This time, Eriri didn't remodel the house into a villa as she usually did. Instead, she kept its original detached home appearance.
However, the interior was completely refurbished and replaced, raising the level of luxury and comfort by several notches.
Since no one had lived in it previously, the house was not equipped with any furniture or appliances.
But when Eriri was remodeling it, she had already created all the furniture and appliances out of thin air. Issues like internet and utilities had also been solved effortlessly, making the place ready for immediate move-in.
Once they decided to move in, Kyoko eagerly began exploring every corner of their new home, planning to pick a room she liked.
Eriri and Eu, on the other hand, didn't join Kyoko in the tour.
For Eriri, who had personally remodeled the house, there wasn't a single part she didn't already know. As for Eu, she simply wasn't interested in touring the house.
Rather than walking around, she preferred sitting on the living room sofa watching variety shows on TV, just like she was doing now.
Eriri sat beside her, teasing the purring Haruka in her arms, and occasionally messing with Eu, who was focused on the screen.
By the time Kyoko had finished her tour and chosen a room on the second floor, it was already past 10 a.m.
Since Eriri didn't plan to go shopping and there were still nearly two hours until lunchtime, Kyoko decided to head back and pack up her belongings before moving in directly.
With the storage system provided by the chat group, moving was a breeze for Kyoko, so Eriri had no intention of helping her with the task.
Besides, she wasn't just idly staying in the newly purchased house.
...
"Alright, Eu, that's enough TV for now. I'm taking you to meet someone."
Not long after Kyoko left, Eriri stopped stroking the cat and turned to Eu, who was snuggled up beside her.
Hearing Eriri's voice, Eu immediately turned her gaze from the screen to Eriri, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity.
"Meet someone? Is it a friend of yours from this world?"
"Not exactly. It would be more accurate to say it's someone you know."
"Someone I know? Who is it?"
Eriri's words only deepened Eu's curiosity.
If it was someone she could be said to know, it was likely another denizen of the underworld.
But Eu knew quite a few people from the underworld. And she had no idea which of them, like her, had come to Earth.
"Well, you'll see in a bit. Let's go meet them now."
Eriri chuckled as she patted Eu's small head, without revealing the identity of this "familiar face."
Eu didn't press for an answer. She simply nodded, letting Eriri lead her by the hand out of the house.
Roughly two or three minutes later, Eriri brought Eu to the location of a nearby two-story apartment building.
It was an old wooden apartment complex with a strong sense of history. It looked like it could collapse from just a magnitude 3 earthquake.
But since it was still standing, that concern was clearly unnecessary.
Seeing the run-down building, Eu looked surprised, but she didn't say anything. She quietly followed Eriri inside and up the iron staircase on the right side leading to the second floor.
Upon reaching the second floor, Eriri didn't hesitate at all. She led Eu straight to the far left of the corridor.
Finally, they stopped in front of the second door from the left—Room 202.
Without any hesitation, Eriri pressed the doorbell located on the wall to the right of the door.
Dingdong dingdong
As the chime sounded, a voice soon responded from within the apartment.
"Hi hi~ Coming, coming~"
The pleasant voice coming through the door sounded slightly lazy, as if the person had just woken up.
Upon hearing it, Eu's eyes widened slightly.
The voice was all too familiar to her. At this point, she knew exactly who Eriri had brought her to meet.
Soon after, with a click, the door to Room 202 opened from the inside.
Standing before Eriri and Eu was a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, with waist-length red hair.
She had a stunningly beautiful face, and her figure was equally top-tier.
She was wearing a tight tank top that exposed a large expanse of fair skin and a deep cleavage line.
Below, she wore an ultra-short skirt, her smooth, shapely legs boldly exposed to the air—a strikingly seductive sight.
This was none other than one of the former members of the "Seventh Abyss," known as the strongest denizen of the underworld: Naegleria Nebiros—an old friend of Eu.
Back when the Seventh Abyss disbanded due to the King of the Night, both Eu and Naegleria left the underworld, though they didn't stay together afterward.
So this was their reunion after many years.
"Long time no see."
Looking at her long-lost friend, Eu took the initiative to greet her.
"Oh my, if it isn't Eucliwood~ Long time no see~"
Eu's appearance indeed surprised Naegleria a little. In truth, finding Eu wouldn't have been difficult for her, but she had never taken the initiative to seek her out.
It wasn't that their relationship was bad, just that there had been no particular need to.
Of course, had Eu ever faced mortal danger, she would have rushed to her side at once.
Still, seeing Eu come to her on her own was a pleasant surprise.
"Did you cut your hair?"
"No." Eu shook her head.
She wasn't surprised at all by Naegleria's sudden question, clearly used to this kind of thing.
"Is that so? You really haven't changed a bit since back then," Naegleria said with a smile.
