"I see."
Kurumi Tokisaki did not dwell on the matter. It had only been a casual question to begin with, so she quickly moved on from the topic.
"Sawa, where's Chestnut? Hurry up and take us to see her!"
Kurumi Tokisaki hugged Sawa Yamauchi's arm and gave it a gentle shake like she was acting spoiled, her little face filled with anticipation.
"Chestnut was making a fuss all night, so she's sleeping right now. I'll take you to see her."
Led by Sawa Yamauchi, the three of them soon arrived at a small room of barely more than a dozen square meters.
The room had been carefully decorated into a large cat haven. Cat trees, climbing frames, and all kinds of cat toys could be seen everywhere.
Eriri also saw the "Chestnut" Kurumi had mentioned—a pure black little female cat.
At that moment, Chestnut was curled up inside a scratching board, fast asleep, a steady purr purr sound coming from her throat.
"Wow, Chestnut is still just as cute as ever."
Kurumi Tokisaki trotted over and crouched beside her. Not caring that the cat was asleep, she directly reached out and began gently stroking her head.
Sensing the movement above her, Chestnut abruptly stopped purring. She slowly opened her golden eyes and looked up at the human petting her.
Since Kurumi often visited Sawa's home to pet her, Chestnut was already familiar with her scent.
After confirming it was someone she knew, the little cat lost interest, lowered her head again, and closed her eyes, intending to continue sleeping.
But Kurumi had no intention of giving her that chance.
The next second, she used her other hand to scoop Chestnut up directly from the scratching board.
"Meow meow meow!"
The sudden forced wake-up completely shattered Chestnut's drowsiness. She let out a string of slightly panicked meows.
Fortunately, she did not struggle violently, so Kurumi was still able to easily gather her into her arms.
"Eriri-nee, this is Chestnut. Isn't she adorable?"
Holding the cat, Kurumi walked over to Eriri and proudly presented her like a treasured prize.
"Mm-hmm, very adorable."
Eriri smiled and nodded. She then reached into Kurumi's arms and gently rubbed the little cat's head.
"Meow?"
Chestnut raised her head to look at Eriri, letting out a small, uncertain sound.
Though she was only a little kitten with limited intelligence, the natural affinity radiating from Eriri instantly won her over.
Taking advantage of Kurumi's momentary inattention, Chestnut suddenly sprang up from her arms, limbs spread wide as she leaped straight toward Eriri.
"Hey, you little pervert of a cat! The moment you see Eriri-nee, you just can't wait to pounce on her!"
After seeing Chestnut land steadily in Eriri's embrace, Kurumi pretended to be angry and reached out to poke the cat's back with her finger.
However, Chestnut was already completely immersed in Eriri's wonderful aura and paid no attention whatsoever to Kurumi's little actions.
"This is the first time I've ever seen Chestnut get this close to a stranger. It's really unbelievable."
With a look of curiosity, Sawa also leaned closer to Eriri and reached out to stroke Chestnut's back.
Kurumi nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly! Back then, it took me several whole days to build a good relationship with her."
"Hmph. Isn't it possible that my charm is simply overwhelming?"
Eriri let out a light snort and lifted her chin proudly.
Hearing that, Kurumi and Sawa both raised their heads to look at her, then nodded solemnly.
"Mm, that's actually very possible!"
Seeing their reaction, the corners of Eriri's lips lifted slightly, and her mood improved quite a bit.
"Alright, staying here forever isn't ideal. Let's head back to the living room first."
"Mm-hmm."
Soon, the three of them returned to the living room, though their group now included an additional little female cat.
Not long after they sat down, Mrs. Yamauchi came back into the living room carrying two plates.
One plate held fruit, while the other contained cake and other desserts.
Before she could even place them on the coffee table, Kurumi and Sawa had already stood up to take the plates from her hands.
"Eriri, it's your first time visiting, and I don't have anything particularly special to treat you with. Just have some cake and fruit."
Mrs. Yamauchi sat down beside Eriri and began chatting with her warmly.
"Auntie, you really don't need to be so polite. Just treat me like any ordinary junior."
"In that case, why don't you and Kurumi stay for lunch later? You can try Auntie's cooking."
The moment she said that, Sawa—who had just placed the fruit plate on the table—immediately looked at Eriri with a bright smile.
"Eriri-nee, my mom's right. Don't rush off later."
"Alright, then I'll look forward to tasting Auntie's cooking."
Eriri did not refuse the mother and daughter's invitation. Kurumi naturally had no reason to decline either, as she had eaten here many times before.
Since they had just been petting Chestnut, Kurumi and Sawa did not directly grab desserts with hands that had touched the cat.
After setting down the plates, the two of them left the living room to wash their hands.
As for why they did not call Eriri along, it was because they planned to bring a basin of water over so she could wash her hands while remaining seated. Their service could be described as extremely attentive.
So when the two of them returned carrying a basin of water, it immediately drew a teasing remark from Mrs. Yamauchi.
Because she needed to prepare lunch, Mrs. Yamauchi did not chat long with them before heading out to buy groceries.
The living room was left with only the three girls—and without an elder present, the atmosphere naturally became much livelier.
"Sawa, Eriri-nee also has a cat at home. After lunch, let's go over and take a look together. I heard that not only can that cat do backflips, it can even communicate with people without any barriers."
Holding Chestnut in her arms, Kurumi spoke to Sawa in a mysterious tone.
Although Chestnut did not want to leave Eriri's embrace, Kurumi's actions were simply too forceful, so the poor little cat could only be pitifully carried off.
