#387
Eri’s Very Own Master
So, holding Eri’s hand, we arrived at a place known as an apartment in Korea and a mansion in Japan, right in front of the entrance.
The familiar door greeted me, just like those I’ve seen in Japanese manga and dramas.
“Are we having a date here?”
But this entrance looks oddly familiar.
My forehead inadvertently furrowed.
It wasn’t just the typical manga familiarity; I felt like I’d seen this somewhere in the original work.
Where have I seen it before?
Just when I was deep in thought.
“…Ehehe, Master, um, that is…”
Eri awkwardly chuckled while fiddling with her collar.
“Y’know, Master. Eri’s… uh…”
The moment Eri awkwardly smiled, I remembered where I had seen this entrance.
It looked just like Eri’s home from an anime original episode.
It had slipped my mind, but now it was clear.
“So, this is your house?”
At my remark, Eri nodded.
What’s the deal with bringing me home after suggesting a date?
Are we going for one of those ‘stay-at-home dates’ that were a trend during the worldwide pandemic disaster?
“M-Master! You know Eri’s house?!”
Eri’s orange eyes sparkled at my words.
I nodded.
Eri’s family home, huh.
Now that I think about it, I remember visiting the homes of other heroines, but strangely, I’ve never been to Eri’s.
Well, honestly, I wouldn’t want to meet the guy who made his daughter wear a collar and call him ‘Master.’
I told her to take off that collar long ago.
This is ridiculous.
“Actually, Eri’s mother really wants to meet you this time… so, um…”
Eri awkwardly laughed.
So you know that the collar and that ridiculous ‘Master’ title are embarrassing too, huh?
“…Are you okay with that?”
Eri looked at me, asking.
I nodded.
“It’s fine.”
After all, I had to meet them at least once.
Eri’s real father, the Mad Hatter, is serving a life sentence, so her mother is her only family.
If she’s anything like her personality in the anime… it should be fine, right?
“Yay! Master! You’re so kind!”
Eri sparkled with hearts in her eyes as she grinned widely.
I wonder if she’s going to keep calling me ‘Master’ in front of her mother.
“Are you really going to do this in front of your mom?”
My head was spinning.
“Then I’ll press it.”
Eri gulped nervously and reached out her finger to ring the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
Just as the doorbell echoed through the quiet hallway.
Bang!
The front door swung open.
Her mother appeared beyond it.
In an apron, she looked more like an older sister than Eri’s mom, in her late twenties—with a youthful face.
Just like Eri, she had her orange hair tied up, framing her face, typical of a beautiful married woman you’d see in Japanese anime.
Exactly how she looked in the original.
“Oh my. Eri? And who is this…?”
Mom’s gaze turned toward us.
With a confident look, Eri puffed out her chest and shouted.
“I’ll introduce you! This is my m—”
Damn it, not this title!
I quickly dashed behind her and covered her mouth with my hand.
“Mmph! Mmmph mmph!”
Eri flailed her limbs exaggeratedly, like something out of a cartoon.
While holding her mouth, I chuckled and lowered my head.
“I’m Kim Deok-Sung, currently dating Eri.”
There was no way I could reveal to her mother that her daughter called a guy ‘Master.’
What is this, some risqué scenario that wouldn’t even fit in an adult manga, borrowing the term ‘yandere’?
“Oh, so you’re the Master my daughter mentioned…”
But all my efforts were in vain.
Looking at me with a ladle in hand, Mom smiled and trailed off her sentence.
Just how much has she been talking about ‘Master’?
Sighing internally, I released Eri.
“Phew. Haah.”
Freed, Eri gasped for air, her face flushed as she coiled up her body.
“Ahhh, Master. Eri loves rough play, but you really should consider the time and place…”
Seriously, who are you saying this in front of?
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Smack!
I gave Eri a light slap on the forehead.
“Eek… that hurts… Master… you’re too rough…”
Eri pretended to cry while rubbing her swelling forehead.
“Ha ha ha. I’m so sorry, ma’am.”
“Oh my, it’s fine. Mr. Kim the Messiah, please come in.”
Mom responded to my words with a hearty laugh.
To maintain her composure after hearing such things from her daughter right in front of her is remarkable.
In the original story, she only appeared as a stunning heroine mom who looked suspiciously young in her late twenties, but she definitely seems extraordinary.
Creek.
The door fully opened.
Following Mom’s lead, I stepped into Eri’s family home.
The interior was a typical Japanese-style 3LDK mansion.
One living room, three bedrooms, and a kitchen.
I was guided to the living room.
As I sat in the well-lit living room, Mom brought out snacks and cola as if she had prepared them beforehand.
Sizzle.
Ice cubes floated atop the cold cola in the glass.
“I prepared this cola because I heard our Messiah Kim Deok-Sung likes it, but I hope it suits your taste. Ho ho ho ho.”
Eri’s mom laughed, covering her mouth.
Next to the drink was a plate of cookies.
There it was.
On the white platter, there were beautifully shaped chocolate chip cookies and butter cookies stacked up.
Cookies with cola?
Not milk, but what in the world is this combination?
Just as I was thinking that,
“This cookie is baked with love and care by Eri-Ring while thinking of you, Master! Hehehehehe!”
