What do you do before a team fight? You establish vision, gather intel. And then there's a third thing: acting. Sometimes, acting can be used to bait opponents into a bad position, which is crucial at critical moments.
Right now, this was a golden opportunity, a perfect chance, a once-and-for-all solution. At such a grand public event, if Renz and Erina put on a spectacular display of affection, who would question the state of their marital relationship? Once they achieved this, Erina's old friends and relatives would likely stop scrutinizing their relationship.
We're doing great, actually!
After this, they would just need to maintain appearances in front of Haruki and Rina. The rest of the time, they could go about their separate ways, undisturbed and perfectly fine, until Haruki and Rina grew up. Then they could consider other things. And most importantly, the third condition for clearing the life simulator: having a certain level of recognition in an industry. Recognition in the culinary world was still recognition. Renz could ride Erina's coattails to fame.
This seemed to be the easiest of the three conditions to achieve. Renz believed his ability to talk trash was quite strong. Back when he won games, interviewers always flocked to him instead of anyone else. He just didn't know why, every time after an interview, the club would internally criticize him by name and fine him. Perhaps this was the capitalists! The wicked capitalists!
"Alright, it's getting late. Get some rest," Senzaemon Nakiri coughed. "Do Haruki and Rina want a separate room? Or do you want them to stay with you?" Senzaemon Nakiri asked.
"We definitely want them to stay with us!" Renz and Erina Nakiri said in unison.
Sleeping alone? Renz had already seen the consequences. Erina had almost worn him out.
"Hahahaha, of course. Haruki and Rina are your children. If you let the maids take care of them, there might be some things they miss," Senzaemon Nakiri laughed heartily.
"Then, Grandpa, Renz and I will be heading off," Erina had originally intended to use his full name but opted for a more intimate address.
"Mm," Senzaemon Nakiri stroked his beard and nodded in agreement.
The two rose together. Renz took Rina's and Haruki's hands, waiting for Erina to lead the way. After all, this was Senzaemon Nakiri's residence, and he didn't know his way around.
Along the corridor, rockeries surrounded them, and koi fish frolicked in the pond. Although the mansion was somewhat old and traditional, it possessed a subtle classical charm.
"Mama, I'm sleepy," Haruki said, rubbing his eyes. Children tire easily. It was only early evening, but he was already drowsy.
"We'll be at my room soon," Erina said gently by his side. Her initial hot temper was gone. One must remember that when they first met, she looked like she would explode at any disagreement. Perhaps it was because of the children that Erina had to curb some of her temper, at least trying not to get angry in front of them.
It wasn't long before Erina stopped. They had arrived.
"Don't go rummaging through my things," Erina whispered into Renz's ear, her soft breath causing his earlobe to flush slightly. Erina's private room, huh? Renz quickly scanned the room. The entire room was very clean; it seemed there were always dedicated servants to clean it regularly.
Erina stared at the wall, lost in thought. Nothing had changed from ten years ago. Looking at the familiar list of the Totsuki Elite Ten, Erina felt a sense of time travel. But then she came back to reality, looking at Renz beside her, a feeling of melancholy and loss washing over her.
"What's that?" Renz asked, pointing to the list of the Totsuki Elite Ten.
"The school I attended before—Totsuki Academy," Erina introduced. "It's a school primarily focused on cooking, but it also has some cultural classes."
"These ten names are the ten most outstanding people in cooking ability at Totsuki Academy."
"They are generally called the Totsuki Elite Ten."
"You're only the Tenth Seat?" Renz said with a slight surprise.
"Hm? Do you have an opinion?" Erina's face immediately turned cold.
"I think your cooking is delicious to me, isn't Tenth Seat too low?" Renz rarely complimented people, but when talking to Erina, he just wanted to praise her. Was this the legendary 'wife filter'?
"What are you talking about?" Erina tried to speak nonchalantly, showing a rare moment of humility, not bringing up her 'God's Tongue.' "I still had a lot to learn back then."
"Let's not talk about these things for now," Erina straightened the bedding. "Haruki is a bit sleepy; help him make the bed."
"Mm-hmm, okay," Renz walked over, bending down. "By the way... Erina, I have something I want to tell you. After Haruki and Rina are asleep, shall we talk outside the door?" He wanted to discuss tomorrow's battle plan properly.
"You two have been acting really weird lately, haven't you?" Rina, who hadn't gone to sleep yet, spoke up, showing her small canine teeth. "Is there something you can't say in front of me?"
Renz reached out and gently flicked Rina's forehead. "Little girls shouldn't ask so many questions. Go to sleep properly," Renz said exasperatedly.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Rina rubbed her head, speaking with a maturity beyond her years. "But I didn't say anything wrong! You two really have been acting strange these past few days."
"Strange?" Renz didn't feel they had been discordant in front of their daughter at all.
"Yes, you used to kiss and hug every day when you woke up and went to bed," Rina mumbled softly. "Now, you two argue several times more often than before. I even saw Mama hit Papa with a newspaper earlier."
Renz and Erina both felt a jolt in their hearts. Panic set in. They were both panicking. Holding hands was already their physical limit; now they had to kiss and hug? While such actions were perfectly normal for a married couple, for their current psychological state, the difficulty level suddenly jumped from 'holding hands' (easy) to 'hell mode.'
"Did you two have a fight recently?" Rina's innocent words, though unintentional, sounded somewhat pitiful. "If you fought, just say it."
"Haruki and I fight every day too, but when Haruki apologizes first, we make up!"
Renz took a deep breath. Although the situation was a bit uphill, this stalemate wasn't without a way to break it. Even if it was a tower dive, at worst, he'd apologize to Erina privately later. The primary goal right now was to keep their daughter from overthinking!
Bang!
He placed one hand on the paper with the Totsuki Elite Ten list, Erina's body pressed tightly against the wall.
"I, your dad, love your mom the most!" Renz bluffed, wrapping his other arm around Erina, gently holding her. It was already autumn, a slightly chilly evening, and the warmth of such intimate skin contact felt just right.
"How could I possibly argue with her?"
"That morning, it was Papa's fault. From now on, I won't make that mistake again."
As Renz's words fell, Erina's body trembled slightly, her heart secreting a myriad of complex emotions. Renz had his back to Rina, but Erina was facing Rina directly. Her motionless posture at that moment made Rina's eyes seem on the verge of tearing up, as if asking, "Why won't Mama forgive Papa?"
Erina steeled herself, reaching out to embrace Renz's waist. Renz's firm embrace remained unmoving, while Erina dared not meet Renz's eyes, slightly averting her gaze. A blush crept onto her fair cheeks. Forcing herself to embrace Renz only amplified her internal shame.
But... the feeling of the embrace. Erina had never experienced it before. Even for Renz, this was his first embrace with someone of the opposite sex. And even if that person was his future spouse, their mutual embrace felt somewhat "clumsy," in a way words couldn't quite capture. Their faces were extremely close, their shy breaths gently mingling. At such close proximity, just a little more force could instantly bridge the distance to zero.
A simple embrace, yet a fervent bridge was suddenly built between their two not-so-distant hearts.
However, a scream instantly shattered the silence of the entire space.
"Aren't you two annoying?!"
Erina heard the voice, unexpectedly familiar.
Hisako Arato! Her best friend!
Had everything been seen? Erina's blush deepened even more, and she felt as if she was about to faint.
This, this, this! What to do now!!!
---Support with power stones