Chapter 432: Thief?

Erina crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyeing Sui with caution as a sense of foreboding stirred in her heart.

"What are you up to?"

Sure enough, a mischievous smile crept across Sui's face as he said, "Erina, since you're feeling fine, how about we..."

"Don't even think about it!"

Erina yelled in a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, her tone firm. "We agreed—once a day, no more!"

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke. At first, it had been "the last time," but somehow, it had gradually turned into a daily occurrence... only she knew how much suffering and frustration had come with that change.

"That's fine. You'll change your mind soon anyway," Sui murmured.

This remark struck a nerve. Erina's face turned crimson, the blush spreading visibly across her skin.

"T-That's not true! I won't give in this time!"

She faltered slightly, but her resolve remained steadfast, determined to uphold her limits. 

"In any case, you can forget about it today!" she declared, gritting her teeth with a serious expression.

"It's alright, Erina," Sui said gently, pulling her into his arms.

Though wrapped in his embrace, Erina's demeanor didn't soften. She turned her head away proudly, her voice cold yet resolute. "Hmph! I said once a day, and I mean it! Don't even try!"

"Is that so?" Sui chuckled softly.

"Absolutely!" Erina shot him a disdainful glance, as if daring him. "Hmph, go ahead and try me. Let's see what you can do—bite me if you dare!"

As Sui looked at Erina, who wore the haughty expression of a princess, he was momentarily reminded of the proud "God's Tongue" she used to be. With a playful smile, he asked, "Erina, are you really going to rebel today?"

"That's right! I'll rebel all I want!" Erina stuck her tongue out teasingly, her tone carrying a trace of provocation.

Amused by her return to her tsundere ways, Sui grinned. "Well then, don't blame me for this, Erina."

With that, he swiftly untied her bathrobe, causing her to let out a startled scream. Her face flushed even deeper as she hastily tried to cover her exposed skin, glaring at Sui in shame and anger.

"You...you scoundrel! You're trying to... mmph—!"

Before she could finish, Sui silenced her, pressing her head down gently and without warning, placing his in her mouth.

The proud expression on her face vanished in an instant.

"I-I was wrong... I won't rebel anymore, okay?" Erina mumbled, her eyes brimming with embarrassment as she looked up at Sui, her voice muffled.

…

The next morning, Sui stepped out of the apartment, carrying a few light novels. He made his way to Utaha's place next door, intending to return the books he had borrowed.

He had borrowed these novels for Erina, who had secretly read all of them in the past few days. Sui planned to borrow more and place them in the bedroom, knowing full well she would sneak more reading sessions.

However, it seemed Utaha wasn't home today, but this posed no problem for Sui. 

He felt under the doormat at the entrance and, as expected, found a key. Utaha had a habit of hiding her spare key under the mat when she went out—a fact Sui was well aware of by now.

He let himself in and headed to her room, planning to swap the light novels. But what greeted him was an absolute mess.

Clothes, stockings, and underwear were scattered across the floor like discarded laundry. The scene left Sui speechless.

"Maybe sloppiness is her true nature," Sui muttered to himself, recalling how Eriri had mentioned that Utaha always presented the perfect image of a well-behaved daughter in front of her parents. She was known never to spend the night outside. Yet only Sui knew that this seemingly perfect Utaha Kasumigaoka was actually messy and disorganized.

Shaking his head, Sui began picking up the clothes, throwing them into the laundry basket. Among them, he found the pink panties he had seen last time, still carrying a faint trace of her unique scent.

"How lazy is she?" Sui chuckled, tossing the garment into the basket. "One, two, three... This is the eighth time. She must be saving it all up for one big laundry day."

He continued cleaning, but noticed the white panties with a strawberry pattern that he had seen before were missing. Perhaps she was wearing them today.

Once the room was tidy, Sui nodded in satisfaction, set down the light novels he had brought, replaced them with new ones, and then left, locking the door behind him and putting the key back in its usual spot.

As Sui finished the task, he suddenly recalled that he still had a book that Eriri had lent him. Deciding to return it, he made his way to her room next.

She wasn't there either, but that didn't stop him. He found a key hidden beneath a potted plant—Eriri, much like Utaha, had her own quirks, and Sui knew them well.

Her room was even messier than Utaha's.

The floor was littered with empty soda bottles, crumpled paper, and a dirty green tracksuit that had probably been worn for days.

"These two are definitely not fit to be wives," Sui sighed, shaking his head. He kindly began tidying up the room, knowing this wasn't his first time helping them clean.

As he finished straightening up, Sui noticed a shadow lurking by the door. When the person realized they had been seen, they froze for a moment, panic flashing in their eyes, before they quickly turned and ran.

"Was that a thief?" Sui wondered, immediately giving chase.

From the brief glimpse, it looked like the figure might have been a girl.