"Sold... sold out?"
Eriri's wide, shocked eyes conveyed disbelief.
"That's right," Sui nodded.
Because of his class schedule, Sui limited his work hours to just three hours at night, leaving the rest of the evening for rest. Despite having a few remaining fantasy ingredients, he had already sold sixty dishes, which was enough for the day, and he expected to complete his task soon.
"S-Sold out?!"
Eriri felt a surge of indescribable frustration and anger.
She had abandoned her pride to come and buy food, only to be told by the detestable store owner that it was sold out?! At that moment, she felt as though she might cry.
The nearby customers couldn't help but laugh at her predicament.
"Haha, little girl, didn't you know the manager's dishes are always in high demand?"
"That's right! If you're not quick, you'll miss out on his food."
"Better luck next time!"
Eriri gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening in frustration. She was feeling utterly wronged.
Kasumigaoka, seeing her like this, couldn't help but sympathize. "If you don't mind, you can have some of mine. I can't finish it all."
"Hmph! I don't want it!" Eriri snapped, stubborn as ever. "I said I don't want to eat it, so I won't. It's not like I have to."
Just then, a small plate of Sinangag Fried Rice and a portion of Sautéed Cabbage were placed in front of her.
"What's this…?"
Eriri looked up at Sui in confusion.
Sui shrugged. "This was what was left in the pot. Consider it free."
He had made a large batch of food, and after serving, there was a small amount left—not enough for a full portion—so he decided to give it to her.
"Th-thank you," Eriri hesitated for a moment, then thanked him.
"It's nothing. I just don't like seeing anyone crying in my store."
Sui said, his tone helpless. He could tell Eriri was a classic tsundere—never honest about her feelings.
"Who... who's crying!" Eriri, flustered, quickly wiped away the corners of her eyes, denying it as she began eating.
And then, a wave of indescribable deliciousness exploded across her taste buds.
Each grain of rice was wrapped in a golden layer of egg, exuding a rich, creamy aroma. As she took a bite, the sensation made her tongue tingle with delight. The Sautéed Cabbage was just as amazing, crispy and flavorful, to the point where she could almost swallow her tongue.
Before long, she had finished everything.
The earlier humiliation and resentment melted away, replaced by a feeling of profound satisfaction and bliss.
In a fleeting moment of fantasy, she could see herself becoming the most famous 18+ artist in the world.
"This dish… it has magic in it!" Eriri couldn't help but exclaim.
"Mm." Kasumigaoka, sitting beside her, had a faint blush on her cheeks, looking somewhat embarrassed as she, too, seemed lost in her own daydream.
She licked her lips, clearly not entirely satisfied with her meal, and her gaze towards Sui became complicated. She hadn't expected him to be this impressive!
"We should come back here again," Kasumigaoka sighed, fully content.
"Yeah," Eriri nodded slightly in agreement.
At that moment, Erina approached to collect the payment.
"That'll be 40,000 yen," she said.
Kasumigaoka handed over the money but hesitated for a moment before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose this… profession?"
She couldn't wrap her mind around why such a nice girl would get involved in paid dating.
"Huh?" Erina was momentarily stunned.
"I guess it's partly due to my family's influence. I can't say I necessarily love this career, but it's something I naturally fell into." She spoke calmly. "As the heir to the family, there are things I have to face daily. It's my responsibility. Unlike the children of ordinary families, my fate was decided from the moment I was born."
Kasumigaoka and Eriri exchanged sympathetic glances. They thought her family must have fallen on hard times.
But why were her parents making her sacrifice herself like this? Weren't they awful?
"How long have you been doing this kind of work?" Eriri couldn't help but ask.
"For as long as I can remember. Ever since I was old enough to understand, my father has been training me and arranging clients for me," Erina replied with chilling composure.
Both of them gasped, their eyes filling with sympathy as they gazed at Erina. How pitiful! What kind of father would do such a thing?
"Your father's such a monster! You're so young…" Kasumigaoka seethed.
Mentioning her father caused a fleeting look of pain to flash in Erina's eyes. "I'd rather not talk about him," she said quietly.
"Yeah, we understand," Kasumigaoka and Eriri quickly nodded.
After offering a few more words of comfort, the pair left, and Sui escorted them to the door himself.
"Owner, that girl's actually a really good person. Don't judge her by her past—treat her well," Kasumigaoka said seriously before leaving.
"Uh, okay…" Sui was left momentarily confused. What was she talking about?
"What did she mean?" Sui asked Erina when he returned to the store.
"Nothing," Erina shook her head. "But they're really nice people."
She felt grateful for the sympathy and comfort from Kasumigaoka and Eriri. Of course, that was only because she didn't know the truth. If she did, she'd probably want to strangle them.
Sui glanced around and noticed there were still customers waiting. "Sorry, the store's closing for today. Please come back tomorrow."
The customers looked disappointed.
"No way? I've been waiting for an hour."
"Has the store only been open for a short while? And now it's closing?"
"I didn't get to eat anything last time, either."
Despite their disappointment, the customers understood. After all, food this good isn't meant to be easy to get.
Later, Sui and Erina walked back home together.
The next day, they got up, washed, and changed noisily as usual before going to their rooms to change into their uniforms.
As Sui casually reached for his freshly washed Tōtsuki school uniform, he suddenly froze.
"Wait… where are the second and fourth buttons?"