Capítulo 103: Collecting the Benefits of Sponsorship
Eriri and Gabriel arrived at a mid-sized pawn shop located in the city center. A wide counter spanned the middle of the room, effectively separating customers from the staff. The counter, made of solid white marble veined with irregular black patterns, exuded a high-end feel. Above it, transparent bulletproof glass extended up to the ceiling, with five windows cut out where five staff members—three men and two women, all in their thirties—were busy attending to customers. The security measures were clearly well thought out.
At the moment, only a few scattered individuals were engaged in transactions, discussing the value of their pawned items with the staff. One of the female staff members, who was in the midst of negotiating with a customer, paused momentarily when she caught sight of Eriri and Gabriel entering the shop. Her eyes lit up in surprise, and she inadvertently stopped speaking for a moment.
Noticing the staff member's reaction, the customer she was attending turned around curiously, following her gaze. When they saw the two ethereal-looking girls, Eriri and Gabriel, walking gracefully toward the counter, they were visibly taken aback by their striking appearance.
"Hello, Miss. How much can I pawn this gold bar for?" Eriri asked as she approached an unoccupied window. She handed over a palm-sized gold bar, which she had refined earlier from deep within the Earth's crust, to the staff member behind the counter.
The gold bar weighed about 500 grams. Thanks to Eriri's refining process, the bar was free of any impurities and looked exceptionally pure—almost like an art piece worthy of being a collectible.
The staff member, recovering from her initial astonishment, glanced down at the gold bar with a look of surprise. The purity of the bar was far superior to any gold she had handled before.
"Little miss, where did you get this gold bar?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"You don't need to know that. Just tell me how much it's worth," Eriri responded, a hint of displeasure in her tone, as if the staff member's question implied that the gold might have been acquired through illegal means.
Realizing her mistake, the staff member quickly apologized and refrained from further questions. She then placed the gold bar on an electronic scale nearby.
"The market price for gold today is 2,700 yen per gram. Your gold bar weighs 500 grams, so we can offer you 1.35 million yen for it," she calculated.
Gold, unlike jewelry or antiques, has a transparent market price that fluctuates daily. Therefore, the staff member couldn't falsify the value. While the purity of Eriri's gold bar might have fetched a higher price elsewhere, she wasn't interested in haggling. She simply needed some quick cash to buy the gaming headsets and cover living expenses for Gabriel and Lala in this world.
Since neither Eriri nor Gabriel had bank accounts in this world, they requested to be paid in cash. Fortunately, the pawn shop had ample cash reserves, so there was no need for a bank transfer.
Under the curious eyes of the other customers and staff, Eriri and Gabriel walked out of the pawn shop with a combined total of 1.35 million yen in crisp banknotes, divided between them.
The shop selling the gaming headsets was about five kilometers from the pawn shop. Although Eriri could easily use her abilities to get there instantly, she didn't want to miss out on the fun of the journey. With time to spare before 3:00 PM, she decided to flag down a taxi.
Standing on the side of the road with over a million yen in cash in their hands, Eriri and Gabriel naturally attracted a lot of attention. Their striking looks, combined with the visible cash, also caught the eye of some unsavory individuals.
However, neither Eriri nor Gabriel paid any attention to the malicious gazes directed their way. If anyone dared to act on their bad intentions, the girls wouldn't hesitate to send them off the planet and into the vastness of space to purify their wicked thoughts.
Soon enough, a black taxi pulled up in front of them. The driver, a young woman in her early twenties with a cute yet ordinary appearance, stepped out. Her eyes brightened upon seeing Eriri and Gabriel, and she greeted them with an enthusiastic smile. Though curious about why these two stunning blond girls were carrying so much cash, she chose to focus on their beauty rather than the money.
Eriri and Gabriel settled into the backseat, with Gabriel holding her share of the seven hundred yen bills and grinning excitedly.
"Wow, so much money! We hit the jackpot!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Gabriel had never seen so much money before. Back in her original world, as the top graduate of Angel School, Gabriel had been given a generous allowance. However, her reckless spending habits often left her broke by mid-month, sometimes struggling even to afford food.
"Gabriel, since I've given you so much money, shouldn't you offer me something in return?" Eriri teased, flashing a mischievous smile as she glanced at Gabriel, waving the yen bills in her hand.
Gabriel, feeling empowered by the money she now possessed, didn't hesitate for a moment. She puffed out her flat chest and declared confidently, "No problem, Eriri. Just tell me what you want."
"Kiss me," Eriri said, without beating around the bush. She leaned in closer to Gabriel, their lips just inches apart, as their breaths mingled in the small space between them.
Eriri smiled sweetly, locking eyes with Gabriel's sapphire-blue ones. "Didn't you say you wanted me to take care of you? Well, can I start collecting my benefits now?"
"Uh... someone's watching..." Gabriel stammered, uncharacteristically shy, her voice barely above a whisper as her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. The sight made Eriri's heart flutter.
"Just pretend she's not there," Eriri said, dismissing Gabriel's concerns. She wasn't about to let a little shyness get in the way of a kiss.
She gently took Gabriel's hand, interlacing their fingers. Soon, they were holding hands tightly, their fingers intertwined.
Unable to resist any longer, Gabriel let out a soft whimper and leaned in, closing the gap between them.
