269: Can He Talk with It?

"Mom, why do you think that all of a sudden? And what did you say next? What?"

However, Eriri's reaction exceeded Sayuri's expectations; she appeared genuinely confused.

Isn't it what I thought?

Sayuri stared at her daughter's expression, which didn't seem fake, and smiled with relief.

"It's nothing. Let's eat quickly. As for the question you just asked, I actually have better suggestions."

"What?"

"Ask that kid Utaha. She is a professional novelist and has better control over the plot than you do as a painter. You might be able to get some inspiration and ideas from her."

"Forget it; I don't want to beg her."

Eriri snorted disdainfully, showing her resistance.

"I really don't understand you. You two have such a good relationship, yet you always fail to open your hearts completely when you're together. There are constant quarrels." 

"If either you or the child were a boy, you would probably make a perfect match."

"Stop talking about that, Mom. Just hearing it gives me goosebumps!"

"Haha, I was just making a hypothesis~"

…

If that guy were really reliable, she wouldn't bother me so much.

I really don't understand. She has experienced the same dream twice as I have, but why hasn't she grown at all?

But this matter isn't important. What is important is why her mother suddenly mentioned Chisato's name just now.

It was said that Eriri almost showed a surprised expression at that moment, but fortunately, her mental state is now different from what it used to be.

After returning to her room, she quickly dialed Utaha's number.

Because of the dishonest woman's previous relationships, she subconsciously suspected that she might be in love with him.

"Eriri..."

"Hey! You stinky woman, did you say anything to my mother in private again?"

As soon as the call connected, Eriri spoke fiercely.

She doesn't know why, but whenever she is around Utaha, she becomes easily emotional.

"What nonsense are you talking about at this hour?"

Utaha's tone was not very pleasant. Being scolded as soon as she answered the phone would annoy anyone.

"Stop pretending. My mother just mentioned Chisato's name. Isn't this something you told her?"

Eriri continued to press.

Utaha remained patient.

"I didn't say anything like that. The last time, I just used a general reference like 'a certain male.' Unless I was crazy, why would I specifically mention Chisato's name to my aunt? Things are not going well for me."

"..."

Eriri fell silent for a moment.

She knew Utaha. If she had really done such a thing, and seeing her so enraged now, her attitude would be one of complacency rather than the calm and well-reasoned excuse she was giving to deflect suspicion.

This proved her suspicions wrong.

Of course, even if she realized she had wronged the other party, it was impossible for her to admit her mistake, let alone apologize.

The fixed impression had already formed, thanks to Utaha's countless small actions in private.

"How's everything going with Chisato?"

Eriri changed the topic very smoothly.

On the other end of the line, Utaha made a soft tutting sound, but she didn't dwell on the earlier conflict.

"It's okay. I went to work tonight as well. I'll probably be back soon."

"No one else has been there these past few nights?"

"No, neither Kazusa nor Hitori has shown up again."

"That's it..."

Eriri leaned against the desk, staring at the night sky outside the window, lost in thought.

"I said, didn't we agree before that we would visit Chisato's workplace to see how Hitori was getting along with him?" 

"The last trip had to be interrupted due to the Dark Wings incident, but those days have passed. Why did you suddenly stop writing?"

"It's nothing; I just suddenly felt that the time wasn't quite right."

There would be no accidents with the Dark Wings sooner or later, but an incident occurred just as they were about to visit the team.

Although it's not a good mindset, based on her experiences with Eriri and Chisato during her first dream life, she often comes up with unrealistic ideas.

For example, perhaps the Dark Wings in reality can understand Chisato's words to a certain extent and communicate with him...

Such an idea was too far-fetched and lacked any basis, so she didn't plan to mention it to Utaha. 

She simply buried it in her heart, keeping it in mind while temporarily shelving the original plan.

"Anyway, if you want to know how Chisato and Ichiri get along on a regular basis, there are many other opportunities."

"What do you mean?"

"The monthly exams will be in a few days. After the exams, Chisato and his school will hold a school festival." 

"We can take some time to go and have a look. If we're lucky, we might be able to see that girl, Kazusa."

"School festival... I have an idea."

"What?"

"Next time we go to Chisato's school, we should probably not tell him."

"Go directly?"

"Yes."

"What are you planning?"

"Don't worry; we'll just take a look and do nothing. Just like you said before, if we make things difficult for Chisato by acting on our own, it will only trouble him, right?"

Sitting by the windowsill and looking out at the night city, Utaha slightly raised her legs, lifting her skirt and revealing a large area of snow-white skin.

"I just suddenly felt that it might not be the best idea for us to sit back and wait for things to happen." 

"We can take the initiative; no matter what method we use, the more channels we have to learn about those two girls, the better we can control them. The first-mover advantage will be greater, right?"

"...As long as you can hold back and don't let Chisato get caught in the crossfire at an inappropriate time, causing an unpredictable situation, I'll let you do it."

"Then it's settled. Chisato will be back soon. I have to go heat up some food for him. I'm sorry."

"Wait a moment!"

"What?"

"How is Dark Wing doing now?"

Eriri suddenly asked this question.

"It..."

In her room, Utaha slowly raised her head and looked at the bedside table. Dark Wing was curled up on top of a large doll, with his eyes closed and dozing.

"It's resting beside my bed. If you don't show up for a while, I feel like it will become closer to me."

Eriri pursed her lips.

"Yeah... say hello to it for me."

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