Chapter 22: Eriri's Invitation
"I'm home~"
Eriri shouted as she stepped through the front door of her villa, but she didn't get a response from her mother. After asking a nearby servant, she learned that the other party had already gone out to attend a banquet.
"What? Even if she knew I wasn't going, she should have told me in advance~"
The girl grumbled, but then kicked off her leather shoes, changed into slippers, and headed upstairs.
"Well, whatever. I'll go play games first, and when I'm tired, I'll take a bath... Hehe..."
The young lady who was so polite at school reverted to her nature as Children at home. Familiar with the layout of her kitchen, she carried a large pile of snacks and drinks back to her room. Since she had nothing else to do, she was going to have a blast today.
Thirty minutes later... "Ugh, why can't I keep playing..."
At this moment, Eriri, who had been playing games in her room, was lying on the floor exhausted. Logically, it had only been half an hour of game time; she used to play for hours on end. But for some reason, holding the controller now, she had no desire to continue.
"Aaaah~ It's still boring! What's wrong with me!"
The Blonde Girl, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly sat up and looked around, her eyes revealing a sense of bewilderment.
This state had lasted all day. Whether in class or during breaks, she just couldn't muster any interest, as if something was missing.
"What could it be?"
Eriri was puzzled, but as she twirled her hair with her fingers, that brilliant flash of gold reminded her.
"That's it, it must be Moeha."
As if she had thought of something, Eriri quickly pulled a photo album out of her cabinet and flipped through it rapidly until she found a photo of a blonde Little Girl.
"This is it, let me see..."
Sitting on the bed, the girl ignored the messy photo album and quickly pulled out her phone to compare the photos she had taken. After a full three minutes, she reluctantly put the photo down.
"As expected, they really do look alike... though it seems I was cuter when I was little..."
Eriri grumbled, but she was still holding her phone. The photo on her phone was a secret shot of Moeha sleeping. Actually, she had wanted to sneak into the Bedroom that day to get a good look at her, but that annoying Kasumigaoka Utaha had been staring at her the whole time, so she hadn't fulfilled her wish by the time she left.
"Aaaah~ Damned Kasumigaoka."
The dissatisfied girl acted as if the quilt on the bed were a certain curvaceous girl, punching and kicking it before letting go with satisfaction.
"Maybe I should invite Moeha to come over and play this weekend."
Tired from playing, Eriri lay on the bed, considering the feasibility of this idea. Sayuri would definitely agree, and Moeha liked her so much that it should be fine. So the key would be Aragaki Takiya.
"Sigh, I don't know if that fellow Aragaki will agree... but it should be fine, he seems to have a pretty good temper..."
Eriri lay on the bed, still hesitating. It was a simple matter, but given her Tsundere nature, she found herself wavering at the moment of decision.
"Maybe I should just send a message and ask."
In the end, the longing in her heart triumphed over her Tsundere nature. Eriri opened her phone app, found the group chat created by Aki Tomoya among her few contacts, and sent a friend request to Aragaki Takiya.
"Ding-dong~"
Meanwhile, at the Aragaki Residence, Aragaki Takiya, who was cooking, suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
"Who could it be at this hour..."
Putting down his spatula, Aragaki Takiya reached for his phone. He had originally thought it was Kato Megumi messaging him (Aragaki Takiya had only added Kato Megumi's contact info), but after opening it, he found it was Eriri requesting to add him as a friend.
"Would Eriri actually be this proactive?"
Seeing the message on his phone, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Based on his own observations and the information from Moeha, Eriri was a very Tsundere person; it was rare for her to take the initiative to add someone as a friend.
"Maybe it's for something important..."
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Aragaki Takiya clicked accept. But just as he was about to send a message asking what was up, Eriri had already sent a message over.
"Can you bring Moeha to my house as a guest this weekend?"
"Huh?"
Looking at the message from Eriri, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but be surprised. After confirming once more that he hadn't misread it, he replied that it was okay.
"Hmm... Moeha just said she missed her mom earlier... this should be the best news possible."
Looking at Eriri's reply on his phone, a smile couldn't help but appear on Aragaki Takiya's lips. He had been worrying about how to let Moeha see Eriri, and he hadn't expected her to invite them herself.
"Moeha, I have some good news for you~"
Aragaki Takiya wasn't one to keep things to himself. After confirming the time with Eriri, he couldn't wait to tell the good news to Moeha, who was watching TV in the Living Room.
"Hmm? What's the good news~"
Hearing the voice from the kitchen, Moeha, who was watching TV, immediately lost interest. Putting on her slippers, she ran straight to the kitchen. This sudden movement forced Aragaki Takiya to put down his spatula and carefully catch her.
"Slow down, slow down, be careful not to fall..."
"Daddy, what's the good news?"
At this moment, Moeha's face was full of anticipation. She knew that the good news her father spoke of wouldn't be simple—just like the last good news, the first one that allowed her to see the mother she hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's like this: let's get ready this Saturday. We're going to Er... uh, Mom's house as guests. You might even get to see the Grandma you've been thinking about~"
Stroking the Little one's head, Aragaki Takiya spoke slowly.
"Really? That's great! Then let's not forget to pick out a gift for Grandma on Saturday."
Hearing that her father was going to take her back to her former home, Moeha was instantly excited. She hadn't seen Sayuri in a long time and naturally missed her very much. In her joy, she immediately thought of giving a gift.
"No problem. Now go wash your hands and get ready for dinner... We can head over directly on Saturday..."
After settling Moeha, Aragaki Takiya breathed a long sigh of relief. However, there was no smile on his face now; instead, there was more of a hint of trouble. Unlike Moeha, who was perhaps just returning to her original home, to him, this felt more like an absurd script. This feeling of being orchestrated indeed made him feel a bit uncomfortable.