"Finding the right direction for one's chef's heart isn't easy, Erina. You can't rush something like that." Senzaemon Nakiri said to Erina Nakiri, then his gaze flicked over to Megumi Tadokoro.
Yes — he knew how things had been at the Totsuki resort. Gin Dojima had already reported on some outstanding students, and Megumi was among them.
Don't be fooled by Megumi being a Three-Star Chef — she'd already found the right direction for her chef's heart.
Usually a chef's fastest improvement comes from basic skills; progress in the chef's heart lags far behind basic technique. That was true for Kael too. In terms of fundamentals, Kael was terrifyingly strong, but because of his chef's heart, he was still only a Five-Star Chef.
Megumi was the opposite. Her basics were still at a Three-Star level, but she'd already found the right direction for her chef's heart.
In other words, once she improved her fundamentals, she could climb to Five-Star quickly. Of course, improving fundamentals isn't easy — not everyone can cheat their way through like Kael.
Senzaemon didn't say anything about Megumi out loud. He couldn't. His granddaughter had been hit hard enough already; if he mentioned Megumi's situation, it would only make her feel worse.
"Kael, I heard your specialty is Poison Cuisine. This is the first time I've come across such a thing — could I try a sample?" After Erina had recovered a little, Joichiro Saiba spoke up.
Only a handful of people knew about Kael's Poison Cuisine, but Soma had mentioned it on the phone once. Joichiro had also brought it up during a call with Senzaemon. Joichiro was genuinely curious — he'd traveled the world and tasted countless dishes over the years, but he'd never heard of Poison Cuisine.
"I miss the flavor of Poison Cuisine myself. I still remember that mapo tofu from before!"
Senzaemon brightened at the mention. He, too, was very curious — honestly, he wondered how Kael could turn toxins into something beneficial for the human body.
"Since both the Director and Joichiro-senpai insist, I suppose I'll give it a try."
Kael didn't refuse once they both asked. He had one dish he wanted them to taste, and it might even do them some good.
"The ingredients look normal — scallion and mutton. It's just a soup. I don't see anything else."
Everyone watched Kael curiously. When they saw the ingredients were ordinary, each of them frowned in puzzlement.
They didn't have long to stare — they were soon called to help. There were a lot of people at the gathering, so someone had to set up tables and utensils.
This tasting was mainly for Kael and Joichiro's dishes; the others didn't need to cook. Only three people were busy in the kitchen: Kael, Joichiro, and Soma Yukihira, who'd been roped in by Joichiro.
It didn't take long before all three dishes were ready. Once the food was on the table, everyone's eyes were fixed on Kael's creation.
"Mutton and scallion soup? That seems pretty ordinary." They looked at Kael's mutton-and-scallion soup and commented.
"It does look normal. You'll see the effect when you drink it. Pity this version was made on short notice — it should've taken seven days, so the effect is diminished." Kael said, and the group grew even more curious. Seven days to make a soup was astonishing — Even a traditional long-process dashi (soup stock in Japanese cuisine) only takes a day or two.
They decided to drink it anyway. Even if it was Poison Cuisine, they trusted Kael wouldn't do anything reckless.
"The mutton and scallion suit each other — this bowl is savory, with a faint sweetness…"
As they sipped and praised the flavor, heat suddenly spread through their bodies. It wasn't because the soup was hot; they could feel warmth rising from their skin.
After setting down the bowls, their bodies grew hotter. There were no mirrors, but everyone could see the people who drank the soup beginning to blush faintly.
Before anyone could ask what was happening, beads of sweat formed on their skin — then more and more sweat came, at first a few drops, then as if they'd done an hour of intense exercise.
Along with the sweat, their physical strength waned. They had energy, but it felt like they couldn't use it.
"This… is this really okay?" Hisako Arato, who was experienced with medicinal cuisine, looked alarmed as she checked her own condition.
"Don't worry — it's a normal reaction. You've all been taking assessments at the Totsuki resort; even if the tests aren't that hard for us, the fatigue doesn't vanish by itself."
Kael smiled.
"And most of you stayed up late last night. Your bodies aren't in the best shape. This soup brings about rapid sweating. It'll look a bit rough and feel unpleasant, but it's beneficial."
