Over the past six months, Touka Ryuumonbuchi had not given up searching for Eriri—even going to Kiyosumi High School multiple times to find her trace, but without success.
Eventually, she even used her family's resources to investigate, but there was not a single clue about Eriri anywhere.
Even the magazine interview featuring Eriri before the prefectural qualifiers had mysteriously vanished without a trace, and the internet held no record of her whatsoever.
Of course, she had tried asking Nodoka Haramura directly. Judging from their behavior at the venue, Eriri and Nodoka clearly shared a close relationship.
But even from Nodoka, she couldn't get any satisfying answers.
It wasn't until she saw the invitation appear in her mind that she finally understood—Eriri came from another world. No wonder she could never find any information.
"Heh, finally caught you. Twelve hours from now, right? I'm definitely going!"
Touka Ryuumonbuchi spoke with fierce determination, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her good mood.
...
Soon enough, the next day arrived. Group members excited for today's New Year's event streamed into the Saekano world via the World Gate.
Many were familiar faces, but a few were new arrivals.
For example, Miharu Kirisu, who followed closely behind her older sister and looked around at everything with wide-eyed curiosity. And also Hiratsuka Shizuka, who walked out of the gate right behind Haruno and Mrs. Yukinoshita.
Although Shizuka had learned about the Saekano world long ago from Haruno and knew that both Yukino and Akino had transferred here, this was her first time actually visiting this unfamiliar world.
So even her usually boisterous demeanor was subdued. Dressed in an elegant gown far removed from her usual casual style, she appeared especially graceful today.
Perhaps to make the event livelier, Jibril had returned early to the No Game No Life world and brought all the Flügel with her—over a hundred of them in total.
Their arrival filled the villa with an even more festive atmosphere.
Naturally, today's event wouldn't be complete without Miss Sayuri. Having been picked up early by Eriri, Miss Sayuri was now sitting and chatting with Mrs. Yukinoshita, Chisa Izumi, Nagisa Himekawa, Sephie, and others.
Most of the group members' mothers had been brought along by their daughters.
As for Erina and Alice, they hadn't arrived yet. They planned to wait until all the cooking competition participants had gathered before coming over together.
But they didn't keep Eriri and the others waiting long. Right around 10:30 a.m., Erina and Alice appeared, leading a group of participants all dressed in white chef uniforms through the World Gate.
Although they had mentally prepared themselves, witnessing this incredible scene with their own eyes left many of the contestants wide-eyed and awestruck.
The mysterious, glowing doors overwhelmed them, and they stood cautiously in place.
Since all group members had already arrived, the area around the World Gate was empty except for Erina, Alice, and the contestants.
At that moment, a voice rang out from the crowd.
"Miss Erina, Miss Alice, where should we go now? And when does the competition start?"
"No need to rush. You'll find out in due time. For now, I'll take you to meet the host of this place. Everyone, be on your best behavior—this isn't like the world you came from."
Hearing Erina's words, some of the contestants felt a bit disgruntled inside, but none dared voice their complaints.
After all, they knew Erina was right. This was a world filled with supernatural powers.
When they had first heard this detail, many of them had been in shock for quite a while—except for the few who had some prior experience with such things.
If it weren't for the high rewards offered by Senzaemon Nakiri, the assurances from Erina and Alice, and their own lingering curiosity, these participants would have never set foot in such an unknown land.
After saying that, Erina and Alice turned and headed toward the interior of the villa, the group of participants trailing closely behind.
As they left the World Gate area, Erina and the others encountered various people leisurely strolling about. Nearly every time they passed someone, Erina and Alice exchanged greetings and chatted briefly with them.
Though the distance wasn't far, it took them over twenty minutes to finally reach Eriri.
Along the way, the participants gradually realized why the cooking competition was restricted to female chefs—throughout their time walking through what could only be described as a mansion, not a single male figure was seen.
When they finally saw Eriri, those meeting her for the first time were completely stunned.
Eriri stood wearing a gorgeous short kimono, cradling a pure white cat in her arms. Her long golden hair flowed perfectly down her back, with strands trailing to the floor—beautiful beyond words.
Just like everyone who encountered Eriri for the first time, her appearance left them speechless.
"Eriri, mission accomplished! I've brought the participants for the cooking competition. Thirty in total~"
Alice cheerfully leaned in toward Eriri, her cute expression clearly seeking praise.
"Mm-hmm, well done, Alice." Eriri smiled as she reached out and gently patted Alice's silver hair.
"Hehe~"
Receiving Eriri's praise, Alice giggled sweetly.
After praising Alice, Eriri didn't forget Erina, who had also stepped up beside her. With a grin, she shifted her hand from Alice's head to Erina's.
"Erina, you did great too~"
"It was nothing, really. Not something worth praising."
Though Eriri's head-patting embarrassed Erina greatly, she didn't push her hand away—her cheeks reddened, but she accepted it silently.
Erina's behavior stunned the nearby participants, who had been standing respectfully three meters away.
In their eyes, Erina was always proud and aloof.
One particular girl with long black hair and striking red eyes widened them in disbelief.
