The Door of My Bathroom Leads to the Comic World!

Ryoko's face turned beet red as she realized she had unintentionally buried Sui's face in her chest. Embarrassed, she hurriedly got up with the help of Alice, who rushed over.

"Ryoko, are you okay?" Alice asked, concerned.

"Ah? I-I'm fine," Ryoko stammered, brushing her hair back while her face remained flushed.

From the side, Rindō narrowed her golden eyes, gazing playfully at Sui and Ryoko. "Looks like someone got lucky," she teased, flashing her sharp little canines. "Ryoko has quite the figure, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah... I guess," Sui replied awkwardly, scratching his nose. The moment had happened so fast, he hadn't had time to react. One second, everything went dark; the next, he was smothered by something soft and... rather large.

Thinking back, those "things" had indeed been unexpectedly full and incredibly soft, even bigger than Erina's—almost rivaling Tohrus.

Ryoko's face flushed even more as she stole a quick glance at Sui, feeling mortified.

Afterward, Sui headed back to the cold storage to check on the beef. By his calculations, it should be nearly done marinating.

For air-dried beef, the marinating process is relatively short. After it's soaked in the seasoning, it only needs to hang in a well-ventilated area for a few days before it's ready to eat. Smoked meat, however, takes a bit longer.

"Sui-kun, the beef is almost ready. But if you're making smoked pork, it'll need more time," Megumi said with a smile when she saw him return.

"Is that so?" Sui smiled back.

"But... where will you hang it?" asked Sōma, scratching his head.

"Um, I don't really have a good spot for that," Sui admitted sheepishly. There wasn't a suitable place to hang the meat in the dorm, and putting it on the balcony would look too indecent.

"Why not hang it at the Polaris Dormitory?" Megumi suggested with a smile. "Ryoko has a fermentation room, and Ibusaki has a smoking house. Ibusaki is also great with smoked dishes, so he could help."

"Really? That would be amazing. Thank you!" Sui said gratefully.

At Tōtsuki, the Polaris Dormitory was a unique entity that had its own land and managed its finances independently, thanks to victories in numerous shokugeki during its golden age.

Back in the kitchen, Erina and the others had finished stomping the grapes. Instead of adding regular sugar, they opted to use coral candy, placing everything into plastic jars to ferment.

There's an old saying in winemaking: 70% of the quality depends on the grapes, and only 30% on the brewing process. Even though their method was a bit crude, they were using high-quality Dia Grapes, so the results were promising.

——

Erina and the others had already cleaned their feet and slipped back into their shoes.

"You'll be able to drink it in about seven days," Rindō announced with a satisfied smile, admiring their handiwork.

"That fast?" Sōma asked, surprised.

"Yep, it'll be ready in seven to ten days. Of course, if you want a richer flavor, you can let it age longer," Rindō explained before sidling up to Sui. "Hey, kohai..."

Sui sighed inwardly—he already knew what was coming.

"Why the long face?" Rindō asked, playfully pinching his cheek. "Not everyone gets wine personally made by their senpai!"

Yeah... made by stomping on it yourself, Sui thought to himself.

"I'll give you some," Sui relented with a nod.

Immediately, Rindō grinned. "Lucky you! senpai's feet are quite fragrant," she teased.

Sui: "..."

"Are you doubting me?" Rindō twisted his face playfully. "Don't believe me? Want to smell for yourself?"

"Let's not," Sui replied, exasperated.

"Haha, didn't Sui already get a whiff earlier when Rindō-senpai had him between her legs?" Sōma teased with a laugh.

"Yeah! Did it smell like... success?" Yoshino giggled.

Rindō's face flushed as she glared at them.

After a bit more fun, everyone enjoyed a few marshmallows on skewers, delighting in the sugary threads and colorful candy powder that covered their faces and noses.

Eventually, they decided to head back, with Soma and Megumi helping carry the beef.

"Is this beef going to be air-dried?" Ryoko asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for your help," Sui said with a smile.

"It's no problem. You can hang it outside my fermentation room," Ryoko replied with a playful grin, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Just be sure to share some when it's done!"

"Of course," Sui agreed, smiling.

"Kohai, don't forget me either!" Rindō patted his shoulder with a grin.

"I won't," Sui said, resigned.

After seeing everyone off, Sui returned to his apartment and was surprised to see that his neighbor, Utaha, had come back. She had been away for a book signing event.

As always, Utaha looked stunning, her long black hair tied with a white headband, her slender legs encased in black stockings.

"How was the signing event, senpai?" Sui asked.

"Well, the cumulative sales of 'Love Metronome' have surpassed 600,000 copies," Utaha replied with a satisfied smile.

"That's incredible!" Sui exclaimed, genuinely impressed by her talent.

"Speaking of which, I haven't had one of your meals in a while. Don't you think it's time you treated me?" Utaha smiled slyly. "If you satisfy my taste buds, I might reward you with something special, like... a pair of original stockings."