The reason Natsuki Minamiya's body had been fixed in a childlike form was due to the contract she had once made with a demon.
Now that she had used the power of the chat group to dissolve that contract, her body naturally returned to normal.
Although she had long desired to regain a physique appropriate for her age, after living over ten years in a loli form, she couldn't help feeling a bit attached to it.
Thus, with the help of her accumulated chat group points, she gained the ability to freely switch between her loli form and her mature form—just like Arifureta, Shinobu, Jibril, and Athena could.
"What's the big deal? A little squeeze won't hurt anyone~"
Eriri grinned mischievously. Rather than letting go as Natsuki demanded, she gave a few more teasing squeezes.
Feeling helpless, Natsuki immediately reverted her body to her loli form. The fullness beneath Eriri's palms instantly disappeared, replaced by a flat, unimpressive chest.
Seeing that Eriri's hands had finally behaved, Natsuki sighed in relief, then turned her gaze back toward Asagi Aiba across from them.
"Now do you believe me, kid?"
"Mm-hm! I believe you!"
Asagi nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling with amazement. The transformation she had just witnessed—from loli to mature beauty and back—had completely stunned her.
Though supernatural beings weren't exactly rare in this world, someone capable of switching between physical ages so easily was practically unheard of. This was her first time seeing such a thing.
She blushed faintly, recalling the moment when Eriri had groped the adult version of Natsuki—but she quickly brushed it off as playful teasing between girls.
Then, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet, Asagi quickly bowed slightly, feeling embarrassed about her earlier oversight.
"Ah, I'm so sorry—I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Asagi Aiba, but you can just call me Aiba."
"That's a lovely name. My name's Eriri Spencer Sawamura—but you can call me Eriri-nee~"
"O-okay, Eriri-nee."
Asagi called out the name nervously but with visible excitement. Eriri's warm and approachable attitude instantly melted her tension.
Seeing her flushed cheeks and shy demeanor, Eriri smiled and offered an invitation.
"Aiba, have you finished exploring the school? Want to come walk around with us?"
Naturally, Asagi didn't hesitate for even a second—she nodded eagerly, even though she had already toured most of the campus.
And so, for the next while, she joined Eriri's group as they wandered leisurely around Saikai Academy.
During their stroll, the group's chatter never ceased. Arifureta and Shinobu, who hadn't spoken much with Asagi before, quickly became friendly with her.
In turn, Asagi openly shared whatever she could—how she had arrived on Itogami Island just days ago, what city she had lived in before, how many family members she had, and even some childhood memories from her elementary school days.
By the time they finished exploring the academy, Asagi reluctantly bid them farewell, glancing back several times as she walked toward the station.
Before leaving, she made sure to exchange contact information with Eriri and the others—ensuring this wouldn't be their last meeting.
After Asagi left, Eriri took Natsuki and the rest back to their luxurious penthouse in the high-end district.
...
Time quickly passed, and soon it was the next morning.
Following Eriri's decision, the four of them set out for Gozo Island after breakfast.
Since they had plenty of time, they decided not to use any supernatural means of travel. Instead, they chose to fly there by plane.
Of course, they didn't take a direct flight. Instead, they planned to enjoy a bit of sightseeing along the way—making stops during each layover to spend a day exploring the local area before continuing on their journey to Gozo Island.
Although Eriri's presence was striking and drew attention wherever she went, the fact that Natsuki Minamiya was with them ensured that they encountered no trouble from any unsavory individuals along the way.
By the fourth day, they finally arrived in Rome—just an hour and a half's flight away from Malta, where Gozo Island was located.
As they stepped out of the airport terminal, Eriri's gaze suddenly shifted. Her eyes flickered with interest as she turned slightly to look toward a spot about a hundred meters away.
There, she spotted a black-haired girl, about ten years old, looking around the area with bright, curious eyes. The little girl spoke excitedly to a tired-looking boy beside her, her voice cheerful and full of energy.
Even from nearly a hundred meters away, her high, clear voice easily reached Eriri's ears.
Noticing Eriri's fixed gaze, Arifureta tilted her head curiously. "Eriri, what are you looking at?"
Both Shinobu and Natsuki also turned to see what had caught her attention.
"Look over there," Eriri said softly.
Following her line of sight, the others quickly saw the little girl and the boy chatting together.
"Wait—that's... Nagisa Akatsuki and Kojou Akatsuki?"
Arifureta's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected the original story's protagonist and his sister to have been on the same flight as them to Rome.
Even Natsuki's face showed a hint of surprise. She had paid no attention to Kojou or Nagisa's movements, so she hadn't realized they were already here.
"Well, what a coincidence," Eriri said with a faint smile. "Since those two siblings are already here, it means the Twelfth Familiar's coffin will be unearthed by the ruins investigation team tomorrow."
"Right. Looks like we got here just in time," Arifureta replied, nodding.
Eriri's eyes remained on Nagisa for a while longer. She found the adorable little girl rather endearing.
But then, the next moment, Nagisa's gaze swept across the crowd—and locked onto Eriri.
Her crimson eyes widened in astonishment, and Eriri could clearly hear her surprised voice even from a distance.
