Dinner arrived at seven, and then it kept arriving.
The dining hall held Kaiden's whole inner family plus three moderators with room to breathe, lantern light warm on the lacquer.
Along the far wall, behind a counter of pale cypress that had not been there at noon, a full sushi brigade worked in silence. The gray-haired master directing them had, according to the staff's whispers, come out of retirement for this one night.
Partway through the third course, the far door of the hall slid open with no announcement at all, and the High Shrine Maiden of Japan stepped inside alone.
The room noise died mid-plate-war. A server froze with a bottle still tilted.
Kaiden lowered his chopsticks. "Lady Yunohana. Is something wrong?"
"Forgive the intrusion." She bowed to the table, low and held. "I only hoped to see that your needs are tended to. Please, do not stop on my account."
"Everything's perfect," Kaiden said. "Your people have outdone themselves."
