The highly anticipated banquet began in Hanakaiin Haru’s courtyard.
Since the trial of ’assuming head of household,’ the Hanakaiin Family’s branch courts were divided into five sections: Hanakaiin Haru, Hanakaiin Ue, Hanakaiin Itsuki, Hanakaiin Ra, and Hanakaiin Tōru.
The five areas did not interfere with each other.
Even the servants would not greet each other when they met.
Although it was never explicitly stated, it had been passed down from the very beginning.
As for the division of courtyards, aside from Hanakaiin Tōru’s residence in the center, each took its corner in the east, south, west, and north respectively.
The corner where Hanakaiin Haru resided was the east.
At this moment, Master Tongshou Temple, Hui Lijing, He Tai, Ryosuke, and Urashima, already filled and satisfied, were staring wide-eyed at the round table in the center of the courtyard.
It seemed as if their mouths didn’t chew at all, but sounds of crunchy, crunchy were incessant.
The hands holding the chopsticks moved at a speed so fast that they created layers of illusions.
Whole fish vanished in a blink, leaving only bones behind.
The leg of lamb was swallowed one after another, not even leaving bone crumbs.
As for the large beef slices, as soon as a whole plate was brought out, only the plate remained.
Everyone already had some mental preparation for Jason.
After all, it’s well known that Jason can eat a lot.
Everyone was truly unprepared.
How could a young girl eat so much?
One Jason was already a handful.
Now with Miss Sagaraso added to the mix?
By the side of the two, a dozen servants were continuously bringing food to the table.
Every servant looked breathless, their faces a mix of disbelief and exhaustion.
They have been serving dishes non-stop since the banquet began.
From the initial eight people.
To the current two people.
Far from feeling any relief, they were becoming even more tired.
Because these two people were just too exaggerated.
Each one could eat more than ten people.
It wasn’t just a feeling.
Very soon, more servants flooded into this branch court, joining the food delivery queue.
And at the kitchen, there was a hive of activity.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have two special guests," announced the chef solemnly.
"This concerns the reputation of our Hanakaiin Family."
"Therefore, we cannot afford any mistakes."
"Everyone, please do your best!"
The head chef in charge of Hanakaiin Haru’s dietary affairs said with seriousness.
A chorus of kitchen helpers responded loudly.
Then, with a wave of the head chef’s hand, all hands were busier than ever.
Even the curious sous chef came over to ask while peeling potatoes.
The sous chef’s voice was very soft and low.
Although in the Hanakaiin Household, demons were not a taboo, discretion was still exercised.
After all, there were differences in species.
"No, it’s not," came the response.
"At least... probably not?"
"They look quite human," the head chef initially answered very affirmatively, then began to sound less certain.
Jason and Miss Sagaraso did indeed look like humans.
But can humans really eat that much?
Especially a seemingly gentle and frail Miss Sagaraso.
And demons are adept at shape-shifting.
It’s difficult to say clearly whether the two are truly human.
However, there was one thing the head chef was certain about.
Both were guests of Young Master Haru.
The most honored kind.
"Get to work!" he said.
"We are but servants."
"We must be aware of our place as servants."
The head chef spoke thus.
The sous chef nodded immediately and then worked even harder.
With their lead, the delivery of food became even quicker.
And as more food was brought in, Master Tongshou Temple, Hui Lijing, He Tai, and Ryosuke, Urashima and others sighed with relief.
Perhaps this would be enough to satisfy the appetite?
But immediately, their eyes widened again.
Because the food was disappearing even faster than before.
It was as if what came before was just a ’warm-up.’
Now the real contest had begun.
"Let’s hope Hanakaiin Haru doesn’t get too shocked when he returns," the female detective murmured.
"With the Hanakaiin family’s wealth, it shouldn’t be an issue, but... what an enormous appetite, huh?" Ryosuke, who had once hosted Jason, trembled as he spoke.
And as it turned out, Jason had been ’taking it easy’ all this time?
Was it really a meal that could cost me a month’s...no, a year’s salary?
The middle-aged detective assessed and felt despair.
Simply put, after being saved by Jason this morning, he had the idea to treat Jason to a meal again.
Ryosuke was in despair.
He wanted to thank Jason sincerely, hoping that Jason would enjoy a good meal.
But to spend a year’s salary on just one meal?
And based on the current trend, even a year’s salary wouldn’t be enough.
Despair began to spread.
Because, after being saved, Urashima had the same idea.
As the actual payer, he had witnessed Jason’s appetite.
He thought he understood it.
It was shockingly surprising.
Out of everyone, it was the female detective and the wandering Onmyoji who remained relatively calm.
For the female detective, it was shocking how much Jason could eat, but if Jason could indeed eat that much, it seemed only natural and easy to accept.
It was an inexplicable trust.
A trust born from every critical moment when Jason appeared.
As for the wandering Onmyoji, it was much simpler.
Isn’t it normal for a demon to eat a lot?
What’s more, for a great demon.