Sayuri felt gratified that her daughter had matured to this extent—being able to quietly resolve the crisis around her all on her own.
She didn't dwell on the matter.
To celebrate her daughter and her best friend making amends, she immediately planned to head to the supermarket to buy high-end ingredients and cook a feast for everyone tonight.
But Eriri politely declined, saying she still had things to discuss with Utaha and that the three of them would have dinner outside instead.
In fact, they would stay over at Utaha's place for the night.
Since summer vacation had officially started and the two girls had just reconciled, Sayuri had no reason to refuse.
Worried that Eriri might not have enough money, she took several ten-thousand-yen bills from her wallet and insisted on treating them to dinner.
Eriri accepted, and after Chisato and Utaha put on their shoes and stepped outside, she turned back to whisper to her mother.
"Actually, Kasumigaoka's mom doesn't know about this yet, so please don't go around telling people."
Sayuri frowned in displeasure.
"What do you take me for? This is a matter of a young girl's heart—I would never gossip about it! Not to Kasumigaoka's mom, not even to your dad.
What happened today stays between us. Don't worry."
Reassured by her mother's promise, Eriri put on her shoes and caught up with the other two.
Then, they hailed a taxi by the roadside.
Chisato felt conflicted. The emotions he had upon arriving and those he had on the way back were complete opposites.
He tilted his head to look at Eriri, then turned to glance at Utaha.
Hmm... Neither of them seemed inclined to speak. Their expressions were just as indifferent as when they had come, but something fundamental had changed.
He held Eriri's hand, and she responded with a bright smile, indicating she was in a good mood.
Then, he placed his free hand on Utaha's thigh, covered in black stockings with an exquisite texture.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and shot him a glare but neither withdrew her leg nor slapped his hand away.
Finally, Chisato allowed himself a small smirk. He knew things were fine between them now.
…
"Let's get one thing straight—I didn't do that for you just now. I simply didn't want to get dragged into unnecessary trouble."
In the apartment, Chisato leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching the now back-to-normal interaction between Eriri and Utaha with amusement.
Utaha was currently trying to justify—not explain—her sudden actions at the Sawamura household earlier.
"Ah, sure, sure... Pass me the carrot."
Standing at the cutting board, Eriri stretched out her hand nonchalantly.
Utaha handed over the washed carrot.
"What's with that attitude? Are you doubting me?"
"No, of course not."
"The reality is just as I said—if my parents found out about our situation, not only would my concerns remain unresolved, but we'd also invite a whole lot of unnecessary trouble."
"Oh, I see."
Eriri responded lazily.
"Potato."
Utaha, keeping her patience, handed over a peeled potato and continued explaining.
"The biggest issue is that even though we have our own side jobs now, at the end of the day, we're still students.
That means, to some extent, we're under our families' control.
Right now is not the right time to lay everything out in the open. If we do, it should be after we've graduated from university and secured jobs.
By then, we'll have officially entered society, and as independent adults, our words will carry more weight.
Even if our parents don't understand or approve of our decisions, at that point, we'll have the ability to stand our ground..."
"Haa—"
Eriri let out a sigh and stopped chopping.
Utaha noticed her silence. The sound of bubbling food on the stove became particularly noticeable in the quiet kitchen.
After a brief pause, Eriri spoke up.
"You know, if you had said all of this from the start, it would've been pretty convincing.
But instead, you created a problem that forced us into action and then conveniently offered the solution. There's a word for that kind of behavior, you know?"
"Stirring up trouble for no reason?"
Chisato, still leaning against the doorway, offered a tentative guess.
"Bingo~"
Eriri burst into laughter.
"Schwing—!"
At that moment, Utaha smoothly drew a long Western-style knife and turned to Chisato with an icy glare.
"I... I'll go watch TV in the living room."
Chisato quickly retreated.
Utaha, still gripping the knife, shifted her cold gaze to Eriri.
"Who are you calling a troublemaker?"
Eriri wasn't the least bit intimidated. She resumed chopping vegetables, completely ignoring Utaha's question and instead said casually,
"But regardless, I owe you one for this. If you need help with anything, as long as it's within my ability, I'll lend a hand."
"Heh."
Utaha placed the knife back in its holder.
"If you don't need anything, then that's that."
"Who said I don't need anything? This is my rightful reward."
After a moment of contemplation, Utaha's lips curled slightly, and she made up her mind.
She first turned to confirm that Chisato had indeed left, then leaned in closer to Eriri and spoke in a hushed tone.
"In that case, I'll make sure my request stays within your capabilities. For one month, you're not allowed to engage in any form of intimate behavior with Chisato."
"Huh?!"
Eriri's expression twisted in disbelief.
But Utaha wasn't finished. She continued with a smug smile.
"Not only that, but whenever you have time, you'll sleep over here and listen to us from the next room."
Eriri slammed her knife onto the cutting board with a loud "thud."
"Oi, you're seriously messed up! What do you even get out of this?!"
Utaha's smile grew wider. The more frustrated Eriri became, the more determined she was to see this through.
"Oh, I don't really gain anything.
But just imagining you next door, frustrated and desperate, maybe even having to take care of yourself in the middle of the night—it fills me with indescribable joy."
Eriri was speechless.
"I swear... Are you a pervert?"
"Enough nonsense. You can always back out if you want, but if you do, don't act all high and mighty in front of me anymore."
Utaha smirked, deliberately provoking her.
"Who's acting high and mighty?! This is nothing!"
After hesitating for a dozen seconds, Eriri ultimately accepted.
She had her own plans.
Considering Chisato's seemingly boundless stamina, it was still up for debate who would be the first to break.
"Then, it's settled."
"...Yeah."
"Starting tonight. After your bath, go straight to your room."
Utaha reminded her.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it!"
Eriri impatiently picked up her knife again.
With the situation settled, Utaha's smile deepened in satisfaction.
However, things played out exactly as Eriri had anticipated. During the first week of summer break—
From the next room over, she could clearly hear Utaha's voice transform from melodious and rhythmic, to soft and breathless, and finally to a hoarse and nearly lifeless whisper.
On the fourth night, her face flushed, Eriri reached for a tissue, preparing to endure yet another long, sleepless night.
Suddenly, a heavy thumping sound echoed from the other side of the wall—again and again, urgent and needy.
Seriously? She already caved on the fourth night?
Then again, if this went on any longer, she herself might...
Without hesitation, Eriri jumped out of bed, shoved on her slippers, and rushed next door.
Meanwhile, utterly exhausted, Utaha finally curled up, her body thoroughly wrecked from the relentless torment.
As Eriri took over, Utaha, for the first time in days, drifted into a peaceful sleep.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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