"Haha! You can call me whatever you like. I never expected Jirou to take on a disciple either," Ichiryu laughed heartily, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "I've been observing your battles. You don't have a Gourmet Demon inside you, do you?"
"I only had the Gourmet Cells implanted six months ago," Setsuna nodded, unsurprised that Ichiryu could tell.
Ichiryu asked with a smile, "Well, do you want a Gourmet Demon? Just say the word, and I'll send one to you."
Setsuna was a little stunned. Do Gourmet Demons just pop out of monsters like Spirit Rings or Spirit Bones in other stories?
Setsuna hesitated and asked, "Which Gourmet Demon are you referring to, Sir?"
Ichiryu laughed heartily: "My Gourmet Demon. I call him the Boss Slime."
"Boss Slime?" Setsuna's eyes widened in disbelief.
If it were any other Gourmet Demon, he might have to hesitate. After all, Gourmet Demons are like Tailed Beasts (Bijuu) in that they are both helpful and a threat to their hosts (Jinchuriki). Some evil Gourmet Demons could even completely erode the host's main body, and Setsuna didn't want a time bomb inside him.
But the Boss Slime is different. Not only is it immensely powerful—having been a cosmic emperor like Frieza in its past life—it is also fiercely loyal. Even though Ichiryu had not allowed him to enjoy any gourmet food for 500 years, keeping him in a state of prolonged hunger and weakness...
After Ichiryu's death, the Slime did everything it could to resurrect Ichiryu, even sacrificing its own life to avenge him. This personality makes him an undoubtedly trustworthy partner.
While Boss Slime isn't like Titan, whose mind is completely mature, if he truly took up residence in Setsuna's body, the secret of time travel would definitely be revealed. However, Setsuna never planned to hide it. This would be a perfect opportunity for Boss Slime to act as his "Tailed Beast," like a perfect Jinchuriki. If Setsuna were to fall into a Genjutsu (Illusionary Technique), the Slime could awaken him from within.
As for the risk, even taking a thousand steps back, if the Slime genuinely tried to devour him, Setsuna would just have to curb his appetite. After all, he is the master of the body. Just like Ichiryu, if he consistently refrained from eating gourmet food, the Boss Slime would be powerless against him.
Before Setsuna could respond, an entirely black, slime-like demon appeared, angrily questioning, "Ichiryu, you bastard! Are you betraying the friendship between us?"
Although the demon was shouting loudly, there was no disturbance in the surroundings.
Ichiryu had quietly sectioned off the area when he entered, asking everyone else to leave temporarily.
Coco was also sound asleep, clearly, Ichiryu did not want him to hear these things.
Ichiryu smiled wryly and explained: "I'm about to go into a life-and-death battle, and I'm not confident I'll come out alive. You would receive much better nourishment by being with Setsuna. Besides, haven't you always wanted to enjoy all kinds of delicious food?"
Boss Slime slapped the water pool, causing the poisonous jellyfish nearby to faint from its aura. "That's exactly why I can't leave! Your enemy is that kid Midora (Toriko's brother), right? If the two of us team up, Midora is no match for you at all."
Setsuna nodded secretly as he listened. According to the story he knew in his past life, Ichiryu ultimately did not use the power of his Gourmet Demon, or even the power of his Gourmet Cells. Relying only on his own strength, he was still just short of defeating Midora, who was using his Gourmet Demon.
Hearing Boss Slime's words, Ichiryu shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I sense a hidden force constantly guiding the war between the IGO and the Gourmet Corp. That mastermind is very likely manipulating all of this. I cannot place all my hope on myself, and you are the bet I am placing on the future."
Setsuna felt great emotion. Although Ichiryu was powerful, his heart was like that of Shanks—always preferring to bet the future on uncertain fate.
If it were him, he would only choose to bet on himself.
Boss Slime suddenly realized: "I know! Your Gourmet Cells have completely degenerated. You tried to revive them but found out it would require a massive amount of food, so you held back, is that it?"
Ichiryu smiled bitterly: "Nothing can be hidden from you."
"Of course! We are one," Boss Slime laughed proudly, then sternly slapped the water surface. "You are the President of the IGO! What's wrong with consuming more food? You're doing it to protect the world, after all!"
Ichiryu slightly shook his head: "You know my appetite. I'm already a super glutton, and if I were to fill my 500 years of suppressed appetite, it might consume more than half of the Human World's food supply. There are still so many poor people starving in the world. How can I possibly steal their food to satisfy my own desires?"
"You're so stubborn," Slime shrugged. "Why not just hunt in the Gourmet World? With your strength, aside from the Eight Kings, you could hunt any other fierce beast as you please!"
Ichiryu still shook his head: "I cannot break the balance between the Human World and the Gourmet World because of me. If I enter the Gourmet World and start a massacre, those highly intelligent ferocious beasts might retaliate against the Human World."
Setsuna sighed internally. Even though Ichiryu, Jirou, and Midora were fellow students, their philosophies were completely different.
Ichiryu's belief was that everyone should be able to eat at the same table, and he could not kill out of desire. Jirou's philosophy was that if you kill, you must eat it all. And Midora was the most extreme, willing to devour the world for the sake of appetite.
Boss Slime was practically going mad, roaring, "Why are you so thick-headed?! If those fierce beasts attack the Human World, just kill them back until they're terrified! That's what I did in the cosmos before—I conquered one planet after another with force, and they didn't dare resist!"
To this, Ichiryu only shook his head and remained silent.
At this moment, Setsuna suddenly took out a Senzu Bean and asked with a smile, "Master Uncle, would you like to try this?"
"Is this a bar snack? Too bad I didn't bring any booze," Ichiryu laughed heartily. He didn't refuse Setsuna's kind offer, took the Senzu Bean, and ate it. But very quickly, the smile on his face froze, and his eyes snapped open. "My appetite... is 20% full!"
Boss Slime was also in disbelief: "How is that possible? A tiny little bean filled 20% of your appetite?"
Setsuna had only one thought in his mind: I lost out.
Senzu Beans restore stamina by percentage. That means when he fed the Mother Snake King earlier, five Senzu Beans at most would have been enough. He essentially wasted three Senzu Beans.
Setsuna sighed and took out four more Senzu Beans: "Master Uncle, if you eat these four, your appetite should be completely filled."
After training in Shokugi, which provided a free baseline similar to a Senzu Bean, Setsuna was no longer quite as desperate for them.