Though they said that, the five beautiful won still quickly followed.
Nakiri Mana had been on an IV drip on the plane just hours ago, her body frail and hollowed out by years of surviving on nothing but nutrients and despair. Yet, walking this short distance from the luxury car to the shop's entrance, she didn't falter. It shouldn't be a problem physically, but ntally, every step was a journey across a desert she had been lost in for a decade.
Lanterby, Courage, and Decora—the elite Bookn of the WGO—flanked her closely. Usually loud and brimming with the confidence of judges who held the culinary world in their palms, tonight they were silent, their heels clicking rhythmically against the pavent as they sensed the gravity of the mont.
When the five arrived at the shop's entrance, they saw Ren and the others waiting for them at the door. The warm yellow light spilling from the entryway cut through the evening shadows, illuminating Ren's relaxed silhouette against the wooden fra.
Nakiri Mana paused, blinking her pale, silver-lashed eyes. She looked at the open door, then at Ren, asking in confusion, "Why aren't we going in? Is there a procedure?"
In her world, entering a sanctuary of high cuisine usually involved protocols, reservations, and intimidating hosts.
Ren chuckled, a sound that seed to dissolve the tension in the cool night air. "There was no such thing as locking the door at my shop; I just close the door to keep the wind out."
Ren stepped back, pushing the wooden door wider until it rested against the wall. He smiled, his gaze encompassing the fractured family and the weary travelers before him. "Of course, those who co back together should enter together. A family shouldn't walk in single file like strangers. So, ladies, welco ho."
Welco ho.
After Nakiri Mana and the others walked in, their previous excitent actually cald down. It wasn't disappointnt, not in the slightest. Instead, it was a genuine, settling calm.
This feeling was like a child who had been away from ho for a long ti suddenly returning. The mont they stepped across the threshold, the scent of polished wood, dried tea leaves, and a faint, comforting aroma of broth washed over them. It brought a sudden, overwhelming sense of security and warmth, loosening knots in their shoulders they didn't know they had.
Joichiro Yukihira, leaning casually against the counter with his signature grin, adjusted his blindfold and smiled. "Now you know what it feels like, right? The air in here... it has its own gravity."
Nakiri Mana and the others nodded slowly, unable to form words just yet. The silence wasn't awkward; it was peaceful.
Gin Dojima, who was also visiting for the first ti, seed very curious. His sharp, analytical eyes scanned the room, dissecting the establishnt. It had to be said that this was an ordinary yet uniquely exquisite shop. There was no gold leaf on the walls, no crystal chandeliers, yet every grain of wood and every placent of a utensil exuded a warm and cozy feeling everywhere.
"It lowers your guard," Gin murmured to himself, running a hand over a sturdy chair. "A restaurant that feels like a living room. A dangerous technique, Ren-dono."
Ren didn't let them stand awkwardly for long. He first had Cerberus and Lucifer find a place to sit.
"Ren! Ren! I want the seat facing the kitchen!" the left head of Cerberus barked happily.
"No, I want it!" the right head argued.
"Be quiet," Lucifer grumbled, though she imdiately claid the seat closest to where Ren would be, clinging to his arm until the last possible second.
Ren settled them down, then had Senzaemon Nakiri and the others find a spot at the large round table before he went back to change into his chef's uniform.
When he ca out a few minutes later, the transformation was subtle but palpable. The friendly neighbor was now the Master Chef, dressed in pristine whites that seed to capture the light. He saw Gin Dojima and the others chatting excitedly about the kitchen equipnt, debating the make of the stove and the quality of the knives.
Ren didn't pay much attention to that technical talk. Instead, he sat next to Lucifer—who imdiately leaned her head on his shoulder, staking her claim—and looked at them.
"Now," Ren said, his voice cutting through the chatter with a gentle authority, "it's ti to discuss the solution for the so-called God Tongue."
Hearing this, everyone's gaze focused on Ren. The room went silent. Senzaemon's hands clenched on his knees. Mana held her breath.