As a devoted cat lover, Sawa's reaction to Kurumi's description was almost identical to Kurumi's earlier response.
The only difference was that she did not believe it outright. Instead, she looked toward Eriri for confirmation.
"Eriri-nee, is what Kurumi said true?"
"Of course!"
Eriri nodded.
At once, Sawa's eyes lit up, and any remaining doubt completely vanished.
"In that case, I definitely have to go take a look! Eriri-nee, how about we head over right after lunch?"
Sawa looked at Eriri impatiently. If she had not already agreed to have lunch at home with her mother, she might have wanted to rush straight to Eriri's house immediately.
Eriri had already planned to bring Kurumi and Sawa back with her. Now that Sawa had taken the initiative to suggest it, there was naturally no reason for her to refuse.
"No problem."
"Yay!"
...
Before long, time slipped past one in the afternoon. By then, Eriri and the others had finished the carefully prepared lunch made by Mrs. Yamauchi.
Although it was nothing more than simple home-cooked dishes, the taste was quite good—at the very least, it did not disappoint Eriri.
After the meal, Eriri politely declined Mrs. Yamauchi's attempt to persuade them to stay longer and left the villa together with Kurumi and Sawa.
"Eriri-nee, how far is your house from here?"
Once they reached the roadside and saw the steady flow of traffic, Kurumi asked curiously.
"Hmm, about that..."
Eriri did not answer immediately. She was considering whether to take them to the Himekawa residence or directly cross worlds to the Saekano world.
"What's wrong? Is it very far?"
"Not really. It's only about a dozen kilometers away."
In the end, Eriri decided to take Kurumi and Sawa to the Himekawa residence first. As for the Saekano world, she could bring them there after they became Spirits.
"I see. Should we call a taxi, then?"
"No need. I'll take you there directly."
As she spoke, Eriri ignored their puzzled expressions and placed one hand on each of their shoulders.
The next second, her spatial transfer ability activated. The street scenery before Kurumi and Sawa suddenly vanished, replaced by a luxurious living room and several beautiful girls chatting and laughing inside.
The surreal shift in scenery caused their minds to freeze completely.
The sudden appearance of Eriri's group naturally drew the attention of Nia Honjou and the others in the living room. They immediately stopped chatting and turned their gazes toward the three of them.
"Eriri, you're back."
Yamai Kazamachi stood up and walked over with a cheerful smile before looking curiously at Kurumi and Sawa, whose shoulders Eriri was still holding.
"And these two are?"
Before leaving that morning, Eriri had already told everyone that she was going out to search for the next candidate to become a Spirit.
So they all knew that one of the unfamiliar girls before them would soon become their new companion.
As for the other—since Eriri had used spatial transfer to bring her here, there was a high probability she was also a candidate.
Hearing Yamai Kazamachi's voice, Kurumi and Sawa, who had been frozen in shock, immediately snapped back to their senses. Astonishment quickly spread across their faces.
"Eriri-nee, what's going on? Why did we suddenly appear here? Are you some kind of esper?"
Kurumi turned toward Eriri, her eyes shining with excitement. She had always harbored hidden chuunibyou tendencies, and personally experiencing supernatural power caused that side of her to erupt instantly.
"That's not an inaccurate way to put it. Not just me—everyone here except the two of you is already extraordinary."
At Eriri's words, Kurumi immediately looked at Yamai Kazamachi and the others with burning curiosity.
Although Sawa's reaction was not quite as exaggerated, the excitement on her face was just as obvious.
After sweeping her gaze over everyone, Kurumi turned back to Eriri, her eyes filled with longing.
"Eriri-nee, can I become extraordinary like you too?"
Before Eriri could answer, she hurriedly added,
"As long as I can become extraordinary, I'll agree to any condition!"
"Me too!"
Sawa also looked at Eriri with hopeful eyes.
After witnessing such power, who wouldn't want to join their ranks? Especially girls at their age, when fantasies ran wild.
They had already completely forgotten the original purpose of their visit. Petting cats was nothing compared to becoming extraordinary.
"Of course you can. But before that, you should all get to know each other first."
Eriri lifted her hands and gently patted the fluffy tops of Kurumi and Sawa's heads. The sudden intimate gesture made both girls blush, and even their urgent desire for power softened slightly.
Taking a deep breath, Kurumi stepped forward two paces. She placed her hands neatly over her abdomen and gave Yamai Kazamachi and the others an impeccable, noble-style bow.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Kurumi Tokisaki. I'm very pleased to meet you."
After Kurumi finished her brief introduction, Sawa followed suit and introduced herself as well.
Compared to Kurumi's concise introduction, hers was slightly more detailed, including some of her personal interests.
Naturally, everyone warmly welcomed their arrival. After the two girls finished introducing themselves, the others also briefly introduced themselves in return.
Feeling the group's enthusiasm, the nervousness Kurumi and Sawa had initially felt gradually faded. Before long, they were chatting happily together.
Through their conversation, the two girls also learned the condition for becoming extraordinary—abandoning their human bodies and becoming Spirits.
They showed no resistance whatsoever to that requirement. Not only would becoming a Spirit not affect their appearance in the slightest, but even if they truly turned into the kind of pointy-eared elves seen in manga, they would not hesitate at all.
Of course, if it meant transforming into some kind of monstrous species, that would be a different matter entirely.
After learning this information, Kurumi immediately moved closer to Eriri, looking at her expectantly.
"Eriri-nee, I want to become a Spirit too!"
"Me too!"
Sawa quickly followed, stepping up beside Kurumi and gazing at Eriri with the same eager expression.