Seeing the stiff expression frozen on Mio's face, Yui let herself smile.
That's what she got for deliberately buying a green onion just to tease her.
But judging from Mio's reaction, she obviously understood the reference—which meant she hadn't just been making polite conversation before.
Mio had indeed figured out what Yui was alluding to. What she couldn't figure out was how Yui knew that kind of joke, let alone had the nerve to pull it off with a straight face.
No matter how you looked at it, that was very suspicious.
Just then, a knock came from the door, accompanied by Mama Yuigahama's voice. "Excuse me, may I come in now?"
"The door's not locked."
Only after hearing her daughter's reply did Mama Yuigahama cautiously crack the door open. She peered through the gap, carefully inspecting the two of them, before finally walking in with tea and snacks.
Watching her mother's performance, Yui wanted to retort—why was she acting so cautious? Was she afraid of walking in on some scandalous scene between her and Mio?
Wait, there was nothing scandalous going on between them!
After setting everything down, Mama Yuigahama simply gave the two of them a knowing smile, then tactfully excused herself.
Once the door closed again, Yui said, "Sorry about that. My mom gets a bit... weird sometimes. Don't mind her."
"It's fine."
Mio picked up a cookie and took a bite. Not bad, actually.
Then she felt Yui's gaze on her.
Yui hadn't had much of an appetite, but whether it was because the cookies looked tempting or because of a certain someone's presence, she suddenly felt like eating.
Noticing Yui's eyes on the snacks, Mio gave the cookie in her hand a little wave. "Want one?"
"Mm."
Hearing the confirmation, Mio picked up a cookie and held it to Yui's lips. The moment Yui opened her mouth, Mio yanked her hand back, popped the cookie into her own mouth, and grinned. "Nope~ You shouldn't be eating these right now."
Yui puffed her cheeks and glared at Mio. If she wasn't going to share, she didn't have to share—but why tease her on top of it? If she weren't so weakened from being sick, she'd definitely make Mio pay for that.
"Oh, here—today's notes. I left them on your desk."
"You're giving me your notes? What about you?"
"Me? I've already got everything memorized. Don't worry about it."
Yui was skeptical at first, but then it hit her—Mio didn't normally take notes at all. At most, she'd borrow Yui's notebook, flip through it for a class or two, and hand it back.
Could Mio seriously memorize the entire contents of a notebook just like that?
If so, that would explain why she was so relaxed with finals right around the corner.
Mindful that a sick person needed proper rest, Mio chatted with Yui a little longer before standing up. "I should get going. Make sure you recover quickly—I'd better see you at school tomorrow morning."
Yui knew Mio was looking out for her, so she held back any pleas to stay. Only her eyes betrayed a faint trace of reluctance.
After Mio left, Mama Yuigahama promptly slipped into her daughter's room. Eyeing the slightly dazed girl on the bed, she said, "Looks like Mio-chan's visit did wonders for your condition~"
Yui turned away. "That's just your imagination. Also, Mom, why were you being so weird about coming into my room earlier? You usually barge in without even knocking."
"I was afraid I might walk in on something I shouldn't see."
"There was nothing inappropriate going on!"
That's what Yui said, anyway. But deep down, she felt a tiny pang of guilt—she had a feeling her mom was starting to catch on.
"Club activities should be over by now, right?"
Standing downstairs from Yui's building, Mio checked the time on her phone. Based on the usual schedule, the club should have wrapped up a while ago.
She was planning to swing by Eriri's house. If everything had gone as expected, Eriri should be home by now.
Eriri had promised yesterday to bring her the sample illustrations today but had forgotten. So Mio had no choice but to go pick them up in person.
Yui's place wasn't too far from Eriri's—about a fifteen-minute walk.
Arriving at Eriri's front gate, Mio rang the doorbell. Before long, an energetic voice answered. "Hello! Who is it?"
That wasn't Eriri's voice. Most likely her mother.
With that in mind, Mio adjusted her tone to something appropriately polite. "Hello, I'm a friend of Sawamura-san's. My name is Shirai Mio. Is Sawamura-san home?"
"Oh, here for Eriri? Come on in, then."
The gate buzzed open. Having visited more than once before, Mio followed the familiar path to the front door, where a cute figure in a kimono with twin tails was already waiting.
As a transmigrator, Mio knew exactly who this seemingly seventeen-or-eighteen-year-old beauty actually was.
But despite knowing her identity, Mio put on a suitably curious expression.
Noticing the look, Sawamura Sayuri tilted her head and asked with a smile, "What is it? Is something about me strange?"
"Not at all." Mio shook her head gently, then said with a hint of sheepishness, "It's just that Sawamura-san never mentioned she had an older sister."
Hearing that, Sayuri's smile bloomed even brighter. She ushered Mio inside, chatting as they walked. "Eriri just got home and hopped straight into the shower. She should be out soon. Make yourself comfortable in the living room."
"Oh, and just so you know—I'm actually Eriri's mother. But if you'd rather call me Onee-san, I certainly wouldn't object~"