The meal had been cooked earlier, and now it only needed to be heated. Ren quickly brought the food out and placed it in the dining room.
This time, Eri Kisaki did not come to the kitchen to help as she normally would. Perhaps she had slept for too long and still needed a moment to fully wake up.
"Ren, whoever marries you in the future will be very happy," Eri Kisaki said to Ren as she came into the dining room and saw the feast.
Although she basically ate and drank at Ren's house every day, Eri Kisaki still felt incredibly satisfied with this kind of grand feast that she could only get on rent day.
"I haven't considered that yet, but you will always have something to eat as long as you come to visit, Eri. That will never change," Ren said to her.
These words plucked at Eri Kisaki's heartstrings. She hadn't heard such considerate words in a long time.
In the past, Ren cared for Eri, but their relationship was strictly between a landlord and a tenant, as well as dining companions. Ren would never say anything that crossed the line.
The two of them had been together like this for ten years, which was actually longer than the married life of Eri Kisaki and Kogoro Mouri.
As Eri looked at Ren, she didn't realize that he had said those words intentionally.
"Ren, every meal is served without wine. This time, you will not refuse my request," Eri said to him.
There was wine in Ren's house, but every time Eri came over for dinner, he would never bring it out.
Today, however, after a brief pause, Ren went to the wine cabinet. When he returned, he brought a bottle of red wine and two goblets.
After Ren set the wine and glasses down, Eri asked, "Why am I so lucky this time? In the past, you were always the one persuading me not to drink."
"Eri, you must have been quite tired lately. Since you want to drink a little, it's no problem. Besides, I am also planning to finally step out into the outside world and have a look around. This can be considered a celebration," Ren responded.
This was a flawless answer, so Eri took the initiative to grab the red wine and open it herself.
To be honest, Eri had indeed been feeling quite exhausted recently.
If she hadn't been able to eat and drink with Ren to find some spiritual comfort, maybe Eri would have agreed to her daughter Ran's proposal and gone to Kogoro Mouri to discuss getting back together.
After all, if she had her family by her side, Eri's state of mind would definitely not be like this.
However, with Ren's quiet comfort, Eri had persisted.
Now, Eri felt a wave of happiness seeing that Ren, who had practically stayed at home for ten years, was finally planning to go out and start a career.
After they each filled their glasses halfway, Eri began to eat the feast Ren had prepared for her. Every dish was something she loved.
Or rather, after eating his cooking for ten years, she had come to love everything he made.
By the time the two of them had shared the entire bottle of red wine, Eri Kisaki's face was flushed completely red. Because of Ren's constant reminders over the years, she hadn't drank this happily in a long time.
"Ren, you really should come to my office and have a look." Eri still hadn't forgotten her desire to arrange for Ren to work at her firm.
Ren hadn't majored in law in college, but Eri knew that he was more than qualified for the work at her office.
"Yes, I will go to your office, Lawyer Eri. You rest first. I'll walk you home after I clean up." After Ren finished speaking, he stood up and started to clear the table.
In truth, Eri lived right next door to Ren, and she wasn't so drunk that she couldn't make it back on her own.
However, after hearing Ren's words, Eri got up from the dining room and went to sit on the sofa to rest, waiting for him to escort her back.
It didn't take Ren long to tidy everything up.
When he came out of the kitchen, he found that Eri's face was even redder than before. He walked over and said, "Eri, I'm taking you back now. You really need to rest."
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Eri directly stretched out her hands toward Ren, waiting for him to pull her up.
This gesture left Ren stunned for a moment. You have to know that the usually sober Eri Kisaki would definitely not have made such an out-of-bounds move.
In the end, however, Ren still took her hands and helped her up. He guided her out the door and walked her to her residence next door.
The door to Eri's house was locked. Ren didn't have the key to her place, so he softly asked her where it was.
Eri was still somewhat coherent. Hearing his question, she immediately began patting her clothes, searching for the key.
Because she was being supported by Ren now, Eri was not as steady as when she was walking freely, and her body swayed as she fumbled for the keys.
