"Damn brat," Eizan muttered through gritted teeth, his face turning blue with anger. This was the first time anyone had dared to speak to him with such audacity.
"You're finished," he said coldly. "Just wait—soon you'll know what happens when you cross me!"
Sui remained unbothered, replying calmly, "I'm always at your service. You don't have much time left sitting in that ninth seat, so make sure to enjoy it."
"Haha, the only thing you need to cherish is your remaining time at Tōtsuki," Eizan shot back, his tone sharp and menacing as he turned and walked away.
Megumi, Yoshino, and the others stared at Sui in stunned silence, unable to speak for a long while.
Finally, Yoshino's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Wow! Sui, that was so badass!" she exclaimed. "You're totally my idol now!"
Megumi's face flushed slightly, and she snuck a glance at Sui.
"Well done, Sui! You really put that jerk in his place," Ryoko said, patting him on the shoulder in encouragement.
But Erina, walking down from the judges' table, didn't share their enthusiasm. "What were you thinking, saying something like that?" she said, clearly displeased. "Don't you know how much influence Eizan-senpai has in the academy?"
"Am I to take this as a sign that you're worried about me?" Sui asked with a playful smile.
Erina's face turned red as she retorted, "Worried? For you? Absolutely not!"
"Then why were you the one who volunteered to judge today? If I recall correctly, didn't you say yesterday you hoped I'd lose?" Sui teased, watching her with amusement.
Erina's blush deepened. "T-that's because Isshiki-senpai asked me to, okay!" she huffed, trying to defend herself.
"But wasn't it you who suggested coming here?" Isshiki chimed in, walking over with a puzzled expression.
For a brief moment, all eyes turned toward Erina, whose face grew so red it looked as though it might start bleeding. She wished the ground would swallow her whole.
At that moment, Nao Sadatsuka approached with a gloomy expression. "As promised, I'll join the Rare Ingredients Research Society," she said, her voice filled with defeat.
"Why did you even listen to Eizan in the first place?" Sui asked curiously.
"Well…" Nao hesitated, leaning in to whisper in Sui's ear. "Eizan-senpai promised to give me close-up photos of Erina-sama if I won. I have tens of thousands of long-distance shots of her, but no close-ups…"
Sui was momentarily speechless. "...I see."
"Actually," Sui said after a pause, "if you want, I can get you one, even Erina's panties and stockings."
Nao's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" she asked, her voice full of surprise.
"Of course," Sui replied casually, thinking it would be easy enough to swipe some of Erina's clothing.
Nearby, Erina shivered suddenly. "Why is it so cold in here? Did they set the air conditioning too low?" she muttered to herself.
Sadatsuka's face lit up with gratitude. "Sui, I will be your most loyal follower from now on," she declared earnestly.
"Good," Sui responded, smiling. "By the way, you're actually quite pretty. Why do you always make yourself look so gloomy? You'd look much better with a brighter appearance."
As he spoke, Sui gently brushed aside a strand of Nao's hair, revealing her surprisingly delicate features.
Nao felt her heart skip a beat, as though she'd been struck by lightning. Her heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her chest. She was used to people avoiding her, used to their judgmental stares. No one had ever treated her with such kindness before.
Suddenly, a strange thought crossed her mind. "Actually… I don't want Erina-sama's panties anymore. I want yours. Can I?" she asked, staring intently at Sui.
Sui: "???"
——
As they exited the venue, Yoshino, Megumi, and the others rushed ahead to watch Sōma's food battle.
"Should we check it out?" Sui asked.
"Hmph. The result is obvious. There's no point," Erina said dismissively.
"Erina, how about we make a bet?" Sui suggested.
"What kind of bet?" Erina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The loser has to wash the winner's clothes for a month. How about it?" Sui grinned mischievously.
"Hmph, I'm not interested," Erina replied haughtily.
"Could it be that you don't know how to wash clothes?" Sui asked, raising an eyebrow.
Erina's face turned red. "O-of course I do! Why would you say that?"
"It's just… I've noticed you seem to pile your dirty clothes together. Do you have your secretary wash them once a week?" Sui teased.
Erina's blush deepened, and she stammered, "Th-that's not true! I-I just prefer to wash them once a week!"
"But isn't the washing machine broken? I doubt you even know how to use it," Sui said skeptically.
"Yes! I don't know how to wash clothes, but that doesn't matter!" Erina snapped, her face now beet red.
"I never would've guessed. Erina, you're pretty helpless with basic things," Sui teased again. "What will you do when you get married?"
"That's none of your business!" Erina retorted, gritting her teeth.
"So, are you going to take the bet or not?" Sui asked, his smile widening.
"Hmph! Fine, I'll take your bet! Since you're so eager to wash my clothes, I won't stop you," Erina said smugly.
—_—
Twenty minutes later…
"And the winner is… Yukihira Sōma!" the announcer declared.
"Ugh, that transfer student actually won too?" some students groaned in disbelief.
Erina, on the other hand, could only stare in shock.
"Well, looks like you'll be washing my clothes for the next month~" Sui said with a victorious grin.
Erina, utterly defeated, could only reply in a small voice, "I… understand."
The two left the venue together, and after returning to his room, Sui excitedly prepared to release his reward from the latest mission: a Chansey egg.