Eriri brought up the topic without any warning, catching Chisato a bit off guard.
However, he didn't hesitate and immediately nodded in agreement. After all, formally meeting Eriri's parents was something that had to happen sooner or later.
His original plan was to visit them once he had secured a stable side job, which would give him a bit more confidence. But since Eriri had brought it up now, he had no reason to refuse.
"I understand. What do Eriri's parents like? I'll make preparations in advance."
Hearing Chisato's response, Eriri realized he had misunderstood her intentions.
"Chisato, it's not what you think. I just want you to come to my house a few times before summer vacation."
She explained further,
"In the past, whenever school let out for summer break, my family had a tradition of traveling abroad to stay with my grandparents for more than half a month.
This time, I didn't really want to go, so I mentioned it to my mom. But she said that unless I had a valid reason, she wouldn't agree… So…"
As she spoke, Eriri's voice trailed off. Her deep blue eyes glanced up at Chisato for a moment before quickly lowering again.
She had left out part of what she wanted to say, but by now, her meaning was quite clear.
By letting her parents know about Chisato's existence and subtly hinting at a budding romance, she could provide a reason for staying home.
That way, her parents wouldn't force her to travel abroad with them.
Chisato more or less understood.
"So, in other words, our relationship…"
"Mm, no need to reveal everything just yet. My mom is really nosy. If she finds out that we're officially dating, who knows what kind of trouble she'll stir up?
So, in front of them, let's just act like we have feelings for each other but haven't quite reached the stage of being a couple."
"That's easy enough. No problem. But is that really all it takes?"
"Yes, as long as it lets me stay for the summer… It's just a bit of trouble for you, Chisato, since I'll be asking you to make time for this."
"Don't say that. When it comes to Eriri, nothing is ever a hassle."
"Chisato…"
"Eriri…"
"Ahem!"
Their gazes met in the living room, their breaths growing shorter.
Just as Eriri slightly tilted her head up, her eyes hazy, and Chisato tenderly reached out to cradle the back of her head while leaning in—
A loud cough shattered the mood between them.
Utaha smirked triumphantly, as if she had just successfully ruined their moment.
Frustrated, Eriri immediately grabbed a pillow from the sofa and threw it at her.
Utaha effortlessly dodged with a light step, unfazed, and grinned as she held up several sets of sleepwear.
"Chisato, you're staying over at Kazusa's place tonight. Which pajamas do you want to bring?"
"Uh… I think I'll pack my own clothes."
Chisato got up, took the clothes from Utaha, and headed to his room.
Utaha turned her gaze back to Eriri, picked up the fallen pillow, and plopped down on the sofa next to her, eyeing her with a knowing smirk.
"Alright, stop pretending. What were you two just talking about?"
"Nothing. None of your business."
"I heard you say you wanted Chisato to meet your parents."
Leaning back on the sofa, Utaha crossed her long legs, clad in sheer black stockings, her slipper dangling precariously from her toes.
"You heard it already, so why are you asking?"
"Oh~… You're being too obvious."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Despite her response, Eriri chuckled lightly, clearly in a good mood.
Utaha sighed.
"In a way, I really have to admire you. After hearing that Kazusa is leaving for abroad soon, you managed to come up with and execute a plan in such a short amount of time."
Eriri picked up the remote and turned on the TV, her eyes fixed on the screen, her smile unwavering.
"And what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Isn't it obvious? Up until now, Chisato's publicly recognized girlfriend has always been Kazusa. But now that she's leaving—going far away overseas—she'll likely be gone for years.
That means the 'official girlfriend' spot beside Chisato will be vacant. And your little request just now was, without a doubt, setting up your move to take that spot."
Utaha's thoughts became clearer as she spoke, her sharp gaze locking onto Eriri. Saying her suspicions out loud only made her more convinced.
"Honestly, I have to hand it to you. First, you sneak into a little affair, and now you're trying to take over completely, aren't you?"
"Hey, hey, don't twist things around. The only reason I made my move back then was because of you.
If you hadn't pulled your little stunt first, would I have gone out of my way to do the same?"
"Ahem… Let's not bring up the past. The important thing is now. You can't deny that's what you were thinking, right?
If I hadn't happened to come out of my room and overhear your conversation, you would've pulled the wool over my eyes again.
And by the time I realized what was going on, you would've already taken Kazusa's place as Chisato's new girlfriend!"
Utaha practically growled out the last few words, her frustration obvious.
"But too bad for you—I caught you. And just so you know, I'll be taking Chisato to meet my parents too."
Between Utaha and Eriri, there seemed to be a fate that kept tying them together in competition.
When they had a common enemy, they could form an alliance and work together. But the moment that enemy disappeared, the alliance was bound to fall apart.
Faced with Utaha's accusations, Eriri finally turned her eyes away from the idol drama playing on the TV.
She met Utaha's cold gaze with an expression of pure confusion, as if Utaha were speaking complete nonsense.
"What are you even talking about?"
"Heh, still playing dumb?"
"This is ridiculous. You're being paranoid. Do you even realize how absurd you sound right now? Just how terrible do you think I am?"
"You can keep pretending, but I only believe what I see."
"Suit yourself. If this is the extent of what you can perceive, then I have nothing more to say."
Eriri took out her phone in the next moment and opened her chat history with her mother.
