章 179: Let Go of That Girl
"Swallowing these entertainment systems doesn't contribute to the evolution of chat groups or other systems at all, and their special traits make them hard to detect by chat groups or other systems. Even if they are discovered, they're usually ignored.
It's just that the host of the entertainment system happened to be near you, so I noticed her presence," Little Skirt continued, explaining the situation to Eriri.
After a brief pause, Little Skirt added, "I also noticed that the host of the entertainment system seems to know you, Eriri. And she's a young girl. From the way she looked at you, I could see emotions similar to those of Akino Yukinoshita—surprise, nostalgia, joy, sadness, and even obsession."
"Really now…"
Eriri couldn't help but wonder. Could someone's eyes really show such a wide range of emotions like a pie chart?
But the unknown girl piqued her curiosity.
If Little Skirt could make such an assessment, then the conclusion was likely quite accurate. After all, Little Skirt was a High-Level Intermediate chat group. While she might not easily detect entertainment systems, analyzing someone's emotions was simple.
"If she looked at me with feelings similar to Akino's, could that mean she's also a transmigrator who's read Saekano?" Eriri speculated, her thoughts racing. She felt she was getting closer to the truth.
However, Eriri didn't plan to actively seek out this girl. If this person really had feelings for her, it was only a matter of time before she would show up on her own.
Even though Eriri had the power to monitor every corner of the earth and observe every living being, she refrained from doing so unless necessary. Doing so would strip away life's surprises and joys. She wasn't like some pink-haired protagonist who couldn't control their abilities and needed special tools to suppress them.
Eriri's control over her powers was near perfect.
So unless the situation called for it, she wouldn't act preemptively. Of course, she wasn't the type to put unnecessary shackles on herself like some protagonists in other novels, pretending to be weak. If needed, she would use her powers without hesitation.
At that moment, Megumi Kato's soft voice came from across the table.
"Eriri, did something just happen?"
Although Eriri's body continued eating her cake without pause while talking to Little Skirt, Megumi noticed a slight shift in her eyes. There was no concern in Megumi's voice, as she was well aware of Eriri's capabilities. She knew there was little in the world that could trouble someone like her.
Her question was as casual as asking whether Eriri had eaten or drunk water.
"Yeah, I found someone quite interesting," Eriri replied with a smile, not hiding anything.
"Oh? Could it be another beautiful girl?" Megumi teased. By now, she was well acquainted with Eriri's lsp nature.
"I'm not sure if she's a beauty—I haven't seen her yet. I only know she's a girl," Eriri said, shrugging, unfazed by the playful jab.
She then briefly explained to Megumi what Little Skirt had told her, which left Megumi both curious and amazed.
"An entertainment system? So besides chat group, there are other strange things out there in the multiverse."
Megumi had always known about the existence of chat group and the multiverse, but she had never asked Eriri for further details. And while she enjoyed using her phone, she rarely read novels, so she wasn't familiar with the system trope that often appeared in them.
After thinking for a moment, Megumi added, "So, with the help of the entertainment system, that girl is bound to become a rising star in the entertainment world soon?"
"More or less. Although an entertainment system can't turn its host into a superhuman, it's incredibly powerful in the entertainment industry. Generally, the host of such a system is destined to be the main character in their world," Eriri explained.
"I'm starting to get curious about this girl too. You're not going to track her down? With your power, it'd be easy, right?"
"Eh, no need. If she's interested in me, she'll eventually come to me on her own."
"That makes sense," Megumi agreed, fully confident in Eriri's charm.
After finishing their cakes, and wiping each other's mouths affectionately, the two left the Fantasy Angel cake shop hand in hand, much to the delight of onlookers.
They continued strolling down the bustling commercial street. Shops of all kinds lined the sides, and the lively crowd made the street feel even more energetic.
"Eriri, where should we go next?" Megumi asked, releasing Eriri's hand to wrap her arms around Eriri's arm instead. The soft fullness of Megumi's chest pressed against Eriri, making her acutely aware of how well-endowed Megumi was—on par with Aoi Kujo.
"How about we go play the claw machines over there? They have some great figures inside," Eriri suggested, pointing to a shop nearby with an anime girl on the signboard.
The shop specialized in claw machines filled with figurines and plush toys. Eriri had visited it a few times with her mother, Sayuri, during her middle school years, and some of the figures in her collection came from here.
"Sounds good, let's go," Megumi agreed, smiling. For her, as long as she was with Eriri, it didn't matter where they went or what they did.
Although Megumi didn't know much about otaku culture initially, spending time with Eriri had subtly transformed her into a bit of an otaku herself.
A minute later, the two reached the entrance of the claw machine shop. Near the door was a vending machine stocked with a variety of drinks.
"Eriri, do you want a drink? Still craving orange juice?" Megumi asked.
