Chapter 120: Eriri in the Morning
The encounter with Ishigami Yuu on Friday was just a coincidence and didn't occupy Kaede or Eriri's minds for long.
When Saturday arrived, Kaede got up, dressed, and headed out early in the morning.
Before going to the Sawamura Family residence, Kaede stopped by Homura to buy some snacks to take with him, as Eriri still loved the treats there.
Upon entering, he didn't see Yukiho tending the store as he had the previous few times. Instead, sitting behind the counter, nodding off and looking like she was about to fall asleep, was Kosaka Honoka.
This was a rare sight—Honoka working at the store.
With this thought, Kaede smiled and walked over, placing his index finger on Honoka's forehead, and giving a gentle push.
Honoka's body jerked backward, and she instantly woke up.
"Waaah!"
Honoka reacted quickly, immediately sitting upright, holding her head, and looking discontentedly at the loudly laughing Kaede. "Kaede-nii! You scared me half to death!"
"Sorry, sorry, but don't worry, even if you really fell backward, I would have caught you." After apologizing, Kaede said, "Good morning, Honoka. Why are you running the shop today? Where are your aunt and uncle? And Yukiho isn't here either?"
"Mom went grocery shopping, and Dad went to get supplies. We were running low on ingredients for the snacks. As for Yukiho, she went out early this morning to hang out with a classmate, so I'm the only one left minding the store."
"I see."
Patting Honoka's small head, Kaede said, "In that case, please pack me a box of snacks."
"Okay~~"
While helping Kaede choose, Honoka asked, "Kaede-nii, are you going out today?"
"Yes, I'm going to Eriri's house."
"You're going to Senior Eriri's house? I can't believe you and Kaede-nii are really dating."
Honoka nodded understandingly.
Although she had known Kaede for quite a long time, Honoka had a very simple and slightly goofy personality. She didn't have any romantic feelings for Kaede at all, simply treating him as a reliable older brother. If this weren't the case, Kaede wouldn't dare continue interacting with Honoka like this, as it could easily lead to misunderstandings with Eriri.
Soon, the items were packaged. Although Honoka often claimed she was tired of eating her family's wagashi (Japanese sweets), her packing movements were still very practiced.
After paying, Kaede prepared to leave.
"Honoka, you won't be alone all day, right?"
"No, Umi and Kotori will be coming over in a bit. Otherwise, I really would die of boredom!"
"That's good. I'll be going now. Bye-bye~~",
"Bye-bye~~ Kaede-nii~~",
After saying goodbye to Honoka, Kaede took a cab to Eriri's house and was immediately welcomed by Mr. Spencer and Sawamura Sayuri.
"Haha, Kaede, come right in."
"Good morning, Uncle Spencer, Aunt Sayuri."
After entering, Kaede didn't see Eriri on the first floor. Sawamura Sayuri noticed this and smiled, "Eriri just woke up not long ago. She's still washing up."
Just as she spoke, Eriri's voice came from the stairs.
"Mom, is Kaede-kun here?"
Then Kaede saw Eriri, who was dressed in a T-shirt and hot pants, revealing her slender long legs. Her hair was not tied up, flowing loosely down her back.
"Good morning, Eriri."
"Kaede-kun, why are you here so early?" Seeing that it was indeed Kaede, Eriri happily jogged over.
Hearing Eriri say this, Kaede glanced at the time on his watch: 9:50 AM.
"Hmm... that's not exactly early, is it?"
Sawamura Sayuri, standing nearby, laughed mischievously, "It's because Eriri stayed up late playing games again last night. If I hadn't gone up to wake her this morning, she'd probably still be asleep."
"Mom, don't say that!"
After shouting, Eriri immediately grabbed Kaede's hand and headed upstairs. "We're going up!"
Watching his daughter lead Kaede upstairs, Mr. Spencer sighed, "Youth is wonderful. But Eriri hasn't had breakfast yet, has she?"
Just as he finished speaking, Eriri came clattering down the stairs in her slippers, ran to the kitchen to grab bread and a carton of milk, and then came over to them, opened the wagashi Kaede had brought, popped one into her mouth, and finally went back upstairs satisfied.
"..."
"..."
Back in her room, Eriri looked at Kaede sitting in her computer chair, swallowed the wagashi in her mouth, and said, "Did Kaede-kun stop by Homura?"
"Yeah, I dropped by on the way. It was surprising that Honoka was running the shop today. When I got there, that girl was almost asleep."
Compared to when they first met, Eriri no longer showed any signs of jealousy because of Honoka.
Nodding, Eriri sat on a cushion in a cute *seiza* pose (duck sitting) and began eating her toast.
"Is that little bit enough?"
"It's enough. It's not that early anymore, and we'll be eating lunch soon." Saying this, Eriri opened the milk and took a sip, leaving a white ring of milk around the edge of her lips. The subsequent action of licking her lips was quite alluring.
However, Kaede's attention quickly shifted from Eriri's lips to her attire.
"This is the first time I've seen you dressed so casually, Eriri."
Compared to the previous two times he visited, Eriri had always dressed up as if they were going on a date, but today's outfit was clearly sleepwear. Moreover, he guessed that she was only wearing a T-shirt on her upper body, with nothing underneath.
"Hmm?"
Looking down at her outfit, Eriri said with a slight blush, "Since we were like that at Kaede-kun's house that time, I figured there was no need to go through so much trouble. Besides, the weather is getting warmer. Although we'll turn on the air conditioning later, it feels strange to dress up formally when I'm just at home."
Hearing this, Kaede got off the chair and sat down next to Eriri.
"This is great. When you're at home, you should wear whatever is most comfortable, as long as you're not wearing nothing at all."
"Eek! I'm not Yamada Elf! I would never do that; Mom would definitely hit me."
Leaning on Kaede's shoulder, Eriri finished the two slices of bread in small bites, and then drank all the milk.
Patting her stomach, Eriri said contentedly, "I'm full! Kaede-kun, what are our plans for today?"
"No plan yet. Do you have any ideas, Eriri?"
Eriri's eyes darted around. She raised her hand and said, "Yes! Let's think of a new pen name for me!"
That's right. When submitting her work, Eriri needed to change her pen name.