What followed was the usual routine—buying a house and remodeling it. By the time everything was done, more than three hours had passed, and it was already past five in the afternoon.
The new house wasn't far from Suimei High; it only took about ten minutes to reach it on foot.
Eriri went over everything she had previously told Kaori Miyazono, explaining it again to Aoyama Nanami. Whether Nanami chose to move out of her dorm or not, that was up to her—it wasn't something Eriri planned to interfere with.
Since it was already dinner time, Eriri decided not to return to the Saekano world alone. Instead, she planned to bring Nanami along, so she could meet everyone and enjoy one of Aoi Kujou's exquisite dinners.
Nanami didn't refuse the invitation. Feeling both excited and a bit nervous, she followed Eriri through the newly established World Gate.
Just like everyone who passed through it for the first time, Nanami was left speechless at the sight of the plaza filled with countless World Gates.
She had heard about how Eriri's villa contained gateways connecting to multiple worlds, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience—it was breathtaking.
Because the visit had been decided rather suddenly, Eriri didn't hold a welcome party that night. She planned to organize a proper gathering later, once all the new members could attend.
Even without a party, however, dinner at the villa was still a feast.
For Nanami, it was the most delicious and satisfying meal she had ever had in her life.
After dinner, she didn't stay overnight. Instead, she returned to her world through the World Gate, then left Eriri's newly purchased house and went back to her school dorm.
It was only around seven in the evening.
Because of what had happened that morning, several of the dorm students who knew about it were eagerly waiting for her return. As soon as Nanami stepped into the dorm, a group of girls rushed up to her.
Their purpose was obvious—they wanted details about the mysterious beauty, Eriri.
...
A few more days passed, and the day of Ginko Sora's apprenticeship grew closer.
Just as Eriri was considering whether to establish the World Gate to the Goblin Slayer world before visiting the Ryuo's Work is Never Done! world, she suddenly received a private message—from Elf Yamada.
It wasn't through LINE, but through the chat group's new private message feature.
Indeed, ever since the chat group had been upgraded to a higher tier, private chat had officially been unlocked.
However, this feature wasn't categorized as a major system function, so it hadn't been announced in the system's update log.
[Emily (Level 7, Stage 1): Eriri-nee, didn't you promise to go on a date with me? When are we going?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Anytime~]
[Emily (Level 7, Stage 1): Then let's do it tomorrow!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Sure. Be a good girl and wait for me at home. I'll come over after breakfast~]
[Emily (Level 7, Stage 1): Okay! Bring me breakfast too!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): No problem.]
After sending the last message, Eriri ended her private chat with Elf Yamada and turned her attention to the main chat channel.
[Keika Kiyotaki (Level 3, Stage 7): Hey everyone, check out today's video of Ginko challenging my dad~]
[Ding! Keika Kiyotaki (Level 3, Stage 7) uploaded memory projection: "Ginko's Revenge Match 8."]
Judging from the title, this was already the eighth memory projection Keika had shared of Ginko Sora's matches against Kousuke Kiyotaki.
Although the content of each video was roughly the same, the group members never seemed to get tired of watching them.
Even Eriri clicked on the latest upload without hesitation.
Soon, the video began to play before Eriri's eyes. On a tatami mat in a traditional Japanese-style room sat a neatly arranged shogi board. The pieces were all in place, indicating that the match had yet to start.
Seated on opposite sides of the board were two figures—one large, one small. On the left sat a silver-haired girl in white children's clothing; on the right was a middle-aged man wearing a gray kimono and black-rimmed glasses.
They were none other than the four-year-old Ginko Sora and the forty-year-old Kousuke Kiyotaki. Despite the tenfold difference in their ages, the two were now sitting across from each other at the same shogi board.
As a professional ninth-dan player, Kousuke Kiyotaki stood at the pinnacle of the shogi world. Yet, he showed no trace of impatience toward the repeated challenges of a little girl.
Although their skill levels were worlds apart, he didn't crush Ginko outright. Instead, he played by giving her a four-piece handicap, patiently guiding her through each match.
Even so, the gap between them was enormous. Still, under Kousuke's guidance, Ginko's astonishing natural talent in shogi shone through—she was improving noticeably with each passing day.
"I'll definitely beat you today!" the small silver-haired girl declared in her soft, childish voice, her eyes burning with determination.
"Oh? Judging by your strength yesterday, you've still got a long way to go before you can beat me," Kousuke said with a gentle smile as he calmly removed four pieces from the board.
"Hmph! I'm not the same as yesterday!" Ginko huffed, puffing her cheeks and crossing her tiny arms, her round face full of stubbornness.
"In that case, show me how much you've improved, little Ginko. As always, you go first."
Adjusting his glasses, Kousuke Kiyotaki's expression turned serious.
Ginko didn't respond, simply reaching out with her small hand to move the first piece.
As the match began, the room fell completely silent—only the crisp clack of shogi pieces echoed across the tatami.
Half an hour passed, and the match entered an intense midgame. Of course, this was only because Kousuke was deliberately holding back; otherwise, Ginko wouldn't have lasted this long.
Still, an hour of endurance was an impressive feat for a child of her age.
