Chapter 304: Punishment? (5)

A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Ann's lips. This was exactly what she had been waiting for!

Seeing her slightly wicked grin, Sui had a bad feeling. It seemed like she was deliberately waiting for him to make this request.

"Well, I haven't had lunch yet. If you can prepare a meal that satisfies me, I'll help you out," Ann said loudly, looking at Sui with a playful glint in her eyes. "But if you fail to satisfy me..."

"What happens if you're not satisfied?" Megumi asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.

"If I'm not satisfied..." Ann's expression turned serious. "You'll have to shout a hundred times, 'I was wrong, please forgive me!'"

The room fell silent.

"This sounds like punishment from an ex-girlfriend," Ryoko couldn't help but comment.

"It really does," Yoshino agreed, nodding.

Faced with this peculiar challenge, Sui was momentarily speechless. But after considering it for a moment, he nodded and said, "Alright, it's a deal."

After all, it wasn't a severe punishment. He'd just end up with a dry throat.

"I'll make sure to record every single word!" Ann said smugly before finding a chair to sit on. She placed the stack of books she was holding onto the table with a loud "thud."

"Oh, by the way, you can use the hotel kitchen," she added nonchalantly.

"I figured," Sui replied helplessly, heading toward the hotel's kitchen.

"I'll help too," Megumi offered, instinctively following Sui.

The two of them entered the hotel's spacious and well-equipped kitchen, filled with various utensils and ingredients.

"Sui-kun, looking at Miss Ann's expression, it seems like she doesn't actually intend to make things too difficult, right? Maybe she wanted to help from the start," Megumi speculated after some thought.

"Impossible," Sui replied, remembering Ann's last mischievous smile. It didn't seem like she had good intentions.

"What are you planning to cook this time, Sui-kun?" Megumi asked.

"Well, I'd like to make some dishes that reflect the local flavors," Sui thought for a moment and replied.

When it came to local specialties, besides seafood, he thought of Megumi's dried vegetables.

"Why don't we make a dish using dried vegetables?" Sui suggested. "The dried vegetable soup your mom made this morning was delicious."

"Mhm," Megumi smiled and nodded. "I'll help."

"Okay."

With that, Sui's ideas for the dishes began to take shape in his mind.

"Megumi, can you prepare the sun-dried tomatoes?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Do we have any hazelnuts here?"

...

About an hour later, Ann was sitting idly in her chair, occasionally glancing toward the kitchen.

"Sui-kun and Megumi should be fine, right?" Masako asked worriedly. After all, Ann didn't seem like an easy person to deal with.

"No problem, those two make a great team!" Yoshino declared confidently, making a victory sign.

At that moment, Sui and Megumi brought out the dishes they had prepared.

"What kind of food is this?" Ann asked curiously.

"Seared chicken thighs with sun-dried tomatoes," Sui replied with a smile. "Please, try it."

"Sun-dried tomatoes? Are they a local specialty?" Ann raised an eyebrow but still picked up her knife and fork. She cut off a piece and placed it into her small mouth.

Sōma and the others were equally surprised. They remembered Megumi had made sun-dried tomatoes before in the Polar Star Dormitory. The taste was a delightful mix of sour and salty, absolutely delicious.

The chicken thighs were fried to perfection—crispy and flavorful. With each bite, the savory and slightly salty dried tomatoes mingled with the crunchy hazelnut crumbs, complemented by the aroma of rosemary and the fresh hint of lemon. It was exceptionally delicious.

"It's like tasting the essence of summer sunshine!" An exclaimed, chewing happily with a broad smile on her face.

Sui waited until she finished the entire dish before asking, "How was it? Are you satisfied with this meal?"

"Mhm, it was delicious," Ann said, patting her satisfied belly and nodding with contentment.

She then turned to the manager beside her and said, "The hotel's business is gradually stabilizing, right? Let's adjust the seafood prices back to normal."

"Umm... okay," the hotel manager replied, clearly in a difficult position. This was a considerable amount of money they were talking about. But since the request came from a first-class WGO inspector, he reluctantly agreed.

"Eh? That easily?" Sōma and the others were stunned.

They had expected her to be more difficult, but she had agreed so easily. Even Sui found it hard to believe.

"Hmm."

Ann struggled to lift her stack of books, looking quite busy. "I have a lot of work to do this afternoon!"

Before leaving, she turned to Yoshino and said, "Who said I wasn't going to help?"

"Uh..." Yoshino was left speechless.

"I'll keep those hundred apologies on hold. One day, I'll make you shout 'I was wrong' a hundred times!" Ann gave Sui a glare before huffing and marching out of the hotel.

Sui was left speechless.

"Miss Ann is actually a really nice person. It seems she planned to help everyone from the start," Megumi couldn't help but say.

Sui thought so too. It seemed like she had just made an excuse to get a free lunch. Looking back, it really was a loss for him.

"This way, I won't have to drive to the next town to get supplies," Masako said with a satisfied smile.

"Sui, it seems like she treats you differently. Could she really be your ex-girlfriend?" one of the uncles teased.

"So, she made you cook lunch on purpose? What a sweet punishment," another uncle joked.

Sui couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

In the evening, Megumi's house became quite lively. The townspeople regarded Sui as a hero and came to thank him for his help.

This left Sui feeling awkward, as he felt he hadn't done much at all.

That night, everyone retired to bed early after washing up. Megumi didn't dare to ask Sui to her room again…