A week later, although Little Skirt agreed not to cling to Eriri twenty-four hours a day, she instead chose to transform back into a consciousness form and reside once more within Eriri's mind.
Even though she now possessed a physical body, she could freely switch between her corporeal and consciousness states. Compared to remaining outside alone, she preferred staying within Eriri's mind—it made her feel as though they were still one.
Whenever she wanted physical contact with Eriri again, she could simply materialize. No one could separate her from her beloved Onee-sama.
...
In the Date A Live world, it had been more than a year since Eriri brought Mio out of the Neighboring World.
The Spirit Crystal representing the "Kingdom," which Eriri had stored there, had matured during that year. Its life force had become increasingly dense, and it was now on the verge of birthing a new Spirit.
At that moment, Eriri and Mio appeared beside the Spirit Crystal.
"Eriri, just as you said, this child is about to be born."
Mio gently caressed the glowing crystal. As a being of the same origin, the crystal didn't resist her touch—instead, it glowed even brighter.
After Mio withdrew her hand, Eriri extended hers to touch it as well. The crystal reacted even more vividly, almost trembling with excitement under her touch.
"Hmm, judging by its current state, she'll be born in about three hours."
"Mhm, let's wait for her here, then. I'm really looking forward to it—I wonder if she'll look just like Tohka in the memory projections."
Mio's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Since joining the chat group, she had seen all four Date A Live videos Eriri had uploaded, so she was quite familiar with the future Spirits.
Although Eriri could have made Tohka Yatogami manifest instantly, she chose not to. Just as she had allowed the Spirit Crystal to grow naturally for over a year, she preferred to let this new Spirit be born of her own accord.
Two hours passed quickly, and the light from the crystal grew dazzlingly bright. A human-shaped silhouette appeared within, gradually solidifying as time went on.
After another hour, the figure had fully taken form—a living being had been born. The tenth Spirit, Tohka Yatogami, appeared twenty-six years ahead of her destined time.
Unlike Little Skirt, Tohka wasn't naked upon her birth. She wore an elegant purple Astral Dress, her exquisite face identical to the one from the original story.
Eriri and Mio didn't interrupt her awakening; they simply waited quietly as she opened her eyes.
A few minutes later, with a soft murmur, Tohka's amethyst eyes fluttered open. When she saw Eriri and Mio before her, her once-blank expression quickly bloomed into joy.
"Eriri-nee!"
Because Eriri had embedded a trace of her essence within the Spirit Crystal at its creation, Tohka instinctively recognized her the moment she awoke.
Without hesitation, she leapt forward into Eriri's arms, pressing her face against Eriri's chest with a radiant smile.
Mio approached with a gentle expression and greeted her warmly.
"Hello, Tohka. Welcome to this world."
Hearing her voice, Tohka looked up curiously from Eriri's embrace.
"Tohka? Is that... me?"
...
Although Tohka had just been born, she wasn't like an ordinary newborn. She already possessed basic emotions and the ability to communicate.
"That's right—Tohka Yatogami. Do you like that name?"
Mio smiled softly as she asked.
Tohka didn't immediately respond to Mio's question. Instead, she turned to look at Eriri, as if seeking her opinion.
Sensing Tohka's gaze, Eriri raised her hand and gently patted the girl's fluffy hair, smiling warmly as she nodded.
"I think that name sounds lovely too. From now on, that will be your name."
"Mhm!"
Receiving Eriri's approval, Tohka's hesitation vanished, and she nodded eagerly with joy. Truth be told, she already liked the name a lot—if not for wanting to hear Eriri's opinion first, she would've agreed right away when Mio suggested it.
"Um, sister, what's your name?"
Tohka blinked her bright eyes curiously and looked at Mio again.
Unlike the original story, where she was hunted by the AST upon appearing in the world and thus developed hostility toward humans, this version of Tohka was an innocent, kindhearted girl with a pure heart.
"You can call me Sister Mio, Tohka. But tell me—how come you know Eriri's name but not mine?"
Mio asked with curiosity. Eriri hadn't told her about leaving behind information within the Spirit Crystal, so Mio had no idea that Eriri's identity was already engraved into Tohka's consciousness from birth.
"Mio-nee, that's a weird question. I've known Eriri-nee's name since the moment I was born. Isn't that normal?"
Tohka tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding why Mio found it strange. To her, knowing Eriri was simply instinct—a natural part of her existence.
"I see..."
Realizing this, Mio didn't know what to say for a moment. But she quickly understood that it must have something to do with Eriri. And since it was connected to Eriri, nothing that happened could really surprise her.
So she let the matter go without further thought.
The three didn't stay in the Neighboring World for long. After letting Tohka take a look at the place where she had been born, they left and returned to the Himekawa residence.
The house was empty—Eriri had only brought Mio with her to the Date A Live world this time. Yoshino was currently in the Saekano world playing with Illya and the others, while her mother, Nagisa Himekawa, was out at work.
