Chapter 407: Compensation

Seeing that Sui had eaten all the lunch boxes she made, Megumi was delighted. Smiling gently at Sui, she said, "Sui, I'll bring another lunch box for you tomorrow."

Though typically timid and shy, Megumi had a resilient side and wasn't one to easily give up. It was clear she didn't want to lose to Alice, either.

But this friendly rivalry came at a cost to Sui, who had eaten far more than he could handle that day.

The workers at the slaughterhouse looked at him with a mix of amusement and envy.

"Kid, you're really lucky! Both girls are amazing! I wish I'd had that kind of luck when I was younger," Uncle Takeda remarked with a chuckle, giving Sui a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, those bentos were incredible. It's the first time I've ever eaten anything that delicious," Atong added, then looked at Sui curiously. "Sui, which of the two girls do you like more?"

Annoyed by the question, Sui gave Atong a light slap on the head.

"One of them is a delicate, noble beauty, likely from a wealthy family. The other is sweet and gentle, the perfect wife material. If I were in your shoes, I'd be torn too," Atong muttered, rubbing his head. "But if it were me, I'd just take both of them!"

Sui promptly smacked him again.

"Haha! You've got ambition, kid!" Uncle Takeda laughed heartily. "Don't let good girls like them slip away."

Listening to the playful teasing, Sui could only sigh inwardly. His mind flashed back to the thought of two more lunch boxes awaiting him tomorrow, and a headache began to form.

That afternoon, Sui's mastery of the Raging Bull Azure Dragon Cut improved further. With a single stroke, he could precisely divide a pig or cow into neat portions, effortlessly slicing through even the toughest spines.

Every time the slaughterhouse workers witnessed his incredible knife skills, they were in awe.

Sui had taken on nearly half of the workload at the slaughterhouse by himself, earning the admiration and respect of everyone around him.

Atong, in particular, had begun to idolize Sui, seeing him as his second hero after Erina. He followed Sui around constantly, hoping to learn his knife techniques. 

Although Sui couldn't teach him the Raging Bull Azure Dragon Cut—especially since Atong wouldn't be able to wield such a large knife—he did teach him some simpler knife skills.

By the end of the day, Sui had dismembered twenty-six pigs, ten sheep, and five cows. He was confident that he would soon unlock the hidden attributes of the Nichirin.

In addition, his proficiency in the Raging Bull Azure Dragon Cut had improved greatly. Earlier, when using this technique, blood would still flow when he dismembered a pig. But with his growing mastery, Sui estimated that he could now slaughter a pig without any blood spilling out. Of course, he hadn't tested this, since the animals sent to the slaughterhouse had already been bled.

Blood that isn't drained properly tends to linger in the meat, making it smell fishy.

"See you tomorrow, Sui-sensei!" Atong waved cheerfully as they wrapped up for the day.

Ever since Sui had taught him some basic knife skills, Atong had been calling him "teacher."

"Uh, okay," Sui nodded as a luxury car pulled up in front of him.

"Wow! Sensei, are you rich?" Atong's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Uh, not really," Sui began, but then thought about it. "Actually, I guess I am."

"As expected, it seems like this Sui isn't just an ordinary student," Uncle Takeda remarked with a wry smile. He had assumed Sui was just a poor student working for some extra cash.

The car, of course, had been sent by Erina. When Sui returned to the mansion, he found that she had already come back.

"You're home!" Erina greeted him warmly, hurrying over in her slippers. She knelt down at the entrance, ready to help him change his shoes.

If her fans could see the proud and noble "God's Tongue" acting like a dutiful wife, their eyes would surely pop out of their heads.

Despite Sui's strong scent of blood and the stains on his shoes from working at the slaughterhouse, Erina didn't seem the least bit bothered.

"How was work today?" she asked, gently helping him with his shoes.

Looking at the usually proud girl acting so sweetly, Sui nodded and said, "It went well."

Not only had he practiced the Raging Bull Azure Dragon Cut, but he had also processed a large amount of ingredients using the Nichirin Knife. And, amusingly, he had even gained a little fan in the form of Atong.

"I can't believe you're so popular with the people, like some kind of celebrity," he commented.

"Well, Hisako told me that I'm pretty well-known among ordinary folks," Erina blushed, her voice shy.

"Okay, I've already run the bath for you. Go take a soak!" she urged. "And you need to wash your clothes—they stink! Leave them here, I'll take care of them."

She led him upstairs to the bathroom. "I've prepared a big feast for dinner too. You can eat after your bath!"

At the mention of "feast," Sui winced. His stomach was still uncomfortably full from earlier.

"Hey? What's with that look?" Erina asked, noticing his hesitation. Then she remembered, "Ah! I forgot to prepare a lunch box for you today. I'm really sorry! I'll make it up to you in a few days, I promise."

"That's not necessary," Sui suddenly smiled mischievously. "How about you give me some compensation tonight instead?"

Erina's cheeks flushed instantly, clearly misunderstanding his words. She shot him a playful yet reproachful look.

But that night, Sui did, in fact, receive "compensation" from Erina's God's Tongue.