After leaving Sōichirō Takagi, Yuriko Takagi walked straight to her daughter's bedroom—a room dripping with princess vibes.
"Mom!"
The second Saya saw her, the pink-haired girl rushed over, her face a mix of urgency and nervous fidgeting.
Ever since that run-in with Rika on the road, Shuya had casually pointed out what was really going on in her heart. That was when Saya finally admitted to herself—she really did have feelings for him.
The problem? Shuya didn't seem to care about the Takagi family's status at all. And he didn't seem all that interested in her, either.
There was nothing she could do about it.
Once he left the estate, they might as well be living in two different worlds.
So right now she was dying to know: had he already gone?
If he hadn't left yet, she still had a chance.
Yuriko pulled her daughter into a warm hug, smiling as she gently stroked that long pink hair. "Saya, pack a change of clothes and whatever else you need. It's time for us to go."
"Go?" Saya blinked, confused. "Where?"
Yuriko's eyes sparkled with mischief. "We're leaving the Takagi house with little Shuya. Sound good? Aren't you excited?"
Saya turned her head away, doing her best tsundere impression. "N-no way…"
Even so, the way the corners of her mouth curled up gave her away completely.
She was so happy she completely missed the tiny but important detail: when Yuriko said "we're leaving together," she hadn't meant "you." She'd meant "us."
A second later Saya's brain caught up and she asked hesitantly, "But… what about Dad…?"
"You don't have to worry about that," Yuriko said smoothly. "I already spoke with your father. Just grab your things and get ready to go."
"Really?!"
Saya's eyes lit up—then she saw the teasing look on her mother's face and quickly backpedaled.
"Cough, cough. Mom, that's not what I meant…"
"You silly girl." Yuriko shook her head, chuckling. "It's fine to lie to me, but don't lie to yourself. If you keep being this indirect about your feelings, you're going to lose out in the romance department someday."
She gave Saya's head a gentle pat. "But don't worry. I'll help you from now on."
"I… I got it. Thanks, Mom."
Saya blushed at first, but the second she heard "I'll help you," her whole face lit up with joy.
In Saya's mind, her mom was a real genius—perfect in every way, always in total control, like nothing in the world could ever stump her.
With someone like that on her side, how could she possibly lose?
But once the rush of excitement faded and her brain came back online, a new question popped up.
Help me… how exactly is Mom going to help me?
Saya thought about it for a few seconds, couldn't figure it out, and decided to stop thinking altogether.
She slipped out of her mother's arms and started packing with light, happy steps.
Worried Shuya might get impatient, she didn't take long—just tossed a few sets of clothes into a bag and zipped it shut.
Then she asked eagerly, "Mom, where's Shuya right now?"
"Come with me."
Yuriko kept it short and led her daughter out of the room.
A few minutes later they were standing in front of Shuya.
His gaze flicked over Saya for a second before he asked, "What's going on? Why'd you bring her too?"
He honestly didn't mind having Saya around.
Sure, her family situation was complicated and her screen time in the original story had been a little low, but she was still a solid 2D heroine—way above average just by default.
What really surprised him was that Yuriko was willing to throw her own daughter into the deal.
In the anime the plot had pushed Saya toward the protagonist because of that classic main-character halo.
But now Shuya was literally stealing the Takagi family's most important pillar—her own mother—and Yuriko was still happily handing Saya over too?
All he could say was… damn, that's big of her.
Very on-brand for this country.
"Well?" Yuriko winked at him playfully. "Excited? Buy one, get one free—you hit the jackpot. And we're mother and daughter, you know~"
"Can we not make jokes like that?"
Shuya rolled his eyes, then turned to Saya, took her hand, and said seriously, "Takagi, promise me you'll never play the 'I'm your mom' card again, okay?"
"W-what 'mom' card…?"
Saya's brain was already short-circuiting.
What does he mean "brought her too"?
Weren't you the one who talked to my parents and said I could go with you?
And what the hell is this "buy one, get one free" Mom just said?
Plus… what's a "mom card"?
I don't get any of this.
She turned to Yuriko with a completely lost look, silently begging for an explanation.
Yuriko stepped closer, gently patted the pink-haired girl's head, and calmly retold the same story she'd given Shuya earlier.
The second the story ended, she added with a smile, "So from now on, Saya, don't call me Mom anymore. Call me… uh… actually, just call me big sister."
When Saya was little it had been fine, but now that everything was out in the open, "Mom" didn't fit anymore.
"Auntie" sounded way too old—Yuriko was still young, thank you very much.
Plus…
She glanced sideways at Shuya standing right there.
Yeah. Big sister was definitely the way to go.
Saya, who had already been dazed, was now completely mind-broken.
Wait… my mom isn't actually my mom? She's my grandfather's secret daughter?
But now she wants me to call her big sister?
And the most important part— I'm the "get one free" in the buy-one-get-one deal?!
And that whole "I'll help you" thing… this is how she's helping?!
For a second she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Saya frantically scratched at her hair, feeling like her entire world was spinning out of control.
Shuya patted her shoulder with the wise tone of someone who'd seen it all. "You get it now, right? So seriously, Takagi—never pull that 'I'm your mom' move again."
If Saya hadn't gone around calling every older woman "Mom" back then, would she have mistaken Yuriko for her actual mother?
And if she hadn't made that mistake, none of this super-awkward situation would've happened.
So yeah. Blame the "mom card" girl.
"All right, since you're packed, let's get going."
Without giving Saya any time to argue, Shuya grabbed the Murata sword he'd just received from the Takagi family—the same one Saeko would use later in the original story—and turned to leave.
It was the payment for bringing Saya home.
Technically she was still coming with him now, but a deal was a deal. No refunds.
If you really thought about it, after the round trip they probably owed him another payment.
Actually… make that two.
Shuya looked down at the Murata sword in his hand, then up at Yuriko and Saya standing beside him.
After a moment of careful thought, he came to a single conclusion.
Wait… hold on.
Did I just get the whole damn package—meal and plate included?!