A Saiyan's Journey

In a family restaurant, Shin and Eriri sat together, looking at the menu on the table.

Eriri was clearly very nervous. Sitting across from Shin, she didn't even dare to look him in the eye, her demeanor exuding shyness.

Shin assumed it was probably because, when they entered earlier, the server mistakenly thought they were a couple.

What surprised Shin, however, was that while he didn't bother denying the assumption, Eriri also hesitated to refute it. She had opened her mouth to say something but ultimately chose to stay silent.

It seemed as if she didn't intend to deny it at all.

"Looks like what happened before must have really shaken her up," Shin thought.

They had only known each other for a few days, yet they had progressed to this point. Shin could only conclude that the previous events had left a significant impact on Eriri.

It seemed that her perception of him had become muddled, which explained her inability to argue against the server's mistaken assumption that they were a couple.

However, because Eriri was so flustered at the moment, she didn't notice that there was another lone customer seated not far from them.

Sawamura Sayuri, unsurprisingly, had followed them into the restaurant and was keeping an eye on Eriri and Shin from nearby.

Shin could already predict what was going to happen when Eriri returned home: Sawamura Sayuri was definitely going to interrogate her—likely in an entertaining manner.

...

"Anywhere else you'd like to go?"

After finishing their lunch, Shin and Eriri left the restaurant, and Shin asked her.

The main reason Eriri had invited him out was to visit that peculiar toy shop for reference material, though she was also concerned about her safety, which was why she had asked Shin to come along.

Shin, on the other hand, had come along purely for the amusement of it. He hadn't expected to catch Sawamura Sayuri tailing Eriri, which only made the whole experience even more entertaining.

Now that Eriri had bought what she needed from the toy shop, Shin naturally wanted to know what her plans were next.

If she didn't have anything else in mind, he would head back to help Sayu Ogiwara and Irisviel move their belongings.

Even though the two of them had practically moved into Shin's house empty-handed, they seemed to be quite eager to help him pack up and move everything to the new place.

When he had left home earlier, he saw that Sayu Ogiwara and Irisviel had already sorted out a large pile of stuff, so much so that a few suitcases weren't enough to hold it all.

"What? Are you so eager to go back?"

Eriri was a little annoyed upon hearing that, but she quickly turned to Shin and lowered her voice.

"Well... actually, I wanted to test out the effects of these toys..."

Her words carried an undertone that made them quite intriguing—testing out the effects of these toys? Clearly, these weren't items that could be used in public.

As for inviting Shin to her house... Shin doubted that Eriri would have the courage to do so, especially with her parents at home.

"W-Why are you looking at me with that weird expression!?"

Noticing Shin's strange gaze, Eriri's twin tails seemed to bristle as she muttered in an aggrieved voice.

"You know what I'm drawing, don't you? This is just research! Research, you hear me? It's all to improve my skills!"

In truth, Shin's odd expression was mainly due to the fact that Sawamura Sayuri was not far behind them, watching.

Unintentionally, Eriri had practically invited a guy to do something suggestive right in front of her own mother.

But on second thought, since Sawamura Sayuri wasn't a Saiyan, there was no way she could hear exactly what Eriri had said from this distance.

Then again, it didn't matter if she hadn't heard it. She'd find out soon enough.

"Well, since you're so insistent, I suppose I could accompany you..." Shin rubbed his chin and grinned.

"But my house is a mess because of the move, so it's not convenient to go there. Is your place an option?"

Shin's question was casual, yet the answer was expected.

"Of course not! My mom is still at home!"

Eriri's face turned crimson. She still had no idea that Sawamura Sayuri had followed her from home and was currently trailing behind them.

"So your place is out too... Where else can we go?"

"There's only one choice left, isn't there?"

Shin stopped walking and pointed toward a building nearby.

A pink signboard hung on the building, radiating an air of mystery and allure, enticing impure-minded young men and women to step inside.

"A... a hotel?"

Even though it was Eriri herself who had brought up the idea, she couldn't help but gulp when she saw the building with the pink sign.

As a doujin artist, she knew exactly what kind of activities took place in these hotels—they certainly weren't just for resting.

To be honest, when Shin pointed at the building, Eriri didn't feel repulsed. Instead, she felt a small thrill.

On one hand, entering a place like this would be useful research for her as a doujin artist—definitely worth it.

On the other hand, it was because she'd be going in with Shin.

Although she hadn't known him for long, Shin's earlier actions had left such a strong impression on her that she found herself thinking about him every night, replaying the scene of his mana replenishment process in her mind.

As a doujin artist, a teenage girl in her prime, and someone captivated by Shin's striking looks and overwhelming aura, her memories of him stood out vividly, as though someone had splashed paint across the canvas of her thoughts.

Even though she was tempted, Eriri still retained a shred of reason. She asked in a low voice:

"We're both high school students. How could we possibly get in?"

These types of hotels in Japan were meant for inappropriate activities. If they let high school students in and got into trouble, it would cause them a heap of problems.

Thus, these establishments typically refused entry to minors. Considering that Shin and Eriri didn't look like adults, it was unlikely they'd be allowed in.

Although Shin had some powerful connections, it would be ridiculous to trouble the Shinomiya family just to get into a hotel.

"Don't worry. If we can't get in, it just means we didn't bring enough money."

Shin chuckled. He certainly wasn't short on cash.

Then, he led Eriri into the building.

Behind them, Sawamura Sayuri stared in stunned disbelief as Eriri followed Shin into the building with the pink sign, offering no resistance.

For a moment, she didn't know how to react.

By all accounts, she should have stepped in to stop Eriri. However, after taking a few steps forward, she stopped again, as if an invisible force was holding her back.

In the end, she could only sigh inwardly:

"Eriri, at the very least... don't get pregnant..."

To be continued...

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