Each gold bar weighed a full kilogram. With four trays combined, there were a total of 285 gold bars—285 kilograms of gold.
The girls waiting on stage to receive their awards looked at Leysritt and the other three's delicate appearances, then at the fact that they were effortlessly carrying trays holding at least seventy gold bars each. They couldn't help but feel a bit astonished.
To them, this was practically no different from being born with superhuman strength.
But after recalling all the astonishing things they'd witnessed over the past few hours, they suddenly felt that the maids' performance wasn't that big a deal anymore.
"We will now begin presenting the participation rewards for this competition."
Aoi Kujou addressed the girls arranged in three neat rows, then turned to look down from the stage at Leysritt and the others.
"Leysritt, Sella, Yulifia, Berys—you may come up now."
"Yes, Lady Aoi."
After replying respectfully, the four maids ascended the stage with graceful, measured steps.
Without pausing, they walked to the far right of the rows and took position, each standing before a row of girls. From right to left, they began distributing the gold bars one by one.
The entire award process proceeded in an orderly fashion. Even Nelly, who was clearly eyeing the gold in Leysritt's hands with great envy and wishing she could claim it all, quietly accepted her designated bar when it was her turn, not trying to snatch more.
After distributing the participation rewards, the four maids did not rush to leave the stage. Instead, they took up positions behind Aoi Kujou, standing on either side like assistants, ready to act on her command at any moment.
As for the girls who had received their participation awards, none of them left the stage either. After all, the most important top-three prizes had yet to be given, and they hadn't heard Aoi Kujou issue any instructions for them to leave.
At the same time, they were all looking forward to seeing whether the first-place prize could truly grant any wish as described.
"Alright, now it's time to present the top-three prizes."
Aoi Kujou clapped her hands, signaling for the girls who had begun whispering among themselves after receiving their participation awards to quiet down. Then her gaze turned toward where Eriri was seated.
"Young Lady, it's time for you to come up and present the top-three awards."
Hearing Aoi Kujou's voice, Eriri smiled and gave her an OK gesture before standing up with Ophis in her arms.
After placing Ophis on the seat she'd just vacated, Eriri didn't use any special means to reach the stage. Instead, she walked toward it at a relaxed, almost leisurely pace, as though she were taking a stroll.
Once on stage, the very first thing she did was throw herself straight into Aoi Kujou's arms.
Faced with Eriri's sudden pounce, Aoi instinctively opened her arms and held her. The ever-calm, expressionless beauty even showed the faintest smile.
After a good round of cuddling, Eriri looked up with a bright smile.
"Aoi-nee, thanks for all your hard work. Leave the rest to me."
"Alright, Young Lady."
Eriri didn't linger in her embrace. After saying that, she released Aoi and turned to face Koromo Amae, Teru Miyanaga, and Komaki Jindai.
"Hmm, first is Komaki Jindai. Congratulations on winning third place in this tournament. Your prize is ten kilograms of gold and a fivefold increase in personal fortune."
Without saying anything extra, Eriri extended her fair left hand, and a ten-kilogram gold bar appeared out of thin air, floating just above her palm.
Then she stepped forward, bringing the gold bar closer to Komaki Jindai. Reaching out with her right index finger, she lightly tapped Komaki's smooth forehead.
Faced with Eriri at such close proximity, breathing in her alluring scent, Komaki Jindai lowered her head shyly.
After all, no one could stay calm during their first close encounter with Eriri—not even someone as naturally airheaded as her.
Withdrawing her finger, Eriri looked with great interest at the girl before her, whose adorable appearance and figure could rival that of Nodoka Haramura, the clumsy princess herself.
"Alright, I've already given you the fortune boost. Now catch this gold bar—it's a bit heavy, so be careful."
"Ah... okay, thank you!"
As if waking from a dream, Komaki Jindai nervously reached out and caught the gold bar floating toward her.
Thankfully, ten kilograms wasn't too heavy, so even in her dazed state, Komaki didn't drop the gold bar the moment she caught it.
However, although she managed to hold onto it, she still stumbled a bit under the sudden weight.
Eriri didn't continue chatting with Komaki Jindai, nor did she bother calling out the strongest substitute hidden inside her. For Eriri, that level of goddess simply didn't pique her interest at all.
As the tournament's first-place winner, Koromo Amae stood in the center of the three finalists.
So after presenting the third-place prize, Eriri skipped over Koromo Amae and went directly to Teru Miyanaga.
Just like with Komaki Jindai, being face-to-face with Eriri at close range made it impossible for Teru Miyanaga to remain calm. Though she managed to maintain her facial expression reasonably well, the light blush spreading across her cheeks betrayed her.
"Now for second place—congratulations, Teru Miyanaga. Although you narrowly missed the championship, your reward as second place will greatly enhance your abilities."
Eriri once again extended her right hand and lightly tapped Teru Miyanaga on the forehead with her index finger.
"Alright, starting now, your fortune will increase tenfold. And that luck isn't limited to mahjong, you know."
Withdrawing her hand, Eriri smiled at Teru Miyanaga.
Upon hearing her words, Teru instinctively tried to sense changes in her body, but felt nothing different.
Naturally, Eriri noticed her subtle reaction.
"You won't be able to feel changes in fortune through your body. If you want to test it, just play a round of mahjong after you get home. Or maybe try buying a lottery ticket—who knows, you might win~"
Realizing what Eriri meant, Teru nodded knowingly. Her earlier reaction had simply been a reflex. Now that she had snapped out of it, she understood that luck isn't something an ordinary person can sense.
