kagura let out a quiet snort beside him.

"What an idiot. Can’t he tell how that girl feels about him?"

Haruto merely shrugged.

He had nothing to say on the matter.

Romance was something only the people involved could truly understand.

After greeting Rin, Komatsu turned back toward Teppei.

"By the way, Mr. Teppei, why are you here?"

Teppei was a Regenerator. His main responsibility was protecting and restoring endangered ingredients, not capturing them like a Gourmet Hunter.

Some chefs had come to the Surprise Apple harvest out of curiosity or because they wanted ingredients of their own, but Teppei hardly seemed like the type to care about an event like this.

Surely he had not come here just to harvest Surprise Apples too?

Teppei immediately spread his hands with a deeply aggrieved expression.

"Why else? My unreliable master sent me!"

"Your master?"

Komatsu looked surprised.

"Even Mr. Yosaku is interested in Surprise Apples?"

Yosaku was an extremely famous Regenerator.

He had even helped Toriko recover his severed arm before.

Teppei rolled his eyes.

"The IGO asked him to investigate changes in the Surprise Apples’ ecosystem."

"But instead of doing it himself, he ran off somewhere on vacation and dumped the entire job on me!"

"And this isn’t even the first time!"

"My master really loves ordering people around."

Once Teppei started complaining, he showed no sign of stopping.

Haruto and Komatsu exchanged helpless looks.

He really was incredibly long-winded.

Still, despite how unreliable Yosaku could appear, his skill as a Regenerator was unquestionably extraordinary.

Haruto thought it might be worth asking him for advice someday if the opportunity arose.

"There’s no way I’d miss something like this!"

A cheerful voice suddenly interrupted them.

Tina hurried over with a camera in hand, excitement written all over her face and the unmistakable hunger for an exclusive story shining in her eyes.

"Ms. Tina!"

Komatsu greeted her.

He was not surprised to see her here at all.

There was no way someone like Tina would miss an event centered around harvesting Surprise Apples.

Tina nodded to Komatsu, then swept her gaze across the group.

The moment she noticed Haruto, her eyes lit up.

"Mr. Haruto! You came too!"

She sounded genuinely excited.

"I haven’t seen you since the Puffer Whale capture!"

Back then, Haruto had captured a Puffer Whale even before Toriko and Coco’s group and had successfully prepared it himself.

Ever since, Tina had wanted another chance to interview him.

Unfortunately, Haruto had practically vanished from public view afterward.

Running into him here was an unexpected stroke of luck.

"Long time no see, Ms. Tina."

Haruto gave her a friendly smile.

"I didn’t expect you to be here either."

"Of course I’m here!"

Tina raised her camera enthusiastically.

"Surprise Apples only bear fruit once a year. How could I possibly miss news this big?"

"Besides, plenty of powerful Gourmet Hunters show up for the harvest. There are bound to be some incredible moments!"

Her gaze moved eagerly between Haruto and Toriko.

"Mr. Haruto, Mr. Toriko—and you too, Mr. Teppei—you’d better give it everything you’ve got!"

"I need an absolutely enormous Surprise Apple story for my exclusive coverage!"

Of course, most of Tina’s expectations were focused on Haruto and Toriko.

Teppei might be an excellent Regenerator, but when it came to capturing ingredients, she assumed a professional Gourmet Hunter would have the advantage.

Haruto smiled and nodded.

"I’ll do my best."

Toriko clenched one fist.

"Don’t worry! I’m definitely getting a high-Surprise-Level apple!"

At that moment, Apollon noticed that there was not much time left before the Surprise Apple harvest officially began.

He straightened his suit and addressed the group.

"Well then~ it’s almost time~"

"I hope all of you~ return victorious and harvest Surprise Apples~ that satisfy you."

With that, Apollon turned and walked away with his four bodyguards.

He still wanted to see whether there were any other promising Gourmet Hunters among the participants.

Komatsu watched him leave, then suddenly looked puzzled.

"Mr. Toriko, why is a taste master like Mr. Apollon here in the first place?"

Komatsu genuinely could not understand why someone as distinguished as a G7 taste master would personally come to a Surprise Apple farm.

"He’s probably here to judge their flavor."

Toriko answered casually.

He was not particularly interested in such matters.

He would rather spend the time deciding how he was going to scare his Surprise Apples.

Tina stepped closer and explained instead.

"Surprise Apples have humanlike faces and expressions, so they’re also called Human-Face Apples."

"Human-Face Apples?"

Komatsu suddenly had a bad feeling.

Tina continued,

"You can estimate a Surprise Apple’s Surprise Level from its appearance."

"But you can’t know exactly how good it tastes—or its true grade—without actually eating it."

"So the final flavor and Surprise Level have to be judged personally by professional taste masters like Mr. Apollon."

Komatsu nodded thoughtfully as Tina’s explanation finally made sense.