More than ten minutes later, when Kaori Miyazono came bouncing happily toward the shop, both the parents and the store owner finally let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing her energetic appearance, no different from any healthy girl, brought smiles of reassurance to their faces.
...
The next day, Eriri returned once more to the Your Lie in April world.
This time, she appeared directly inside Kaori Miyazono's bedroom.
Just like yesterday, when Eriri had arrived in the hospital room, Kaori was already there waiting for her. The only difference was that, unlike before, Kaori had received advance notice through the chat group that Eriri would be visiting.
"Eriri-nee~!"
The moment Eriri stepped out of the dimensional gateway, Kaori immediately leapt forward, wrapping herself around Eriri's arm in a warm hug.
"You've done well," Eriri said with a gentle smile, patting Kaori's head. "You've made a lot of progress overnight."
After a full night—and a few hours that morning—though Kaori hadn't been training non-stop, her strength had already reached Level 2, Stage 5.
Compared to Kaori, Keika and Elf Sister had advanced even further, having spent more hours enhancing their bodies.
After Eriri's encouragement the previous day, Elf Sister had abandoned her usual laziness and devoted herself wholeheartedly to her growth. Now, her strength had reached Level 2, Stage 8—three full levels higher than Kaori's.
Keika's progress wasn't far behind either, reaching Level 2, Stage 7. Only Aoyama Nanami lagged slightly behind Kaori, her growth slower than the others.
After all, Aoyama still had her part-time job to manage. Once school ended, she worked until past ten every night, leaving little time to train. As a result, she had only just broken through to Level 2, Stage 1.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to the points Eriri-nee gave me! Otherwise, there's no way I'd have gotten this strong. I feel like a superhero now!"
Kaori straightened her posture and bent her right arm in a flexing pose, pressing her left hand against her bicep as if to show off her strength.
Though her arm still felt soft to the touch, her Level 2, Stage 5 power truly made her a "superhuman" in her everyday world.
After her slightly chuunibyou-style show of strength, Kaori's eyes darted around mischievously before she grabbed her violin from her desk.
"Eriri-nee, how about I play a song for you?"
"Sure~"
Eriri nodded with a smile, sitting down casually on Kaori's bed.
Taking a deep breath, Kaori composed herself, lifting the violin to her left shoulder and assuming a perfect playing posture.
Moments later, the sound of her violin filled the room—a sweet, heartfelt melody echoing softly through the small space.
While listening, Eriri's gaze wandered around Kaori's room—and her eyes soon landed on a photograph sitting on the bedside table.
It showed two golden-haired girls standing close together. The girl on the left, with shorter hair, smiled brightly, flashing her teeth while raising a peace sign. The girl on the right, with long flowing hair and a refined expression, allowed herself to be gently clung to, her face carrying a graceful, elegant smile.
It was a photo taken the previous afternoon at a self-service photo booth—a cheerful memento of Eriri and Kaori together.
Eriri knew that Kaori's most treasured photo used to be one from when she was five years old—a snapshot of her standing beside Kousei Arima.
That picture had always held a special place on Kaori's desk.
But now, it was nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, Kaori had destroyed it.
For the current Kaori Miyazono, Kousei Arima was nothing more than a passing stranger, someone who no longer held any importance in her heart.
As for the little girl in the old photograph with her, she had merely been a fellow student at the piano school Kaori once attended. They had long since lost contact after Kaori stopped going there.
If that photo hadn't accidentally captured Kousei Arima in the background, Kaori would never have cherished it so much in the first place.
But now, the most precious photo in Kaori's heart was the one she took with Eriri.
She had carefully framed it herself and placed it on the bedside table closest to her bed—so that it would be the first thing she saw when she woke up each morning.
When the song ended, Eriri clapped her hands in appreciation.
Looking at Kaori, who lowered her violin and gazed up at her expectantly, Eriri nodded approvingly.
"That was beautiful. If you keep practicing, I'm sure you'll become the world's greatest violinist."
Receiving Eriri's praise, Kaori's face lit up instantly. "Mm-hmm! I'll work hard!"
...
After spending a while longer chatting in the room, Eriri and Kaori headed downstairs together.
Kaori's home was a three-story townhouse.
The first floor had been converted by her parents into a cake shop, while the second and third floors served as their family's living quarters.
The previous day, after Kaori had returned home, she had told her parents everything that had happened—and answered all their questions.
Since Eriri had informed her there were no rules requiring the chat group to be kept secret, Kaori had decided to tell them about it as well.
To prove that she wasn't making it up, she had even demonstrated the Storage System, taking objects in and out of the space before their eyes.
After witnessing that supernatural phenomenon, her parents, who had initially thought their daughter might have lost her mind, could no longer deny the truth.
What mattered most to them wasn't the existence of other worlds or superpowers—it was that their beloved daughter was healthy again, no longer bedridden and waiting for death.
That alone was enough to fill them with boundless joy.
When they learned that Eriri would be visiting again today, both parents could hardly contain their excitement.
They had stayed up late the night before, too excited to sleep, yet still opened the shop early that morning.
