Sui's lunch box was filled with an array of delicious food, leaving everyone thoroughly satisfied with the meal. Even Emi, who normally settled for discounted bento boxes or convenience store bread, ate with great relish.
For a moment, she realized that Sui—who she once regarded as the Demon King—actually had many admirable qualities. As she thought back to her embarrassing performance during the parents' sports meet earlier, a blush crept onto her face.
In the afternoon, Tohru finally returned.
"Uh-huh, sorry, Sui, Kanna. I got a little carried away stealing the Elves' Holy Spring and lost track of time," Tohru said breathlessly, wiping sweat from her brow.
"It's alright, Tohru-sama," Kanna reassured her.
"The sports meet isn't over yet, is it? I want to team up with Sui-kun and win the championship in the parents' group!" Tohru exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves with excitement.
"The parents' sports meet has already ended," Emi interrupted suddenly.
"Hmm? You're the paladin who comes here every night for free meals, aren't you? What are you doing here today? More free meals?" Tohru asked, narrowing her eyes at Emi with suspicion.
At the mention of "free meals," a vein throbbed on Emi's forehead.
"Tohru-sama, she was here to take your place," Kanna explained.
"What? You came to 'replace' me… by Sui's side?" Tohru's expression darkened, and her aura flared up as if she were ready to go on a rampage.
Emi was caught off guard by the intense pressure and instinctively prepared herself to defend.
"Tohru, you're misunderstanding." Sui quickly intervened, feeling slightly exasperated.
After Sui explained the situation, Tohru finally understood, though she still smirked. "Oh, so you were just the stand-in. A temporary mistress, I see," she said smugly.
"Mistress?" Emi muttered, her brow twitching in frustration.
Sui sighed inwardly. Where did Tohru even learn the word "mistress"? What exactly did this dragon watch on TV every day?
But when Tohru realized that she had missed the parents' sports meet, her anger reignited. "You little imp! You stole my chance to team up with Sui for some close-contact sports! How infuriating!" she yelled.
Sui was left speechless once more. Did Tohru have any idea what a parents' sports meet was supposed to be?
"Why would I be happy about that?!" Emi shouted back, her voice filled with frustration. That whole event had been a nightmare for her!
Just then, a female teacher, sensing the growing tension, approached. "Excuse me, who are you? Are you Kanna's parent too?" she asked.
"Of course," Tohru said confidently, clinging to Sui's arm. Pointing at Emi, she added, "And this person here? She's just a mistress!"
"What? Mistress?"
The nearby parents exchanged shocked glances, and even the teachers began to eye Sui suspiciously.
Sui groaned inwardly as dark lines appeared on his forehead.
"You're the mistress! No, wait—I mean, I have no intention of meddling in your lives!" Emi stammered, on the verge of tears, unsure how to explain herself.
Thus, the elementary school sports meet concluded in the midst of the two women's heated argument.
"Alright, let's take a photo with the children," one of the teachers said with a smile, camera in hand.
Tohru immediately pulled Sui closer, happily clinging to his arm. Kanna stood in front of them, holding their hands. Emi, meanwhile, stood off to the side, looking reluctant as the family photo was taken.
"I'll head out now," Emi said to Sui afterward.
"Sure," Sui replied, then suddenly remembered something. "Here, take this as a keepsake."
He handed her a medal—one of the two they had received from the parents' sports meet.
Since Emi had joined him in the event, Sui felt she deserved the medal. Meanwhile, Tohru was gleefully holding the other medal in her mouth.
Emi hesitated for a moment before accepting the medal. "Thank you," she said softly.
As she walked away, she found herself watching Sui's retreating figure, her emotions unexpectedly complicated. After spending time with him today, she realized he wasn't as bad as she had once thought.
The next few days passed peacefully. During this time, Megumi spent a few hours each day pushing her ramen cart alongside Tōsuke Megishima, selling ramen on various streets.
Though it was hard work, Megumi felt that she was learning and growing, her ramen-making skills improving daily. Many customers were now coming to enjoy her ramen, and she couldn't help but feel deeply grateful to Sui for his guidance.
During these days, another event occurred—Kobayashi Rindō finally returned.
As an expert in rare ingredients, Rindo often used her position as one of the Ten Elites to travel the world in search of unique ingredients. She had discovered many new species and earned a reputation as an explorer.
To celebrate her return, Rindo hosted a banquet and invited Sui, the members of Polar Star Dormitory, and all of the Ten Elites.
At the banquet, Sui finally saw some familiar faces—Eizan, who had been absent for a while, and Saito Somei, whom he hadn't met before.
However, to Sui's dismay, Rindō also came bearing gifts—rare ingredients she had brought back from her travels abroad.
When everyone heard that Rindo was giving out rare ingredients, Erina and the others were eager. But when they saw the rare gift was dried salamander, many of the girls recoiled in horror.
Sui vividly remembered how terrified Momo had been—she had even been brought to tears by Rindo's offering. Yes, she had literally cried.
Even Erina couldn't hide her discomfort.
However, Sōma and Tsukasa Eishi were intrigued and brave enough to try it. In doing so, they marked themselves as the odd ones out among the group.
After a few days, the Autumn Elections finally began in earnest.
As Sui had predicted, the theme of the preliminary round was curry.
Megumi and Sōma both passed the preliminaries with flying colors.
Although others also performed well, not everyone managed to advance to the quarterfinals.
"By the way, Erina, are you going to the celebration at Polar Star Dormitory tonight?" Sui asked one evening.
"A celebration? Is it to mark the end of the Autumn Elections preliminaries?" Erina inquired.
"Yes. I hear there will be poker games. Isn't that your favorite part?" Sui teased.
Erina's face flushed red as she remembered the time during residential training when she had been humiliated during a poker game.