"Master!"
Jilin immediately recognized Krune as soon as he entered the kitchen. Nina even looked like she was about to cry. Well, it had been two years out, after all.
"Hey, I called you guys once or twice per month, didn't I? Is there a need to be this emotional? Hahaha!"
Krune then looked at the new figure beside Nina before asking.
"And this is?"
Jilin then pulled the guy ahead.
"His name is Jalo, a 16-year-old kid that came begging for a job half a year ago. Bai took pity on him and decided to give him a job."
Krune nodded. He had given Bai full authority over these issues a long time ago. So far, he hadn't let him down, so Krune wasn't really worried or anything. As the restaurant got older, it got more customers as well. At some point, new waiters and workers had to be employed. Still, the kitchen always had only Nina, Jilin, and Krune as chefs. That's why he was a little taken aback.
"I see... But why did you put him to work in the kitchen?"
Nina answered this time.
"After Master left, things got quite hard to manage on our own. We needed someone to work in here to help with the side preparations that didn't need skills. Since Bai didn't really need anyone inside the hall, we asked him to give this kid to us. It was like this that he came to work inside."
Krune nodded. If there was a lack of working power, then employing more was the only choice. He didn't blame them for that at all.
"So... 16 years old, 8th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. You seem to be doing fine by yourself."
Jalo scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Well, my cultivation wasn't this high when I started. It was because Chef Nina and Jilin decided to help me by providing extra Godly Stones for cultivation."
Nina smiled as she nodded.
"I don't remember it, but I heard from Lino that Master also did the same with me in the past without asking anything in return. It was because of you that my deformed Dantian was destroyed and a new one created. I felt like Jalo was quite in a similar situation to me, so I wanted to help."
Krune laughed after hearing that.
"Hahaha! That's fine. However, you and Jilin know very well what's the main condition to become a chef in my kitchen, right?"
Jilin and Nina nodded but didn't say anything. They just looked at Jalo.
"I-I also love to cook. I will show it to Chef Krune with my own work."
Krune smiled as he put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Good! Anyway, I believe in Jilin and Nina. If they let you enter the kitchen, that's because they already confirmed your feelings for food. By the way, which one of them is your Master?"
Jalo pointed at Nina and Jilin.
"Both of them had been teaching me so far, so I consider them to be my Masters."
Krune laughed once more before saying.
"Good! In that case, it makes me your grandmaster. Well, I'm quite an absent grandmaster, though."
'Not that I wanted it, but...'
"Ahem... Anyway, I will still stick around for another year before I return home. Since you are already here, I might as well teach you too. Well, Nina and Jilin can pretty much improve by themselves from now on, so there isn't much I have to show them anyway. I don't need to keep glued to those two anymore."
As soon as Krune said that, Nina immediately shouted.
"I want Master to continue teaching me closely!"
That was quite a loud shout that caught not only Jilin and Jalo's attention, even the customers outside heard that loud and clear. Any idiot could understand the meaning behind those words too. Bai and the other waiters heard that and sighed helplessly as the rest of the customers laughed. Lino, Nina's brother, was also a waiter working there now, so he felt more helpless than anyone else.
Lino and the others then looked at Bai, who pointed at the kitchen, his meaning very clear.
'Let's go take a look!'
A second later, Nina's face became as red as a tomato as she looked down.
Krune pondered a bit before asking.
"Nina, could it be that you..."
Nina trembled a little hearing those words, but she took her courage and slightly nodded her head.
Jilin also looked at Krune with his eyes wide open.
'Did he finally understand?!'
Krune then sighed before saying.
"So you are still not confident enough in your cooking skills. Very well, I will help you as much as I can."
"Uh?!"
Jilin almost vomited blood!
'You can't be serious, right? Right?!'
Jalo, who looked at all of that happening in front of him, murmured close to Jilin's ears.
'Is Chef Krune an idiot?'
Jilin smiled bitterly after hearing that. Even Jalo, who had seen those two together for the first time, could read the mood in the air, but Krune still didn't notice a single thing!
Bai and the others, who were looking through the door, almost fainted as well! Lino even felt the urge to get inside and kick Krune's ass! Unfortunately, Bai held him back.
Nina, too, felt like a deflating balloon.
They once again were made clear of a simple fact. Don't ever, ever underestimate Krune's EQ! His denseness is capable of putting even the most resistant heavenly materials in the Universes to shame!
"Don't worry. Although it is just a year, it is also an entire year. I'll be sure to take care of you three properly."
Krune said with a solemn expression, sure that he had understood Nina's intentions correctly. He was even feeling incredibly proud inside.
'I'm getting even better at understanding the human's emotions. Feifei would probably be very happy if she saw me today.'
Well, Feifei would probably send him flying with a kick. Sadly, she wasn't here at the moment.
"Alright! Let's go back to work. Bai is collecting everyone's orders for me. Now that they saw I'm back, there is definitely a lot coming our way."
Bai and the others also felt disappointed, not knowing what to say to Nina. It was evident that expecting anything from Krune would be a lost cause.
Jilin shook his head as he put his hand on Nina's shoulder. He then murmured on her ears.
"I'm telling ya, there is only one thing that would work with Chef Krune, a very straightforward and clear action. These words with hidden meanings will not bring you anywhere."
Nina got red once more. She felt helpless about how everyone seemed to know what she wanted except Krune himself.
Finally, she made a decision. Since everyone already knows, what's the point in continuing to hide her feelings like this? Her body filled with determination as she once again looked at Krune.
"Chef Krune!"
Krune, who was about to go wash his hands, looked back at Nina, puzzled.
"Yes?"
Nina then took a deep breath before saying.
"I love you!"
Jilin and Jalo froze in place. Bai and the others at the door, who were just about to go back to work, immediately turned around as fast as lightning.
'It's here!'
But the most surprising thing was still to come.
Krune looked straight at Nina before nodding his head.
"I know. I love you too."
*Boom!*
Everyone's heads exploded! Well, not literally. But still, they felt like that. They never thought that Krune also had feelings for Nina. He hid it just way too well!
Nina also didn't know what to do. She had never expected that her confession would go this well! She kept avoiding Krune's eyes as her entire body felt hot with excitement.
But it was then that Bai, Krune's oldest employee, felt that something wasn't right.
'Wasn't that answer way too... bland?'
He looked around as he noticed everyone's eager eyes too. In the end, as the oldest employee and the second in command, he had to put his body on the line to confirm the situation.
"Ahem... Chef Krune..."
Krune looked at Bai, puzzled.
"Oh, you are here. Did you finish taking the orders?"
Bai narrowed his eyes after hearing that.
'Is it really the time for you to care about the order?'
As his doubts increased, he decided to act.
"Cough, cough... I haven't. But I have another question..."
"Do you love me too?"
Everyone almost passed out! Bai, don't you have a wife and kid already? Since when did you become gay?!
However, they soon understood what Bai was trying to do. Sure enough, Krune nodded his head.
"Of course! I love everyone here. You are all very important to me."
*Bang!*
Everyone fell with their faces on the floor... kind of feeling. Finally, Nina and the others comprehended Bai's actions.
'That's not the kind of love Nina is talking about at all!'
In all the four realms, no one can save the wisp's EQ!
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