Chapter 416: The Mother-in-Law Who Is Completely Loving Her Son-in-Law

Upon hearing Erina's words, Sui couldn't help but feel at a loss for words and responded, "Erina, are you really sure it's alright to talk about your aunt like that?"

Leonora, who was accompanying them as they left, touched her cheek with a melancholy expression and remarked, "It's truly heartbreaking that Erina-chan would say such things about her aunt."

"Did I say something wrong?" Erina asked, placing her hands on her hips and raising her voice indignantly. "Even though we'll definitely get married in the future... for now, we're still not married, right? No matter what, Sui is still technically an outsider, not family. Yet, my aunt shamelessly accepted him with open arms and even showed off about it to me. It's so embarrassing!"

"Erina-chan, you're the one who's wrong here," Leonora said with a serious tone.

"Where exactly am I wrong?" Erina retorted angrily.

"Because, compared to Sui, you're the one who feels more like an outsider!" Alice chimed in, linking her arm through Sui's and smiling mischievously.

"That's right, I feel like I connect so well with Sui; it's almost like we're family already. But with you, Erina-chan, I don't feel that way at all—what a pity," Leonora added, clasping Sui's other arm and smiling just as playfully.

Watching the mother and daughter pair so comfortably fawn over Sui, Erina was nearly driven to collapse. 'Whose surname is Nakiri, again?' she thought, exasperated.

"You see? Everyone likes me better," Sui teased, spreading his hands in mock innocence. "Erina, you're the one who seems like the outsider here."

Erina ground her teeth in frustration, her anger boiling over. She wanted nothing more than to leap at Sui and give him a hard bite.

"You're impossible! Don't talk to me ever again!" she shouted in exasperation.

"Erina-chan, how can you treat Sui like that?" Leonora scolded lightly. Turning to Sui, she added, "Sui, don't take it to heart—Erina is just a child at times. Please forgive her."

"It's fine," Sui said with a gentle smile, "I'm used to it by now."

"You poor thing," Leonora sighed, gently stroking her cheek. "You must have endured so much hardship at Erina-chan's hands, haven't you? Don't worry, with Auntie around, I won't let her bully you anymore. If she dares to, I'll teach her a lesson myself!"

"Thank you so much, Auntie," Sui replied, his face showing a sincere look of gratitude.

"There's no need to thank me. It's just a shame. I wish you were with Alice instead. My Alice is much cuter," Leonora said with a hint of regret.

"Exactly! I think so too," Alice said proudly.

Watching her own aunt openly take Sui's side, Erina felt her anger surge to a whole new level. What made it even worse was that she was usually the one being bullied, but now, somehow, Sui had taken her place as the so-called victim!

Later, back at her mansion, Erina was still seething, her temper flaring like a kitten bristling with anger, ready to explode at any moment.

"You're not allowed to sleep in my room tonight!" she declared, arms crossed, staring at Sui with a fiery expression.

Seeing her like that, Sui could only shake his head, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He felt that the real reason for Erina's outburst was entirely due to Alice and Leonora's playful charm. It was like a little girl discovering that her rival also owned the same cherished doll she did—and worse, that they had two of them.

Sui walked into the kitchen, bought another Butterspice, and then approached Erina.

"What are you doing now?" Erina, sitting with her arms folded on the sofa, asked coldly as she noticed him coming closer.

"Here, this is for you," Sui said, extending his hand.

"Huh? Wait, this... is this really...?" Erina's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Are you really giving this to me?"

"Yeah," Sui nodded.

"Oh… um... th-thank you," Erina stammered, her face flushing as she became flustered.

Five minutes later, Erina was leaning gently against Sui, her expression soft and tender. A Butterspice adorned each side of her hair, and she seemed utterly content, like a little girl who had just received her favorite toy.

As Sui looked at the girl in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a little speechless. Tsunderes, when it came to emotions, could be so silly and cute, so easy to appease—and that made him unbeatable every time.

Two more days passed.

"The host has successfully processed over a hundred ingredients with the 'Collectors Knives', Derous Knife, unlocking its hidden attributes," the system announced.

"So soon?" Sui was taken aback. He hadn't expected to unlock Derous's hidden attributes this quickly.

Even though he had been deliberately using Derous over the past few days, it still seemed fast. He thought it over and guessed that the large quantity of shrimp he had cut, portioned, and refrigerated probably counted towards the total.

Unlocking it quickly was a good thing, though. Eager, Sui checked the newly unlocked attribute.

—Attribute Description: Derous restores 50% of a food's freshness.

"Restores 50% freshness!" Sui was overjoyed. This was an incredibly useful ability.

He recalled that the legendary knife, Green Dragon Crescent Knife, from Cooking Master Boy could completely restore a damaged dish to its original state. While Derous's effect wasn't as extreme, restoring 50% freshness was more than enough to meet his needs.

With Derous, Sui no longer had to worry about his fantasy ingredients deteriorating in quality while in storage. Those that had lost their original flavor could now be revitalized easily, solving a major issue for him.

"If I unlock the hidden attributes of all five 'Collectors Knives', there will be additional rewards—but I only have 4 on me...I wonder when I'll be able to get the rest of the 'Collectors Knives'," Sui said with anticipation.

"If you collect all the 'Seven Collectors Knives', there will indeed be a special effect," the system confirmed.

"Really?" Sui's excitement grew. With the hidden attributes already unlocked, the 'Collectors Knives' were formidable. What kind of additional power would they possess once all were collected? He could hardly wait to find out.