Because this version had been rushed, its effect was weaker than the original. If it had been the full recipe, everyone would've looked far worse than they did now. After speaking, Kael — the only one who hadn't drunk the soup, poured several glasses of water.
Excessive sweating dehydrates the body, so they'd need to rehydrate afterward.
A few minutes later the sweating slowed, their strength returned, and a pleasant warmth settled in. It felt so good some of them squinted in satisfaction.
"So comfortable. I feel like all my fatigue just washed away!" Zenji Marui stretched.
Although the heat and profuse sweating had been unpleasant earlier, the aftereffect was completely different.
"Megumi, look at your skin — it's so smooth, rosy, like it's glowing!" Yuki Yoshino gaped at Megumi's radiant appearance.
"Yuki, you too. Alice, Erina, Hisako — everyone's skin looks brighter." Ryoko Sakaki noticed the transformation in the others as well.
"You too, Ryoko — this is unbelievable. One dish beats any cosmetic." The girls were ecstatic.
As chefs, they avoided heavy cosmetics for two reasons: the ingredients could contaminate dishes if they flaked off, and the kitchen's work meant sweating, which ruins makeup.
Most of them went bare-faced or with very light makeup. Even so, all of them were beautiful without effort.
"Does this dish actually have beauty effects? Kael said this rushed version is diminished, yet it's already so effective. How much stronger would the full version be?" Joichiro, seeing this for the first time, was stunned.
The ingredients looked ordinary, but the results were astonishing. His question made the women look at Kael with longing — who wouldn't want to be more beautiful?
"This is already enough. The dish really should be simmered for seven days. The full version's effect is far more intense."
"The heat and sweating you felt just now were gradual. With the full version, your bodies would become burning hot instantly, and sweat would explode out."
"At that point, sweat might pour from every pore, and for a while you wouldn't be able to move."
"You've already experienced a taste of it. Whether it's this rushed version or the complete one, the final effect benefits the body, but the suffering during the process is entirely different. The complete one… feels like torture. It was originally created as punishment."
He didn't bother hiding it. The dish had originally been made by Kaiyu in the world of Chuuka Ichiban! to punish Xiang En, his poisonous right-hand woman.
"This… sounds terrifying. I'll pass."
Heads shook all around. Even if the final outcome was beneficial, the ordeal itself was unbearable.
What they'd felt already had been unpleasant; multiplied many times, it would be pure torment. They had no desire to go through it.
"No wonder it's Poison Cuisine. Incredible." Joichiro laughed.
His interest in Kael's Poison Cuisine had peaked, but it was obviously Kael's specialty. He wouldn't teach it to Joichiro, and Joichiro wouldn't try making it himself.
Poison Cuisine contained real toxins — handled incorrectly it could kill. Many medicinal cuisines could be dangerous if mismanaged, but Poison Cuisine by definition involved poison in each dish.
"Hisako, why are you staring at your bowl like that?"
Erina noticed her secretary looking dazed at the empty bowl.
"Ah? It's nothing, Erina-sama. It's just… fascinating. Poison Cuisine shares a lot with medicinal cuisine." Hisako replied.
"That's true. My Poison Cuisine does incorporate medical knowledge, much like medicinal cuisine." Kael nodded.
Kaiyu's expertise in medicine was no joke. Although Kael had inherited Kaiyu's knowledge, there was a crucial difference: Kaiyu made Poison Cuisine to poison people, to control or even kill.
Kaiyu was an unrepentant villain whose goal was supremacy and domination of the culinary world.
Kael had inherited that knowledge, but he didn't make dishes to harm people. His Poison Cuisine leaned more toward medicinal benefits. That difference made him grateful the system he'd inherited was an Inheritance System and not one that forced him to play Kaiyu's role.
If it had been the latter, he might've had to kill people to obtain the inheritance — something Kael never wanted.
"Kael…" While they talked, Yuki and others — including Alice — drifted over, all smiling at Kael.
"What are you all staring at me like that for?" Their gaze made even Kael uneasy.
"We'll be blunt. Kael, can you make this dish regularly? We'll repay you—ask us for anything we can help with."
The girls wanted Kael's beauty-boosting soup and begged him to make it for them.
"That's not a problem." Kael didn't refuse. He knew exactly how powerful the dish was on women — he hadn't expected it to become a flirt weapon, but clearly it had.