Nanaya now knew for certain that Sayuri was indeed a first-timer.
After all, the protective barrier there remained perfectly intact, something Nanaya had seen with his own eyes.
He even gave it a light touch.
This earned him a coquettish sound of protest from Sayuri.
Then, under Sayuri-sensei's "class reward," Nanaya and the grown-up Eriri did things that the younger Eri could never have accomplished.
They even did things that Eriri might have found hard to accept.
Namely—a direct confrontation!
Sayuri's generosity made Nanaya feel a warmth in his heart.
Afterward, holding onto Sayuri-nee, he drifted off to sleep while savoring the freshly made nectar.
The two embraced tenderly, falling into a sweet slumber.
Both of them completely forgot about the soaked couch cover still lying there, unwashed!
Eriri returned home in the evening.
Seeing the house dark and unlit, she didn't think much of it.
Her mother often napped in the afternoon, sometimes waking up so late that Eri had to ask the housekeeper to prepare dinner.
Eriri had spent the whole day at her art club's activities, leaving her physically exhausted.
She plopped down onto the couch—
And immediately jumped back up.
What the—?!
Why is it so wet?!
Eriri felt the hem of her skirt and the little panties underneath dampen instantly.
She hurriedly turned on the living room lights and saw the couch drenched—
A massive, map-like stain.
Did… did Mom wet herself?
That was Eriri's first thought, since only she and her mother lived here. Even the housekeeper rarely came inside.
She placed a hand on the couch, carefully feeling the dampness. The liquid was slippery.
Her nose twitched slightly.
Eriri caught a faint scent.
She leaned in closer.
Hmm?
There was a peculiar smell—not unpleasant, almost sweet, like milk.
So… did Mom spill milk and not clean it up properly?
Ugh, how irresponsible!
Eriri gritted her teeth. What a troublesome mother!
Just as she turned to wake Sayuri up, she spotted a few crumpled tissues on the mahogany table.
Did Mom just wipe it halfheartedly and give up?!
Eri thought, exasperated.
But an inexplicable feeling tugged at her, urging her to check.
As if possessed, she picked up the tissues.
Before even unfolding them, a deeply familiar scent assaulted her nostrils.
This… this is—!!
Eri ristumbled back, her face paling.
Hands trembling, she unfolded the tissues.
What lay inside was—
White.
Thick.
Strong-smelling.
And in large quantities.
Her mind immediately jumped to Nanaya.
After all, just two days ago, she had experienced it up close—smelled it, even had it smeared all over her face.
As for why it couldn't be her father… well, as mentioned before, Eriri hadn't seen him in ages.
He was overseas, and they barely spoke.
(Not that they ever really did.)
The thought of Nanaya and her mother together made Eriri feel like the world was collapsing beneath her.
She slumped to the floor.
She knew her mother—there was no way she'd ever cheat.
And she hadn't mentioned her old crush, Aki Tomoya, in forever.
But Nanaya was different!
Over the past few days, her mother had brought him up more and more.
Eri had assumed it was just maternal concern, but now…
No!
Maybe her nose was playing tricks on her!
Since the evidence hadn't been cleaned up yet, that meant whoever did it was still here!
Eriri instantly transformed into Detective Eriri.
She turned off the living room lights, then tiptoed upstairs barefoot, her white socks silent against the floor like a cat's paws.
The thought of her mother in such a situation made her unsure whether to laugh or cry—but her heart ached regardless.
Still, deep down, Eriri understood.
Her mother had been alone for so long. She needed companionship.
And compared to anyone else, Nanaya was the best candidate Eriri could think of…
I must be going insane!!
Eriri shook her head violently. The darkness made it too easy for her mind to wander.
Even when it came to her own mother, the "Ero-manga Sensei"-trained instincts of "Eriri" were subconsciously kicking in.
When she reached Sayuri's bedroom door, it opened with just a light push.
Unlocked. Unlatched.
For her mother, that was unthinkable!
Stepping inside, Eri expected to be hit by an even stronger scent—
Like what she'd experienced in Nanaya's bathroom back at his villa.
But…
Nothing.
Instead, the room smelled only of shower gel.
On the bed, only her mother lay sleeping.
The scene she'd imagined wasn't there.
Had she really just been overthinking things?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Eriri suddenly felt like the sky had cleared again.
Just as she was about to step forward and wake Sayuri up—
"Mmm… what time is it…?"
A sleepy murmur came from the bed as Sayuri stirred, fumbling for her phone.
"…"
Without thinking, Eri ducked under the bed!
Why am I doing something this stupid?!
The moment her mother woke up, her body had moved on its own!
She should've just said she'd gotten home and left it at that!
Even if her mother teased her for it later, she could endure that!
But just as Eriri was about to crawl out and play it off as a joke—
"Nanaya, Nanaya, wake up. It's already 6 PM. Eri will be home soon~"
Hearing her mother's gentle, affectionate tone, Eri's heart twisted with jealousy—
Before plunging back into darkness.
So that's why I didn't see anyone…
The blanket was just too big…
Lying under the bed, Eriri now noticed two pairs of slippers on the floor.
One belonged to her mother.
The other was a larger size—one she'd never seen before, but which must've been here for a while.
"Mmm… nee-san, let me sleep a little longer."
"Ah, such a naughty little brother. What if Eriri comes in?"
"Don't worry, Eriri won't notice."
That was unmistakably Nanaya's voice.
And his words were downright cruel.
Eriri felt like an utter fool.
"Because I'll protect Eriri's purity."
Nanaya didn't yet know about Eriri's secret identity as "Eri," so this statement wasn't entirely wrong.
After all, on his "map," Eriri's avatar was currently overlapping with his in a red-green-yellow mess!
Combined with her fluctuating affection meter, Nanaya had every reason to believe Eriri was in the room.
This was a perfect opportunity.
Under the bed, Eriri's eyes widened.
What… does that mean?
"Oh? Even while in your sister's arms, you're making criminal declarations about your niece…"
Hearing the faint jealousy in Sayuri's voice, Nanaya pulled her into a tight embrace, soothing her gently.
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