Chapter 144: Unfamiliar Bed
During dinner, Eriri looked at Kaede across from her. Although she wasn't sure why, she felt that something was off.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Kaede-kun, did something happen?"
"Hmm?"
He couldn't help but get distracted thinking about the things his dad had put in his bedroom. After snapping back, Kaede smiled and shook his head, "No, I was just thinking about some manga paneling."
There was no other way; he could only make up an excuse like that. At least for now, he couldn't let Eriri know. He needed to distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.
Eriri ate a piece of vegetable, her expression still a little confused.
After dinner, Eriri suggested, "Kaede-kun, do you want to draw manga?"
"Didn't I say? Today's workload was split between yesterday and tomorrow, so today is a small break."
Pulling Eriri to sit on the sofa, Kaede poured two cups of tea and said, "Besides, you woke up quite early this morning, and weren't you yawning occasionally this afternoon? Let's just play some games today and get some early rest."
"Hehe, Kaede-kun, you saw that?"
Eriri said somewhat shyly. She had thought her actions were quite discreet, but she was still caught.
"Of course."
Turning on the PS4 and handing Eriri a controller, Kaede said, "Before we moved in together a few days ago, you never woke up this early. It's a rare occurrence, so you're bound to be unaccustomed to it. Starting tomorrow, waking up around 8:30 AM should be fine, right? Any later, and you won't be able to adjust your body clock properly once school starts."
"Mhm, I know!"
Then the two of them started playing games.
Because they weren't playing a fast-paced game, Eriri still had time to chat with Kaede: "Kaede-kun, do you think Mizuki has a chance to date Uchimaki-san?"
"Dating? Why are you asking me about something like that? How would I know?"
Kaede replied, then pondered for a moment and said, "As for the possibility, it's not impossible, but if the person is Uchimaki, it's still relatively low. How should I put it, Uchimaki's personality isn't quite suitable for a boyfriend."
"Eh? Why do you say that? Is it just because he spends all day drawing 2d waifu?"
Nodding, Kaede said, "That's part of the reason. Also, I think for Usami, it would be very difficult for her to truly enter Uchimaki's heart. After all, for two people to get together, besides personality, hobbies are also an aspect that needs to be considered. Not having topics for daily conversation is a very terrifying thing; forcing topics will only make the atmosphere more awkward.
It's like you and me, Eriri. If either you or I didn't have hobbies like games and anime, or if one of us hadn't joined the Art Club, then it would be unlikely for us to have the life we have now, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm~~~ It does seem that way."
After thinking carefully, Eriri agreed, saying, "It would be quite troublesome if there were no common topics. So what should Mizuki do?"
"If you ask me to think, I can't think of a solution either."
Kaede said, spreading his hands, "The main problem is that guy Uchimaki. Honestly, I really don't quite understand him. Does he intend to never fall in love or get married for the rest of his life? I bet he hasn't even thought about that question."
Eriri listened, and couldn't help but ponder, "Kaede-kun, do you think it's possible that Uchimaki-san was hurt by some girl before, which is why he chose to escape like this?"
"Uh… Eriri, your perspective is truly unique. How come I didn't think of that?"
Putting down the controller, Kaede rubbed his chin and said, "While that's a possible angle, I don't think something like that is likely to happen to Uchimaki. Although he seems quite straightforward and not overly complex, he's definitely not the type to be easily deceived or hurt."
A guy's evaluation of another guy is always more accurate, so Eriri stopped making wild guesses.
"It looks like Mizuki's situation will still depend on her."
"We can't really help with something like this anyway, at most we can give some information about Uchimaki's preferences. But Usami probably already knows all that, since it's no secret."
Eriri smiled and nodded, then continued to play the game seriously.
Soon, it was 11 PM.
Eriri, holding the controller, couldn't help but yawn.
Seeing this, Kaede timely took Eriri's controller, exited the game, and turned off the console: "Alright, Eriri, you're tired. Go take a shower and get ready for bed."
"Mm, I am a bit sleepy."
Yawning again, Eriri slowly walked to her bedroom, got her pajamas, and went to the bathroom. Then she suddenly remembered something and rushed into the living room.
"Kaede-Kaede-kun!"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Kaede looked at the flushed, hurried Eriri, feeling a little confused.
"Th-that…"
"What exactly is wrong?"
Eriri fidgeted for a bit, then said, "My… my clothes from yesterday…"
"Oh, that." Kaede suddenly understood and said with a smile, "Because we had guests coming today, I didn't wash them last night. I planned to wash them with today's clothes. They're still covered in the basket in the bathroom, didn't you see them?"
"Oh… so that's it."
Eriri had rushed out without observing, and only after Kaede explained did she show an embarrassed smile: "Ah, ah haha, then I'll go take a shower. Also, I'll wash my own clothes!"
So she was shy about that.
Kaede nodded: "That's fine, but Eriri, you only need to wash your intimates. The rest can go in the washing machine."
After all, it's not like he hadn't seen them before.
"I know!"
She said and then rushed into the bathroom.
Her shower time was about the same as yesterday, but because she also washed clothes, Eriri must have compressed some of her showering time.
After Eriri finished, Kaede quickly took a shower and then washed his own clothes. The ones that needed to go in the washing machine could wait until tomorrow morning; there was no rush, as they had mostly been indoors these two days and hadn't sweated.
He warmed a cup of milk for Eriri, and after they both finished drinking, it was finally time for bed.
But just as Kaede was about to enter his room, Eriri's bedroom door opened, and Eriri, who had already gone in, came out holding her pillow.
Under Kaede's gaze, Eriri mustered all her courage, covering half her face with the pillow, and whispered, "I… I have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds…"
This wasn't a lie; Eriri really did have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds. Last night, it took her a full hour to fall asleep.
And Eriri's action, her meaning was self-evident.
Kaede naturally wouldn't refuse, and smiling, he pulled Eriri into his room.