"I'm back!"
Chihaya Anon pushed the door open with her shoulder, her steps much lighter than when she'd left. She kicked off her shoes as she went, one white sock slipping off carelessly to reveal her slender ankle, but she didn't bother with it. She went straight into the living room, threw herself onto the soft sofa, hugged a cushion, and rolled around in satisfaction.
"Hm?"
Hearing the noise at the entryway, the young housewife preparing dinner in the kitchen poked her head out, still holding a ladle.
"Why are you back so early? Didn't you say you were going to watch a movie with your boyfriend and would be home late?"
"Well, the movie ended~"
The pink-haired girl buried her face into the cushion, then stretched lazily, letting out a contented sigh.
Mrs. Chihaya turned down the heat, casually took off her apron, and walked out of the kitchen, watching her daughter wriggle like a little caterpillar on the sofa with composed interest, "Since when does the movie ending mean you both go your separate ways? Or was the date not going well, so you ended it early?"
"Of course not!"
The girl shot up from the sofa like a spring, hands on her hips, brimming with pride, "It went super... smoothly! A total success!"
"Oh?"
Mrs. Chihaya raised a brow. She didn't look much like her daughter, with her short brown hair, and now wore a teasing smile like a college girl gossiping about her roommate, "It's rare to see you this pleased… let me guess, did you kiss?"
"!"
Anon froze, as if someone had hit pause on her entire body.
After a long moment, she parted her lips, her gaze drifting, "No…"
"Then… did you at least hug?"
"…"
Anon pursed her lips, looking even guiltier.
Mrs. Chihaya: "..."
The smile on her face gradually disappeared. She couldn't help frowning, utterly baffled, "So what exactly did you do? Don't tell me you two sat there properly watching a movie for two whole hours, then said 'goodbye' and went home separately?"
"It wasn't proper!"
At that, the girl jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She wanted to refute loudly, but under her mother's increasingly subtle gaze, her momentum visibly deflated.
She clutched a corner of the cushion, her eyes darting around. After hesitating for a long while, she finally muttered in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "We… secretly held hands…"
Mrs. Chihaya: "…"
The air fell silent for a few seconds.
Mrs. Chihaya pressed a hand to her forehead and took a deep breath, looking at her daughter with an expression somewhere between "how did I give birth to such a clueless bumpkin" and "back in my day, I got your father in three days."
In short, pure exasperation.
"So, in those two full hours, all you did was… hold hands?"
"I-Is that not enough?"
Anon looked indignant, pounding the doll in her arms as if venting, "I worked really hard, okay! And he even agreed to let me visit his place next time to see his cat! Isn't that major progress?"
Mrs. Chihaya snatched the poor cushion from her arms and looked at her daughter, so inexplicably confident in the strangest areas, with a complicated expression, sighing inwardly.
'At least… looking on the bright side, she managed to hold his hand, instead of just sitting there watching a movie for two hours like an idiot.'
She rubbed her temples, "So, who made the first move?"
"Heh! Heh! Of course it was him!"
Anon immediately puffed up her completely unremarkable chest with a bit of pride. She wasn't lying, this time, it really was Kaito who had taken the initiative and touched her fingers in the popcorn bucket. Even if it was most likely just an accident… there was no need to tell her mom that.
Mrs. Chihaya looked at her "praise me already" tsundere expression and couldn't help laughing in exasperation.
Being this satisfied with just that level, she gained a whole new understanding of how hopeless her silly daughter was.
Still, she was her own child. Mrs. Chihaya beckoned her closer and decided to pass on some relationship advice.
"Listen, sweetheart."
"In a relationship, if the girl takes the initiative occasionally, it can be surprisingly effective. Next time you're watching a movie, if the mood feels right, don't hesitate, don't overthink it, just boldly put your hand on his, got it?"
"Stay calm. Be confident. Make it as natural as breathing. Show that carefree side you usually have. Some boys are incredibly dense, if you don't take the initiative, they'll stay passive forever…"
'How am I carefree!'
Anon wanted to complain, but listening to her mother's earnest instruction, her face flushed red, the tips of her delicate ears trembling slightly. She couldn't help asking, "So back then… is that how you tricked Dad into falling for you?"
Mrs. Chihaya nodded, then corrected her, "That's strategy."
"Okay, okay, strategy, then…"
Chihaya Anon grabbed the cushion again and buried her burning face into it, her voice muffled, "Anyway, Mom, don't go giving random advice. I have my own pace!"
Mrs. Chihaya couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Who knew her daughter better than her? She was well aware of exactly how capable her silly girl was.
"When you have time, remember to invite your little boyfriend over for a meal," she said as she turned back toward the kitchen, unable to stop herself from sighing, "and let your mother… have a look at him."
"Goooot it!"
Anon drew out her reply, hugging the cushion again, her fingers absentmindedly twirling a strand of pink hair. The living room lights were bright, casting a warm orange glow over her flushed cheeks.
———
At nearly the same moment.
"Mom, are you done changing yet?"
Togawa Sakiko knocked on the door, glancing down at her phone. A full forty-five minutes had already passed, yet the woman inside still showed no sign of coming out, dawdling for who knew what reason.
"Don't rush, soon, almost done."
"That's what you said ten minutes ago!", Togawa Sakiko gritted her teeth, her voice rising unconsciously, "We're just going to the president's house to deliver some documents, not attending a banquet. Can't you just pick something appropriate? You're already this old, stop acting like a little girl—"
Before she could finish, the door slid open with a sharp sound.
The young beauty, now dressed in a long gown, leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed. Her slender brows lifted slightly, her gaze locking precisely onto the girl who had instantly frozen at the door.
"Sakiko," Togawa Mizuho's voice was gentle, "what did you just say?"
The air seemed to freeze for a second.
"I said Mom has great taste!"
Meeting those amber eyes identical to her own, memories of a lifetime of being dominated surged back instantly. The Sakiko who had been ready to snap wilted at once, hurriedly forcing out a sincere smile, her eyes sparkling as compliments poured out like they cost nothing, "This dress suits your figure perfectly, classic and elegant without losing grace. And the diamond necklace you're wearing has such a nice design. You don't look like the mother of a high schooler at all."
Unfortunately, Togawa Mizuho wasn't so easily swayed.
'If she dares to call me "this old" today, will she call me an old hag tomorrow?'
'This girl really needs some discipline.'
"Oh?", she drew out the word, her tone faint, "Sakiko, I don't recall raising you to be so glib."
Togawa Sakiko: "…"
The little secretary struggled for one last breath, "I meant every word. You really do look young…"
Togawa Mizuho raised a brow.
"Whether sincere or not," she said, reaching out to gently straighten her daughter's already neat collar, her smile soft, "it seems we should find some time to review proper speech and manners for a young lady. What do you think?"
The smile on Togawa Sakiko's face completely froze.
'Gwah!'
The girl wailed inwardly.
'President, save me!'
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