"How could that be?" Erina blushed instantly, but the truth was, she wasn't good at wearing high heels. She typically wore school shoes and had little experience with heels. Even her makeup skills were recently picked up from Hisako.
"As expected, cooking's the only thing you're good at," Sui remarked, unable to resist teasing her.
It wasn't often one saw a tsundere struggling with high heels. Outside of cooking, Erina was a novice at most things, unable to do the everyday tasks that most girls handled with ease.
"What?! I'll learn eventually!" Erina retorted angrily, feeling both frustrated and embarrassed. Putting on makeup and wearing heels were basic skills for most girls, and her lack of ability in these areas made her feel inadequate.
"And laundry," Sui added with a sigh.
Laundry was a constant challenge for the tsundere. Every time she washed clothes, they came out wrinkled, buttons missing, or sometimes ripped in places. She had already ruined three of Sui's school uniforms.
Recently, however, she had improved. While the clothes still weren't perfectly clean, at least she wasn't damaging them anymore.
"I'm a chef, not a laundress!" Erina grumbled in frustration.
"But what if we get married in the future?" Sui asked, smirking. "As a bride, you're expected to handle some basic tasks, right?"
"M-married?" Erina's face flushed crimson as she stammered.
"I get it. I'll learn," she muttered, her voice barely audible as her head dropped. The mere mention of marriage had turned her into a flustered, docile bride-to-be in an instant.
Seeing her sudden transformation, Sui couldn't help but laugh to himself. "So, can we go now?" he asked.
"My feet are a bit sore," Erina admitted, standing up shakily, her calves trembling.
Having never been used to wearing high heels, standing for so long had left her legs weak.
Sui sighed. "You really are helpless." He squatted down in front of her and said, "Hop on. I'll carry you."
"W-what? You're going to carry me?" Erina's face reddened again, embarrassed at the idea, especially with so many people around.
"It's not like this is the first time," Sui pointed out with exasperation. Every time they met up with the students from Polaris Dormitory, he'd end up carrying the sleeping tsundere on his back or in his arms.
After hesitating for a moment, Erina blushed deeply, removed her high heels, and climbed onto Sui's back.
Sui grabbed her legs and stood up, only to realize that several students nearby were staring at them, stunned.
Earlier, when Erina had stood outside the principal's office, she had appeared cold and distant. A few boys had even tried to approach her, only to be met with her frosty rejection. But now, she looked shy and fragile, leaning on Sui like a dependent bird.
And they had overheard something about marriage.
"Are you leaving now?" Suzuki and Luna approached them, sneaking glances at Erina clinging to Sui's back.
"Yeah. Come by for some good food whenever you get a chance," Sui replied with a smile.
"Sure," Yuzuki responded, while Luna, though disappointed, forced a smile.
Under the envious and jealous gazes of his classmates, Sui carried Erina out of the school. She buried her face in his shoulder, too embarrassed to look up. Her cheeks burned, yet she felt a strange satisfaction inside.
"So, what's the plan now?" Sui asked as they walked.
Even though quite a bit of time had passed, the day was still young.
"Well, on a date, the boy should give the girl a big bouquet of flowers when they meet, then they go to a movie, have dinner at a romantic restaurant, and finally, under the moonlight, the boy walks the girl home like a perfect gentleman," Erina explained, clearly drawing from romance comics. "Isn't that how it's supposed to go?"
Sui was speechless for a moment before asking, "Erina, are you getting all your dating knowledge from romance comics?"
Erina blushed again. "So what? Is there something wrong with that?" she asked, embarrassed.
"That's kind of outdated, don't you think? Princes, flowers, white suits—aren't girls into different things now?" Sui teased.
Erina's blush deepened, and she whispered, "Really? But I think it's romantic."
Sui was left speechless. Clearly, the tsundere had been deeply influenced by romance comics. But who could blame her? She read them in secret, and all her ideas about love came from those stories. The clichés about princes, bouquets, and romantic gestures were exactly what tsunderes like her loved.
It left Sui a bit amused, thinking to himself how easy it was to deceive a tsundere girl with such simple, clichéd tricks. Fortunately, she had already fallen for his charms.
He carried her to a nearby shoe store and bought her a pair of sneakers.
"Wait, can't you wear high heels?" the clerk asked, glancing at Erina with a knowing smile.
Erina's face turned bright red as she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.
"How's that feel?" Sui asked after she tried on the sneakers.
"Much better, they're really comfortable," Erina admitted, looking at her new shoes. Though pairing sneakers with her dress felt a bit odd, she was far more used to them than high heels. She watched the other girls strolling in heels and sighed inwardly, accepting that she just wasn't cut out for it.
"Is this your first date?" the clerk asked with a smile.
"H-how did you know?" Erina stammered, blushing.
"I can tell from the way you two look at each other," the clerk chuckled. "But your boyfriend's really thoughtful—carrying you on his back like that."
Erina lowered her head in embarrassment, but inside, she felt a warm, sweet sensation.
"You don't need to dress up like that. High heels don't suit you. You look great just the way you are," Sui said gently.
Erina blinked, staring at him in a daze for a moment, before a smile spread across her face. "Hmm," she hummed in agreement, still smiling.