Eriri’s Influence

"Alright, let's not worry about these extraordinary powers for now. The real issue is filling my stomach. I need to get out of this small apartment as soon as possible," Yuzuru Hanyu muttered, setting aside all thoughts of superpowers and returning her focus to starting her journey as a literature "plagiarist."

…

After school, Eriri and the others returned home as usual, except for Reina, who didn't join them. Reina had recently made a few close friends at school and had promised to visit one of their houses today. She sent Eriri a message before school ended to let her know, and Eriri, naturally, had no objections. In fact, she was glad that Reina was making friends her own age.

Reina attended a prestigious all-girls school, St. Hana Private Elementary, where most of the students came from wealthy families. When Reina first enrolled, she was personally escorted by Lady Sayuri, which gave her a distinguished status at the school. Even the principal treated Reina with great respect—an example of the privileges that wealth and power bring.

But aside from those benefits, Reina was genuinely popular at school. Due to her past experiences, she tended to be cold and reserved, except around Eriri. Her silver hair and adorable face attracted the attention of the other girls at the academy, particularly the young daughters of wealthy families.

These elementary school girls, too young to understand currying favor with the powerful, didn't try to flatter Reina because of her family background. Instead, they were drawn to her because of her looks and demeanor. As a result, Reina got along well with her classmates and even made a few close friends. Over the past few weeks, she had become more cheerful and open.

In a warm and cozy room decorated in soft, cute tones, Reina sat with three other elementary school girls around a low table. Their textbooks were spread out before them as they playfully worked on their homework together.

The girls were sitting casually—some in "duck sitting" positions on the carpet, others stretching their legs under the table. Reina, for instance, had placed her thin legs on the lap of the girl sitting next to her without a hint of restraint, but the other girl didn't seem to mind at all.

"Reina-chan, why don't you come to my house to play in a couple of days? I have lots of fun toys at home," the girl beside Reina suggested excitedly.

She, along with the two other girls, had known each other since kindergarten. Their families were very close, so visiting each other's homes was a common occurrence. In the past, they had invited Reina several times, but she had always declined, eager to return home as soon as possible.

Now that Reina had accepted the invitation once, they figured there would be more opportunities in the future. The girl across from Reina quickly jumped in with her own invitation.

"Yes! You should come to my house too! I've got tons of fun games and lots of cool manga!"

Reina smiled brightly and nodded. "Sure, Shio-chan, Mei-chan, I'd love to. My sister said it's okay for me to hang out with you all."

"Yay! That's awesome!" The two girls raised their arms in triumph, thrilled by Reina's response.

The girl sitting next to Reina, known as Shio-chan, was Misaki Shio. She wore her school uniform, and her long black hair was tied into two low pigtails with a cute cowlick sticking up on her head. She had a gentle, adorable appearance.

Sitting across from Reina was Mei-chan, or Kuki Mei, the eldest daughter of the Kuki conglomerate. Like Reina, she had silver hair, and though the Kuki family wasn't as powerful as the Sawamura family, they were still one of the major conglomerates in Japan.

Though Mei was still a child, her mature demeanor gave her a sense of elegance. With her refined facial features and Hime-style haircut, she looked like the archetypal noble princess. Despite her mature appearance, her love for games and manga hinted at a more laid-back, otaku personality.

Opposite Reina sat the host of their little study group, Kosaka Haguro. She had short black hair that reached just past her shoulders and red eyes. Judging by the luxurious, spacious mansion they were in and the presence of several maids, it was clear that she, too, came from a wealthy family.

"It seems like you really adore your sister, Reina-chan. You mention her all the time," Kosaka Haguro commented with a warm smile, clearly curious about the sister Reina spoke of so often.

Reina's name didn't include the Sawamura surname, but from her enrollment, it was clear that she had a strong connection to the Sawamura family. Haguro wasn't sure whether the sister Reina mentioned was her biological sister or the famous Sawamura family's eldest daughter.

The eldest daughter of the Sawamura family was quite well-known in Japan's aristocratic circles—not for any particular accomplishments but because of her unmatched beauty. Her name was whispered among wealthy families, and it was said that anyone who had the fortune to see her face would be completely captivated, regardless of their gender. Few had the privilege of speaking to her, and even fewer men had caught her eye.

In the past, several prominent families had tried to arrange marriages with the Sawamura family, but all were flatly rejected by the Sawamura patriarch. Many of these families were even ruthlessly suppressed in retaliation.

Over time, the mere thought of proposing a marriage alliance with the Sawamura family became unthinkable.

"Of course, I love my sister more than anything!" Reina's eyes lit up with pride and joy at the mention of Eriri, her voice brimming with excitement and adoration.

"How nice! I have an older sister too, but she's always busy with work and rarely comes home," Haguro said wistfully.

"Really? Haguro-chan, your sister already works?" Reina asked, surprised.

She was still getting used to modern life and understanding how things worked. She knew that people started working at a certain age, but it hadn't occurred to her that Haguro's sister would already be of working age while Haguro herself was only six. The age gap seemed too large.

Haguro noticed Reina's confusion but didn't mind. She was her parents' late-born child, and her family doted on her because of it. Moreover, Haguro admired her older sister greatly.

