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.
Mito Ikumi paused for a moment, glancing around. "I did hear a noise earlier... could it be a thief?"
"Haha, how could that be? Mito, you're overthinking things," Erina said with a forced smile. "It was probably just the wind."
"Well, if you say so." Mito nodded, slightly doubtful but willing to let it go.
After watching Mito leave, Erina quickly rushed to her bedroom, only to find Sui emerging from the bathroom.
"Didn't I tell you to be more careful?! You were almost caught!" Erina snapped, her voice filled with frustration.
Sui, having overheard part of their earlier conversation, felt a bit exasperated. "Are you sure this is okay? What you're doing?"
"Hmph! Of course! That kind of low-grade food doesn't deserve to exist at Tōtsuki," Erina retorted, her tone icy.
Sui sighed, his expression resigned. "Speaking of which, I'm having a shokugeki with Nao Sadatsuka tomorrow."
He proceeded to explain the situation.
"What?! You're having a shokugeki with Nao Sadatsuka?" Erina exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, right after you left, I became a Shokugeki target," Sui said helplessly. "But tell me, how did Nao Sadatsuka end up working for Eizan? Wasn't she supposed to be your obsessive fan?"
At this, Erina's face turned a bit awkward. "How would I know?" she muttered defensively.
"So... what's the theme of your match?" she asked, steering the conversation away.
"Stew," Sui replied.
"Stew?! Are you insane?! That's her specialty! You actually agreed to that as the theme?" Erina's disbelief was palpable.
"Wait, are you worried about me?" Sui teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph! I couldn't care less about you! I hope you lose!" Erina huffed, her voice dripping with indignation. "But... you did reject Eizan-senpai last time. He's already holding a grudge, so be careful," she warned, her tone more serious now. "Eizan-senpai will do anything to get what he wants. A lot of students fear him. He's notorious."
Sui squinted at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "The way you talk... you realize, to many research groups, you're just as terrifying, right?"
"W-What's with that look?!" Erina stammered, her cheeks flushing.
"Erina, don't you think it's a little hypocritical to call someone else terrifying? Aren't you basically the same?" Sui pointed out.
Erina, the so-called "Demon Queen" feared by countless students at Tōtsuki, was now being casually teased by Sui, the one person unafraid to push her buttons.
"Wh-What are you talking about?!" Erina shouted, flustered. Her gaze then fell to Sui's feet, and her eyes widened in shock. "You... you're wearing my slippers!"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I forgot mine when I went to shower, so I borrowed yours. I'll give them back later," Sui said nonchalantly.
Erina was fuming now, her teeth gritted in frustration. Her gaze moved from the slippers to the bathrobe Sui was wearing. Her voice cracked with disbelief. "Th-That's my bathrobe!"
"Huh? Is it? The robes were mixed up, so I couldn't tell," Sui said casually, as if it were no big deal. "You should write your name on it."
Erina was full of indignation. Why did this guy keep taking over her stuff? Was there no end to his shamelessness?
"Oh, and speaking of which, I forgot to buy a new cup today, so I'll need to borrow yours to brush my teeth tomorrow," Sui added as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"No way!" Erina yelled, clutching at her final shred of dignity. "I already threw away every cup you've used before. There's no way I'm letting you use mine this time!"
"It's just a cup. I'll wash it and remember to buy a new one tomorrow," Sui replied dismissively, paying no attention to Erina's protests as he headed back to his room.
"You shameless devil!" Erina screamed after him.
That night, the fearsome "Demon Queen" of Tōtsuki shed yet another tear of frustration and humiliation.
—_—
The next day at Venue A.
"Hey, did you hear? That transfer student, Mizushima Sui, is going to have a shokugeki with Nao Sadatsuka," a student whispered as they passed by.
"Nao Sadatsuka? Isn't she that creepy witch?" another replied.
"Yeah. And apparently, another transfer student is having a shokugeki with Mito Ikumi."
"These transfer students are so arrogant! They're going to get taught a lesson!"
Outside the venue, chatter about the upcoming battles filled the air.
"Sui-kun, do your best!" Megumi encouraged, her hands clenched into tight fists.
"Yeah! Defeat that witch!" Yoshino added enthusiastically.
Several students from Polar Star Dormitory had come to support Sui, including Megumi, Yoshino, and Ryoko. The rest had gone to cheer for Sōma.
However, there were noticeably more students gathered to watch Sui's match than Soma's. After all, Sui's opponent, Nao Sadatsuka, was far more infamous.
Sui simply nodded in response. Although the theme was stewing—one of Sadatsuka's specialties—he felt confident. After completing his daily tasks and leveling up his cooking skills to level 30, he was sure he could handle it, even with ordinary dishes.
Just then, the three judges took their places on the shokugeki stage.
The panel consisted of Isshiki Satoshi, the seventh seat; Eizan Etsuya, the ninth seat; and Nakiri Erina, the tenth seat!
"Ah! Isn't that Eizan-senpai? He's a judge this time? This is bad news!" Yoshino gasped. They all knew that Eizan was the mastermind pulling the strings behind Nao Sadatsuka, though they still weren't sure why she followed his orders.
"But at least Isshiki-senpai and Erina-san are here," Megumi said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Huh? Why is the tsundere girl here?" Sui thought to himself, amused. Just yesterday, she'd said she hoped he'd lose, and now she was a judge.
"Now that the judges are in place, let's welcome the two contestants to the stage!" announced Kawashima Rei, the host of the event.
Sui and Sadatsuka stepped onto the platform, ready for the battle to begin.
"Sui, although your shokugeki has been officially approved by the school's shokugeki management bureau, I still want to offer you a final chance," Eizan said, resting his chin on his hand, his expression smug. "If you accept my earlier proposal, we can call this whole thing off."