The Return

"Of course not." Eriri waved her hand dismissively, ignoring the aggrieved expression on Akino Yukinoshita's face.

"Actually, both Arifureta and I are transmigrators."

"Huh? Wait, what?!" Akino exclaimed in shock. "So, you've taken over Eriri's body?"

In her past life, Akino had read plenty of fanfiction involving transmigrators, most of which involved the transmigrator devouring the original owner's consciousness or taking over after the original character had died.

Just the thought of that possibility made Akino deflate, her eyes filling with confusion, like a fish that had lost its sense of direction.

"No, no. My situation is the same as yours. It's a reincarnation thing. I was reborn as Eriri, while you were reincarnated into someone who doesn't exist in the original OreGairu."

Eriri's explanation immediately brought a glimmer of hope back to Akino's eyes. "You mean…"

"That's right. I'm the Eriri you know, only the difference is that the original Eriri didn't have her past life's memories, while I do."

"Thank goodness! I thought I had lost my Eriri," Akino said with a sigh of relief.

She didn't doubt Eriri's words. Someone with her power didn't need to lie. Hearing the unintentional words Akino let slip, Arifureta chimed in teasingly, "Hey, hey. What do you mean 'your Eriri'? She's clearly mine."

Arifureta's tone was playful, though her eyes gleamed with a mischievous light. It was evident that she was teasing on purpose.

"Uh…" Akino felt even more dejected. Even though she'd secretly been calling Eriri her "wife" in her heart, the reality was that they had just met. She hadn't had the chance to develop any deep relationship with her. Meanwhile, Arifureta, who was officially recognized as Eriri's wife, clearly had the right to make such claims.

"Wait, hold on... 'one of your wives'?" Akino suddenly caught onto a critical point Eriri had mentioned earlier.

"Uh… I have quite a few," Eriri admitted casually.

For a moment, Akino didn't know what to say. Her mind was now solely focused on one thought: Just how many people have you called your wife?

Though Eriri hadn't given a specific number, her vague reply was enough to indicate that it was far from just one or two. Akino's dream of a love story with only one person now seemed utterly impossible.

By now, Sakura Tohsaka, who had matured a bit mentally, glanced over without saying anything. However, Rin Tohsaka, who had been whispering with her sister moments ago, suddenly interjected into the conversation.

"Can girls really be together with other girls?"

"Kids shouldn't butt into adult conversations."

"Hmph! Fine! I didn't want to know anyway!" Rin pouted, crossing her arms and turning away in a huff.

"Anyway, let's drop that for now. Akino, do you have any tasks left to do in the Nasuverse (Type-Moon)? If not, how about joining us in the Saekano world? We're planning to celebrate Sakura's birthday soon."

"Nope, no tasks! Please take me with you!" Akino quickly replied.

There was no way she could stay in the Nasuverse now, even if her system hadn't given her a task. She was determined to go to the Saekano world, which she had been searching for ages. Once she had its coordinates, she could visit Eriri whenever she wanted.

"Alright then, let's go."

Now that the fun with the Zouken Matou situation was over, Eriri had no interest in the Nasuverse for the time being. There was still a year left before the Fourth Holy Grail War, so it was the perfect time to leave.

"Sakura, do you want to stay with the Tohsaka family or come live with me for a while?" Eriri asked, turning to Sakura Tohsaka.

Although Sakura was no longer considered part of the Tohsaka family, Eriri knew that if Tokiomi Tohsaka found out the Matou family had been wiped out, he would likely bring her back into the Tohsaka household.

"Uhm…" Sakura hesitated, unsure of what to choose.

While she was disappointed in Tokiomi, that didn't erase the fact that he was still her father. The emotional bond built over the past five years wasn't something that could simply be severed. Sakura hadn't experienced the crushing despair of her original future, so she wasn't entirely disconnected from her family.

But if she didn't reveal her powers, she would likely end up being adopted by another mage family. If she did reveal them, Tokiomi would undoubtedly use her strength to win the Holy Grail War, potentially interfering with Eriri's plans.

After thinking it over, Sakura finally decided to follow Eriri to the Saekano world for a while. She figured she could return after the Fourth Holy Grail War ended.

When Rin saw that her sister had decided not to return home, she became frantic.

"Sakura, please don't go!"

"Don't worry, Nee-chan. I'll visit often. Plus, once I get an invitation to the Chat Group, I'll add you, and then we can talk anytime!"

"Okay… But promise you'll come visit regularly," Rin reluctantly agreed. Though she was still a child, she understood that Sakura staying could create a lot of problems. Not wanting to make things harder for her sister and Eriri, she eventually stopped trying to convince her otherwise.

Meanwhile, Akino's system had been paying close attention to the conversation happening outside. When it heard Sakura mention the Chat Group, it immediately grew alarmed.

"Akino, I've realized something very serious."

"Now what?"

"Earlier, I had my suspicions, but now I'm certain: Eriri definitely has a high-level Chat Group backing her," the system declared with certainty. "Compared to Chat Groups, we systems are at a distinct disadvantage."

"That's it? You're worried about that? There's no need to freak out. After all, nothing's happened to you this whole time, right? Eriri's Chat Group hasn't done anything to you," Akino replied dismissively, unconcerned that Eriri might be a threat to her system.

