Chapter 182

"You've been too cold! Fine, I just brought you here to witness my efforts! I'm going to get started!"

Eriri couldn't wait any longer. She put the coin into the coin slot and began to operate it carefully.

I'm very confident, but...

That's a bit funny.

"There's definitely something wrong with this! The dolls are all connected, so you can't hook them together at all!"

After several failed attempts, her expression grew increasingly ferocious.

"Are you here to give me money? Eriri, as expected of a rich Young Lady, you're so kind."

Hasegawa Izumi's comments from the side only made the girl more agitated.

"How about I do it?"

"A gift that isn't given personally has no meaning! You better take a good look at mine!"

His proposal was also rejected.

So he turned to offering a reminder.

"You can try using tags; that makes applying force easier."

"For those with a box, you can also hook the handle into the small gaps in the box."

Eriri perked up her ears, listening intently to the advice.

Although Childhood Friend often do absurd things, their abilities are undoubtedly top-notch.

So she kept trying.

Finally, through her relentless efforts, the hook managed to pull out the high-end goods sealed in the box.

"It's a success!"

Holding the box, Eriri wore a satisfied expression.

"This is really exhausting, you idiot Young Lady."

He teased.

"Hmph! Izumi, you may talk a good game, but in actual combat, you might not be as good as me!"

The proud and arrogant girl refused to accept this.

"Alright, then I'll show you my amazing claw machine skill, 'Niagara Falls Drop.'"

"What kind of made-up trick is that?"

Under Eriri's suspicious gaze, Hasegawa Izumi inserted a coin and began the operation.

"Splash..."

With a gentle touch, the hook landed on a spot in the doll mountain. Instantly, gravity tilted the mountain, triggering a chain reaction that caused the dolls to tilt and fall, blocking the exit.

"Wow!"

This scene shocked Eriri so much that she screamed.

"Really?"

Is this something a human being can do?

"It's actually a legendary technique?"

The other friends also looked over, their expressions all shocked.

Such a flashy move is still too dazzling for ordinary people.

As an Awakened One, Gokou Ruri saw more.

She couldn't sense the flow of spiritual energy, which means that Hasegawa did this through calculation or some unknown means.

But in any case, it demonstrates the other party's unfathomable depth.

Previously, she only felt that Hasegawa was mysterious, like a green mountain that was sometimes visible and sometimes hidden. But now what she saw was a vast and boundless sea of stars, incredibly powerful.

Is it even possible for such an amazing person to exist in this era?

They truly are Visitor from Another World!

"Take them all, I can't carry them all by myself."

After taking out the dolls, Hasegawa Izumi handed the duplicates and extras to the girls.

"Thank you, big brother."

Aragaki Ayase blushed slightly and carefully accepted the gift.

"Alright, I'll take it then. I quite like this anime too."

Kousaka Kirino hesitated for a moment, then reached out and caught it.

"Hasegawa is truly generous and handsome; I'm starting to become a fan."

Makishima Saori joked.

"My younger Little Sister watches this anime too, Hasegawa, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Gokou Ruri took over quite casually.

As for Eriri, he gave her an extra one.

"You're smart to know your place!"

Feeling valued, the Childhood Friend, who had been sulking with puffed-up cheeks, was overjoyed.

After that, they strolled around Akihabara, checked out various merchandise stores, and even tried out Maid Cafe. Aragaki Ayase gained a real understanding of the concept of 'master' and immediately began settling accounts with Eriri...

Time flew by, and several hours passed quickly.

Before parting ways, Gokou Ruri took the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities to Hasegawa.

"Good."

Hearing such a comment from the other party made her slightly disappointed.

"Indeed, I'm too weak, I'm utterly worthless..."

Thinking about this, she had a pressing and powerful idea.

"Goodbye!"

"If there's a chance, let's all get together."

"You had a lot of fun today!"

At the tram stop, the group said their goodbyes.

"Kōko, this is for you."

Hasegawa Izumi walked over carrying the bag.

