Chapter 68: Third Wheel

"Ryuji-kun!" Eriri called out cheerfully, waving him over.

Ryuji smiled as he approached, noting that she too had put effort into her appearance today. She radiated energy and looked as vibrant as ever.

"Eriri, you look great today," Ryuji complimented, causing her to blush.

She instinctively wanted to respond with her usual tsundere reflex, but she restrained herself. The last thing she wanted was to push Ryuji away with her attitude.

"Thanks! You look really handsome today too," she responded with a smile, proud of herself for holding back her usual tsun side.

As they walked off together, Ryuji couldn't help but feel like someone was watching them.

---

Not far away, Sayuri Sawamura peeked from behind a pillar, carefully observing the two.

"So that's the boy Eriri likes…" Sayuri muttered to herself.

Ryuji seemed handsome and had a good aura about him, but she still had her concerns.

"I just hope he really cares for her," she whispered, worried about her daughter's happiness.

Unable to resist, she decided to follow them from a distance, curious to see what kind of person her daughter had fallen for.

Meanwhile, Eriri was glancing nervously at Ryuji's hand, hesitating to reach for it. She wanted to hold it, but her nerves kept getting in the way.

Sensing her inner conflict, Ryuji gently took her hand in his.

Eriri's eyes widened in surprise. "H-Hey!"

Ryuji smiled down at her. "You're too cute, Eriri. I couldn't resist."

Eriri's heart skipped a beat, her usual tsundere reaction momentarily forgotten as she blushed furiously.

Ryuji was surprised that Eriri could hold back from being her usual arrogant self.

Expecting Eriri to be as bold as Utaha? That's a bit hard to imagine.

So, wouldn't it be better if he took the initiative?

Eriri felt her heart racing, almost as if it would leap out of her chest.

She quickly shook her head, trying to suppress the overwhelming joy bubbling inside her, and shook her head again at Ryuji.

So, Ryuji actually likes her too?

Completely enveloped in happiness, Sawamura Eriri felt a little light-headed.

So happy, unbelievably happy.

"A couple's restaurant?"

Especially when Eriri realized Ryuji had brought her to a couple's restaurant, she was even more surprised.

"If you don't like it, we can always go somewhere else…"

Ryuji didn't mind switching to another restaurant if it made her uncomfortable.

However, upon hearing this, Eriri immediately objected.

"No, no! It's too much hassle to change. Let's just stay here!"

Change restaurants? No way. Eriri was thrilled at the thought of being in a couple's restaurant with Ryuji.

With that, she followed him inside.

"A couple's restaurant?"

Sayuri, who had also been following them, fell into thought when she saw the restaurant's name.

So, her daughter had already confirmed the relationship with this boy?

Ah, I see!

Good news: her daughter wasn't just chasing after someone hopelessly they liked each other!

Bad news: It seemed like there was no point in following them now!

Since their relationship had already been confirmed, sooner or later, he'd be brought home to meet her.

It didn't matter whether she followed or not!

But since she was already here… and she was hungry…

Sayuri casually walked into the restaurant!

Although it was primarily a couple's restaurant, they also served solo diners, and the waitstaff certainly wouldn't turn her away.

While waiting for their meal, Ryuji suddenly sensed something odd and glanced at a spot behind Eriri.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

Eriri, who had been keeping a close eye on Ryuji, immediately noticed the shift in his mood.

From the beginning, Eriri had already given her heart to Ryuji.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. Then, with some curiosity, he added, "It's just that… it seems like someone you know might be here."

"Someone I know?" Eriri echoed in surprise.

"Well, I'm not sure… but it feels like someone's been following us. I thought I was imagining things at first."

The person didn't have any magical power, and Ryuji hadn't sensed any ill intent, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.

"They've been following us?"

Eriri was now starting to take it seriously.

Could it be some pervert? But that would be strange, especially in broad daylight.

"Who could it be?"

Somewhat puzzled, Eriri followed Ryuji's line of sight and stood up to investigate.

"Madam, may I take your order?"

As soon as Sayuri sat down, a waiter approached, eyeing her suspiciously.

The reason? Her current outfit was, well… questionable.

She was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a large hat. She practically screamed, "I don't want to be recognized."

Sayuri naturally noticed the waiter's wary look and removed her hat.

After walking around all morning, she finally had a moment to sit down and relax.

She was about to remove her sunglasses and mask to order her food when she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, quickly retracting her gaze and putting her hat back on.

"???"

The sudden action left the waiter utterly confused, unsure of what just happened.

"Madam?"

Just as the waiter was about to speak again, he heard a voice, cold and devoid of emotion.

"No need, she'll be joining us, right, Mom?"

At the end of her sentence, veins popped on Eriri's forehead. After all, she knew this woman was her mother, no matter how well disguised she was. Sayuri's cover wasn't fooling anyone.

Even if Eriri had been clueless, she still would've figured it out.

Why was her mother here, dressed like that? It was obvious she'd secretly followed her out when she left.

It all made sense now!

In the past, whenever she went out on weekends, her mother would ask about it.

But today, Sayuri hadn't asked a thing and just let her go. So, this was the reason!

"Uh…"

The waiter realized what was going on.

So, the mother had been worried about her daughter and followed her in secret? That explained a lot.

"Well then, I won't disturb you anymore!"

Since there was no longer any need for suspicion, the waiter smiled and left.

Seeing her mother still attempting to deny it, Eriri said with irritation, "You really think I can't recognize you like this?"

"..."

