Police Station.
"Why were you fighting in the street?" the policeman asked, clearly exasperated.
"Because I was going to beat him up," the girl, who had introduced herself as Yusa Emi, pointed at Sui beside her, her tone indignant.
Sui was left speechless. All he did was wander around in that other anime world, and now, for some inexplicable reason, this brave hero had followed him back. The whole situation left him feeling utterly helpless.
"Even if you're having a lovers' quarrel, there's no need to pull out knives, right?" the officer said, his tone weary.
"Wh-what lovers? We're not a couple at all!" Yusa Emi's face flushed as she slammed her hands on the table, cheeks puffed slightly in frustration.
"Right, well, either way, you two need to stop fighting in public," the policeman replied, shaking his head. "Honestly, young people these days are so quick to lose their tempers."
After leaving the police station, Tohru hurried over to Sui, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, Sui. I got scared and couldn't help much."
"It's fine," Sui reassured her.
Yusa Emi stepped out and, with a stern look, declared, "I now have control over your lair. I'll be monitoring your every move from here on out. So if you're planning to conquer this world, forget about it!"
"Paladin!" Tohru exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right! You must be a subordinate of this Demon King, right? I can sense the evil aura coming from you!" Emi pointed at Tohru's horns and said gravely, "You're from the dragon clan, aren't you? The horns are proof!"
"Oh, you figured it out. Yes, I'm Sui's loyal subordinate," Tohru said happily, wrapping herself around Sui's arm with a bashful grin.
Sui: "..."
"Just know this, I'm not letting you off the hook so easily," Emi warned in a cold voice.
"Do whatever you want," Sui shrugged and started to walk away with Tohru. But Emi stopped him.
"What now?" he asked, clearly exasperated.
"Uh... well..." Yusa Emi's face flushed, and in an embarrassed tone, she mumbled, "Can you lend me some money? I still need to take the tram for work tomorrow…"
Sui: "..."
After lending her the money, Emi quickly regained her proud demeanor. "Mark my words, Demon King! From now on, I'll be watching your every move!" she declared before leaving, catching her train just in time for work the next day.
---
Later, back at the apartment, Sui had just settled into the bathtub for a soak when Erina walked in.
Seeing that he was still bathing, she quickly turned her head, her face flushed. "Come out when you're done. I have something to talk to you about," she said awkwardly.
'Something to talk about?' Sui was surprised. After what happened the night before, the usually prideful Erina had been noticeably distant, barely acknowledging him with anything other than a cold demeanor. It seemed she was still struggling with what had transpired.
'What could she want to discuss now?'
Curious but wary, Sui quickly finished his bath, donned a bathrobe, and headed to her bedroom. To his surprise, she wasn't there.
He found her downstairs, sitting on the sofa, dressed in her pristine white chef's uniform. The uniform gave her an aura of authority and elegance, perfectly complimenting her.
On the table in front of her were two cups of tea.
Sui walked over and sat down on the sofa across from her.
"About... last night..." Erina hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I get it. You want me to pretend it never happened, right?" Sui said, trying to ease the tension.
"How could you say that!" Erina's face flushed deep red, and she became visibly angry. "You... you already did that to me! How can we just pretend it didn't happen?!"
Sui was taken aback. 'Didn't you say that yourself this morning?'
For a moment, he considered saying something along the lines of, "I'll take responsibility for you," but decided against it.
"Well, I think we should start dating," Erina said, her face a mixture of embarrassment and determination as she avoided direct eye contact.
"Huh?" Sui was taken aback. "Aren't we already dating?"
Erina suddenly turned to face him, her violet eyes serious. "I mean formally. With marriage as the goal."
Despite having mentally acknowledged their relationship after the events of the previous night, for Erina, that had been more of an unspoken understanding, rather than something official.
On the surface, Erina appeared arrogant and aloof, but deep down, she was a simple and conservative girl. The events of the night before had cemented their relationship in her heart, and now she wanted to make it official.
"So…" Erina stood up from the sofa, knelt down on the floor, and bowed deeply. "Please take care of me from now on."
Seeing the typically prideful tsundere behaving so formally, Sui felt a sudden wave of seriousness as well. He quickly knelt down and bowed back. "Please take care of me too."
When Erina stood back up, she seemed noticeably more relaxed, and her gaze toward Sui had softened.
"However, no one else is allowed to know about this—especially Yoshino!" Erina muttered, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Sui felt at a loss for words. He had assumed that the tsundere had finally decided to announce their relationship publicly, but apparently not. So, they were still keeping things under wraps?
'Turns out you're really shy after all,' Sui thought to himself.
"Since we're officially a couple now, shouldn't you kiss me?" Sui teased, flashing a sly smile.
Erina rolled her eyes at him, but after a brief hesitation, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Seizing the moment, Sui wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
Erina's face immediately turned bright red, and though she struggled for a moment, she soon gave in and let him hold her.
Just as she was about to say something, Sui kissed her gently on the lips, silencing her.
Then, without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom.
Erina's face was so red it looked like it could bleed. She buried her face in his chest, whispering in a barely audible voice, "Only for tonight…"
---
At the same time, Eizan sat in a restaurant, visibly impatient. "Hey, don't you know my time is precious? We agreed to discuss business, but no one's shown up yet."
"I apologize for being late," a man in a black trench coat said as he pushed open the door and walked in.