"Excuse me."
Kochiyo Rurukawa carried a tray over, placing a small plate of sweet bean jelly, three small plates of mochi, two cups of black tea and some toothpicks before Sayuri Sawamura and Luo Shu before withdrawing politely.
Sayuri Sawamura speared a piece of sweet bean jelly with a toothpick, popped it into her mouth, chewed delicately behind her hand, swallowed, then lowered her hand to regard Luo Shu's silent form opposite her:
"Did I startle you?"
"A little."
Luo Shu sighed, then offered an awkward yet polite smile:
"Well, the canary...ah..."
He didn't feel like elaborating further. Upon reflection, the canary metaphor actually suited Eriri quite well.
As long as he could protect her, Eriri could continue slacking off indefinitely, remaining that slightly unusual doujin artist charging full speed down the path of illustration.
Come to think of it, this might have been the Sawamura family's original strategy all along.
Considering they'd raised their only daughter this way, Luo Shu couldn't help but express admiration:
"Madam is truly magnanimous."
"Please don't say such provoking things."
Sayuri seemed slightly annoyed as she viciously stabbed a mochi with her toothpick, huffing:
"I did try my best, you know!"
"But somehow that child inherited every single one of my husband's slacking-off habits and all my tiny flaws, yet not a single one of our good points."
'Are you sure they were tiny flaws? More like massive ones, right?' Luo Shu's gaze held clear scepticism.
"It's simply...infuriating."
Sayuri grumbled quietly before popping the mochi into her mouth. After swallowing, she continued:
"The only consolation is that the child has some acting talent at least. The perception that the Sawamura daughter is from a distinguished family remains intact."
'Daughter of a distinguished family?'
Luo Shu's head was practically sprouting question marks.
Noticing his expression, Sayuri's face took on a peculiar look as she explained:
"Her performed personality at school. Doesn't Luo Shu attend the same school as Eriri?"
"I'm self-taught," Luo Shu replied.
"Self-taught?" Sayuri had a moment of realisation before understanding. "Ah, yes, Toyogasaki High School is just a school after all."
Shaking her head, she smiled at Luo Shu:
"So, little Luo Shu—may I call you that?"
Luo Shu gave a slight nod of acquiescence.
"Are you troubled about Eriri's future? Or wanting to motivate her?"
Sayuri smiled knowingly as she continued:
"If so, you should probably give up."
"That child only demonstrates inhuman talent in areas that interest her."
"Why, she can't even hold a normal conversation with my husband's relatives."
"You mean she can't learn English but draws incredibly provocative doujinshi," Luo Shu said flatly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Sayuri covered her mouth, laughing quietly. "Has Luo Shu seen any of her recent work?"
"Haven't had time." Luo Shu studied Sayuri's expression before guessing: "Does it involve me?"
'Eriri's artwork...hiss...'
A sudden realisation struck Luo Shu:
"Wait, she wouldn't... draw me as the protagonist in her doujinshi, would she?"
"Would you like to see?"
Sayuri Sawamura suddenly produced a phone—no one knew when she'd prepared it—and handed it to Luo Shu:
"It's copied from her computer."
"Madam, we should respect privacy."
Even as he said this, Luo Shu took the phone, opened it, and immediately scrolled through the gallery.
Sure enough, it was filled with rather... suggestive artwork.
The male figure in the drawings bore an uncanny resemblance to the face Luo Shu saw in the mirror every morning. As for the female characters, there were plenty.
A golden-haired twin-tailed girl with fangs, a hairband-wearing girl with black stockings and long legs, an elegant raven-haired high school student, and a charming pink-haired girl with demon wings on her back.
Luo Shu observed the interactions between the male and female characters in the drawings, his gaze remaining composed.
Until... he even saw a kimono-clad woman who looked identical to the golden twin-tailed girl, just with different hair colour.
Silently putting down the phone, Luo Shu looked up at Sayuri with a strange expression.
Before he could speak, Sayuri calmly said:
"No returns allowed here~"
After a brief silence, Luo Shu replied: "My private life is... complicated!"
Sayuri laughed, her whole body shaking with mirth:
"That's alright, Eriri likes it~"
She pointed at the phone in Luo Shu's hand and smiled:
"See? She's quite looking forward to it."
This made Luo Shu ask oddly: "Is your married life... unsatisfactory?"
"Not at all!" Sayuri clasped her hands together and stuck out her tongue playfully: "Of course, such matters should exclude me, shouldn't they?"
Luo Shu leaned back on the sofa, massaging his temples: "Have I given her too much free time?"
"It's normal for children to be drawn to taboos."
Sayuri seemed quite unfazed. She retrieved the phone and shook her head:
"After all, they're just fantasies. As long as no lines are crossed and boundaries maintained..."
As she spoke, she took the phone from the table and concealed it back in her sleeve, then asked:
"But speaking of which, how complicated is your private life, Luo Shu-kun?"
"Is it that Kasumigaoka girl? Or little Mira? Oh, or perhaps Miss Kisara?"
Sayuri sipped her tea, her expression serene and natural.
After some thought, Luo Shu coughed lightly: "Actually... there's also our Supreme Chairwoman."
"Cough! Cough cough!!"
Sayuri nearly choked on her tea, pounding her chest until she recovered, then stared at Luo Shu in astonishment:
"Forgive my asking, but you are a member of the SDS... right?"
Luo Shu nodded, unsurprised that Sayuri knew this, and added: "The Hidden Management Department answers to me."
"I know... I had my husband's friend investigate..."
Sayuri's expression became strained, any remaining hope in her heart completely vanishing.
On one side, the only daughter of a local Tokyo power. On the other hand, the Supreme Chairwoman of a transnational arms conglomerate and mystic-side oligarchy like the SDS.
How could one choose?
How could there even be a choice?
With this thought, Sayuri pinched the bridge of her nose, her mood turning distinctly gloomy.
"Eriri, oh Eriri, do you know who you're competing against?"
Finally, Sayuri Sawamura looked up at Luo Shu's calm face, hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"So, Luo Shu-kun, are you pursuing career ambitions?"