Katori Nanatsuki was busy in the kitchen.
Batsu'unsai Katori sat by the edge of the veranda, sipping tea.
Aside from a slight pallor, she looked significantly better than before.
"Nanatsuki, what are you doing? Why does it smell so strong?" Batsu'unsai wrinkled her nose, picking up the sharp, fishy stench in the air.
"I'm prepping ingredients—I'm going to make something delicious!" came Nanatsuki's voice from the kitchen.
"Cooking?" Batsu'unsai was puzzled. That smell didn't exactly scream delicious.
Making Jiuzhuan Large Intestine was a complicated process. Nanatsuki had to first wash away all the oil and slime—just that alone took quite a bit of time.
After that, he needed to boil, stir-fry, and finally slow-simmer the dish.
"It's done. I actually pulled it off!" Nanatsuki said—somewhat suspiciously.
He carried out a dish of glossy red Jiuzhuan Large Intestine and placed it in front of Batsu'unsai.
She looked at the plate with hesitation.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Nanatsuki's cooking. She usually ate the food he made. It wasn't gourmet, but it was edible.
But… she had peeked into the kitchen out of curiosity and seen exactly what ingredients Nanatsuki was preparing.
"It's totally safe to eat. I cleaned it thoroughly—trust me." Nanatsuki offered her a pair of chopsticks, gesturing for her to try.
With a thought, he checked Batsu'unsai's status through her panel.
[Batsu'unsai Katori]
[Talent: S+]
[Spiritual Pressure: Lv46 (97)]
[Reputation: Close]
[Status: Severe damage to Spiritual Pressure Core (Can this really be eaten?)]
Her original Spiritual Pressure level had been 97, but ever since her core was damaged, it had been steadily dropping.
When her condition worsened, her Spiritual Pressure would fall to alarmingly low levels.
It had improved somewhat recently—just days ago, when she'd first managed to get out of bed, her spiritual pressure had nearly matched Nanatsuki's.
Just then, a noise came from the wall.
"Mmm! Smells amazing!"
Nanatsuki recognized the voice and turned to see someone peeking over the courtyard wall.
"Chijō Kana? What are you doing?"
Sure enough, the girl hanging over the wall was one of his students—Chijō Kana.
"I was heading to the market to buy food… then I caught a whiff of something amazing…" Kana was slack-jawed, her eyes fixed on the plate in Nanatsuki's hands, nearly drooling.
"If you want to eat, come on in. I made plenty," Nanatsuki said kindly.
"Really?! Wait—Teacher Katori, you live here?!"
"You just climbed into my courtyard," Nanatsuki said, amused. He hadn't expected this student to be such a glutton.
"Oh! So this is your place, Teacher Katori! Then I won't hold back!"
With both hands, Kana vaulted the wall and landed gracefully in the courtyard.
The movement was fluid and nimble—it looked like she had experience doing this sort of thing.
"Refined" was clearly not a word that applied to her.
Kana eagerly took the chopsticks and, with great anticipation, picked up a piece of the large intestine and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm—so good!" Her eyes lit up like stars.
Batsu'unsai watched the fluffy-haired girl's genuine expression. It didn't seem faked—was Nanatsuki's cooking really that good?
Could it be that his food was great all along, and she had simply been too picky?
Curious, Batsu'unsai picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Hm?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The texture was tender, the flavor rich and layered—sweet, sour, savory, salty, with just a hint of spice. Fatty but not greasy.
It really was delicious.
But then Batsu'unsai frowned and shot Nanatsuki a sharp look.
This level of cooking was not what he had been giving her before. Had he been holding back?
"Looks like your cooking has improved quite a bit while I've been recovering," Batsu'unsai said with a sweet but suspicious smile.
"I had a bit of a breakthrough recently. Leveled up fast," Nanatsuki said, completely making things up.
Whatever anyone thought—his culinary skills had indeed reached new heights.
"I see… just like in swordsmanship…" Batsu'unsai mused.
She had experienced sudden breakthroughs in swordsmanship before—so she understood the concept.
As the two spoke, Kana didn't pause for a second—her chopsticks worked nonstop as she devoured the dish.
"Ah—I accidentally ate the whole thing!" she said awkwardly, her chopsticks hovering over the now-empty plate.
In such a short time, she had eaten all the large intestines.
"No worries. If you like it, eat more. There's still some in the kitchen. You can stay for dinner, Kana—I'll go make noodles."
Nanatsuki picked up the empty plate and walked into the kitchen.
Kana eagerly followed.
"There's more?!" she exclaimed when she saw two more bowls of Jiuzhuan Large Intestine on the table, her eyes sparkling.
"This one tastes different…" she said, picking up a piece and chewing thoughtfully.
Nanatsuki was just about to warn her, but she had already started eating.
The bowl she chose had been prepared without removing the inner slime and oil—Nanatsuki had intentionally left the flavors more raw to test the limits of the Culinary Immortal trait.
He hadn't tasted it himself yet.
"There's a very unique aroma…" Kana tilted her head and savored the flavor. "A bit bitter at first, but it blends with the other flavors so well—it actually makes it more delicious!"
The effect of the "Culinary Immortal" trait far exceeded Nanatsuki's expectations. Even when leaving the original taste unmasked, the result was still a culinary masterpiece.
"If you like it, go ahead and finish it," Nanatsuki said. He didn't plan on tasting it himself anymore.
Kana quickly polished off the second bowl. "So good!"
She glanced longingly at the third bowl, but resisted. She couldn't eat everything—she had to leave some for Teacher Katori and the lady in the courtyard.
"The noodles are ready," Nanatsuki called.
Soon, Batsu'unsai came into the kitchen.
The three of them ate together at the kitchen table.
Though Nanatsuki had only made a simple noodle soup, both Batsu'unsai and Kana were blown away by the flavor.
Batsu'unsai became even more convinced that Nanatsuki had truly had a "breakthrough." The noodles were astonishingly good.
Kana ate the fastest—she didn't even leave a drop of soup.
"Mmm—I'm done!" she said, patting her belly, a blissful smile on her face. "Teacher Katori, your cooking is amazing!"
Kana even thought… this might've been the best meal of her life.
Nanatsuki's eyes glinted slightly, and he smiled warmly:
"Kana, would you like to eat my cooking like this more often?"