To celebrate their daughter's recovery, they had even set all their cakes to a 30% discount, turning the shop into a bustling success.
When Eriri and Kaori reached the first floor, several female students were browsing through the cake display.
The moment the two appeared, the sound of their footsteps caught everyone's attention—including that of Kaori's mother, Ryoko Miyazono.
The instant they saw Eriri—with her golden hair cascading down like a shining waterfall and her short skirt swaying lightly as she walked—everyone in the shop froze.
Seeing this, Kaori quickly cleared her throat and stepped in front of Eriri, shielding her from view.
That little distraction was enough for everyone to recover from the dazzling shock of Eriri's beauty.
Ryoko approached, still staring in awe at the girl partially hidden behind her daughter.
"Kaori, this young lady is...?"
Although she already had a hunch, she wanted to confirm it directly.
Kaori smiled, stepping aside to proudly reveal Eriri standing behind her.
This time, the girls in the shop didn't freeze again, though the look of amazement on their faces remained unmistakable.
"Mom, this is Eriri-nee—the person I told you about yesterday!" Kaori said brightly, hugging Eriri's arm as if showing her off.
Her pride was obvious.
Hearing the confirmation, Ryoko's excitement overflowed. "So this is Miss Eriri... please forgive my rudeness earlier!"
Then, noticing the other customers still standing around, she turned toward them with an apologetic bow. "I'm terribly sorry, everyone. We've just had a very important guest arrive, so we'll need to pause business for a bit—"
Before she could finish, Eriri gently interrupted her.
"There's no need for that, ma'am. Please, continue as usual."
"But..."
Ryoko Miyazono hesitated. She genuinely wanted to close the shop and properly thank Eriri for everything she had done.
"It's fine," Eriri said with a soft smile. "I'll go out for a walk with Kaori first. When we get back, we can have a proper chat, okay?"
Her elegant tone and refined demeanor made her seem every bit the noble lady one might read about in a novel.
The female students in the store watched her with sparkling eyes, completely entranced. Even the slight irritation they had felt earlier over Ryoko's attempt to close the shop vanished instantly.
"Alright then," Ryoko agreed, no longer insisting. She turned to the students and apologized, even offering them a 50% discount on any cake they liked.
However, none of the girls paid much attention to the discount—their eyes remained fixed on Eriri until she and Kaori finally left the shop. Only then did they reluctantly turn back to choosing their cakes, looking regretful to see her go.
...
This time, Eriri's visit to the Your Lie in April world had two main purposes. The first was to keep her promise to Kaori and meet her parents. The second was to purchase a property to serve as the anchor point for a World Gate connecting to the Saekano world.
And right now, she was taking Kaori out to help choose a house.
Just as she had done in other modern worlds, Eriri first exchanged a portion of her gold for a massive amount of local currency.
She then used part of that money to buy a standalone villa.
After the purchase, Eriri personally oversaw the renovations—furnishing every room with complete sets of modern appliances and furniture until it was fully livable.
She even converted one room into a music studio, equipping it with a luxurious Steinway grand piano, along with violins, cellos, and other fine instruments.
None of these furnishings or instruments were purchased in this world. They were all collected from the Saekano world, part of Eriri's growing habit of decorating every home she owned across worlds.
Finally, she connected the villa's front door to a World Gate, creating a permanent passage between the two worlds.
As for the remaining cash, she left it piled neatly in an empty room—meant for daily expenses for any of her friends or family who might visit the Your Lie in April world.
There was no need to worry about the money being damaged.
Eriri had surrounded the entire villa with a protective barrier—keeping out intruders, insects, dust, and anything else that could disturb it.
There was absolutely no risk of the money being chewed by rats or falling apart with time.
By the time she finished all of this, it was already past two in the afternoon.
For lunch, instead of eating out, Eriri had simply prepared food inside the new villa.
The dishes were taken directly from her Storage System—meals originally cooked by Aoi Kujou.
It was Kaori's first time tasting Aoi's cooking, and her reaction was the same as everyone else's: sheer bliss.
If Eriri hadn't helped her digest the mountain of food she'd eaten, Kaori would likely have been lying on the sofa by now, clutching her stomach and unable to move.
Instead, she was happily wandering around the villa, exploring every corner.
"Kaori, now that you understand how the World Gate works, you can use it anytime. You can visit me in my world whenever you want—or even go to see the others," Eriri explained.
Kaori's eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
Although she could travel to other worlds using a Cross-Realm Teleportation Talisman, the World Gate allowed her to do so freely and conveniently—and at no cost. Why wouldn't she take advantage of that?
"You can also live here whenever you like," Eriri continued. "If you ever feel like moving out of your house, this villa can be your home."
"The money in that room is yours to use as you wish. Don't worry about running out—it's more than enough."
"If you have any close friends, you can invite them over too. The barrier will keep strangers out, but anyone you personally approve can enter."
"Of course," Eriri added with a playful smile, "only girls can pass through the barrier~"
Kaori nodded eagerly, and when she heard that last part, she quickly patted her chest in mock seriousness.
"Don't worry, Eriri-nee! I promise I won't bring any male here!"
—
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