But the next moment, she realized something critical.
"Wait… Eucliwood, you can speak freely now? And you're not wearing the 'Silence Seal'..."
Naegleria looked her up and down in disbelief, as though seeing the Eu from before she lost her voice and emotions.
"Mm. Thanks to Eriri's help, I can now fully control the magic in my body again."
As she spoke, Eu turned to Eriri, her eyes once again filled with gratitude.
Eriri said nothing, just smiled and raised her hand to gently pat Eu on the head.
Watching the interaction between the two, Naegleria's expression turned curious.
She was intrigued not just by Eu's words, but also by Eriri's identity.
In fact, the moment she had opened the door, Eriri had caught her attention first.
Although she couldn't sense any magic from Eriri, her aura and appearance made it clear she was no ordinary person.
Originally, she had intended to speak with Eriri first, but upon seeing Eu, she had shelved that plan.
Now, after hearing Eu's explanation, she was certain—Eriri was definitely not an ordinary person.
After all, how else could she have resolved Eu's condition—something that even the entire underworld had failed to do?
Even Naegleria herself, the strongest denizen of the underworld, had only managed to create equipment that suppressed Eu's power.
She had no reason to doubt Eu's words.
"Eucliwood, is this someone you met recently in this world?" Naegleria asked curiously, stifling a yawn as she spoke.
Her narcolepsy meant she could fall asleep at any moment.
Before Eu could reply, Eriri answered for her.
"Rather than a friend, it's more accurate to say family. Eu is now someone I acknowledge as family and will always be by my side."
"Family... I see. That sounds wonderful," Naegleria murmured.
Then she gave Eriri a grateful smile. "Please take good care of Eucliwood from now on. And thank you for curing her condition."
"Of course. Since she's family now, taking care of her is only natural," Eriri replied casually.
"Come to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura. You can just call me Eriri, like Eu does, Naegleria."
"Aww, don't call me that~ Just call me Nini~"
Naegleria wasn't surprised that Eriri knew her name.
She assumed Eriri had learned it from Eu and figured Eu had brought her here.
"Mm-hmm, then I'll call you Nini from now on~"
Upon hearing Eriri say that, Naegleria showed a satisfied expression, yawning as she responded, "That's better. It sounds much nicer that wa—"
Before she could finish, her narcolepsy suddenly took over, and she collapsed forward into a deep sleep.
Thankfully, Eriri was quick to act. She stepped forward and caught Naegleria's limp body in her arms, preventing her from crumpling at the doorstep.
While it wouldn't have harmed someone like Naegleria, the strongest denizen of the underworld, it would have been unsightly—and the ground wasn't particularly clean.
Naegleria was about 160 cm tall, only a few centimeters taller than Eriri.
So when Eriri caught her, there was no clichéd "pillow fall" scenario. On the contrary, it was Eriri who ended up face-first in Naegleria's ample chest.
Not that the term really applied here, but still.
Even without experiencing a proper chest-pillow moment, Eriri could distinctly feel the soft, curvy contours of Naegleria's voluptuous body—proof again of just how stunning her figure was.
Even compared to Arifureta's adult form, Naegleria was just as captivating.
"Nini..."
Seeing Naegleria suddenly fall asleep in Eriri's arms, Eu looked slightly worried.
She knew that Naegleria had suffered from narcolepsy for a long time. Back then, it merely meant she liked to sleep and slept for extended periods. But this—sudden, uncontrollable sleep—was new.
One look at Eu's expression, and Eriri instantly understood her concern.
Eriri smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. Nini's narcolepsy hasn't gotten worse. She just often stays up late, and now that she's in a safe environment, she lets herself relax. If there were any danger, she'd snap awake instantly."
Eriri had no doubt about this. A little narcolepsy would never hinder someone like Naegleria.
After all, she had once singlehandedly repelled Velier's invasion of the underworld.
Her words had the intended effect. Eu immediately relaxed.
"Alright, Eu, let's take Nini inside."
Eriri gave Naegleria's sleeping backside a pat and turned to Eu.
Eu nodded in agreement.
Although Eriri could have instantly woken Naegleria with a thought and filled her with energy, she chose not to. Instead, she gently carried her inside.
Naegleria's apartment wasn't very large. Aside from the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, there was a roughly 20-square-meter tatami room.
Inside the room was a nearly two-meter-long desk, a steel shelf filled with manga and figures, and a low square table in the center.
The room was a bit messy, with manga volumes scattered on the floor and empty bottles of energy drinks here and there.
Two strings stretched across opposite walls, currently holding freshly drawn manga pages hanging out to dry.
Even if Eriri hadn't known beforehand what Naegleria was up to, one glance at this room told her exactly what her profession was now.
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