Little Girl Shinobu

"No, I'm an omnicon. Whether it's lolis, young girls, or mature women, I love them all," Eriri shamelessly declared, not caring in the slightest about the look of disdain in Athena's eyes.

Afterward, Eriri released the restrictions she had placed on Athena, allowing her to regain control over her divine power and once again sense her godhood, which finally put her at ease.

However, Athena's appearance remained fixed in the form of a 13- or 14-year-old girl. No matter how much divine power she tried to use to restore her adult form, it had no effect, as if it had been permanently locked. In the end, she reluctantly gave up on the idea of restoring her age—after all, she had lived in this loli form for a long time, so continuing like this wasn't a big deal.

"As expected of Eriri-sama, she subdued Athena so easily," Erica remarked with admiration.

Meanwhile, Elaina, who had been watching the spectacle, couldn't resist chiming in. "Eriri, you're such a degenerate."

"Hehe, right back at you," Eriri winked playfully at Elaina and stuck out her tongue in an exaggeratedly cute manner.

Despite finding Eriri's act quite adorable, Elaina still rolled her eyes and responded, "I told you, don't slander me! I'm nothing like you, okay?"

"Mhm, sure, sure, I get it," Eriri replied with a teasing smirk, which made the veins on Elaina's forehead visibly twitch.

"Eriri, why do I feel like you're implying something here?" Shinobu, standing with arms crossed beside Elaina, added, watching Eriri with amusement.

"Oh, right! Shinobu, can you change your appearance to different ages at will?" Eriri asked excitedly. In the original story, Shinobu had several different age forms as her strength was restored, but Eriri wasn't sure if she could control it like Aletheia, who could adjust her body's age at will.

"Of course I can," Shinobu replied confidently.

"Come on, turn into your old form! I want to see it!" Eriri exclaimed, eagerly stepping up to Shinobu, momentarily forgetting about her newly acquired maid, Athena.

Shinobu didn't object to Eriri's request. For her, it was no big deal. Normally, she could only reach her full power in her complete form, but thanks to the help of the chat group, she had overcome this limitation. Now, she could unleash her full strength no matter what age form she was in.

With a flash of golden light, the previously 18-year-old, 170 cm tall, curvaceous Shinobu instantly transformed into the petite old version of herself, standing at just 130 cm.

"Well? How do I look?" The young Shinobu lifted the hem of her white dress and spun around in front of Eriri before tilting her head and asking sweetly. Her childish voice had a delightful charm, though traces of her original, more mature tone still lingered.

Dressed in a simple white dress that accentuated her small, delicate figure, with golden hair flowing down her back and curling slightly at the ends, her fair skin practically glowed. Her golden eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, and her youthful face was utterly adorable.

"Oh my gosh, Shinobu, you're too cute!" Eriri cried out in excitement. Unable to resist, she stepped forward and scooped up the little girl into her arms. Instinctively, Shinobu wrapped her soft legs around Eriri's waist.

In her previous life, Eriri had been a huge fan of Shinobu, and she had always been envious of the male protagonist who got to hold the young Shinobu in the Monogatari series. Now that she was finally getting to fulfill her dream, she found herself reluctant to let go.

"Come on, Shinobu, let onee-chan take you for some donuts!" Eriri said with glee, her left hand wrapped securely around Shinobu's back. With a wave of her right hand, the surroundings reverted to their original state, the bustling noises of the plaza returning as if Athena's arrival had never interrupted it.

"Hmph, you know I'm much older than you," Shinobu retorted playfully, though she made no move to get down from Eriri's arms. Instead, she raised a hand triumphantly and declared, "Onward to donuts!"

And so, with Shinobu in her arms, Eriri followed Erica's lead toward a nearby donut shop. Elaina trailed beside them, casting curious glances at the young Shinobu, which caused Shinobu to roll her eyes in response.

Meanwhile, behind them, Athena stood in silence, watching Eriri. She realized she had been completely ignored, and as she glanced at Shinobu, comfortably nestled in Eriri's embrace, an unexpected surge of jealousy washed over her.

The thought startled Athena. She quickly averted her gaze, puzzled by the strange emotions she was experiencing. She had just unwillingly accepted her role as Eriri's maid, yet here she was, feeling envious. Was something wrong with her?

As Athena stood there, lost in thought, Eriri's voice suddenly snapped her out of her daze.

"Athena-chan, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and catch up!"

"I'm coming!" Athena called out, hastily falling in step with the others. Strangely, her mood seemed to have improved considerably.

…

After treating Shinobu to a delightful round of donuts, Eriri and her group returned to Erica's villa.

Eriri used the maid uniform worn by Aoi Kujo as a model to craft a custom maid outfit for Athena that fit her young frame perfectly. Later that evening, she handed the outfit to Athena, telling her she would be required to wear it from then on.

Athena, being indifferent to what she wore, accepted the maid uniform without complaint and put it on right away.

In the black-and-white maid uniform, Athena appeared even more adorable than she had in her student outfit, making Eriri nearly addicted to hugging her.

With a cute loli Athena in her left arm and the charming young Shinobu in her right, Eriri felt like she had reached the pinnacle of her life.

That day, Eriri didn't return to the world of Saekano. Shinobu decided to stick around with Eriri as well, delaying her return to the Monogatari world since she had no pressing commitments there. Only Elaina returned to her world, her curiosity about the modern world satisfied after spending the afternoon exploring Milan.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the second day since Liliana had left to report back to the Bronze-Black Cross.

However, despite an entire day having passed, the Villains Chat Group had yet to reveal itself. It seemed that the enemy was being exceptionally cautious, fearing they would be unable to escape this world once they surfaced.

