[Haramura Nodoka (Level 1, Stage 3): Um… it seems like I don't have enough points to buy a Cross-Boundary Talisman…]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Don't worry about it. I've already talked to Little Skirt, so you won't need a token when you come over the day after tomorrow. Just silently activate the World Portal, and it'll work.]
[Haramura Nodoka (Level 1, Stage 3): That's a relief.]
At the moment, Haramura Nodoka was one of the members with the fewest points in the chat group. Among the four members who joined the same day, Kaguya Shinomiya received a million points from Eriri, while Jibril, Rias, and Luo Hao all had valuable items they could exchange for points.
The difference between having points and not having points was instantly apparent. In just a few days, Kaguya had evolved from an ordinary girl to a mid-tier national-level fighter, while Haramura Nodoka had only used her daily sign-in points to rise one small level, still stuck in the realm of ordinary humans.
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Is Gabriel here? @Gabriel]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): I'm here, I'm here. What's up?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Weren't you planning to return to your world before coming over? Did you go back yet?]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): No, the last couple of days I've been busy with a boss raid, so I didn't have time. I'll do it later—doesn't make much difference to wait a few more days.]
[Kanae Kocho (Level 4, Stage 1): Wow, Gabriel, you really love games, huh? Are they really that addictive? Curious.jpg]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): Absolutely! Kanae, I'll take you gaming sometime, and I guarantee you'll be hooked!]
[Kanae Kocho (Level 4, Stage 1): Hmm... next time, for sure.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Just make sure you come early the day after tomorrow, or I'll come to SAO to drag you out, and you won't like that.]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): Relax, I'll be there tomorrow. I've already cleared the game.]
[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 6): Wait, Gabriel, you're not waiting for me to come with you?]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): You can come whenever.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Why don't you just go home tomorrow?]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): No way, I'll wait until after Sakura's birthday. Then, Eriri, you have to come home with me—just the two of us, no Arifureta or the others.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Uh...]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Hey, Gabriel, what's with leaving us out? Do you have a problem with us coming to your world?]
[Kanae Kocho (Level 4, Stage 1): Oh my, Gabriel, do you not want us as guests in your hometown?]
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 3, Stage 8): Looks like Gabriel wants some alone time with Eriri, huh? Laugh.jpg]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 3, Stage 4): Oh… I see now. Laugh.jpg]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): ...]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): Anyway, just this time. After that, you can come as much as you want.]
[Gabriel (Level 3, Stage 8): So, how about it, Eriri?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Alright, alright. We'll treat it as a fun trip to your world.]
...
The next morning, Eriri received a Cross-Boundary request from Gabriel, which surprised her. She hadn't used a Cross-Boundary Talisman since the first time, so she had almost forgotten about the requirement.
After approving Gabriel's request, a World Portal quickly formed next to Eriri. Moments later, Gabriel stepped out, looking just like an angel in her neatly pressed school uniform.
Of course, she was an angel.
Clearly, Gabriel had taken care to clean up before coming over, appearing exactly as she had when Eriri took her to Sword Art Online.
As the saying goes, timing is everything, and Gabriel arrived just as Eriri and the others were sitting down for breakfast. All the girls living in the mansion were gathered in the dining hall, and no one had stayed in bed.
Each of them had a hearty Japanese breakfast laid out in front of them, with a variety of dishes that made for a sumptuous meal.
"Gabriel, it's been over a week. Did you miss me?" Eriri said with a smile, opening her arms wide toward Gabriel.
Without saying a word, Gabriel rushed into Eriri's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck.
Eriri lifted Gabriel's petite body, then kissed her gently on the cheek and lips.
Instead of being annoyed by Eriri's sneak attack, Gabriel blushed with an enticing flush, leaned in, and kissed Eriri back on the lips.
This wasn't just a peck but a deep, passionate kiss—tongues entwined as they embraced, their breaths mingling in the heat of the moment. The French kiss continued until Gabriel's face flushed a deep red.
Such a bold display was rare for Gabriel, and it was the perfect answer to Eriri's question.
The other girls at the table were unfazed by the scene. They continued eating their breakfast as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Well, except for Akino Yukinoshita.
Akino's face was filled with shock. Her wide eyes were glued to the passionate kiss between Eriri and Gabriel, her brain seemingly short-circuiting.
It wasn't until several minutes later that Gabriel, now breathless, released Eriri. A thin string of saliva connected their lips for a moment before breaking.
Seated next to Eriri, Nana and Momo quickly greeted Gabriel with bright smiles.
"Gabriel-neechan, it's been a while."
It had been over half a month since they last met in the Sword Art Online world, but despite the short time, they had become fast friends.
"Yeah, it's been a while, Nana, Momo." Gabriel blushed as she responded.
Realizing just how bold her actions had been, especially in front of so many people, Gabriel couldn't help but blush deeper. But even so, she didn't leave Eriri's embrace.
"Oh my, I didn't expect Gabriel to be so daring. Should I upload the memory of this moment to the chat group for everyone to admire your boldness?" Arifureta teased.