At last, Kousuke began to apply pressure. Within minutes, the balanced game shifted decisively in his favor. The scales of victory tipped sharply toward him.
Feeling the mounting pressure, Ginko clenched her tiny teeth, sweat beading on her delicate forehead.
Finally, after just over an hour, the match concluded.
"Ah, little Ginko, it seems you'll need a bit more time before you can defeat me," Kousuke said warmly, smiling at the girl whose face was now flushed with frustration.
Ginko didn't argue. Though clearly upset by her loss, she met Kousuke's gaze with fierce determination.
"Again!" she declared firmly.
Kousuke chuckled softly and began resetting the board without another word.
The second match began—and, as expected, ended in another loss for Ginko an hour later.
Just as she was about to demand a third game, Kousuke stopped her.
"That's enough for today," he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
After all, Ginko was still very young, and her body was frail due to her congenital heart condition. Two hours of continuous focus was already close to her physical limit.
"Hmph! You win for today—but tomorrow, I'll beat you for sure!" she declared, standing up from the tatami with her small fists clenched.
And with that, the memory projection came to an end.
[Kaori Miyazono (Level 3, Stage 6): Aww, Ginko's so adorable! It's a shame she didn't win today.]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 7, Stage 2): What are you talking about? Even with a four-piece handicap, Keika's dad is a professional ninth-dan player. For little Ginko to even last that long is already incredible.]
[Kyoko (Level 5, Stage 5): Chika-chan, do you even know how to play shogi?]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 7, Stage 2): Of course I do! Shogi's just another kind of game—and I take games very seriously!]
[Kyoko (Level 5, Stage 5): Then are you as good as Keika-chan?]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 7, Stage 2): Hmm, that I'm not so sure about.]
[Keika Kiyotaki (Level 3, Stage 7): So, Chika-senpai can play shogi too? We should play a few rounds together sometime!]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 7, Stage 2): Sure thing!]
[Keika Kiyotaki (Level 3, Stage 7): Then it's a promise~]
[Frelia (Level 5, Stage 3): Shogi… it looks kind of interesting.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Interested in learning, Frelia? If you want, I can teach you. And once you get the hang of it, you can play with me—or any of the others in the group~]
Eriri had never shown her shogi skills before, nor had she ever played a game against anyone in the group. Yet, when she offered to teach Frelia, none of the members doubted her in the slightest.
To them, Eriri was the definition of capable—there was nothing she couldn't do. The idea that she could play shogi better than a professional ninth-dan didn't even seem far-fetched.
As for the recently joined members like Keika, they simply assumed Eriri was already skilled at the game and didn't think much of it.
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 4 / Group Leader): That's right. I don't know how to play either, but we can all learn together!]
[Keika Kiyotaki (Level 3, Stage 7): I'll be happy to teach or play anytime!]
[Frelia (Level 5, Stage 3): Sounds good. I'll come find you soon, Eriri. I've got nothing better to do anyway.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): You're welcome anytime~]
...
Another day passed quickly.
At around seven in the morning, Eriri skipped breakfast at the villa. Instead, she packed two breakfasts and opened a World Gate leading directly to Elf Yamada's world.
When she arrived in the Oreimo world, she immediately spotted Elf Yamada—fast asleep on her large, king-sized bed.
The girl lay sprawled out in a star shape across the mattress, a pink blanket crumpled carelessly on the floor beside her. Luckily, the room was spotless, or else that blanket would've been in need of a wash.
From the looks of it, Elf Yamada was quite the restless sleeper.
But what really caught Eriri's attention wasn't her sleeping posture.
It was the fact that the girl wasn't wearing a single thing.
Her bare, delicate figure was fully exposed—the soft curves of her small chest rising and falling gently with her breathing, her body bathed in the morning light.
Just then, Elf Yamada's lips curved into a goofy smile, as if she were dreaming about something wonderful. She murmured something in her sleep—though unclear, Eriri's sharp hearing picked it up easily.
She was mumbling Eriri's name.
A moment later, her dream must have shifted. Still half-asleep, she suddenly spread her arms wide as if to hug someone and rolled over to the side.
In doing so, her entire body turned away from Eriri—completely revealing herself from head to toe.
Though the sight was undeniably beautiful, Eriri had no intention of staring any longer.
She slipped the two breakfast boxes into her storage system, then sat down beside the bed. Without warning, she raised her right hand and smacked Elf Yamada's bare bottom with a sharp slap!
The crisp sound echoed through the room, instantly jolting Elf Yamada awake.
"Huh? What? What's going on?"
Blinking sleepily, she sat up and looked around in confusion. When her gaze landed on Eriri, she blinked again—then broke into a delighted grin, convinced she was still dreaming.
"Eriri-nee, why are you wearing clothes again?" she mumbled drowsily as she threw herself into Eriri's arms.
Eriri didn't dodge—she simply opened her arms and caught the girl.
Still half-asleep, Elf Yamada tugged at Eriri's shirt, trying to lift it up. "Come on, take these off too…"
But before she could succeed, Eriri's left arm slid around her bare back, and her right hand came down with another firm smack! against her butt.
"Wake up!" Eriri said, her tone both exasperated and amused.
—
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