As Hisako turned and left, both Sui and Erina stood frozen in place, stunned.
"Hisako, wait! Listen to me!" Erina cried out, her eyes filling with tears. Things weren't at all what Hisako must have imagined!
"But, in a way, this might not be such a bad thing," Sui shrugged. "At least Hisako has come to terms with it, and she did say she wouldn't tell anyone."
"Good for you!" Erina growled angrily. From anyone else's perspective, it now looked as though she and Sui were actually a couple.
"By the way," Sui said, changing the subject, "speaking of this, Erina, how about coming with me to Luna's izakaya today?"
"If she's your friend, why should I help her?" Erina huffed, crossing her arms. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well, she is my friend, and if her restaurant goes under, I'd feel terrible," Sui explained.
"Hmph! Not my problem," Erina said, her voice tinged with arrogance. "If you want me to taste your cooking, you'll have to submit an official request and pay a hefty fee."
Seeing that Erina wasn't budging, Sui could only shrug helplessly. Even without her help, it shouldn't be too much of a challenge.
——
When Sui arrived at the classroom later that morning, Megumi greeted him cheerfully. "Good morning, Sui-kun."
"Morning," he replied with a nod.
"Sui-kun, what happened to your uniform?" Megumi asked in surprise, noticing the state of his tattered clothes.
Sōma approached as well, offering with a grin, "Hey, if your uniform's falling apart, I could lend you mine. I don't wear it much anyway."
Several nearby students glanced over, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Forget it," Sui sighed. "I'll just buy a new one."
He was an idiot for entrusting his laundry to Erina.
——
After classes ended, Sui returned to the mansion earlier than usual. To his surprise, Erina was already there, sitting in the living room, sipping tea.
When she saw him enter, she silently put down her teacup and followed him upstairs. Sui found it odd that she kept trailing behind him. What's gotten into her today? Did she take the wrong medicine? he wondered, baffled.
"Why are you following me?" he asked.
Erina blushed slightly, looking away before replying hesitantly, "Aren't you going to help your friend tonight?"
"Huh? Didn't you say this morning you weren't interested in going?" Sui was taken aback.
"That's because I didn't have any plans for tonight," she replied, her cheeks still flushed. "And… I'm curious to see the level of cooking in your world."
Sui couldn't help but laugh to himself. So she wants to help after all, but she's too proud to admit it.
"Alright," he said, nodding. The two of them then set off together.
——
Luna's restaurant wasn't far from the apartment, only about a ten-minute walk away. As they approached, Sui noticed a newly opened ramen shop across the street. It was bustling with customers, many lined up at the door, while Luna's family restaurant, in stark contrast, was practically empty.
Inside, Luna sat alone at a table, staring off into space. The place was quiet, with only a few customers scattered around.
At that moment, Sui received a new mission from the system.
"New Mission: Revitalise Luna's Family Restaurant
Reward: Combees
Time Limit: One Month!"
Combees? What does that mean? Sui was puzzled, but before he could dwell on it, Luna noticed him and called out excitedly, "Sui! You're here!"
"Yes, I'm here," Sui smiled. Although he had no idea what the reward entailed, he trusted that it would be worthwhile.
As Luna stood to greet them, her eyes fell on Erina, standing just behind Sui. She blinked in surprise. "Who's this?"
"She's here to help," Sui explained simply.
Just then, Uncle Laat poked his head out from the kitchen. His face lit up when he saw Sui. "Sui, it's a rare treat to have you visit! Have you eaten yet?"
In small local restaurants like this, the kitchen was set up right next to the dining area, with tables and chairs for customers.
"If you're hungry, feel free to eat here," Luna's mother, Yoko, offered with a smile.
"Maybe later," Sui replied.
Uncle Laat glanced over at Erina and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, who's this pretty girl? Is she your girlfriend, Sui?"
Erina's face turned bright red. "Who's his girlfriend?" she snapped.
Uncle Laat chuckled. "No need to be so shy, young lady."
"That's right, girls are often a little bashful," Yoko added with a knowing smile. It was clear she had already assumed Erina and Sui were a couple.
"You know," Uncle Laat continued, "I used to think you and Luna were a perfect match. I thought the two of you would get married someday. But now I see you've already found yourself a girlfriend."
"That's true. I always thought you and Luna made a cute pair," Yoko added with a teasing grin.
"Dad!" Luna's face flushed as well.
Erina gritted her teeth, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.
Sui, too, felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him. Wanting to steer the conversation away from relationships, he glanced around the nearly empty restaurant and said, "Speaking of which, Uncle, your business hasn't been doing well lately, has it?"
At Sui's words, both Uncle Laat and Yoko's expressions darkened.
With a heavy sigh, Uncle Laat admitted, "Yeah, it's been rough. We've lost most of our customers to the ramen shop across the street."
Sui nodded, having seen the packed ramen shop himself. "It looks like their business is booming."
But before the mood could get any gloomier, Luna chimed in optimistically, "But now that Sui and his friend are here to help, I'm sure our business will pick up again!"