Though the two of them had been goofing around the whole time, the progress on the doujinshi was moving at a surprising speed.
By the time Kyousuke left, they had already completed about a third of the manga.
Of course, Eriri had also been dragged into doing radio calisthenics and eye exercises three times.
"Tomorrow, I'm taking the day off to finish the rest at home, so don't come over and mess things up."
Under the warm glow of the porch light, Eriri leaned against the white wooden doorframe.
She looked at the boy who had obediently struck pose after pose for her all day without a single complaint. Her eyes held a trace of reluctance.
"Relax! My grades are way better than yours. Taking a day off won't affect me at all!"
Standing at the bottom of the steps, Kyousuke turned back with a grin, giving her a thumbs-up. His bright smile revealed eight perfectly white teeth.
"You idiot! Always saying annoying stuff like that. I told you not to come tomorrow!"
Even though his words were irritating, the fact that he was still planning to come made her heart flutter a little.
"See you at eight in the morning. Get some rest tonight." Kyousuke made an "8" gesture with his fingers before walking over to his motorbike.
"Who the heck wakes up that early when there's no school? I'm not opening the door if you show up!" Eriri bared her small tiger-like teeth in a mock-threatening expression, but instead of going inside.
She stayed right where she was, still watching him.
Kyousuke waved a casual goodbye and straddled his bike.
As he adjusted his helmet, he caught sight of a tall window up ahead.
Behind it, Mrs. Sayuri, dressed in a long black dress with a deep green silk shawl draped over her shoulders, smiling and gave him a graceful nod.
Realizing she was thanking him for keeping Eriri company today, Kyousuke quickly returned the bow while still seated on his motorbike.
"See you tomorrow."
Just as he started the engine, he heard her familiar bratty voice call out behind him.
Amused, he resisted the urge to turn around and tease her. Instead, he simply raised a hand in farewell and rode off toward the estate's gates.
———————————————————————
"Hmm hmm hmm~ Hmmm hmm~"
Closing the door behind her, Eriri hummed a tune as she plopped down on the living room sofa.
She grabbed the remote, ready to catch up on the anime she'd missed.
"Mom, can you grab me a Coke and a bag of chips?" she called out, flopping onto the couch like a puddle of slime, her voice oozing lazy affection.
Now that she was out of her creative zone, all the built-up fatigue hit her like a wave.
Her arms felt too heavy to lift.
Still, compared to the rush jobs she'd done in the past, this time felt way more manageable and she had Kyousuke's forced stretching sessions to thank for that.
"You're not worried about the doujin event anymore?" asked Sawamura Sayuri as she handed her daughter a cola that had been sitting out to lose its chill.
"Ugh, it's not cold enough," Eriri muttered, eyes glued to the screen.
She didn't bother answering the question, whether because of the anime or sheer distraction, who knew?
"It's almost bedtime, you know. Drinking soda this late is already bad enough, but if it's too cold, it'll stunt your growth," Sayuri said with a smile, sitting beside her daughter and crossing her legs elegantly.
"Ugh…" Eriri paused mid-sip. She glanced at herself, then at the bubbling, tempting soda in her hands.
"One more sip! I'll save the rest for tomorrow!" she declared, her azure eyes burning with resolve.
"But if you leave it for tomorrow, all the fizz will be gone. It won't taste the same," her devious otaku mom whispered with a sly grin.
"Ughhh~" Eriri grabbed a fistful of her silky blonde hair, face scrunched up in conflict.
"Tell you what, let's share. I grew up going to bed early and waking up on time during my growth years, so I can handle a bit of soda now."
'Guh—'
Before Eriri could even celebrate, she looked over at her mom's perfectly proportioned figure even just sitting on the sofa and then back at her own... and felt like a knife had stabbed her in the heart.
"Just take it all, Mom. I'm going to wash up and get ready for bed. I give up."
'Goodbye, cruel world.'
"You're not watching your anime? Didn't you say you were really looking forward to this episode?"
The voice of temptation whispered behind her, but Eriri didn't falter. She knew better.
She had biology class to thank for that. her growth phase wasn't over yet! She still had so much untapped genetic potential!
No more late nights. More exercise. That's the plan! Hmph!
———————————————————————
As she walked into the bathroom, Eriri was surprised to find the tub already filled with warm water.
"Mom, were you planning to take a bath?"
"Nope, that's for you."
They were wealthy enough to have multiple baths and didn't need to follow the typical Japanese custom of using the same water in turns.
In fact, if not for the hassle, they could easily bathe in separate bathrooms every time.
"Oh... okay then."
"Want me to scrub your back?"
"Who even needs that?! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Eriri's flustered voice echoed from the bathroom.
