Still drowsy, Eriri reached for the blanket after her greeting, as if she were ready to go back to sleep.
However, Sayuri, as if anticipating this, swiftly pulled the blanket away, leaving Eriri in her pyjamas exposed to the cool air.
"What are you doing, Mum?!" Eriri huffed in annoyance at the theft of her blanket.
Sayuri tilted her head curiously. "Not fully awake yet?"
But after glancing at the alarm clock nearby, she quickly realised.
"Ah, right. It's only six in the morning. It's quite rare for you to wake up at this hour. Even on school days, you'd laze around till eight."
On ordinary days, unless it was nearly lunchtime at eleven, Sayuri would never catch a glimpse of her daughter.
Honestly, even for the next generation of an otaku household, this was taking it a bit too far.
No, strictly speaking, she'd picked up all the bad habits and none of the good ones.
As Sayuri internally lamented...
"??"
Eriri finally sensed something amiss.
Her eyes snapped open, staring straight at Sayuri as her mouth slowly fell agape:
"Mum?!"
"Mhm!" Sayuri nodded cheerfully. "It's been a while since we last slept together, Eriri."
"By the way, you should really break that habit of hogging the blankets. It wouldn't do to wrestle them away from Luo Shu in the future."
"Luo Shu?!!"
Eriri's voice shot up an octave at the name, her eyes widening comically:
"No way..."
She suddenly covered her face, cautiously peeking over her shoulder as if terrified of finding a certain familiar man lying behind her.
But upon turning and seeing only empty bedsheets, Eriri sighed with mixed emotions:
"Phew... that was close. I almost had a heart attack thinking Luo Shu was right behind me~."
"How cruel. Here I was, finally sharing a bed with my dear daughter, only for you to wake up thinking about another boy. Sob~ has Eriri already abandoned her poor mum?"
"Shut up, you old hag!" Eriri bared her fangs in irritation.
Then, still bewildered, she mumbled:
"Where exactly am I right now? At the department's base or back home?"
"And how do you even know about Luo Shu?"
"Start talking! I want the full story!!"
Hearing this, Sayuri Sawamura was completely dumbfounded and said in confusion:
"Isn't it Eriri who should be making a full confession?"
"Didn't work?" Eriri's gaze wavered as she thought in frustration: 'Damn it!!'
After all the effort to keep it hidden, why did things turn out like this?
What exactly happened yesterday?
One moment, she was having dinner with Utaha, Kisara, Yukino and Meer, casually complaining about Luo Shu's unreliability.
And the next, Sayuri Sawamura was right in her face?!
This isn't scientific, nor is it magic!!
"Could I be dreaming?" Eriri pinched her own cheek: "Ow, that hurts!"
Rubbing her cheek, she glanced around and muttered:
"Looking closely, isn't this just my own home? How did I get back? And I'm clearly not dreaming."
Seeing this, Sayuri Sawamura didn't know what to do:
"Eriri, escaping reality is shameful, you know."
"Then give me a reason not to escape!"
Eriri glared angrily at her mother:
"Didn't I say I'd be home late last night?"
Hearing this, Sayuri smiled sweetly: "So you'd even prepared to stay at a hotel?"
"Huh?" Eriri froze, not quite processing the question.
Noticing this, Sayuri seemed surprised:
"Oh? You didn't have that kind of idea?"
"Even though you've drawn love hotels countless times in your doujinshi, you've never actually considered going to one yourself?"
Eriri's scalp prickled at these words: "I suddenly think you've misunderstood something? Why would I go to a hotel?"
Sayuri feigned surprise: "Wasn't it because you planned to go to a hotel with Luo Shu that you specifically said you'd be late?"
"...First of all, why would I go to a hotel with that guy?!" Eriri's hair practically stood on end.
Sayuri then realised the issue: "Eh? He's a boy you can drink with, yet you have no thoughts about him at all?"
"I was drinking?" Eriri blinked in confusion. "Wait, no, it was just a dinner gathering, and an all-girls one at that..."
Sayuri also blinked:
"An all-girls gathering? But dear, I was called by Luo Shu to pick up his drunk self and bring you home."
Eriri hesitated: "Huh? Luo Shu's back? Didn't he go out on a mission? Did he finish it and return tonight?"
"Mission?" Sayuri's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"No, what mission? You misheard, Mum." Eriri suddenly remembered that these matters couldn't be known by Sayuri and hastily denied it.
"Hmm?!" Sayuri gave Eriri a meaningful look and smiled: "Our Eriri's grown up."
"Keeping her own little secrets now."
Blushing, Eriri couldn't refute this.
Realising there might have been a misunderstanding earlier - or more likely there wasn't - Sayuri then said:
"Eriri."
"What?" Eriri shrank back nervously.
Sayuri spoke seriously:
"Since you've finally met a boy you don't dislike, why not try getting closer to him?"
"...Hah?" Eriri was utterly dumbfounded.
...
Kamijou Hospital.
As the elevator descended slowly underground.
"While being surrounded by cute girls feels nice, could you two stop pinching my fingers while holding my arms?"