There was nothing Eriri could do but wait for the group to make a mistake. If worse came to worst, she would embark on a world tour and rely on sheer luck to find whoever was harboring the Villains Chat Group.

It had also been a full day since Erica became a Campione. News of this event, as well as the death of the Marquis Voban, had already spread throughout the mystical circles around the world, causing great upheaval.

Apart from the time-traveling Madame Aisha, who was currently in a different era thanks to the Fairy's Corridor, the remaining Campione—Black Prince Alexander Gascoigne, King of Swords

Salvatore Doni, John Pluto Smith, and The Ruler of the Martial Realm Luo Hao—were all shocked by the news of Voban's death.

Throughout history, it had been unheard of for one Campione to kill another. Such a feat was nearly impossible unless there was an overwhelming disparity in strength between the two.

This made them all incredibly curious about Erica, the one who had slain Voban. Particularly Salvatore Doni, the battle-obsessed King of Swords who wasted no time rushing back to Italy, eager to challenge Erica in a duel.

As Eriri and her companions were having lunch, the villa's front door suddenly flew open with a loud bang. A blond-haired man sauntered into the dining hall, his eyes gleaming with battle-lust as he locked onto Erica, who was seated across from Eriri.

This was none other than Salvatore Doni, the King of Swords who had rushed back to Milan from elsewhere. A prodigy whose only expertise was in swordsmanship, Doni had an insatiable thirst for combat.

"King of Swords, isn't it a bit much to barge into my home uninvited?" Erica frowned as she glared at the carefree-looking blond man, clearly annoyed by the intrusion.

Erica had met Doni a few times before, as he ruled over southern Europe's magical associations. However, the deference she once showed him was now gone. Things had changed—she no longer needed to show him the respect she once did.

But before Doni could issue his challenge to Erica, his gaze was drawn to the petite maid sitting beside Eriri. The immense divine power radiating from her made it immediately clear who she was.

"A Heretic God?" Doni muttered, his eyes lighting up with excitement. In a flash, he appeared beside the dining table, retrieving a massive greatsword from the black case on his back and resting it on his shoulder. "Hey, Heretic God, fight me!"

"A Godslayer, huh? Had you made this request of me before yesterday, as a goddess, I would have gladly sent you to the Underworld. But I am no longer free. I won't fight you," Athena said flatly, casting a brief glance at Doni before rejecting his offer.

"Lord Salvatore, I must ask you not to cause a disturbance here," Liliana, sitting beside Erica, stood up and addressed Doni, her words still carrying a trace of reverence for him, unlike Erica's stern tone.

However, Doni ignored her, paying no mind to Athena's refusal either. Instead, he gripped his greatsword with both hands and began chanting a spell.

"Let this be sworn. I will not allow anything I cannot cut to exist. This sword is the invincible blade that severs all that stands on the earth!"

With the incantation complete, the ordinary greatsword transformed into a dazzling magical sword—Doni's most powerful authority, the Silver Hand of Rupture, which he had stolen from the Celtic god Nuada.

When invoked, the blood-and-flesh hand transforms into a metallic silver one, imbuing Doni's sword with enormous magical power, granting it the ability to slice through anything, even creating miracles like cleaving through mountains or splitting the seas.

Without hesitation, Doni swung the sword toward Athena, unleashing a massive slash of energy that hurtled toward her at lightning speed. He seemed completely unconcerned about whether his attack might harm others nearby.

Such was the nature of the Campione—Godslayers who lived by their own rules.

However, Athena showed no signs of worry as the giant slash bore down on her. She didn't even flinch, confident that Eriri would handle it easily.

In the blink of an eye, the sword slash struck Athena, but it had no effect whatsoever. The moment it touched her, the energy simply vanished into thin air. Not even a single thread of her maid outfit was damaged.

The surroundings remained unchanged, and Eriri and Shinobu continued to eat their meal at a leisurely pace, as if the slash had been nothing more than an optical illusion.

Seeing this, Liliana, who had initially been worried, finally relaxed. After recalling Erica's description of Eriri's strength the day before, she realized that this outcome was only natural. With that thought, she resumed her meal, no longer concerned about Doni.

"How… How is that possible?" Doni stammered, his expression filled with disbelief. His signature move had failed completely, shaking his confidence. The once-jovial smile vanished from his face.

Watching everyone at the table continue eating as if nothing had happened, Doni couldn't help but feel incredibly frustrated, as if he were the punchline of a cruel joke.

Refusing to accept defeat, Doni unleashed several more powerful slashes in quick succession. But once again, each attack vanished the moment it made contact with Athena, as though they had never existed.

Just as Doni was preparing for another strike, Eriri's annoyed voice interrupted him.

"Give it up already. You're too weak. If you know what's good for you, leave us in peace. Your presence is ruining my appetite."

Eriri didn't even glance in Doni's direction as she spoke, her tone filled with disdain.

"Well, well, you're the first person to dare speak to me like that since I became a Campione," Doni muttered through clenched teeth, his battle-lust intensifying as he gazed at Eriri's flawless side profile.

"I don't know what kind of magic you're using, but I refuse to believe you can block my next move!"

Determined, Doni decided to use his ultimate ability, an authority he had stolen from the god Dionysus—the Holy Madness, which could cause magic, curses, and even authorities to spiral out of control within a certain area.

"The priestesses of Bacchus, call upon the son of the god! Become drunk with the wine of the god and lose yourselves in a frenzy! Abandon your homes, wander the wilderness, and worship our god with madness!"