Hearing the familiar voice, Erina's body stiffened. Slowly, she turned her head, only to see Sui standing behind her, looking at her in surprise.
"You idiot! Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Why are you here?" Erina blurted, her discomfort immediately bubbling into frustration. She practically shouted, her face twisting with unease.
The others in the activity room were stunned.
Moments ago, Erina had carried herself like a cold and unshakable villain. But now, she had transformed into a flustered kitten, her fur standing on end, glaring at Sui in frustration.
"Erina-sama... do you know this guy?" Mito Ikumi asked hesitantly. Erina had always appeared so composed, so perfect in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen her lose her cool like this.
It wasn't until this moment that Erina realized everyone in the room was staring at her in shock. Her face flushed bright red.
"Y-Yes, we're... currently living together..." Sui began to explain, but before he could finish, Erina shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She slapped her hand over his mouth, her face burning as she whispered furiously, "Didn't I tell you not to spout nonsense, you idiot?!"
Her heart: Q…Q
"Mmph, I get it," Sui mumbled through her hand.
Erina quickly let go and lowered her voice, asking, "Speaking of which... why are you here?"
"Huh? Oh, my research group is right next door," Sui answered casually.
"Wait... your research group is next door?" Erina asked, genuinely surprised.
Sui gave her a curious look. "And what are you doing here, Erina? Playing the villain?"
"It's all your fault, you jerk!" Erina huffed, crossing her arms. "You never left your bank account number, and now Rindō-senpai dumped the task on me, so I had to make a special trip!"
She handed him an envelope stuffed with money. "Here, this is your research group's funding."
As she was looking for his room earlier, she had passed by the Donburi Research Society and decided to step in and issue an ultimatum. But she hadn't expected to run into Sui here.
"Ah, thanks," Sui said, accepting the envelope with a smile.
The other people in the room—Mito Ikumi, Megumi, and the others—watched the exchange, thoroughly confused.
"Well, I'll be going now," Erina announced, eager to leave the awkward situation behind.
"Wait! Erina-sama, what about our plan?" Mito quickly called after her.
"Do I even need to say it? This low-level cooking society doesn't deserve to exist at Tōtsuki! Get rid of them," Erina ordered coldly, then hurried out.
The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged confused glances. Had Erina... just run away?
"Did you hear that? We're disbanding this research group tomorrow. Low-level food like this has no place at Tōtsuki," Mito declared icily to Konishi Kanichi.
"Senior, leave this food battle to me," Sōma suddenly spoke up, stepping forward confidently.
Watching this unfold, Sui could tell that Soma was about to make his move, so he slipped out of the activity room discreetly. Megumi hurriedly followed him.
As they reached the door of Sui's own research group, they noticed a girl lingering outside, behaving suspiciously.
"Can I help you?" Sui asked, walking up to her.
"Ah, you must be Sui Mizushima," the girl sneered.
The figure had pale skin, long black hair draped messily over her face, and an eerie presence that resembled Sadako from a horror movie.
"You're... Nao Sadatsuka!" Tadokoro Megumi gasped.
Nao Sadatsuka was infamous at Tōtsuki for her mastery of "dark cuisine." Her cooking room often emitted ominous, foul odors, and she was known as the "witch at the cauldron."
However, Sui knew that behind her eerie appearance, Nao actually had a beautiful face hidden beneath her long hair.
"What do you want?" Sui asked calmly.
"You're the troublemaker that Eizan-senpai mentioned, right?" Nao chuckled darkly, then suddenly announced something that shocked Megumi.
"I challenge you to a Shokugeki! The loser will disband their research group!"
"A... Shokugeki?" Megumi's face went pale, her voice trembling.
"That's right! If you lose, your research group will be finished," Nao said with a menacing grin. "So, do you dare to accept?"
Sui was momentarily taken aback, then amused. First, the Donburi Research Society had been targeted by Erina, and now, in the blink of an eye, his own research group was being threatened by another villain, Nao Sadatsuka. Was this fate?
Just then, a notification appeared before him.
"Side Quest: Shokugeki(Food Wars) initiated.
Objective: Defeat Nao Sadatsuka and save the Rare Ingredients Research Society.
Reward: Chansey Egg.
Time limit: Three days."
"Chansey egg?" Sui thought, raising an eyebrow at the strange reward.
"You're not afraid, are you?" Nao taunted, narrowing her eyes.
Sui smiled. "Sure, I'll accept. But what if you lose?"
"Haha, if I lose, you can do whatever you want with me," Nao replied with a twisted grin.
"Alright. If you lose, you'll join my research group and become my subordinate," Sui said confidently.
"Deal! The match is tomorrow, and the theme is 'stewing,'" Nao declared before leaving with a haunting smile.
As soon as she was gone, Megumi turned to Sui, worried. "Sui-kun, are you sure this is okay? I've heard that, despite her reputation for dark cuisine, her dishes are strangely delicious."
"It'll be fine," Sui reassured her with a smile.
——
Later that night, in Erina's study.
"The challenge has been accepted, and the target is that transfer student," Mito Ikumi reported to Erina. "Tomorrow, I'll ensure his complete defeat."
"I look forward to it," Erina said, a smirk curling on her lips as she gazed out at the night sky. "With the Chanko-nabe Society gone and the Donburi Research Society following, soon all the research groups hindering Tōtsuki's progress will be eradicated."
"As expected of Erina-sama," Mito praised.
A cold smile tugged at the corners of Erina's mouth. But just as she was about to speak, a slight noise came from outside the door.
"Huh? Erina-sama, is someone else here?" Mito asked in surprise.
"N-No! How could there be anyone else here?" Erina stammered, her villainous composure slipping as her face turned red.