Fourfold Yakuman

Asuna's situation was similar to Haramura's—she had no particularly close friends nor any siblings, so she'd come alone. But she had done something immensely satisfying over the past few days: under cover of night, she had disposed of Sugou Nobuyuki, leaving no trace of him behind.

Asuna also recently tracked down two sisters, Konno Aiko and Konno Yuuki—later known as the "Sleeping Knights" guild's founder and the Absolute Sword, Yuuki. She'd learned that Yuuki had contracted HIV from an emergency blood transfusion at birth. Since she had no means to cure AIDS, Asuna decided to ask Eriri for help. In her eyes, Eriri was nothing short of omnipotent.

…

"Greetings, Lady Eriri. I am Rias Gremory, and it is my honor to be invited to your estate." Rias curtsied elegantly as she addressed Eriri. She was dressed not in her Kuoh Academy uniform but in a luxurious red dress that matched her crimson hair, emphasizing her striking beauty.

Rias presented a small gift box she'd retrieved from her inventory, holding it out with both hands. "This is a special item from the Underworld of my world. I hope you'll find it to your liking."

"No need to be so formal, Rias. We're all sisters here." Eriri gave her a friendly wink, but she accepted the gift nonetheless, handing it over to Athena, who stood nearby dressed in a maid outfit.

Since Aoi was preparing lunch, Athena was Eriri's personal maid for the day.

"These two must be Akeno and Koneko, right?" Eriri said, glancing at the two standing respectfully behind Rias. As someone who had watched High School DxD multiple times, she immediately recognized them.

Both Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou wore equally lavish dresses. Akeno's figure rivaled Rias's, and her long black hair, tied in a single ponytail, nearly matched Eriri's in length. Koneko, petite and silver-haired, bore a resemblance to Athena; dressed in a maid outfit, the two would make an adorable twin maid duo.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Eriri," Akeno and Koneko chorused, bowing respectfully.

While they had heard Rias speak about Eriri's beauty, it was only now, seeing her in person, that they understood Rias's awe. Eriri's beauty was otherworldly.

Eriri greeted them warmly. "Likewise! It's wonderful to meet you both."

Though relieved by Eriri's friendly demeanor, Akeno and Koneko still felt a deep respect tinged with caution. They knew Eriri was immensely powerful—capable of destroying entire universes if she wished. Although Rias had told them Eriri was approachable, they couldn't completely suppress their nerves in the face of such a powerful being.

"Thank you," Akeno responded with a delighted smile. Koneko, too, felt grateful for this friendly connection with Eriri, seeing it as beneficial both to herself and her master, Rias.

After playfully patting Koneko on the head, Eriri moved on, leaving with Athena in tow. A short distance away, they encountered Erica and Liliana, who had just arrived.

At the sight of Eriri, both knelt and greeted her respectfully. "My lord (Lady Eriri)!"

"Alright, Liliana, Erica—get up," Eriri said.

"Yes, ma'am."

Having missed Eriri terribly, Liliana felt a surge of excitement. Unlike Erica, she didn't have the advantage of contacting Eriri through the chat group. Though she held the title of "exclusive knight," she often felt she hadn't lived up to it.

"My lord, may I make a request?"

"Oh? Let's hear it," Eriri replied, motioning for her to continue.

"I wish to remain by your side."

"I'm fine with that, but are you sure about your group back home?"

"No worries," Liliana said, matter-of-factly. "Since Erica and I both serve you, we merged the Copper-Black Cross and the Bronze-Black Cross into one society. Our combined power has increased greatly, and with Erica still there, everything will be fine."

At this, Erica's forehead creased with faint annoyance. "Hey, Liliana, are you really going to say that in front of me?"

Unlike Liliana, Erica hadn't requested to stay at Eriri's estate. As a chat group member with plenty of points, she could come to Eriri's side anytime.

"Hmph, managing the whole society alone should suit you just fine," Liliana replied with a sidelong glance at Erica, speechless. Ignoring Erica's glare, Liliana looked at Eriri with hopeful eyes.

"Alright, you can stay."

"Thank you, my lord."

…

A massive cherry blossom tree stood in the villa's garden, its branches spreading wide to cover an area of more than ten meters. Though it was late April, when cherry blossoms usually fall, this tree remained in full bloom. Light gusts of wind occasionally scattered its petals, creating a pink carpet on the ground below.