Utaha initially had no interest in looking, but after Eriri forcefully shoved the phone into her hands, she figured there was no harm in taking a look and lowered her gaze.
The conversation mainly consisted of Mrs. Sawamura informing Eriri about their plans to travel abroad to visit her grandparents during summer vacation and reminding her to prepare gifts for them in advance.
Eriri's responses were carefully worded attempts to negotiate skipping the family trip this summer.
The response she received was, of course, a firm rejection.
The mother and daughter went back and forth for a while, but ultimately, the conversation ended with Mrs. Sawamura stating, "Unless you have a valid reason, you must go."
The date of the chat log was from two days ago.
In other words…
Eriri rested her chin on her palm, watching as Utaha stared blankly at the screen.
The moment their eyes met again, Eriri couldn't help but reveal the same mischievous grin that Utaha had shown earlier when she had caught Eriri in the act.
The teasing and mockery within that smile were unmistakable.
"Tsk~"
Eriri clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, producing a crisp sound.
"So, after saying so much, what was your main point again? Something about 'only believing in the facts I perceive'?"
She deliberately repeated Utaha's words and then doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach.
"Pfft—hahaha! Saying something embarrassing with such a serious face…"
She couldn't stop laughing, her voice filled with amusement.
"Hahaha… To be able to come up with such a detailed and self-consistent theory in an instant, your imagination really is something else.
No wonder you were able to publish novels while still in high school. I have to admit, you're a born writer…"
Eriri couldn't continue speaking. She had gone from holding her stomach to collapsing onto the couch, pounding it with her fists as she laughed uncontrollably.
Her laughter wasn't just expressed through sound and facial expressions; actual tears had begun to form at the corners of her eyes.
Meanwhile, Utaha's face had turned bright red. Her hands clenched tightly into fists, and she remained silent.
The more Eriri exaggerated her words, the greater Utaha's sense of humiliation became.
Hearing Eriri's incessant laughter, Utaha finally lost her patience. She lunged at her, and soon the two of them were tangled in a playful scuffle on the couch.
Chisato, hearing the commotion, quickly ran out and was met with the sight of Utaha sitting on top of Eriri, pinching her cheeks furiously while Eriri, drained from laughing, had no strength left to resist.
"You two again… What now?"
After much effort, Chisato finally managed to separate them.
When he asked what had happened, Utaha shot him a glare, while Eriri, still massaging her cheeks, simply smiled and chose not to explain.
Sharing joy might double it, but when the person embarrassed was still present, it was best to give them some dignity.
After all, Utaha's grip was frighteningly strong when she got angry.
"Anyway, no more fighting."
Both were equally important to Chisato, and he didn't want to see either of them hurt.
As he finished packing up and was about to leave, he turned to Eriri and said, "I'll be free whenever you want to visit your parents, so just let me know."
"Alright. Take care on the way."
After changing his shoes and preparing to head out, a black-winged bird flew in from the living room balcony and landed on Chisato's shoulder.
"Looks like it wants to go with you."
"That's fine. I have been neglecting it a bit lately."
After waving goodbye to Eriri, Chisato closed the door and walked to the elevator.
Instead of pressing the button immediately, he waited for a moment before quietly ringing the doorbell of the Yukinoshita residence.
There was a certain thrill in sneaking around right under the noses of those in the adjacent apartment.
Yukino heard the doorbell and, upon opening the door, saw Chisato slipping inside through the narrow gap before quickly shutting it behind him with practiced ease.
Seeing his actions, Yukino instantly understood—the girls in the neighboring apartment must still be around.
"Excuse me."
"Come in."
"Thanks."
As they moved to the living room, Yukino's gaze lingered on Chisato's arm.
"Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Dark Wing. Come on, say hello."
The bird flapped its wings twice in response, as if greeting her.
"Does it understand you?"
Yukino was both surprised and curious. She hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out, wanting to touch it.
"We've been together for a long time, so we have a bit of an understanding."
Seeing Yukino's intention, Chisato let the bird settle on the coffee table, where it obediently lay down.
"Um…"
Yukino hesitated.
"Go ahead."
Chisato nodded.
"Thank you."
The bird didn't seem to mind her touch, allowing Yukino to gently stroke its feathers.
As she did so, a rare look of contentment appeared on her face.
Seeing her so focused, Chisato decided to bring up the main topic.
"Actually, I have some unexpected plans, so I won't be home for a while. We might need to meet elsewhere for anything important."
Yukino paused her movements and let out a soft sigh.
"I've been causing you trouble all this time."
"I already told you—this is my choice."
Yukino wasn't the type to be overly sentimental, so she simply nodded.
"I don't mind. Just choose a time and place that works for you."
"In that case, I'll be at a performance hall in Shimokitazawa for the next few days."
"Shimokitazawa…"
Yukino pulled out her phone, checked the map, and then looked up.
"I can get there quickly by train after school. There's a library nearby—shall we meet there?"
"That works."
"…"
With the details settled, Yukino let out an almost imperceptible sigh, likely contemplating her uncertain future.
Chisato knew that in less than a month, things would return to normal for her, but he couldn't tell her that directly.
"Don't worry too much. Things might get better."
That was all he could say to reassure her.
"Maybe."
Yukino gave a small nod.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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