A Major Problem

After some time, Arifureta and the others left the Akame ga Kill world. For them, this mission felt more like a free vacation to another world, and they even returned with over ten million points as a reward.

If the other chat group members found out, they would definitely be filled with envy.

As for Leone and Sheele, Eriri entrusted them to the care of Mine, Akame, and Kurome. She also implanted an energy seed in both Leone and Sheele, just like the ones she had previously given to Cornelia and the others.

At the same time, Eriri removed the reactive energy she had placed on them and explained the situation to them. After all, if they ever faced an attack and didn't dodge because they relied on the reactive energy, things could go wrong.

Once they learned that Mine and the others aimed to unite the entire planet and establish a peaceful country where there was no discrimination and everyone could eat, both Leone and Sheele eagerly joined their cause.

With that, the revolution squad had grown to ten members.

Although Leone had killed Honest, his prior orders were still being executed, meaning it wouldn't be long before the Empire's army would track down the remaining "children of fate."

Esdeath and Najenda could manage fine on their own—given their strength, escaping the Empire's forces wouldn't be an issue. However, Chelsea was in danger. Currently, she was only a servant in a local governor's mansion and had no chance of escaping if the Empire's army came after her.

To prevent this, Eriri completely erased Honest's command from existence.

What happens next would be up to Mine and the others.

However, uniting all the different nations on this planet wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.

Although Mine and her friends had the power to achieve this with little resistance, they were still only four or five-year-old children. Their young minds were not yet mature enough to achieve such a grand goal easily. It would inevitably be a long battle.

But Eriri had no intention of directly helping them. The goal of uniting the world was a great opportunity for them to grow. As long as their lives were not in danger, they could proceed however they wished.

With nothing more of interest to see in the Akame ga Kill world, Eriri decided not to stay any longer. After placing life-saving measures on Mine and the others, she left the palace. However, she didn't leave the world right away. Instead, she headed to a village in the northern border of the Empire.

This place used to be the home of the Partas Clan, but now it was desolate and rundown. Only one house in the center remained in good condition, and from its appearance, it was clear that someone still lived there.

Behind the house, a large pile of Dange Beasts' corpses was stacked up, their blood still fresh. They had clearly been killed not long ago.

The Partas Clan had been wiped out by a northern tribe not long ago, leaving only Esdeath, who had been out hunting alone at the time.

Eriri's purpose for coming here was Esdeath, and this house was Esdeath's home.

The Partas Clan was a tribe that specialized in hunting Dange Beasts, and because of this, they believed firmly in the philosophy of "survival of the fittest."

As the daughter of the Partas Clan's leader, Esdeath had this ideology deeply ingrained in her from a young age, thanks to her father's teachings.

If Eriri wanted to change Esdeath's mindset, it would have been easy. She could have directly altered Esdeath's thoughts to align with her own.

However, Eriri had no intention of doing that.

She casually entered Esdeath's house, treating it like her own, without the slightest sense that she was trespassing.

The interior was sparsely decorated, with only basic living necessities and weapons—nothing extra. It didn't resemble the home of an eleven or twelve-year-old girl at all.

Eriri sat in the house, waiting openly for Esdeath's return.

Before long, the sound of footsteps echoed outside. Then, the door was unlocked from the outside, and a small girl about 150 cm tall entered.

She had silver-blue hair, blue eyes, and a very cute face, though her expression was icy.

This was Esdeath, just back from hunting Dange Beasts.

When she saw Eriri inside, her eyes lit up sharply.

"Who are you? And why are you in my house?" Esdeath asked curiously, showing no anger at the intrusion.

Her voice was sweet and tender, like the sound of silver bells.

Instead of answering Esdeath's question, Eriri directly asked, "Do you want to become stronger?"

...

"Why are you back? Didn't you want to stay there longer?" Arifureta, who had been home for over an hour, asked curiously when she saw Eriri return.

She was sitting alone on the living room sofa, watching anime from this world. The little Shinobu who had come back with her had run off somewhere.

It was already past ten o'clock, and the first two hours of classes at Yumenosaki Academy had already passed.

As usual, Utaha Kasumigaoka, Kanae, and Shea had gone to school on time.

Even Akino Yukinoshita, who had come to the world of Saekano for Eriri, had gone to school with them today.

Her main reason for being here wasn't school, but Eriri. Still, her attendance rate had ended up higher than Eriri's.

As for Reina and Shinobu Kocho, they had never skipped class—they were sincerely here for school.

Aoi Kujo was in the kitchen preparing lunch, with Momo assisting her and learning some cooking skills.

The remaining people were busy with their own affairs. Compared to weekends, the house now felt very quiet.

"Yeah, all the fun was over, so there wasn't much point in staying. It's much nicer to come home, play games, and watch anime," Eriri said, plopping onto the sofa and snuggling up beside Arifureta.

