Chapter 119: New Dishes at the Shop and the Determined Operator!

"Erina-sama, were you two having a cooking competition last night?" Hisako asked, slightly surprised.

Remembering the events of the previous night, Erina couldn't help but blush, though a hint of sweetness welled up inside her. "Well... I suppose you could say that," she replied.

"Wow! As expected of Erina-sama!" Hisako exclaimed, admiration swelling in her heart. 

Both Erina and Sui were already incredibly talented, yet they still practiced their cooking late into the night. The amount of effort they put in was remarkable. 

'I have to work harder,' Hisako thought to herself. 'I must become worthy of standing beside Erina-sama!'

As she mentally vowed to push herself more, Erina, still blushing from the compliment, thought, 'If only she knew the real reason...'

Upon arriving at the classroom, Sui found Megumi, Yoshino, and the others, looking pale and defeated.

"Huh? What's wrong with everyone?" Sui asked, noticing the worn-out faces. "Did none of you get any sleep?"

"Subaru stayed really late at the Polar Star Dorm last night," Megumi replied, her face pale as if she'd been through an ordeal.

"Sui, you've gone too far!" Yoshino added, clearly upset.

Sui blinked in confusion. Then, it dawned on him. He had been the one to send Subaru over for the party last night.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and as usual, Sui and Megumi both received top marks in all their classes.

When Sui finally returned home, a prompt appeared before him.

'"The host has accumulated seven daily task gift packs. Would you like to open them?"'

"Already?" Sui murmured. He'd missed out on task packs during the six-day training camp, so he was eager to see what he'd earned. "Open them," he instructed.

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Cooking level increased by 1."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Cooking level increased by 2."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Cooking level increased by 1."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Received two almond cabbages."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Cooking level increased by 2."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Received one random dried goods monster."' 

'"Host opens daily task gift pack: Cooking level increased by 1."'

Sui smiled with satisfaction. Among the rewards, there were two ingredients, one of which—a dried goods monster—was something he hadn't encountered before. His cooking skill level, already at 45, had now risen to 54 thanks to the 7 additional points from the gift packs.

Just then, Erina returned home.

"Erina, are we going to continue our competition tonight?" Sui asked with a grin.

"Hmph! Of course!" Erina huffed. "Don't think you can get complacent just because you beat me yesterday! I'll show you my true strength tonight!" she declared, her pride as fiery as ever.

Sui chuckled to himself. With his newly improved skills, the competition wasn't likely to go in her favor.

"By the way, would you like to help out at my shop tonight?" Sui offered.

"Not tonight. I've got a lot of food tasting work piled up from the training camp," Erina replied, her cheeks tinting pink as she recalled something. "But I won't lose to you tonight."

Sui shook his head with a sigh. 'Isn't she being a bit too competitive?'

Later, Sui headed to his shop with Tohru. As for the dried goods monster, he decided to put it aside for now, unsure what kind of dish it would make.

"Sui, I want to go too!" Kanna chimed in, clinging to his leg in her usual babyish voice.

"Alright," Sui agreed. 'All she does is eat and sleep anyway, so bringing her along won't hurt.'

Soon, the trio arrived at the snack bar. As usual, a line had already formed outside.

Seeing Sui approach, the customers started calling out.

"Everyone, please line up. Don't rush," Sui called, opening the door.

The waiting crowd hurried inside, eager to grab a seat. Those who didn't make it in on time were left to wait outside.

"Tohru-chan's here too!" someone exclaimed.

"She's looking even more beautiful than before," another customer commented.

"Is that little girl your sister?" one guest asked, noting Kanna.

Tohru was always popular with customers, thanks to her striking appearance and unique personality.

"Owner, do you have any new dishes today?" Hanaya Natsuki asked with a smile as she sat down. She had become a regular at the snack bar, visiting almost every day.

"Yes, there are two new dishes today," Sui replied with a smile. "Dinuguan (Bloody Soup in engl.) and pork skewers."

Hearing this, Natsuki's eyes lit up. "I'd love to try them!" 

The other customers, overhearing the mention of new dishes, also perked up. They knew from experience that anything served here was top-notch.

"Alright, give me a moment," Sui said, heading to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Yusa Emi, who had just gotten off work, arrived at the store as well.

"This place is definitely the devil's lair," she muttered to herself. "I have to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't try anything to destroy the world."

Determined, she hid near the entrance, watching the customers file in.

Inside, Sui had finished preparing Natsuki's order, placing a bowl of Dinuguan and a plate of pork skewers before her.

The aroma was irresistible.

"Here's some extra bone broth," Sui said, handing her a steaming bowl of soup. "If you order more than two dishes, the bone broth is on the house."

"Thank you," Natsuki replied, already eager to dig in.

Outside, Emi's stomach rumbled as the delicious smell wafted out of the shop.

"Damn it! This has to be the devil's trick!" she whispered to herself, swallowing her saliva. "I won't fall for it. I have to stay strong!"