Sui couldn't help but feel helpless. This was the first time he had encountered such a useless guardian dragon.
But, upon reflection, wasn't it true that Kanna had become the family's pet dragon because of a mere dish?
This made Sui seriously doubt whether the brain cells of dragons were really that simplistic. No wonder such powerful creatures could be tamed by humans.
As Sui looked at Elma, who was sitting there contentedly enjoying her meal, sighing about how wonderful it was to have food, Emi grew increasingly irritated.
"Seriously, how useless can you be?" she scolded, clearly displeased.
"Really? But this fried rice is absolutely delicious," Elma responded, with a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth. "Working here isn't so bad. I get paid, and I get to eat such tasty food every day. It makes me really happy."
Hearing this, Emi suddenly felt that Elma had a point.
As a telephone operator, she only earned 1,000 yen an hour, and her meals mostly consisted of bread or discounted convenience store bento boxes. Meanwhile, this dragon made 5,000 yen an hour and got to enjoy delicious meals every day. Compared to that, her own life seemed downright miserable.
A wave of grief washed over Emi. Why was her life so tough, while the Demon King got to live in comfort, feasting on pork skewers and fried rice every day?
"Alright, let's eat."
Sui had finally taken a seat, and the group eagerly dug into their meal.
"What do you want to eat tomorrow?" Sui asked casually.
"Pork Adobo," Kanna answered, her cheeks puffed out with food.
"Pork Adobo? What's that? Is it good?" Elma asked, immediately intrigued.
"It's super tasty! The meat is tender and the gravy just melts in your mouth," Kanna said earnestly, nodding.
"Really? That sounds amazing! I can't wait to try it tomorrow," Elma said, her mouth practically watering at the thought.
Meanwhile, Emi, who was still standing off to the side, inhaled the mouthwatering aroma of the food and watched them eat heartily. She then thought of the cold, discounted bento sitting in her bag and swallowed quietly.
"Would you like to join us?" Sui asked, noticing her standing awkwardly. She neither left nor did anything else, just stood there watching, which made him feel a bit exasperated.
"I would never eat the food of the Demon King!" Emi was about to reject the offer coldly, but after glancing again at the golden pork skewers and fragrant fried rice, she finally muttered, "…If it's no trouble, I'll join you."
And so, the hero once again succumbed to the Demon King's hospitality, sitting down at the table with his family to share the meal.
After eating, Emi and Elma both drank their hot bone broth with a sigh of contentment, and in perfect unison, they said, "It's great to have food to eat."
Sui: "…"
Only then did he remember why Emi had even come by in the first place.
"So, what exactly did you come here for? Just to eat?" he asked.
Emi, who had just set down her bowl, suddenly blushed, stammering as she struggled to find the right words. She couldn't possibly admit that she'd come over intending to expose the Demon King's evil plans but ended up sharing a meal with them instead.
"Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on!" she declared hurriedly before she could be asked to pay for her food, making a quick exit.
"Eh? She didn't pay again, did she?" Tohru asked, slightly puzzled.
After tidying up the shop, Sui led Elma upstairs to the second floor, where the living quarters were. It was a bit old and small.
"You can stay here for now," Sui told her.
His apartment was no longer big enough to accommodate her, and he was concerned that a clash between Tohru and Elma was inevitable, so this was the best temporary solution.
However, Sui had already started planning to move into a bigger place.
"Yes! I'll work hard from now on!" Elma said with a serious bow. As long as there was delicious food, anywhere could be heaven for her. Her expectations were truly simple.
Later, Sui returned to his apartment with Tohru and Kanna.
The next day, Sui woke up early and opened the bathroom door. There, he saw Erina brushing her teeth, having just woken up.
"Good morning," he greeted her.
"Morning," Erina replied.
After freshening up, Sui looked at her with a playful smile but said nothing.
Erina blushed and, murmuring something under her breath, stepped closer.
As soon as she did, Sui pulled her into an embrace and pressed his lips against hers.
Erina's beautiful eyes flashed with a mix of shyness and surprise. She instinctively tried to resist but quickly relented, allowing him to continue.
Suddenly, a wave of shock ran through Erina's body, and a flash of embarrassment and anger appeared in her eyes. She wanted to push Sui away, but he was too strong, and she couldn't budge him.
Sui tasted the sweetness on her lips, the faint lingering flavor of toothpaste still present from brushing her teeth earlier.
At first, the ever-proud Erina resisted, but slowly, she began to shyly respond.
After what felt like an eternity, the two finally parted.
Erina's cheeks were flushed as she quietly savored the kiss, still feeling a tingling sensation from it. She felt both embarrassed and furious as she shot Sui a glare.
"From now on, this will be our morning routine—the God Tongue kiss," Sui teased with a grin.
Erina's blush deepened as she imagined what daily kisses with him would be like. The thought both frightened and annoyed her, though she couldn't deny a faint feeling of anticipation.
Soon, Sui, Erina, and Hisako arrived at the teaching building.
The place was still as noisy as ever.
"The Chanko-nabe Research Society challenges the Donburi Research Society! Do you dare to accept?"
"Kuga! Accept our soba research club's Shokugeki challenge!"
"The Molecular Gastronomy Research Society must win!"
It seemed that the battle between research societies had not only continued but had grown even more intense.
"They're still so fired up, huh?" Sui commented.
Erina rolled her eyes at him. After all, wasn't he the one responsible for this chaos?
After parting with Sui, Erina asked Hisako, "Do we have any plans for today?"
"Ah, yes. We have an important event today. Leonora-sama is coming," Hisako replied hurriedly.