"Hm… true." The system agreed and let the issue go, calming down after realizing Akino had a point.

…

The disappearance of the Matou family caused a huge stir in Fuyuki City. The massive crater left where the Matou estate once stood couldn't be explained away as a simple gas explosion.

However, none of the regular citizens suspected anything magical. They assumed it was some sort of terrifying, unknown attack, leaving everyone in Fuyuki City on edge. The incident quickly became one of the city's great unsolved mysteries.

As for the last remaining Matou bloodline, Kariya Matou, when he learned of the Matou family's demise, he felt no sadness—only a sense of liberation. He knew full well how rotten the Matou family had become, which was why he had severed ties with magic and the Matou name to live as an ordinary person.

At this point, Kariya didn't know that Sakura Tohsaka had been adopted into the Matou family. Had he known, he certainly wouldn't have been so calm.

The same thoughts ran through Tokiomi's mind when he learned of the Matou family's destruction. While he was a bit bothered by Sakura's "death," he quickly composed himself, proving once again that he was the epitome of a cold and rational magus.

On the other hand, Aoi Tohsaka, who was just an ordinary person, was deeply saddened by the news. She couldn't be as cold-hearted as a magus when it came to her daughter's fate.

…

Eriri, Arifureta, and the others returned to Eriri's mansion, bringing along Sakura Tohsaka and Akino Yukinoshita.

As the second daughter of the prestigious Yukinoshita family from Chiba Prefecture, Akino had a discerning eye for luxury. Yet, even she was impressed by the grandeur of Eriri's mansion and its intricate, secret designs.

But that awe quickly turned to jealousy when she saw the bevy of beautiful women who came out to greet Eriri.

While Akino recognized some of the girls—particularly Shinobu Oshino in her child form, as well as Jibril and Schwi—many of the others were unfamiliar to her. It was evident that they hailed from various anime worlds.

Still, the sight of these lovely girls made her feel a bit left out. Normally, she was used to being the center of attention wherever she went, with her adorable looks and formidable strength. But here, things were different. Instead of receiving admiration, Akino found herself fading into the background.

It wasn't that the others were deliberately ignoring her. In fact, they all possessed top-tier beauty, so her good looks didn't stand out as much as they might have elsewhere. And with Eriri's presence overshadowing everyone, Akino was bound to feel a bit outshined.

Fortunately, the girls weren't the type to leave a newcomer out for long. Before Akino knew it, she had joined in on the conversations and quickly bonded with everyone, feeling much more at ease.

"Akino, pick any empty room you like. All the rooms are fully equipped, so you can stay as long as you want," Eriri said casually as she showed Akino to the bedrooms.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Akino replied, feeling a little awkward. She had hoped to claim a room near Eriri's, but it seemed she wouldn't get that chance.

As for Sakura Tohsaka, Eriri decided that she would share a room with Reina and even attend school together. Since the two were about the same age, it made sense for them to become close companions.

With Eriri and Arifureta skipping school, and Shea having no reason to go without them, Reina was the only one who had been attending school regularly. Eriri figured it was time for them to take a break, and since today was already halfway over, there was no point in going back to class.

After all, school was more of a lifestyle choice than an obligation for them. If it stopped being enjoyable, there was no reason to continue attending just for the sake of it.

With tomorrow being Friday, Eriri decided to hold Sakura's birthday celebration the day after, on Saturday. That would give them plenty of time to prepare presents and organize everything.

Once the plan was set, Eriri quickly notified the Chat Group.

[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Hey, everyone! I'm planning to throw a belated birthday party for Sakura on Saturday. If you're working, call in sick! If you're free, come join us and taste my sister Aoi's cooking! @everyone]

[Chika Fujiwara (Level 3, Stage 8): Yay! Saturday is my day off! Can't wait!]

[Kaguya Shinomiya (Level 3, Stage 1): Mm-hmm! Nee-san, I'll definitely be there bright and early on Saturday. Can't wait! Excited.jpg]

[Ruri Gokou (Level 3, Stage 4): It's Saturday for me too, so I'm all good. ThumbsUp.jpg]

[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 6): Oh no… does this mean I'm the only one who doesn't have a weekend off? Looks like I'll have to take another day off… CatSigh.jpg]

[Erica (Level 5, Stage 3): Eriri-sama, Liliana says she wants to meet you. Is it okay if I bring her along?]

[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Of course, bring her along!]

[Erica (Level 5, Stage 3): Thank you!]

[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 9): I'm looking forward to meeting all of you.]

[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Oh, and don't forget to bring a birthday gift for Sakura. Smile.jpg]

[Sakura Tohsaka (Level 3, Stage 9): There's no need for birthday gifts…]

[Kanae Kocho (Level 4, Stage 1): Yue-chan's right! What kind of birthday would it be without presents? I've already got mine ready.]

[Arche(Level 4, Stage 1): +1]

[Arche(Level 4, Stage 1): Yep, mine's ready too.]

[Elaina (Level 4, Stage 1): +1]

[Luo Cuilian (Level 5, Stage 4): Looks like I'll have to prepare a proper gift, or else I won't have the face to meet Eriri-chan.]

[Sakura Tohsaka (Level 3, Stage 9): Thank you, everyone!]