"Hm? Are you saying that because you genuinely believe in us, or simply because you don't actually know the recipe?"
Kai asked, his tone filled with suspicion.
"I truly don't know the recipe,"
Grandma Lyla replied calmly.
"But I honestly believe you can create something far more extraordinary than anything I've ever experienced before… My instincts tell me so, and that's why I'm absolutely certain."
She answered casually, without showing even the slightest hint of doubt.
Kai's cheeks flushed faintly. He felt a small sense of happiness at how much Grandma Lyla trusted him, yet he still couldn't bring himself to believe it was possible.
"Just so you know, Grandma… I don't have any experience with cooking at all,"
Kai said honestly. That was the main reason he couldn't bring himself to believe her words.
"Yes, just by looking at you… I could tell,"
Grandma Lyla replied bluntly.
Her straightforward answer shocked Kai—and hurt more than he expected. A sharp heat stabbed into his chest.
"If you knew that… then why do you still believe in me?"
Kai asked, a hint of fear in his voice. He wasn't sure he could handle another painful answer, yet he chose to ask anyway. Perhaps she had noticed something about him—something that could help him accomplish everything she had asked him to gather.
"There's no particular reason,"
Grandma Lyla said.
"I can sense a spirited resolve within you.... And besides, you're the one chosen by the Fairy Goddess, aren't you? You must be able to do something."
Her words stunned everyone present.
"Uh… I know the legend of the Fairy Goddess,"
Pete said as he raised his hand to get everyone's attention.
"And, well… she's kind of famous for sending a hero whenever someone needs help, right?"
Kai's face flushed red once again when he heard the word hero come from Pete's mouth.
"Yeah… so what's the matter?"
Grandma Lyla replied, sensing a hint of doubt in Pete's tone.
"Hmmm… how should I put this…"
Pete said, looking slightly confused about how to explain himself. He rested his chin in his hand and stared up at the ceiling of the restaurant.
"You see… Kai doesn't look like a hero at all!"
Pete's words left Kai frozen, his expression utterly speechless, while his friends struggled to hold back their laughter.
"Bwahahahahaha!"
Well, almost everyone held back—except Kurt, who couldn't contain his laughter at all. Kai immediately shot him a death glare, but the man just ignored it.
"I've been watching him since yesterday… and honestly, I never thought he'd be someone you could rely on… hmmm… truthfully, after seeing him barely make it here alive earlier, I feel he's nothing more than a kid who likes to cause trouble… Sorry, Kai, I don't mean to insult you, but that's just how I feel right now."
Pete wore an apologetic expression that made it nearly impossible for Kai to reject his apology. The old man was simply speaking his mind—he had no intention of putting Kai down at all.
"Fufu… you're right… he really doesn't look like a dependable hero at all."
Grandma Lyla replied with a soft chuckle.
"Hey, come on… didn't you seem to trust me earlier? Then why are you saying this now, Grandma?!"
Kai pouted as he spoke, frustrated by the apparent inconsistency in her words.
"Please, let me finish first… mfmfufu,"
Grandma Lyla said, trying to suppress her laughter. She took a sip of her tea to calm herself before resuming the sentence she had left unfinished.
"Tell me… what do you think has changed in this village since Kai arrived here?"
She asked, looking around at everyone in the room.
Hmmm… has anything really changed since he arrived? I honestly can't think of a single thing."Kurt answered without hesitation, as if the answer had been obvious all along.
"That's probably because you've been too busy blowing things up to notice what's changed in this village since I got here!"Kai snapped back, sarcasm dripping from every word. He didn't truly know what had changed since first setting foot in the village—he hadn't known anything about it before—Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had brought some change to the village.
"How many times do I have to say it?! I'm not doing it on purpose, and not everything I make explodes!"
Kurt shot back sharply. If anything had changed since Kai arrived, it was definitely his mood, which seemed to worsen with every passing second thanks to the presence of that annoying guy.
The two of them locked eyes, their glares sharp enough to kill, as they exchange sarcastic jabs at each other.
"I just want this to end… so can someone tell us what it is?"
Claire asked, looking exhausted from watching Kai and Kurt bicker. She somehow felt she knew the answer but didn't want to admit it herself, so she directed the question to Grandma Lyla instead.
"You really don't know the answer?"
But Grandma Lyla turned the question back on her, a mischievous smile plastered across her face. Claire scowled at the sight.
"Well, Grandma… are you talking about how Kai has managed to make the village feel more alive?"
Elly guessed, unsure if that was really the answer Grandma had in mind.
Even though she sensed doubt in her granddaughter, Grandma Lyla nodded to indicate that Elly was correct.
"That's right… the young man has managed to rekindle the spirit within all of you!"
Elly's smile grew wide at her grandmother's words. She was thrilled that her guess was correct—and that Kai had genuinely earned praise from the bottom of her grandmother's heart.
"After you said that, I have to admit… you're right. The village really does feel more alive than before."
Pete said, reminiscing about the village's condition before Kai arrived.
"Hm… I suppose that's true… Kai really has brought a new color to the village!"
Katie smiled brightly, showing her white teeth as she gave her opinion. She had felt much happier since meeting Kai the day before.
Claire didn't say a word. Even so, she silently acknowledged that the village's atmosphere had improved significantly since Kai arrived. Of course, she'd rather die than say it aloud.
"Yes… and that's why I believe this young man can surely save the village."
Grandma Lyla glanced over at Kai, still locked in his playful battle of words with Kurt, and everyone else's eyes naturally followed hers.
Without realizing it, warm smiles began to spread across their faces as they watched the two young men exchange sarcastic jabs at each other.
They all felt that the scene was far better than the usual sight of despair on the villagers' faces.