Chapter 145: Little Actions
In the early morning, the summer sun gradually rose, but the bedroom remained quiet, with only the occasional faint sound of the air conditioner delivering cool air into the room.
On the double bed in the bedroom, Eriri, who had initially been sleeping separately but had somehow slipped out of her blanket and was now nestled in Kaede's arms, stirred uncomfortably and opened her eyes.
"What's poking me…"
She mumbled groggily, and then Eriri realized that a pair of arms was holding her tightly.
Looking up, Eriri saw Kaede, still fast asleep with his eyes closed.
Eriri's expression shifted from the dazedness of just waking up to confusion, and then to shyness.
As for the reason she woke up so early, the thing poking her, Eriri knew what it was without even thinking.
Placing her hands on her chest, Eriri forced herself to relax and whispered, "Hmm… boys, it's normal to be full of energy in the morning. I'll get used to it."
She shifted back slightly. Although she was wearing pajama bottoms, this still made Eriri feel shy.
She took a moment, and without disturbing Kaede, Eriri got her phone and checked the time.
"It's only 7:30 AM. We said 8:30 AM was fine to wake up, so I can still sleep a bit longer, right?"
She said that, but Eriri found herself not sleepy at all.
Was it because she slept on time last night? Or… Eriri couldn't help but glance at Kaede, who was holding her, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Guh-hehe~~~"
She rubbed her small head against Kaede's chest and whispered, "Compared to that time I slept during the nap, sleeping a whole night in Kaede-kun's arms feels even better. And I really didn't have any trouble sleeping in the unfamiliar bed."
The only thing that made Eriri a little depressed was that nothing happened last night.
Eriri had originally thought that sleeping in Kaede's bedroom last night would lead to some harmonious events, but it turned out to be just a peaceful night's sleep.
Was it because she had wrapped herself in a blanket and gotten into bed as soon as she came in?
Well, even though by morning, her blanket was thrown to the side, and she didn't know which of them had done it unconsciously in their sleep.
But none of that mattered. Looking at Kaede, who was still fast asleep, Eriri had a good idea. She opened her phone's selfie function and aimed it at herself and Kaede.
Tilting her head slightly, her lips aimed at Kaede's lips, Eriri pressed the capture button.
"Click," the photo was taken.
Looking at the photo on her phone, Eriri smiled with satisfaction, but soon felt that the photo looked a bit strange.
"The angle is pretty good… but it just feels weird."
"Nonsense, isn't this a bed photo you're taking? How could it not be strange?"
"Oh~~~ I knew it, so it's because of this… Eh? Kaede-kun?!"
Eriri came back to her senses, and then she saw Kaede, who hadn't fully woken up yet, yawning and looking at her.
"Good morning, Eriri."
Taking Eriri's phone and placing it aside, Kaede held Eriri tightly in his arms, rubbing her soft long hair, and said, "It's still early, why don't we sleep a bit longer? Holding Eriri while I sleep, I feel like my sleep quality has improved several notches."
"Ugh…"
Because she was only wearing thin pajamas, and they were pressed so tightly together, Eriri felt incredibly nervous, her whole body stiff. After all, it couldn't compare to when Kaede was asleep just now.
"Kaede… Kaede-kun, let go a little, you're poking me…"
"Oh, I thought Eriri wouldn't say anything."
Kaede smiled, affectionately rubbing Eriri's cheek, and his hands also moved through Eriri's pajamas, caressing her slender waist.
"Since you can't sleep, how about we do something that we didn't do last night?"
Listening to Kaede's words, Eriri was already so shy that she covered her face with her hands.
But since she didn't refuse, Kaede didn't hesitate to make his move… At nine in the morning, after coming out of the bathroom, Eriri, with a flushed face, came into the living room. She walked behind Kaede, who was making breakfast, pulled his clothes with both hands, and bumped her head against his back repeatedly.
After making and slicing the sandwiches, Kaede turned around, embraced Eriri, and said with a smile, "Are you mad? Wasn't it quite comfortable just now?"
Although the final step hadn't been taken, Eriri now had no secrets from Kaede.
Looking up, Eriri puffed out her cheeks and said to Kaede, "Kaede-kun, lunch and dinner today are all up to you to prepare!"
"Oh?"
Kaede smiled, looking at Eriri, who exuded a strong girlish charm after her shower, and said with a hint of longing, "I have no problem with that, but if I make the meals, then will you continue to sleep here tonight, Eriri?"
...Hmph, I'm ignoring you!
Compared to sleeping alone, Eriri had to admit that she really liked the feeling of sleeping in Kaede's arms, but she wouldn't admit it so easily. Shyly pulling away from Kaede's embrace, she picked up the finished sandwich from the table and walked toward the sofa.
Kaede naturally understood that she was speaking huffily but wasn't actually refusing, so he didn't expose her.
He finished making the remaining sandwiches, poured two cups of coffee, and brought them over to Eriri's side. The two of them began eating breakfast together.
After breakfast, the two finally started their official work for the day.
Sitting down at the computer desk, Kaede looked at Eriri beside him and said with a smile, "To be honest, since you moved in two days ago, this is the first time I've seen you wearing regular glasses instead of contact lenses, Eriri."
Pushing up her glasses, Eriri said, "Of course. I had to go out on the first day we moved in, and we had guests yesterday, so I naturally wore contact lenses. But wearing them for too long is tiring, so I'll wear these at home from now on. Kaede-kun, what do you think of them?"
It was rare to see Eriri wearing glasses; Kaede had only seen them a few times when visiting her home. At school and when visiting his house, Eriri always wore contact lenses.
Nodding, Kaede said, "They look great. It's a different style from usual, and I like both."
"Hehe~~~"
Eriri, who had received praise from Kaede, happily swung her legs and cheered herself on, saying, "Alright, let's start working! The official serialization starts the day after tomorrow. Let's try to finish drawing this current chapter before then!"
While the two of them were diligently drawing the manga, back at the Asakura Family Home, the couple Asakura Kiichi and Asakura Reiko were packing their luggage in the bedroom.
Asakura Kiichi put clothes into the suitcase and looked at his wife, asking, "Reiko, did you tell Kaede?"
"Not yet. I'll tell him just before we go to the airport tomorrow. They don't need to see us off!"
Asakura Reiko said nonchalantly, "We can just bring Kaede and Eriri some souvenirs when we get back! The two kids are enjoying their time alone right now, so let's not disturb them."
Asakura Kiichi thought about it, and she was right. Plus, he had just told his son about that matter yesterday, so it was better to contact him when they departed tomorrow.