"Eriri, didn't you go on a date with Tomoya? Why are you back so early?"
When Sawamura Sayuri saw her daughter return, a puzzled expression appeared on her face.
"It's already dark. That's not early at all, okay? And it wasn't a date. We only went out to buy things."
That explanation was not particularly convincing when she had returned empty-handed.
Knowing her daughter's personality, Sawamura Sayuri merely smiled and changed the subject. "You've already had dinner, then?"
"Mm, I have. I'm going back to my room."
Once she returned to her room, Eriri threw herself onto her soft bed. She was still wondering whether Shirai Mio had invited her out to do research or go on a date.
Judging by Shirai Mio's behavior today, Eriri could not shake the feeling that Mio was using research as an excuse to go on a date with her.
Now that she thought about it, similar things seemed to have happened before. Shirai Mio had used research as an excuse to make Eriri cooperate with strange activities, such as pushing her down.
Eriri had not found it strange at the time, but in hindsight, the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it became.
Still, Shirai Mio rarely invited her out, and Eriri had promised more than once to treat her to something delicious. Tomorrow, she might as well cooperate and buy her some good food while she was at it.
She would simply consider it repayment for all the help Shirai Mio usually gave her with problems in her doujinshi.
As for whether it was a date, she would find out tomorrow.
At that thought, Eriri relaxed a little and began planning her new work.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time with Shirai Mio lately, whenever she tried to conceive a new work now, her mind filled with interactions between herself and Shirai Mio.
The moment she imagined those interactions, her thoughts quickly sank into peculiar fantasies.
Today was no exception.
Unable to come up with anything useful, Eriri eventually gave up. There was still plenty of time before Summer Comiket. She could take her time thinking about it later.
More importantly, what should she wear tomorrow?
Eriri, who had originally intended to take a bath, stood before her wardrobe and sank into indecision.
Wait. She was only going out to gather references with that white-haired little bitch. There was absolutely no need to agonize over what to wear. It was not a date, so why should she dress so carefully?
Despite thinking that, Eriri still spent nearly half an hour in front of her wardrobe before finally choosing an outfit.
Perhaps she was exhausted from the day, or perhaps it was because she would be going out to gather references with Shirai Mio tomorrow, but Eriri fell asleep before ten.
When she next woke, it was eight in the morning. The ringing alarm woke her from a dream in which she was dating Shirai Mio.
After casually switching it off, Eriri stared at the familiar ceiling while recalling the dream she had just been having.
In the dream, she and Shirai Mio had been on a date. They had gone shopping together, watched a movie together, and finally entered a love hotel together. Then, just as Shirai Mio began undressing, the alarm rang.
For some reason, Eriri felt deeply irritated. If she had known, she would have set the alarm half an hour later.
It was not that she coveted Shirai Mio's body. She had simply wanted to sleep a little longer.
At that moment, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Eriri's mind. If she said she wanted to see Shirai Mio naked, would Shirai Mio show her?
Given Shirai Mio's personality, Eriri suspected she would agree without the slightest hesitation. If the setting were suitable, she might even take off her clothes on the spot.
Wait, what in the world was she thinking?!
Realizing that her thoughts had wandered off course again, Eriri immediately got out of bed and entered the bathroom. Only after splashing cold water over her face to calm herself did she start her usual morning routine.
Sawamura Sayuri was sitting in the living room reading. When she saw how carefully her daughter had dressed, she asked curiously, "Eriri, who are you going on a date with today?"
"Is dating all you ever think about?"
"Of course not. You just look so pretty that you seem like you're going on one."
"It's not a date. I'm only going out with a friend to gather some materi—just go shopping."
"A friend? Don't tell me it's Mio-chan."
"Mm."
After receiving her daughter's confirmation, Sawamura Sayuri nodded thoughtfully. "Your father and I are very open-minded. Even if it's another girl, as long as you like her, we can accept it."
At her mother's words, Eriri gave her mother a sweet but menacing glare. How could she possibly like that white-haired little bitch?!
Still, she knew her mother's personality. The more she tried to explain at a time like this, the more unnecessary misunderstandings she would create.
So Eriri said nothing more. After breakfast, she sat down on the living room sofa and took out her phone.
She and Shirai Mio had agreed to meet at ten in the morning, here at her house.
All she needed to do now was wait for Shirai Mio to ring the doorbell.
Even so, Eriri kept turning toward the entrance from time to time, looking every bit as though she could hardly wait.
Seeing this, Sawamura Sayuri chuckled. "If you're so concerned about when Mio-chan will arrive, why not call or message her?"
"Who's concerned about when she'll arrive?!" Eriri reflexively retorted.
In truth, she had already considered doing exactly that. The problem was that if she actually called or messaged Shirai Mio, would that not make it seem as though she desperately wanted her to hurry over?
So she decided against it.
Eriri could not shake the feeling that she was deceiving herself.
At that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang. Eriri shot to her feet and hurried to the door. She opened it, already about to say, "You took too long," only to discover that the person standing outside was not Shirai Mio but a delivery worker holding a package.
"Is Ms. Sawamura home? I have a package for her."
"It looks like something I ordered online has arrived." Sawamura Sayuri walked over to the delivery worker, casually signed her name, and accepted the package.
She turned toward her daughter with an apologetic look. "Sorry for getting your hopes up for nothing."
"W-Who got their hopes up?!" Eriri said guiltily.
Just as she was about to close the door, a familiar flash of silver-white finally entered her field of vision.
······