Chapter 242: Matriarch: Yukino has grown up?
"Stare..." Throughout the journey, Eriri quietly remained an outsider. Yukino, on the other hand, kept gazing at Ren with eyes that were either shy or annoyed.
Ren, however, was shameless and impervious to her glare. Not only did he not feel uncomfortable, but he even enjoyed Yukino's attention. He held Yukino's hand with his right hand, occasionally making small movements in her palm.
Finally, the ice-sculpture-like Yukino was conquered, unable to resist speaking first. Words difficult to utter came from her crimson lips. "Ren, what exactly did my sister do yesterday?" A small battle had been won by Ren.
With a victorious smile on his lips, he cleared his throat and said, "Haruno didn't do much. She just wore your clothes, called herself Yukino-nyan, and called me Daddy a few times."
"!!!" Yukino and Eriri both widened their eyes. Especially Eriri. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. That Yukinoshita Haruno is even more playful than me? Then my title of Kashiwagi Eri is for nothing?
This won't do! I must come up with an even more impressive move! A refusal to admit defeat erupted from Eriri. In stark contrast was Yukino. Her crimson blush rapidly spread to her neck and ears. Her eyes were watery, on the verge of overflowing with crystalline little pearls.
"My big sister… she actually did such a shameless thing!" Just imagining that kind of scene was enough to make the thin-skinned Yukino die of embarrassment.
Ren coughed twice and leaned close to Yukino's ear. He whispered, "Yukino, I think Haruno's imitation of you is not at all alike; she can't compare to you in temperament. Don't believe me? How about we try it next time?"
"You… what… what exactly are you talking about?!" Yukino was overwhelmed with shame, completely losing her usual rational composure.
Ren smiled mischievously and said, "It's just that Yukino-chan can try calling out 'Daddy' a few times or something."
"Shut… shut up!" Finally, Yukino, stimulated to the extreme, exploded.
…
"Mother, I'm back." Haruno returned home with a smile. Yukinoshita Miyuki was currently sitting in the living room, rubbing her brow. Ever since Haruno had returned all sorts of affairs back to her, she had been physically and mentally exhausted, accumulating enormous pressure and fatigue. Once again, she experienced the Yukinoshita family's mountain-like restraints and pressure.
Hearing Haruno's voice, she put down her hand and opened her eyes. Seeing Haruno slowly walk over, the faint smile and sweetness at the corner of Haruno's lips made the Matriarch feel a sense of distraction. In the Matriarch's impression, it seemed like she hadn't seen Haruno's true smile in a long time.
"Haruno, why are you back at this hour?" Haruno placed her shoulder bag on the sofa, narrowed her eyes, walked behind the Matriarch, and proactively used her slender hands to massage her shoulders. "I came back to see Mother, oh. Mother must have been very tired recently too, with the Yukinoshita family's pile of affairs."
"..." The Matriarch was somewhat at a loss for what to do with her eldest daughter's sudden concern. It seemed that ever since Haruno and Yukino had become sensible, they had never been like this. Haruno, without any restraints, had completely figured things out. Mother was still her mother; no matter what Mother had been like in the past, she wanted to have a perfect family. Therefore, her concern for the Matriarch at this moment came from the bottom of her heart.
It was precisely because she felt Haruno's heartfelt concern that the Matriarch was at a loss. A kind of warm emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time inexplicably welled up in her heart. Noticing her mother's body tensing up because of her actions, Haruno felt tenderness in her heart. So it turned out that Mother was also such a lonely person.
"Mother, I want to tell you something."
"You… you say…" The Matriarch tried her best to relax her body.
Haruno softly said, "Yukino and I have now moved to Ren's place to live."
"..." The Matriarch's expression was complicated; things had already developed to this point. Both of her daughters were about to leave her. Perhaps this was the punishment for the expectations she had forced upon them. But Haruno's next words caught her off guard, even making her feel apprehensive.
"Mother, the house there has 3 bedrooms; I feel that our family shouldn't be separated." Haruno's words were sincere. And the meaning beyond those words was wanting to say to let Mother also move over. The Matriarch naturally understood this implication.
With her back to Haruno, the Matriarch slightly trembled; it was her heart that was trembling. She had thought that her daughters had already left her and that they would gradually drift further and further apart in the future. But Haruno's sudden concern seemed to shake that heart wall that was about to close.
Haruno anticipated her mother's choice. The heart wall was shaken, but only for that 1 instant. As a result, the Matriarch raised her right hand and touched Haruno's hand on her left shoulder, gently stroking it.
With her back to her, her mouth actually carried a rare gentleness. "Haruno, your happiness shouldn't have my presence; go live the life you want to live."
"The Yukinoshita family needs me."
Haruno was silent. This surname had once suffocated her, and now everything was once again pressing down on her mother. She knew that everything was not so easy to change, but Haruno would not give up. She wanted to let her mother also escape the Yukinoshita family's restraints.
She herself might not be able to do it, but Ren definitely could. Haruno unconditionally trusted her man; she deeply understood his strength. Every word she had said in the past was not as simple as a joke. Now Haruno was not prepared to continue this topic. Her mother was also a stubborn woman, not so easy to give up on a decision.
"En, I understand, Mother." Nodding her head, Haruno walked to the shoulder bag, picked it up, and smilingly requested of the Matriarch, "Mother, these are Yukino's clothes; Yukino-chan said she wanted Mother to help her wash them."
"Me?" The Matriarch frowned. "Didn't I educate her that she should do her own things herself?"
Haruno revealed a brilliant smile. "Well, Yukino-chan is actually missing Mother, oh; she really wants to act spoiled."
"Act spoiled…" The Yukino in her impression had never seemed to act spoiled; was this also because of Ren's changes? The Matriarch sighed, got up, picked up the clothes, and shook her head, saying, "Even after leaving, she doesn't let people feel at ease; it seems like it was a mistake in my education."
She said this with her mouth, but her body was quite honest as she walked towards the bathroom. Haruno watched her mother's back, unable to stop the smile on her lips. There was the joy of her mother being sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. There was also the anticipation of her mother's next reaction.
The Matriarch prepared to hand-wash Yukino's clothes. She took out Yukino's clothes and put them into the washbasin. A school uniform top plus a skirt, as well as long stockings; after flipping through them, her underwear was also there. Only when she reached out to take the triangular undergarment did she feel something strange; it seemed bulging.
"Hmm?" Her finger strangely rubbed it a bit; it seemed very wet. Why? She didn't think that Yukino, who was so old, would still be incontinent.
"..." No… perhaps that wasn't certain either. Even she herself would be scared into incontinence at this age. What am I thinking about! The Matriarch quickly stopped this thought. She opened the undergarment with both hands. Immediately, she saw the situation inside.
"What is this inside?" She saw a gelatinous substance, a lot of it. She reached out and fiddled with some of it; it was sticky. Slightly frowning, she brought her finger close to her nose and sniffed.
"!!!" In an instant, her expression changed erratically. This rich, peculiar scent. It was milk! How could there be so much milk in Yukino's undergarment?!