Ran who had just come out of the kitchen, looked helplessly at her mother, who had stripped off all the restraints of her work attire.
She was now only wearing a white shirt, underwear, and black pantyhose. She looked nothing like the elegant and dignified undefeated queen of the legal world she was outside.
"You don't have to go this far just to relax at home..."
Kisaki Eri lay sprawled on the sofa. She was mentally and physically drained and just wanted to unwind completely.
The life of an adult was exhausting. Even with a high-paying job and strong social standing, those things didn't come easily. They required relentless effort. As the undefeated queen of the legal world, she had to work even harder than most. Otherwise, how could she maintain her position?
While image was important in public, at home, Kisaki Eri preferred to let everything go.
"Work is exhausting. I can only relax like this when I'm at home."
As she spoke, Kisaki Eri turned over with a groan and lay face-down on the couch.
Her side bust even peeked through slightly from the shirt, deformed from the way she was lying.
At that moment, Kisaki Eri had completely abandoned any concept of maintaining her image. She was totally relaxed.
Looking at her mother like this, Ran couldn't help but think of her father, who was also careless about his appearance at home and generally a mess.
She couldn't help but complain:
"Isn't this exactly like Dad?"
"Who said that!"
That one sentence instantly made Kisaki Eri sit up. She looked at her daughter and protested:
"Your mother works herself to the bone and just wants a bit of peace and space at home. Your father is just lazy!"
"And then there's you, Ran."
"Me?"
"You spoil your father too much. He doesn't even do the basic things he should be doing. After all these years, he's become completely useless."
It's only been a short while since I moved in, and now I'm becoming useless too… Kisaki Eri muttered inwardly.
These past few days, her feelings were very clear.
In the past, her life had structure. Aside from work, she'd occasionally do some housework at home. As for meals, she mostly relied on takeout. She never really liked cooking.
More importantly, she knew she wasn't good at it.
The food she made herself tasted terrible.
Because of all that, Kisaki Eri almost never cooked—unless it was instant noodles, coffee, or plain rice. She didn't even enter the kitchen otherwise.
She'd long gotten used to takeout being her daily diet.
What she needed from food was just the necessary nutrition. Whether it tasted good or not, she didn't care.
As long as it wasn't inedible, she wasn't picky.
But since her daughter moved in, Kisaki Eri's tolerance completely changed.
It's all Ran's fault that I've become picky... Kisaki Eri had gradually realized that she could no longer go back to her previous eating habits.
Kogoro, I misjudged you. It's not that you wanted to be useless—this just kind of happens… Kisaki Eri was beginning to understand what Kogoro had gone through.
Facing her mother's words, Ran puffed out her cheeks and put her hands on her hips.
"It's not like I turned Dad into a useless person. I just take care of basic things at home. Otherwise, the place would be too messy to even receive clients."
"Also, go change your clothes already. It's almost time to eat."
Seeing her daughter turn and head back to the kitchen, Kisaki Eri sighed, but still got up from the sofa and went to her room to change into her pajamas.
Back in her room, she pulled out a large nightgown, took off all her clothes, underwear, and stockings, and changed into the robe.
When she came out, her capable daughter had already set the hot food on the table. All that was left was to wash her hands and sit down to eat.
Looking at the meal and her diligent daughter, Kisaki Eri felt an odd mix of pride and frustration.
She could feel that her daughter was slowly raising her into a useless person too—just like Kogoro had become.
Although she wanted to push back against it, the truth was she couldn't match her daughter in housework.
Thankfully, her daughter didn't handle chores every single day. On weekends and holidays, she still participated in club activities outdoors. During those times when she wasn't home, Eri could at least retain some dignity as a mother.
At the very least, she could do some housework on the weekends. That would keep her from completely degenerating into a useless person.
After sitting down at the table and waiting for her daughter to join her, Eri picked up her bowl and chopsticks.
"Mom, I have something I want to talk to you about today."
Just as she was about to take a bite, she heard Ran say that.
"Something?"
Seeing how serious and sincere her daughter looked, Kisaki Eri became a little curious.
"Alright, tell me what it is."
Seeing her mother's calm reaction, Ran sighed. She knew this topic might shock her.
However, since even Ren had brought it up, Ran also felt it was time to talk to her mother about it.
She knew that many of their circle had already learned about the mysterious.
"Mom, do you believe superpowers exist in this world?"
"...???"
The sudden and completely out-of-context question made Kisaki Eri pause for a few seconds.
"So you're trying to tell me that superpowers are real?"
"Yes."
Seeing her daughter nod seriously, Kisaki Eri wondered if Ran had just done too much housework and fried her brain a little.
After a moment of silence, Eri ruled out mental fatigue. Her daughter was far too rational for that. So… was there an external cause?
Putting down her chopsticks, she looked at her daughter seriously.
"Ran, I believe that hearing something is nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes. Since you're saying this, how do you plan to convince me that superpowers really exist?"
She wasn't the kind of parent who dismissed their child's words. What she cared about was whether her daughter could persuade her.
"Actually, I do have a way."
Proof was a simple matter for Ran.
She immediately stood up, walked to the balcony, opened the sliding glass door, took a deep breath, and then punched outward.
A shockwave blasted from the balcony, spreading outward in layers.
Even from inside the room, the muffled force was audible.
Not only the balcony, but the room itself was swept by the air pressure.
In just a few seconds, it was as if a gust of wind had swept through, displacing many objects inside.
Kisaki Eri could feel a strong gust of wind wash right over her face.
(To be continued.)