Eriri looked at her phone and still couldn't help but send a message to Shin-chan.
[Eriri: Shin-chan, during the weekend gathering, a friend of mine also wants to come and join our gathering. Is that okay?]
Just after casually chatting with Megumi Kato about some trivial matters, Shin-chan picked up a bottle of iced cola and saw the message Eriri had sent.
[Shin-chan: Eh, in that case, should I also call the other members of the Kasukabe Defense Force?]
Eriri froze for a moment, then remembered that it wasn't just Shin-chan who had helped her back then, but also some of his other friends.
The reason she invited Shin-chan to her house was to thank him for the help he gave her during elementary school. If she only invited Shin-chan alone, that would indeed be a bit impolite.
'It's over, my alone time with Master!'
[Eriri: Eh, then I'll trouble Master to help me invite them.]
In her flustered state, Eriri still called Shin-chan "Shin-chan," and even directly used the term "Master," her favorite form of address, as if there was some strange play going on between her and Shin-chan.
'It's all Kasumigaoka Utaha's fault! If it weren't for that fat woman, it would have definitely been just me and Shin-chan alone!'
If something happened between them then, wouldn't that have just been going with the flow?
Now Shin-chan's friends were coming too, so she had to keep up appearances. Being a rich lady was just too tiring.
"Eriri, how's the drawing going? The deadline is almost here, you know. You really can't keep delaying it!"
Just as Eriri was troubled, Sawamura Sayuri pushed open the door and came in.
"It's done, I already sent it!"
Eriri waved her hand; she had already finished the manuscript. Her procrastination had already dragged on too long this time.
"You really finished it? Are you really my daughter?"
Sayuri looked astonished. She didn't expect Eriri to actually finish the manuscript. An Eriri who didn't miss deadlines was really unfamiliar.
She looked up and saw the painting, an older Shin-chan hugging a Yorkshire terrier.
"Did you draw this? Eriri's drawing skills have improved again, huh!"
The level of this painting was far beyond her usual standard. Eriri was indeed talented in drawing, but she had always had one problem, her art style was too fancy, making her drawings lack "soul."
If she truly had talent, she wouldn't have kept being a doujinshi artist, wouldn't it be better to debut as a painter?
In the art world, talent decides everything. Eriri's talent far surpassed most ordinary people's, but it still wasn't enough to support her in becoming a real artist.
But in this painting, Sayuri saw hope. If Eriri could maintain this level, she might become a famous painter in the future.
"But Eriri, the man in the painting, is he that classmate Shin-chan who helped you?"
"Yes, that's Shin-chan."
Eriri's heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect her mother to see the painting.
"Mom, could I ask you to help frame this painting?"
Sayuri didn't expect Eriri to be so frank. 'Is this still the same tsundere Eriri?'
Could it be that Eriri really had no feelings for this Shin-chan?
Sayuri couldn't imagine that, in the matter of liking Shin-chan, Eriri had abandoned all her usual tsundere ways and become completely honest.
After all, in Eriri's current mindset, Shin-chan was the "Master" who had taken care of her for her whole "life." Just being near Shin-chan made her feel incredibly at ease.
"Of course, no problem. The quality of this painting is already good enough to be auctioned. I'll have someone help frame it."
"And one more thing. For the weekend gathering, I've also invited some other friends, including Shin-chan's friends. They helped me back then too. Mom, could I trouble you to prepare a few more snacks?"
Eriri was afraid that Sayuri would discover her secret. If her mom found out she called Shin-chan "Master," it would scare her to death.
"Our Eriri has really grown up, actually made friends on her own. Are they boys or girls? I honestly thought you'd be a shut-in your whole life."
Sayuri wiped nonexistent tears, and her words of emotion were genuine. Eriri had actually made friends on her own?
"I'm not gonna be a shut-in! The friend is a girl who went to the same school as me before. We get along really well."
Eriri got so mad at Sayuri that her twin-tails almost stood up. How could she not be able to make friends?
"Alright, alright, don't worry about all this. I'll take care of it."
Sayuri nodded, but looked at Eriri with some suspicion. Her instincts told her that Eriri's relationship with this Shin-chan kid wasn't simple, and Eriri was acting totally normal, not tsundere at all.
That made Sayuri really confused.
———
On the other side, seeing Eriri's message, Shin-chan couldn't help but glance at the yawning Shiro. He wondered if Shiro would mind if he brought home another little dog.
He hadn't been away long, and now the Kasukabe Defense Force was getting together again. Did they even have time?
———
Kazama, who was diligently previewing his studies and hoping to Shine at Shuchiin Academy and walk toward the peak of life, had his thoughts interrupted by a ringing phone.
'Didn't I mute it?' He picked up the phone and saw it was Shin-chan calling. Kazama sighed.
'When did I set Shin-chan's number to VIP so it rings even in silent mode?'
"Hello, Shin-chan? What's up? I'm studying right now!"
As expected, tsunderes never disappear, they just quietly shift elsewhere.
Now that the epic-level tsundere Eriri was gone, Shin-chan still had another mouth-says-no-heart-says-yes guy by his side.
"Kazama, are you free this weekend?"
"This weekend? I have cram school. I need to catch up on a lot of subjects..."
Kazama Tooru hadn't even finished speaking when Shin-chan interrupted him.
"You remember the girl from today? Her name is Sawamura Eriri. We helped her back in elementary school as the Kasukabe Defense Force. She wants to invite us to her house to thank us. Also, help me ask if Bo, Nene, and Masao have time."
Shin-chan's words made Kazama remember the girl who hugged Shin-chan today. This guy's luck with girls was ridiculous.
"Why do I have to help you with everything? And why do you assume I'll definitely go?"
"It's a rare opportunity. The Kasukabe Defense Force can reunite again. Aren't you happy, Kazama?"
"Well, when you put it that way… but still..."
"C'mon, c'mon. You can cram anytime, but this kind of opportunity is rare."
"Fine, fine, I get it! I'll contact them for you. I'll tell you later."
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