Satou was momentarily stunned. He clearly hadn't expected the arrogant, willful, and outwardly contradictory Erina Nakiri to show such genuine emotion.
However, after a moment's thought, he understood.
Unlike Alice Nakiri, who had parents from a young age, Erina Nakiri lacked affection in her childhood and was deeply scarred by her father. Although she usually appeared aloof and looked down on others, she was actually very sensitive and yearned for affection more than most people.
Satou felt a pang of heartache. He hugged her and stroked her hair, saying, "Yes, I missed you very much too."
"Really?"
Erina Nakiri looked up, a hint of shyness in her violet pupils.
When she and Satou were together before, they were always bickering, and she didn't feel much, but after this separation, she truly missed those days of constant bickering between them.
It was only then that she realized she couldn't live without him.
"Of course."
Satou said.
Actually, among all the girls, Erina Nakiri was the one he had the deepest feelings for, after all, they were the first to meet.
Although Erina Nakiri was very mature and sensible during the training camp, unlike Alice Nakiri, who always pestered him for long chats, Satou missed Erina Nakiri the most.
The two embraced, cherishing the moment for quite a while.
Then, Satou lifted Erina Nakiri into his arms and walked towards the upstairs bedroom.
"N-now it's still morning. Let's wait until night."
Erina Nakiri's face immediately flushed crimson, and she stammered.
"It's fine. A short absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know."
Satou laughed and said.
"But, I still have tasting work later. I've been delayed a lot by this practical training, and my work is still very busy."
Erina Nakiri said worriedly.
"It's alright, let Hisako postpone it for now."
Satou said in an undeniable tone, "I'll help you with some of it in a few days."
Erina Nakiri's face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head, softly humming in agreement.
The two hadn't seen each other for eight days, so their reunion was naturally like a honeymoon, deeply affectionate for quite some time.
"Do you want to eat lunch?"
Satou asked.
Erina Nakiri's pale face had glistening beads of sweat, her golden hair clung damply to her cheeks, and a captivating blush still lingered on her face.
"No, I want to rest for a while first."
She said, somewhat tiredly, then slightly narrowed her eyes.
"Okay, then you should rest well for a bit."
Satou nodded. After all, eight consecutive days of high-intensity practical training were very tiring. Once the mental strain eased, she would naturally feel exhausted.
At this moment, Satou remembered that he hadn't seen Tor-daren and Kanna for a long time either, so he quickly walked out of Erina Nakiri's bedroom and returned to his Apartment.
Tor-daren and Kanna were sitting on the sofa, eating senbei and watching television, with crisp chewing sounds coming from their mouths.
"Over the past eight days, there have been several earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the nearby sea. Public panic, fearing the end of the world, is spreading, and it is reported that many coastal residents have already begun to evacuate..."
"This world is truly terrifying."
Tor-daren bit into a senbei, making crisp chewing sounds, and said.
"Hmm. Very scary."
Kanna also nodded while eating snacks, her fluffy tail charging in the power strip.
Suddenly, Tor-daren froze, sensing something, and then she saw Satou standing in front of the bathroom door.
Tor-daren stared at him blankly, then a happy smile appeared on her cute face, revealing a sharp little canine tooth.
"Satou, have you finally returned?"
Tor-daren immediately jumped up from the sofa and pounced into Satou's arms.
Satou was instantly knocked to the ground by the dragon, and he said somewhat helplessly, "Yes, I'm back."
Tor-daren extended her long tongue and licked Satou's face, immediately laughing happily, "It really is Satou's scent! I'm not dreaming!"
Kanna also scurried over and then pounced onto Satou, saying in her naturally innocent tone, "Satou, I want to eat fried rice."
Satou was a bit amused and exasperated, asking, "You two didn't cause any major trouble while I was gone, did you?"
"No, we've been very good!"
Tor-daren immediately said...
"Yes, Kanna and Tor-daren have always been very good."
Kanna also nodded.
"Really?"
Satou was a bit suspicious. He glanced at the news on the television and had a feeling it might have something to do with these two dragons.
However, this suspicion didn't last long, because Satou was also very happy to see Tor-daren and Kanna again.
Next, Satou made a very lavish lunch and ate it with them.
Tor-daren and Kanna both ate very happily, especially Kanna, who ate three plates of fried rice.
After lunch, the system's voice sounded in his mind.
"The host has completed the practical training mission and received a reward of one A-grade ingredient gift package, or three B-grade ingredient gift packages. Which one does Satou choose?"
Satou pondered for a moment, then said, "A-grade it is."
He had quite a few B-grade ingredients now, but he had never had an A-grade ingredient before!
He was full of anticipation for this A-grade ingredient.
"Host has opened the A-grade ingredient gift package and received three Western Pear Breads. Host has completed the additional task, and there is one more gift package unopened. Would you like to open it?"
The system said.
"Open it."
Satou 0.8 said.
"Host has opened the gourmet gift package and received the kitchen utensil: Seven Star Knives, Siren."
"Seven Star Knives?"
Satou's eyes immediately lit up.
He had already obtained three Seven Star Knives before. After obtaining this one, he only needed three more to collect all the Seven Star Knives.
Next, Satou came to Erina Nakiri's kitchen and took out the rewards he had received this time.
Subsequently, a kitchen knife appeared before him. The shape of this kitchen knife was completely different from the previous three.
The Seven Star Knives are a complete set, which can be used to process all kinds of ingredients. This relatively small Siren knife should be used for ingredients that require delicate knife skills.
Then, a pink bread appeared in Satou's hand.
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