Next Target, 400PS!
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He hadn't expected it. For a textbook tsundere like Eriri to actually say "thank you" made Kai's face soften, almost like a proud dad. "Our little Eriri has finally grown up!"
"What is that supposed to mean??" Eriri huffed, but inside, she was secretly happy. She felt a little awkward and quickly looked away.
Eating the breakfast Kai made, Eriri felt the heavy grief from last night begin to fade. "Dad..."
Even with the warm moment, Eriri hadn't forgotten about Spencer. He had always treated her well. She still couldn't understand how the dad she remembered had become such a stranger.
"Spencer might just need some time to process everything. Maybe after being away for a while, he'll come back to himself," Kai said with a shrug, giving her a bit of hope.
He wasn't going to tell her the harsh truth: Tomie's charm was permanent. Once someone fell under her spell, it was almost impossible to break free.
And even if he ever met someone else, it was hard to say how long Spencer would survive.
Tomie might look human, but she was really an urban legend. Being around someone like her for too long ruined a person's luck. The longer you stayed, the worse it got. In short, it brought serious bad luck.
In a normal world, bad luck might just mean stubbing your toe or losing your wallet. But here, with Cursed Spirits everywhere, bad luck meant running into them much more often. If someone like Spencer met a wild Cursed Spirit, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Kai kept that harsh truth to himself. Time was a powerful eraser. Given enough time, Eriri's memories of Spencer would fade on their own.
"You think so??" Unsurprisingly, Eriri didn't doubt Kai's words. Believing her father was fine lifted a heavy weight off her chest.
She thought about it for a moment but stayed quiet. Her mom was hurting the most right now. Bringing up Spencer would just make things worse. After everything that happened, Eriri had grown up. She knew she had to be careful with others' feelings.
"Alright, eat up. We'll head to school together," Kai said.
"Huh? Oh!" Snapping out of her daze, Eriri nodded quickly.
She saw that Kai had already finished eating, so she started eating faster too. Just thinking about walking to school with him made her smile, even if she tried to hide it.
"Take your time eating. I'm going upstairs to let Sayuri know we're leaving."
"Okay!" Eriri agreed easily, but then caught his phrasing. "Wait! You should be calling her 'Auntie'!"
Calling her 'Sayuri' made it seem like Kai and her mom were equals. But before Eriri could finish complaining, Kai was already upstairs. She muttered a few more complaints, then went back to her breakfast, her feet swinging happily under the table.
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"Sayuri?" Stepping into the bedroom, Kai found Sayuri still fast asleep.
When she heard his voice, she didn't open her eyes. She just rolled over, half asleep. "I can't eat anymore, Daddy. I really can't,"
Her delirious muttering made Kai chuckle. He walked over and gave her a light pat. "Relax. I'll let you digest before serving seconds."
"Mm?" The touch finally woke her up. She blinked blearily, her eyes focusing on Kai standing beside the bed.
"What time is it?" It took her a while to wake up fully. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, but her arms felt heavy.
When Sayuri saw Kai grinning, she gave him a weak glare. "Stop laughing. This is all your fault!"
He was the one who had worn her out so much.
"My fault, my fault!" Kai didn't argue. He just waved his hand and laughed. "Don't worry about the time. I made breakfast. It's in the kitchen. You can go back to sleep. Eriri and I are heading to school!"
"I see." Knowing Kai had handled breakfast set her mind at ease.
Letting someone as clumsy as Eriri cook would be a disaster. Sayuri looked up at Kai and smiled softly. "You're so thoughtful, honey~"
She reached up and hugged Kai warmly. Any guilt she felt before was gone now. She was single again, so what was the problem?
"What, no more 'Daddy'?" Kai teased, letting her lean against him.
Sayuri wasn't an innocent schoolgirl. Instead of getting embarrassed, she moved closer and whispered in his ear. "Why? Do you really like hearing me call you that... Daddy?"
"..." Kai had to admit, Sayuri truly knew what she was doing. She was dangerously cooperative.
Noticing the shift in Kai's demeanor, her smile grew wider.
"Did you forget I can skip school today?" Kai said.
"???"
When Sayuri saw the sudden, dangerous look in his eyes, she froze. She quickly moved back across the bed. "NO, NO, NO! I'M FULL! SAVE IT FOR NEXT TIME!"
She had eaten a lot last night. Having more now would be too much for her.
"Now you're scared..." Kai said, but he wasn't going to push her.
Even though his Reverse Cursed Technique could heal her body, Sayuri was still human. She needed real sleep to recover from mental exhaustion. She wasn't a machine.
"Alright, get some proper rest. I'm taking Eriri to school," Kai said, pulling the covers back over her before heading for the door.
"Mm!" Sayuri nodded obediently.
As she watched him leave, a real, happy smile appeared on her face. No matter what happened, she was happy in this moment, and that was enough.
Life was short, and she was already in her thirties. If she kept worrying about what others thought, she'd miss out on living.
"Just this once, let me indulge," she whispered, closing her eyes and falling back asleep. If she didn't rest enough, she wouldn't have the energy for her next meal.
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"Is Mom still asleep?"
Down in the living room, Eriri had already finished eating. When she saw Kai come down by himself, she asked, curious.
"Yeah, she went back to sleep. She's pretty exhausted!" Kai replied.
"MOM IS SO LAZY!" Eriri joked, thinking her mom was just sad about her dad and had stayed up crying all night.
"I guess that means you're super tough, then?" Kai said, giving her a knowing smirk.
"Of course! I'm super tough!" Eriri said proudly, not noticing the hidden meaning. She would never admit defeat in front of him.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to test just how tough you are when I get the chance!" Kai laughed.
"..."
How do you even test something like that? Still, Eriri met Kai's eyes and lifted her chin. "Bring it on! I'm not scared of anything!"
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