"Kojou! Kojou! Look over there—what a beautiful lady! As expected of a foreign country!"
"That lady's looking at me, Kojou! Should we go say hi?"
Nagisa's excited voice carried across the space between them as she tugged on her brother's arm, her wide eyes still fixed on Eriri.
Kojou, caught off guard by her enthusiasm, instinctively followed her gaze.
The moment his eyes fell upon Eriri, his casual expression froze. His entire body went stiff.
Her beauty struck him speechless. For several seconds, he completely forgot to respond to his sister's question.
Just as Nagisa debated whether to run up and greet Eriri herself, she suddenly noticed Eriri turn away. Without so much as a glance back, Eriri began walking toward the airport exit with her group of lolis in tow.
Seeing that, Nagisa's face fell in disappointment. She immediately stood, ready to chase after them.
But before she could take more than a few steps, a nervous voice called out behind her.
"Nagisa, wait! What are you doing? Don't just run off!"
Realizing her brother was still behind her, Nagisa stopped in her tracks and turned back toward him.
"Kojou, let's go find that pretty lady!" she said eagerly, clearly unwilling to give up.
But her suggestion was immediately shot down.
"Find her? What for? We don't even know her. Besides, we still need to catch our connecting flight to see Dad."
"Fine..." Nagisa pouted softly, lowering her head.
Just then, a young Caucasian woman in a dark indigo suit approached the two siblings.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the airport, Eriri and her group didn't immediately head for Malta. Just like in the other cities they had visited during their journey, they decided to spend the day sightseeing around Rome first.
The next day, they finally departed for Malta.
However, for this final leg of the journey, they chose not to fly. Instead, they used spatial teleportation to travel directly to Gozo Island.
At the same time, outside the ruins of the Fairy's Coffin, Kojou Akatsuki and his sister Nagisa were following a burly foreign man deeper into the excavation site.
Nagisa wore a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, her black hair tied up neatly with decorative cords and paper charms. Kojou, meanwhile, looked much the same as he had the previous day.
Nagisa's presence in such a dangerous location was due to her role as a spirit medium, assisting in locating the precise position of the ruins.
Having inherited her grandmother's spiritual abilities and her mother's over-adaptor powers, she was an exceedingly rare hybrid ability user.
Her power—Retrospective Vision—allowed her to locate buried ruins and decipher ancient inscriptions that no one else could interpret, making her invaluable to the ruins investigation team.
Of course, her participation wasn't purely by choice. While she was genuinely interested in the ruins and wished to help her father, much of it was due to the strong persuasion of the expedition's sponsor.
Before long, led by the burly man, Nagisa and Kojou reunited with their father, Gajou Akatsuki.
Seeing him again, Kojou couldn't resist complaining about being dragged into such a dangerous job, while Nagisa, on the other hand, looked rather excited.
Just as she was about to activate her power to locate the Fourth Primogenitor's coffin, four figures—Eriri, Arifureta, Shinobu, and Natsuki—appeared silently in the very heart of the ruins.
The chamber they arrived in was circular and vast, its high ceiling lined with ancient markings. At its center stood a massive altar.
Above it hovered an enormous block of ice, crystalline and pure, forming a massive ice coffin. Inside lay a golden-haired girl, her expression serene—as if asleep.
This golden-haired girl was precisely the target of their journey: the Twelfth Familiar, Kaleid Blood, Avrora Florestina—the current Fourth Primogenitor.
Ignoring the biting chill radiating from the ice coffin, Eriri and the others approached it, their gazes settling on Avrora's face.
"So this is Avrora, huh? She's pretty cute," Arifureta remarked casually.
Her comment was met with unanimous agreement.
Avrora's skin was fair and flawless, her youthful face delicate and inhumanly perfect. Her pale golden hair shimmered like a rainbow under the light.
She looked no older than ten—and almost rivaled Arifureta in beauty.
"All right, this isn't the time to admire her. The ruins investigation team will find this place soon," Eriri said. "It's time to wake her up."
She extended her right index finger toward the ice coffin and lightly tapped its surface.
In an instant, the entire structure shattered—no, vanished—as if erased from existence. The immense block of ice disappeared completely, leaving Avrora's small body suspended in the open air.
Before she could even fall a few centimeters, she appeared softly in Eriri's arms.
Looking down at the slumbering loli in her embrace, Eriri smiled faintly, then mischievously pinched the girl's small, delicate nose.
"Time to wake up, little one."
At the sound of her voice, Avrora's eyelids twitched. A few seconds later, her eyes—closed for years—slowly opened, revealing a pair of brilliantly clear, beautiful pupils.
Perhaps because she had only just awakened, her gaze was hazy, filled with innocent confusion.
But she quickly realized that she was resting in someone's arms—and that her nose was being pinched, making it hard to breathe.
Instinctively, she raised her right hand and grasped the offending hand, pulling it away without hesitation.
"What do you think you're doing? How insolent!" she said sharply, her tone full of indignation.
She immediately tried to activate her power to escape Eriri's embrace—but to her shock, she found that none of her abilities as the Fourth Primogenitor were responding at all.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven