Dinner Time
Tonight's dinner was cooked by Kawasaki Saki.
Su Yu wasn't surprised by her cooking skills.
But—
"This is delicious!"
Yuigahama Yui's eyes lit up after taking a bite.
She then immediately turned to stare at Saki.
"Kawasaki-san, can you teach me how to cook?"
Saki glanced at Su Yu.
If he agreed, then it would count as work.
"Yui, don't trouble Kawasaki. She has to take care of her family and maintain Sakurasou."
Su Yu reminded her.
"…Ah! I totally forgot!"
Yui apologized, feeling guilty.
Hearing Su Yu's reminder, she finally remembered Kawasaki's situation.
"It's fine."
Saki shook her head and continued eating.
At that moment, Su Yu suddenly spoke up.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm not paying for your meals."
"…I wasn't expecting you to."
Hiratsuka rolled her eyes, then pulled out her wallet and handed 100,000 yen to Kawasaki.
"Sensei, I—"
Saki's first instinct was to refuse.
"I'm not pitying you."
"Even though I can cook for myself, I'd rather have someone else do it."
"And besides, you're good at it."
Hiratsuka cut her off.
"Saki, just take it."
Su Yu sighed.
"…Thank you."
Saki bowed deeply and accepted the money.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki Keika quietly observed everyone at the table—
Su Yu.
Hiratsuka.
Yui.
And her sister.
She felt like… everyone here was a good person.
After Dinner
Su Yu and Yui went upstairs.
Keika watched them leave, curious.
Saki, on the other hand, suddenly remembered something—her face turned red.
Keika then turned to her sister.
"Ne, onee-chan, I'll help you clean up!"
She eagerly stepped forward.
Saki didn't refuse.
Her little sister had always been helpful when it came to housework.
Hiratsuka watched them with a gentle smile.
Seeing Keika being so well-behaved, she couldn't help but think—
If I had a daughter like that, it would be so nice…
But then—
Her smile slowly faded.
She didn't even have a boyfriend.
How could she possibly have a daughter?
With that depressing thought, she got up, returned to her room, and pulled out a beer from the fridge.
Studying with Yui
In Su Yu's living room, he was tutoring Yui.
She was actually improving.
She had started taking notes seriously and reviewing them before bed.
By now, she had already memorized a lot.
Su Yu tested her with a few random questions—
She answered all of them correctly.
"Not bad. You're improving."
Su Yu patted her head as praise.
Yui smiled brightly.
It was all thanks to Su Yu's lessons.
And his rewards were what kept her motivated.
"Tomorrow afternoon, I have something to do, so I won't be tutoring you guys."
"On the weekend, don't be lazy—understood?"
Su Yu reminded her gently.
"…Okay."
Yui nodded, looking a little disappointed.
Tomorrow's already Friday… Time is going by too fast…
Seeing her expression, Su Yu thought for a moment.
"After your bath, come to my room. Consider it a reward."
"R-Really?!"
Yui's face turned bright red.
"I'm just going to hold you. Don't overthink it."
Su Yu flicked her forehead.
"I… I know."
Still blushing, Yui quickly went to her room to grab her pajamas.
As she entered the bathroom, Su Yu checked the time and called Yukinoshita Yukino.
A Call with Yukino
After only a few seconds, Yukino answered.
"I was just about to call you. Episode 2 will be finished tomorrow."
She said cheerfully.
"…They're working really hard."
Su Yu commented.
"They're a team who are chasing their dreams. This level of effort is natural."
"If they can maintain this level of passion for every project, then as their director, I'd be truly proud."
Yukino's voice carried a hint of excitement.
"Yukino, you're really starting to sound like a director."
"I'm excited to see the final version of Madoka Magica."
Su Yu smiled.
"I won't let you down."
Yukino said seriously.
"I know. Oh, by the way—"
"I want Ebina to train with an animation scriptwriter."
"Does Studio 3 have anyone suitable?"
Su Yu asked.
"Yes, I can arrange that."
"Thanks."
"If she can help your career, then I'll do everything I can."
"Yukino, you're starting to sound a bit like your sister."
"…Haruno did give me some advice."
"She told me how I should treat you."
"Please Believe me and Don't trust me."
Su Yu joked.
"Because your sister likes me too."
Yukino didn't take it seriously.
She had changed—
She had learned how to interact with people.
Just like her relationship with Miyazumi Uta—
From strangers to being comfortable enough to share meals and talk about anime production.
It was Uta's recognition of her.
And Yukino's effort to build friendships.
They talked for another thirty minutes before Su Yu hung up.
At that moment, Yui stepped out of the bathroom.
"You were talking to Yukino?"
"Yeah. Even though I see her every day at school, I still think about her sometimes."
Su Yu admitted.
"…Then when I go home, will you think about me on weekends?"
Yui blinked playfully.
"…No."
"I'll only think about my little idiot."
Su Yu smirked.
Yui pouted, then sat down next to him.
Su Yu stood up and headed for the bathroom.
Gaining "Strange" Knowledge
A few minutes later—
"Yui, bring me my pajamas."
Su Yu called out from the bathroom.
Not thinking much of it, Yui grabbed his clothes from his room and walked over.
But the moment Su Yu opened the bathroom door—
She realized too late.
Her face turned bright red, and she quickly looked away.
But in the next second—
She was pulled inside.
Thirty minutes later.
Yui staggered out of the bathroom, her face completely flushed.
There was only one way to describe her state:
"Strange new knowledge has been acquired."
Su Yu had taught her some… new things.
Throughout the entire process, her face stayed burning hot.
"Well, now I can finally rest properly."
"I won't feel the urge to bully you anymore."
Su Yu's voice came from behind her.
Yui's ears turned red.
She had learned too much in such a short time.
"…Yui, you get it now, right?"
"I'm not one of those indecisive light novel protagonists."
"I'm a very bad big bad wolf."
Su Yu hugged her from behind.
"…Su Yu-kun, I-I don't hate it…"
Yui's voice was barely audible.
"Oh? Then next time, I'll teach you even more."
"I'll decide your reward based on your grades and performance."
Su Yu smirked and lifted her up.
"I… I'll do my best…"
Yui buried her face in his chest.