Sayuri, sipping from her daughter's leftover cola now poured into a glass, let out a soft laugh as she gazed toward the bathroom door.
'Kyousuke-kun really has brought a lot of change to her...'
She turned toward the TV, her heart full of quiet satisfaction.
Ever since Eriri decided to submit a new work to this doujin event, she'd skipped all her after-school club activities.
She even ate dinner faster than ever just to get back to her room and keep drawing.
If Sayuri hadn't brought in Kyousuke and his "break-time theory," Eriri would've worked nonstop without a single pause for rest.
The looming deadline, the pressure of attending her first doujin event as a creator—Sayuri could tell her daughter was strung as tight as a wire.
Both she and her husband had tried suggesting Eriri withdraw and aim for the next event instead, giving her more time to perfect her work.
"No way! I already promised that idiot!" Eriri had said without even stopping her pen.
Seeing her daughter in that green tracksuit, back straight, eyes focused behind black-rimmed glasses, Sayuri had almost melted on the spot.
She and her husband quickly agreed: time to call in reinforcements.
Sure enough, Kyousuke had an immediate effect.
Even if some of the sounds coming from the room were a little questionable, Eriri's whole energy had shifted.
And the progress on her doujin had skyrocketed.
Still… things were moving too fast.
Maybe it was time for a little mother-daughter heart-to-heart.
With that thought, Sayuri stepped into another bathroom this one also already filled with perfectly warmed water, thanks to the fully automated system.
After her bath, Eriri dried her hair, slipped into a white sleep dress with red stripes, and collapsed face-first onto her bed.
Her golden hair fanned out behind her like a blooming daisy.
She eagerly pulled out her phone and started watching the videos she had taken earlier with Kyousuke, one after another.
'Click.'
The moment she heard the door unlock, Eriri quickly shoved her phone under her body and turned her head.
"Ah—Mom! What are you doing here?"
"I came in because I thought I heard you calling me," Sayuri said with a gentle smile.
She was wearing the same sleep dress as her daughter and casually made her way to the bed, lying down beside Eriri.
"I didn't call you," Eriri mumbled as she squirmed like a worm, scooting closer to her mother and resting her head against her.
"Last time Kyousuke-kun came over, didn't you also talk my ear off all night? I figured you'd probably have a lot to say again tonight," Sayuri said as she lovingly stroked her daughter's golden hair.
"I did not! Don't make things up! Who would want to talk about that guy?" Eriri fired back, quickly denying it three times in a row.
"I noticed you added something new to your doujinshi. What is it?"
Truthfully, aside from the occasional fruit delivery, this was Sayuri's first time actually stepping into her daughter's room.
Until now, she'd only been able to guess the progress of the doujinshi from Eriri's behavior.
She had no idea what the actual contents were but she did know that this project was based on her daughter's real-life interactions with Kyousuke.
If there was new content, it had to be about him.
"It's the male lead's character design. Mom, you won't believe it, turns out Kyousuke's actually the leader of that biker gang in Bunkyo Ward, the 'Rampaging Angel'! And get this he's also a kendo instructor!"
Sayuri watched her daughter beam with excitement and didn't bat an eye at the revelation of Kyousuke's "delinquent" background.
After all, ever since he first visited their home, Sayuri and her husband had already done a thorough background check on the boy who had suddenly appeared in their daughter's life.
Everything Eriri had just found out they had known for quite some time.
In fact, Sayuri even knew all about the girls around Hojou-kun.
That's precisely why she had come tonight to have a little heart-to-heart with her daughter about certain things.
Like keeping emotional distance, navigating attraction, understanding personal space... the usual mother-daughter wisdom.
Of course, she wasn't about to directly ask Eriri if she liked Kyousuke. Sayuri could tell—her daughter wasn't in love just yet.
Not quite.
Right now, those feelings were more about having finally found someone with whom she could completely be herself.
A friend she didn't have to pretend in front of. And that, Sayuri understood perfectly.
Eriri had spent so much time hiding behind her "rich girl" persona, bottling up all sorts of emotions.
Then along came someone even more capable than her "mask", someone who chose to dive into the otaku world.
Of course she'd be overjoyed.
Still, Sayuri worried.
A guy that exceptional… if things kept going at this pace, her naïve little girl might fall head over heels before she even realized it.
That's why this talk was necessary.
"Lilly, next time you can't let Kyousuke-kun just hug you like that. Even if it's for 'art reference, it's still not okay!"
"W-What are you saying?!!" Eriri cried, burying her head deeper into her mom's side.
"Or… could it be that you like being hugged by Hojou-kun?"
"Of course not! Who would enjoy being hugged by that guy?! His whole body's all muscular and stiff it's not even comfortable!"
'...Yeah. This talk might already be a lost cause.'