At that moment, a mysterious portal suddenly materialized not far from Honami Ichinose's bed. A second later, Eriri and Yukino Yukinoshita stepped through it and into her room.
As soon as they arrived, they noticed Honami Ichinose sitting on her bed with her eyes closed, seemingly deep in focus.
Eriri wasted no time approaching the bed and reached out her right hand toward her…
Since Honami Ichinose had been focused on increasing her strength all day, she hadn't been paying much attention to the chat group. Naturally, she had missed Eriri's message informing her that they would be visiting her world.
So when Eriri suddenly patted her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin, thinking that someone had broken into her room.
However, as soon as she saw that it was Eriri, her momentary fear transformed into pure delight.
Thanks to the scattered memory fragments uploaded by other group members, Honami Ichinose was already somewhat familiar with Eriri's appearance.
Excitedly, she hopped off her bed and beamed at Eriri. "Eriri, welcome to our world!"
Then, turning toward Yukino with certainty in her voice, she continued, "You must be Yukino Yukinoshita, right? Hello, it's nice to meet you! Please take care of me."
Yukino responded with a polite greeting in return.
However, their conversation was brief. Honami Ichinose soon turned her attention back to Eriri, her curiosity piqued.
"But why did you come at this time? I thought it would be a while before you arrived," she asked, tilting her head slightly. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her tone shifted. "Oh, and why didn't you let me know beforehand? I could have prepared something."
"I did notify you in the chat group, but you must have missed it," Eriri replied, shrugging with an innocent expression.
"Ah… that makes sense. I wasn't checking the chat group for the past few hours."
Honami Ichinose quickly let go of the matter, not dwelling on it further.
She understood why Eriri and Yukino had come, so there was no need for unnecessary delays. "Eriri, should I contact Karuizawa-san and ask her to come here, or should we go find her instead?"
"We'll go to her," Eriri decided without hesitation. "I already know where she is, and this way, we can take a look around the school as well."
With that, she casually waved her hand toward herself and Yukino. Instantly, their uniforms transformed from their previous ones to those of Advanced Nurturing High School.
They now wore white shirts under red blazers, paired with white pleated skirts—identical to the uniform Honami Ichinose was wearing.
Now, dressed as students of the school, Eriri and Yukino blended in seamlessly.
Yukino remained unfazed, having already witnessed Eriri's abilities on multiple occasions. Her expression remained composed, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
However, this was Honami Ichinose's first time experiencing Eriri's power firsthand, and she couldn't hide her amazement.
With just a wave of her hand, Eriri had effortlessly altered not only the clothing but also its material composition. This was something beyond mere strength—it was an entirely different realm of ability.
Still, she kept her surprise to herself, choosing not to voice her thoughts aloud.
Following Eriri's lead, the three of them left the dormitory and headed in the direction where Kei Karuizawa was currently located.
Although Eriri had never explored this school before, she had already gathered a thorough understanding of its layout while locating Kei Karuizawa just moments ago.
...
Advanced Nurturing High School, to the uninformed, seemed like a dreamlike institution.
Statistics showed that 99.9% of graduates from this school secured their desired careers upon graduation, boasting an incredibly high employment rate.
The school was equipped with the latest facilities, provided monthly allowances, and imposed no restrictions on hairstyles or personal belongings.
Even if a student styled their hair into a mohawk, no one would bat an eye.
However, to those in the know, this prestigious institution—one of the top in the nation—was a place where only the truly exceptional could enjoy such dreamlike privileges.
As the class leader of Class B and a striking blonde beauty with a curvaceous figure, Honami Ichinose was quite popular at this school.
Moreover, in the past few days, her growing displays of combat prowess had only increased her reputation. She wasn't just admired by the male students—many among the female students also held her in high regard.
Among them were those who secretly harbored romantic feelings for her.
Chihiro Shiranami, one of Honami Ichinose's close friends, had confessed to her during the first semester. Though Honami had turned her down, Chihiro had never truly let go of her feelings; she had merely buried them deep within her heart.
For ordinary girls, acknowledging romantic feelings for the same sex was no easy feat. The fact that Chihiro had once openly confessed to Honami Ichinose was a testament to the depth of her affection.
At this moment, Chihiro Shiranami happened to encounter Eriri, Yukino, and Honami Ichinose as they strolled across the campus.
Upon seeing Eriri and Yukino's breathtaking beauty, Chihiro was instantly captivated.
As a self-proclaimed admirer of beautiful girls rather than handsome boys, she couldn't help but admire their appearances—even if her heart remained devoted to Honami Ichinose.
"Honami, what a coincidence! Are you out for a stroll?" Chihiro Shiranami greeted her in a soft, gentle voice.
"Chihiro?" Honami Ichinose blinked in mild surprise upon seeing her.
However, she quickly recovered and approached her friend with a bright smile.
"Good morning, Chihiro. Are you here for an art club activity?" she asked, noticing the white sketchpad Chihiro was carrying.
"Not exactly. This isn't for the art club—it's just something I wanted to do on my own," Chihiro replied with a warm smile, shaking her head gently.
