"Won't you let me sit for a while?" Erina asked, her cheeks slightly flushed with a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Of course," Sui replied quickly, inviting her in.
The two sat down on the sofa in Sui's room, but he couldn't shake the sensation of the palpable resentment coming from Alice, who was hiding under the bed.
Despite her cold and aloof demeanor at school, Erina became far more relaxed and conversational when she was alone with Sui, almost like an ordinary girl. Still, she wasn't as chatty as Alice, who could talk endlessly whenever they were together, her words flowing like a machine gun. Alice would often ramble about everything from bad school lunches to the events of the day, leaving Sui to listen quietly, only chiming in occasionally.
At this moment, Erina was sitting casually on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, revealing a stretch of her smooth, pale calf. Her feet, clad in slippers, kicked absentmindedly every now and then.
"By the way, what was that about Rindō-senpai?" Sui asked, curious.
"Rindō-senpai is so annoying!" Erina puffed up her cheeks in frustration at the mention of her.
Sui chuckled at how cute she looked. He couldn't help but notice how similar she was to Alice when she was upset.
"Forget it, I don't want to talk about it anymore," Erina huffed, turning her head away in a small fit of anger.
For the next few minutes, they chatted about various topics, though most of the conversation revolved around cooking. Erina wasn't interested in typical girl talk about celebrities, fashion, or cosmetics. Cooking was her only passion, and it dominated her conversations. The only other thing that occasionally caught her interest was secretly reading romance manga.
As Sui was trying to keep the conversation going, his phone buzzed with a message from Alice, still hidden under the bed.
'I'm so bored! When is Erina leaving?' the message read.
Sui sighed silently but couldn't bring himself to ask Erina to leave just yet. He texted back, 'Be patient for a while.'
"Who is it? Is it Rindō-senpai?" Erina asked, sounding nervous, clearly still bothered by Rindō's teasing earlier.
"No, it's just Yukihira. He's asking if I want to hang out," Sui lied, coughing slightly to cover his unease. "But I told him I'm not interested."
Erina visibly relaxed. "That's good," she said with relief.
Meanwhile, Alice kept sending texts from under the bed, repeatedly asking if Erina had left yet. Sui, feeling increasingly awkward, shoved his phone into his pocket to avoid looking at it. Yet, the continuous vibration was a clear sign of Alice's growing resentment.
At the same time, Sui could feel the tension building in his shoulder. It was a strange sensation, almost like the lingering curse of Tohru, an indication of some otherworldly frustration.
"Why aren't you checking your phone? Isn't someone texting you?" Erina asked, noticing his reluctance.
"Ahem, it's probably Yukihira again, urging me to join him," Sui replied, trying to downplay the situation.
"That guy is such a nuisance," Erina muttered in annoyance. Then, she looked at Sui, her cheeks slightly reddening. "But… why are you being so well-behaved today?"
In the past, he might have tried to embrace her by now. Her eyes revealed a hint of disappointment, as if she had expected him to be more forward.
Sui, sensing her unspoken question, smiled awkwardly. He couldn't exactly explain that Alice was hiding in the room.
"But, Erina, weren't you here just to chat?" he asked, pretending to be surprised.
"N-no! Not like that!" Erina's face flushed a deep crimson. "It's exam time right now! We shouldn't be doing anything like that. Besides, we're not even married—it would be immoral."
Beneath her tsundere exterior and prideful attitude, Erina was, at heart, an incredibly diligent and rule-abiding student. She didn't watch TV, rarely used her phone, didn't wear makeup, and dedicated her entire focus to cooking. In many ways, she was the picture-perfect model student.
Because of this, she couldn't accept staying the night in Sui's room, especially during exam time. However, if Sui had insisted, she probably wouldn't have been able to refuse him.
Feeling the weight of the resentment from the three girls—Erina, Alice, and even Tohru's distant presence—Sui was left with a throbbing headache.
"It's getting late. I should go to bed since we have exams tomorrow," Erina said, standing up as she noticed the time.
"I'll walk you to the door," Sui offered, following her.
"See you tomorrow," he said, giving her a hug and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Erina blushed, quickly glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. Fortunately, the hallway was empty. She nodded shyly before turning away.
As she walked down the corridor, Erina couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Sui tonight. "Sui is acting a little strange," she murmured to herself. Though she was somewhat relieved that he hadn't tried to make her stay, a part of her felt oddly disappointed.
Back in the room, as soon as Sui closed the door, Alice crawled out from under the bed, her expression a mix of frustration and relief.
"Finally! That troublesome Erina has left," she grumbled, clearly annoyed.
Sui let out a sigh of relief. At least they hadn't been caught. But guilt gnawed at him—while he was happy Alice stayed, he felt bad for deceiving Erina. Still, asking her to stay would have complicated things further.
"And what about you? Are you planning to leave tonight?" he asked, already anticipating her answer.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Alice declared with a mischievous grin, wrapping her arms around his. "You're mine tonight!"
Unlike her more reserved cousin, Alice was far more open and uninhibited, likely a result of her upbringing abroad.
——
The next morning, Sui tried to wake Alice, reminding her about the exam.
"Ugh, I'm getting up," Alice grumbled, puffing out her cheeks in reluctance before finally rising.
They dressed and freshened up before leaving the room. Alice checked the hallway cautiously, making sure no one saw her exiting Sui's room.
By the time they reached the hotel lobby, many of the others had already gathered.