"You all still remember Azami Nakamura, right?" Kael asked, looking around at everyone.
The group nodded without hesitation. How could they forget that clown who had nearly torn Totsuki apart?
"Long before Azami returned," Kael continued, "the WGO had already dug up everything about him. Every detail. Even his mess of a personal life from over a decade ago."
"At that time, Azami had absolutely no restraint. His private life was a complete disaster. And Saiba Asahi… is one of his illegitimate children."
The words hit like a depth charge.
Everyone froze, eyes wide.
They genuinely hadn't expected Asahi Saiba to be Azami's son.
"T-That's impossible," someone stammered. "So that bastard really abandoned his wife and kid?"
The shock only deepened.
"In a sense, it wasn't abandonment," Kael said calmly, spreading his hands. "Because Azami himself never even knew he had a son."
That only made things worse.
"Hard to believe, right? But that's the truth. Asahi's birth was nothing more than an accident."
"Azami's relationships were a complete mess. There were plenty of women involved. Normally, in situations like that, even if a child was discovered, it would've been aborted."
"But for reasons no one knows, Asahi's mother chose to give birth."
"And that's how Asahi came into this world. His existence was something even Azami never knew about."
Kael had a pretty good idea what Asahi's mother had been thinking back then. Young people often think simply. Discovering a life growing inside you, deciding it would be too cruel to end it—maybe she'd been naïve when she first got involved with Azami.
As for what came after… the frequent abuse Asahi suffered was likely the result of her being crushed by reality.
A woman suddenly raising a child alone, without even knowing who the father was—no matter where you are, that's taboo. Her life was bound to be miserable, shunned at every turn.
That pressure twisted her personality, until she eventually turned Asahi into an outlet for her resentment.
"So that's how it was…" someone muttered. "But then why is his name Saiba Asahi? And why does he claim to be that bastard's son?"
Soma Yukihira voiced what everyone was thinking.
Even if they now knew who Asahi was, what did this have to do with the Yukihira family?
"According to the records," Kael replied, "after his mother died, Asahi was sent to an orphanage. During his travels around the world, your father—Joichiro-senpai—ran into him."
"It was under Joichiro-senpai's guidance that Asahi awakened his Special Ability and entered the culinary world."
"He idolized Joichiro-senpai even more than Erina does. What he truly craved wasn't cooking—it was fatherly love. Family. Joichiro-senpai gave him that… and then left."
"The way he targets you now is probably because he wants to replace you. To become Joichiro-senpai's son."
"You might think only an idiot would believe something like that," Kael added, "but from his perspective, it actually makes sense."
Judging by their dumbfounded expressions, Kael figured he'd explained everything clearly enough.
Now it was obvious why Kael had sent Soma to ask Erina for help.
They were half-siblings.
Right now, Asahi was obsessed with replacing Soma, so all his actions were aimed at Soma alone. But if he found out he had a real sister standing right beside him?
He'd probably lose his mind on the spot.
"This is… a pretty shocking revelation for Erina too," Alice Nakiri said slowly. "But then why didn't Grandpa ever say anything?"
"That's right," Alice continued. "If this was already investigated, and Kael knows, then Grandpa and Aunt Mana must've known too."
"They did," Kael nodded. "The old man knew. But Asahi was a midnight chef, after all, and Erina hadn't fully opened up emotionally back then."
"Besides, there was no reason for them to cross paths. No one expected Asahi to show up at Totsuki himself."
"Alice, take Soma and tell Erina everything. Let her decide what to do."
Kael paused, then added, "You could say I'm giving Erina another family member."
Even though she'd reconciled with her mother and overcome her father's shadow, the Nakiri family was still broken. Erina had moved forward, yes—but it was impossible for her not to care at all.
Asahi's appearance might just fill the gap Azami left behind.
And Asahi himself wasn't a bad person.
His upbringing and time as a midnight chef had made him reckless and unrestrained at times, but he had his own bottom line.
He wasn't another Azami.
His heart had been tempered early on by hardship. Poor kids grow up fast—and while the saying wasn't a perfect match, the idea was the same.
Asahi had been forced to mature early because of his mother.
Most importantly, he hadn't gone down a dark path. He hadn't become someone who wanted to take revenge on the world.
