Cooking Priest (AST)

**Cooking Priest** is a priest from the Manpukuji Temple, while he isn’t a martial artist he has extensive knowledge of all techniques within the Martial Arts Cooking school.

## Overview

The caretaking of the Kuonji Shrine has been left to the Manpukuji Temple long ago. The Cooking Priest comes by from time to time to check on things. This time he saw the seal of the door had been bypassed so came in to see if there was any damage only to find Ukyo staring of into space. After breaking her out of her stupor he was amazed to find out that she was a descendant of the temple’s founder. Despite Ukyo’s assurance that she was fine, even if she couldn’t remember what she had been doing, he checked her aura causing him to realize that she had been abusing the Burning Soul. He advice her to return with him to the temple where she could be treated.

The priest made Ukyo a dumpling that fixed her energy system much to her surprise. Since this didn’t address the fundamental issue with the burning soul, only repair the damage Ukyo asked if the priest could teach her the recipe for the dumpling. As a descendant of the temples founder the priest was inclined to agree, going so far as the tell her about the recipe book left by an old man from Osaka over a hundred years ago. If she proved herself worthy he would give it to her.

He then showed her temple's greatest treasure, an offering of Okonomiyaki that the man had also left. Removing the lid off the small box it was contained within. The century old Okonomiyaki is shown to have been kept fresh by the powerful battle aura that it has been infused with. As Ukyo recoils in shock from learning how old the Okonomiyaki is, the priest reveals his suspicions that the man was also a descendant as the recipe book is said to contain recipes on how to perfect the burning soul, a technique limited to Ukyo’s family line.

This causes Ukyo to decide that it must've been her great-grandfather who made the Okonomiyaki as her grandfather he was the only member of the Kuonji School of Okonomiyaki who could make such things. She asked why he would leave the book here and not give it to his son; the Priest told her that it was because of the dangers of the knowledge within. Eager to learn a perfected version of the burning soul that she could perform without worry, Ukyo was ready to start learning, but first there must be a test. While initially nervous, she became confident upon learning that it was a cooking test.

The priest was quick to call her out on her arrogance, telling her that this was no ordinary test, but Ukyo remained defiant that she would pass. Much to her surprise though after everything he said he only asked her to make him a piece of dry toast. She nearly attacked him thinking it was some, joke but he was serious. Barely holding her anger in check Ukyo rushed off to the kitchen the priest could just sigh as that wasn’t a good start.

The reason he asked Ukyo to make him toast is precisely because it is very simple, which is why he failed her after she didn’t present him her dish until an hour later. The toast was perfect in every physical way, but he could taste her lack of confidence with every bite. While she had a great spirit, Ukyo lacked confidence. While she tried to protest his assessment, she really couldn’t. The priest explained that the recipes in the book require a certain spirit to use. Ukyo lacked that experience, thus it would be useless to her. The Priest informs Ukyo that while her food is good, it is the spirit of the cook that gives them their true power.

The fight gone from her Ukyo asked how she could get confidence, but her couldn’t really give her a definitive answer as to find confidence is not simply a matter of a set task. Ukyo didn't like the answer, but she also couldn't fault the logic of it either. As she was contemplating it, the Priest left telling her that she was welcomed to try the test again at any time, both of them knowing that the results would be the same.

Making her a box of dumplings, he followed Ukyo back to her family temple so that he could give it to her. with a reminder that she could come back to him when she felt that she was ready.

## Abilities

* **Food Enhancement**: The Cooking Priest can imbue the base ingredients of the food he creates by infusing the materials from the onset of growth with his battle aura, fundamentally changing the nature and properties. The only recipe he is shown to know is one made specifically to address the side effects of the burning soul technique. He endows a dumpling with a very special aura that can affect the body's aura, regenerating it.
* **Food Empathy**: Over the years the priest has developed the ability to taste the very aura of a person through the food they make.