After the "waste water" accumulated in her brain was drained through crying, Eriri Spencer Sawamura felt much clearer.
The more Katsuragi Ren analyzed, the more Eriri felt he was right.
No longer dwelling on Tomoya Aki's issues, Ren tossed a question at Eriri.
"Eriri, give me a chance here. Tell me about Tomoya's strengths. Or point out one area where he has grown."
It was useless for only Ren to speak. Given how much Eriri had been brainwashed by Tomoya, this Golden Retriever might just forget everything after a night's sleep.
Ren needed Eriri to think for herself about her perspective of Tomoya now that the "guilt" filter was gone.
If Eriri still held any delusions about Tomoya, Ren would turn and leave immediately.
Staying away from "love-brains" who didn't love themselves was one of Ren's principles.
Being able to say this much to Eriri and trying to wake her up was already him doing a favor for Sayuri Sawamura.
"Tomoya, he..."
Eriri racked her brain, searching for Tomoya's strengths and growth.
Unable to think of anything, she even started tugging at her own twintails.
"Then, Eriri, tell me about your own growth."
Ren didn't force the issue, turning the question back to the girl herself.
"Drawing! My art is already very good!"
Without needing to think, Eriri blurted out the growth she was most proud of.
As she spoke, she even proudly puffed out her flat chest.
But as soon as she finished, Eriri fell silent.
Why was it that despite both of them being apart, she had grown in many areas, yet Tomoya's growth... she couldn't see it at all?
Was it that she couldn't see it, or was there simply none?
Eriri didn't know herself.
"Did you figure it out?"
"Mhm..." Eriri spoke weakly.
"Eriri, you're the eldest daughter of the Sawamura family, right? Why are you so obedient to Tomoya?"
"I'm not obedient!" Eriri instinctively refuted.
Ren didn't speak, just looking at Eriri.
"Fine... maybe a little."
Knowing she had been seen through, Eriri spoke with a sense of self-abandonment.
"You didn't deny being the Sawamura heiress. That means, in a sense, you represent the Sawamura family."
"And what are you doing? You're dragging the Sawamura family behind you to be obedient to Tomoya?"
Ren gradually began to deviate from the main topic.
Keeping things small wouldn't make Eriri feel much. He had to speak on a larger scale to make Eriri understand her own position.
"I'm not!"
Eriri clearly knew about the honor of her family background. If she admitted what Ren said here and it happened to leak out...
The prestigious Sawamura family being obedient to a child from an ordinary family would become the laughingstock of the entire upper circle, a topic for gossip over tea.
"Saying 'I'm not' is useless because that's exactly what you've been doing."
"Then what should I do..." Having little experience in the world, Eriri looked at Ren pitifully.
"First, admit you're a pig."
Ren's enlightenment wasn't free. Even though she was Sayuri's biological daughter, Ren was going to charge a fee.
"I'm a pig..."
To avoid affecting the Sawamura family, Eriri yielded, admitting in a small voice that she was a pig.
I'm a pig...
I'm a pig...
A series of faint but clear voices came from directly in front of Eriri. The timbre of the voice was Eriri's own.
Under Eriri's indignant gaze, Ren smilingly tucked away his phone, having opened the recording app in advance.
"Katsuragi Ren, you're bullying me again!"
Eriri made a move to pounce on Ren, wanting to snatch the phone he had put back in his pocket and delete that recording.
However, while Eriri had the heart to "slay the thief," Ren simply held her head with one hand, making it impossible for her to move an inch forward.
The girl swung her white arms vigorously, but unfortunately, she couldn't land a single hit on Ren.
Ren didn't even remind her, just watching Eriri's desperate resistance.
"Had enough?"
Seeing that Eriri no longer had the strength to wave her arms, Ren finally spoke.
"Delete the recording!"
Lifting her head slightly, Eriri bared her small canine teeth to threaten Ren.
Thud—
Ren's "gender equality punch" landed accurately on Eriri's small head.
"Had enough?"
Ren asked again.
"I've had enough..."
Clutching her head where she had been hit, Eriri replied with a pout, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Since childhood, no one had ever hit her like this. Even Sayuri at most used a small folding fan to tap Eriri lightly on the head.
"The last question for today: why did Tomoya want to make you feel guilty?"
Ren had played enough.
"Why?"
How could Eriri know why? She could only seek help from Ren.
Seeing Eriri seek answers directly without thinking, Ren pressed both hands against Eriri's temples, squeezing with controlled force.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Eriri grimaced in pain.
"You can't even see something so simple, and you still claim you aren't a pig."
"What is the biggest difference between you and Tomoya?"
Ren asked, exasperated by her lack of insight.
"I've made progress, and Tomoya hasn't?"
With the comparison from just now, Eriri quickly found the answer.
"Exactly. You've improved, he hasn't."
"So he belittles you while trying to control you. He wants you to feel like you don't deserve him, when in fact, he knows he's the one who doesn't deserve you."
"He wants to drag you down to his level."
Noticing Eriri's eyes brightening as she listened, Ren thought about his conversation with Megumi Kato and asked Eriri: "You had a falling out with him today, didn't you?"
"How did you know?" Eriri was shocked. She hadn't expected Ren to know even this.
"It doesn't matter how I know. Just say whether it's true or not."
Ren rolled his eyes at Eriri, not understanding how her brain could work so strangely. Was this the time to talk about how he knew the details?
As if reacting to a stimulus, Eriri placed one hand on her head and shielded her face with the other. Seeing that Ren wasn't going to use violence, she finally said, "Yes."
"Do you know why you eventually fell out?"
"Because he was driven to a shame-filled rage."
"His rage came from the fact that he actually failed to control you."
Eriri opened her mouth to ask more, but Ren stuffed a soft bread directly into her mouth, blocking her.
Placing several candies in Eriri's hand, Ren pressed one hand on her head, forcibly turned her around, and began to shoo her away.
"Alright, your psychological consultation time is up."
"Go play by yourself."