When Nemesis referred to Eriri as "Master," neither Risa Momioka nor Mio Sawada showed any signs of surprise.
At first, they had been curious about it, but after seeing how Eriri and Nemesis interacted, they no longer took the title seriously—assuming it was just playful banter between the two.
After all, the way they behaved with each other was clearly a close familial bond, not the typical master-servant relationship one might expect.
Following Nemesis's declaration, Akiho, Haruna, and the others echoed the same sentiment—they felt that as long as they were with Eriri, it didn't matter where they went.
Whether it was just strolling around or going to the karaoke place Risa had suggested.
"Since no one else has any ideas, let's head to karaoke next. I've got a coupon for a place."
Hearing everyone's input, Risa immediately decided on the next activity.
"Alright, let's go to karaoke then. I'm curious to hear how good you all are at singing." Eriri smiled.
Eriri was no stranger to karaoke.
Back when she visited Kaguya's world, she had gone to karaoke with Kaguya, Chika, and the others.
Plus, her villa in the Saekano world had an area specifically designed for singing.
Although that space was a bit different from a karaoke booth.
It housed nearly every famous musical instrument in the world—more than enough for a full band performance, let alone singing.
"Hehe, I won't let you down. This is my specialty, after all!"
At the mention of singing, a proud look immediately appeared on Risa's face.
Karaoke was one of her favorite pastimes—she practically went every week. So she had plenty of confidence when it came to singing.
She might not be at the level of a professional singer, but she could definitely be considered a karaoke powerhouse.
"That karaoke place isn't far. It'll only take about ten minutes to walk there. It'll help us digest after lunch too."
Eriri had no objection to Risa's suggestion and didn't even consider retrieving the two parked cars from the nearby amusement park lot.
So the group set off on foot, drawing amazed glances from passersby as they made their way toward their destination.
...
Upon arriving at the karaoke venue, Risa skillfully booked a private room at the front desk.
From 2 to 4 in the afternoon—two full hours.
Nearly half of that time was spent listening to Risa's singing.
As she had claimed, singing truly was her forte.
If she wanted, she could record herself and upload the videos online—she could easily gain popularity as a talented vocalist.
During the remaining time, Akiho and the others took turns showing off their vocal abilities. Even Nemesis and Eve sang two simple songs.
Though the two of them hadn't existed for very long, their learning capabilities were undeniably strong.
In their two-plus months living on Earth, they had heard quite a few songs on TV and had learned several of their favorites.
Although they sang well, there was still a slight gap compared to Risa.
Mainly because singing wasn't their focus—otherwise, with their talent and complete control over their bodies, they could easily surpass even the best singers on Earth with just a little effort.
Finally, under the expectant gazes of the group, Eriri herself took the mic and performed a song.
Since the song Eriri chose wasn't a native track from the To LOVE-Ru world but originated from the Saekano world, it naturally wasn't included in the karaoke system of the place they were in.
Though Eriri could have easily implanted the BGM into the karaoke system, she chose not to. Instead, she decided to perform the song a cappella, without any instrumental backing.
After all, singing a cappella was the true test of one's vocal ability. Every top-tier professional singer could deliver an impressive a cappella performance.
And the moment Eriri's crisp voice—without even using a microphone—resounded through the private room, it felt as though the entire world was rejoicing.
All the surrounding cosmic energy instantly became lively, surging toward Eriri's body at a rapid pace.
As that ethereal voice reached Akiho and the others' ears, they were immediately enchanted, their faces displaying expressions of complete captivation.
Several minutes passed after Eriri's singing had stopped before they finally began to recover from the trance.
"Wow, Eriri-nee, your singing is way too beautiful—it's like heaven's voice!"
Risa Momioka leaned in close to Eriri, hands clasped over her chest, eyes sparkling as she stared intently at her.
She was so overwhelmed that her cheeks had turned a faint pink.
"Thanks for the compliment. Risa-chan, you sang really well too~"
Looking at the awestruck expression of the girl before her, Eriri smiled and reached out to gently ruffle Risa's hair.
That affectionate head-pat from Eriri completely broke Risa's composure.
Her head lowered, and the light blush on her cheeks quickly deepened.
However, no one besides Eriri noticed this moment.
Everyone else—Akiho and the others—had their full attention on Eriri. After Risa finished speaking, they also crowded around Eriri, pouring out their admiration and excitement.
Not just Risa and Mio Sawada, but even Akiho and Nemesis were hearing Eriri properly sing a full song for the first time. In the past, at most, they had only heard her hum a few tunes.
Though even her humming had been pleasant, it didn't compare to hearing her sing an entire song.
The former was a top-class delight. The latter could only be described as a dreamlike experience.
By the time Eriri finished singing, only a few minutes remained before their private room reservation ended.
Before Akiho and the others could fully calm down from their excitement, the session time was up.