"I understand," Alice said. "Come on, Soma. Let's go fix your problem."
She didn't waste time. Taking Soma with her, she left immediately.
Kael didn't follow.
There was no need. This was a matter between siblings.
He had more important things to do—studying techniques and honing his cooking. That was what truly mattered.
The others were curious about what would happen next, but this was a family matter. All they could do was wait for Alice to come back with the details.
Before long, Alice and Soma arrived at the director's office.
Senzaemon Nakiri and Erina were already there.
Many things still needed to be taught, little by little.
"Why are you two here?" Erina asked, confused.
"It's about that teacher—Saiba Asahi…" Alice said, explaining everything that had happened to Soma, along with the information Kael had uncovered.
"T-This… is this real?" Erina froze. "That man… is really my older brother?"
She was completely stunned.
"So it's true," Senzaemon said, sighing. "Your mother and I both knew. We didn't tell you because we were worried it would affect your mental state."
"No one expected him to join Totsuki… and even become a teacher."
Senzaemon was genuinely surprised. He'd known about Asahi before, but after Azami was dealt with, there'd been no reason to keep watching him.
He'd simply forgotten.
And it wasn't strange—Asahi might be Erina's brother, but he had nothing to do with the rest of the Nakiri family.
Even so, Senzaemon couldn't help feeling speechless.
Replacing Soma and becoming Joichiro's son? What kind of delusion was that?
Clearly, Asahi had gone down the wrong mental path.
But in the end, this all circled back to Joichiro.
Azami had changed because of Joichiro.
And now, both of Azami's children—Asahi and Erina—were tangled up with Joichiro in one way or another.
They both idolized him.
Asahi even wanted to be his son.
Honestly, if Joichiro were willing to be her father, Erina probably wouldn't object either.
"Kael said only you can resolve this," Alice added. "He wants you to handle it yourself."
"If Kael says so," Senzaemon nodded, "then Erina, make your own decision."
He trusted her.
The current Erina Nakiri was more than capable of handling this.
Erina didn't refuse.
This was her brother. Of course she would face him herself.
Soon after, the group—minus Senzaemon—went to find Asahi.
"You're here…?" Asahi frowned in surprise when he saw them.
Soma had just been crushed by him. In Asahi's mind, Soma shouldn't have come back so soon.
And yet, here he was—along with Erina and Alice.
Both were Nakiri heirs. One of them was even the famed God's Tongue.
Asahi assumed they'd come because of his identity as a midnight chef.
That identity was troublesome, after all. The last group of midnight chefs had caused chaos, prompting Senzaemon to purge them completely.
They'd all fled in terror.
Asahi had only dared to return because he believed he hadn't targeted Kael—only Soma. Surely the Nakiri family wouldn't go after him for that alone.
"Nice to meet you, Saiba…" Erina paused. "Actually… I don't even know what I should call you right now."
"Just take a look at this first."
She handed him a tablet.
Asahi was baffled.
As the student/director, shouldn't she be calling him 'Saiba-sensei'?
And now she was saying she didn't know how to address him?
But once he saw the contents on the screen, he understood.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to address him.
It was that she truly didn't know how to.
Because the girl standing in front of him…
Was his real sister.
Asahi never imagined his father would be Azami Nakamura.
That man was infamous in the culinary world—a laughingstock with a repulsive personality.
Having spent so long among midnight chefs, Asahi had seen every kind of scum imaginable. Compared to them, Azami wasn't even special.
But the problem was that Azami was both evil and stupid.
Being evil wasn't the issue—being stupid was.
Someone dumb enough to become the entire culinary world's clown?
Asahi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
And now he was supposed to accept that man as his father?
He couldn't.
He wanted a father's love—not just a father.
Looking at Azami, expecting fatherly love was a joke.
So instead of worrying about a father, he turned his attention to the person standing before him.
His sister.
And now… no one knew what to say.
The room fell into an awkward silence.
After several long minutes, Alice finally snapped.
"How long are you planning to just stare at each other?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's sit down and talk this out."
She was right.
Standing here like statues wouldn't solve anything—even if they stayed until nightfall.
With Alice's suggestion, they all nodded and entered Asahi's room.
As for Soma… he was awkward too.
But this involved him directly, so he couldn't just walk away.
And so, he followed them inside.