Chapter 94: Yuko is Somewhat Troubled.

[Mayuri has a small diary. She doesn't write in it often, but she likes to gamify reality and write some strategies in it. In her diary, there is the latest information about you and Yuko.]

[Minami Yuuki]

[Danger Level: Low]

[Human Friendliness: High]

[Main Activity Locations: Innermost bedroom, living room sofa]

[Encounter Frequency: Very High]

[Characteristics: Appears as an adult male, very tall, handsome, able to communicate normally.]

[Main Threats: Tells scary ghost stories to those he encounters; frequently accompanied by the extremely dangerous Minami Yuko.]

[Main Benefits: Drops snacks, toys, various small gifts; lap is comfortable to sit on; warm bed.]

[Coping Strategy: No special response needed.]

[Minami Yuko]

[Danger Level: Extremely High]

[Human Friendliness: Low]

[Main Activity Locations: Kitchen, anywhere Minami Yuuki is.]

[Encounter Frequency: Very High]

[Characteristics: Appears as a young girl but is actually an adult, very short, has a cute appearance used for disguise, speaks in an irritating manner.]

[Main Threats: Appears suddenly when the victim is happily doing something, uses special abilities to make the victim dislike what they are doing, thus tormenting them.]

[Main Benefits: Does housework.]

[Coping Strategy: Do not approach! Do not look! Do not engage!]

[Mayuri couldn't understand how Yuko used her personality to make her give up her game position and beef. So, she connected her mother's arrival with her interrupted activities, forming a simple cause and effect, filling the process in between with a special ability akin to witchcraft. She believed Yuko was a witch who manipulated her mind. ]

[Mayuri was a bit afraid of Yuko and often avoided her.]

[However, Yuko, having successfully grasped the girl's behavioral patterns, found amusement in using them.]

[Every day, Yuko would use up her three chances to bully her.]

Some memory fragments emerged.

Faced with her daughter still playing games in the living room late at night, disrupting her and Yuuki's nightlife, Yuko said, "Games are so much fun, right? Mayuri can play all night without a problem."

"I won't!" Mayuri immediately turned off the TV and ran back to her room to sleep.

Faced with her daughter napping on Yuuki's lap, occupying her spot, Yuko said, "Mayuri and daddy have such a good relationship."

"Not at all!" The girl immediately sat up and left the sofa where Yuuki was.

Faced with the dusty living room, Yuko said, "The floor is a bit dusty, Mayuri can just sit there, no need to clean."

"I'll clean... never mind, cleaning such a large area is too much trouble." She shrank back and continued playing her game, pretending not to hear her mother's words.

Undeterred by her failed attempts, Yuko thought for a moment and walked over to Mayuri, patting her head. "Mayuri is so good."

The girl's hand holding the controller tightened. She wanted to grab the mop right then and clean the living room spotless, to defy Yuko. But the fatigue of mopping was more intimidating than the damage to her pride.

Yuko tilted her head, surprised that her daughter held out this long against two waves of attack.

Only the final trick remained.

Yuko bent down and kissed Mayuri's cheek. "Mommy loves Mayuri the most."

The girl's face turned red with embarrassment at the sudden assault.

After a moment, she jumped up. "I don't want you to love me! I'm not good at all!"

With that, she stormed to the bathroom, grabbed a mop, and began cleaning the dust off the floor with an icy determination.

Yuko made a peace sign at Yuuki.

Yuuki, who witnessed the whole thing, rubbed his forehead and hugged his approaching wife, worried about their daughter's future.

Yuko sat on his lap, her light body barely exerting any pressure on him. Holding the hand that circled her waist, Yuko looked up at his chin.

"My favorite is Yuuki. I was just lying to her," Yuko explained to her husband.

"I wish it were true. When will you and Mayuri get along?"

Yuuki tapped his wife's fair forehead with his chin, tightened his arms around her waist, and pulled her closer, pressing her soft back against his firm chest.

Yuko shifted slightly, her gaze quickly becoming misty as she looked at Yuuki. "If Yuuki gives me a little reward, maybe I'll consider it."

"Now you're even trying to deceive me?"

Yuuki felt a tickle in his heart from his wife's close body and sincere words.

He picked up Yuko and quickly walked to the bedroom.

[Yuko's bullying of their daughter gradually stopped being just about making the troublesome girl leave. She started making Mayuri do her household chores, so she would have more time to spend with you.]

[Despite Honoka's counseling, the presence of their daughter still caused her some stress, and her way of relieving it was to seek more of your closeness.]

[After a week of doing chores, Mayuri's pride finally gave way to laziness.]

[She still put up simple resistance to Yuko, but once the cost of resisting became too high, she chose to endure Yuko's closeness.]

[Once behavior starts to change, emotions inevitably follow. Mayuri gradually got used to Yuko's praise.]

[Her resistance further weakened, becoming limited to verbal objections, and she was no longer willing to physically express her discontent.]

[Now, it was Yuko's turn to be troubled.]

[At the lunch table, Yuko routinely told Mayuri to eat more meat. Previously, Mayuri would remain silent, but her chopsticks would never reach for the meat. Now, Mayuri would grumble that she didn't want to, but the next second, her chopsticks would be picking up the meat and enjoying it.]

[Mayuri gradually felt that this mom wasn't so bad. She not only praised her but also encouraged her to eat more meat, play more games, and sleep more.]

[While playing her handheld console in the living room, she often liked to stick close to you. Now, she started sticking close to Yuko as well.]

[Yuko was flustered for a while but eventually got used to her daughter's closeness.]

[As long as Mayuri didn't interfere with her intimacy with you, Yuko didn't mind her daughter following her around.]

[You were pleased with the normalization of the mother-daughter relationship. Although your wife didn't love Mayuri passionately, at this moment, she could be considered an ordinary mother.]

[After Minami Haruna and Minami Ryota returned, the whole family went to Misaki's amusement park, with Honoka's family joining in. The trip went smoothly, with Mayuri holding both your and Yuko's hands, laughing in between you two.]

[Mayuri's grandparents on both sides were delighted by this.]

[After returning to Ino County, you and Yuko helped Mayuri pack her things and brought her to your home.]