After packing the luggage that Chisato brought, she sat on the soft bed in the master bedroom and rolled around happily.
After that, she clicked on her mother's LINE account to inform her that she would be having a party at a friend's house tonight and would be resting there.
Then, she quickly sent the video she had recorded at her friend's house in advance.
In the video, she and her friend looked very happy. Her friend faced the selfie camera and cheerfully said, "Hello, Auntie Sawamura."
After doing this, Eriri stared at the phone screen nervously.
If a video pop-up window appeared at this moment and her mother requested a video call, it would be a serious situation, and she would immediately be caught.
However, Eriri was betting that her recent good behavior had convinced her mother that she wouldn't deceive her.
She hoped her mother was busy preparing dinner and would overlook her situation.
When the phone buzzed, Eriri breathed a sigh of relief.
[Have fun~ Since you're not home tonight, Mommy and Daddy will enjoy some time together for the first time in a long while.]
That was the reply.
Safe and sound!
Eriri's original response was that if her mother really initiated a video call, she would ignore it, go downstairs, and take a taxi to her friend's house, then call back on her own, saying she had been too noisy and hadn't noticed her phone ringing.
After reassuring her mother this way, she rushed back without stopping.
Although it was a bit troublesome, she was unwilling to give up this opportunity today.
Especially since she was looking forward to it so much. Just imagining what was going to happen in a few hours made her legs feel weak.
It had reached a point where action was necessary.
But fortunately, things were moving in the right direction.
[Don't tell me this kind of thing!]
She replied to a message that suited her style.
After her mother replied with another emoticon that was inappropriate for her age, Eriri had no choice but to respond again.
She lay on her back on the bed, completely relieved.
Now, she no longer had any worries and could enjoy the night wholeheartedly.
With a flushed face, Eriri sat up slowly, held her chest with both hands, and touched her thighs, feeling that she was in pretty good shape.
She walked out of the bedroom and entered the living room. Just as she was about to feed walnuts to Dark Wings, Chisato's cell phone which was placed on the coffee table, vibrated.
The caller ID showed a name she was very familiar with: Utaha.
Eriri glanced at the kitchen situation and saw that Chisato wasn't paying attention, so she placed his phone on the sofa and covered it with a pillow.
Now, the vibrating sound of the phone was inaudible. Unless someone intentionally checked, they wouldn't notice that someone was calling.
Dark Wings, who had seen all this, showed no reaction.
When Eriri came over with a small walnut, he simply ate it, which was a bit strange.
It usually resisted anyone other than Chisato touching its head, but the girl in front of it was an exception.
"Dark Wings, you're a boy, right? I'll take you to the flower and bird market another day to pick a partner for you, so you can work hard to expand your family, okay?"
Familiar words came out of Eriri's mouth.
She was talking to herself, a smile on her face. In her warm new home, sitting on the balcony with a good view while her favorite person prepared dinner for her, everything felt so peaceful and comfortable.
She really hoped this moment could last forever.
"Buzz buzz—"
The vibration pulled her back to reality from her wonderful reverie. She took out her phone to check it, then let out a disdainful laugh.
After closing the balcony window, she answered the call in a normal tone.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing; I just wanted to talk to you suddenly."
Utaha's voice came over.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"It doesn't look like you to be so calm. We're moving Chisato to a new apartment on Friday. Don't you have any thoughts about it?"
He also mentioned Friday...
Oh.
"Of course I have thoughts; just follow the original plan..."
Eriri paused for a moment, and Utaha responded appropriately.
"Well, I hope everything goes smoothly."
"There won't be any surprises. We've considered all the possibilities in advance, haven't we? All in all, there's nothing wrong with taking our relationship to the next level."
"..."
Utaha on the other end of the phone was silent for a while.
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
Eriri lowered her eyes and gently touched the crow in her arms, a silent sneer on her face.
"Is your signal bad?"
"...Indeed, it seems that I need to change my phone."
"Did you call me specifically just to share your uneasiness with me?"
"It's always good to be prepared."
"Okay, Mom called me for dinner."
"So be it."
"Kindness."
"Dududu—"
Taking the phone from her ear, Eriri stared at the screen for a moment and murmured to herself,
"...I gave you a chance. You asked for it."
After she put the phone back in her pocket, she noticed that the crow was staring at her intently, so she quickly changed her expression.
The original awe-inspiring aura immediately disappeared, and she affectionately nuzzled its feathers with her face.
The dinner was very sumptuous, including braised prawns, fried beef with green onions, fried chicken, and purple cabbage salad.
Eriri was amazed by Chisato's culinary skills, but she was also worried about what she was about to experience that night, so she relaxed her reserve a little and ate more than usual.
After dinner, it was already past eight o'clock, and the sky was completely dark.
As expected, thunder began to rumble in the sky, and heavy rain started to pour down.
The wind howled outside, while the warmth and comfort inside made the atmosphere even cozier.
After the meal, the two leaned against each other in the living room, with the TV program providing background noise.
They began to chat casually, without limiting themselves to any particular topic. Their distance gradually diminished until there was no gap left.
After the topic ended, Eriri suddenly asked what Chisato liked, and he quickly replied that it was her.
Eriri raised the corners of her lips slightly but pretended not to believe him and asked him to prove it.
So Chisato held her in his arms and kissed her while cradling her tiny feet in his palms.
They fit perfectly, and her little feet, wearing white cotton socks, felt like white baby birds returning to an empty nest.
"Chisato..."
The atmosphere was just right.
Eriri had already wrapped her arms around his neck without realizing it, making a seductive gesture inviting anyone to pick her.
It was only the girl's innocent nature that allowed her to retain a trace of sanity in the end.
She buried her face into Chisato's strong chest and said in a slightly breathy tone,
"...We haven't showered yet."
Chisato's breathing grew heavier, and his voice dropped low.
"Should we shower together?"
"..."
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