Ren smiled, leaning back in his chair to diffuse the sudden tension. "Don't be so excited or terrified. The so-called God Tongue is just a super-strong, evolving sense of taste. It is biological. But ultimately, it's just one of the body's senses magnified countless tis. Like a microphone with the gain turned up too high—eventually, even a whisper sounds like a scream."
He tapped the table lightly. "If it can't be satisfied, the body rejects the 'noise' of imperfect food, and one will starve. This is sowhat related to ntal state. The despair makes the physical rejection worse."
Ren held up his hand, ticking off fingers. "Now I have a few thods here; you can choose for yourselves. Since it is your body, the choice must be yours."
Ren had no intention of keeping them in suspense. This wasn't a reality TV show reveal; this was a dical consultation for a desperate patient. After carefully choosing his words to ensure they understood the gravity, he spoke calmly.
"The first thod," Ren said, folding one finger, "is to disable the sense of taste completely. I can sever the connection. You will survive, but everything will be tasteless. Like eating wax. You probably won't agree to this."
Everyone nodded imdiately. For a Nakiri, a life without taste was a life not worth living. It was a fate worse than death.
Ren continued, "The second thod is to make your God Tongue reach its most perfect state imdiately. That is to say, your God Tongue will still be there, but it won't continue to evolve uncontrollably. It will hit the ceiling of perfection."
Mana's eyes lit up, but Ren raised a cautionary hand.
"However, relatively, the price is freedom. You will only be able to eat here from now on. Only my food will match that 'Perfect State.' If you eat anywhere else, the contrast will be unbearable. This is what's called breaking the upper limit, but trapping yourself in a golden cage."
This thod made everyone a little tempted—to live in culinary bliss forever—but the reality set in quickly. Considering that Nakiri Mana was a Special Executive Officer of the WGO, her job required her to travel, to judge, to taste the world. If she could only eat here, she wouldn't be able to conduct inspections. She would be an invalid, just like before, rely in a different location.
Ren cleared his throat while everyone was deep in thought, wrestling with the dilemma.
"The third thod is the one I prefer," Ren stated clearly. "It involves 'Rehabilitation.' We weaken the sensitivity of the God Tongue temporarily, dialing it back to a manageable level. Then, we use flavors more intense and complex than what the God Tongue can currently handle to train the ntal capacity to endure."
Ren tapped his temple. "We build ntal muscle. We force your mind to catch up to your tongue. This process will take more ti. It's a regin. But relatively, once completed, you will be able to fully control the God Tongue. You will decide when to listen to it, and when to ignore it."
This idea made everyone's eyes light up. Mastery. Control. Not a cure, but a conquest.
Ren waved his hand and continued, almost as an afterthought, "There's also another thod that could work, but it might have a counter-effect: creating a delicious taste that even the God Tongue cannot comprehend. In other words, a delicious taste beyond human taste perception. A flavor from a higher dinsion."
Hearing this thod, Senzaemon Nakiri and the others all swallowed hard. The concept alone was terrifying.
Decora adjusted her colorful glasses, her hands trembling slightly. She tentatively asked, "Does such a delicious taste truly exist? A taste the God Tongue... can't process?"
Ren nodded and said, "It exists. I can make it. But I'm worried that the God Tongue's sudden inability to comprehend the data, coupled with Miss Nakiri Mana's current weak ntal state and fragile body, might lead to problems. A system crash, if you will. It could break her mind."
Everyone looked at Nakiri Mana.
Four thods, four different effects, each with its pros and cons. The decision rested solely in Nakiri Mana's hands. The room was silent, save for the soft ticking of a clock and the faint hum of the refrigerator.
After a long period of contemplation, looking at her father, at Joichiro, and finally at her own trembling hands, Nakiri Mana looked up. Her eyes were clear.
"If I weren't an Executive Officer," Mana began softly, "I would lean towards the second option. To stay here... it is a beautiful temptation. But since I am an Executive Officer, and I have a daughter waiting for ... if I have to choose, I will choose the third."