"Yes, my sister is more than twenty years older than me—she's almost thirty now. Her name is Akane Kosaka, isn't it a beautiful name? She's also very pretty!"

"Yeah, Akane-neechan is super pretty! Shio-chan and I saw her once when we came over to play," Mei-chan chimed in, raising her hand enthusiastically, clearly leaving a strong impression of Akane Kosaka.

"Yeah, but I'm curious—why isn't Akane-neechan married yet? Do you know, Haguro-chan?" Misaki Shio asked gently.

Unlike Mei-chan, who had only seen Akane once, Shio had encountered her several times and knew a bit more about her.

Mei-chan was startled by this revelation. "Eh? Akane-neechan's not married yet? She's so beautiful and has such a great figure!"

"I don't really know either. It doesn't seem like she has a boyfriend. But once, I overheard my mom talking to her. They mentioned something about 'it's impossible between you two' and 'we don't match her status.' I didn't understand much," Haguro replied, scratching her head in confusion.

"Haha, you must've heard wrong. There's no way it was 'her.' It must've been 'him,' right? Maybe your sister likes a boy from a high-status family, and they can't be together because of family pressure?" Mei-chan said excitedly, imagining a dramatic love story of star-crossed lovers from different social classes. Her face turned red with excitement.

"Why can't it be 'her'? Girls liking girls is normal, isn't it? I really love my sister too," Reina innocently chimed in, unable to see the problem with the idea. After all, she had grown up in a home filled with sisterly affection.

"Ah… Reina-chan, you're so innocent. When I say 'like,' I mean a different kind of love," Mei-chan said, scooting closer and patting Reina on the head like a small child.

The other two girls smiled warmly at Reina's naivete, making her frown slightly. She felt as if they were treating her like a little kid.

"Hmph! I know what kind of 'like' you mean. My sister has lots of girlfriends! They kiss and sleep together all the time!" Reina retorted, swatting away Mei-chan's hand with an indignant look.

"Ah… what?"

Mei-chan froze. Haguro and Shio were equally stunned into silence.

Reina's simple statement had just dropped a bombshell on them. The information was beyond anything they had expected.

"W-Wait a second… Are you saying your sister has girlfriends? And not just one?" Mei-chan rubbed her temples as if trying to process the flood of information.

"Yup, that's right! There's Yue-neechan, Shea-neechan, Megumi-neechan, Shinobu-neechan, Lala-neechan, Momo-neechan, and Nana-neechan too, I think!" Reina cheerfully counted off the names on her fingers.

"Oh, and there's also Aoi-neechan and Athena-neechan, who are my sister's personal maids. I know they really like her too! You've all seen Aoi-neechan—she's the one who picks me up from school every day."

Σ(っ °Д °;)っ

As Reina finished listing off the names, the room fell into stunned silence. Clearly, the sheer number of names Reina had rattled off was too much for the girls to handle. For a moment, they just stared at each other, completely speechless.

They recalled the beautiful maid who drove a luxury car to pick up Reina from school every day. Her stunning looks and perfect figure were unforgettable. Even though they hadn't met the others, they could easily imagine that Reina's sister's "girlfriends" must be equally as breathtaking.

This… was this some kind of legendary harem?

"Um… Reina-chan? Why aren't you guys saying anything?" Reina glanced between the three girls, puzzled by their reactions.

After a long moment, the girls finally snapped out of their stupor.

"Um… Reina-chan, your sister is… really impressive," Mei-chan said, a note of awe in her voice.

Haguro and Shio nodded in agreement. They were too young to have ever encountered anything like this. Even in the wildest manga or novels, such a thing was rare.

By now, Haguro had pieced together the identity of Reina's sister. Only one person could match the description—a woman who had captivated Japan's aristocratic circles: Eriri Spencer Sawamura.

"Reina-chan, your sister… is she Eriri Spencer Sawamura?" Haguro asked, clearing her throat.

"Yep, that's my sister! Do you know her too, Haguro-chan?" Reina answered, her expression brightening.

"I've heard of her, but I've never met her. My parents and my sister attended one of her birthday parties a few years ago," Haguro explained.

"So your sister really is Eriri-sama. My older brother and sister talk about her all the time. They even fight over her sometimes—there were a few times they even started hitting each other…" Mei-chan chimed in, looking embarrassed.

She couldn't help but think of how her usually mature and composed older siblings would lose their heads over Eriri. She recalled how they once fought over a photo of Eriri in a stunning dress. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

How absurd! Mei-chan didn't find it strange that her brother would be infatuated with Eriri—what boy wouldn't be? But her older sister? That was on another level.

What was even more ridiculous was that her sister actually won the fight and proudly claimed the photo of Eriri. Afterward, she had stared at it with a lovesick expression.

Once, Mei-chan had sneaked a peek at the photo her sister had been gazing at so lovingly. She had only managed a glance at Eriri's gorgeous white gown before her sister caught her and shoved the photo into the deep cleavage of her chest as if Mei-chan were a thief.

At that moment, Mei-chan had been utterly speechless. Her normally gentle and doting sister had turned on her over a photo. It was traumatizing.

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