Ren could catch the pleasant scent emanating from Eri Kisaki, which made him feel a bit more relaxed. However, Eri immediately stopped shifting, took out a bunch of keys, and said:
"The key is in here, but I need you to try them, Ren."
After taking the keys, Ren didn't need to try for long. Because the doors to his house and Eri's house were the same, their keys looked identical.
However, Eri also had the key to his house on her ring. Ren made a mistake on the first try, but then used the correct key to unlock the door to Eri's house.
Eri's home was not overly decorated, which was obviously the result of living alone.
Ren Itadori had been to Eri's house before. After all, he occasionally came over to cook for her, so he had a fairly clear idea of the layout of her home.
"Lawyer Eri, let me help you over to rest now." Ren closed the door, put the keys away, and said to her.
Without waiting for her to respond, Ren guided Eri toward her room. But Eri was unhappy about this and said, "I need to take a shower first. If I don't, I will feel very uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Ren knew it would be difficult to convince Eri to just rest, so he could only change direction and help her toward the bathroom.
"Lawyer Eri, I'll wait outside. If anything happens, just call me."
Eri seemed to still have some ability to take care of herself, so Ren wanted to step out after helping her to the bathroom.
Unfortunately, Eri was currently holding onto Ren tightly. If he broke away by force, she might get injured.
"Ren, please help me."
"Lawyer Eri, you are drunk. Let me contact Ran to come and take care of you."
Saying this, Ren wanted to pull away from Eri and leave to call Ran Mouri. However, Eri directly reached out and turned on the shower. Water suddenly sprayed from the showerhead, soaking both of them.
"Ren, do you really think I'm drunk?" Eri said to him quietly.
There was no need to overthink it; Ren had no choice but to agree to Eri's request.
---No need for me to tell, use your imagination --
The next day, Eri woke up feeling incredibly refreshed, as if the stress and depression that had accumulated over the past ten years had been completely released.
However, upon seeing her messy bedroom, Eri immediately closed her eyes and recalled what happened.
It seemed that yesterday, she had gone next door to Ren's house to pay the rent, and Ren had cooked a grand meal for her as usual. The only difference was that the two of them had shared a bottle of red wine.
Later, it seemed she had asked Ren to walk her back, and even asked him to help her take a shower?
As more scenes flooded her memory, Eri's face turned increasingly red.
What kind of evil had possessed her to do such a thing? But then she remembered that Ren had agreed to step out and start making a living in the outside world. Eri had been a little worried that the people out there might take advantage of him.
So, before he was snatched up by someone else, had she decided to make the first move and take the lead?
She just didn't know what Ren would think of her. If he thought she was a shameless woman, Eri would not renew the lease when the contract ended, and she would simply move away.
Just as she was thinking this, Eri smelled the aroma of food wafting through her own home, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching her bedroom door.
"Sister Eri, you can get up and have breakfast," Ren's voice came from outside the door. The reason he didn't come in was probably because he could imagine the state Eri was in right now.
Moreover, the way he addressed her had changed from "Lawyer Eri" yesterday to "Sister Eri" today, which meant that Ren's attitude had indeed evolved.
"Okay, I'll be up soon."
After Eri responded, she immediately got up, found some clean clothes to change into, and went to wash her face.
When she arrived at her dining room, she saw that Ren had already prepared breakfast for two.
"Good morning, Ren," Eri greeted him with a blushing face.
"Good morning, Sister Eri. Please sit down and have breakfast quickly. You must be starving," Ren greeted her in return.
Ren didn't mention what happened last night, but the relationship between the two had undergone a substantial change. As for what direction the future would take, that remained to be seen. At the very least, Eri felt that Ren was handling the situation perfectly right now.
"Mom, open the door for me!"
Just as Eri and Ren were preparing to have breakfast together, a loud knock echoed on the front door, followed by a young woman's shout.
This made Eri's expression change drastically, because the person knocking on the door was none other than her daughter, Ran Mouri.