Yuzuru Hanyu's Resolve
"I see," Megumi Kato nodded, not surprised at all.
After spending time at Eriri's home on multiple occasions, she was already familiar with the frequent visits of people from other worlds. Through these interactions, she had also become close with Lala and the others.
"Let's go to the mall after school today, just the two of us," Eriri said, holding Megumi's left hand and gently playing with her slender, delicate fingers.
"Sure," Megumi responded with a joyful expression, happily accepting Eriri's invitation. She was very much looking forward to their one-on-one date.
Arifureta and Shea, who were standing nearby, overheard their conversation but didn't comment. Arifureta rarely opposed Eriri's decisions, especially since Eriri had just taken her to the Fate world yesterday for a bit of fun. She was more than content.
...
As the dismissal bell rang, the students in the class became visibly restless. It was Friday, and they were eagerly anticipating the two-day weekend ahead. Many of them had already lost focus by the previous class.
"Alright, that's it for today. Enjoy your weekend, but don't forget to finish your assignments," the teacher reminded the students before gathering up her books and leaving the classroom.
The students, in turn, began grouping together, making plans for the weekend. Most had no intention of attending their club activities that day.
After packing up their belongings, Eriri and her group also headed outside the school. By the time they reached the gate, Aoi Kujo was already there waiting for them.
"Yue-chan, Shea, you two should head home with Aoi for now," Eriri said, directing her instructions to Arifureta and Shea.
She didn't intend for Aoi Kujo to drive them near the mall but preferred to walk with Megumi instead. After all, the mall was near the train station, and Yumenosaki Private Academy wasn't far from it.
"Alright, Eriri, Megumi-chan, have fun!" Arifureta and Shea grinned knowingly at the pair before climbing into the car.
"Miss, we'll be on our way then," Aoi Kujo said respectfully.
"Mhm, go ahead," Eriri replied with a smile.
As the car slowly disappeared from view, Eriri turned back to Megumi. "Shall we, Megumi-chan?" she asked, offering her right hand.
Megumi smiled sweetly and, without hesitation, took Eriri's hand, their fingers interlocking naturally.
...
About ten minutes later, Eriri and Megumi arrived near the train station, where the crowd had grown larger. Among the bustling crowd were many high school students from various schools.
Their appearance quickly caught the attention of passersby, but no one dared approach them.
The two girls, unfazed by the curious gazes, walked hand in hand through the streets, exuding the vibrant energy of high school girls.
Before long, they arrived in front of a cake shop called "Fantasy Angel." Glancing at each other, they shared a knowing smile.
It was the same shop where, on their first day of school, Kiyo Ishimaki and Azusa Satomi had invited them to try cakes. Back then, Eriri had highly praised the shop's offerings.
Just like before, Fantasy Angel was bustling with customers. Nearly all the tables inside were occupied, and outside, a long line of people waited to purchase cakes.
Most of the customers were students who had come after school. However, compared to their first visit, the scene had changed significantly.
Back then, the shop was filled with girls, both inside and outside. But now, a number of boys were scattered throughout the crowd, many of them accompanied by their girlfriends.
Shaking their clasped hands lightly, Eriri smiled and asked Megumi, "Want to go inside for some cake again?"
"Hmm… but the line's pretty long," Megumi hesitated, though it was clear from her expression that she was tempted by the idea of tasting the cakes again.
"It's fine. Judging by the line, it should only take about ten minutes to reach the front."
During their first visit to this cake shop, the line had been even longer, and they had waited over twenty minutes before being served. Today's crowd wasn't as large, so they would probably get their cakes sooner.
While Eriri could easily manipulate everyone's perception and skip to the front of the line, she chose not to. After all, this was a date with Megumi, and waiting in line was part of the experience. Using extraordinary powers to cut the line would ruin the fun.
Seeing Eriri's determination, Megumi nodded happily. Together, they joined the line at the very back.
As they stood in line, the couple in front of them visibly tensed up, both the boy and the girl too nervous to even glance back at Eriri and Megumi.
Ever since Eriri and Megumi had arrived at Fantasy Angel, most of the people in line had taken notice. While Megumi's beauty elicited some envy and admiration, it was Eriri who truly captivated everyone.
Regardless of whether they were boys or girls, everyone who saw Eriri was immediately mesmerized by her presence. Even couples who had seemed happy together just moments ago now regarded Eriri as an unreachable ideal. Of course, none of them dared to approach her.
As expected, after about ten minutes, it was finally Eriri and Megumi's turn to place their order. By that time, a few tables inside the shop had also become available.
After purchasing two different types of cakes, the two found a cozy table for two by the window. Through the window, they could see the bustling streets and the busy traffic passing by.
Eriri took a bite of her cake, savoring the flavor. She nodded approvingly. "Mmm, not bad at all. Still just as delicious. No wonder this place is always packed."
She had chosen a flavor she hadn't tried on her last visit, and the taste was just as good, if not better, than what she had remembered. It was even on par with the cakes made by Aoi Kujo.
"Eriri, do you want to try mine? It's really good," Megumi offered with a smile, holding out a piece of cake with her fork.
Eriri had no intention of refusing such a sweet gesture. She opened her mouth and took the bite Megumi offered.
