"Are you tired? You've been lying there for more than ten minutes."
In the room, Eriri was mocking Utaha, who was sticking her butt out and pressing her ear to the door.
"No matter how good your hearing is, it's impossible to hear their conversation in the living room through that door."
"Don't talk!"
Utaha glared fiercely at Eriri, then returned to pressing her ear against the door.
In fact, it wasn't entirely accurate to say she couldn't hear anything; otherwise, she wouldn't have persisted here for ten minutes.
However, what she could hear wasn't specific. She could only catch a few intermittent words.
Just based on those few words, she couldn't deduce the exact content of the conversation between the two people outside.
Therefore, when Eriri laughed again for the third time, Utaha reluctantly chose to give up and sat on the couch by the window, looking at the street outside and feeling angry.
Seeing her like this, Eriri smiled silently and continued to sit on the bedside, holding Dark Wings in her arms and gently combing its feathers.
"I said, stop playing with that crow!"
Utaha finally couldn't help but speak up.
Eriri's behavior was quite annoying to her, whether it was the way she chose to ignore her earlier in the supermarket or the way she had forcefully dragged her into the house.
"It has a name, Dark Wings. I advise you to respect it. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"it's an important member of the family. If you underestimate it, you'll regret it sooner or later."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter right now. You don't know how serious the situation is; how can you stay here so calmly and do nothing?"
Eriri glanced at the visibly agitated Utaha and then lowered her head again, gently touching Dark Wings' little head.
"Well, what good will it do for me to jump up and down like you, wasting energy for no reason?"
"Since what has happened has happened, no matter how urgent it feels, it won't help. The point is to think about how to deal with the aftermath."
Utaha let out a long sigh, closed her eyes, and gently pinched her eyebrows. "Listen to me: have you come up with a good solution to this situation?"
"Certainly," Eriri replied confidently.
"After the girl outside leaves, I will have a good talk with Chisato."
"..."
Utaha opened her eyes, looking at her expectantly, but Eriri returned her gaze with doubt.
The two stared at each other for a long moment until Utaha reacted first.
"Is that it?"
"That's it."
"Is this the good solution you mentioned?"
"Otherwise?"
"..."
Utaha hugged her head in frustration.
After a moment, she suddenly stood up.
"No, I'm still worried about Chisato being alone with that guy. I have to find a reason to go out and listen to what they're talking about... refilling their tea sounds like a good excuse."
"You're crazy! Don't act like a child! You can't stand it for even this little time!"
Eriri let go of Dark Wings and quickly walked over to hold Utaha's wrist.
"It's not just about being patient. Don't you think that girl is here with bad intentions? There's something obviously wrong with the way she looks at Chisato!"
"So what? It was Chisato who wanted to talk to her, and he brought her back. If you go out now, you'll only stir up trouble for Chisato and make things difficult for him!"
"Are you just going to make me wait here?"
"This is the only option! Just calm down; you're not acting like yourself at all."
"..."
Utaha put her hand to her forehead, shook her head gently, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
She glanced at Dark Wings nearby and was about to reach out to hold it in her arms for comfort.
However, she didn't expect it to flap its wings and widen the distance between them.
Utaha's outstretched hand hovered in mid-air, and combined with her current expression, it looked both funny and lonely.
Watching this scene, Eriri suppressed a laugh.
She also sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at Utaha, and then returned her gaze.
"I know what you're worried about, and I feel the same way, but I don't agree with your previous point of view. It's wrong to think that you can just relax because you have Chisato tied to you."
"What do you mean?"
"It's very simple. It's better to address the problem than to ignore it. Only by understanding the root cause can we prescribe the right solution."
Eriri paused, and her calf, which had been swaying gently, stopped moving.
"In the worst-case scenario, if Chisato really likes that girl, we shouldn't express our opposition too clearly."
"That will only create a gap between us, allowing others to take advantage of it."
Utaha wasn't stupid; she knew some of her previous actions had stemmed from impulsive emotions.
"You mean to counterattack while ensuring that our existing advantages don't deteriorate?"
"Whether we fight back or not depends on what Chisato tells us later. It would be great if he says his relationship with that girl isn't what we thought."
Unbeknownst to them, in this small room, the balance of power was gradually shifting between the two, with one gaining more authority.
Utaha didn't notice this change in atmosphere and continued to ask, "What if we face a worse outcome and Chisato's answer is what we're most worried about?"
"Then there's no need to panic. Don't show any signs of crying or fussing in front of Chisato."
"We just need to express our dissatisfaction and resistance appropriately, letting him know that we don't want this to happen."
"Just like that, and then ignore it?"
"It's not that simple."
Eriri shook her head slightly, her supple ponytails swaying cutely. The palms that had rested at her sides lifted into the air.
Something unexpected happened: Dark Wings, which had resisted Utaha moments ago, flew over obediently and landed in her palm.
"Being together is a matter for both parties. Don't always think about solving the problem with Chisato."
"We can completely avoid him and talk to the girl privately."
"If we can work together to show our determination, I think she has little chance of winning if she's determined to fight to the end."
"Even if she really wants to fight, we have other ways to balance things."
"...What can I do?"
"..."
Eriri glanced at Utaha, annoyed.
"You're so foolish! Think for yourself!"
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