Sayuri, having been found out, smiled sheepishly. Taking off her hat and sunglasses, she turned to her daughter with a grin.

"She really is my daughter, recognizing her mother in one glance. I'm so touched!"

"You idiot!" Eriri retorted angrily. "I didn't say that to get your praise!"

Eriri was fuming. This wasn't the time to deal with her mother!

The relationship between Eriri and Sayuri was good, very good actually, but this was just how they interacted daily.

Besides, Eriri wasn't happy about being interrupted today. She had planned out the perfect shopping date for the afternoon, but now that her mother had shown up, all her plans seemed ruined.

"Eriri's grown up now and thinks her mother's a burden, huh?" Sayuri said in a hurt tone, as if she might cry at any moment.

"..."

What could Eriri do? Even though she knew her mother was pretending, she still couldn't be too harsh. After all, this was her mom.

Helplessly, Eriri sighed. "Fine, just leave after dinner!"

"Okay!" Sayuri immediately perked up, her mood doing a complete 180 as she laughed happily.

As for what would happen after dinner, well, they'd cross that bridge when they got there.

"Tsk!"

The speed at which her mother switched moods made Eriri roll her eyes. If she'd known this would happen, she would've sent her mom home right away.

...

When she returned to the table, Eriri sat down opposite Ryuji, feeling embarrassed.

"Ryuji-kun, this is… my mother."

How embarrassing. Who brings their mother on a date?

But there was no way around it, so she reluctantly introduced her mother to Ryuji.

"Hello, my name is Sayuri Sawamura!" Sayuri introduced herself with a bright smile, unfazed by the situation.

"Hello, I'm Ryuji."

Ryuji had already suspected who had been following them, considering the person had no curse power or malicious intent. Still, seeing her now, he was a little surprised.

"Auntie looks really young. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were Eriri's sister!"

This wasn't just flattery from Ryuji.

Despite being a mother, Sayuri looked like she was still in her early twenties. She was almost like an older version of Eriri, except for the different hair color everything else was practically the same.

"Haha! No way!"

No woman dislikes being complimented for her looks.

Hearing Ryuji say that, Sayuri laughed, clearly pleased.

"If Ryuji-kun doesn't mind, just call me Sister Sayuri!"

"Well then, Sister Sayuri, it is!" Ryuji replied, adapting quickly to her easygoing personality.

Unlike Eriri, Sayuri was much more outgoing and friendly.

They hadn't even known each other long, but within just a few words, they were chatting comfortably.

"Tsk!"

Watching her mother get along so well with Ryuji made Eriri feel a little jealous.

Sure, it was her mother, but still…

"Oh, is Eriri jealous of her mother?" Sayuri teased, noticing her daughter's expression.

"No way!" Eriri retorted, but she turned her head away, unwilling to admit she was feeling a little left out.

"In fact, Eriri looks really cute today," Ryuji added, smiling.

"Especially today. You must've put a lot of effort into looking nice you look beautiful!"

"Well, it's okay," Eriri muttered shyly, her mood instantly changing.

"As long as Ryuji-kun likes it…"

"???"

Sayuri blinked in disbelief. She hadn't heard everything when she was following from a distance, but now that she was closer, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

With her daughter's usual tsundere personality, shouldn't she have said something like, I didn't dress up for you don't get the wrong idea?

This was why Sayuri had always worried about her daughter's romantic life.

But now…

Could Eriri actually speak properly when she wanted to?

Or maybe she just hadn't met someone she genuinely liked before. Now that she had, she was willing to change for him.

Eriri didn't know what her mother was thinking.

Seeing Sayuri's look of shock, Eriri became anxious. She worried her mother would tell Ryuji about her embarrassing moments or bad habits from the past.

It wasn't like she was being paranoid her mother had absolutely done such things before.

Leaning in close to her mother's ear, Eriri whispered, "If you say anything embarrassing in front of Ryuji-kun, you're dead!"

"..."

Ah, this is the daughter I know! Sayuri thought to herself, pleased. This was the Eriri she had raised.

Tsk, I've always heard that daughters start siding with their partners once they start dating. I never quite understood that feeling until today.

"That's right!" Ryuji spoke up as the food they ordered earlier was brought out by the waiter.

He turned to Sayuri with a casual smile. "After we finish eating, I plan to continue shopping with Eriri. You should join us, Sister Sayuri!"

"Okay!" Sayuri immediately agreed without a second thought.

"You!" Eriri was visibly upset. Didn't they agree that her mother would leave right after dinner?

Noticing her daughter's frustration, Sayuri put on an innocent expression. "But Ryuji-kun invited me, and I'm really curious about him!"

After all, this was the person her daughter liked, so she had to learn more about him, right?

"..."

Ryuji could invite her, but Eriri couldn't stop it. That's exactly what Eriri was thinking at that moment.

But now that things had escalated to this point, there was no way to change it.

For a moment, Eriri completely gave up on any hope for the next part of her date. The situation was utterly uncomfortable!

"How about this?" After finishing the meal, Eriri suggested going to the shopping mall. It was a date spot she had carefully planned out last night.

A lot of young couples went there to shop, and many stores offered discounts for couples.

Just when Eriri was wondering if Ryuji would agree, Sayuri pointed in another direction.

"That shopping mall isn't all that interesting. Let's head over to the commercial street instead it's much livelier over there!"

"..."

Of course, I should've expected this. She sighed internally.

Seeing that her mother had derailed her carefully laid plans, Eriri's face darkened instantly.