"Wait, do you two have some kind of bet?" Megumi asked, glancing between the flustered Erina and Sui.
"Erina, you're not backing out, are you?" Sui teased.
"Of course not!" Erina replied irritably.
"Shall we start now, then?" Sui smiled and pointed to his face.
"You said it was supposed to be in the morning!" Erina protested, feeling both shy and irritated. The thought of kissing Sui in front of so many people was unbearable.
"Isn't it still morning?" Sui asked, unfazed.
Erina immediately fell silent, realizing it was indeed still morning. But to kiss him in front of this crowd...
"Erina, as a member of the Nakiri family, would you really go back on your word?" Sui prodded.
This infuriating guy...
Erina was on the verge of tears, regretting ever agreeing to the deal. Her heart pounded, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. After hesitating for what seemed like an eternity, she pointed toward the door and shouted, "Why is the Commander-in-Chief here?!"
"What? The Commander-in-Chief is here?"
"Seriously?"
Students nearby, including Megumi, looked toward the door in shock.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Erina quickly darted up to Sui, planted a hasty kiss on his cheek, and dashed away with her face covered.
"Hey, where's the Commander-in-Chief?"
"Yeah, where is he?" Confusion spread among the students, who had fallen for the ruse.
Only Yoshino caught a glimpse of what had happened and pointed at Sui, exclaiming, "Okay! You two are definitely not just classmates!"
Erina froze mid-stride, tempted to turn around and silence Yoshino permanently.
Sui touched his cheek, still feeling the warmth of the kiss. With a faint sigh, he said, "Erina was a bit too quick."
From a distance, Dojima Gin had witnessed the entire scene and smiled knowingly. "Looks like we'll be seeing the next generation of the 'God's Tongue' soon."
Kojiro Shinomiya, however, remained brooding, still distracted by recent events.
…
A few days later.
During the days that followed, Erina dutifully kept her promise, kissing Sui every morning—albeit in her typical tsundere fashion. She'd blush, touch his face quickly, and then flee as fast as she could, leaving Sui speechless each time.
In their daily classes, both Sui and Erina consistently ranked first. When the overall scores were tallied, Sui came out ahead due to Erina's earlier defeat in the competition.
Finally, the grueling six-day, five-night Rapport Training Camp came to an end.
The celebration was about to begin.
As the students gathered in the grand banquet hall, there was still a lingering sense of anxiety, fearing they might be subjected to one last round of torturous training.
"...I sincerely wish you all the best," Dojima Gin announced. "Now, it's time for the final event—the celebratory banquet."
As he finished, the grand doors opened, and a group of people began to file in.
"From now on, you'll enjoy a feast prepared by all the graduates."
Upon hearing this, the students' faces lit up with joy. The mere thought of tasting the graduates' dishes brought tears of relief to their eyes.
"Finally, it's over!" Yoshino cheered, her eyes brimming with excitement.
"There are very few in the world who get the chance to enjoy a full banquet prepared by Tōtsuki graduates," Marui Zenji said, his body trembling in excitement like a resurrected zombie.
And so, the feast began.
"This is incredible!"
"Yeah, if only we could eat like this every day."
The students were visibly intoxicated by the incredible flavors.
"Yoshino, slow down or you'll choke," Megumi warned as Yoshino wolfed down her food.
"I don't care! I'm making up for the past few days of suffering!" Yoshino declared, her cheeks puffed out and mouth stuffed with food.
Sui couldn't help but worry she might actually choke at the last moment.
"Next, we'll announce the rankings from the Rapport Training Camp," Dojima Gin said. "First place: Sui Mizushima. Second place: Erina Nakiri. Third place: Alice Nakir..."
As their names were called, the hall buzzed with murmurs.
"That transfer student again?"
"Yeah, even Miss Erina lost to him."
While the students whispered, Yoshino chimed in, "Wow, they're like a husband-and-wife team, taking the top two spots."
Sui was momentarily speechless. If Erina heard that, there was sure to be another outburst.
"Hmph!" A cold snort came from across the room.
Sui turned to see Alice sitting at another table, glaring at him, not even touching her food. It seemed she still harbored resentment for having to bark like a dog in front of everyone.
"Damn it, he beat me again," Alice muttered under her breath.
At another table, Erina was also fuming. Losing to Sui was one thing, but the memory of kissing him every morning still lingered, making her face flush with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Why do I have to kiss him every day? When will this end?" she muttered, exasperated.
"Erina-sama? What did you say?" Hisako asked, curious.
"Ahem, nothing!" Erina quickly responded, her face bright red.
Now that the training was officially over, the hotel's facilities were opened to the students for the night, including hot springs, cinemas, game rooms, and gyms.
"Want to check out the gym?" Sōma suggested. "I heard there's a billiard room, badminton, and tennis courts."
"Sounds good," Sui agreed, and then turned toward Erina.
"Why are you inviting me?" she asked, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "Weren't you going with your friends?"
"You're my girlfriend. Isn't it normal for you to join us?" Sui replied.
Erina gritted her teeth, wanting to refuse, but eventually relented and followed him.
"And you two say you're not a couple!" Yoshino shouted, pointing at them as they walked together.