After a long time, Eriri finally had something to show off to Sayuri.
"Mom, how do you like my painting?" The girl was holding the painting she had just finished, showcasing it to Sayuri on her digital drawing tablet.
"Is that me?" Sayuri was surprised. She didn't expect that she held such a significant place in her daughter's heart, so much so that Eriri secretly drew her portrait.
But soon, she noticed something amiss.
The person in the portrait was definitely her, but what was with that expression?
At first glance, Sayuri in the painting looked like a noble lady, gentle and kind, with a traditional Japanese daughter's aura.
This wasn't surprising. Even though the reason for Sayuri's upbringing remained a mystery, they initially aimed to raise their only daughter to be a traditional Japanese daughter.
In Japan, male heirs were always the primary choice, and only when there was no other option would they consider a son-in-law.
Who could have imagined that the Zemu family wouldn't even have a male heir for all those years?
Fortunately, Sayuri went off the rails during her growth…
Ugh, what was there to celebrate about that?
Back to the portrait, Sayuri saw her traditional daughter's side in the painting, but then she noticed something was off.
Her lips curled up into a mischievous smile, and her eyes held a mischievous glint. She felt that if they added devil horns to her ears and a small tail behind her, she would be a devil.
"Is this really how I look in Eriri's eyes?" Sayuri was astonished. When did her daughter's eyes become so sharp?
How could she tell that Sayuri was up to something?
After all, she hadn't said a single word to her daughter today. Sayuri couldn't understand how Eriri figured it out.
"Could it be from last Saturday?" Sayuri suddenly recalled her daughter's enthusiastic departure last Saturday.
She knew her daughter well. Despite her sociable and charming demeanor at school, Sayuri was aware that Eriri didn't allow anyone to invite her out.
Although she had crafted a perfect image of a young lady at school, Eriri was actually a hardcore shut-in at heart. Therefore, she often used excuses like a family ball or a trip to England with her father to decline invitations from classmates.
But in reality, she was just staying at the villa, slacking off.
So, when Eriri told Sayuri on Friday night that she was going out with friends for a field trip the next day, Sayuri's jaw almost dropped.
If she wasn't worried about her daughter's face, she really wanted to check her forehead for a fever.
Or was she possessed by something unclean? Normally, Eriri wouldn't leave the house unless it was to buy games or manga. She had never seen her daughter actively go out before.
Sayuri pretended to casually ask if it was boys or girls going out.
Eriri's answer made her a little uneasy.
Boys, to Ginza!
Speaking of Ginza, what's the most famous thing there?
The commercial district? Huge shopping malls?
No, in Sayuri's mind, the first thing that came to mind when she thought of Ginza was male escorts!
She had read BL mangas where many plots took place in such places. The fact that her daughter was going out with men to that place made Sayuri, as a mother, unable to let her go easily.
She immediately arranged for Sakaki to follow them. If Sakaki hadn't repeatedly assured her, Sayuri might even have considered putting a bug on her daughter.
Don't blame Sayuri for being overprotective, it was simply because they had protected Eriri so well.
Can you imagine a daughter of a capitalist, at the age of 16, still clueless about her family's business?
That's also why Eriri had no concept of money before.
Isn't money something that everyone has enough of? Can't you just pay and leave whenever you find something you like?
No way, no way, there can't really be people who can't afford things, right…?
While she hoped her daughter could find friends and didn't oppose her dating at this age, she always had to do some vetting, right?
Fortunately, Sakaki brought back good news. The boy named Haruno Tōru seemed to be a good kid.
Most importantly, Eriri's attitude towards him was different from others.
As long as Eriri's future partner wasn't a love-playin scumbag, or a heinous villain, Sayuri felt that respecting her daughter's choice would be better.
But today, Sayuri realized that she might have underestimated the boy named Haruno Tōru.
Being able to improve her daughter's drawing skills so much in just one day wasn't something ordinary people could do.
Eriri's drawing skills were absolutely among the top in the industry. At this level, every little improvement was precious.
After seeing the portrait her daughter drew for her today, Sayuri was truly surprised. Compared to her previous paintings, it was on a whole different level.
It was a painting that went deeper into people's hearts, a scene that made you feel more immersed.
Seeing her mother's wide open mouth, Eriri knew she had succeeded.
"Haruno-kun is amazing, I didn't expect even Mom to be shocked." The girl's eyes narrowed into slits, revealing two small canine teeth.
"Eriri, did Haruno-kun teach you those techniques that day?"
"Yes, after we came back that day, I kept observing Mom and discovered a lot of things."
"Can Eriri tell Mom about them?"
"Of course! When Mom is teasing someone, her eyeballs will turn clockwise, exactly one full circle. But if it's teasing me, Mom's eyeballs won't turn, they'll just tilt slightly upwards to the left, and a smile will appear on her lips. If she's angry with Dad, Mom will pretend to be happier than anyone else, but there won't be any smile in her eyes."
Bullseye!
Sayuri wondered if letting her daughter go out with Haruno Tōru that day was a mistake.
Now it's over. In just one day, her daughter's level has increased so much. Doesn't that mean her own enjoyment will decrease a lot?
No, Sayuri, you can't just give up like that.
It's not easy to spend ten months carrying a baby and give birth to a daughter. It's already too much to ask that she's not edible.
If she can't be used to play with anymore, then wouldn't all the hardships of those ten months be in vain?