Seeing her mother continue to rap impatiently on the door, Yukiko turned a desperate, pleading gaze toward Hayashi Shuichi. Her eyes were wide, shimmering with a mixture of frantic anxiety and helplessness.
What do we do?
What else can we do? Open the door! Shuichi mouthed back.
As he finished the silent instruction, his eyes swept the bed. He grabbed one of the large plushies scattered across the mattress and dove under the covers in one fluid motion.
Yukiko understood his intent instantly.
Though her heart was still hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, she had no choice. She stood up, took a deep, steadying breath to settle her nerves, and finally turned the handle to let her mother in.
"What took you so long to open the door?" Mrs. Fujimine asked, her voice tinged with clear irritation.
"I was lying down, trying to memorize my lines," Yukiko replied, pouting with a well-practiced air of annoyance. "I told you that already. You kept knocking and knocking—I finally had them memorized, and now they've all slipped my mind!"
"You've only forgotten them temporarily. A quick review later and they'll be etched in even deeper," Mrs. Fujimine replied dismissively, her eyes already scanning every inch of the bedroom.
In her mother's sharp gaze, Yukiko realized there weren't many places in the room capable of hiding a grown person.
"By the way, I think I forgot something when I was helping you tidy up earlier," Mrs. Fujimine said, her footsteps leading her directly toward the bed.
Yukiko's heart leaped into her throat.
Fortunately, Mrs. Fujimine didn't check the mound of blankets. Instead, she abruptly lifted the hanging bedsheet and peered underneath.
There was nothing beneath the bed except for a few storage bins and stacks of bundled magazines.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Yukiko demanded, her voice rising in feigned indignation.
"I told you, I left something here," her mother muttered. Thwarted in her first attempt, Mrs. Fujimine shifted her predatory focus toward the wardrobe nearby.
Watching her mother head for the closet, Yukiko felt a momentary surge of relief.
Just then, she noticed a hand peek out from the edge of the duvet, pointing urgently toward the mattress.
Shuichi wants me to get on the bed?
Right! If I'm lying there, Mom won't be able to just rip the covers off!
Yukiko kicked off her slippers, scrambled onto the bed, and slid under the heavy duvet. The moment she settled, she felt a sudden pressure around her waist.
Under the safety of the covers, Hayashi Shuichi had crawled over, clinging to her like a koala.
Damn it!
This pervert is definitely taking advantage of the situation!
Yukiko clenched her fists, suppressing the violent urge to give him a piece of her mind—and a swift punch—then and there.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Fujimine had flung open the wardrobe, meticulously inspecting every nook and cranny. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she moved on to check under the desk. Still nothing.
Finally, her gaze landed on the back of the bedroom door.
There, she discovered a pile of damp clothes: a short-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a pair of boxer briefs.
"Are these yours? I've never seen these before," Mrs. Fujimine said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "And... these boxers?"
"I bought those in the village where the crew was filming. There was only one tiny shop there," Yukiko said, struggling to keep her voice level and nonchalant.
"I forgot to pack my safety shorts this time, so I had to make do with those. I wore them under my skirt during filming to make sure I didn't flash anyone."
"I see," Mrs. Fujimine said, her suspicion seemingly wavering. "But why leave them here? The air is so humid today; they'll never dry. They'll just get musty."
"I was just too tired, Mom. I didn't feel like doing laundry," Yukiko explained, bracing herself.
"Honestly, girl, you're getting lazier by the day," Mrs. Fujimine sighed, shaking her head as she gathered the damp clothes into a bundle. "I'll wash these for you in a bit."
"Mom... are you done 'inspecting' yet?" Yukiko bit her lip.
"What inspection? I told you, I was looking for something." Mrs. Fujimine's eyes drifted back to the bed. "Why is that duvet so lumpy?"
"It's pouring outside and the thunder scared me, so I'm sleeping with my plushies," Yukiko replied naturally, pulling one of the dolls into her arms and hugging it tight.
Mrs. Fujimine hadn't truly considered that her daughter would be bold enough to hide a boy directly in her own bed. Having searched the room to no avail, she began to let go of her suspicions, chalking them up to her own overactive imagination.
"How old are you, still playing with dolls?" Mrs. Fujimine laughed dotingly. To Yukiko's horror, her mother then sat down on the edge of the mattress.
Yukiko's heart climbed back into her throat. Her fingers twisted nervously into the plushie's fur as her mind raced for a way to get her mother to leave.
"Mom, I really need to memorize these lines. I have to head back to the set early tomorrow morning to start shooting immediately."
"Is your career so important that you can't even have a heart-to-heart with your mother?" Mrs. Fujimine said, and to Yukiko's absolute dread, she began climbing onto the bed as well. "Move over a bit. Let's have a good long chat tonight, just us girls."
Yukiko didn't dare refuse. She was forced to shift toward the inner side of the bed, dragging the "koala" attached to her—Hayashi Shuichi—along with her.
Mrs. Fujimine lifted a corner of the duvet to cover her legs. Had she glanced down even slightly at that moment, she would have seen a pair of wide, startled eyes staring back at her from the shadows.
Shuichi had been nearly startled out of his skin when the blanket was lifted. He curled his body as tightly as possible against the girl's side, not daring to even breathe.
Fortunately, Mrs. Fujimine noticed nothing.
She reached out an arm, pulling her daughter into a side-hug. "Now, tell me. Why did you really come home so suddenly? Did something happen on set, or... did you just want to come back to Beika to see that Hayashi-kun of yours?"
"Mom! What are you talking about?!" Yukiko's face turned scarlet instantly, a chaotic blend of shyness and panic flaring in her eyes. "Why on earth would I want to see him?!"
Mrs. Fujimine watched her daughter's flushed cheeks with a gentle, knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"So, it really wasn't about the film crew then," she said softly, stroking Yukiko's silky hair. "Ever since you started high school, nine out of every ten sentences you say to your father and me involve that Hayashi Shuichi."
Mrs. Fujimine teased with a playful wink. "And you're still going to tell me you don't like him?"
"I don't!" Yukiko sat bolt upright.
If that "rogue" wasn't currently hiding under her covers, she might have actually admitted her feelings to her mother.
But right now, Hayashi Shuichi was curled up right beside her.
Yukiko could already visualize it: that insufferable guy finding out the truth, acting all smug and triumphant, and then using it as an excuse to tease and bully her even more. Just the thought of that scenario made her want to find a hole to crawl into and die of embarrassment.
"Fine, fine. We'll pretend you don't like him, then," Mrs. Fujimine said. She took it as mere teenage shyness and didn't push further, though her tone turned gentle and serious. "Anyway, at your age, it's fine to be in love. But... there are some things you mustn't be too impulsive about."
Yukiko felt Shuichi twitch slightly under the covers. Her heart nearly stopped. She frantically reached down under the duvet and gave the "rogue" a sharp, warning pinch.
Just as she dealt with him, her mother's next words made Yukiko feel like she was sitting on a bed of needles.
"Even if you really can't help yourselves, you must make sure to take safety precautions," Mrs. Fujimine whispered, patting the back of her daughter's hand, her voice dropping to a low, intimate level. "Your mother isn't ready to be a grandmother just yet..."
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