"That's all you want? Of course, no problem." Eriri nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, Shinobu suddenly turned to Mayoi and said, "Little girl, have you forgotten about me?"
"No, no! How could I forget you?" Mayoi hurriedly waved her hands, though her evasive gaze betrayed her.
The truth was, she had been so immersed in the joy of reuniting with Eriri that she had completely overlooked Shinobu. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to admit that out loud.
Still, Shinobu's words brought Mayoi's thoughts back to reality.
Looking at Eriri, whose appearance hadn't changed a bit, Mayoi asked curiously, "By the way, Eriri-nee, Shinobu, why haven't either of you changed at all in the past five years?"
"Well, let's just say even after five hundred years, I'd still look the same. Believe it or not." Eriri grinned.
"As if! Five hundred years... no human lives that long." Mayoi rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it.
Still, she didn't press the issue. She simply assumed Eriri and Shinobu were late bloomers—like legal lolis who just didn't age.
Eriri made no attempt to explain. If they stayed in touch from now on, Mayoi would eventually come to understand the world of the extraordinary on her own.
Eriri took a seat on a bench in Namishiro Park, pulling Shinobu and Mayoi down with her. Then she asked, "By the way, Mayoi-chan, I saw you sighing here earlier. Did something happen? If it's not too much, would you like to share it with us?"
Mayoi gave a halfhearted smile. "It's nothing really, just that..."
She trailed off, debating whether to talk about her mother's remarriage.
Before she could make up her mind, Eriri gently urged her.
"Just what?"
"Umm..." Mayoi hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak. "My mom is about to remarry. I'm happy for her, I really am, but... a part of me doesn't want her to. I'm so conflicted."
She looked up at Eriri with a worried expression. "Eriri-nee, do you think I'm being awful for thinking that way?"
"Of course not," Eriri said, placing a gentle hand on Mayoi's head. "I think I understand. You're afraid that once she remarries, you won't be part of her life anymore, right?"
"Yeah... exactly!" Mayoi nodded vigorously.
"You're just overthinking it. If your mom truly cherishes you, no remarriage will ever change the fact that you're her daughter. That won't change."
Eriri paused her hand and looked Mayoi directly in the eyes.
"I'll be blunt. If her love for you is so shallow that a remarriage could erase it, then there's no point in worrying about it to begin with. Got it?"
Mayoi went silent for a while, then slowly let out a long breath and nodded.
"I get it now. Thank you, Eriri-nee. I know what to do."
"That's all I wanted to hear."
Eriri gave a satisfied smile and gently patted Mayoi's head a few more times before pulling her hand away.
Actually, there was one more thing Eriri hadn't told Mayoi. If her mother's new husband ever forced her mother to sever ties with her, then it wouldn't be too late for Mayoi to step in.
Of course, this was based on the premise that Mayoi would enter Eriri's world and become a supernatural being. Otherwise, as an ordinary girl, she would have little power to change such things.
Relieved of her inner turmoil, Mayoi quickly returned to her usual cheerful self, and soon she was happily leading Eriri and Shinobu around town, just like five years ago.
The day passed quickly, and eventually Eriri and Shinobu said their goodbyes to Mayoi and returned to the Saekano world.
Before parting, Eriri gave Mayoi the address of her residence in the Monogatari world and granted her access to open the world gate.
The next time Mayoi came knocking, it would likely be the day Eriri introduced her to the supernatural world—provided Mayoi didn't shy away from the strange world on the other side of the gate and stepped into Saekano world without hesitation.
...
The next day, in Class 1-E of Toyogasaki Academy.
Their homeroom teacher, Yoshinoko Hasumi, was energetically lecturing from the podium, while most of the students listened attentively, jotting down notes in their notebooks.
Although superpowers had become mainstream in the Saekano world, that didn't mean cultural education was any less important.
On the contrary, in order to help students who had awakened abilities understand their powers properly and avoid going astray, schools had strengthened their emphasis on cultural education—particularly in ethics and values.
As for Eriri, she sat idly by the window in the back row. The material taught in class was meaningless to her.
The only reason she still attended school was to continue enjoying student life and accompany Eriri and the others.
So unless she was off exploring other worlds or occupied in her own, she usually went to and from school with Arifureta and the rest.
With less than thirty minutes left before the morning dismissal, Eriri suddenly noticed her phone screen light up with a new message from Mrs. Izumi on LINE.
Seeing the message, Eriri smiled with interest, picked up her phone, and opened the chat without hesitation.
[Mrs. Izumi: Eriri, do you have time recently?]
[Eriri: I do. What's up, Chisa-neesan?]
[Mrs. Izumi: Um... I'd like to invite you over to my house and introduce you to someone. Would that be okay?]
