Sui looked at the numerous bite marks covering his body and couldn't help but be speechless. There was no need to guess; this had to be the "masterpiece" of Alice.
Last night, she had been biting him like a playful puppy.
He hadn't noticed it at the time, but now that he saw it in the light of day, he was stunned.
Alice, who had already changed into her school uniform, turned around, her silver hair falling behind her shoulders as she admired her handiwork. A look of pride flashed across her beautiful face.
"Alice, were you born in the Year of the Dog or something?"
Sui asked, feeling a headache coming on. How was he supposed to explain this to Erina?
Alice stuck out her tongue playfully and said, "I told you I'd leave my mark on you!"
"But won't Erina notice?"
Sui said, feeling exasperated.
"I'll leave that problem for you to handle."
Alice put a finger to her lips and winked at him, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
After that, Sui put on his clothes and headed downstairs. Everyone was still asleep.
"Ryo-kun, wake up."
Alice gently kicked Ryo Kurokiba, who was curled up on the floor. He slowly opened his eyes and yawned.
"I had a terrible nightmare."
He scratched his head, frowning.
Sui couldn't help but feel speechless. It's no wonder he had nightmares, considering he'd slept clutching Sōma's feet all night.
"Do you want some breakfast before you leave?"
Sui asked.
"No, I'm too sleepy."
Alice yawned again and said, "I'm going to go back and get some more sleep."
"Okay."
Sui nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, we still have plenty of milk and beef. Help yourself from the fridge before you go. The beef bones are great for making soup too, so take some of those as well."
Miltank produced a high yield. Even with him, Erina, and Tohru drinking from it, there was still plenty left over every day.
"Got it."
Alice nodded and, without being overly polite, accepted Sui's offer.
Sui then went to the guest room, carried Erina up to her bedroom, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.
Today's breakfast was black pepper beef and egg fried rice, accompanied by spring rolls in a creamy mushroom sauce.
The spring roll had been marinated with salt, pepper, chopped onion, thyme, and white wine, then wrapped with straw mushrooms and spinach sautéed in butter and onions. It was then simmered in cream. Each bite was full of fresh spinach and tender rabbit meat, rich with a creamy flavor.
The black pepper beef and egg fried rice was cooked to a golden crisp, aromatic and incredibly delicious.
As soon as breakfast was ready, everyone began to wake up one after another.
"It smells amazing!"
Drawn by the delicious aroma, Megumi looked at the sumptuous breakfast spread and exclaimed in surprise.
"Here, try this."
Sui smiled and held out a spring roll to her lips.
Megumi blushed but opened her mouth, taking small, delicate bites.
"This is delicious!"
She closed her eyes, stroking her cheek, a look of bliss on her face.
"Hold on a second."
Sui said suddenly, noticing a small smudge of dirt at the corner of her eye. He reached out and gently wiped it away.
Megumi's cheeks turned even redder, and she glanced at him shyly.
At that moment, the others, drawn by the scent of breakfast, began to wake up as well.
"It smells so good."
Rindō walked into the kitchen, showing her two sharp canine teeth. She patted Sui on the shoulder and teased, "Is this a special breakfast made with love for your senpai?"
Sui looked at her helplessly.
"Sui, did Alice leave already?"
Erina, still in her pajamas and rubbing her eyes, walked down the stairs. She glanced around the room, seemingly still a bit groggy.
"Yeah, she seemed pretty out of it."
Sui replied, feeling a little guilty.
"Really? Alice, who always claims she can handle her alcohol, got drunk?"
Erina snorted lightly, clearly proud of herself, thinking she had handled her alcohol better.
Sui glanced at her, finding her arrogance amusing. People like Erina were surprisingly easy to mislead.
"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Erina asked, slightly annoyed. Then she noticed the bite marks on Sui's collar. Her eyes narrowed and her tone turned cold.
"Sui, what are these?"
"Eh? Sui, are you having an affair?"
Rindō asked in surprise, then began to look around at the girls with great interest.
"Wow! You've actually betrayed Erina, Sui!"
Yoshino added, patting his shoulder with curiosity. "Who's the culprit? Is it Megumi?"
"Yoshino, stop talking nonsense!"
Megumi's face turned beet red, and she lowered her head, looking a bit nervous. Could it be that she really had done something with Sui after getting drunk last night?
Ryoko, standing by, noticed Megumi's expression and had a suspicion.
"I knew it."
Meanwhile, Erina looked heartbroken. She had long suspected there was something between Sui and Megumi.
"Erina, didn't you do this?"
Sui coughed lightly and said.
"Huh? I did it?"
Erina was taken aback.
"Yeah, you were pretty wild last night after you got drunk."
Sui nodded.
Erina's face turned crimson, as if blood would seep through her skin. She couldn't believe she had done something so shameful while drunk.
"Wow, Erina-chi, I didn't know you were so passionate."
Yoshino stared at the numerous bite marks on Sui's neck, looking amazed.
"Yes, who would have thought that the usually dignified and noble Erina could be like this."
Rindō added.
Erina's cheeks burned hot, and she couldn't ask any more questions. She covered her face with her hands and ran away in embarrassment.
Megumi also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't her who had left those marks.
But for some reason, a trace of disappointment lingered.
"Megumi, you were the one who did that, right?"
Ryoko approached and whispered.
"Huh? Ryoko, what are you talking about?"
Megumi's face turned bright red as she mumbled softly.
"You can't fool me."
Ryoko smiled knowingly. She believed there had been some development between Sui and Megumi last night; otherwise, Megumi wouldn't have reacted so nervously just now.