Eriri's words were sincere; she genuinely felt that her actions in the restaurant had been a bit off.
Even though the kiss had been initiated by Chisato, she shouldn't have enjoyed responding to it for two minutes and thirteen seconds.
She had really upset her ally. The smile that had been lingering on Eriri's lips since the day had completely vanished.
A simple touch would have sufficed; a brief kiss lasting just a few seconds would have been perfect.
But… it was impossible to refuse a kiss from her husband, the person she loved most, when he came so close!
"If you're feeling awkward, I can go with you to find him."
"You can make up any reason to talk to him about your feelings or share your recent worries. Just spend some time in his room, and I'll leave first."
"After that, you can do whatever you want. Chisato definitely likes you. If he doesn't take the initiative, you can be a bit more proactive!"
After that kiss, Eriri felt completely open-minded.
She had initially worried that Utaha would steal Chisato's affection while she remained unaware.
Now, she was more concerned about Utaha feeling neglected and despondent. If the earlier incident had affected her, it would be bad if she bottled up her feelings.
Eriri had seen Utaha's terrifying expression after that kiss in the restaurant, and she couldn't help but worry.
Her mindset was now entirely different; she felt a quiet confidence, as if she was stepping into the role of the main partner. She even found herself giving advice to Utaha, her emotional rival.
What? You don't know how to win Chisato's heart? No problem, I'll teach you!
Eriri's intentions were good, and her suggestions were quite practical.
However, her slightly condescending attitude made Utaha very, very displeased.
"I know all of this; I don't need you to teach me."
With that cold remark, Utaha turned and walked into the bathroom.
She felt a bit irritated. In her current state, she didn't want to seek out Chisato, and all her plans had fallen through.
Tonight was going to end here.
While relaxing in the bath, she needed to carefully reassess— Her relationship with Eriri and Chisato.
Most importantly, the alliance she had formed with Eriri.
Originally, they had agreed to stand united and not let any other women around Chisato.
But given the current situation, it seemed that despite her efforts to eliminate other female threats, allowing Chisato to grow into a strong, independent man, he ended up developing his own consciousness and running off with Eriri.
In the end, her hard work amounted to nothing; she had made a wedding dress for someone else.
"Tch, how annoying. I genuinely wanted to help you once, and you don't appreciate it."
Eriri watched Utaha slam the bathroom door shut and huffed heavily before pulling the curtains closed.
Outside, a shadowy figure blended into the darkness.
It hovered for a while, waiting quietly on the windowsill. After hearing no more conversation from inside, it fluttered its wings and flew into another room where the window was open.
Chisato, coming out of the bathroom, saw it quietly munching on nuts at the table.
"Thanks for your hard work."
He changed into his pajamas and sat at the table.
He placed his left fist and right hand palm up on the table.
The shadowy figure couldn't speak; this was how Chisato communicated with it. A clenched fist meant agreement, while an open palm indicated disagreement.
"Did they argue?"
The shadowy figure hopped over to the clenched fist.
Chisato nodded slightly. "It shouldn't be serious, right?"
The shadowy figure remained still, gently pecking at his clenched fist.
"That's good."
After scratching its head and feeling a little relieved by the information, Chisato let the shadowy figure continue snacking while he lay back on the bed.
To be honest, his kiss in the restaurant had somewhat impure motives.
Of course, Eriri had said some very understanding things, which was undeniably charming, but no matter how cute she was, it didn't justify him losing track of time and place and kissing her without regard for anyone else present.
There were definitely mixed feelings involved.
Since they met today, Chisato had sensed something was off between the two. Although they appeared to be arguing on the surface, several small details revealed a different story.
When they arrived at the hotel, Eriri leaned against the passenger window to pay, and Utaha stepped forward to hand the driver some change after hearing the fare.
Before ordering, Eriri specifically asked Utaha if she wanted garlic removed from her dish.
When Utaha made her response, Eriri showed no reaction; she simply watched.
Considering all these details together, Chisato easily concluded that since they were both involved in his life, it was natural for them to share experiences.
The precious little Chisato was something they both enjoyed, so it wouldn't be surprising if they teamed up in real life.
However, this wasn't the outcome Chisato wanted.
It wasn't that he opposed Eriri and Utaha getting along; he just knew the intentions behind their alliance, which could introduce a lot of uncertainties into his otherwise smooth life.
So, he could only internally apologize and subtly use some tactics to draw closer to one while neglecting the other, hoping to create a rift between them.
"But even with my preparations, Eriri's reaction was unexpectedly adorable... and I didn't expect her to be so proactive."
Chisato stroked his chin, recalling their earlier interactions, and he couldn't help but smile.
Although it seemed like he had initiated the kiss, the one who kept it going for two minutes and thirteen seconds was Eriri.
She enjoyed Chisato's proactive actions and wanted to stay close, refusing to let him leave.
"What a lovestruck girl, but I like it."
Tonight, there was something very important he needed to do, but before that, Chisato dialed Hitori's number.
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