Chapter 305 Are You a Devil?
As soon as they entered the apartment, meowing sounds came, and then Kaede and Eriri saw three Cats, one large and two small, running towards them.
"Ah! Camearra~~~"
Eriri quickly put down her suitcase, squatted down, and hugged the approaching Camearra, rubbing against her frantically: "I missed you so much~~~ Ah, you feel a bit heavier again."
Kaede smiled helplessly, and could only pick up the other two little ones who were tugging at his pant legs.
"You guys are really enthusiastic. Don't look at me like that; I don't have any big gifts for you, just some dried fish."
After playing with the Cats for a while, Kaede and Eriri returned to their room, put away their luggage, and changed their clothes.
In the kitchen, Asakura Reiko had already started to get busy. Seeing this, Kaede told Eriri that he was going to help, while Eriri went to the living room and started chatting with Sawamura Sayuri, hugging her arm.
"Mom, where are Dad and Kiichi Uncle?"
"They went out to buy cigarettes and will be back soon," Sawamura Sayuri said with a smile, "Did you have fun these past few days?"
"Fun!"
Speaking of the trip, Eriri happily squinted her eyes. "We played all over Hokkaido these past few days! I took photos, you know, and I promised to save them and show them to you when we got back."
With that, Eriri took out her phone and started showing her mother the photos she took during their trip.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Asakura Reiko was also quietly chatting with her son.
"Kaede, New Year's Eve is today. You don't have any other plans, do you?"
"No plans, actually," Kaede helped his mother cut vegetables, shaking his head. "But didn't we agree before? Our two families would spend New Year's Eve together, and then go for blessings on New Year's Day. There's nothing else. My plans with classmates are also after the 3rd. Do you have something, Mom?"
"No, not really. I just wanted to confirm this with you, Kaede," Asakura Reiko said with a smile. "Since it's arranged, that's fine. You two should rest well these two days, as you must be tired after the trip. Alright, once these vegetables are cut, go and keep Eriri company. I can handle the rest."
In the evening, after the two families had dinner together, the parents went back to their respective homes, leaving Kaede and Eriri alone.
Slumped on the living room sofa, Eriri took a sip of hot tea, her face full of comfort as she said, "Ah~~ Although it's fun outside, home is still the most comfortable. I don't even feel like moving."
"Indeed."
Kaede was in the exact same posture as Eriri, slumped and too lazy to move.
"However, this relaxed pace can only last for these few days. Once the first few days of the New Year pass, we'll be busy again."
"Sigh~~~ Kaede-kun, you always like to say things that don't make me happy at times like this."
Pouting, Eriri turned sideways, lifted her small foot and placed it directly on Kaede's leg, saying, "It's the end of the year, let me completely stay away from work for a few days!"
"I've already let you stay away enough. Originally, I was thinking of starting work the day after we got back."
"Ah! You actually had such a plan? Kaede-kun, are you a devil?"
Saying that, Eriri stomped on Kaede several more times, but the effect was not obvious. Instead, her small foot, clad in white stockings, was caught in Kaede's hand, and then, to her shocked expression, he began to tickle her.
"W-wahahahahaha~~~ Stop... Stop it!!!"
Eriri really couldn't stand being tickled and immediately lay down on the sofa, struggling. Unfortunately, her foot was firmly held by Kaede, so she could only twist and turn.
However, Kaede was still gentle; he wasn't going all out, just tickling her rhythmically, not too fast.
While tickling, he looked at Eriri, who was laughing so hard that tears were almost coming out, and said, "How about it, am I still a devil?"
"W-wah... Devil, Kaede-kun, you are! Wahahahahaha~~~"
"Alright, since you've decided I'm a devil, then I'll show you my true strength!" Kaede's mouth curved slightly, and the frequency of his hand movements quickened, making Eriri feel an even more terrifying itch than before, and her laughter grew louder.
"Ah hahahaha~~~ I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Stop tickling!"
"You admit you're wrong? Then am I still a devil?"
"No! Kaede-kun is the best!"
Only when Eriri begged for mercy did Kaede stop his actions.
After catching her breath for a while, Eriri sat up, pounced on Kaede, and angrily pounded his chest with puffed cheeks, muttering, "That's for bullying me, that's for bullying me..."
Kaede naturally smiled, not fighting back. Those few tickles had already made him very satisfied, so now he let Eriri get her revenge.
After playing around in the living room for a while, they didn't stay there any longer. They took a shower, changed clothes, and went back to their room early to play games under the covers. There was no other choice; they had been out sightseeing all morning and flying back all afternoon without much rest, so they were already a bit sleepy.
After playing for a while, even though it was barely ten o'clock, they decided to get an early night's rest today... The last few days of the year flew by, and finally, a new year arrived.
This year's New Year's Eve was spent at the Sawamura Family's house. The two families watched the Kohaku Uta Gassen together, and only went to bed after midnight ushered in the New Year.
At 7 AM, Kaede groggily opened his eyes, prompted by the alarm clock. After turning off the alarm, he said to Eriri beside him, "It's time to get up. We're going for blessings soon."
Eriri had actually already been woken by the alarm, but she simply didn't want to open her eyes.
"Ugh... So sleepy. I only went to bed close to one last night..."
After saying that, Eriri pulled the covers up further, trying to snooze for a little longer.
But unfortunately, Kaede didn't let her succeed, nor did he indulge her. He simply pulled the covers down and said, "Stop talking, get up quickly. Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to wear a kimono? A brand new one, specially bought. And you also need to wash up and eat breakfast, which takes a lot of time. Wake up quickly."
"Ah... I know~~~"
There was really nothing she could do. Eriri could only close her eyes and let Kaede drag her up: "I knew I shouldn't have bought that outfit."
"Didn't you buy it because you thought it looked good?"
Kaede said while putting on the clothes he had taken from the side, "I'm ready. I'm going to wash up first. Don't lie back down after I leave, okay?"
"I know!"
Scratching her messy hair, Eriri opened her eyes and wobbled as she took the clothes from the chair.