"Just let me sleep a bit longer..."
Frieren still didn't open her eyes. She mumbled the words sleepily, almost as if she were playfully whining to Eriri.
"That won't do~ If you don't get up soon, my hand might wander somewhere else, you know~"
Eriri smiled mischievously, her right hand leaving Frieren's ear and slowly sliding downward, stopping at her collarbone. Her slender index and middle fingers traced along the delicate contours of Frieren's collar.
As she felt the fingers gradually approaching her chest, Frieren involuntarily shivered. Finally, she begrudgingly opened her sleepy eyes.
The first thing she saw was Eriri's flawless, stunning face—those emerald eyes staring straight into hers.
"Good morning, Eriri."
"Morning~"
"Um... could you move your hand off me now?"
Frieren averted her gaze and looked down at the snow-white fingers hovering less than five centimeters from her chest.
Eriri didn't withdraw her hand. Instead, she feigned surprise.
"Ara, are you saying you dislike me putting my hand on you, Frieren?"
Frieren didn't answer right away. After thinking for a moment, she replied calmly:
"It's not exactly that I dislike it... it just feels a little strange."
Even as she spoke, she made no effort to push Eriri's hand away.
"I see. Well, maybe after you experience it a few more times, it won't feel strange anymore~"
With a teasing smile, Eriri's fingers moved downward again, brushing gently across Frieren's slightly flat chest.
However, Eriri didn't continue teasing her further. After the brief contact, she withdrew her hand.
The sensation lingering on her chest sent a ripple through Frieren's heart.
Though she had touched herself before, this experience felt completely different.
But she didn't understand what this unfamiliar emotion was. For now, she buried the question deep in her heart, resolving to figure it out someday.
Clearing her thoughts, Frieren sat up from the floor with a neutral expression and stretched her arms above her head.
The sight of her stretching, squinting sleepily, was undeniably cute—so much so that Eriri couldn't resist reaching out and gently ruffling Frieren's hair.
As Eriri's hand tousled her hair, Frieren opened her eyes again, shaking her head slightly and looking at her with quiet exasperation.
"Eriri, I need to wash up..."
"Mm-hm. And after that, remember to change into the clothes I prepared for you~"
Since Frieren's usual attire clearly wasn't suitable for moving around in the modern world—and because Eriri wanted to see what Frieren would look like in modern fashion—she had prepared an outfit for her the night before.
"I understand."
Frieren nodded, not objecting to the request. Her gaze drifted toward the nightstand, where the clothes Eriri had picked out were neatly folded.
"Mm-hm! Then I'll head back to the dining hall. Once you've changed, come eat breakfast."
"Mm..."
...
By the time Eriri returned to the dining hall, it was already past eight in the morning.
Since it wasn't a weekend, Arelis, Illya, and the others had finished breakfast and left for their respective schools.
Because Eriri only planned to take Frieren with her to the Ryuuou no Oshigoto! world, Arelis didn't bother taking the day off.
About half an hour passed before Frieren finally entered the dining hall, freshly washed and dressed.
She now wore a flowing white one-piece dress. Combined with her silver-white hair, she radiated a pure and ethereal beauty.
Her usual black tights had been replaced by a pair of flawless, bare legs, and she wore simple white sandals on her feet.
Although it was already November in the Saekano world, the Ryuuou no Oshigoto! world was in the height of summer—so Frieren's outfit looked perfectly fitting.
"Not bad. You look adorable!"
Eriri gave a big thumbs-up as she admired Frieren standing elegantly before her.
"To match you, I'll wear something similar today too."
As she spoke, a flash of white light enveloped Eriri's body. Her Toyogasaki Academy uniform instantly transformed into a matching white dress identical to Frieren's, along with white sandals on her feet.
"Well? How do I look?"
Smiling proudly, Eriri lifted both sides of her skirt slightly and spun gracefully in front of Frieren.
The sight was so enchanting that even the usually composed Aoi Kujou and the other artificial maids nearby were left speechless. Even Frieren, who rarely showed emotion, parted her lips slightly—her calm eyes shining with a hint of wonder.
"Mm... it's beautiful."
Frieren's voice was soft but sincere, her gaze lingering on Eriri a little longer than usual.
"Alright, don't just stand there staring. Come eat breakfast—your portion's been specially saved for you. Once we finish, we'll head over to Keika's place."
"Alright, thank you."
Frieren nodded, finally tearing her eyes away from Eriri and obediently sitting at the dining table to begin eating her breakfast.
...
In the Ryuuou no Oshigoto! world, Keika Kiyotaki had woken up early to prepare for Eriri and Frieren's arrival. She even requested a leave of absence from school for the day.
Since she had already told her father, Kiyotaki Kousuke, about the existence of the chat group, he didn't object to her taking the day off.
Just yesterday, after Kogane's match against Kiyotaki Kousuke concluded, her mother had spoken with Kousuke, asking him to officially take Kogane as his disciple. Today was the day of the apprenticeship ceremony.
However, since the ceremony wouldn't begin until noon, Kogane and her mother hadn't yet arrived.