As Megumi withdrew the fork from Eriri's mouth, a thin strand of glistening saliva stretched between the fork and her lips. Instead of being repelled, Megumi didn't hesitate. She simply popped the fork back into her own mouth.
"How is it? Tasty?" Megumi asked.
"Mm, not bad at all. Here, try mine," Eriri said, picking up a piece of her own cake and offering it to Megumi.
Megumi, mimicking Eriri, accepted the bite with a smile.
Their affectionate exchange didn't go unnoticed, and several other customers in the shop couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene.
Though these onlookers knew they had no chance of getting close to the radiant presence that was Eriri, watching her share such tender moments with another girl seemed like a consolation prize of sorts.
However, there was one person in the shop who felt quite differently.
At a table in a more secluded corner, a petite girl with a somewhat delicate, almost sickly appearance sat glaring at Eriri and Megumi as she bit down hard on her fork. Suddenly, the cake in front of her didn't taste quite as good.
This girl was none other than Yuzuru Hanyu, who had been transported to the Saekano world for several days now.
After spending the day completing the first volume of the novel she was plagiarizing, she had taken her manuscript to Fujikawa Fantastic Publishing for submission.
As expected, her submission was well-received. After all, it was a highly popular novel in her previous life, and it seemed readers in this world had similar tastes.
On her way home, she stumbled upon the bustling cake shop. Deciding to treat herself for her hard work, she used a portion of her meager savings to buy a cake.
And now, this scene unfolded before her.
"Master! Master! It's yuri! Beautiful girls feeding each other! Woohoo! This is too sweet! I think I'm going to have a nosebleed—wait, I don't have a body!" Hanyu's system companion exclaimed excitedly in her mind, like an over-excited fan at a concert.
"Shut up, you stupid system! You're giving me a headache," Yuzuru grumbled inwardly, annoyed by her system's antics.
Watching Eriri feed Megumi, Yuzuru instantly recognized her.
The familiar golden twin-tails, that impeccably beautiful mixed-race face, the Yumenosaki Private Academy uniform—it was unmistakable. Though she didn't know why Eriri looked so stunning, it didn't stop Yuzuru from identifying her beloved character at first glance.
"Who is that girl? Why is she so close to Eriri?" Yuzuru thought irritably, staring at the blissful expression on Megumi's face.
She hadn't even recognized that the girl across from Eriri was Megumi Kato, the original protagonist of the story. Yuzuru had come to this world believing that Eriri was stuck in a love triangle with Tomoya Aki, waiting for her to intervene and save her.
But reality had proven to be entirely different from what she expected.
"Could it be that the Saekano world has changed, and that's why the relationships between characters are different?" Yuzuru wondered.
Over the past few days, she had noticed other peculiar changes as well, like the upcoming release of the game Sword Art Online. When she watched the promotional PV, she realized that this version of Sword Art Online was vastly different from the one she knew.
Moreover, in this world, there was no Kayaba Akihiko or RECT Inc. Instead, the company behind the development and operation of Sword Art Online was part of the Sawamura Group.
All these strange differences made the world feel increasingly bizarre.
And based on Eriri's behavior just now, it was clear that the Eriri of this world was a confirmed yuri girl.
Yuzuru had already suspected this before. When she searched for "Eiri Kashiwagi" on Twitter, she discovered that the account was filled with yuri-related content. All of Eriri's works were yuri-themed. This had already led her to suspect a change in Eriri's sexual orientation.
Now, seeing it in person, her suspicions were all but confirmed.
While this revelation was good news for Yuzuru, it also meant that she had lost her opportunity to "save" Eriri from her fate as the losing heroine.
The person who was making Eriri happy wasn't Yuzuru Hanyu...
A wave of intense frustration surged within her. She had traveled to the Saekano world and encountered the person she admired so much. To her, this was fate—destiny leading her to cross paths with Eriri across worlds.
Yuzuru silently made up her mind. Once her novel became successful and her living situation improved, she would transfer to Yumenosaki Private Academy. She would pursue Eriri with everything she had. Otherwise, this whole experience of being transported to another world would feel meaningless.
With newfound resolve, Yuzuru quickly finished her cake. Before leaving the shop, she took one last, lingering glance at Eriri before walking out.
...
"Onee-chan, I just detected a unique system," came a voice in Eriri's mind as soon as Yuzuru exited the shop.
"A unique system? How's it different from the ones we've recovered before?" Eriri asked curiously, still savoring her cake.
"Well, most systems across the multiverse are designed to help hosts gain extraordinary powers, like the 'Supreme Demon King System' you recovered earlier or Lala's 'Strongest Villain System.' But there's also a special category of systems related to entertainment—like music, literature, and so on. These systems don't grant superhuman abilities and can't evolve. They have sentience from the moment they come into being," the voice explained, pausing briefly.
"Mhm, go on," Eriri urged, intrigued by the description.
These entertainment-based systems sounded quite similar to the systems from the entertainment novels she used to read in her previous life, where protagonists gained skills in singing, dancing, painting, writing, and so on. However, even the strongest of those systems never allowed the hosts to achieve superhuman feats.
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