Chapter 135: The Queen’s Return and the Silent Game of Thrones
After Yukima Azuma left the Sawamura residence, a quiet returned to the household. But it didn't last long.
Eriri, who had just finished washing her hands after a quick sketching session, saw her mother, Sayuri, walk into the kitchen with a tray full of used dishes. Instead of setting them in the sink like usual, Sayuri calmly loaded them into a sleek, stainless steel machine Eriri didn't recall ever seeing there before.
Leaning against the counter, eyes narrowed in surprise, Eriri asked,
"Mom, where did that dishwasher come from?"
Sayuri, drying her hands with a linen towel, looked back at her daughter with a composed smile.
"Azuma-kun brought it over. A gift," she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Eriri blinked, and then a smile bloomed across her face, brighter than the kitchen light overhead. She looked like a little girl who'd just been told she could have ice cream for breakfast.
Sayuri gave a helpless sigh and shook her head.
Too easy.
A small token, a little attention, and her daughter was glowing for the rest of the day.
If I were a man, even I would choose someone as innocent as her to build a harem with, Sayuri thought with some amusement, though she quickly pushed the idea away.