While Keika was nervously waiting in her room, a glowing circular portal suddenly appeared in the air nearby.
Within moments, the circle expanded into a two-meter-wide World Gate.
Seeing this, Keika immediately realized that Eriri was arriving.
She hurried to stand before the glowing gate, her face full of anticipation.
A second later, two figures stepped through the portal—Eriri and Frieren, both wearing white dresses.
Having seen Eriri's photos in the chat group, Keika recognized her instantly. And though she hadn't interacted much with Frieren, she wasn't a stranger either—Keika had already watched every single memory playback shared in the group, including those involving Frieren.
"Eriri-nee! Frieren-nee! Welcome!"
Keika greeted them a little nervously.
Despite chatting casually with Eriri in the group, seeing her in person carried a completely different weight. Eriri's beauty was overwhelming—so radiant it created an unintentional sense of pressure.
"There's no need to be nervous, Keika. Just talk to us like you do in the group."
Eriri smiled warmly, patting her shoulder.
Being this close, Keika was struck by Eriri's flawless face and the faint, intoxicating scent that surrounded her. Her breath hitched slightly, and it took her a few moments to calm down.
"Mm... okay."
Since Eriri's tone and demeanor were exactly the same as in the group, Keika gradually relaxed. A genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Eriri-nee, Frieren-nee, come with me! I'll introduce you to my dad. I already told him about you two—he's been looking forward to meeting you~"
Keika said excitedly, gesturing for them to follow.
Keika Kiyotaki's mother had passed away when she was very young, and since then, she and her father had lived alone together. As a result, she shared a close bond with him. So naturally, when her friends came to visit, the first thing she thought of was introducing them to her father.
"Mm-hm. Since we're here, of course we'll meet your family. Besides, we're also here to witness Kogane's apprenticeship ceremony," Eriri said with a warm smile.
Having met the parents of many group members before, she was already very accustomed to such visits.
Frieren also nodded and added softly, "Mm. After we meet your father, let's play shogi for a bit. I've been curious about it for a long time."
"No problem! I'll make sure to teach you all the rules properly," Keika said enthusiastically.
With that, she happily led Eriri and Frieren out of her room and toward where her father, Kiyotaki Kousuke, was waiting.
...
The Kiyotaki family home was a traditional Japanese-style building. Except for the main frame, almost everything was made of wood.
Walking through the corridor, Keika guided Eriri and Frieren to an open room.
Inside, there was only a square wooden table on a tatami floor—no other furniture in sight.
There, seated formally in front of the table, was Kiyotaki Kousuke, still in his prime and looking noticeably younger than in the original anime. He was reading the daily shogi newspaper.
"Dad! My friends are here!"
Even before entering, Keika called out excitedly toward the room.
Hearing his daughter's voice, Kousuke immediately put down the newspaper and turned toward the doorway.
When he saw Eriri and Frieren standing there, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
Although Frieren's long, pointed elf ears clearly marked her as someone from a fantasy world—something that intrigued him—it was Eriri's breathtaking beauty that truly stunned him.
"Hello there! Keika told me you're from another world—and seeing you now, I can believe it! Hahaha!"
Kousuke let out a hearty laugh, handling the situation with composure despite his amazement.
"Hello, sir. Sorry to intrude on you today," Eriri greeted politely with a gentle smile.
She always showed kindness toward the parents of group members—as long as they weren't unreasonable people.
Frieren, on the other hand, simply said a quiet "Hello."
Kousuke didn't mind her calm and distant attitude. After all, his daughter had told him that Frieren was an elf who had lived for over a thousand years.
If anything, by age alone, Frieren could have been his ancestor's ancestor several times over. It would be more appropriate for him to be the one showing respect.
"I heard you two came to witness Kogane's apprenticeship ceremony. I didn't expect such an event to draw attention from people like you—it's truly an honor."
"Not at all," Eriri replied with a soft chuckle. "We both like Kogane very much. Of course, we'd want to be here for something so important to her."
"Then allow me to thank you on behalf of my future disciple," Kousuke said, smiling.
But as soon as he finished speaking, his smile gradually faded. His expression grew serious, and then—he turned around, bowed deeply before Eriri, and said solemnly:
"I've heard everything from Keika. Thank you so much for granting my daughter such an incredible opportunity!"
He was fully aware of how much his daughter had changed recently.
Even during casual shogi matches, he could clearly see her growth—her skills improving at a pace that defied belief.
And that wasn't the only difference; she exhibited remarkable talents in various aspects of daily life.
Eventually, through gentle questioning, he managed to get Keika to tell him everything that had happened recently—including the existence of the chat group.
From her description of the group leader, Kousuke easily deduced that the man had quite the troublesome personality.
If Eriri hadn't been in that chat group, there was no telling whether Keika might have fallen under Adam's influence, leading to irreversible consequences.
Eriri's actions had, in truth, saved his daughter's life.
And afterward, she had even invited Keika into a new chat group and given her benefits powerful enough to change her destiny.
For that, Kiyotaki Kousuke's gratitude toward Eriri was beyond words.
—
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