Chapter 400: Chapter 398: Silent Devotion
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The next day, Sui was woken up early by a faint humming sound that seemed to linger in his ear.
As he rubbed his eyes and turned his head, he saw Erina lying beside him with a book on her pillow. A few more novels were scattered nearby. Erina had her chin propped up on her hands, humming a soft tune while flipping through one of the books. Her calves swayed gently in the air, and a faint smile graced her face—she was clearly in a good mood.
Sui couldn't help but feel exasperated. "Erina, you're up so early... reading a novel?"
"Um?" Erina turned her head, startled, realizing that Sui was awake and watching her. Her face flushed bright red, and in a fluster, she quickly closed the book.
"Ah, Sui, you're awake already?" she asked, her tone somewhat sheepish.
"Yeah, you woke me up," Sui replied helplessly. "But really, you're up so early—were you reading secretly?"
"N-no! I wasn't reading romance novels or anything like that!" Erina quickly shoved the book under her pillow, her face still flushed.
Sui rolled his eyes. "Then what are all these novels doing here?"
"Um... the pillow felt too low, so I wanted to use the books to prop it up. That's all!" Erina stammered, hastily hiding all the novels under her pillow and raising it high to prove her point.
"Right. Now I'm going back to sleep—I can still catch another hour!" she said, lying down with her head resting awkwardly on the high pillow.
"Erina, doesn't that hurt your neck?" Sui asked, bewildered.
Erina, still feigning composure, replied, "It's fine. I feel comfortable."
Sui could only sigh at her stubbornness. Even though she tried to deny it, it was obvious that she loved reading romance novels. After all, he had borrowed the books just for her.
But as the days went by, Sui began to regret lending her those novels.
Every morning, Erina would wake up at four or five, humming little songs as she read—this habit seriously disrupted Sui's sleep. In response, he devised a plan. Over the next few days, he purposely made her exhausted, making sure Erina couldn't get up early. Eventually, she started sleeping in, and Sui's mornings grew much quieter.
However, the new problem was that now Erina stayed in bed too long, and he had to drag her out of bed every morning.
That evening, Sui and Erina visited the Polar Star Dormitory because the air-dried beef and smoked pork they had prepared earlier were almost ready.
At the party, everyone enjoyed the freshly made dried beef, smoked pork, and fresh vegetables picked from Isshiki's garden. Ryoko also shared some homemade drinks she had brewed.
The air-dried beef was lightly grilled over charcoal, then sliced and served.
"This is delicious!" Sui exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by how well the Freezer Bison meat had turned out. It was tough but not hard, with a wonderfully chewy texture.
The smoked pork was equally impressive. Smoked with pine wood, it carried a delicate pine fragrance. The meat was tender and firm, with a rich smoky flavor.
Megumi, Ryoko, and the others praised the food, and even Isshiki seemed impressed. "Sui-kun, the quality of your meat is top-notch. The beef is tender, and the pork is well-balanced. This is the best I've tasted."
"Thank you Sui for sharing, we get to enjoy such delicious dried beef and smoked meat," Ryoko said, smiling as she took a sip of her drink.
"No, I should thank you all. You provided the vegetables and drinks, and lent us the space," Erina added with a smile.
Yoshino glanced at Erina and teased, "Lately, Erina's been saying 'we' a lot. If someone didn't know any better, they might think you two are already married!"
"Wha-what?" Erina's face turned crimson at the comment.
Sōma chuckled. "They do act like a family now."
Meanwhile, Megumi sat quietly, looking somewhat distant.
Yoshino continued with a grin, "But Sui, you should really thank Ryoko. She's been looking after your beef, checking it regularly to make sure none of it falls on the ground or gets stolen by wild cats."
"Really?" Sui looked at Ryoko in surprise.
Ryoko blushed slightly. "It's no big deal. You asked me to help, so of course I had to do my best."
She paused, then added, "But the one who really cares is Megumi. She checks on the beef every night before bed. Even if it rains and she's out somewhere, she'll rush back just to make sure it's all okay."
"Why?" Sui asked, glancing at Megumi.
Megumi's face turned pink as she stammered, "I-it's because Sui-kun always takes care of me…"
"Thank you, Megumi," Sui said, touched by her words.
Though it seemed like a small matter to him, Megumi had taken it to heart and made it a priority. Her silent devotion and effort didn't go unnoticed, and Sui felt a surge of gratitude.
"It's nothing," Megumi replied quickly, lowering her head. But deep down, Sui's words of appreciation made her heart swell with warmth. She felt that all her efforts had been worth it.
'I'm such a fool', she thought to herself, sighing internally.
Sui then turned to Ibusaki Shun. "This was smoked by Ibusaki-kun, right? No wonder it's so perfectly done. Thanks for the help."
Ibusaki remained calm as always. "It was nothing. Your pork was top quality. I wanted to see how it would turn out when smoked. The result speaks for itself."
With everyone contributing their dishes, Sōma grinned mischievously and announced, "Since everyone's sharing their creations, let me introduce my new dish!"
Before anyone could react, he stuffed some strawberry jam with squid legs into Yoshino's mouth.
Yoshino's face turned pale with horror, and she immediately dashed out of the room, presumably to vomit.
Erina watched her with sympathy, silently glad it wasn't her.
Soma turned toward Erina with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Miss Erina, would you like to try it?"
Erina's face paled. She backed away slightly, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Megumi, who had also fallen victim to Soma's unusual culinary creations in the past, gave Erina a weak smile. "Miss Erina probably can't handle that… after growing up with gourmet food, this is too much."
Erina's cheeks flushed, a mix of embarrassment and guilt washing over her.