Chapter 273: I Love You The Most
In the evening, after everyone enjoyed the hearty meal prepared by Kaede and Eriri, they finally said their goodbyes and left.
The house quieted down once more. Eriri stretched, lay down on the sofa, and rested her head on Kaede's lap.
"Kaede-kun, today was so much fun!"
Gently smoothing Eriri's bangs, Kaede chuckled and said, "I'm glad you had fun. We can invite everyone over more often in the future."
"Sounds good! Oh, right!"
Remembering something, Eriri quickly sat up, grabbed Kaede's arm, and said, "Kaede-kun, when Utaha and I were shopping this morning, I bought you two more outfits. Hurry up and take a look!"
"Eh? You bought more?"
"Of course!"
Pulling Kaede toward the bedroom, Eriri said, "When I was picking out your clothes this morning, I realized, Kaede-kun, you were a bit short on formal attire, so I decided to pick out two more sets for you. Come on, take a look!"
The newly bought clothes hadn't been hung up yet and were lying on the bed in the bedroom.
Opening the shopping bag, Eriri couldn't wait and urged Kaede to try them on.
Kaede had no choice but to change into the clothes as requested by Eriri.
Although they were for formal occasions, Eriri considered Kaede's job as a light novel author, so she didn't choose anything too stiff or old-fashioned. Therefore, even when Kaede put on the suit, he only looked handsome.
"Mhm, mhm! It looks great. My taste is excellent, as expected."
Helping Kaede adjust his collar, Eriri said, "My family is hosting a party at the end of the year. I'll ask Mom to contact a tailor for that outfit. We can go get measured in a few days. That set will be kept for special, grand occasions!"
Looking at the girl so close to him, Kaede's lips curled up slightly: "Eriri, you think of everything. I feel like if time keeps passing, you're going to take such good care of me that I'll become a useless person who doesn't have to think about anything else."
"Hehe, no way! I'm hoping Kaede-kun will take care of me," Eriri said, lifting her small head and smiling. "See, I don't like cleaning or doing laundry. There are so many things I need Kaede-kun to take care of for me. We should say we take care of each other!"
Wrapping his arms around Eriri's slender waist, Kaede lowered his head until his forehead touched hers, and whispered, "I love you the most, Eriri."
"Mhm," Eriri responded, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I love you the most too, Kaede-kun."
... Sunday morning.
Kosaka Honoka, having rarely woken up early on a weekend, spent ages choosing an outfit in her bedroom, finally putting on what she thought was the cutest ensemble. She only came out after being urged by her younger sister, Yukiho.
"Alright, let's go, Yukiho! First, we need to go find Umi and Kotori!"
Kosaka Yukiho was stunned when she saw her sister's attire today, then said, "Sister, dressed like that, anyone who didn't know better would think you were going on a date."
"Eh? Really?"
Looking down at her clothes, Honoka said cheekily, "Hehe, it's my first time visiting Kaede-nii's new place, so of course I have to dress nicely! Let's go, let's go, we'll be late if we don't leave now!"
"So you know you're going to be late!"
After speaking with their parents, the two quickly headed out.
They naturally had to bring gifts for the visit, but since Kaede had already come yesterday to buy wagashi, bringing their family's wagashi today would seem unoriginal. Therefore, both Honoka and Yukiho decided to buy some snacks and fruit from outside.
But before that, they had to pick up Honoka's two other friends.
Compared to Honoka, Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori were much more diligent. By the time the Honoka sisters arrived, they were already prepared and waiting outside their homes.
After meeting up, the four girls went together to buy gifts for the visit.
"Let's buy bread, bread! I know several bakeries that are super delicious!"
"Don't let your personal preferences dictate the gift buying!" Sonoda Umi immediately rejected Honoka's suggestion and said directly, "Let's go to the fruit shop and buy fruit. That's more formal!"
Yukiho and Kotori strongly agreed with Umi's idea, nodding repeatedly, leaving only Honoka whimpering and trailing behind them.
It was three against one; she couldn't possibly win.
At the fruit shop, the four girls pooled their money to buy some apples, pears, and oranges, arranging them into a fruit basket before setting off for the apartment of Kaede and Eriri.
Sitting on the bus, Minami Kotori held her phone and said, "Senpai's new home seems really expensive."
Honoka, sitting behind her, leaned over and asked curiously, "How expensive is it? I only know the location and checked the route, but I don't know what it actually looks like!"
Umi, who had also done some research, turned sideways, held up her left hand, and said, "This much."
"..."
Kosaka Honoka blinked. Since she wasn't very good at schoolwork, it took her several seconds to process the information before she gasped and said, "That much? How many snacks could I buy with that!"
"Why are you only thinking about food!"
"Hehe~~ Because I really couldn't think of anything comparable!" Honoka giggled innocently, looking completely unconcerned.
Umi shook her head helplessly, glanced at Minami Kotori's phone with information about the apartment, and said, "It's really expensive. I only knew that Senpai made money as a light novel author, but I didn't expect him to make so much."
Yukiho chimed in, "Although Kaede-nii only debuted a year ago, I've seen online surveys showing that his initial release efficiency is very high, much more diligent than many established authors, and his sales are incredibly high. They say he could even contend for this year's annual best-selling author!"
"Oh!!!"
Although Umi and Kotori had both read Konosuba, they didn't really understand these things about the industry. But now that they knew, it meant this Senpai, who was only a little older than them, was already a successful person.
Even though Umi and Kotori were both from well-off families, they were still just children looked after by their families. Compared to Kaede, who was already financially independent, they certainly didn't feel any sense of superiority.
Soon, the bus arrived at its stop. After walking for two minutes, the four of them arrived at their destination, the apartment building.
Looking up, Honoka exclaimed, "It's so tall! Kaede-nii's place is on the sixth floor, right? Let's go, let's go!"
Entering the apartment building, they took the elevator to the sixth floor and finally arrived at the apartment's front door.
Pressing the doorbell, they soon heard the sound of small footsteps and the door opening.
The door opened, and Eriri appeared in the entryway, smiling at the four of them and saying, "You're here! Welcome, come on in!"
"Excuse us~~~"