Eriri recognized her instantly.
Nao Sadatsuka, a first-year student at Totsuki Academy's high school division. Despite her pretty face, she often covered most of it with her long black hair. Her gloomy demeanor and bizarre habits made others avoid her like the plague.
Still, she was certainly a memorable character—especially her purified version ("White" Sadatsuka), which was undeniably cute.
Aside from Sadatsuka, Eriri recognized quite a few others.
There was Hisako Arato, who often came over with Erina to hang out.
Then there were Rindou Kobayashi, Momo Akanegakubo, and Nene Kinokuni—who had helped out during the Martial Arts Tournament alongside Erina.
Other familiar faces included Megumi Tadokoro, Ryoko Sakaki, Ikumi Mito, and Yuki Yoshino—all current students of Totsuki Academy.
Even some graduates were present, such as Urara Kawashima, Fuyumi Mizuhara, and Hinako Inui.
Although these former Elite Ten members were on a completely different level in culinary skill compared to students like Tadokoro, the outcome of the competition was still uncertain.
After all, during the Martial Arts Tournament, Kobayashi and the others had learned several days' worth of cooking techniques directly from Aoi Kujou. Their skills had grown tremendously since then.
Seeing the slightly excited faces of Rindou Kobayashi, Momo Akanegakubo, and Nene Kinokuni in the crowd, Eriri smiled and greeted them.
"Long time no see, Rindou, Momo, and Nene."
Upon hearing that, Momo Akanegakubo shyly shrank her neck and responded softly with a red face, while Nene Kinokuni gave a polite smile and returned Eriri's greeting.
As for Rindou Kobayashi, she confidently stepped out from the group and boldly walked up to Eriri.
"Long time no see, Lady Eriri!" Rindou Kobayashi said excitedly. "I didn't expect you to still remember us. I'm so happy~"
"Of course I remember you all. The dishes you made left quite the impression. So? Have your skills improved since then?"
"Absolutely! I've been diligently honing my cooking ever since returning. I've fully mastered everything Lady Kujou taught us back then~"
Right after Rindou finished, two more voices followed from behind her—Momo's soft voice and Nene's calm tone.
"Same for me!"
"We won't let you down!"
"I see. Then I'm looking forward to your performance~"
Eriri spoke casually with a friendly smile, then turned toward Erina and Alice.
"Alright, Erina, Alice, take them around for a bit, and while you're at it, help them change into something nicer. It's not fitting to stay in chef uniforms the whole time. After all, there's still plenty of time before the cooking competition begins."
"Mm-hmm! We'll take them to change outfits first~"
Alice smiled and nodded at Eriri, then tugged on Erina and led the group toward the villa's lounge area. Rindou Kobayashi and the others respectfully bid farewell to Eriri and followed them.
After everyone had left, Haruka, who had been peacefully sleeping in Eriri's arms, habitually nuzzled against her chest and nestled deeper, continuing to sleep soundly.
Time quickly passed, and with less than ten minutes remaining until the official start of the noon event, everyone had gathered in an open area within the villa's courtyard.
Although the total number of people reached several hundred, the space was more than sufficient to accommodate them.
Still, this space clearly wasn't enough for the event that was about to begin.
Those who were meeting Eriri for the first time, or didn't know her well, were full of doubts about why they had gathered here.
But for the group members and those who understood Eriri well—like Utaha Kasumigaoka—there was no concern at all. They knew Eriri must have prepared something.
As expected, Eriri, standing at the very center of the crowd, raised her flawless right hand and snapped her fingers lightly.
The snap rang out clearly—and at that moment, everyone realized that the open area beneath them was rapidly expanding outward in all directions, instantly becoming a massive space several thousand square meters wide.
Immediately after, the central ground began to rise. Under everyone's watchful eyes, a gigantic stage—100 meters long, 50 meters wide, and 5 meters tall—rose from the earth.
The entire stage was made of marble, its surface flawlessly smooth and glossy. Beautiful patterns adorned every inch, giving it an incredibly luxurious look.
Following the stage's emergence, rows of exquisite leather seats rose from the ground in front of and on both sides of the stage, aligning perfectly with the stage's front edge.
Behind the stage, a giant illusory screen appeared out of thin air, and dozens more hovered neatly several meters above the stage.
In just over ten seconds, a grand and stunning outdoor performance stage appeared before their eyes.
This was a deliberate show by Eriri. If she wanted, she could have created the entire setup in an instant. But she chose to let everyone witness the process.
For those like Michiru Kirisu and Saika Totsuka, seeing such a magnificent stage rise from the earth for the first time was like witnessing the power of creation itself.
Their jaws dropped, stunned into silence by the breathtaking sight.
Only when Eriri's voice rang out did they snap out of it, swallowing hard as they turned toward her with eyes full of awe.
"Alright, the stage is ready. Today's first event is the Mahjong Tournament. We're just waiting for the participants to enter. Everyone, go find your seats~"
With that, Eriri took the lead and walked toward the front row of seats.
Following closely behind were Arifureta, Ophis, and Nemesis—each one eager to snag a seat beside Eriri.
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