Although checking on dinner preparations was just an excuse to temporarily escape the 'battlefield,' Chihaya Anon didn't lie and run off to waste time elsewhere. Instead, she genuinely went downstairs to see her mother busy in the kitchen.
"Mom, do you need any help?"
She asked from the kitchen doorway.
Mrs. Chihaya, startled by her daughter's sudden voice, almost spilled the red beans in her hand.
"No need!"
She placed the jar on the table and turned to say irritably, "By the way, Anon, why did you leave your guests alone and come down here?"
"Um…"
Chihaya Anon paused, then, embarrassed to say that she was somewhat bothered by being treated as a toy by Asakura and Asagumo Chihaya, she stiffened her neck and gave a flattering smile, "Actually, I'm a little hungry…"
So Mrs. Chihaya looked at her with an expression that said, 'My child, your mother is very disappointed in you,' "You child, you used to behave so well when your middle school classmates came over. How did you become like this after studying abroad in England for a while?"
If it were Chihaya Anon before today, she would probably have retorted with irritation, something like, 'That has nothing to do with it,' or 'Don't always bring that up.'
But after experiencing the Mirror Dimension and brushing with death, the girl had some inexplicable new insights into life. Even her failed study abroad and shameful return to the country, which she had previously considered a great humiliation, no longer felt like a wound being poked when her mother brought it up. Instead, she could hear a hint of concern in her mother's words.
"Hehe, I guess I haven't fully adjusted yet."
"What hasn't adjusted? Jet lag?"
Mrs. Chihaya glanced at her and said.
"That was fine by the third day after I got back!"
"Melatonin?"
"Isn't that still a jet lag-related issue…"
"Worldview?"
"It's not that grand…"
To prevent her mother from saying any more strange things, Chihaya Anon quickly said, "It's my mindset, my mindset! Now, my mindset is completely different from before! It's Anon 2.0!"
"What kind of strange system name is that, like some Android phone? Is my daughter's iteration that slow?"
"Your daughter has always been and will always be just one person, and that's me, Anon!"
"Alright, alright, I know."
Mrs. Chihaya responded perfunctorily, then continued to prepare ingredients at the kitchen counter.
Looking at her mother's back, Chihaya Anon couldn't help but recall the feeling she had just before her near-death experience, and she couldn't stop herself from softly saying to her mother's back, "Mom—"
"What is it now?"
"Anon loves you~"
Mrs. Chihaya put down her kitchen utensils, turned around, looked deeply at her daughter, and responded solemnly.
"Even if you say that, your allowance won't increase."
"Hearing such a heartfelt confession from your daughter, Mom, don't you feel even a little touched…?"
Chihaya Anon felt a bit deflated.
"That kind of thing completely disappeared after my daughter graduated from kindergarten."
Mrs. Chihaya wiped her hands and said with a nostalgic expression, "I really miss the chubby, cute little Anon from back then~"
"The current little Anon is also very cute!"
The pink-haired girl argued with her little fangs.
"I know, I know."
"Ugh, she said it so perfunctorily…"
"Here."
"Huh?"
"Fried chicken. Aren't you hungry? Have some to tide you over."
Mrs. Chihaya handed the freshly fried chicken nuggets to her daughter: "Don't eat too much, it won't look good on the plate."
"Mom!"
Chihaya Anon complained.
"Don't touch me with hands that have touched chicken, it's too greasy!"
Mrs. Chihaya made a sound of disgust.
She observed her daughter's expression for a moment as she happily ate the chicken, and her previously somewhat furrowed brows relaxed a little.
"It seems Anon, you really have changed a bit."
"Hmm?"
The girl with her mouth full of fried chicken looked bewildered.
"Before, you would have been conflicted about calories while drooling."
Mrs. Chihaya said, "Being able to relax like this now means…"
"It means I'm doing well at the new school, and I don't have so many worries?"
Chihaya Anon said, trying to swallow the food in her mouth.
"It means there's no one you care about at the new school, so your weight and everything else don't matter."
Mrs. Chihaya joked with a straight face.
But Chihaya Anon hesitated for a moment before acting spoiled with her mother.
This small discovery made Mrs. Chihaya's eyebrows rise again with interest.
"So, Anon, how's your relationship with Asakura?"
"It's, it's just a normal friendship…"
Chihaya Anon's expression became even more unnatural.
This wasn't because she had any improper thoughts about Asakura; it was simply because the girl hadn't yet gotten used to supernatural occurrences enough to view them as part of her daily life, which caused her to show a slight discomfort.
However, this expression clearly meant 'there's something going on' to Mrs. Chihaya.
She scrutinized her daughter again, then broke into a smile.
"If it's a normal friendship, do you need to specially dig out and wear your favorite necklace?"
"…I just did it on a whim."
Chihaya Anon paused, her expression becoming even more unnatural. She mumbled with an attitude that seemed to want to gloss over the matter.
However, in a sense, she wasn't lying. At the time, to attach the Mirror pendant, she did indeed casually take out and disassemble the necklace that was on the outermost side of her jewelry box.
Although it used to be her favorite necklace, after experiencing a near-death situation, such external possessions had become a 'whatever' part for the girl; she no longer valued them as much as before.
"Is that so? Then is there really no one you care about at the new school?"
Mrs. Chihaya pressed on with a hint in her voice.
Chihaya Anon instinctively thought of Asakura: Regardless of his appearance, just the sight of him earlier, wearing a fur cloak seemingly made of flames, appearing suddenly before her like a savior, indeed made the girl's heart flutter a little.
Moreover, as someone who had experienced a supernatural event, now knowing that this world is actually much vaster than what normal people consider 'common sense,' could she truly be content returning to the world of ordinary people?
Perhaps the fact that she so easily accepted the pendant Asakura gave her also had this factor involved.
Thinking this, the girl suddenly realized that she might indeed care about Asakura a little…