Marin froze for a moment, realizing Kael's words carried a deeper meaning. "Wasn't it random?"
Kael chuckled. "Of course not."
Marin widened her eyes. "Do you know them, Renjou-kun?"
"No," Kael shook his head. "But I could sense they weren't good people, so I drove them away. I wouldn't casually target ordinary people."
Marin didn't realize that Kael feared corruption more than she did—becoming a slave to power. That was why he wouldn't abuse his magic.
Marin asked, puzzled: "You don't know them, so how did you know they weren't good people?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he gestured to a server.
A kimono-clad waitress approached, forcing a smile. "What would the three guests like?" After the earlier incident, she looked at Kael with a mix of respect and unease.
Kael ignored it, pointing at the menu. "Bring us everything on here."
The waitress widened her eyes, almost thinking she misheard. "Just to confirm—you mean everything?"
"Yes, everything."
"But there are only three of you. That's far too much."
"Don't worry. We'll finish it. Go ahead."
After Kael insisted, the waitress sighed and took the menu to the kitchen, likely to inform her boss.
Turning back, Kael said to Marin: "Let's continue our topic. Once you reach a certain level of cultivation, your perception will sharpen. You'll be able to tell good people from bad at a glance. Malice will be obvious, impossible to hide. You'll sense who is sincere and who is false. You'll even distinguish truth from lies. Of course, this only applies to ordinary people. Cultivators can conceal their emotions."
Marin and Saki were amazed. "So cultivation has such benefits!"
Kael nodded. "There are countless benefits. I won't list them all now. You're just starting—you'll understand in time."
Marin grinned. "Actually, I already feel it. Earlier at your house, I lifted a table weighing over a hundred kilos with ease. Stronger than most men. That's cultivation's benefit."
As they spoke, a woman emerged from the kitchen—wearing a kimono beneath a white chef's coat. She approached with a smile. "Excuse me, did you order all of Kiri no Ya's dishes?"
Kael looked at her—beautiful face, mature figure, brown hair tied in a side ponytail.
It was none other than Kiri no Ya's head chef, a Totsuki Elite Ten graduate, Inui Hinako.
"Yes, that was us," Kael confirmed.
"But with only three guests, ordering everything would be wasteful," Hinako said gently.
"Don't worry. We'll finish it. Just serve."
"But…" Hinako persisted. To her, three people eating so much was pure waste.
"Serve the dishes," Kael repeated firmly.
Hinako realized words wouldn't change his mind. She sighed. "Understood. Please wait." She returned to the kitchen to prepare.
A sous-chef asked: "Senpai, what now?"
Hinako shook her head. "The guest is determined. He won't change his mind."
The sous-chef frowned. "But three people, two of them girls—how can they eat so much? It's wasteful."
Though they ran a restaurant, they hated waste, especially of carefully prepared dishes.
Hinako smirked. "We'll serve part of the menu first. Once they're full, they'll reconsider."
The sous-chef brightened. "Brilliant, Senpai. Truly cunning."
Hinako glared. "Not cunning—wise."
The sous-chef rolled his eyes but got back to work.
In the dining hall, Kael waited nearly twenty minutes before the dishes arrived. Kiri no Ya was a classic Japanese restaurant, with dishes presented like art. The highlight was kaiseki cuisine.
Kaiseki originated from Zen practice—monks pressed stones to their stomachs to endure hunger, hence the name. It evolved into tea snacks, then into the renowned kaiseki cuisine. It emphasized not aroma but spiritual experience.
Typically, it began with light appetizers, then seasonal sushi and small dishes, followed by sashimi. Vegetables, meat, fish, tofu simmered in small portions. Seasonal grilled fish. Cold dishes served in chilled bowls—noodles, salads, crab, shrimp.
Honestly, such cuisine didn't suit Kael's Chinese palate. But Hinako's skill transformed even simple dishes into delights. Even ordinary sushi tasted unexpectedly delicious.
No wonder she was ranked second among the Totsuki Elite Ten graduates. Her craftsmanship was extraordinary.
At that moment, Kael admitted his vocabulary was lacking. Others might have praised the dishes poetically. But his thought was simple:
Delicious. Absolutely delicious.