Thunderclouds smothered the sky that night, swallowing even the moonlight. /
Everything outside was pitch-black—but for Kael, darkness was almost meaningless. With Divine Sight, he could see as clearly as daytime.
The moment he locked onto the intruder, he released the bowstring. The arrow shot out like a meteor tearing across the night sky.
A sharp whistle, then a scream ripped through the darkness.
He hadn't even meant to use full strength, yet the arrow punched straight through the man's shoulder and pinned him to the tree behind him.
Kael's arrows could pierce a wild boar's hide—those creatures loved rolling in mud until it solidified into an armor-like shell, tough enough to break knives. Even so, Kael's shots always punched straight through.
And this attacker? Nothing but flesh and blood. His defense was practically nonexistent. One arrow created a hole that wouldn't stop bleeding.
"What was that?! What happened?!"
Isshiki and Fumio hurried downstairs, startled awake by the scream. Kael didn't answer. He vaulted off the second floor, kicked off the wall twice, and landed steadily on the ground.
In the next instant, he blurred forward, reaching the attacker in a heartbeat. The man was rolling on the ground, screaming in agony.
He didn't even have the strength to resist before Kael lifted him by the collar like a rag doll.
"I wasn't even trying to kill him… but with this kind of wound, he's not lasting long."
Kael frowned at the bleeding hole. He had wanted to keep the man alive for questioning, but he'd overdone it.
Blood poured from the wound nonstop. Kael wasn't a doctor. Even with a first-aid kit at the Polar Star Dormitory, stopping blood loss this severe wasn't easy.
"Wait… does a human count as an ingredient?"
The thought came suddenly.
His Special Ability was Ingredient Control—but "ingredient" was a pretty flexible word.
So Kael tried.
He focused, reached out with his ability… and the blood flow stopped instantly.
Kael's eyebrow twitched.
He had only been testing the idea. He didn't think it would actually work. Then again, humans were made of flesh and blood. Technically ingredients. Not that he would ever eat one.
With the bleeding stopped, the attacker wouldn't die anytime soon. Kael stripped away the man's weapons and dragged him toward the dorm.
When he stepped into the lobby, Isshiki-senpai and Fumio were already waiting. Seeing Kael carrying a half-dead man soaked in blood, both froze for half a second before panic set in.
"Kael, who is this?! How is he this badly injured? Isshiki, get the first-aid kit!"
Fumio reacted immediately—no matter who he was, she couldn't ignore someone this hurt.
"No need. I did this. The guy was sneaking toward Polar Star in the middle of the night dressed like this. And more importantly—he was carrying this."
Kael tossed the gun he'd taken from the attacker.
Both Isshiki and Fumio stiffened.
A gun.
Their expressions changed completely. They weren't idiots—they knew instantly that the target was Kael. And if Kael had died, what were the odds the attacker would have spared them?
The realization made both of them shiver.
Even an Elite Ten member and a tough old dorm mother weren't prepared for this kind of real-life threat.
Ignoring their pale faces, Kael made a call—to Director Senzaemon.
This was the private emergency number Senzaemon had given him. Almost no one possessed it. The phone wasn't set to silent, so even half-asleep, Senzaemon answered.
His voice was groggy from being jolted awake.
"Kael… calling me at this hour—did something urgent happen?"
He wasn't angry. If anything, he sounded concerned. Anyone who had access to this number would only call for something serious.
"Director, here's the situation—"
Kael explained everything exactly as it happened.
"What?! Someone with a gun went to Polar Star?!"
Senzaemon's drowsiness evaporated instantly. He nearly jumped out of his bed.
Someone had ambushed Kael—with a gun.
Cold sweat broke out along his back. Mana still needed Kael. Even though her condition had improved, her medicine supply was limited. She would need him again.
And if Kael died… what would happen to his daughter? His granddaughters? Their family had only just begun to heal—he would not watch it fall apart again.
"Understood. I'm coming immediately."
Senzaemon didn't even bother changing properly. He gathered a team and rushed to Polar Star.
When he entered the dorm and saw the injured man screaming on the floor, his expression darkened. Kael had kept him alive, but not comfortable. The open wound was torture, and Kael ensured he stayed conscious.
They didn't even need to interrogate him. The pain made him spill everything.
He was a Midnight Chef—one of the weaker ones—and a follower of Bunnyhair.
A full-blown simp.
Kael had "stolen" his goddess. He couldn't accept it. So he tried to kill him.
Kael was speechless. Of all the absurd developments… he hadn't expected this kind of melodrama in his life.
Senzaemon was speechless for different reasons.
He had assumed the Midnight Chefs attacked because they feared Kael growing stronger. After all, WGO's power—thanks to Mana—had already been squeezing them hard. If Kael grew even more, they might be wiped out entirely.
It made sense they'd want to eliminate him early.
But reality?
One lovesick idiot with a gun.
Senzaemon rubbed his forehead.
Ridiculous or not, it highlighted a very real problem: Midnight Chefs were dangerous. All of them.
He and Mana had previously considered allowing the less-dangerous ones to stay around Totsuki so Kael could gain free experience.
But this incident proved something important—There is no such thing as a "safe" Midnight Chef.
They are walking time bombs.
"I have an idea… but I want your opinion first." Senzaemon looked at Kael seriously.
His proposal: Expel all Midnight Chefs from Japan. Every last one.
He needed Kael's approval. After all, those "walking time bombs" were also bundles of free money and experience points for him.
Kael didn't hesitate.
"If you've already decided, then expel them. I don't need their money anymore. And honestly? Their experience barely helps me now."
Money had never been a problem for him. He was Captain of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society, he had the Nakiri family supporting him, and now two very wealthy women backing him.
Money was just a number.
As for Midnight Chefs—yes, their cooking was unique, but Kael was already a Nine-Star Chef. The ones challenging him lately were mostly Six-Star or Seven-Star.
Eight-Star Chefs were rare, and Nine-Star Chefs were too old and proud to fight a teenager.
Their experience was almost useless.
"Then it's decided. I'll begin the expulsion immediately."
Senzaemon nodded and ordered his men to take the attacker away.
Even he gasped when he saw the arrow wound. He already knew Kael could draw a Two-Stone Bow—a monstrous feat of strength—but hearing it was one thing and seeing the result was another.
Piercing a shoulder was impressive enough. Pinning the victim to a tree behind him?
Terrifying.
But now wasn't the time to marvel.
Once he left Polar Star, Senzaemon mobilized every resource he had. Normally, he wouldn't have the authority to drive out this many people.
But this was Japan—the Nakiri family's home turf.
And these men had brought guns to Totsuki Academy.
That single fact was enough to silence every Midnight Chef.
At sunrise, Senzaemon called Mana.
There was no hiding this from her—and he needed her help to make the punishment absolute.
When Mana picked up, she was surprised at the early call. But when she learned someone had tried to kill Kael, the blood drained from her face.
Kael was her hope. Thanks to him, she could finally eat again—finally taste food again. If he died, her future disappeared with him.
She didn't care that this specific incident was caused by one deranged simp.v
What mattered was simple: If it happened once, it could happen again. She would not allow that.
"Anne, summon every Executive at headquarters. I have something to announce."
Mana Nakiri wasn't just an executive.
She was the Special Executive Officer of the WGO.
Her authority was overwhelming.
Anyone who dared harm Kael— She would crush so thoroughly that no one else would ever dare try.
"Yes, Lady Mana. I'll gather them immediately."
Anne already knew what happened. She was just as furious.
Tonight, the WGO would move.
And the Midnight Chefs would learn what true fear felt like.
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