Chapter 36: Excited Sayuri: Could My Daughter Be Getting a Boyfriend?

As Eriri suddenly opened her eyes, it was already the next morning.

She gasped for breath, beads of sweat trickling down her fair skin.

"Ugh, no way... how could I have..."

Grasping her head with both hands, her face flushed red as she wrestled with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Then, noticing something off about the bed, she hesitantly lifted the covers and cautiously peeked underneath.

"Ugh... ahhhh!"

Within a second, Eriri slammed the covers back down. Her already rosy cheeks flared into an intense red, making her look like a ripened apple.

"No, no way! I... I actually... Ahhh!!!"

Her shame reached its breaking point.

At that moment, a gentle voice came from outside her bedroom.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"!!" Hearing the voice, Eriri's face froze, and she hurriedly called back, "N-nothing! I just... bit my tongue, that's all!"

"Oh? You bit your tongue?"

Thinking she had successfully deflected the situation, Eriri relaxed slightly—until her bedroom door creaked open moments later.

A graceful woman in a red-and-white yukata walked in, smiling warmly at the startled Eriri, who sat on the bed looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Every time you lie, it's so obvious," the woman teased with a chuckle. "You really are my adorable little girl."

Her dark hair was neatly tied up, and her features bore a striking resemblance to Eriri's—so much so that they were almost identical, save for the woman's more mature allure. Her beauty was softened by a warm, maternal smile but tinged with a mischievous glint that hinted at a fondness for teasing.

This was Sayuri Sawamura, Eriri's mother.

Eriri quickly averted her gaze, avoiding eye contact as she stammered, "I-I'm not lying! I really did bite my tongue! Hmph!"

Sayuri chuckled, clearly used to her daughter's tsundere tendencies. As she pulled back the curtains to let sunlight flood the room, she casually said, "Let's put that aside for now. I want to ask you something, my little sweetheart—when did you start dating? You've been keeping it a secret from me, haven't you?"

As she spoke, her gaze sharpened with playful curiosity, making Eriri's heart skip a beat.

"Wha—? Dating?!" Eriri instinctively clutched the covers tightly, her voice trembling. "I-I don't have a boyfriend! Mom, stop making things up!"

"Come now, there's no need to pretend in front of me." Sayuri leaned closer, pinching her daughter's flushed cheeks with a teasing smile. "Last night, while you were sleeping, I heard you muttering, 'Hikigaya-kun, please don't~' and 'I like you so much~ I really like you~' and even 'Please be gentler!' Tsk tsk, I never imagined my sweet little girl had such a side to her."

"AHHH!!!"

Before Sayuri could finish, Eriri's face turned beet red, and her entire body trembled in mortified panic, nearly leaping out of bed.

"That's... impossible! I didn't—I couldn't have said anything like that!" Eriri desperately tried to defend herself, her voice breaking. "I-I wouldn't—No!!"

"Oh? Still denying it?" Seeing her daughter's utterly flustered expression only deepened Sayuri's amusement. She continued in a light-hearted tone, "If you don't believe me, I could always play it back for you. After all, I recorded everything on my phone."

"What?!" Eriri's whole body stiffened. Staring at the phone her mother waved in front of her, she stammered, "Y-you recorded me?! My... my dream talk?!"

"Of course. Want to hear it?"

"No! Please, Mom, don't! Stop, I'm begging you!"

Seeing her daughter on the verge of tears, Sayuri relented, letting out a small cough to stifle her laughter.

"I'm just teasing you," she said lightly. "But since you do seem to have a boyfriend, when are you going to introduce him to me? I'm very curious about my future son-in-law."

"Ugh..." Eriri let out a sigh of relief, but her cheeks remained flushed as she mumbled, "I told you, I don't have a boyfriend. Hikigaya-kun and I... we just met a few days ago."

"Oh, so you're not dating yet?" Sayuri scrutinized her daughter carefully and, realizing she wasn't lying, sighed with feigned disappointment. "In that case, you'd better hurry up and start dating him. I mean, it's obvious how much you like him."

"I-I don't like him at all!"

"Really now? After saying those things in your sleep, you're still insisting you don't like him?" Sayuri shook her head, feigning exasperation. "Oh dear, what am I going to do with my tsundere daughter?"

"I really don't have any feelings for Hikigaya-kun!" Eriri shot back, though her voice faltered. "Those dream mutterings were just... just...!"

Her words trailed off, leaving her staring blankly at her quilt.

Wait, if she didn't like him... why had she dreamed about him?

The memory of Hikigaya telling her, "Sawamura Eri will become the greatest mangaka in the world," played back in her mind, causing a strange warmth to rise in her chest.

But she shook her head forcefully and turned back to her mother. "Mom, just mind your own business! Instead of worrying about me getting a boyfriend, why don't you find yourself a new husband first?"

Sayuri's husband had passed away years ago in an accident.

"Oh? Does my little Eriri want me to find her a new dad?" Sayuri teased with a sly grin. "Fine, how about this—you find yourself a boyfriend, and I'll find myself a husband. Let's see who gets there first."

"What?! Why would I compete with you over something like that?!" Eriri groaned, thoroughly exasperated. "And I've already said—I don't have feelings for Hikigaya-kun! I could never like him. Hmph!"

Her voice grew quieter with each word, and by the end, her gaze had dropped back to her lap, her red face betraying her true emotions. Sayuri, of course, caught every detail and smiled knowingly.

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Meanwhile, at the Yukinoshita residence:

Yukino lay sprawled on her bed, utterly drained. She rubbed her aching head and sore legs, regretting the effects of staying up too late watching a certain dream simulation.

"Using just the Dream Simulation Card won't be enough. Once I get to school, I'll use the Forced Intimate Card to bring Hikigaya-kun and Sawamura closer," Yukino murmured to herself.

After all, she couldn't let Eriri's harsh words about her Hikigaya-kun slide without consequences. The tsundere needed to learn her lesson.

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