Although Nagisa now possessed the power of a Level 8, Stage 1 being, she hadn't abandoned her daily life as an ordinary person. She continued her regular job while keeping her strength hidden.
Instead of returning to the Saekano world, Eriri decided to take Mio and Tohka out to explore Tengu City.
After all, their visit today wasn't just to welcome Tohka's birth—there was another purpose as well.
More than a year had passed since Eriri's last arrival in this world, and the timeline had reached August 1989—the same year when Nia Honjou would become a Spirit in the original story.
In the canon timeline, Nia had been transformed two months earlier by Mio. However, Eriri had never been overly concerned with precise timing. She planned to have Nia's transformation take place today—but only with Nia's consent.
To ensure that Nia would come to her willingly, Eriri had been preparing for over a year.
For example, she had debuted as a manga artist in this world. Over the past year, her incredible storytelling and artwork—far beyond anything from the 1990s—had made her immensely popular, turning her into one of the top manga creators in the Date A Live world.
As a dedicated otaku who adored manga and dreamed of becoming a manga artist herself, Nia Honjou naturally became one of Eriri's most devoted fans.
A week ago, Eriri had already told her manga editor in this world that she wanted to hold a signing event—and the editor, of course, agreed without hesitation.
In fact, ever since her manga had become a massive success, Shueisha had repeatedly urged Eriri to hold a signing session. She had always declined in the past, so this sudden initiative from her came as a huge—and pleasant—surprise to them.
After a week-long announcement, almost all of Eriri's fans were aware that she would be holding a signing event. Naturally, her devoted fan, Nia Honjou, was no exception.
However, this signing event wasn't open to everyone. Attendance was determined by lottery, with only five hundred spots available—and Nia was among the preselected attendees.
Through Eriri's subtle manipulation, all five hundred winners were female. Since the participant list wasn't made public, no one yet realized this fact. But once the event ended, the truth would likely spread, inevitably drawing some criticism.
Not that Eriri cared in the slightest. This would be her first and only signing event in the Date A Live world. Whether she would even continue publishing manga afterward remained uncertain.
Today was the day of the signing. The event was scheduled to begin at noon, with no fixed ending time—it would conclude only after the last autograph was signed.
When the others learned about the event, Arifureta and several of Eriri's friends had wanted to come along to help, but Eriri firmly refused. After all, it wasn't like anyone else could sign on her behalf—and a group of beautiful girls showing up together would only cause unnecessary chaos.
Besides, her true purpose today revolved solely around Nia Honjou. There was no need to make a big fuss.
It was only a little past ten o'clock now—nearly two hours before the signing began—more than enough time for Eriri, Mio, and Tohka to stroll around Tengu City for a bit.
...
Inside a modest apartment in Tengu City, seventeen-year-old Nia Honjou stood before a full-length mirror, gazing at her reflection with a conflicted expression.
Today was the day she would finally meet her idol, so she was torn between dressing casually like her usual otaku self or putting in effort to appear as a cute, stylish girl.
Even though she knew her idol was also a woman, she couldn't help wanting to make a good impression.
After several minutes of serious thought, she finally made up her mind. Rushing to her wardrobe, she began rummaging through it frantically.
About ten minutes later, when she stepped back in front of the mirror, she looked like an entirely different person.
She wore a light blue hoodie on top, paired with black denim shorts that revealed her smooth, slender legs. On her feet were white sandals with black soles, giving her an overall youthful and lively look.
Nia's appearance was undeniably cute—her short, silvery-gray hair framed a delicate face, and her teal-blue eyes gleamed brightly without the obstruction of glasses. Standing nearly 170 centimeters tall, her figure was both tall and elegant—no one would ever guess she was an otaku at heart.
"Alright! I'm about to meet my idol! Come on, Nia, don't lose your nerve—go for it!"
After giving herself a pep talk in the mirror, Nia glanced at the wristwatch on her arm.
Seeing the hands point to ten-thirty, her expression shifted to mild panic.
"Oh no, I'm going to be late!"
Grabbing her light gray backpack from the bed, she dashed out of the apartment without looking back.
The signing venue wasn't far from where she lived, but it would still take about half an hour to get there. Wanting to secure a good spot in line, she decided to arrive early—hence her hurried departure toward the nearby subway station.
Even though her chest was rather modest, her adorable face and long, fair legs still drew the attention of many passersby as she hurried along the street.
Half an hour later, she finally reached the venue. Her watch showed just past eleven.
Feeling excited, she thought she'd made it early—only to discover that a massive line had already formed outside the building. A quick glance told her there were easily several hundred people ahead of her.
"What?! No way! I should've come even earlier!"
Nia couldn't help but groan internally. She'd thought she'd been early enough, yet somehow she ended up near the end of the line.
With no choice but to accept her fate, she obediently joined the queue and waited patiently for the event to begin.
—
—
6 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven