After a simple explanation from Eriri, Chisato roughly understood the current situation.
"So, in other words, Eriri's mother has already noticed the fact that we're in a relationship and is convinced that our relationship has now reached... that kind of intimate stage."
"Mm... that's right."
"And under your mother's questioning, you admitted to what she had figured out."
"Because... in that situation, there was no way to keep hiding it.
If I had kept resisting, I might have been locked up at home by my angry mom for several months and wouldn't have been able to see you at all, Chisato..."
Eriri gave a reasonable explanation for her decision, though her voice was very small.
Chisato patted her head to comfort her.
"I'm not blaming you, Eriri. After all, your mother overheard you sleep-talking and calling my name. It was inevitable.
Continuing to resist wouldn't have been a good strategy either. Letting her know isn't a problem—this was going to happen sooner or later anyway.
Though it's a bit early, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
"Looking on the bright side, at least with your family's overseas trip during the summer vacation, you should now have a legitimate reason to stay behind, right?"
"That kind of thing... doesn't matter right now. The problem is that my mom knows about us, and knowing her personality, she's definitely going to make things difficult later..."
Eriri knelt on the bed, her head lowered, hands placed properly on her lap, her whole posture resembling a child being scolded by their parents.
She really did feel like she had made a mistake.
If she hadn't suddenly decided on a whim to call Chisato over to her house, her mother wouldn't have caught on so quickly.
Now things were a mess.
When she explained things to Chisato just now, she had deliberately glossed over the part about "having a certain kind of dream and accidentally giving herself away," but no matter how much she simplified it, things were still progressing in exactly the direction that Utaha had predicted.
It wasn't just her mother that was the issue now—if that woman found out about this, found out that Eriri had firmly denied her speculation before, only to end up acting exactly as she had expected today, she would definitely feel like she had been played.
And then she'd go absolutely ballistic.
"Don't worry. I'll explain things to Utaha and find a way to make her accept it. As for your mother, we'll just have to take it one step at a time."
"I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize. This is something we were bound to face sooner or later."
Chisato leaned in and hugged Eriri, gently stroking her back.
Meeting his girlfriend's mother formally wasn't a first for him. Before today, there had been Touma Youko.
Although the circumstances were somewhat different, he had at least gained some experience from it, so he wasn't completely at a loss this time.
That being said, the most important thing right now was...
"Eriri, your mother specifically invited me to stay for dinner. Do you think she had any other intentions?"
"What do you mean, Chisato?"
"For example, she might want me to stay so that I can meet your father after he gets off work."
"..."
Eriri fell silent, and then her pupils started trembling.
"That's a real possibility. Those two idiots always make sure to let each other know everything that happens as soon as possible."
"Calling your parents idiots isn't very nice..."
"Don't worry about that. Right now, while we still have time alone, we should quickly go over our story so we don't accidentally mess up in front of them and give ourselves away."
It was fine if her mom knew about her relationship with Chisato.
The most important thing was making sure she didn't find out that Chisato also had complicated relationships with other girls besides her.
"I understand."
"Sorry, Chisato. I've caused you so much trouble. I'll definitely make it up to you later."
As she spoke, Eriri dropped into a full dogeza on the bed.
Chisato said, "Don't do that," as he reached out to help her up, but in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a little excited about the "compensation" she mentioned.
Wait, am I being too relaxed about this?
He couldn't help but wonder.
…
The Sawamura household's dinner started a little after seven in the evening.
Mr. Spencer had returned from work and naturally took his seat at the dining table.
However, what surprised both Chisato and Eriri was that he didn't seem to know anything about the relationship between his precious daughter and their guest.
With a gentlemanly demeanor, he welcomed Chisato warmly. After learning his name, he casually started chatting with him.
Once he discovered that Chisato had a decent understanding of international news, he found a common topic, and from then on, their conversation never stopped.
When Sayuri occasionally joined in and mentioned that Chisato had ranked first in the school's recent monthly exams, the smile on Mr. Spencer's face became even more radiant.
Being an excellent student was always a strong advantage when dealing with parents, no matter where in the world.
After dinner, Mr. Spencer even invited Chisato to the living room, telling him to take good care of Eriri's studies.
After confirming that Chisato knew how to play chess, he even brought out a Western chess set and played a match with him.
Mr. Spencer was quite skilled, but with a handicap, their game remained competitive.
Contrary to what Eriri and Chisato had expected, there was no awkward or tense atmosphere throughout the evening.
When Chisato finally left at around eight o'clock, Mr. Spencer personally walked him to the door alongside Eriri.
All in all, the night had passed without any major incidents.
Watching Chisato walk away, Eriri turned and went back into the living room.
Her father stretched and went to the bath, while her mother had just finished gathering the laundry from the balcony and was now sitting on the sofa folding clothes.
After some thought, Eriri moved closer and sat beside her mother, helping her fold the laundry.
Sayuri glanced at her daughter, smiled slightly, and remained silent, knowing that Eriri would bring up whatever was on her mind.
Sure enough, after hesitating for a while, Eriri finally couldn't hold back her question.
"Mom, you didn't tell Dad about my relationship, did you?"
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!