This aura—Ron was very familiar with it. It was Nina's. But compared to before, it was significantly stronger, which clearly indicated that Nina had likely made a breakthrough.
"Captain," Ruco, who had been in the middle of training, was the first to spot Ron and the others returning. She quickly wrapped up her practice and jogged over to greet them. Close behind her was Ponzu, and then White Bear.
"Captain, you're back!"
Ron gave a slight nod. "We're back."
"Nina's in seclusion," Ponzu explained. But just as she spoke, a figure emerged from Nina's room. Nina opened the door and, not seeing Ruco or Ponzu outside, looked puzzled—she had made quite a bit of noise when breaking through, so she had expected they'd notice and come by. Confused, she stepped out, and it was only when she saw Ron that she understood.
"Big brother!" Nina beamed, visibly excited.
"You broke through?" Ron looked at Nina running toward him and reached out to gently pat her head. "Mhm, I finally did it," Nina said with bright eyes.
She had been burdened by her lack of progress for some time—Shizuku had surpassed her despite joining later, and Misty, though having started learning Nen even later, had also caught up. Now, Nina had finally reached B-rank, and her progress was by no means slow. After all, she was younger than Shizuku, and Misty was a genuine prodigy. The only one lagging behind in progress was Sally.
"Congratulations," the others offered their well wishes.
But in Sally's eyes, there was a trace of envy. One by one, her former teammates and friends had all made significant strides forward, and only she remained where she had always been. Sally wasn't jealous, but she was dissatisfied with herself.
In truth, leaving the team might be the best path for her. People are like that—resentful not of scarcity, but of inequality; not of poverty, but of unfairness. They wish their friends well, but not better than themselves.
The human heart is complex.
Sally didn't have a twisted mindset. Watching Ron and the others grow stronger brought her genuine happiness, but she also understood clearly—she couldn't keep up. Within the range of ordinary people, no, even among Nen users, Sally wasn't weak. If she truly wanted a position at the Heavens Arena, she could have one; she only needed to challenge a lower-tier Floor Master, and her chances of victory would be high—certainly easier than someone like Sadaso. Many people would envy the strength Sally already had.
Ron hesitated briefly. "Alright then, tonight I'll cook something myself to celebrate your breakthrough, Nina."
Nina was both delighted and a little embarrassed. "That's too much trouble, big brother. Why don't we just eat out or ask the chefs from the Heavens Arena to come up?"
"No need. I happen to want to test my new ability."
"New ability?" Nina blinked.
"You'll see soon."
Ron walked toward the kitchen and, with a thought, summoned Erina. His true trump cards needed to remain hidden—even from his team—but Erina wasn't one of them. "Gourmet Cell" was.
Others, seeing Erina, would simply assume Ron had developed this Nen Beast to satisfy his palate. They would never consider the deeper implications. After Erina appeared, Ron no longer desired to eat food prepared by anyone else—except for specialists like Alice or Menchi, who might rival or surpass Erina in skill.
Ron possessed the "Gourmet Cell" ability. In other words, eating well-prepared dishes could directly make him stronger. But the food had to be exceptional—either made from high-grade ingredients or by chefs with outstanding skill.
Erina's culinary skill surpassed even Alice's. No ordinary chef could compare. As for who was better—Erina or Linne—Ron still couldn't determine, even after having tasted dishes from both. His own palate wasn't refined enough to judge.
The kitchen already had a large supply of ingredients. Previously, Nina and the others had occasionally cooked meals or made desserts during their time in Sumas's space. Erina began to work busily.
Tonight's dinner would be for quite a few people—Ron, Nina, Shizuku, Misty, Sally, Ponzu, and Ruco. If it were an ordinary chef preparing dinner for this many people alone, they'd be exhausted. Preparing the ingredients, cooking the dishes, and cleaning the kitchen afterward would be a tremendous amount of work. Cooking itself required skill; adding in prep and cleanup turned it into a feat of endurance.
But for Erina, so long as Ron supplied enough aura, it was no issue. Seven people? Seventy? Even seven hundred? Not a problem.
Ordinarily, an elite Nen user is expected to maintain Ken for half an hour. Those who can hold it for over an hour are considered top-tier. But Ron's aura reserves far exceeded others of his level. By that measure, he was already a top-tier expert. One hour? Two? Even three or more—Ron could endure it easily. Of course, that was when only his main body was active. If all of his Nen Beasts were deployed, the aura drain would be much greater.
Just like Nen user classifications, the duration of Ken was only one aspect of judging a user's power—it couldn't define it entirely.
Outside the kitchen, the others sat chatting casually, mainly asking Misty and the others about their time in Gourmet Paradise. Ruco and the rest hadn't gone, so they were curious. Misty explained slowly, while Shizuku occasionally added a word or two. Only Sally, who had also been part of the trip, said nothing at all. Her mind was already elsewhere.
"Ruco, come with me for a moment."
"Sally-senpai?" Ruco blinked, unsure what this was about, but still followed.
Ponzu glanced at their backs.
Misty said quietly, "Sally wants to leave the team."
"Leave? Why?" Ponzu asked, surprised.
Nina let out a soft sigh. "Probably because she feels like she can't keep up with the team's progress. To be honest, I used to feel that way too…"