Eri glued herself to my side with a bright smile.
So she didn’t buy these, she made them herself?
Well, I guess that could happen.
“Now, aaang~♥ Master, eat Eri-Ring’s love-love♡ cookie.”
Eri held a cookie in her hand and shoved it in front of my mouth.
What’s going on here in front of my mom?
It was awkward, but I couldn’t refuse food offered in what was practically my in-laws’ house now.
Isn’t there a saying about eating heartily when you visit your prospective in-laws?
It wasn’t a formal meeting, but I couldn’t just shrug it off either.
I accepted the cookie she offered and bit into it.
The cookie crumbled in my mouth.
“How is it, Master? How is it? What do you think of Eri-Ring’s love-love cookie that I stayed up all night making?”
Eri sparkled beside me.
Did she really stay up all night to bake cookies?
Anyway, the cookie was moderately sweet and actually pretty delicious.
Like, super delicious.
Truly, it was the skill of a heroine with recognized culinary talent, the top-ranked chef.
“It’s really good. Super.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Hehe.”
The one who answered was Eri’s mother.
She covered her mouth with her hand while chuckling.
I felt a strange lump in my throat.
I grabbed the cola placed on the platter and gulped it down.
“Let me formally introduce myself again, ma’am. I’m Kim Deok-Sung······.”
“There’s no need to be so stiff, Mr. Kim.”
She cut off my words.
With a smile, she said to me,
“Just relax. I was curious, you know? The guy who made my daughter call you Master and put a dog collar on her, who in the world is he?”
She attacked me casually, as if she was commenting on the lovely weather.
“Cough! Cough!”
Suddenly, I felt a choke at her words.
Yeah.
I knew a day like this would come eventually.
Just when I was about to pull out the excuse I had prepared for this day,
“W-well, I just temporarily did that to humiliate her out of anger at the time, and I stopped after that······.”
“······Master is Eri-Ring’s Master, so he’s Master!”
Eri shouted puffing her cheeks while looking at her mom, sticking close to me.
“And this dog collar isn’t just a dog collar. It’s a symbol of love that connects Eri-Ring and Master, revealing to everyone that Eri-Ring is Master’s property! Hmph. I’ve said it so many times.”
Eri pouted her lips while saying that.
Ah.
I’m done for.
Why on earth is she acting like this?
The air in the house became heavy.
With her silently chuckling mom and Eri staring intently at her, what was I supposed to say?
There was no way to recover from this.
I’m going to lose it.
Just as cold sweat was running down my back,
“Ha, hehehehe, hohohohohohohohohohohoho.”
Eri’s mom burst into loud laughter.
Eri’s mom laughed heartily.
After laughing for quite some time, she wiped the tears that had escaped from her eyes with her hand and said, “I’m relieved.”
What on earth is she relieved about?
I was stunned by her unexpected response.
“Honestly, I was a bit worried. What if Eri took after me and had no eye for men? What if she was brainwashed by some weird guy and forced to call him ‘Master’? Or maybe she had that dog collar slapped on her against her will?”
Even if I told her to take off the collar, it wouldn’t come off, right? I thought that might be the case, but I decided to just keep my mouth shut.
No eye for men, huh?
That line was in the original, too.
Considering Eri’s father, the Mad Hatter, I could see why she might think that.
“But I’m relieved. At least our Messiah, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, doesn’t seem like a bad person. It seems like Eri willingly calls him ‘Master’ and follows him. Ho ho.”
Her mom said to me while chuckling.
“Hmph. Master is definitely not a bad person. How could a bad person become a Messiah? Tch.”
Eri pouted and said to her mom.
Seeing that, her mom laughed.
“Okay, okay. Our Eri is right.”
“Hehe. But mom, you can’t set your sights on Master. Master is only Eri’s Master!”
Eri said, clinging to my neck.
Even in a light novel world, come on.
What nonsense is this?
Listening to Eri, her mom giggled.
She patted Eri’s head and said, “Right. Got it. Mr. Kim, please take good care of our naive daughter.”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded at her mom’s request.
Her mom smiled with satisfaction upon hearing my answer.
Is this really enough?
I had a slight doubt, but if the parties involved are happy, isn’t that what matters?
Just then, she said, “Alright. Then Mr. Kim, Eri. You two are watching the house. I have a meeting today, so I need to head out.”
With that, her mom started gathering her things and stood up.
Watching the house?
“I’m not coming back until late… Hehe.”
Not coming back until late?
Something about this feels…
The moment that thought crossed my mind…
“… Be sure to use protection. See you.”
Tap.
With that parting line, her mom left and closed the door behind her.
Now it was just Eri and me left in the mansion.
“Master♥”
Confirming that, Eri clung to me and murmured sweetly.
“I have condoms here.”
She looked up at me while holding a condom wrapper in her mouth.
When did this become a thing?
I’m going crazy.
I sighed internally as I pulled the condom from her mouth and said, “No need.”
“Huh?”
“We’re going to get married anyway… What’s the point now?”
“I get it, but wait! Master, E-Eri’s not ready yet, haah♥”
Just a few minutes after her mom left…
I ended up colliding bodies with Eri.
Of course, we didn’t use a condom.