"Hmm… I'll try something different this time. How about lychee juice?"
"Alright, wait here for a moment," Megumi said, heading to the vending machine.
A moment later, she returned with a bottle of lychee juice and a bottle of apple juice.
While they hadn't drunk anything when eating cake, they now felt thirsty—perhaps a psychological effect—and couldn't wait to take a sip.
"Ahh, these sweet drinks really are addictive," Eriri sighed contentedly after taking a sip of her lychee juice.
"Can I try some of your lychee juice? I want to switch things up. I'll give you my apple juice in exchange," Megumi suggested, playfully hooking her finger around Eriri's.
"Of course, that's fine," Eriri smiled knowingly, understanding Megumi's true intentions.
The two exchanged drinks, and a satisfied grin spread across Megumi's face as her plan succeeded.
...
Despite the claw machine shop being located in a busy area during peak hours, it was much quieter inside compared to other shops.
Claw machines mainly attracted young couples and otaku.
In Japan, otaku often carried a certain stigma, and many tried to hide their interests in social situations. So, those brave enough to visit a claw machine shop during peak hours were few and far between.
This wasn't Akihabara, the otaku paradise.
Most of the customers in the shop were couples on after-school dates.
Eriri and Megumi were both otaku and a couple, making them perfect for the setting.
After entering the shop, they headed straight for the ATM.
Neither of them carried much cash, only enough for daily expenses. Eriri had nothing more than a few thousand yen in cash, and a bank card with billions in it—hardly enough for the claw machines.
A few minutes later, they returned with a thick stack of thousand-yen bills in Eriri's hand.
Excited, they approached one of the machines filled with anime figures. The figurines looked intricately detailed, though the machine was slightly more expensive to play than others.
Since they were playing for fun, Eriri and Megumi didn't use their superhuman abilities to control the claw or joystick. Still, their peak human reflexes gave them an impressive success rate.
Before long, they had several large figure boxes stacked beside them, and Eriri's stack of cash seemed barely touched.
"Yay! Got another one!" Megumi cheered as another figure dropped out of the machine. She quickly hugged Eriri in celebration.
"Not bad. You're getting better at this," Eriri complimented.
"Just lucky," Megumi replied modestly, smiling shyly.
As time passed, the other customers and staff in the shop couldn't help but notice them. However, no one dared approach. Even those who had business elsewhere in the shop made a point to go around them.
Their beauty and refined aura felt out of place in a space filled with otaku vibes. On top of that, the stack of cash in Eriri's hands—estimated to be hundreds of thousands of yen—marked them as rich girls. While some might dream of getting close to them, no one dared try. After all, attempting to ingratiate themselves with someone of such stature could easily lead to a dark fate—like getting stuffed into a bag and thrown into Tokyo Bay.
Once they had collected a few plush toys, the two left the shop with their haul.
It was only 5:30 PM by then.
In April, the days were getting longer, but the sky had already started to darken, and streetlights flickered on, illuminating the streets.
Generally, unless there were special plans, most dates would end around this time.
With Sakura's birthday tomorrow, Eriri had already picked out a present for her during their shopping trip.
Megumi had also prepared a gift for Sakura, even though they hadn't met yet. She figured it was only a matter of time before they were introduced. After all, as long as Sakura lived in the Saekano world, residing in Eriri's home, it was inevitable they would become acquainted.
For Megumi, Eriri's home had already become a second home. She had no intention of parting ways with Eriri for the rest of her life.
After storing their haul in her storage space, Eriri turned to Megumi. "Megumi, it's getting late. Let's head back for dinner. Since it's Sakura's birthday tomorrow, why don't you stay over tonight?"
"Hmm... alright," Megumi quickly agreed, not needing to be asked twice. Staying over at Eriri's wasn't a new experience for her, and she no longer felt the need to be polite. As she had said before, Eriri's home was like a second home to her.
"I'll let my mom know," Megumi said, pulling out her phone to make a call in front of Eriri.
After finishing the call, as they were about to leave, something from a nearby alley caught their attention.
Thanks to their heightened senses, they clearly heard a girl's cry for help coming from the alley, followed by several lewd male voices.
Eriri and Megumi exchanged a glance, both showing signs of displeasure in their eyes.
Without hesitation, Eriri grabbed Megumi's hand, and in a flash of teleportation, they appeared in the alley where the cry had come from.
Four delinquent-looking youths had cornered a girl who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen against a wall.
The girl appeared frail and malnourished, but her face was delicate and cute, framed by long black hair that draped over her back like a doll. Tears welled up in her wide eyes, a mix of fear and defiance on her face.
The delinquents hadn't touched her yet—they were still about a meter away from the girl. But had Eriri and Megumi not arrived in time, it was easy to imagine what might have happened.
Seeing this, Eriri couldn't help but shout in anger at the delinquents, "Let go of that girl!"
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