"Go ahead, I don't mind." Gabriel rolled her eyes at Arifureta, showing no embarrassment.
Gabriel wasn't the type to shy away from such things, and at this point, she didn't care what others thought.
Seeing that Gabriel didn't react the way she expected, Arifureta found the situation less entertaining.
"Fine, forget it."
Eriri adjusted Gabriel's position so that she was now sitting on her lap.
Despite Gabriel being a petite 140-something centimeters tall, Eriri herself wasn't much taller, standing at only 150-something centimeters. The difference was minimal, so there was no awkwardness with Eriri resting her chin on Gabriel's head.
"Gabriel, you came just in time. Join us for breakfast."
Eriri placed her hand on Gabriel's lower abdomen, resting her chin on her shoulder, and gestured toward the breakfast she had already started eating.
Gabriel, not one to be shy, didn't mind that the breakfast had already been touched. After all, the two of them had shared far more intimate things than food. She eagerly looked at the spread of dishes, her mouth watering from the tantalizing aromas.
Grabbing Eriri's chopsticks, Gabriel picked up a piece of grilled fish and popped it into her mouth. The perfect flavor made her eyes squint in pure satisfaction.
"Mmm… so good!" she exclaimed, her mouth full of fish. Just one bite of the grilled fish made her realize how bland her usual meals were in comparison.
After swallowing, she quickly reached for the steaming bowl of miso soup. The warm aroma of tofu and seafood filled her nose.
She brought the bowl to her lips and took a small sip, the rich, savory taste washing over her senses.
Then, scooping up some rice, she felt her body become energized with every bite.
"Eriri, is this the food Aoi made? It's incredible."
"Yup, didn't I tell you Aoi's cooking is the best?" Eriri said proudly, as if she were the one who had made the food. "By the way, let me introduce you. This is my personal maid, Aoi Kujo ."
Eriri gestured toward Aoi Kujo , who sat quietly across from them, calmly eating her own breakfast.
Aoi had originally wanted to serve Eriri until she finished eating, but Eriri had insisted she join them at the table.
"Hi there, Aoi-san. You're amazing! I've never had such delicious food. I should've come here sooner."
"Thank you for the compliment, Gabriel-sama. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"You don't have to be so formal, Aoi-san. Just call me Gabriel."
Aoi simply smiled in response and returned to her meal while Gabriel resumed devouring her breakfast.
As Gabriel happily savored the food, Eriri leaned in and rubbed her smooth, soft cheek against Gabriel's.
"Gabriel, don't just eat by yourself. Feed me too."
"Alright, alright. What would you like?" Gabriel said, turning her head slightly toward Eriri after swallowing her food.
"Hmm… how about an egg roll first?" Eriri gestured toward the golden-yellow egg rolls on the table.
Gabriel quickly picked up a piece of egg roll and held it up to Eriri's mouth.
"Say 'ahhh...'"
"Some rice, too."
"Sure thing."
"Next, miso soup."
"There's no spoon, though."
"No spoon needed. You can use this," Eriri said, turning her head and kissing Gabriel on the lips, making her meaning clear.
"Uh… alright then." After a brief moment of hesitation, Gabriel's face turned red, but she agreed to feed Eriri the miso soup using her mouth.
She picked up the bowl, took a mouthful of soup, then turned to Eriri and kissed her again, letting the warm broth and her own fragrant saliva flow into Eriri's mouth.
Their lips pressed deeply against each other, sealing the kiss as the liquid passed between them. Not a single drop of soup was spilled as they controlled the exchange of liquid with their entwined tongues.
Suddenly, the sound of chopsticks clattering against a bowl drew everyone's attention. Eriri and Gabriel broke their kiss and turned toward the source of the noise.
There stood Akino Yukinoshita, staring wide-eyed at them, her hand still frozen in the middle of picking up food. The clatter had come from her dropping her chopsticks.
"Akino, what's wrong? Hey… you okay?"
Eriri's voice snapped Akino back to reality. Realizing everyone was looking at her, Akino's face turned bright red.
"H-how can you two just do that? In front of everyone? That's way too… much," Akino stammered, completely flustered.
The stimulation today was too much for her. Having never dated anyone in her two lives, Akino simply couldn't handle such a passionate display, especially involving someone she had admired for so long.
She then turned her gaze toward Arifureta. "And how can you just sit there while they do that? Don't you get jealous?"
Akino was utterly confused. How could no one else be shocked by what had just happened? And why wasn't Arifureta even a little jealous? Meanwhile, her own heart was feeling unbearably sour.
"What's there to be jealous of? It's standard practice," Arifureta said casually, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Standard practice???"
Akino started questioning if she had misunderstood the meaning of those words her whole life.
"Yeah, totally normal. I've done the same with Eriri, so it's no big deal."
Although Arifureta had initially felt jealous when she saw Eriri being affectionate with other women, after experiencing it many times, she had become numb to it.
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