Chapter 291: Nighttime Operation
When Sawamura Sayuri saw the two enter, she immediately burst out laughing at the huge scarf Eriri was holding in her hands: "Oh my, Eriri, you actually bought such a huge scarf? It must really catch people's attention when you wear it outside, right?"
"Hehe, not really~"
After putting down her scarf, Eriri came over and showed affection to her parents, then ran off to the kitchen.
"Auntie Reiko, I'm here to help~~~"
"Aren't you going to rest a bit, Eriri?"
"No need." Eriri shook her head, untied her twin tails, and put them up in a single ponytail. "I was just playing and chatting at school earlier, so I'm not tired at all. Since there are so many things to prepare, I'll help out. After all, today is Kaede-kun's birthday."
Asakura Reiko patted Eriri's head and didn't refuse, bringing her along to finish preparing dinner for the evening.
As for Kaede, he was naturally in the living room, chatting with the elders.
As Asakura Reiko had said earlier, tonight's dinner was extremely lavish. They had bought almost all the best ingredients available at the nearby supermarket and prepared such a huge feast that everyone was stuffed.
After dinner, everyone rested while drinking tea. Sawamura Sayuri heard her daughter's words and asked, "Are you two still going back tonight? I thought you were planning to stay over here."
"Hehe, we discussed it, and in the end, we decided to go back home. Besides, the Cat is there too, even though you already helped feed it, Mom," Eriri replied with a smile.
Asakura Reiko also said, "You don't need to worry about these two kids. Isn't it better to let them go back and enjoy their time alone?"
Sawamura Sayuri listened, realizing that made sense, so she nodded and said, "In that case, we'll drive you back later. It's on our way anyway."
Although they said they would go back, it wouldn't be so early. Everyone chatted together, talking about Kaede and Eriri's planned trip to Hokkaido at the end of the year, until eight o'clock when they drove back.
After arriving downstairs at the apartment building and saying goodbye to their parents, Eriri looked at Kaede with a beaming smile: "Let's go, Kaede-kun, we're home!"
Just as they entered, a staff member inside the building called out to the two of them and brought over several boxes that were being kept in the security room.
Kaede took them and saw Shirogane Miyuki's signature on one of them.
Well, it looked like birthday presents.
Shirogane Miyuki, Shinomiya Kaguya, Fujiwara Chika, Ishigami Yuu—even Iino Miko had sent a gift. They hadn't seen her since that last time, so he hadn't expected her to still send him a gift after finding out.
"It looks like I need to thank her properly next time we meet."
"Mhm, exactly, exactly."
Eriri nodded repeatedly, surprised by the gift sent by Iino Miko, but she wasn't particularly wary. After all, the other person wasn't a student at the same school, and they didn't interact much; they probably didn't even see each other a few times a month.
Bringing the extra gifts back home, they were first welcomed by the Cat. Only then did Kaede and Eriri go change their clothes. Kaede started unwrapping the gifts, while Eriri went to take a bath.
Looking at Eriri, who was preparing to bathe, Kaede asked, "Is it really okay if I open them myself?"
He had originally thought Eriri wanted to unpack them with him to see what everyone had sent.
Eriri smiled and shook her head: "It's fine. Just tell me who sent what after you finish unwrapping them, Kaede-kun. I really want to take a long bath right now."
"Alright then, you go ahead."
After seeing Kaede start unwrapping the gifts with a box cutter, Eriri first went to grab her pajamas, then cautiously returned to her old bedroom and took out the outfit she had been preparing for a long time from the closet.
"I have to put this on after my bath..."
She looked at her pajamas—they were pink, so hopefully, the outfit underneath wouldn't be noticeable.
Blushing, Eriri cautiously left the room again and headed toward the bathroom.
Kaede was completely unaware of all this.
Half an hour later, Eriri, having enjoyed a comfortable bath, put on her "battle gear," slipped into her pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom with a slight feeling of discomfort.
"I'm a little uncomfortable... It's definitely not meant for daily wear."
With that thought, Eriri came into the living room.
"Kaede-kun, have you unwrapped all the gifts?"
"I've unwrapped them." Holding a newly released Velkhana figure from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Kaede gestured to Eriri. "Look, Ishigami sent this. He sent the physical collector's edition. I bought the digital version, and I was planning to buy a physical set later. Also, I've already sent thank you messages to everyone."
"Oh!!!!"
Eriri's eyes lit up as she took the figure and examined it: "I didn't expect Ishigami to choose this gift!"
Next, the two looked at the various gifts sent by the Shuchiin Student Council. Knowing Kaede's preferences, the gifts were generally either otaku-related items or things related to drawing and novels.
"Yay~~~ Our cabinets can hold a lot more good stuff now."
After organizing and putting away the items, Kaede stretched and said, "Eriri, are you planning to work today?"
"Of course I'm not working. Today is your birthday; let's have some fun," Eriri said with a smile, resting her hand on Kaede's shoulder. "But before that, Kaede-kun, you should take a bath first."
Checking the time, Kaede nodded and said, "Mhm, it is time to take a bath."
He didn't think much of it. After grabbing a change of clothes from the room, he went to shower.
After hearing the faint sound of running water from the bathroom, Eriri didn't choose to wait in the bedroom to play games with Kaede after he finished showering. Instead, she turned off the living room light, quietly went into the bedroom, slipped under the covers, and rustled her pajamas off.
"Uh... is this a bit too rushed?"
Shaking her loose long hair, Eriri decided not to dwell on it and continued with her original plan.
Ten minutes later, Kaede, who showered relatively quickly, dried his hair and came out, only to find the living room light off.
"Is she planning to play games in the studio?"
He opened the studio door but found Eriri wasn't there either.
"Hmm~~~~"
Kaede sensed a hint of conspiracy. He then walked to the bedroom door, the only place where light was visible through the crack, scratched his head, and placed his hand on the doorknob... The next day, morning.
Sunlight shone through the curtains. Kaede finally opened his eyes after the alarm clock had been ringing for a while.
"It's 7 o'clock already. Time flies."
Lying flat on the bed, the now-conscious Kaede's mind was still hazy. It took him a long time to recover and remember what had happened last night.
"Hiss... I feel so tired..."
He glanced at the still-sleeping Eriri beside him, felt his slightly sore body, closed his eyes, hugged the warm Eriri-brand body pillow, and went back to sleep.
I'll take the day off today.