Sui knew there was no turning back now. Without a word, he scooped Alice up into his arms.
"Let me go! I need to prepare myself mentally!"
"Sui, you're going too far!"
"Wuwuwu, you bad guy! I'm going to tell Erina! Wuwuwu!"
Sui: "…"
Why are these two sisters so similar?
The next morning, Sui woke up early. There were still several people sleeping downstairs, and if he slept in, it might lead to an awkward situation.
He glanced at Alice, who was curled up against his chest like a kitten, looking content and peaceful. Remembering the events of the previous night, he couldn't help but feel speechless.
Yesterday, Alice had tried to back out at the last minute and wanted to run away, but Sui had stopped her.
At first, she resisted fiercely, but after a while, she gradually became more cooperative.
"Alice, it's time to wake up," Sui gently nudged her, speaking softly.
After all, Erina, Ryo, and the others were still asleep in the guest rooms downstairs.
"Hm? Where am I?" Alice slowly opened her eyes, then noticed that she was lying beside Sui, wrapped in his arms.
Blinking, she murmured in confusion, "Am I dreaming? Is this a repeat of what happened last time?"
Sui sighed and pinched her lightly. "This isn't a dream. Do you feel that pinch?"
Alice was startled and then a blush spread across her cheeks. She let out a shriek, jumped out of his embrace, and scrambled to the ground, clutching the quilt around her. Pointing at Sui, she shouted in a mix of shame and anger, "You… you bad guy! You took advantage of me while I was asleep! How shameless!"
Sui was speechless. Did she really not remember anything?
Or was she just acting crazy because she was drunk last night?
He felt a headache coming on and said helplessly, "You were the one who initiated everything yesterday, okay?"
"Liar! I would never do something so embarrassing!" Alice retorted, her face flushed with indignation.
"Do you really not remember anything from last night?" Sui asked, a little exasperated.
"What happened last night…" Alice tried to recall, and as the memories flooded back, her cheeks turned a deep red. Her defiant demeanor immediately softened, and she lowered her head, mumbling in embarrassment, "I was drunk last night and said a lot of silly things…"
Thinking about how she had gotten drunk and made a fool of herself, Alice felt utterly mortified.
Sui could only sigh inwardly. So she really was just drunk and acting out last night.
"If you regret it, we can just forget about it," Sui said, not wanting to pressure her.
Alice bit her lip, then suddenly summoned up her courage and shouted, "No! What I said last night was true!"
She puffed out her chest, a look of determination on her face. "I've decided—I've got Erina's boyfriend now!"
Sui was taken aback. This sister-in-law really had a unique personality.
"Alright. But let's get up quickly; everyone will be waking up soon," he said.
Alice was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly started putting on her clothes.
By the time the two of them were dressed and went downstairs, some of the people who had been sleeping in the living room had already started waking up.
Sui prepared a sumptuous breakfast and invited everyone to join in.
During breakfast, Alice was in an exceptionally good mood, humming a little tune as she ate.
Erina noticed and found it odd. The look of smug satisfaction on Alice's face reminded her of when Alice had secretly worn her favorite dress as a child.
Later that day, the remaining two matches of the autumn selection quarterfinals were held, with Akira Hayama and Subaru Mimasaka emerging as the winners.
This meant that Megumi would be up against Akira Hayama in the semifinals.
Although Sui wanted to help Megumi, he knew it would be tough for her to win in such a short time, even if he provided her with information about the challenges ahead.
Akira Hayama had a gift similar to Erina's God Tongue, known as the God Nose. Among the first-year students, his abilities were second only to Erina's, and even Sōma wasn't on his level yet.
Therefore, Sui could only give Megumi some Freezer Bison steak and let her practice Western cooking techniques.
His relationship with Alice had also developed well over the past few days. Although they couldn't make their relationship public, they texted and called each other frequently.
Unlike the tsundere types, Alice was cheerful and lively, making her very likable. Sui found himself gradually warming up to her.
In the following days, Sui also heeded Erina's suggestion and began participating in some food tasting events on her behalf.
This helped ease Erina's workload and allowed him to experience a variety of high-end restaurant dishes, which was beneficial for his own growth as a chef.
During these tastings, Sui received praise from many restaurants, and his reputation began to spread within the high-end culinary circles.
One day, Sui went to a restaurant for a food tasting as usual.
But when he arrived, he was taken aback.
The name of the restaurant was Hōjō-ro.
If he remembered correctly, this was where Miyoko was from.
"Maybe Hisako forgot to tell me," Sui mused as he stepped out of the car that Erina had specially arranged for him.
Hōjō-ro was located in Yokohama. Although Yokohama was in Kanagawa Prefecture, it was right next to Tokyo. It took just about an hour by subway to get from Tokyo to Yokohama.
This time, it had taken Sui just over an hour to arrive by car.
Hōjō-ro, once a bustling restaurant, was now deserted. All the chefs stood respectfully inside, waiting.
When they saw that the person who entered wasn't Totsuki's "God Tongue," but an unfamiliar young man in a Totsuki uniform, they were puzzled.
"Who are you?" a middle-aged man in a chef's uniform asked.
"Huh? Sui? What are you doing here? Where's Miss Erina?"
A surprised voice called out, and Miyoko stepped forward, looking at Sui in astonishment.