Yandere Ojou-sama!

"How was your day, dear?"

Inside a classic Japanese-style room which was warmly illuminated and least furnished despite the room belonging to the heiress of a prominent clan, could be seen two figures currently chatting.

One of them was a teenager with a beautiful crimson mane flowing down her back and was currently in the process of getting combed by the lady sitting behind her.

"It was...eventful, Mother." Kaede couldn't help but smile remembering the day and how many things occurred today in which the memory of those minutes with Haruto dominated every other remembrance.

Despite the sorrow she felt after Akira confronted them or the anger she felt hearing that bastard Shimazu plotting against Haruto, Kaede had her fair share of happy moments as well which brought such a lovely smile to the young girl.

"Oh my~A maiden in love is such a delightful sight for sore eyes~"

The one who cooed was a gorgeous woman seemingly in her early thirties with her long midnight hair tied in a bun and beautiful ornament adorning the braid, complimented by her violet eyes which currently were oozing with genuine joy.

Despite the woman seemed to be in her prime age of beauty, she actually was the mother of a nineteen-year-old boy who was a sibling to Kaede but not blood-related. Kaede's mother was no longer with her after she gave birth to the youngest heiress and the only daughter in the household. The first son and Kaede's blood-related sibling was three years older than her but she didn't have much close relationship with him.

Despite the lady who currently was combing her hair being Kaede's stepmother, Kaede never treated her differently than how she would have considered her birth mother, and in response, the lady, Amaye Ashikaga, also was extremely fond of Kaede.

If anyone then Kaede could only talk to her mother openly without the fear of getting judged. Sure Kaede got scolded by her mother on some occasions but other than that she usually remains like a friend to the redhead and listens to all of Kaede's banters.

Naturally, things related to Haruto were not hidden from Amaye. Not only now but in the past when Kaede was going through her struggling phase and had Haruto by her side, she always shared her stories with her mother.

From Amaye's perspective, Haruto already had become a potential son-in-law candidate but things happened in between, and now it seemed Haruto was no longer the same free-spirited person who had no restriction binding him from getting involved with Kaede. He now serves as the heiress of the Takahashi clan for some reason, but thankfully from what Kaede has spoken about him from her recent interaction, he still was the same as before.

Amaye asked whether it was related to the matter of some kind of loan which forced Haruto to work as a Butler. She wished it was like that so Amaye could come into the light and help Haruto by providing him with a better and normal high schooler life. But from what Kaede said, it seemed he had signed a contract with that household, and Haruto himself didn't seem to be reluctant to work there.

Amaye was at a loss, for how she could help the poor boy but Kaede told her to not get worried since the teenager herself has taken the job to free Haruto from those slavery chains and provide him with the life he deserves.

In between those attempts, today Kaede made some preparations and invited Haruto for a dance of which Amaye saw the footage. It was so peaceful and heartwarming to see the pair together that Amaye was barely holding herself from squealing. She had a reputation to maintain after all.

"You sure don't want to go tomorrow and impress Haruto with the dress I have prepared for you?" Kaede blushed at the teasing remark, making the older woman giggle slightly as she ran the comb gently to unlock the frills.

Kaede had her face heating up at a high pace as she remembered the dress her mother selected for Kaede. It was a western one-piece long dress that had a slit at the side and goes up to her lower thigh. Not to talk about the exposure left for her bosom which displayed a healthy amount of her cleavage.

(A/N: - Like the one which Letty wore in fnf7 during the Etihad tower scene)

It was not explicitly vulgar but Kaede was definitely not alright wearing in front of others. Yeah...if Haruto was the only one to see...

'What the heck am I thinking... '

Holding her horses which have been growing wild ever since she reunited with her crush, Kaede responded to her mother with a shrug.

"Well, I already danced with Haru-kun, then why bother dolling up to get gawked at by those idiots? And the reaction Haru-kun gave me today was enough to maintain my sugar level for a month at least."

Amaye's melodic laugh echoed in the room as she felt happy and amused seeing her daughter getting satisfied just by getting a reaction from her crush. Teenage love is such a bliss to humankind.

But there was something that made the lady soon sober up as she held Kaede's shoulders and while looking at her daughter through the mirror, she asked in a slightly serious tone.

"But the question is dear...are you really satisfied with this much?"

Akira was taken aback by the sudden query and was forced to think that indeed was she just happy with these developments. Well, it was a lot that she was now able to talk to him properly and have built a friendly relationship but what about after that?

Would she not do anything and let Akira dominate his heart just like that? Kaede already was in a disadvantageous position since Haruto lives with Akira so what time she could only talk to him was the academy. But would it be alright to go with this pace and hope to make Haruto fall for her?

The answer was yes.

Amaye raised her brows when she saw Kaede's confident smile and the words which followed affirmed the lady that her daughter was not going to back down in the rivalry.

"I may not be the person whom Haruto fell for in the past but I am not going to back down and will make him look at me at my own pace. I know about Haru-kun more than Akira could ever know and to form an unshakable bond between us, I need to take this steadily...."

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A/N: - Drop a comment~