Before the feigning-sleeping Eriri could explain in the group chat, she suddenly felt someone pinch her nose hard.
"Ouch!"
Eriri's eyes flew open, immediately meeting a pair of amused eyes.
Beside her, she could see Luo Shu standing close to Sayuri Sawamura, making a cross gesture at her as if bidding a final farewell.
Witnessing this, Eriri couldn't help but murmur: "I'm not going to die, am I?"
"You won't die."
Sayuri pinched Eriri's nose again, both exasperated and amused:
"But your pretending-to-sleep skills have improved, haven't they?"
Hearing this, Eriri immediately propped herself up on her elbows and sat up, defending herself:
"I really was asleep at first! I was exhausted today! But later, you guys weren't even trying to keep your voices down, so I woke up! It's really not my fault!"
"So it's my fault then?" Sayuri asked with a radiant smile.
Eriri shivered at this and quickly knelt properly before Sayuri, admitting meekly:
"It's my fault! Everything's my fault."
"And what exactly is your fault?" Sayuri asked playfully.
At this, Eriri's face froze. She lowered her head, racking her brains for an excuse but coming up empty. Finally, she slumped and muttered:
"I shouldn't have come. Since no one actually died, I should've just stayed home... no, I should've stayed outside."
Because even at home, she might encounter this kind of situation!!
"You!!"
Sayuri could only sigh at this:
"Not attending your father's funeral? Do you want people to laugh at the Sawamura Family?"
"But he's not actually dead?" Eriri mumbled, then suddenly seemed to remember something and glanced at Luo Shu.
Seeing her expression, Luo Shu immediately understood and said irritably:
"What? Want me lying in a coffin so you can kneel before it?"
Before Eriri could react, Sayuri's face flushed red, and she pushed Luo Shu.
Shifting slightly from the push, Luo Shu deflected:
"Eriri was the one who thought of it first! Pushing me won't change that!"
Seeing Luo Shu shifting blame, Eriri panicked:
"But I didn't say anything! You're the one who thought of that weird stuff!!"
Luo Shu glared: "Can you swear you weren't just thinking 'if you were my dad, then you'd be the dead one'?"
"You're the one saying all this!" Eriri insisted on pinning the blame on Luo Shu for these strange remarks.
This was too big a blame to take - if she admitted it, Sayuri would skin her alive.
Luo Shu sneered coldly: "With that expression of yours, I know exactly what you're thinking even if you say nothing."
Hearing this, Eriri complained unhappily: "Are you some kind of tapeworm living in my stomach? You know everything! Then tell me what I'm thinking right now!!"
"Then open your mouth and let me crawl in to check! How can the tapeworm see your thoughts if it's not inside you?"
"You're disgusting!!"
Watching their bickering, Sayuri Sawamura's expression grew increasingly peculiar.
Why does this feel so much like a father and daughter...
Feeling particularly conflicted, Sayuri watched as the two glared at each other angrily, before finally bursting into laughter:
"Alright, you two, stop fooling around!"
"Aren't you both too old for this sort of thing?"
Hearing this, Eriri huffed irritably and turned her head away from Luo Shu.
In response, Luo Shu just sneered:
"Immature!"
Then he turned to look at the smiling Sayuri Sawamura and rolled his eyes:
"What's so funny? Why are you grinning like that? Aren't you going to discipline your daughter?"
Sayuri kept laughing without pause at Luo Shu's words.
Only after Luo Shu and Eriri had settled entirely down did Sayuri leisurely remark:
"You two should at least try to adjust your attitudes, lest Emma comes over... Ah, actually, perhaps no adjustment is needed."
Sayuri Sawamura touched her cheek and suddenly felt that Luo Shu and Eriri's bickering had a certain 'love-hate relationship' vibe to it.
A vague idea formed in Sayuri's mind, and she said with a smile:
"Fine, you two might as well keep this up!"
"Huh?" Eriri blinked in confusion at these words.
Luo Shu, however, gave Sayuri a strange look before warning:
"Don't take this too far and end up unable to rein it in."
"What does it matter~" Sayuri replied cheerfully. "Given our situation now~ what's the harm in stirring things up without worrying about consequences?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu opened his mouth as if to speak, hesitated, then finally sighed:
"Have it your way."
He'd figured it out – Sayuri was planning to use him and Eriri to provoke Enigma.
But as Sayuri had just said, since both were his Familia members, as long as too many people didn't find out, there was no need to worry about consequences.
Thus, Luo Shu tacitly accepted Sayuri's scheme.
Seeing Luo Shu's acquiescence, Sayuri revealed a sly smile:
"I'm suddenly looking forward to Emma's arrival!"
Luo Shu rolled his eyes and ignored her.
Meanwhile, Eriri muttered: "I've got a bad feeling about this..."
"Can I go to bed early?"
"No!" Sayuri refused without hesitation. "Eriri, you must keep vigil for your dear father!"
"Eriri, you need to learn to be strong!"
"...Why does that make me even more worried?"
Eriri's face twitched, but she ultimately couldn't defy Sayuri and obediently knelt nearby.
The three sat not far from the coffin. Before long, Monk Jingnian arrived at the mourning hall carrying a lantern and addressed them:
"Prepare yourselves. The temple's main gate has opened."
Meaning their guest had arrived.
Hearing this, Sayuri's smile brightened momentarily before she composed her face into an expression of utter grief, kneeling silently before the coffin.
This instantaneous acting made Luo Shu and Eriri glance meaningfully at Jingnian.
Unable to bear their stares, the monk finally said:
"She originally joined the drama club in school, planning to debut in Takarazuka. So her acting skills are... reasonable, right?"
'You know that's not what we meant...'
Under Luo Shu and Eriri's somewhat disdainful gazes, Jingnian awkwardly muttered "I'll guide the guest" before hastily retreating.
The wait wasn't long.
About eight minutes later, led by lantern-bearing Jingnian, a black-haired girl in black dress crossed the stone bridge, slowly approaching the main hall.