"Lady Eriri, what happened to Little Momo?"
Seeing Momo Akanegakubo passed out in Eriri's arms, Rindou Kobayashi immediately came over, looking worried.
"It's nothing serious. The flavor of this cake was simply too much for Little Momo to handle. On top of that, the God's Tongue amplified the taste many times over, which caused her to lose consciousness for a moment. She'll be fine once she recovers."
Eriri held Momo with her right arm while showing Rindou the partially eaten cream mousse cake she had just taken from Momo's hands.
This cake had been created using the power of Omniscience, a peerless culinary creation that was hundreds of times more delicious than anything Aoi Kujou could make.
Causing an ordinary mortal to faint was effortless with such food—especially since this was Momo Akanegakubo's first time experiencing the God's Tongue.
However, this wasn't even the most exquisite dish Eriri could produce. After all, if food becomes too delicious, it can literally take a person's life.
No exaggeration—if Eriri crafted the greatest delicacy in the entire multiverse, a powerful Level 2 could have their soul shattered instantly upon tasting it.
She merely wanted Momo to experience the pinnacle of ordinary gourmet—there was no intention of killing her.
Rindou and the others nearby were stunned, mouths agape, staring at the cake in Eriri's hand in disbelief.
"Is this cake really that good?"
Rindou still seemed skeptical. She knew that delicious food could lift one's spirits or cause unusual behavior—but she had never heard of a dish so tasty it could knock someone out.
"Of course it is. Want to try it yourself?"
Eriri smiled casually, raising the cake again in Rindou's direction.
"Eh? Really? Can I?"
Upon hearing that, Rindou's eyes lit up, and she instinctively swallowed.
"Well, you'll have to ask Little Momo. This cake was her bonus reward from me. If she's willing to share it with you, then there's no problem~"
"Alright then…"
Rindou sighed with some regret, but she didn't push further. She didn't have the guts to ask Eriri to give her a cake of her own.
Despite her bold and wild personality, she wouldn't dare act overly forward in front of Eriri—even if Eriri always seemed laid-back.
At that moment, a soft murmur came from Eriri's arms.
"Mmm… Why did Little Momo faint?"
Momo Akanegakubo had finally regained consciousness after the taste-induced shock, blinking her dazed eyes open.
But when she realized she was lying in Eriri's arms, her face instantly turned bright red. She quickly straightened up and moved away from Eriri.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Eriri."
Momo lowered her head nervously, not daring to meet Eriri's gaze.
"Why apologize? You didn't do anything wrong."
Eriri smiled without a care, then reached out with her right hand to pat Momo's head again, and offered the remaining cake with her left hand.
"Oh right, this is the rest of your cake. Make sure you hold onto it."
"Ah… Yes!"
Momo flusteredly accepted the cake from Eriri, and memories of what had just happened resurfaced in her mind.
She finally understood what had occurred. Realizing she had fainted just from eating a piece of cake, she felt incredibly embarrassed.
At the same time, the lingering aftertaste of the cake in her mouth made Momo feel slightly dazed again. Thankfully, she didn't pass out this time—since the remaining flavor wasn't as overwhelming.
"As expected of a cake made by Lady Eriri… it's simply too delicious!"
Momo marveled inwardly, her admiration for Eriri deepening countless times.
After collecting herself, Momo mustered the courage to raise her head and look at Eriri. Then she cautiously asked:
"Um… Lady Eriri, could you maybe put this cake into a box for me? I'd like to bring it back and enjoy it later…"
"Of course, no problem~" Eriri nodded without hesitation.
Relieved by her response, Momo finally relaxed. She then saw that the cake, previously exposed to the air, had already been enclosed in a delicate transparent box.
"Alright then, the award for the winner has been presented. Now, it's time for everyone's payment for preparing dinner today."
Eriri removed her hand from Momo's head and walked a few steps toward the area where the other contestants were gathered.
Upon hearing her words, the contestants—still in shock from the cake incident—immediately snapped back to reality, their faces lighting up with excitement.
After all, not everyone here came from wealthy families. Even those like the heiresses or independent restaurant owners such as Hinako Inui and Sonoka Kikusui wouldn't overlook the value of ten kilograms of gold.
As all the contestants looked on in anticipation, Eriri snapped her fingers.
Instantly, ten gold bars—each weighing one kilogram—materialized in front of every contestant, lined up neatly in a row.
"Alright, you may collect them now. Afterward, you're free to do whatever you like. If you want to go home, you can ask Erina or Alice to send you back. If not, feel free to stay and watch the next event."
With that, Eriri left the stage and returned to the audience.
As soon as she exited, the cooking area and judging section vanished in an instant. Even the traces left from cooking were completely cleaned, restoring the stage to its original appearance.
Meanwhile, across several universes in the multiverse, mysterious invitations began appearing before individuals or groups.
...
A group of five girls had just finished a music practice session. They sat around a large square table made from four desks, enjoying delicious snacks and sweet tea.
Suddenly, an ornate envelope appeared out of nowhere in the center of the table.
Seeing this eerie sight, the timid Mio Akiyama immediately screamed and dove under the table, hugging her head in panic.
"Mio-senpai, what's wrong?"
