Erina sat quietly on the chair, her cheeks flushed as she lowered her head. Softly, she pleaded, "In any case, I ask that you all keep it a secret for now… about Sui and me living together…"
"Wow, this milk is amazing! Give me another glass!" Alice exclaimed happily, licking the milk from the corners of her mouth.
"I'll have one too!" Yoshino quickly held out her empty cup.
"I could drink ten liters!" Sōma chimed in.
No one seemed to pay attention to what Erina had just said.
Veins bulged on Erina's forehead as her face paled with frustration. Meanwhile, Megumi, looking slightly distracted, held her own glass and asked in a low voice, "Sui-kun, are you… dating Erina-san?"
"Well, it's not exactly like that," Sui answered after a moment of thought. Even though Erina's grandfather had given his blessing, he didn't consider their relationship formal yet.
"Really?" Megumi asked, a trace of joy in her voice.
"Yeah," Sui nodded.
Megumi let out a small sigh of relief, murmuring, "I thought you two were officially together…"
——
Finally, after drinking what seemed like a dozen glasses of milk, Alice stretched with satisfaction. "Well, I suppose we'll leave for now. But we'll definitely be back!"
"Thanks for the treat!" Yukino and the others echoed, standing up.
Both Sui and Erina watched them leave, looking as though they had just survived a hurricane. While the group had been quite a handful, Sui couldn't be too harsh considering how quickly they had come over when he called for help.
"There won't be a next time," Erina said coldly, her patience thin. "Next time you show up, Alice, don't expect any hospitality from me!"
"Sis, that's so heartless! Are you ignoring me now just because you have a boyfriend?" Alice teased dramatically.
"W-What are you talking about?!" Erina's face flushed bright red, and she quickly denied it.
"Don't worry, Erina-chi! We won't tell anyone about you and Sui-kun living together," Yoshino said with a mischievous grin.
"Y-Yes, thank you," Erina stammered, sighing in relief.
Sui, however, could only roll his eyes. Yoshino wasn't exactly the most trustworthy when it came to secrets.
Once their guests had left, Erina turned to Sui, her expression more serious. "Why did you challenge Eizan-senpai to a Shokugeki? Do you realize what could happen if you lose? You'll be expelled from school!"
Sui blinked, a bit taken aback by her concern. It wasn't every day that he saw Erina so serious.
"Are you… worried about me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Erina's face instantly flushed again. "Of course not! I just don't want to see someone I recruited getting kicked out of school!"
Sui chuckled softly. "Alright, alright. But can you tell me more about Eizan-senpai's abilities?"
Erina thought for a moment before responding. "Each of the Elite Ten has their own specialty. Eizan-senpai excels at manipulating ingredients to maximize their potential. He may hold the ninth seat, but he's incredibly talented. If he hadn't focused so much on making money, he might hold an even higher seat by now."
After a pause, she asked, "Since the theme is seafood, what dish are you planning to make?"
"Four Happy Dumplings," Sui replied confidently.
It was a recipe he had been practicing for some time, and he felt confident he could score highly with it. His recent progress in the kitchen had strengthened his resolve.
"Do you need any help?" Erina offered, hesitating slightly.
"No, I've got it covered," Sui said with a smile.
"I just hope you don't get expelled," Erina muttered, her tone softening as she turned to leave. "It would be quite embarrassing for me…"
Before she could walk away, Sui called after her. "Don't forget about our agreement."
Erina stopped, frowning in confusion. "What agreement?"
With a sly grin, Sui reminded her, "You said if I beat you, or any of the Elite Ten ranked higher than you, you'd agree to be my girlfriend."
Erina's face flushed bright red again, and she stammered, "W-When did I say that? I don't remember such an agreement!"
Sui feigned surprise. "Oh? Are you planning to go back on your word?"
Erina clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. "Fine! If you can actually beat Eizan-senpai, then I'll agree. But that's not going to happen!"
With that, she stormed off, her cheeks still burning with embarrassment. Sui just chuckled to himself and headed into the kitchen.
——
As night fell, Sui continued practicing his Four Happy Dumplings, feeling more confident with each batch. By the time morning arrived, he hadn't slept, but his spirits were high. He had managed to consistently score above 90 with the dish, and his cooking level had risen to 45.
Meanwhile, word had spread across Tōtsuki Academy about Sui's upcoming Shokugeki with Eizan Etsuya.
"Did you hear? That transfer student challenged Eizan-senpai to a Shokugeki!"
"And if he loses, he'll be expelled!"
"Is he crazy? He doesn't stand a chance!"
"Serves him right. He's even more arrogant than that other kid from the entrance ceremony!"
The entire campus was buzzing with talk of the battle, with many eager to see if Sui could back up his bold challenge.