When they stepped out of the karaoke venue, it was already 4:00 in the afternoon.
Afterward, the group visited the new dessert shop that Mio had mentioned to Haruna and Yui the day before. Once they'd enjoyed the sweets, their day of shopping officially came to an end.
...
"Eriri-sama, Eriri-sama, Lala's calling for you in the group~"
Not long after Eriri returned to the villa, a sweet, sing-song voice rang out in her mind.
Ever since Eriri had transferred Little Skirt's core from Arifureta's consciousness to her own, she had the system notifications changed from the usual ding ding ding sounds.
Instead, Little Skirt herself would relay the messages directly to Eriri.
For example, when a new member joined the chat group, everyone else would hear a simple ding, but Eriri would hear Little Skirt's cutesy loli voice describing how many newcomers there were and sharing their information in detail.
Or when preparing to issue tasks, Little Skirt would consult with Eriri beforehand to get her approval.
If Eriri agreed to release a mission, it would appear in the group chat as usual. But if she didn't, then naturally no new mission notification would show up.
Back when they were in the worlds of Attack on Titan and One Piece, there had also been reincarnators present, but since Eriri didn't intend to issue missions involving them, no related tasks were ever posted in the group.
To Little Skirt, Eriri's will was her only guiding principle.
Similarly, when someone @mentioned Eriri in the group, it was Little Skirt herself who would relay the message directly to her—along with the name of the one who tagged her.
This was exactly one of those times: Lala was currently @mentioning her in the chat.
"Okay, okay, I got it. Good girl, Little Skirt."
Smiling as she responded, Eriri shifted her consciousness into the group chat.
[Lala (Level 7, Stage 2): Eriri, our ship has reached Earth's orbit! We'll see you real soon~ @Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9)]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Oh? You got here faster than I expected. I can already sense your location. I'll bring you over directly.]
Even though the spaceship carrying Lala and her sisters was still a considerable distance from Earth, Eriri had instantly sensed their presence and pinpointed their coordinates.
[Lala (Level 7, Stage 2): Mm-hmm! Thank you!]
Right after Lala sent the message, Eriri raised her right index finger and traced a circle in the air. Instantly, a spatial portal connecting to the inside of their spaceship opened before her.
Through the circular portal, Eriri could see Lala, Momo, and Nana sitting together.
Likewise, the three sisters saw Eriri seated on the sofa, with Eve next to her, curiously watching them.
"Eriri!!!"
Before Eriri could say a word, Lala called out excitedly and dashed through the portal, throwing her arms around Eriri in a joyful hug.
"Hey, Onee-chan, wait up!"
As Lala disappeared into the portal, Nana jumped up and chased after her. Behind her, Momo silently followed her twin sister through the gate.
Before leaving, Momo placed a high-tech message device behind to leave a recorded note.
All three of them wore the same bright, joyful expressions.
After the sisters had crossed over, Eriri closed the portal without sparing a thought for the spaceship they had arrived in.
She could sense that there were still quite a few people onboard.
After all, the three sisters hadn't secretly run away from Deviluke like in the original story.
As royal princesses of Deviluke, their official outings naturally included maids to attend them and guards to ensure their safety.
Even though their current strength rendered such escorts unnecessary, formalities were still observed.
As for whether the maids aboard would panic after discovering their princesses missing—there was no need to worry.
The message Momo had left behind had been specifically prepared to prevent that from happening.
...
"Ah! Isn't that Yami~?"
After giving Eriri a tight hug, Lala quickly noticed Eve, who was seated on Eriri's left and looking rather confused.
She beamed and walked up to greet her.
"Yami? Are you talking to me?" Eve asked curiously, pointing at herself.
Lala's use of the name "Yami" came from what she had learned through memory data.
But since the title "Golden Darkness" had never actually been used here, Eve had no idea who "Yami" was, so the name felt strange to her.
Hearing Eve's question, Lala realized her mistake and let out a sheepish giggle.
"Ehehe, sorry, that was my bad. You're Eve, right? Eriri told me about you."
Thanks to Lala's naturally warm personality, Eve quickly accepted the explanation and didn't mind the mix-up.
"Mm… yes, I'm Eve. Are you all Eriri-nee's friends?"
"Yup!"
Lala nodded without hesitation—but then seemed to rethink the label, as if "friends" didn't quite describe the relationship. She quickly added:
"Actually, more than friends—we're family! We and Eriri are one big family~"
"I see… so that means you're my new family too?"
"Exactly, we're all one big family now." Lala said with a big smile.
As the two chatted happily, Momo and Nana, who were clinging close to Eriri, also looked over at them with curiosity.
Unlike Lala, Momo and Nana hadn't reviewed any memory data.
However, during their time on Earth, Lala had told them about some of the people they'd likely meet—including Eve.
So when they first saw Eve, they hadn't recognized her identity. It was only after hearing Lala call out her name that they realized who she was.
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