Their lips met in a passionate kiss, their tongues entwining as they lost themselves in the moment. The air between them grew heavy with the sound of their breathing and the occasional soft noise of their lips parting and coming together again. A thin line of saliva glistened at the corners of their mouths.
Meanwhile, the young taxi driver, who had been driving steadily, found herself distracted by what was happening in the backseat. She kept stealing glances in the rearview mirror, her focus on the road faltering.
Seeing the two girls kiss so passionately right behind her, the driver's mouth parted slightly in shock. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, unable to suppress her embarrassment.
Although stories about girls dating each other were common on the internet, witnessing it in real life was still a rarity for most people. The sight of Eriri and Gabriel's intimate moment was probably the most shocking thing the driver had encountered in her year of driving taxis, perhaps even opening a new door in her mind.
Her thoughts drifted to a close friend from high school, someone she hadn't seen in years. A feeling of nostalgia and longing suddenly welled up within her.
Ten minutes later, Gabriel lay slumped in Eriri's arms, thoroughly worn out from the intensity of their kiss. The yen bills she had been holding had slipped from her grasp, scattered across the seat. But at that moment, she didn't care about the money lying forgotten in the corner.
Panting heavily, Gabriel rested her flushed face against Eriri's chest, which, though not particularly well-endowed, was still soft and comforting. It took her a while to fully recover from the experience.
"You should focus on driving and not get distracted," Eriri said softly, her voice snapping the driver out of her daze. She had been so caught up in watching them that she hadn't noticed how much time had passed.
Startled, the driver quickly regained her composure. With a year of driving experience under her belt, she managed to avoid any mishaps, her hands gripping the steering wheel more firmly as the car continued its steady journey down the road.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare..." the driver apologized, her eyes filled with guilt as she glanced at them through the rearview mirror. She was clearly embarrassed at being caught watching.
"It's okay, just focus on the road," Eriri replied gently, turning her attention back to Gabriel. She rubbed Gabriel's flat stomach lightly, meeting her gaze with a playful smile.
Sensing Gabriel's annoyed look, Eriri couldn't resist teasing her further. She reached out with her other hand to pinch Gabriel's adorable cheeks.
Gabriel rolled her eyes at Eriri, shaking her head as she pulled away from her playful grasp. She then turned around and buried her face in Eriri's chest, finding comfort in her embrace.
Eriri looked down at Gabriel, her expression softening with affection. She gently placed her hand on Gabriel's head, stroking her silky blonde hair.
...
Time passed, and after another ten minutes, the taxi finally arrived at the shop selling the NerveGear headsets. Despite it being past 3:00 PM, a long line still stretched out from the store entrance, filled with eager gamers waiting to get their hands on the much-anticipated device.
Seeing the excited smiles on their faces, Eriri couldn't help but shake her head slightly. Little did these people know, many of them would soon find their lives forever trapped within the world of SAO.
Eriri could easily put an end to the problems SAO would cause, but she wasn't a savior and didn't harbor a saint-like mentality. Asuna had already tried to warn people online, but her efforts had minimal impact. Eriri believed they had done all they could; the rest was up to those who chose to buy the game. If they ended up suffering the consequences, it would be the result of their own decisions.
"Tsk... so many people..." Gabriel remarked, her face scrunching up in distaste as she observed the long line that snaked from the store's entrance all the way to a nearby intersection. "How long do we have to wait if we get in line? The store might even close by the time we get inside."
"Who said anything about waiting? Come on, let's just go in and buy what we need," Eriri said casually, waving off Gabriel's concerns. She then confidently took Gabriel's hand and led her straight towards the store entrance.
Eriri typically refrained from using her supernatural abilities unless necessary, preferring to enjoy life without relying on them. However, she wasn't foolish or unnecessarily stubborn like the protagonists in some "reincarnated as a mortal" stories who forced themselves to endure hardships just to eventually show off and embarrass others. That approach always seemed idiotic to her.
Eriri believed that a tiger should always act like a tiger and not pretend to be a pig for some contrived reason. When it was appropriate to use her powers, she would do so without hesitation. If someone crossed her, she would respond with overwhelming force, leaving no room for retaliation.
In this situation, it made more sense to use her powers to influence the crowd's perception, making it easy to skip the line and get what they needed. There was no reason to endure the hassle of waiting.
With a simple application of her abilities, Eriri and Gabriel entered the store without anyone questioning their sudden appearance. Inside, they found themselves in a sleek, futuristic-looking hall. The walls were lined with sturdy screens displaying the full map of "Aincrad," the floating castle from SAO. These screens allowed users to zoom in and out of the map, revealing detailed views of each floor and every building.
The floor beneath them was covered in flowing digital patterns and lines, enhancing the high-tech atmosphere. Overhead, a digital sky projected the vast expanse of Aincrad, making visitors feel as though they were already inside the game world.
The immersive environment captivated Gabriel, whose eyes gleamed with excitement as she took in the surroundings. Despite the bustling crowd, she managed to restrain herself from rushing to the screens to explore the virtual landscapes.
Due to the large number of customers, the store managed foot traffic by letting people in groups at a time. After purchasing their NerveGear headsets, each group was allowed to explore the hall for ten minutes before they had to exit through another door.
Even though Eriri and Gabriel had skipped the line, none of the staff or customers questioned their presence. Instead, they were met with friendly smiles and given space as they made their way through the hall.
Estado de energía semanal
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