"Thank you, brother!"

After receiving his gift, Kōko gave him a big hug in her sweet, childlike voice.

He ruffled the girl's hair.

My Little Sister is so cute!

And then, on Tuesday, two days later.

On this seemingly ordinary day.

After receiving news that her mother, Sayuri, had returned home, Eriri quickly asked for leave from her club and hurriedly returned home.

Just twenty minutes later, she finally learned the truth about this world!

72 Eriri: The Clown is Me

"Is there such a rush? It's just a gift. You can come back after the club activity, won't it?"

Eriri entered the villa and immediately saw her mother, Sayuri, sitting on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought.

"Because this is something important for me, and it's also very important for Eriri Shiori."

Sawamura Sayuri looked up, her face, which resembled that of a young girl, seemed untouched by the passage of time, and she wore an unusually serious expression.

"Is that so?"

Eriri was skeptical.

It was just visiting that person's art exhibition and bringing back a gift, what's so important about that?

Or are you worried that she'll be angry because of this?

There's no need to worry; she's not as fragile as she used to be.

The girl had actually foreseen the so-called gift.

"Eriri, don't be afraid of what I'm about to tell you."

Suddenly, Sawamura Sayuri stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Nani?

No, Garsang, why are you doing this too?!

Eriri looked at her mother's serious expression, which reminded her of someone, leaving her feeling confused.

Before she could react, Sawamura Sayuri withdrew her hand, sat back down, and began to explain, "Eriri, what you don't know is that about two months ago, this world underwent inexplicable changes. Some supernatural phenomena that defy common sense, or beings possessing supernatural powers, appeared in this world..."

Eriri: "Huh?"

The girl stared wide-eyed, as if she were listening to gibberish.

"Gasang, you didn't team up with Izumi to lie to me, did you?! Being a chuunibyou at this age is a bit outdated!"

"Don't bother me, keep listening to me, you idiot!"

Sawamura Sayuri glared at her daughter, annoyed.

"At first, no one paid attention or noticed, until the constant emergence of various ghost stories and events that couldn't be explained by science. This suddenly attracted the attention of all agencies around the world, who began to investigate in secret. They eventually came to the conclusion that the world was becoming strange, and things that only existed in anime and novels were appearing in reality. Although everyone still didn't understand the reasons, it didn't prevent people from recognizing this. For example, you saw the 'Blood Moon' back then, right? Actually, nothing happened that day; a disaster was unleashed all over the world, but it was suppressed."

In reality, although the internet allows netizens to broaden their horizons, they can also easily become trapped in information cocoons. Moreover, with all agencies working together, such information becomes even more tightly controlled.

Of course, this is only superficial.

Secretly, a storm was already brewing.

"Really? I don't believe it."

Eriri hugged herself tightly, still stubborn.

"I know you think I'm joking, Eriri, but I brought evidence today, which is also a gift I brought back for you from this trip abroad."

As Sawamura Sayuri spoke, she opened the wooden box next to her and took out a framed oil painting.

"It's a drawing by Shiina, isn't it?"

When Eriri saw the picture frame, a complex expression appeared in her eyes.

When she first started learning to paint, she was terrified by the astonishing speed of her progress. If it weren't for her Childhood Friend's companionship, that memory might have become a permanent torment in her heart.

But now that things have come to this, their paths have diverged. Although she marvels at his achievements, she feels she has nothing to fear anymore.

"Is this the evidence?"

She expressed her confusion.

"Just take a closer look."

Sawamura Sayuri smiled mysteriously and showed her the front of the oil painting.

Eriri stared intently at it.

This is a landscape painting depicting a rural scene. At first glance, one can appreciate the artist's meticulous attention to detail. Not only is the composition ingenious and the colors rich, but the profound artistic conception conveyed in the painting is also fully apparent.

This is a breathtaking painting; it goes beyond being described as a 'world-class genius painter'—it's simply an unimaginable masterpiece.

If that's all there is to it, it proves nothing more than that Shiina's superb painting skills.