Gabriel casually tossed her school bag onto the bed, then took a moment to look around her room. The sight of the bento box on her desk, the empty drink cans, and the various items strewn across the floor made her pause. After a moment of silence, she rolled up her sleeves and, for the first time in a while, began to clean up her room.
[Chika Fujiwara: Ah… Full Dive games. I want to play them too.]
[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Does Asuna's world really have Full Dive games? Isn't that something out of sci-fi novels?]
[Asuna: Yeah, the Full Dive network virtual reality technology was only recently realized here.]
[Fallen Angel Black Cat: I'm so jealous! I want to play it too! I wonder when our world will have this kind of tech.]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Once Lala recreates SAO in our world, you can all come over and play.]
[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: That would be wonderful. I've been terribly bored lately, wasting away my days in the castle.]
[Flower Hashira: I'd love to experience life a hundred years from now. Ever since I watched those memory clips Yue-chan uploaded, I've been looking forward to it.]
[Kashiwagi Eri: There's plenty of time to explore the various worlds in the days ahead.]
...
Meanwhile, Yue, Shea, and Reina had finally picked out their phones. They proudly presented their choices to Eriri as if they were showing off treasures.
Eriri had brought them to this particular brand's store because it was the same brand of phone she used.
The three phones were all the same model, differing only in color: Yue's was gold, Shea's was light blue, and Reina's was white.
Coincidentally, Eriri's phone was the same model, but in pink.
"You all got the same phone as me, huh?" Eriri said, holding up her phone for comparison.
"Hehe, we picked it because it's the same as yours!" Shea said, clutching her new phone with a big smile on her face.
"Yep, I wanted to use the same phone as you, Sister," Reina chimed in, her expression just as happy as Shea's. Seeing how adorable she was, Eriri couldn't resist pulling her into a hug.
"Can we get our SIM cards here?" Yue asked, glancing toward the checkout counter.
"Yes, we can. I got mine here too."
Two hours later, it was already past 2 PM. Yue, Shea, and Reina successfully got their SIM cards, adding three new contacts to Eriri's phone, bringing her total to eight.
With the shopping done and their main objectives accomplished, Eriri led her group of beauties to a restaurant on the seventh floor to have lunch, officially ending their shopping trip.
By this time, over two hours had passed since Eriri had promised Gabriel she would visit her.
In a corner of the underground parking lot, Eriri and her companions stood next to the black luxury sedan that usually drove her to and from school.
As Eriri placed her hand on the car door, preparing to get in, Gabriel's impatient message pinged in the chat group.
[Archangel Gabriel: Eriri, why aren't you here yet? I've been waiting forever! @Kashiwagi Eri. Frustrated.jpg]
[Chika Fujiwara: You guys haven't gone over yet?]
[Archangel Gabriel: Nope, and it's driving me crazy.]
[Arifureta (Group Leader): We just finished shopping. Group photo.jpg]
[Archangel Gabriel: …]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Ahem, I'm on my way. Get ready and wait for me.]
[Flower Hashira: ???]
[Arifureta (Group Leader): You're acting suspicious!]
[Ashen Witch: I smell a deal going on here. Suspicion confirmed.jpg]
[Chika Fujiwara: What kind of suggestive language is this?]
[Archangel Gabriel: Hurry up already!]
[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: Haha, has Gabriel already prepared herself?]
[Archangel Gabriel: I've been ready for a while!]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Is that so? I'm looking forward to it.]
[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Hmm? What's going on? Eriri and Gabriel, aren't you both girls? Why does this feel so ambiguous? Shocked.jpg]
[Kashiwagi Eri: You don't know? True love knows no gender!]
[Lala: Oh, I get it now! True love transcends gender!]
[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Uh… doesn't anyone find this weird? Shocked.jpg]
[Flower Hashira: Not at all! It just so happens that the person they like is a girl.]
[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: I don't find it strange either. It's perfectly normal!]
[Ashen Witch: What's so strange about it? I'm just not interested in men!]
[Fallen Angel Black Cat: …Am I the weird one here? Stunned.jpg]
[Kashiwagi Eri: Yup!]
[Red Devil: …]
...
Eriri stepped back from the car and turned to look at Kato Megumi.
"Megu-chan, I need to go to another world for a bit. Do you want to go home now, or would you like to come to my place?"
Megumi was surprised by the sudden question. "Huh? Is there something urgent?"
She knew that Eriri had just returned from another world last night, and now, after just half a day, she was planning to head out again. There had to be something important going on, which made her a bit curious.
"It's nothing major, just a small matter I need to handle. But it's related to the future of gaming and entertainment in our world."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Yue interjected, joining their conversation.
"No need. I'll be back in about an hour or two," Eriri replied, waving off Yue's suggestion.
"Alright," Yue pouted, giving Eriri a playfully reproachful look.
"Is that so? Then I'll go with Yue-chan and the others to your place. I'll head home after you return from the other world," Megumi said with a nod, deciding on her plan.
Reina, already seated in the car, scooted to the edge of her seat and called out to Eriri with a soft voice, "Onee-chan, come back soon!"