Azusa Nakano, who hadn't noticed the sudden event because she was sipping tea, tilted her head in confusion. But no one answered her.
Because aside from her, the other three girls had clearly witnessed the envelope's sudden appearance and were now frozen in shock.
"A… a supernatural phenomenon?!"
Ritsu Tainaka, the club president, stared at the envelope with wide eyes, not even sparing a moment to comfort the trembling Mio beside her.
"Supernatural?"
Azusa blinked and noticed all her senpai were focused on the table.
"It's just an envelope, isn't it?"
She reached out to grab the medieval-style envelope, but before she could touch it, Yui Hirasawa's voice explained:
"Azu-nyan, you didn't see it—it suddenly appeared on the table! That's totally a supernatural event!"
Upon hearing that, Azusa Nakano quickly withdrew her hand, a nervous expression flashing across her face.
Whether the warning was true or not, she no longer dared to touch the envelope lightly.
Of course, her action didn't escape Yui Hirasawa's notice. Yui, looking excited, egged her on:
"Azu-nyan, Azu-nyan, don't you want to know who this letter is addressed to? It's fine, just go ahead and pick it up!"
As she spoke, Yui gave a thumbs-up with a confident expression.
Azusa quickly waved her hands and shook her head. "Eh, no way! What if there's a trap inside? I think you should be the one to look, Yui-senpai!"
Seeing that Azusa wasn't taking the bait, Yui turned her sights on Ritsu Tainaka.
"Ritsu-chan, why don't you try it?"
Before Ritsu could respond, Tsumugi Kotobuki casually reached out and picked up the envelope from the table.
"It doesn't seem weird or anything. Just an ordinary envelope—but it does look like something out of a magical movie. Pretty cool!"
After closely examining it, Tsumugi came to this conclusion.
The other three girls, who had been debating who should take a look, were left speechless.
"Mugi-chan, you're so brave!"
"Nice one, Mugi!"
"As expected of Mugi-senpai!"
"Eh? It wasn't a big deal, really~"
Hearing the praise, Tsumugi smiled sheepishly.
"Um… should we open it to see what's inside now?"
Because the envelope had no addressee written on the front, they still didn't know who it was meant for. Tsumugi hesitated to just tear it open.
"Mugi-senpai, maybe we shouldn't… if it's for someone else, it'd be rude to open it."
"I think it's fine. Since it appeared in our clubroom, it's probably meant for one of the five of us. Even if not, we can just seal it back up afterward!"
"I agree with Ritsu-chan!"
"In that case, I'll open it now."
Without further hesitation, and under the other three girls' watchful eyes, Tsumugi gently broke the wax seal and drew out a sheet of parchment matching the envelope's texture.
The letter contained only a few short lines.
[Invitation:]
To the members of Ho-kago Tea Time:
Ritsu Tainaka, Mio Akiyama, Yui Hirasawa, Tsumugi Kotobuki, Azusa Nakano.
Would you like to experience a one-of-a-kind trip to another world?
Would you like to share your original songs with audiences in other realms?
Would you like to perform a thrilling concert in front of hundreds of spectators?
If you're interested, all you need to do is sign your names on this letter, and it will transport you to the otherworldly concert venue!
Inviter: Eriri Spencer Sawamura
Concert Date: Within one week. Signing your name will mark the start of the event.
(After the performance, each of you will receive a special mystery reward prepared by me.)
After reading the invitation, the four girls stared at each other in shock.
"This really is addressed to us… but this whole otherworld thing is so fantastical. If I hadn't seen the envelope appear out of thin air with my own eyes, I'd have thought it was something from a chuunibyou."
Ritsu couldn't help but comment, though deep down she was just as stunned by the contents.
This was essentially a ticket to another world. All they had to do was sign their names, and they could go perform there.
The thought gave Ritsu a sudden urge to sign immediately.
As for the mysterious reward mentioned in the letter? That wasn't the point—she wanted to go perform in another world. It wasn't because she was tempted by the prize. Definitely not. Yep, that's it.
"This invitation sounds so fun! Ritsu, let's go together!"
Tsumugi's eyes sparkled as she looked at Ritsu, clearly eager.
Yui quickly chimed in as well, wearing the same expectant expression.
"Yeah yeah, let's go!"
To girls living in a normal world, a fantasy journey to another realm was far more enticing than any overseas trip.
"Alright, then let's not waste any time—how about we sign now and head over?"
Hearing the others, Ritsu no longer hesitated and immediately made a decision.
"Eh? Isn't that kind of hasty? We haven't even asked Mio-senpai for her opinion yet."
"Ah! I totally forgot about Mio."
Ritsu awkwardly slapped her forehead. The shock of the letter's contents had made her forget that her childhood friend was still crouched on the floor holding her head.
"Mio! Get up! Something huge just happened!"
...
At the same time, identical letters appeared before many groups and individuals across various worlds. The only difference was that the content of the letters varied slightly depending on the recipient.
Groups included the school idol group known as "μ's", the professional idol team "Sweet Bullet", and the four-girl band "Kessoku Band".
As for individuals, there were even more: Kanon Nakagawa, Ruka Suirenji, Sylvia Ryuneheim, Nike Rumerushie, Inori Yuzuriha, and Setsuna Ogiso, among others.
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