Her sketching session hadn't started yet, or else she would have eagerly shown her work to Honami Ichinose.
Glancing at Eriri and Yukino as they walked up beside Honami, Chihiro curiously inquired, "Honami, who are they?"
Honami Ichinose's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Chihiro, let me introduce you! These are my new friends."
Just as she spoke, Eriri and Yukino arrived at her side, allowing her to introduce them without hesitation.
Of course, the "introduction" was nothing more than stating their names.
After learning their names, Chihiro Shiranami gently greeted Eriri and Yukino.
Then, with a puzzled expression, she asked, "Sawamura-san, Yukinoshita-san, which class are you in? I don't recall seeing you last semester."
"Oh, that's because we're not students of Advanced Nurturing High School," Eriri replied with a lighthearted smile, making no effort to conceal the truth.
Chihiro froze for a moment. "But you're wearing the school uniform…"
Before she could finish, Honami Ichinose interrupted her. "Uniforms don't prove anything. If clothing alone determined identity, the world would be in chaos."
Pausing briefly, she continued, "Eriri and Yukinoshita aren't just my new friends; they've known Karuizawa-san for quite some time. They came here specifically to visit her."
"I see." Chihiro nodded and decided not to press further.
She was well aware of who Kei Karuizawa was—the leader of Class 1-D, at least according to the information available.
However, Kei Karuizawa hadn't attained her position through intellect or influence but rather through sheer brute force.
Rumors suggested that troublesome students like Rokusuke Kōenji and Ken Sudō had all been on the receiving end of Kei Karuizawa's fists before ultimately yielding to her authority.
Even the seemingly sweet and sociable Kikyou Kushida had reportedly been disciplined by Karuizawa, after which she became one of Kei's trusted aides, offering strategic counsel.
In essence, Class 1-D revolved entirely around Kei Karuizawa.
As for Class 1-C, it was rumored that they had been repeatedly crushed by Class 1-D. Their leader, Kakeru Ryūen, had attempted some underhanded tactics against Class 1-D, only to be met with a devastating counterattack from Kei Karuizawa.
It was said that one punch from her had left him on the verge of total incapacitation.
Since then, Ryūen had seemingly developed a psychological trauma, leading to his current leave of absence.
Of course, these were only the rumors that Chihiro had managed to gather. The accuracy of such accounts remained uncertain.
The reason she had taken an interest in Kei Karuizawa in the first place was due to Honami Ichinose's frequent interactions with her.
Honami had been spending a lot of time with Karuizawa in secret lately, sneaking off together often.
Moreover, despite Kei's ambiguous orientation—neither showing interest in men nor displaying any clear signs of attraction to women—her striking beauty, confident demeanor, and unparalleled combat prowess had earned her admiration from both genders.
Many male and female students alike harbored crushes on her.
Chihiro, however, worried that Honami might have become entangled with Kei Karuizawa, which drove her to investigate the matter further.
"Yes, we're on our way to meet Karuizawa now," Honami confirmed with a smile. "Since it's Eriri and Yukinoshita-san's first time at our school, we're taking the opportunity to explore a bit."
"I see. Then I won't keep you any longer. I need to start my sketching anyway," Chihiro said softly, lifting the sketchpad in her hands.
"Alright, good luck, Chihiro!" Honami gave her a thumbs-up, flashing a bright smile.
Afterward, Honami Ichinose led Eriri and Yukino forward, continuing on their way.
Even after they had walked far ahead, Chihiro Shiranami remained rooted in place, her mind replaying the brilliant smile Honami Ichinose had just given her.
A grin slowly spread across her face, her expression turning dreamy.
"I really do love her!" Chihiro Shiranami thought to herself, her heart pounding.
...
Since Advanced Nurturing High School was a fully residential institution, students could still be seen wandering the campus even on weekends.
The school boasted a variety of entertainment facilities, shops, and retail areas within its campus, ensuring that students could enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle without needing to leave—provided they had enough S-Points.
S-Points were the defining feature of Advanced Nurturing High School, a system that had a profound impact on both the present and future of its students.
These points were directly linked to the monthly electronic allowance provided by the school. Students who put in effort were rewarded accordingly, while those who let their S-Points drop into the negatives would lose access to financial support.
S-Points were stored in a card that also functioned as a student ID and could be used as digital currency.
Within the campus, S-Points could be used for everything—from shopping and dining to karaoke. Anything available within the school grounds could be purchased using S-Points.
Moreover, the exchange rate for S-Points was directly proportional to real currency—1 S-Point was equivalent to 1 yen.
Because of the various recreational and shopping options available, there were always a fair number of students wandering around campus on weekends, though not in overwhelming numbers.
Naturally, the presence of Eriri, Yukino, and Honami Ichinose drew the attention of the students nearby.
To them, Honami Ichinose was already considered an exceptionally beautiful girl, but standing beside Eriri and Yukino, even she seemed somewhat overshadowed.
The sudden appearance of two such stunningly beautiful girls was impossible to ignore.
It didn't take long for word to spread through LINE, with eyewitnesses quickly sharing the news, sparking widespread discussion across the campus.
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