"True. After all, the rest is just a revolution now. Not much fun in that," Arifureta nodded in agreement.

With that, the two of them cozily leaned against each other and began watching the yuri anime playing on TV.

...

The next day.

In Class 1-E at Yumenosaki Academy, Akino Yukinoshita, who sat behind Arifureta, was lying face down on her desk. She had propped up her textbook to hide her face.

She had no intention of listening to the lesson. Instead, she was secretly watching Eriri, who sat in the seat diagonally in front of her.

It had been more than half a month since she arrived in the Saekano world, and although her relationship with Eriri had become much closer, she had yet to accomplish the goal she had come here for.

"Akino, this won't do. If you like her, just confess already! You were so full of confidence before, but now you're chickening out when it matters," her system spirit said, sounding frustrated.

In the past half-month, Akino had considered confessing her feelings to Eriri dozens of times, but each time, she failed to go through with it.

"I know, I know. I'll definitely confess today," Akino replied, full of determination.

"Yeah, right. This is the thirty-sixth time you've said that," the system spirit retorted.

"Trust me, there won't be a thirty-seventh time!" Akino vowed in her mind.

Just as the system spirit was about to continue teasing her, it suddenly noticed that time in the Oregairu world, which had been frozen, had resumed.

This was no trivial matter. To break through a time freeze required either a super-powerful entity adept at manipulating time or a system on the same level as itself.

Either way, something significant had happened.

"Akino, we have a big problem!" the system spirit said seriously.

"What's wrong?" Akino asked, puzzled.

It was the first time she had heard the system sound so serious. Normally, the system stayed calm even when she was in danger.

"Your home world is in trouble. I suggest you go back and check it out," the system said.

"What happened?" Akino asked, suddenly feeling tense.

"The time in the Oregairu world has started moving again."

"Oh, that's it? I thought it was something serious," Akino sighed in relief, thinking the system was making a big deal out of nothing.

"Akino, you don't understand how serious this is," the system spirit said, exasperated. "The time seal I placed has been forcibly broken, and I've tried restoring it, but I can't. This means either a cosmic-level powerhouse or a High-Level system has arrived in the Oregairu world."

The system paused for a moment, then continued, "If it's the latter, we might be okay, but if it's the former, it depends on whether the powerhouse is friendly. For a cosmic-level powerhouse, destroying an entire universe is no big deal."

Akino froze at the system's words, and a wave of panic washed over her.

She wasn't too concerned about the Oregairu world itself, but her family was there. She couldn't bear the thought of her parents or sisters being in danger.

"I have to go back immediately, system. Take me back to the Oregairu world right now," Akino said urgently.

"Hold on… I think we should ask Eriri to come with us," the system suggested. It didn't know if there was a stronger system or being in the Oregairu world. If there was, heading there without support could be like walking into a trap, unless its host was stronger.

Akino wasn't a fool. Though she had been emotional at first, once she calmed down, she understood the system's concern.

"Alright, I'll ask Eriri. I'm sure she won't refuse," she said.

After spending over half a month with Eriri, Akino had gotten a good sense of her interests. Exploring other worlds was one of Eriri's hobbies. Besides, Eriri had already mentioned wanting to visit the Oregairu world someday.

Akino quickly set up a soundproof barrier, then walked over to Eriri and said, "Eriri, can you come with me to the Oregairu world?"

The moment Akino activated the barrier, Eriri, Arifureta, Shea, Kato Megumi, and Kanae immediately noticed.

Hearing Akino's request, they all looked curious.

"Sure, when do you want to go?" Eriri asked, nodding without hesitation.

After spending more than half a month together, Eriri had grown fond of Akino, who looked like Yukino Yukinoshita but had a completely different personality.

Moreover, Eriri already knew Akino's intentions. She had just been waiting for the day Akino would confess her feelings.

In Eriri's mind, Akino already belonged to her, so she had no reason to refuse her request. Besides, she had always wanted to visit the Oregairu world to meet Yukino, one of her former "2D wives."

"Right now," Akino replied.

At that moment, Arifureta chimed in, "Akino, did something happen in the Oregairu world? Do you need us to come help?"

The other three also looked at Akino with concern. In the time they had spent together, they had all grown close, becoming like sisters. If Akino needed help, Kanae and the others wouldn't hesitate.

Akino's heart warmed at their concern. The fear and anxiety she had felt for her family eased a little.

"Thank you. If I need help, I won't hesitate to ask," Akino said with a soft smile. Then she explained what the system had told her.

Hearing her explanation, Arifureta and the others understood why Akino was so eager to return and why she needed Eriri's help.

If the worst-case scenario occurred, only Eriri would be able to handle it.

Not long after, Eriri and Akino, led by the system spirit in Akino's mind, traveled to the Oregairu world.

As a Mid-Level Advanced system, bringing two people across universes wasn't difficult at all.

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