Hearing Kael's words, Erina Nakiri immediately understood what he meant. His dishes had already been fully served—this was simply him giving her a way out.
She really couldn't handle the situation in front of her, so handing it over to Kael and Arato Hisako was the best option. With that, Erina turned around and went back into the kitchen without saying another word to Azami Nakiri.
"All right, sir, please leave now. This is your third warning," Arato Hisako said again, her tone firm. "There won't be a fourth."
This time, Azami Nakiri had no angle left to exploit. He felt like a complete clown—one who had humiliated himself in front of so many important figures.
With no other choice, Azami kept a cold expression, said nothing, turned around, and left. When he shut the door, he slammed it hard—storming off in what could only be described as a dramatic exit.
"See? I told you this guy has zero class," Kael said loudly. "Can't handle the truth. Storming off like that—what a clown."
He deliberately raised his voice so everyone could hear it, including Azami, who hadn't gone far outside yet.
"Hahahaha—calling him a clown is way too accurate!"
The entire restaurant burst into laughter again. Natsume Sendawara was practically clutching her stomach. She'd never liked Azami to begin with, and seeing Kael shut him down so completely made her the happiest person in the room.
The piercing laughter drifted outside, making Azami grind his teeth in rage. But there was nothing he could do—Arato Hisako was still blocking the door.
Everything Kael said was the truth. And when someone humiliates you with the truth, there's nothing you can say back. Azami felt like he'd lost face to the extreme.
The worst part was that he didn't even know where to go. His original plan had been to eat here at Erina's place and wait for Senzaemon Nakiri to arrive.
Senzaemon would definitely hear about his return. When that happened, Azami planned to pull out the ruling document signed by the Elite Ten, right in front of everyone, and reclaim the position of Director.
But now he'd been kicked out before his plan was set in motion, and Senzaemon hadn't arrived yet.
Was he supposed to go find Senzaemon himself? That would completely ruin the image he wanted to project.
So he was stuck—leaving felt wrong, staying felt worse. If he left, where would he even go? If he stayed, was he just going to stand there in the cold wind?
The situation was painfully awkward.
After hesitating for a few minutes, Azami suddenly found himself surrounded by a convoy of cars.
In the original story, he'd planned to eat here, but Soma Yukihira's appearance had killed his appetite. He hadn't stayed long back then either.
So after standing there awkwardly for a few minutes, the decision was made for him.
Senzaemon Nakiri had arrived—bringing sarcasm along with him.
With so many cars and people outside, the noise naturally drew attention from inside. When the door opened, everyone saw Azami still standing right there.
"Huh? You're still here?" Kael said casually. "What, enjoying the cold wind? Or do you just have nowhere else to go?"
The moment he said that, everyone inside realized what had happened.
Azami had slammed the door and left minutes ago—yet he was still right outside.
That alone explained everything.
The laughter, which had finally died down, immediately resurfaced. Just imagining Azami, dressed all proper, standing outside in the cold for several minutes was enough to make people lose it again.
Azami glared at Kael, his eyes practically shooting fire, his teeth grinding loudly.
But again—there was nothing he could do. Kael was telling the truth. He really had been standing there awkwardly, and even he felt ashamed of it.
"Pfft…"
Even Erina couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a small laugh. After Kael's repeated mockery, the fear she once felt toward her father had noticeably faded.
"Ahem…"
At that moment, a cough broke the laughter.
Senzaemon Nakiri looked slightly awkward. To make the act convincing, he'd gone to great lengths to prepare for this scene.
But looking at the current situation—the roaring laughter inside, even his own granddaughter laughing—it was obvious Azami had suffered badly at Kael's hands.
And hearing that Azami had been blocked outside, freezing for several minutes… even Senzaemon almost laughed imagining it.
Barely holding it in, he reminded himself that the show wasn't over yet.
He coughed a few more times to draw everyone's attention.
"What are you doing back here?" Senzaemon roared, his face stern. "Get out. You have no right to set foot in this place."
The people he brought with him all wore serious expressions.
But Kael, with his Divine Sight, could clearly see the subtle changes in their faces.
They were all acting. Every last one of them.
Azami's expression twisted in rage. He'd already been humiliated twice by Kael, made a clown again and again—and now Senzaemon piled on top of it.
In the original timeline, this wouldn't have been a big deal.
But now? His mentality had completely collapsed.
Furious beyond measure, Azami stopped bothering with pointless words. He reached into his coat and pulled out a document signed by six members of the Elite Ten.
"What's that?" someone inside asked, stunned.
"Everyone remembers Totsuki's rules, right?" Azami said coldly. "The Elite Ten hold enormous authority. And when a decision is approved by more than half of them, it represents the will of the entire academy."
