After listening to Eriri Spencer Sawamura in her arms tearfully recount how Ren Katsuragi bullied her, Sayuri Sawamura snapped her small folding fan open, cleverly hiding the corners of her mouth which had curled up slightly.
Regarding the matter of Eriri being hung from a tree by Ren, Sayuri didn't feel any anger; she only regretted that she wasn't there to see it.
Eriri had been protected too well by Sayuri. Coupled with their family background, she had never encountered any setbacks from childhood until now, when she met Ren.
"Mom..."
After finishing her story of everything that happened today, Eriri raised her head and looked at Sayuri with hope, counting on her mother to vent her anger for her.
Ren hung her on a tree today; tomorrow, she wanted to hang Ren on a tree too!
You see,
The revenge method of a simple child was just a basic "eye for an eye."
"Eriri, that won't do. Matters between peers should be resolved by you peers. Mom, as an adult, cannot step in."
Suppressing the smile at the corners of her mouth, Sayuri gently tapped Eriri's head with her folding fan and spoke tactfully.
If Sayuri really stepped in to help Eriri, she wasn't sure if anything would happen to her daughter, but she was very clear that Yue Katsuragi would definitely come and skin her alive.
Although the first meeting between Eriri and Ren wasn't pleasant, Sayuri wouldn't mind if a "bickering couple" storyline developed later on.
For now, Sayuri just had to find a way to let her daughter interact more with her future son-in-law.
As for Tomoya Aki, Eriri's childhood friend, he was automatically ignored by Sayuri.
A child from an ordinary family with no shining points, who was also reckless in doing things.
Sayuri didn't understand what her daughter saw in him.
Before Ren appeared, Sayuri might have considered Aki since he was the person Eriri liked, after all.
Now that Ren had come to Sobu University...
Tomoya Aki? Who? Not close.
"Mom!"
Seeing her revenge plan seen through, Eriri started acting spoiled again.
"This incident was Aki-kun's fault to begin with. It's understandable for the Ren that Eriri spoke of to act that way."
"One must pay the price for doing something wrong, right?"
Sayuri analyzed the cause of the matter for Eriri from an objective perspective.
"But..."
Eriri wanted to say something else.
"What if one day in the future, Eriri successfully makes it big and wins an international award? Just as you step onto the stage to accept the award, someone in the audience suddenly shouts that Eriri used to draw indecent doujinshi, and that your character doesn't match your position at all."
"What would you think then, Eriri?"
The sly fox Sayuri saw Eriri's hesitation, so she changed the narrative to a scenario her daughter could personally relate to.
Eriri began to imagine the scene Sayuri described. Thinking of being interrupted while accepting an award on that kind of stage and having her dark history exposed... Eriri couldn't help but shudder.
So scary.
"Eriri, Mom believes in you. Please go and complete your revenge magnificently!"
At this point, Sayuri put on a supportive look to cheer Eriri on.
"Mn, Mom! I will!"
The idiot Eriri actually believed Sayuri's nonsense and had already begun to think about how to seek revenge on Ren.
It was getting late, so Eriri obediently went back to her room to rest.
Hearing the door to her daughter's room close, Sayuri took out her phone and started scrolling through her photo album. A photo of Sayuri pinching the cheek of a shota with eyes devoid of life while making a peace sign with her other hand came into view.
This was one of Ren's few dark histories.
"The Little Dragon has grown up now..."
Looking at this photo with amusement, Sayuri felt a bit sentimental.
--
The Nakano Household.
After dinner, the five sisters stayed in the living room, each doing their own thing.
"Ichika, do you feel that Nino is acting strange today?"
Yotsuba Nakano poked Ichika Nakano, who was watching TV beside her, and muttered in a low voice.
Usually, after dinner, Nino Nakano would either be watching gourmet videos or beauty bloggers in the living room. Today, however, she had rarely picked up pen and paper, writing and drawing on it.
For a moment, Yotsuba suspected Nino had been possessed by Itsuki Nakano.
"Miku, what do you think?"
Discussing it with Ichika wasn't enough; Yotsuba also dragged in Miku Nakano, who was searching for information on ancient samurai on her phone nearby.
"Ah... what?"
Feeling Yotsuba's pull, Miku hurriedly closed the browser on her phone.
As a girl, she disliked gourmet food and makeup, preferring those ancient samurai instead.
Miku didn't want anyone to discover this little hobby of hers, not even her sisters.
"Miku, don't you think Nino is weird today?"
Yotsuba pointed out Nino to Miku; Nino was writing and drawing on paper, stopping to ponder from time to time.
"Alright, Yotsuba. Everyone has their own secrets. There's no need to probe too deeply into your own sisters."
Forcefully turning Yotsuba's head straight, Ichika spoke earnestly.
They weren't children anymore; having some strange behavior was normal. Nino's appearance clearly showed she was in love. Ichika didn't even bother to point it out.
Looking at the various strategies she had written on the white paper, Nino considered their feasibility.
Disguise being harassed by street thugs where Ren passes by, letting him play the hero saving the beauty.
PASS!
The danger level was too high. If Ren didn't see her, she would truly be done for.
Then a coincidental "chance encounter," and asking him if he wants to be friends?
PASS!
The reason was too far-fetched and completely illogical.
Write a love letter directly?
Ugh... I'm a beautiful girl, after all. I have my pride.
Nino was going a bit crazy. She had never pursued anyone before, but she wasn't willing to just give up on Ren, who fully hit her XP strike zone.
What other good ways are there...
Nino's brain was spinning fast at this moment.
A light bulb slowly lit up above her head. Nino turned her head to look at Itsuki Nakano, who was doing practice problems nearby.
"Itsuki, didn't Father say he was going to hire a tutor for us..."
The fact that Ren could stand on the podium back then showed that he wasn't just a delinquent, but also a top student.
The family needed to hire a tutor, and Ren was a top student. Didn't this match up perfectly?
Buried in her practice problems, Itsuki said without looking up, "Yeah, Father said he already found one. He'll probably come to teach us in a few days."
"Found one...?"
"Found one."
"..." Nino fell silent.
"Nino, is there a problem?"
Seeing Nino stay silent, Itsuki looked up and gazed at Nino in confusion.
"No problem..."
Dropping her pencil, Nino slumped weakly onto the sofa.
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