Beneath the tree was a mahjong table, where four young women sat at the four sides, engrossed in their game while several others watched nearby.

"Mahjong is so much fun!" Chika Fujiwara exclaimed, holding a white 1,000-point stick in her hand. She casually placed an East wind tile on the table in front of her. "Riichi!"

Looking at the hand that would soon give her a big win, Chika could already imagine ending the round in first place. But her hopes were dashed in the next instant.

Eriri revealed her hand, consisting of three Red dragons, three Green dragons, three White dragons, three South winds, and an East wind tile.

"Ron. Big Three Dragons, All Honors, Four Concealed Triplets on a single wait—Fourfold Yakuman."

"Wha—?" Chika's eyes went wide with disbelief as she stared at Eriri's hand. Her face drained of color as she reluctantly handed over her remaining points, collapsing onto the table in despair, muttering, "Mahjong isn't fun at all…"

"Poor Chika, losing to a Fourfold Yakuman is quite a feat," Asuna remarked sympathetically, glancing at Chika. Though she was new to the game, she understood that winning with a Yakuman was rare, and a Fourfold Yakuman even rarer.

Standing behind Eriri, Liliana felt much the same, though she stayed silent, her gaze similarly pitying.

"This is normal for her," Arifureta nodded, as if confirming her statement.

With Chika visibly crushed, Eriri wore a delighted smile.

"With the master here, there's no way we can win," Jibril complained from Eriri's left. Over the past few days, she had eagerly absorbed new knowledge, including mahjong rules, and had jumped at the chance to showcase her skills by securing a spot at the table.

However, she quickly found herself struggling against Eriri's relentless control over the game. Every hand she tried to build felt manipulated, with tiles she received deviating from her intended strategy.

Though Jibril had covertly tried using her powers to alter the tile sequence, her energy dissipated as soon as it touched the mahjong tiles.

"Eriri, you're incredible," said Haramura Nodoka, who sat on Eriri's right, looking at her in admiration. Through their game, Haramura had gotten to know the others well and no longer felt intimidated by Eriri.

Haramura thought that if she could wield such power herself, she would easily surpass any supernatural beings. Even though she wasn't yet an extraordinary being, she could see that Eriri controlled the entire game effortlessly.

"This game is just a matter of skill," Eriri replied modestly.

"Uh, really?"

Suddenly, Megumi Kato, who had been slumped over the table, sat up, staring at Eriri with a look of feigned outrage. "Eriri, that was cheating. Didn't we agree to rely on luck alone?"

"Did we? I won fair and square through skill and luck," Eriri replied, feigning righteousness. Although she had manipulated the game with her powers, as long as it went unnoticed, there was no issue.

With a grin, she turned to Chika. "So, Chika, how does it feel to go from first place to being wiped out?"

"I swear, I'm never playing mahjong again!"

"Hmph. Remember our little wager, then?"

"…Got it." Remembering the private bet she'd made with Eriri before the game started, Chika blushed furiously, drawing curious stares from everyone around.

"Did you make a bet with her, Lady Eriri?" Kaguya Shinomiya asked, visibly confused.

"Of course," Eriri confirmed.

Kaguya, a newcomer to the world of supernatural abilities, hadn't yet grasped concepts like telepathy.

Eriri glanced at Haramura, Jibril, and Chika. "Want to keep playing?"

Both Jibril and Chika immediately shook their heads. This torturous mahjong game was something they never wanted to experience again. Chika was devastated, and Jibril had been frustrated the entire time.

Only Haramura seemed somewhat tempted; though she had struggled during the game, she still found every round meaningful, as each one provided her with valuable analytical data.

"That's enough for now," Eriri said, leaving the mahjong table where it was as she led the others away.

Eriri's villa was enormous, practically a mansion filled with every kind of entertainment imaginable, from arcade games to outdoor sports fields. She had even constructed a combat arena, protected by a powerful barrier capable of withstanding anything below level 8. Though the barrier could be freely passed through, it was as yet unused, as any spars between chat group members were usually held in the chat group's arena.

Today's birthday girl, Sakura Tohsaka, was in the game room with her sister, Rin Tohsaka, and the other young girls, fully absorbed in a multiplayer game. For Rin, who lived in the late 20th century, these games were incredibly exciting.

Other young guests, like Ruri Gokou's and Arche's younger sisters, played games elsewhere in the game room. Their respective older sisters had introduced them, and friendships formed easily.