Katori Nanatsuki was busy in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Katori Batsu'unsai sat under the eaves of the courtyard, sipping tea.
Although her complexion was still a bit pale, she looked significantly better than before.
"Nanatsuki, what are you doing? Why does it smell so strong?" Batsu'unsai twitched her nose. A pungent, fishy stench wafted through the air.
"I'm preparing ingredients. I'm going to make a really delicious dish!" came Nanatsuki's voice from the kitchen.
"Cooking?" Batsu'unsai sounded doubtful. How could that smell have anything to do with food?
Making Nine-Turn Intestines was a complicated process. First, the intestines had to be washed thoroughly to remove grease and residue. Nanatsuki had spent quite a bit of time just cleaning them.
Then came boiling, stir-frying, and finally, slow simmering over low heat.
"It's done! I actually pulled it off!" Nanatsuki exclaimed, sounding completely unreliable.
A dish of gleaming red Nine-Turn Intestines was placed in front of Batsu'unsai.
She looked at the plate with visible hesitation.
It wasn't that she doubted Nanatsuki's cooking skills—she usually ate his food, after all. His cooking wasn't refined, but it was edible.
It was just that... earlier, she couldn't resist peeking into the kitchen, and saw what "ingredients" Nanatsuki had been working on.
"Of course it's edible. I cleaned it really well. Don't worry," Nanatsuki said as he handed over a pair of chopsticks, motioning for her to give it a try.
With a thought, Nanatsuki checked Batsu'unsai's condition.
His tests had confirmed that he could view a person's current status via a kind of interface.
[Katori Batsu'unsai]
[Talent: S+]
[Spiritual Pressure: Lv46 (97)]
[Reputation Level: Close]
[Status: Spiritual Pressure Core severely damaged (Is this really edible?)]
Batsu'unsai's original Spiritual Pressure level was 97, but ever since her Spiritual Pressure Core was damaged, it had been steadily declining.
And when she was bedridden, it would drop to dangerously low levels.
She'd recovered a bit over the past two days. In fact, when she had just gotten out of bed, her Spiritual Pressure was almost on par with Nanatsuki's.
Just then, a sound came from near the wall.
"Mmm—it smells amazing!"
The voice was familiar. Nanatsuki turned his head and saw someone peeking over the courtyard wall.
"Chijō Kana? What are you doing?"
The one hanging off the wall was none other than Chijō Kana, one of the students from Nanatsuki's class.
"I was just heading to the market to grab something to eat… then I caught a whiff of something delicious on the way…" Kana's expression was blank, her eyes glued to the plate in Nanatsuki's hands, like she was about to drool.
"If you want some, come on in. I made plenty," Nanatsuki said warmly.
"Really?! Eh—wait, Katori-sensei's here too?!" Kana finally noticed who was holding the plate.
"You climbed over the wall of my courtyard," Nanatsuki chuckled, not expecting his student to be such a foodie.
"Oh, so this is Katori-sensei's place. In that case, I won't hold back!"
Pushing herself up with both hands, Kana flipped over the wall and landed smoothly in the yard.
The entire motion was fluid and agile—clearly, she had done this sort of thing before.
The word lady clearly didn't apply to her.
Taking the chopsticks, Kana eagerly picked up a piece of intestine and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm—delicious!" Her eyes sparkled like they were lit from within.
Batsu'unsai watched this fluffy-haired girl. Her genuine reaction didn't seem faked, which left Batsu'unsai a little puzzled. Was Nanatsuki really that good at cooking?
Maybe he was… and I've just been too picky all this time?
Batsu'unsai finally picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Hmm?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The texture was tender and silky. The flavor was a rich balance of sweet, sour, savory, and salty, with just a hint of spice—fatty but not greasy.
It was genuinely delicious.
But just as quickly, her expression darkened as she turned to Nanatsuki with a suspicious glare.
The food she usually ate was nowhere near this level. Was this kid holding back on me all along?
"My, your cooking has really improved while I've been recovering," Batsu'unsai said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"I had a sudden breakthrough recently. My culinary skills leveled up overnight," Nanatsuki replied shamelessly.
Whatever others said didn't matter—his cooking had definitely awakened now.
"Is that so… Just like with swordsmanship…" Batsu'unsai mused.
She too had once experienced that kind of sudden leap in sword skill after a moment of insight.
As the two talked, Kana hadn't stopped eating, steadily polishing off the intestines.
"Ah—I accidentally finished it!" Kana's chopsticks hovered over the empty plate, her face a bit sheepish.
In just that short time, she had cleared the entire dish.
"No worries. If you like it, eat as much as you want. There's more in the kitchen. Why don't you stay for dinner, Kana? I'll go cook some noodles," Nanatsuki said, lifting the plate and heading off.
Kana followed him into the kitchen.
"Whoa, there's still so much left!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of two more bowls of Nine-Turn Intestines on the table.
"This one tastes different…" Kana said after picking up a piece, realizing it didn't taste the same as before.
As Nanatsuki turned to start boiling noodles, he caught a glimpse of her already eating.
He hesitated—Kana had picked the bowl he'd deliberately left unfiltered. It still contained a portion of the food's original fat and aroma.
He had done it on purpose—to test how far his "Culinary Sage" trait could go.
But he hadn't tasted it himself yet.
"There's a… unique fragrance to it…" Kana murmured, swaying her head slightly as she savored the flavor. "There's a slight bitterness, but it blends with the other tastes so perfectly… it's actually delicious!"
The "Culinary Sage" trait had surpassed Nanatsuki's expectations. By preserving a portion of the food's natural flavor, he'd unexpectedly created a gourmet dish with a distinctive taste.
"If you like it, you can have that whole bowl," Nanatsuki said. Since he had confirmed the effect, he had no plans to eat it himself.
Kana quickly devoured the entire bowl. "So good!"
She glanced longingly at the remaining bowl but held herself back. She had to leave some for Katori-sensei and the lady in the courtyard.
"The noodles are done," Nanatsuki called out.
Before long, Batsu'unsai joined them in the kitchen.
The three of them sat around the kitchen table to eat.
Nanatsuki had only made simple soup noodles, but both Batsu'unsai and Kana found them incredibly appetizing.
Batsu'unsai was increasingly convinced that Nanatsuki's so-called "breakthrough" was real—today's noodles were also delicious beyond expectation.
Kana finished first, downing even the broth.
"Mmm—I'm done!" she patted her belly, sighing with satisfaction. "Katori-sensei's cooking is absolutely amazing!"
She even thought—this might have been the best noodles she'd ever eaten in her life.
Nanatsuki's eyes glinted, and he gave a kind smile.
"Kana, would you like to eat meals like this… all the time?"