As the final boss, Asahi Saiba was destined to face only Soma Yukihira, the protagonist.
Kael had nothing to do with him. As long as Asahi didn't provoke him, Kael had no interest in going out of his way to cause trouble.
That said, there was always a chance Asahi might set his sights on Kael anyway.
After all, Asahi's Special Ability—the Cross Knife—allowed him to copy other people's abilities and cooking skills through their knives.
Someone like Kael, whose very existence defied common sense in the culinary world, was practically irresistible. It wouldn't be surprising if Asahi wanted to take a shortcut to the top by copying Kael's knife.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, Kael couldn't be bothered to care.
After discussing their next plans, the group went off to prepare.
They'd wanted to invite Fumio Daimido along as well, but she declined. By her own words, she was already an old woman used to a quiet life. Dragging her all over the place was asking too much.
Besides, Polar Star Dormitory still had plenty of things that needed looking after. Even though Erina Nakiri had said she would arrange for people to handle it, Fumio still refused to leave.
There was nothing they could do about it. It was her decision, after all—they couldn't exactly carry her off by force.
Once everything was packed, Megumi Tadokoro contacted her family.
Since it wasn't a holiday yet, business at Ryokan wasn't particularly busy, and there were more than enough rooms to accommodate everyone.
With rooms secured, they didn't bother waiting and set off immediately.
With luxury cars arranged by the Nakiri family, the trip was extremely comfortable. No waiting around, no transfers—just get in and go wherever you wanted. Traveling like this was effortless.
Thanks to that, they reached Ryokan in no time. As soon as they arrived, though, they spotted Sarge and Bunnyhair already waiting inside.
"No wonder we didn't see them earlier. They got here ahead of us," someone said.
After getting out of the car, everyone greeted them. Under normal circumstances, Sarge and Bunnyhair wouldn't even bother acknowledging a bunch of students. But these were Kael's classmates—his friends—which made it a completely different matter.
"Megumi, just where did these two friends of yours come from?" her mother asked after leading everyone to their rooms. "They brought so many unbelievable things with them."
Only after settling everyone in did Megumi's mother finally ask what was going on.
A few hours earlier, Sarge and Bunnyhair had arrived at Ryokan carrying a massive amount of precious ingredients.
According to them, since they were Kael's subordinates, it was only natural for them to prepare everything for him. If this weren't Megumi's family home, they probably would've brought even more.
Even so, the ingredients they did bring were enough to make Megumi's mother's head spin.
She might not have eaten them herself, but she'd heard of them before. Every single ingredient was incredibly valuable. Just what they'd brought alone was worth a long stretch of Ryokan's total revenue.
"They're both amazing people—and really rich," Megumi said. "Mom, you don't need to worry. Just use the ingredients they brought."
Megumi was already used to this sort of thing.
After Alice Nakiri moved into Polar Star Dormitory, their standard of living had jumped up several levels. When Erina Nakiri followed, it rose even further.
Megumi had thought that was already as good as it got. But after Kael took in Bunnyhair and Sarge as his subordinates, the quality of life skyrocketed again.
Neither Bunnyhair nor Sarge was short on money. Every day, large quantities of premium ingredients were delivered to Polar Star Dormitory. Kael never refused them. They were his people—of course he'd accept what they offered.
Megumi had long since gotten used to it, which was why she explained it so casually to her mother. After that, she introduced everyone who had come this time.
Kael went without saying—the youngest Nine-Star Chef in history. In the culinary world, it was actually harder to find someone who didn't know him.
As for the others, there were two young ladies from the Nakiri family. And one of them had already become a world-renowned chef.
After hearing all this, Megumi's mother was completely dumbfounded.
Her daughter had casually brought Totsuki's Director along—and judging by their interaction, they were on pretty good terms.
It felt like a perfectly ordinary family suddenly discovering that their daughter had come home with the president of a prestigious university and was introducing him as a friend.
Right now, Megumi's mother felt like reality itself had become unreal.
Seeing the dazed look on her mother's face, Megumi smiled wryly. She knew that feeling all too well—she'd been the same way at first. She'd just gradually gotten used to it.
After all, she'd already been dragged onto the Nakiri sisters' ship.
