Tokyo, inside the Sawamura family's apartment
Sayuri walked up the stairs, carefully opening her daughter's room door to check on her.
"Still no change..."
Even though it was broad daylight, Eriri's room remained completely dark. The air inside was damp and stifling, making it hard to breathe.
Sayuri stepped inside, looking at Eriri lying on the bed, and softly called out.
"Eriri... Eriri!"
"I'm awake..." With her mother's call, Eriri immediately sat up from the bed.
"Eriri... Are you going to school today? I heard your school is holding some kind of event..."
"My friend already told me about it..."
"Then do you want to go? Staying at home all day must be boring."
Eriri hadn't gone out for over a week. As her mother, Sayuri was both worried and anxious.
She knew her daughter was a hardcore otaku, so staying indoors for a week or two wasn't unusual.
But not like this—Eriri looked lifeless, as if she were on the verge of death.
Hearing her mother's words, Eriri shook her head and lay back down on the bed.
"I don't want to go. Just call in sick."
Sayuri had expected her daughter to refuse, but she still tried to persuade her.
"Not going? It's a school event, after all. What if Hakuto is going?"
At the mention of Hakuto's name, Eriri's body trembled uncontrollably. She sat up again and looked at her mother.
But the next second, she let out a helpless laugh and shook her head.
"He's studying in another school as an exchange student. He won't be there..."
Hearing her daughter's response, Sayuri almost wanted to slap her on the spot. How could someone be this much of a loser?!
"Who said he's not going? I'll ask him for you!" Sayuri pulled Eriri up and took out her phone, opening Hakuto's contact.
[Hakuto, are you going to today's school event?]
The moment she sent the message, she regretted it. Hakuto most likely wouldn't be attending. But she couldn't stand watching her daughter like this any longer.
Then she realized—if Eriri saw Hakuto's response saying he wasn't going, wouldn't that just hurt her even more?
Sayuri instinctively wanted to put her phone away, but Eriri stopped her.
It was clear—Eriri wanted to know if Hakuto would be there, even if it was unlikely.
The next second, Sayuri's phone vibrated. Hakuto had replied.
"Mom... What did Shiratori say?"
There was hesitation and worry in Eriri's voice. It was obvious she hoped he would go.
Sayuri smiled at the message and handed the phone to her daughter.
"See for yourself."
[Of course I'm going. Why? Is Sayuri-san coming to check on my business? (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)]
Eriri trembled as she read the message, nearly fainting on the spot.
"He's going... He's really going..."
Sayuri gently patted Eriri's head and spoke softly.
"Get ready. There's still time. Your art club should have a place at the event."
Eriri didn't respond. She just stared blankly at her mother.
Sayuri could tell her daughter was hesitating, so she continued.
"Still don't want to go?"
"Shiratori..." Eriri finally spoke, pausing for a long time before continuing.
"He probably doesn't want to see me... After how I treated him before..."
That short sentence seemed to drain all the strength from Eriri's body.
"If you don't try, how will you know? Remember, at the night market last time, Hakuto was the one who greeted you first."
Sayuri knew Hakuto probably did that because of her, but she didn't say it out loud.
Even if it was a lie, as long as it helped her daughter move forward, she didn't care how many lies she had to tell.
"Really...?"
"Even if you can't go back to how things were, at least apologize to him properly."
"Apologize... Right... Apologize..."
Hearing her mother's words, Eriri seemed to find her resolve.
Sayuri didn't care what Eriri was thinking anymore. As long as she got her to face Hakuto, she would understand her own feelings.
Looking at Eriri now, Sayuri couldn't help but feel a little regret. Was it really the right decision to find Hakuto two years ago?
She glanced at the contract still hidden in her drawer, then at her daughter in her arms.
If Eriri ever found out that Hakuto had been doing everything purely as a business deal, Sayuri had no idea how much it would hurt her.
That's why she planned to take this secret to the grave.
There was no benefit in revealing it.
Meanwhile, on Hakuto's side, he had just finished moving things when he heard a familiar voice nearby.
"Yo! Shiratori, you're here early!"
"Oh~ Long time no see, Shizuka-sensei!"
Shizuka casually draped an arm over Hakuto's shoulder, completely ignoring the concept of personal space between men and women.
"I thought you'd show up right on time. What's this? Are Hoshinoumi Academy's rules too strict for you to slack off?"
Hakuto shook his head.
"Not really. I just got dragged here by a certain idiot..."
To be honest, when Nao called him at six in the morning, he thought it was something urgent.
He even worried that Otosaka Yuu had figured out his power to steal abilities and was about to start saving the world.
"Hmm? Idiot?" Shizuka looked puzzled. After all, there were very few people who could boss Hakuto around.
Hakuto pointed to Nao, who was setting up the event nearby.
"Oh, that one over there. The student council president of Hoshinoumi Academy."
Shizuka glanced at Nao, already aware that Hakuto had joined the student council. What surprised her was that he actually listened to his president's orders.
"You've changed a lot. Now I'm really looking forward to when you return to Toyosaki." She ruffled Hakuto's hair, messing it up completely.
"Don't look forward to it. Just pray I don't get into too many fights."
"I hope you get into more fights!"
"Hey, hey, you're a teacher! That's not very professional of you."
"Class hasn't started yet!"
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