Everyone nodded, relieved. Although it took a bit longer, the effect was the best. It would show imdiate results, and the final outco would also be the best. A strong ntal state coupled with a consistently suppressed God Tongue would be enough to eventually control the curse.
"Excellent," Ren nodded. "Human senses have mory. When you repeatedly suppress growth, growth will be very slow, or even show lazy growth. At that ti, it might change from growing daily to growing once every few years, but the strong ntal endurance you build will be enough to make it negligible."
Everyone clearly felt relieved. Shoulders slumped, breaths were released. Because this matter, which had tornted Nakiri Mana and the entire Nakiri family for so many years, tearing them apart, was finally about to conclude.
Ren looked at Nakiri Mana, tilted his head, and thought for a mont.
Nakiri Mana looked back at Ren, feeling a bit nervous again. "Is... is there sothing else? A surgery?"
Ren suddenly smiled, his expression shifting from doctor to host. "Would everyone like so snacks first? Or would you like to order now?"
Senzaemon Nakiri groaned, clutching his forehead as if he had a headache. "Ren-kun... You always like to suddenly ask this question! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to decide what to eat here?!"
The others also nodded, looking helpless. The three WGO Bookn looked particularly distressed. They were professionals who knew every ingredient known to man, but that knowledge only paralyzed them here.
"It's true!" Courage lanted, checking her reflection in a spoon. "We know too much! We imagine the taste of everything, and we can't choose! What if we miss the best dish?"
Ren smiled and said, "What to eat is never sothing you think about for a long ti. The first thought that cos to your mind is the delicious food you want to eat. Trust your stomach, not your brain."
After a mont of thought, everyone still didn't know what to eat. Because they were all very capable Executive Officers of the WGO, they were simply too sensitive to taste. Their ability to visualize flavors was too good; they could imagine a hundred dishes in a second, and rejecting any of them felt like a cri.
Joichiro, as expected of a chef famous worldwide for his wandering style and adaptability, broke the tension. He looked at the number of people—nearly ten of them—and grinned.
"Shopkeeper Ren," Joichiro said, "your 'ordering' usually implies individual plates. But look at us. With our number of people, should your 'ordering' also include dishes that Mana can eat, right?"
Nakiri Mana looked at Ren with anticipation. She hadn't eaten anything solid for too long. Her stomach gave a traitorous, quiet growl.
Ren smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that at all, because every dish here is sothing Miss Nakiri Mana can eat. The purity of the ingredients guarantees that."
Ren's words made Nakiri Mana open her mouth, wanting to order, but she had no idea what she should eat. Her helpless expression made Ren smile.
Joichiro Yukihira smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Ren, with our number of people, Chinese food would be better, right?"
Ren nodded and said, "Hmm, for your number, Chinese food is best. The Round Table style."
He looked at Senzaemon and Mana. "And since the Old Man and Miss Nakiri Mana are reuniting, you probably have a lot to say. The atmosphere of Chinese food—sharing from the sa plates, passing dishes around—is most suitable. And for your number, Old Man, you few should want a drink, right? Then six or seven dishes should be enough."
Senzaemon Nakiri nodded enthusiastically. "If that's the case, then you decide. If we're drinking, we'll definitely have so, after all, your wine isn't that easy to get. I've been missing that vintage."
Hearing this, Joichiro and Gin Dojima both looked expectant, their eyes practically glowing at the ntion of Ren's alcohol collection.
Ren smiled and said, "Today, I won't limit whether you can have refills. The cellar is open."
"You're so easygoing?"
"Because even though not everyone is here, today is still a family dinner~"
When they heard this, everyone was montarily stunned, then a genuine, warm smile appeared on their faces.
The word 'family dinner' is always followed by reunion and enjoynt. It is a ti to put aside titles, ranks, and sorrows. If you can hold your liquor, then don't let this family dinner be a cold and quiet affair~ Ho should always be a warm place.
[Akarin Note:
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