Once everyone finished unpacking, they gathered in the dining hall. The plan was to eat first, then go explore the area. As for the yacht outing—that would be tomorrow.
"Excuse me, do you really have ingredients this good here?" another guest whispered to the staff. "And are you sure our food and their food are made by the same chef?"
As soon as the meal began, the rich aroma filled the air. Whether it was the chefs or the ingredients, everything was clearly on a completely different level from the rest of the dining hall.
Naturally, the other guests couldn't help but ask.
"I'm sorry," Megumi's mother said helplessly. "Those guests brought their own ingredients—and even their own chefs."
The ingredients were all top-tier, and as for the cooking… Sarge and Bunnyhair had borrowed the kitchen.
Strictly speaking, it shouldn't have been allowed. But the two of them paid far too much—and they were Megumi's friends—so Megumi's mother had agreed.
The result was that their cooking completely shocked everyone at Ryokan. From the equipment to the finished dishes, it was obvious how vast the gap was.
The best chef Ryokan had was only around two- or three-star level. Sarge and Bunnyhair were both genuine Seven-Star Chefs.
"I see… bringing your own ingredients and chefs. That really is next-level rich."
The other guests could only look on with envy. Most people who came to Ryokan were ordinary families. Compared to them, Kael's group looked absurdly wealthy.
"Megumi, I've heard your hanging-cut Monkfish fillet performance is famous around here," Yuki Yoshino said as she leaned closer.
"How about you put on a show for us tonight? You did it during the Autumn Elections, but everyone was too busy with their own dishes to really watch."
At the mention of it, Megumi's face instantly turned bright red.
"M-me? Perform it?!"
Outside of cooking, Megumi was still the shy girl next door. Performing in front of strangers was one thing—but doing it in front of so many people she knew made her feel like she might faint from embarrassment.
"Relax, Megumi," Alice said with a smile. "Just treat it like normal prep work."
"Yeah, yeah! Let us see it!" the others chimed in.
After being worn down by everyone's enthusiasm, Megumi finally gave in.
"I can do it," she said softly, "but a fillet that big takes time to prepare. It probably won't work today."
"That's easy," Kael said with a grin. "Don't forget who's here."
Everyone immediately realized—there were two Nakiri heiresses here, plus two former dark chefs. Getting ingredients would be trivial.
"I'll handle it," Erina said. "Sarge and Bunnyhair can find ingredients easily, but in Japan, no one has more connections than the Nakiri family."
At her signal, Hisako immediately made some calls. Several massive Monkfish fillets were secured, all nearby and on their way.
That was the power of money and influence.
"Since there are several," Yuki said eagerly, "Kael, can you perform too? Please!"
She still vividly remembered the shock of seeing Kael use the Fierce Bull Azure Dragon Slash.
"Sure," Kael said without hesitation. "If everyone wants to see it, I'll oblige."
That technique was made specifically for breaking down massive ingredients. With enough mastery, even small ingredients weren't a problem—but there was no reason to waste it like that.
As Kael spoke, anticipation filled the room—even Bunnyhair and Sarge were looking forward to it.
After all, the last time they'd seen that technique, the impact was unforgettable. Even if it wasn't beef this time, carving up a massive monkfish would be just as visually overwhelming.
After finishing their meal, everyone followed Megumi to explore the surroundings. She even took them to the mountain behind the inn. There weren't any large animals, but they still gathered plenty of wild produce.
Poisonous or not, Kael took everything without discrimination. The others were already used to it—after all, Kael was a poison cuisine chef.
Thanks to him, they'd tasted many poisonous ingredients that were shockingly delicious once prepared properly.
Normally, no one would dare eat them. Most people who tried would die on the spot—and even if they survived, they'd suffer for the rest of their lives.
So despite being known for their flavor, these ingredients were usually left untouched.
By the time they returned to Ryokan, their haul was impressive. Seeing the pile of wild produce, the staffs froze.
"Megumi, tell them to throw out the poisonous ones immediately!" her mother said in alarm. "Why did you let them bring everything back?"
"Don't worry, Mom," Megumi said quickly. "Kael wanted those. He's a poison cuisine chef. It sounds unbelievable, but ingredients like these are safe to eat once he prepares them."
Hearing that, Megumi's mother could only stare at Kael in disbelief.