The sudden voice startled the four delinquents, making them turn their heads in unison toward the source. The next second, all four froze in place, dumbfounded.
At the same time, the sickly girl cornered against the wall looked toward Eriri with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. However, when she saw Eriri and Megumi's faces, her pupils constricted, and her expression turned anxious.
"Eriri, run! They're superhumans! Call the police, quick!"
Taking advantage of the delinquents' momentary distraction, the sickly girl, Yuzuru Hanyu, gathered all her strength and rushed toward Eriri's position.
Ever since the emergence of superhumans in the world, governments worldwide quickly formed Superhuman Response Departments, composed entirely of superhumans under government control. Their primary responsibility was to handle incidents where rogue superhumans harmed ordinary citizens.
At first, Yuzuru thought the people who had arrived were members of the Superhuman Response Department. But to her surprise, it turned out to be Eriri.
Just as Eriri was wondering about the identity of this frail-looking girl, Little Skirt chimed in, revealing the answer.
"Eriri-sama, she's the one I told you about earlier—the host of that entertainment system."
"Oh, it's her."
At this point, Yuzuru Hanyu, panting heavily, finally reached Eriri. Noticing that neither Eriri nor Megumi was moving, she grew even more frantic. "Why... why aren't you running? I'm telling you... it's real."
While speaking, she didn't stop, grabbing Eriri's hand and trying to pull her along, attempting to flee.
Eriri, however, didn't resist and let herself be dragged along at Yuzuru's slow pace.
But given Yuzuru's frail condition, after just a few steps, she was already gasping for air. She was now running purely on willpower.
Her actions snapped the four delinquents out of their stupor. The leader, with a wicked grin on his face, used his superhuman speed to block their path within a second.
"Run? Where do you think you're going?" he sneered, his eyes now filled with lust as he gazed at Eriri. His excitement was nearly uncontainable.
"Never thought two more pretty girls would show up. Today's really my lucky day," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation.
To be honest, he had never encountered beauties of this caliber before. Especially the blonde one—she didn't seem like a mortal at all, far exceeding his wildest fantasies. Even an angel would pale in comparison to her.
Initially, he had targeted Yuzuru Hanyu for her looks, but compared to these new girls, she was somewhat lacking.
Yuzuru immediately stepped in front of Eriri, trying to shield her. With a shaky but defiant voice, she said, "What are you planning to do? Think carefully—Eriri is the young lady of the Sawamura family. You lowlifes can't afford to mess with her."
The other three delinquents, standing beside their leader, visibly flinched when they heard "Sawamura family." They were merely ordinary thugs living under the protection of a superhuman. The Sawamura family, being Japan's largest conglomerate, was a force far beyond their reach—like an insurmountable mountain.
"Boss, it's the Sawamura family..."
The leader hesitated as well upon hearing Yuzuru's warning. The Sawamura family held immense power, to the point where even the Japanese government had to show them respect. What could a small-time superhuman like him do?
However, when his gaze returned to Eriri, all thoughts of fear and hesitation vanished, replaced entirely by overwhelming desire.
Lust really does cloud judgment.
"Hmph, even if what she says is true, so what? As long as the Sawamura family doesn't find out, I'll be fine. With my superhuman abilities, I can thrive anywhere, even outside Japan. No matter how strong they are, they can't reach me in another country," the leader declared, his voice filled with malice.
He was ready to flee Japan if it meant claiming this girl. In his eyes, he was no longer the worthless thug he once was. Now, with his new powers, he could take whatever he wanted.
His lackeys exchanged glances. What he said made sense, and their fear of the Sawamura family began to dissipate. They then turned their attention to the three beauties before them, deciding to leave Eriri, the crown jewel, to their boss while greedily eyeing the others.
The disgusting smiles on their faces said it all.
Hearing the delinquents' conversation, Yuzuru sank into despair once again. She cursed herself for being a transmigrator without the power to protect herself or Eriri.
"I'm sorry, Eriri... It's all my fault," Yuzuru sobbed, turning her tear-filled eyes to Eriri. Despite being mentally strong in her previous life, she now felt utterly powerless in this situation.
Eriri looked at the pitiful, fragile girl in front of her with tender eyes. She gently placed her hand on Yuzuru's head, softly stroking her hair.
"It's okay. Don't worry—you'll be fine."
Yuzuru stared at Eriri in disbelief for a few seconds before collapsing into her arms, tightly hugging her. Tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her face.
She didn't believe Eriri's words, thinking she was merely being comforting.
Yuzuru had once made grand plans for her reunion with Eriri—what kind of identity to assume, how to raise her favorability, how to ask her out on dates, and so on.
But now it was all over. Yet even so, spending her last moments in Eriri's embrace felt like a form of happiness. What she couldn't forgive was implicating Eriri in her misfortune.
The four delinquents stood nearby, watching them indulge in sentimentality without concern. To them, Eriri and her friends were already as good as caught.
"Had your emotional moment? Good. Now it's my turn, little beauty," the leader smirked, wearing the perfect villain grin as he said, "I'm coming for you."