[Mrs. Izumi: Don't worry, the person I want to introduce is a very cute girl~]
Upon reading this, Eriri immediately knew who it was.
Who else but her daughter, Izumi Sagiri?
But that was just what Eriri was hoping for, so she quickly replied.
[Eriri: Since it's an invitation from Chisa-neesan, of course I have to accept~]
[Mrs. Izumi: Yay! Now Sagiri won't keep pestering me about it.]
[Mrs. Izumi: When do you plan to come over?]
[Mrs. Izumi: We're home all the time, so just come whenever it works for you. But... if possible, I hope it'll be soon~ Hehe~]
[Eriri: Hmm... in that case, how about tomorrow? I'll let you know before I leave.]
[Mrs. Izumi: Okay okay~ Oh, right! I forgot to give you my address, it's... ]
After confirming the arrangement with Mrs. Izumi, Eriri put away her phone, cupped her chin in both hands, tilted her head slightly to the left, and gazed out the window at the early autumn scenery.
A gentle breeze blew through the window, brushing against Eriri's face and lifting her golden hair.
This picturesque scene immediately drew the attention of several students who had been paying attention to the lecture. Even the teacher at the podium, Yoshinoko Hasumi, was momentarily dazed by the sight.
Hasumi was well aware that Eriri wasn't paying attention in class.
But she didn't try to reprimand her. After all, Eriri consistently ranked first in the entire school on every exam, always with perfect scores in every subject.
As a result, not a single teacher would scold her, even if she were to sleep in class. In fact, they might even be more worried about whether she was sleeping comfortably.
Before long, half an hour had passed.
As usual, Eriri and her group headed straight to the rooftop during the break, and before the period ended, Aoi Kujo took out the lunch she had prepared from her storage ring.
After the Sawamura Group acquired Toyogasaki Academy, the rooftop had officially become Eriri and her friends' private dining area—no one else was allowed up there.
Thanks to Eriri and the others' design, the rooftop scenery had undergone a dramatic transformation.
What was once a plain space with greenery had become a vibrant mini flower field full of colorful blossoms.
Now, the rooftop was a place that every student at Toyogasaki Academy dreamed of visiting—mainly because the people who had access to it were the school's most stunning beauties.
Whether it was Lala, Kanae, or Yuzuru Hanyu, all of them were rare, top-tier beauties.
...
And so, another day passed.
Because she had made plans with Mrs. Izumi, Eriri sent a message during breakfast to let her know she had already set out.
But she didn't rush to the Oreimo world. For her, reaching the Izumi home would only take a few seconds, so she decided to take a few more hours before departing.
She calmly finished her breakfast and spent some time playing with Rory.
After living in this technologically advanced world for a few days, Rory had become fond of video games, as it was a completely new experience for her.
Still, Eriri didn't delay for long. Around 10 a.m., she opened a world portal and entered the Oreimo world.
She didn't arrive in Chiba, but in Tokyo—very close to the Izumi residence.
After locating the positions of Mrs. Izumi and Sagiri, Eriri instantly teleported to their front door.
Though the house was a standalone property, it wasn't particularly large.
However, it was well-equipped, even including a small yard.
When Eriri rang the doorbell, footsteps and Mrs. Izumi's familiar voice quickly followed from within the house.
"Coming, coming!"
Within a few seconds, the front door was opened slightly, leaving a gap of about a foot, and Mrs. Izumi's face appeared through the crack.
"Good morning, Chisa-neesan," Eriri said with a wave and a smile.
"Ah, Eriri, you're here!" Mrs. Izumi said excitedly, her face lighting up with joy. "Just a second, I'll unlock the door."
With that, she closed the door again. The sound of chains being unlatched followed, and then the door fully opened to welcome Eriri in.
Unlike earlier, when the door had only been opened a small crack, this time it swung open fully, revealing Mrs. Izumi completely in her casual homewear.
At that moment, Eriri suddenly noticed a gaze coming from inside the house.
She raised her head, looking past Mrs. Izumi into the entranceway, and immediately spotted a small head peeking out from behind the hallway wall.
That small head had hair the same color as Mrs. Izumi's, with two locks draped over the shoulders and tied with pink ribbons at the ends—just like Mrs. Izumi's signature side ponytail.
It was none other than the ten-year-old seasoned shut-in, Sagiri Izumi.
Perhaps because the heater was on, despite it being winter, Sagiri was only wearing a light pink pajama set.
When Sagiri's curious eyes met Eriri's, she immediately flinched as if shocked and quickly pulled her head back out of sight.
Seeing Sagiri shyly retreat, Eriri smiled and withdrew her gaze.
At that moment, Mrs. Izumi took her hand warmly and said, "Eriri, come on in. It's pretty cold outside, but we've got the heat running inside. It's nice and warm."
"Okay, then I'll intrude for a bit."
...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven