Sui was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected the usually proud, willful, and guarded Erina to reveal her true feelings so openly.
But upon reflection, he understood.
Unlike Alice, who grew up surrounded by her loving parents, Erina lacked warmth and care during her childhood. She had been deeply scarred by her father. Despite her superior demeanor and aloofness, she was, in reality, extremely sensitive and craved affection more than most people.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Sui hugged her gently, stroking her hair, and said, "Yes, I missed you too."
"Really?"
Erina raised her head, a flicker of shyness in her violet eyes.
In the past, when they were together, they bickered daily, and she hadn't thought much of it. But after their brief separation, she found herself yearning for those noisy, chaotic days.
It was only then that she realized she could no longer imagine her life without him.
"Of course."
Sui replied.
Among all the girls, he had the deepest feelings for Erina. After all, they were the first to meet each other.
Even though Erina had been calm and collected during their training camp, unlike Alice, who always engaged him in long conversations, it was still Erina whom he missed the most.
The two of them held each other for a long while, lost in their embrace.
Then, Sui picked up Erina and began walking towards the bedroom upstairs.
"Is… isn't it still morning?"
Erina's face turned crimson, and she stammered with embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter. A short separation makes the heart grow fonder."
Sui said with a chuckle.
"But I still have a tasting session later. I'm already behind on work because of the field study."
Erina said, worry clouding her voice.
"It's okay, let's postpone it for now."
Sui's tone left no room for argument. "I'll help you with the workload in a few days."
Erina's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head, whispering, "Alright."
——
"Mmm! Ahh! Be gentle, Sui…"
"Sorry, I just miss you badly."
"Mmm! Sui…go faster! Ahhh!"
——
After eight days apart, this reunion felt especially precious, and the two were reluctant to part from each other.
"Would you like to have lunch?"
Sui asked.
Erina's snow-white face was dotted with beads of sweat. Her golden hair clung to her cheeks, and a soft blush lingered on her skin.
"No, I want to rest for a while."
She replied with a hint of fatigue and closed her eyes slightly.
"Okay, then you should rest well."
Sui nodded. Eight consecutive days of intensive field training were exhausting. Once the mind relaxed, the body would feel the full weight of the fatigue.
At that moment, Sui remembered that he hadn't seen Tohru and Kanna in a while. He hurried out of Erina's bedroom and returned to his apartment.
Tohru and Kanna were sitting on the sofa, munching on senbei and watching TV, the sound of their crisp chewing filling the room.
"In the past eight days, there have been several earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the nearby sea. Fears of an impending apocalypse are spreading among the public. Many coastal residents have begun to evacuate…"
"This world is truly scary."
Tohru took another bite of the senbei, her chewing resonating with a crunch, and remarked.
"Yeah, it is."
Kanna nodded, nibbling on her snack, her fluffy tail coiled around the power strip as it recharged.
Suddenly, Tohru sensed something and turned to see Sui standing at the door.
Her eyes widened, and a delighted smile spread across her face, revealing a small fang.
"Sui, you're finally back!"
Tohru leapt from the sofa and threw herself into Sui's arms.
Sui was knocked to the ground by the dragon girl, and he said helplessly, "Yes, I'm back."
Tohru stuck out her long tongue, licking his face before bursting into laughter, "It's really Sui's scent! I'm not dreaming!"
Kanna also trotted over and, in her innocent voice, said, "Sui, I want to eat fried rice."
Sui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He asked, "You two didn't cause any trouble while I was gone, right?"
"No, we've been on our best behavior!"
Tohru immediately replied.
"Yes, Kanna and Tohru-sama have been very good."
Kanna nodded earnestly.
"Really?"
Sui was a bit skeptical. Glancing at the news on TV, he had a feeling it might have something to do with the two dragons.
However, his suspicion didn't last long, as he was simply happy to see Tohru and Kanna again.
Sui then prepared a sumptuous lunch, and they all enjoyed the meal together.
Tohru and Kanna ate heartily, especially Kanna, who devoured three plates of fried rice.
After lunch, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"The host has completed the field training mission and earned an A-level food gift pack or three B-level food gift packs. Which will you choose?"
Sui thought for a moment and decided, "I'll take the A-level pack."
He already had plenty of B-level ingredients, but had never encountered A-level ones. His anticipation grew.
"The host has opened the A-level food gift pack and received three pieces of pear bread. There is still one unopened gift pack. Would you like to open it?"
The system asked.
"Open it."
Sui said.
"The host has opened the gift pack and obtained the kitchenware: Giant Cleaver - Etsy."
*
"Cleaver Knife?"
Sui's eyes lit up.
He had already collected three extraordinary kitchen knives. With this one, he only needed three more to complete the chef knife set.
Next, Sui went to Erina's kitchen and took out his reward.
A kitchen knife materialized before him. Its design was distinct from the previous three.
The kitchen Knives set could handle various ingredients. This big cleaver is especially perfect for cutting through meat, bones, and connective tissue.
Then, a pink loaf of pear bread appeared in Sui's hand.