Sayuri's Viewpoint

When they returned home, the sky was gradually darkening. The afterglow of the sunset painted the horizon red, and the scenery outside the window slowly dimmed. Eriri and Megumi sat together in the room, duck-style, by the floor-to-ceiling window, snuggling close and enjoying the infinite beauty of the setting sun.

"Won't your family be worried since it's so late and you haven't gone back?" Eriri asked Megumi, who was leaning closely beside her.

Megumi, who was lost in thought while looking at the scenery outside the window, came back to her senses. She snuggled her head against Eriri and replied softly, "I contacted my mom at noon, so it's okay."

A genuine smile appeared on Megumi's face when she mentioned her family. During the years she was often ignored by her classmates and friends, her family was the only source of comfort for her.

"Hehe, maybe when you go home later, you'll give them a big surprise," Eriri said with a meaningful smile, reaching out to touch Megumi's cheek and feeling its smoothness.

Megumi looked at Eriri with amusement and said, "I think it'll be more of a shock than a surprise."

Although Megumi's facial features hadn't changed much after her evolution, her overall appearance had improved several levels, and her figure had become quite perfect, eliminating previous minor flaws.

Classmates might only marvel at Megumi's beauty without noticing any difference from before. However, her family, who knew her very well, would immediately notice the change in her.

"There's no harm, right? They'll be happy," Eriri said confidently, lightly brushing Megumi's hair.

Time passed quickly, like a fleeting moment.

After bidding farewell to Eriri, Megumi returned home. Glancing at the empty detached apartment, she pondered briefly and quickly figured it out.

There was still some time before her father returned from work, and her mother was probably on her way back from grocery shopping. As for her soon-to-be-married sister Hiromi Kato, she was likely on a date with her fiancé.

The anticipated 'family trial' didn't immediately occur; instead, Megumi found her journey home to be a novel experience.

People on the street gave Megumi, walking along the street at dusk, significant attention. Even a high school boy was so focused on looking at her that he collided with an uncle in front of him, creating a funny scene.

Arriving at her neighborhood, the neighbors were curious about when such a beautiful girl had moved in.

She used to walk silently on the way to and from school. When shopping, she had to talk to the staff before they noticed her. She had never experienced such a scene before. As Eriri said, the weak presence she once had was gone, and she had become the center of attention.

But this novelty quickly faded, and the current Megumi was entirely different from before.

She once longed to make good friends, communicate normally with classmates, have her name included in class activities, and have store clerks actively introduce products.

But now, she only wanted Eriri's attention. Rather than making friends and communicating with classmates, she preferred spending time with Eriri. Seeing Eriri's smile, hearing her voice, touching her, and feeling her presence brought her immense happiness.

...

In the Sawamura household.

Mrs. Sayuri, dressed in a kimono, returned home. Without even resting in the living room, she eagerly went upstairs to Eriri's room.

The door to Eriri's room was open. Without hesitation, Mrs. Sayuri walked in and immediately saw Eriri sitting at her computer, working on a drawing, noticing the smile on her lips, and had a knowing look in her eyes.

"I'm home! I missed you so much today, Eriri!" Sayuri greeted Eriri warmly and continued, "You look so happy today. Did something good happen?"

"Welcome back, Mom," Eriri stopped her drawing, turned to her mother, and smiled. "Hehe, something good did happen today."

Sayuri patted Eriri's head with a doting smile and said, "What's the good news? Can you share it with Mom?"

Eriri tapped her chin with her stylus, shook her head, and said, "I won't tell you what it is yet. You can guess, Mom."

"Will there be a reward if I guess correctly?" Sayuri pondered briefly and said, "How about this: if I guess right, will you take a bath and sleep with me tonight? It's been months since we slept together."

"Sure, no problem," Eriri agreed without hesitation. After all, she wouldn't lose even if her mother guessed right.

"It's a deal, then," Sayuri said happily, confident she would guess correctly.

Placing her left hand on her stomach and lightly stroking her chin with her right hand, Sayuri thought for a moment and said, "Did Eriri find a girl she likes today?"

"Correct," Eriri admitted straightforwardly and asked curiously, "How did you guess, Mom? Usually, when guessing about romantic interests, people don't assume they're the same gender."

"I know my precious daughter very well," Sayuri said with a proud smile. "Over the years, I've learned that Eriri likes girls and dislikes boys. After starting elementary school, you avoided physical contact with your father, let alone others."

"Haha... Was I that obvious?" Eriri asked awkwardly.

"Of course, you were! Your father still holds a grudge about it, saying he never got to interact with his precious daughter," Sayuri teased, full of affection. "The only one who can interact with my precious daughter is me, Sayuri Sawamura. What could be more wonderful than that?"

"Okay, let's not talk about that. So, you don't mind me liking girls?" Eriri asked, smiling in relief.

"Of course not, I think it's better this way. I would never let my precious daughter end up with some smelly boy," Sayuri said fiercely, her words dripping with affection for Eriri.