"Really? Thank you so much!" Megumi bowed quickly.
"I'll drive you both to the hotel," Hinako smiled gently.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Sui," Kenro Ono, usually strict with others, smiled unexpectedly. Sui's sashimi had been a huge hit with customers that night, making Ono admire him even more. He believed that Sui would one day rise to become a top chef at Totsuki.
"Thank you, Chef Ono," Sui replied gratefully.
Next, Hinako drove both Sui and Megumi to the hotel she had arranged for them.
"Alright, here's where you'll be staying. Your rooms are across from each other, so don't mix them up," Hinako said with a smile, handing them their room keys.
"And Sui-kun," she added, her tone teasing, "no sneaking into the girl's room."
Sui was speechless. Did she really think he was that kind of person?
After bidding Hinako farewell, Sui entered his room and carried his luggage inside. The accommodations were spacious—complete with a bedroom, living room, and even a small kitchen. It was clear that Hinako treated the Totsuki interns with care, offering them much better rooms than those provided by other restaurants.
Once settled, Sui took out his phone and noticed over a dozen missed calls—all from Alice. He smiled warmly and quickly dialed her number.
"You finally picked up!" Alice's frustrated voice came from the other end.
Sui imagined her puffing her cheeks in annoyance and couldn't help but chuckle. "I just finished work," he explained.
"Where are you interning?" Alice asked, her voice brightening.
"I'm at Kirinoya," Sui replied.
"Hinako-senpai's restaurant? We're not too far apart then!" Alice said excitedly.
Sui smiled. "How was work today?" he asked.
"Ugh, the chef here is so strict. He's always scowling, kind of like Erina!" Alice complained.
Sui couldn't help but laugh. If Erina overheard that comparison, she'd definitely be furious.
After chatting for a while, Alice finally said, "Alright, I'm going to take a shower. See you tomorrow!"
As Alice hung up, Sui noticed another missed call—this one from Erina herself. Unlike her energetic cousin, Erina had only called once, knowing he was likely busy.
Sui smiled to himself and returned the call.
"Are you done with work?" Erina asked when she answered.
"Yeah, I just finished. How about you? Are you tired?" Sui asked.
"I'm fine," Erina replied in her usual composed manner.
They chatted briefly before Erina, always the practical one, said, "That's enough for tonight. You have work tomorrow, so get some rest."
Sui smiled to himself. Compared to Alice, Erina was much more stable and sensible. "Don't forget to drink the milk every day," he reminded her, thinking of the nutritious milk he'd sent her.
"I will," Erina said softly. There was a brief silence before she shyly added, "Sui, I want to hear you say goodnight to me."
Sui could easily imagine Erina's blushing face on the other end, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Goodnight, Erina," he said warmly.
"Goodnight," she replied, her voice tinged with sweetness.
Just when Sui thought he could relax, his phone rang again—this time it was Tohru.
Sui sighed. While it was nice to have people who cared about him, Tohru's clinginess could be a bit much.
Unlike the sensible Erina, Tohru was much more willful. She kept Sui on the phone for over an hour, talking endlessly.
Before hanging up, she insisted, "You have to kiss me goodnight!"
Sui, exasperated, obliged by making a kissing sound over the phone. Only then did Tohru hang up, satisfied.
Just as Sui breathed a sigh of relief, his phone rang yet again. It was Tohru once more.
"Now what?" Sui asked, half-jokingly.
"It's Kanna. She wants to talk to you," Tohru replied before passing the phone to the small dragon.
"Hey, Sui, when are you coming back?" Kanna's innocent voice came through the speaker.
Sui: "..."
By the time Sui was done talking to the two dragons, another hour had passed. Exhausted, he finally put his phone away and walked out of the bedroom, heading to the bathroom.
But when he opened the bathroom door, he froze.
Inside was Megumi, bathing.
Her beautiful blue hair cascaded down her back, and her well-developed figure and fair skin were visible through the steam. The scene left Sui momentarily stunned.
Megumi was equally shocked. After a brief moment of frozen disbelief, she screamed, covering herself with her hands. Her face turned a deep red as she stammered, "Su-Su-Su-Su-Sui, why are you here?"
"Isn't this my room?" Sui asked, confused. He had been in the bedroom all this time, making phone calls. How could this happen?
Megumi, equally confused, checked the room number and realized her mistake. She had entered the wrong room.
"I'm so sorry! I went into the wrong room!" Megumi quickly wrapped herself in a towel, her face flushing even more.
Apparently, when she had picked something up at the door, she must have turned the wrong way and entered Sui's room by mistake. Since the layout of the living room was similar to hers, she hadn't noticed the error and headed straight to the bathroom.
Megumi's mind raced as she remembered her mother's warning before she left for Tokyo. Not only had she accidentally given her first kiss to Sui, but now he had seen her naked as well. Her face burned with embarrassment.
"Woohoo, Mom, I'm sorry! I can't get married now!" Megumi thought, tears welling up in her eyes as she mentally apologized to her mother.