That night, Hinako visited Sui's room again. The two of them chatted casually and played cards together.
Hinako clearly had a fondness for snacks—she carried a small bag of 'kaki no tane' (persimmon seed crackers) and munched on them with a satisfying crunch.
"Sui-kun, would you like some?"
Hinako smiled softly as she held out a piece of the snack and, without hesitation, gently placed it in Sui's mouth.
Despite their name, persimmon seeds are not actual seeds. They are a traditional Japanese rice-based snack, shaped like persimmon seeds.
After the events of the previous day, the atmosphere between the two had become noticeably closer, so much so that Hinako was now feeding him snacks.
"Looks like you've lost again, Sui-kun," Hinako said with a playful smirk, covering her mouth as she laughed. She then adopted a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, what should I have you do this time?"
Sui was speechless. He hadn't anticipated that Hinako's card-playing skills would be so formidable. This was completely different from Erina's beginner-level gameplay.
Every time Sui lost, Hinako made him do something silly, like say he was a loser three times in a row or drink water spiced with chili.
"This time, I've got it! Thirty push-ups," Hinako declared, her eyes lighting up as she grinned mischievously.
Sui sighed, but obliged, dropping to the floor to do push-ups. Hinako watched with an amused expression, clearly enjoying herself.
"I didn't realize you were so skilled at cards, Hinako-senpai," Sui said, panting slightly after finishing his push-ups. He was already plotting how to get back at Erina when they played cards next.
"That's because I play cards with everyone during my free time at Kirinoya," Hinako replied, flashing a bright smile and speaking in her usual sweet tone.
"By the way, Sui-kun, are you hungry? I could make you a midnight snack," she offered, standing up. "What would you like?"
"Anything is fine," Sui replied casually, though inwardly he was excited at the thought of tasting Hinako's cooking. At Kirinoya, her cooking was so popular that reservations had to be made a week in advance, unless you were a VIP. Yet here she was, offering to cook just for him.
The small kitchen in the room was simple, but it had everything necessary to make a light meal. Before long, the comforting aroma of chestnut rice filled the air.
"Sui-kun, try some," Hinako said with a smile as she scooped up a spoonful of chestnut rice and brought it to his mouth.
As he looked at her gentle expression and caught a faint whiff of her fragrance, Sui felt something stir inside him. He let her feed him a bite of the rice.
The sweetness of the chestnuts blended perfectly with the soft rice, making for a sweet, refreshing, and delicious combination.
"How is it?" Hinako asked, her face full of anticipation.
"It's really good," Sui replied, genuinely impressed.
"Then have some more," Hinako said, clearly pleased as she scooped another spoonful to feed him.
The interaction between the two was starting to feel more intimate than simple friendship, yet not quite romantic. Neither of them realized it yet, but their closeness had begun to cross a boundary.
Sui couldn't help but think that the relationship between him and Hinako was becoming increasingly delicate. Although she was more than ten years older than him, and had once served as his guest lecturer, he had already touched her feet and kissed her. The line between mentor and student had long since blurred.
Moreover, Hinako didn't seem to regard him merely as a kohai. They finished the pot of chestnut rice together, and as they did, Hinako's cheeks grew red, seemingly realizing how intimate their interaction had become. Usually, only lovers shared food in this way.
Sui felt the same strange tension between them.
"By the way, Sui-kun, do you eat Western food every day at Shunkatei?" Hinako asked, trying to break the ambiguous silence that had formed between them.
"Yeah," Sui nodded. "But to be honest, I'm not used to it. I much prefer Asian dishes, especially rice."
"I see," Hinako nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, Sui noticed a grain of rice on Hinako's lips. Without thinking, he reached out and gently brushed it away.
The moment his fingers touched her lips, Hinako's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, touching her lips where Sui had just grazed them. The memory of their kiss flashed in her mind, causing her heart to flutter.
"It's getting late… I should go," Hinako said softly, still blushing.
"Let me walk you out," Sui offered.
The next morning, just as Sui finished breakfast and was about to head out, he ran into Hinako at the entrance of the hotel.
Sui was surprised. "Hinako-senpai? What are you doing here?"
Shouldn't she be at Kirinoya in the morning? Why was she standing outside his door?
"Well, um…" Hinako hesitated, then handed him a bento. "Yesterday, you said you weren't used to Western food, so I made this for you."
"Thank you," Sui said, taking the bento. He couldn't help but feel that Hinako's concern for him was more than what one might expect from a senpai.
"Good luck with your internship today!" Hinako smiled warmly. As she stood on her tiptoes, she reached up to pat his head again in her usual affectionate gesture.
"Alright," Sui said, feeling both amused and touched by her gesture.
Later that day, the business at Shunkatei continued to improve, with nearly every customer leaving positive reviews.
"Sui-kun, you should go grab something to eat now," Sonoka said with a smile after the lunch rush had ended.
"Oh, no need. I have a lunchbox today," Sui said, pulling out the bento Hinako had given him.
"A bento?" Sonoka raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Did your girlfriend make it for you?"
"No," Sui replied after a brief pause. "A friend made it."
He chose not to mention Hinako by name.
"Is that so?" Sonoka looked at the beautifully prepared bento, then said with a knowing smile, "Whoever made this bento must like you very much, Sui-kun."
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[A-N: Alright, everyone, let's make a change! Since the "1000 stones = 10 chapters" system isn't working well anymore, we're switching it back to "350 stones = 2 chapters." After all, it's hard to fully enjoy the story with just 1-2 chapters per update. We have 10k readers so 6 chapters a day shouldn't be difficult.]
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