As the leader prepared to lunge at Eriri, she suddenly lifted her head, her gaze cold as ice. She uttered a few chilling words.
"Vanish, scum."
At that instant, the four delinquents, who had been laughing just a moment ago, turned to dust and disappeared from the world without a trace.
Yuzuru, who had witnessed the whole thing, stood in shock.
Who am I? Where am I? What was I about to do?
"Hey, System, can you tell me how powerful Eriri is?" Yuzuru asked, her mind unable to process what she had just seen.
"Sorry, I don't have that function," replied her useless system.
"Tsk, useless system."
"No matter what you say, I still can't do it."
Yuzuru felt utterly hopeless. What kind of rotten luck was this, being bound to an entertainment system in a world full of superhumans?
This worthless system couldn't even make her a superhuman or help her escape danger. Could things get any worse?
She couldn't help but think back to the novels she had read in her previous life. The main characters always got powerful systems, allowing them to dominate the world and live happy, fulfilled lives.
And then there was her, utterly outclassed. She felt sour just thinking about it.
Still clutching onto Eriri, Yuzuru raised her head with a blank expression. Seeing her adorably dumbfounded face, Eriri couldn't help but chuckle.
She reached out and tapped Yuzuru's smooth, pale cheek with her finger. "I told you nothing would happen. Believe me now?"
"Uh..." Yuzuru blushed and quickly buried her face in Eriri's chest again, only to lift her head after a long while, her emotions finally under control.
"So... you're really that strong, Eriri?" Yuzuru's eyes sparkled with admiration, transforming into a full-blown fangirl. "What kind of superpower did you use? How did they turn to dust in an instant?"
"Oh? You're not afraid? You just watched four people die," Eriri teased.
"Why would I be scared? They deserved it. They brought it on themselves," Yuzuru said, completely unconcerned. She had hated those four delinquents so much that she could only feel relief at their demise.
"By the way, I don't think I've asked your name yet," Eriri said, her curiosity piqued. Megumi also turned her gaze toward Yuzuru.
Thinking that Megumi was signaling for her to let go of Eriri, Yuzuru reluctantly released her tight grip and stepped out of Eriri's warm, fragrant embrace.
"Hello, my name is Yuzuru Hanyu. Thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive right now," Yuzuru said, bowing deeply to Eriri and Megumi, her gratitude sincere.
Had Eriri not heard her cries for help, Yuzuru was certain she wouldn't have survived the encounter.
She then turned to Megumi and asked, "Can I ask for your name?"
Though her previous hostility toward Megumi had diminished, Yuzuru still wasn't ready to give up her pursuit of Eriri. After all, knowing your enemy was half the battle.
"Of course. My name is Megumi Kato," Megumi replied with a warm smile, looking at the petite girl in front of her.
Megumi easily noticed the competitive gleam in Yuzuru's eyes, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. In fact, she found the situation rather amusing. She wondered how Yuzuru would react when she eventually met the rest of Eriri's "family."
"Wait, what? You're the Saint Megumi?!" Yuzuru exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Then she quickly covered her mouth, realizing what she had just blurted out. But the shock in her eyes remained as she looked between the two girls.
She couldn't believe that this stunningly beautiful girl was the same Megumi Kato she had read about—the one with such a low presence in the original work. Not only had they met, but Megumi and Eriri were now a couple?
That was too unbelievable. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, no one would have believed it.
"You know me? And why call me 'Saint Megumi'? Does that mean you think I'm saintly?" Megumi asked, intrigued by the title.
Eriri hadn't told Megumi much about the original plot of Saekano, and she had no intention of doing so. After all, the real world of Saekano had diverged so much from the original that its storyline had become meaningless.
"She's the one I mentioned to you earlier," Eriri said to Megumi before Yuzuru could respond.
"Ah, I see," Megumi nodded, dropping the subject.
Watching the two of them act like "riddle solvers," Yuzuru was left scratching her head in confusion. She desperately wanted to know what Eriri had said about her and how she had been described.
"Eriri, Megumi, what are you two talking about?" Yuzuru asked, bewildered.
But instead of answering, Megumi teased her. "Megumi? Why not call me 'Megumi-neechan' instead, little Yuzuru?"
"Who's little? Just because I look young doesn't mean I'm a kid! I'm actually sixteen years old!" Yuzuru protested, rolling her eyes playfully. "And I'm also a student at Yumenosaki Academy, just like you guys!"
"Really? You're a Yumenosaki student? Then how come we've never seen you before? You're so cute, I would've remembered," Eriri said, her tone confident.
She wasn't exaggerating. With Eriri's nearly omnipotent level of power, her mental faculties were as sharp as her abilities. Remembering every face she had seen was no challenge at all.
"C-Cute?!" Yuzuru blushed furiously, covering her face with her hands. From behind them came a somewhat perverse giggle. "Hehehe..."
"Yuzuru?" Eriri waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her back to reality.
"Sorry! I lost myself for a moment," Yuzuru apologized, still embarrassed.
"I haven't been to school yet, so you haven't had a chance to see me around," she explained.
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