Utaha glanced at Sui, then at Miku and Nino. She blinked, shook her head, and sighed softly. "Ah, what unfortunate fate."
For some reason, both Miku and Nino blushed.
"Don't get the wrong idea! I'm just here to learn how to make rice balls!" Nino declared, hands on her hips, her tone that of a stubborn young lady.
Sui looked at her sideways, wondering what was up with the usually composed senpai today.
Utaha maintained a calm expression, but beneath the table, a small hand reached out and pinched Sui's thigh.
"Ouch!" Sui winced and muttered under his breath, "My menstrual cycle is really messed up now."
Utaha's face turned crimson. Ashamed and furious, she couldn't help but stomp on Sui's foot with her heel.
"That's enough! Move your foot, or I won't buy you any more sanitary pads," Sui scolded her, his hand casually pushing away her leg as if reprimanding her.
Yet, as his hand lingered on her thigh, he couldn't resist touching it a little longer—so soft and smooth.
Utaha's face grew redder as she recalled yesterday's events, embarrassment washing over her.
"Huh? Sanitary pads?" Yotsuba tilted her head, her bow bouncing like rabbit ears, giving her a cute and clueless appearance.
"No way!" Itsuki laughed, unable to resist teasing. "You even need someone to help you buy those?"
"Wow, Sui is such a considerate boyfriend," Ichika giggled.
Miku puffed her cheeks, glaring at Utaha with a look of disapproval.
Utaha's face flushed even deeper, feeling humiliated. In her embarrassment, she instinctively reached for Sui's thigh again, seeking some kind of psychological solace.
Since meeting Sui, she realized she'd been losing her cool, literary girl image bit by bit.
Determined, she vowed to reclaim that image and be the quiet and elegant girl she once was.
Sui, noticing her desperate attempts at maintaining composure, rolled his eyes. He thought to himself, 'This is the real you, senpai.'
Standing up, he announced, "I'll go get some snacks for everyone."
Utaha, hands and feet restless under the table, had been pinching and stepping on him repeatedly.
Soon after, Sui brought back a tray of colorful coral candies from his apartment. Erina, Tohru, and Kanna all loved these sweets, so he always had plenty on hand. And since coral candy was affordable, it made for a great snack.
"Candy?" Itsuki was instantly intrigued. She grabbed a few pieces, popped one in her mouth, and exclaimed, "Wow! So light and elegantly sweet!"
"Really?" Yotsuba tried one too, her bow twitching as she chewed. "Oh, you're right! This candy is delicious!"
"This is the first time I've had such tasty candy," Ichika's eyes lit up, clearly impressed. The sweetness was refined, far better than most fancy candies she'd tried.
"Have as much as you like," Sui said with a smile.
Utaha, trying to appear graceful, picked up a candy with her slender fingers and elegantly placed it into her mouth. Her burgundy eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction, though her indifferent expression seemed to suggest she was used to such delicacies.
Sui glanced at her sideways, sensing that she was trying harder than ever to maintain her image.
But to him, she had already lost it.
"All right, let's start class," Utaha announced as she opened her lecture notes, resuming her usual dignified demeanor.
With candies in their mouths, the five girls sat down to study. Sui checked the time; dinner was still a while off, and the store hadn't opened yet. So, he headed to the bedroom, picked out a light novel, and sat on the couch to read.
The Nakano sisters, however, weren't exactly focused on studying. Ichika was half-asleep, Nino was busy with her nails, and only three of the sisters were even trying to pay attention. To make things worse, while Utaha was teaching English, Itsuki was working on math, and Miku on history, clearly not following the lesson at all.
This made Utaha quietly furious.
The only one making her somewhat happy was Yotsuba, who listened carefully, nodding occasionally and responding with comments like, "Oh, I see," or, "Wow, sensei, you're amazing."
But when Utaha happened to glance at Yotsuba's notebook and found it completely blank, her mood soured even more.
'What on earth is going on in this girl's head?' she thought, frustrated.
Time passed until it was nearly dinner.
Yotsuba's bow twitched like rabbit ears as she sensed the time. She raised her hand and asked eagerly, "Um, Utaha-sensei, can we eat now?"
Hearing this, the other four girls, who had either been dozing or goofing off, immediately perked up and looked toward Utaha.
Utaha's eyebrow twitched. It was clear these girls were more interested in the meal than the lesson. But after checking the time, she sighed helplessly and agreed, "Fine."
Yotsuba then skipped over to Sui. "Sui, can we have dinner here? Will you cook for us?"
Her bow bounced with excitement, her face full of anticipation. Itsuki also looked hopeful.
Sui set down his book, checked the time, and after a moment's thought, nodded. "Sure."
Erina had mentioned she'd be back late, and Kanna had school duties, so he figured they could eat first, and he'd prepare a bigger meal when everyone got back.
"What's for dinner tonight?" Itsuki asked eagerly.
Sui thought for a moment. "blood tofu, red date and white fungus soup, and chicken stewed with wolfberries."
"That sounds... unusual," Itsuki muttered softly, a little unsure.
"It's to help replenish blood," Sui replied casually.
Utaha, who had been stretching her graceful figure, suddenly blushed without explanation.