Of course, that only applied to normal people or those who weren't particularly powerful. For someone skilled in fate manipulation or strong enough, fortune would be clearly discernible.
"That's the first part of your reward. Now for the second: fifty kilograms of gold."
As she said this, Eriri extended her left hand. Just like before, a gold bar appeared out of thin air.
This time, however, the gold bar was several times larger than the previous one, quietly floating above Eriri's palm.
Eriri then guided the fifty-kilogram gold bar to float over in front of Teru Miyanaga.
"This is fifty kilograms of gold. Of course, you can choose to convert it into five ten-kilogram bricks or fifty one-kilogram bars. And don't worry about carrying it—I'll also provide a storage case when you divide it."
Gazing at the massive gold bar—easily several dozen centimeters long—Teru pondered for a few seconds before making her decision.
"In that case, please change it into fifty one-kilogram bars."
"No problem."
Without Eriri making even the slightest motion, the gold bar floating in front of Teru instantly split into fifty identically sized one-kilogram bars, neatly arranged in a tidy stack.
Next, a light pink suitcase appeared beneath the gold bars. Under Eriri's control, the fifty gold bars dropped neatly into the suitcase with a series of crisp clink sounds.
Once all the gold had landed inside, the suitcase was filled to the brim. Each bar was perfectly aligned, completely defying the chaotic nature of how they had fallen in.
After closing the now-full suitcase, Eriri levitated it and placed it by Teru Miyanaga's feet.
"I'll leave the suitcase by your feet. With the case included, it weighs well over a hundred jin. That's not light at all, so if you plan to carry it home, it won't be an easy task. So I suggest you ask your sister for help—have her carry it for you."
"Mm, got it. Thank you!"
Teru Miyanaga didn't refuse Eriri's suggestion, nor did she attempt to lift the suitcase at her feet.
She was well aware of her own strength. Something weighing over a hundred jin wasn't something she could just walk off with. Even lifting it temporarily would be difficult for her.
With the second-place reward finished, the final and most anticipated moment had arrived.
Everyone present focused their gaze on Eriri and Koromo Amae, intensely curious to see what kind of wish Koromo Amae would make.
Only Tohka Ryuumonbuchi had some idea of what Amae's wish might be, though even she wasn't sure if her guess was correct.
"Alright, only one left now."
Eriri stepped up to Koromo Amae and smiled warmly at the slightly nervous girl.
"Koromo Amae, congratulations on winning this mahjong tournament. I won't say anything unnecessary—just tell me, what is your wish?"
At this moment, Koromo Amae was extremely nervous. Since the day she was born, she had never been this tense.
Her petite body was visibly trembling.
This overwhelming nervousness wasn't solely because Eriri was standing before her—though that played a part. The main reason was the wish she had long yearned to fulfill.
But she couldn't be sure whether the reward would truly grant any wish.
So she lifted her little face and looked at Eriri with eyes full of expectation.
"This wish... can it really make everything I want come true?"
"That depends. It can, as long as it's within the bounds of my ability."
Hearing that, Koromo Amae's heart immediately sank, disappointment welling up inside.
After all, in her mind, her wish was something utterly impossible—even if she had already seen things today that defied her understanding.
But before that disappointment could deepen, Eriri's voice rang out again.
"For example, making you the richest person in the world... or granting you power strong enough to destroy the entire universe... or giving you mahjong skills that surpass everyone else in your world... or perhaps..."
Here, Eriri suddenly paused, giving Koromo Amae a deep, meaningful look.
Then she continued, clearly and deliberately: "Reviving anyone you wish to bring back."
The moment Eriri said those words, Koromo Amae's pupils widened dramatically. All the disappointment that had just risen in her heart vanished instantly. Even her breathing grew rapid.
"Really? You can really bring anyone back to life?!"
Overcome with emotion, Koromo Amae stepped forward, standing right in front of Eriri. Her bold move stunned the group of girls behind them.
But compared to what Eriri had just said, the boldness was hardly worth mentioning.
They finally understood—it seemed this wish could truly make anything happen.
Their breathing grew heavier with anticipation, though it was a shame this wish didn't belong to them.
Looking down at Koromo Amae, who gazed up at her with big, pleading eyes, Eriri smiled and reached out to gently pat her head.
Then she nodded firmly.
"Of course!"
With Eriri's confirmation, an incredibly adorable smile bloomed across Koromo Amae's delicate face.
"Then, my wish is—to bring my father and mother back to life!!!"
Though four years had passed since her parents died in an accident—and though, with the help of her cousin Tohka Ryuumonbuchi, she had long since emerged from that shadow—this didn't mean Koromo Amae had forgotten them.
Instead, she had engraved their image deep in her memory, often dreaming about them at night.
Now that she had a chance to bring them back, she would stop at nothing to make it happen.
No other wish—no matter how tempting—was more important to her.
Surely, it was this unwavering conviction that had allowed her to unleash tenfold fortune during the final match.
"Alright, I've received your wish. Done. Your wish is granted!"
Eriri's immediate reply left Koromo Amae frozen with a dazed, dumbfounded expression.
"That's it?"
"Yup, that's it!"
"My parents... are revived?"
"Yup, already revived. It was just two people, after all—not that big a deal. Once you get home, you'll see your very-much-alive parents waiting for you~"
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