"The document in my hand has been approved by six members of the Elite Ten."
"As for its contents…"
He bared his teeth in a chilling, triumphant smile.
"It calls for the replacement of Totsuki's Director."
"Re… replacing the Director?"
"Is that really allowed at Totsuki?"
"I think it is. It's just never happened before. Looks like he found a loophole."
"So that means… Totsuki's Director is changing?"
The room erupted in shock. No one expected Azami to actually pull something like this off.
"Wait—six Elite Ten agreed? Which ones?"
Azami unfolded the document, revealing six names: Momo Akanegakubo, Somei Saito, Rindo Kobayashi, Eishi Tsukasa, Eizan Etsuya, and Nene Kinokuni.
"So it's those six…"
"What a foolish choice."
The initial shock quickly faded. Seeing those names, everyone understood one thing—their futures had just taken a massive hit.
Unless they were monsters on the level of Joichiro Saiba, their paths from here on out would be extremely rough.
By now, many students had gathered outside as well. The event was ending, and the arrival of so many vehicles had naturally drawn attention.
The Polar Star Dormitory residents, along with students from the High Platform Area, were openly laughing.
Their gazes toward the six Elite Ten members were filled with pity—and disgust. No one liked traitors.
Soon, their attention shifted to Kael.
After all, Kael had just humiliated Azami repeatedly. Now that Azami was the new Director, would Kael be affected?
"Are you done blabbering?" Kael said calmly as he walked to the door. "If you're done, move. You're blocking the entrance."
Azami was standing there with his arms spread, right in the doorway. He really was in the way.
"Do you even understand what this means?" Azami snapped. "I am now Totsuki's new Director. And you—you're still just a student here."
He couldn't understand it. Why wasn't Kael even a little afraid?
"So what?" Kael replied casually. "If you've got the guts, expel me."
Kael showed zero fear.
To be honest, he really didn't care about being expelled. Leaving aside the impact it would have on Totsuki, did Azami seriously think Kael couldn't survive outside?
He was a Special Grade Chef—publicly recognized as a Nine-Star Chef. A chef like that would be treated as an honored guest anywhere.
He stayed at Totsuki because he wanted to. If he didn't, he could leave whenever he pleased.
People quickly caught on.
A Nine-Star Chef studying at Totsuki elevated the academy's reputation immensely.
But if Totsuki expelled him?
They'd instantly become public enemy number one.
Expelling a Nine-Star Chef would be unbelievably stupid. And angering Kael would mean countless powerful figures lining up to curry favor with him by crushing Azami in retaliation.
Totsuki's reputation would plummet straight into the ground.
"Damn, Kael just put Azami in a deadlock."
"If Azami expels Kael, he's basically committing suicide. If he doesn't—he's the one losing face."
"New Director, my ass. He's in generational Aura debt. King of Clowns suits him better."
Someone couldn't resist the jab, and the room exploded with laughter yet again.
The words hit Azami like a wake-up call.
He really couldn't expel Kael. In front of Kael, he was utterly powerless.
Nearby, Senzaemon Nakiri and the others were barely holding it together. Seeing Azami get casually humiliated by Kael while they had to maintain serious expressions was pure torture.
Some of them were already discreetly pinching themselves just to stay composed.
"This… this doesn't feel right," Nene Kinokuni muttered, her voice low. "It feels like we backed the wrong person."
"This is Kael we're talking about," Eizan Etsuya replied quietly. "Once he speaks, who dares to argue?"
Azami's humiliation was entirely because of Kael. Against anyone else, things wouldn't have been this bad.
The others nodded quickly.
What was done was done—they were already tied to Azami. There was no turning back now.
"What's wrong?" Kael said again, amused. "Still blocking the door?"
Azami's face shifted through colors like a rainbow. He was still frozen in the same pose, stiff from sheer embarrassment.
At Kael's words, he reflexively pulled his arms back.
The moment he did, regret hit him like a truck.
Wasn't that basically admitting he was afraid of Kael?
Even if he really was afraid, this was a matter of dignity. He should've moved on his own terms—not because Kael told him to.
But it was too late.
To everyone else, it looked exactly like a scolded student obeying a teacher—told to move, and immediately doing so.
Kael didn't spare him another glance. He simply left with Erina Nakiri and the rest of the Polar Star Dormitory.
As Kael walked away, the entire room let out a collective sigh of relief.
Azami was gone—though his dignity was completely destroyed, he still had the Director's position.
Senzaemon and the others relaxed because they no longer had to suppress their laughter. The sooner the act ended, the better.
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