"By the way, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Lala, Lala Satalin Deviluke. Nice to meet you, Eve-chan. Let's get along well from now on!~"
Lala opened her arms and gave the petite Eve a tight hug, flashing her a bright, innocent smile.
The smile was so infectious that Eve couldn't help but smile back, not resisting the hug from Lala.
Once Lala introduced herself, Momo and Nana also introduced their names to Eve in turn, and Eve happily accepted them as well.
After some time, noticing the noise coming from the living room, Nemesis, Akiho, and the others also came into the living room.
The encounter between Lala's sisters and Akiho and the others inevitably led to a large-scale reunion.
Seeing all the friends from her memory images in front of her, Lala was immediately filled with excitement and couldn't help but approach them for a chat.
Lala's lively and adorable personality easily won over Akiho and the others.
Before long, everyone was getting along, and the living room became particularly lively.
...
The next day, Eriri and the others took Lala and her sisters, who were new to the area, out for a shopping trip.
Although they had already spent the whole day together yesterday, it was clear that Akiho, Haruna, and Yui still weren't satisfied.
So, the three of them joined Eriri and the others for another shopping excursion.
As for Nemesis and Eve, they naturally didn't fall behind either, with only Tearju staying behind.
In fact, Tearju was more interested in staying in the lab that Eriri had set up for her ten years ago, where she could continue her research on her favorite subject—cosmic biology.
Meanwhile, under Eriri's suggestion, the development of the second-generation biological weapon, Mea Kurosaki, using Eve's development data, was officially put into progress.
Soon, another day passed.
After the weekend, Akiho returned to her usual routine, heading to the publishing house early in the morning.
Haruna and Yui also went to Sainan High School as usual.
Around 10 o'clock in the morning, Eriri, along with Tearju, headed toward Sainan High School as well.
...
"Hiss... so beautiful!!!"
"Hey, look! There are two really beautiful girls outside the classroom!"
"Where? Where? Let me see!"
"Wow, the younger one is unbelievably beautiful, and the older one is gorgeous too. Plus, they have great figures!"
"Yeah, even compared to Sairenji and Kotegawa, they're more beautiful!"
"Don't even need to think. The younger one is totally the best. I've never imagined someone could be so beautiful. This must be CGI-level, right?"
"I've never seen them at school before. Are they new transfer students or teachers?"
"Not sure. If they are transfer students, that'd be amazing!"
"..."
At Sainan High School, Eriri and Tearju were walking slowly down the corridor of the teaching building.
At this time, school was still in session, with more than an hour until the lunch break.
As they passed each classroom, they inevitably caught the attention of the students inside. Those sitting near the windows were all leaning forward to look at Eriri and Tearju, and the buzzing chatter never ceased.
After they passed by each classroom, the students reluctantly straightened up and returned to their seats.
Eriri didn't pay any attention to the noise from the classrooms and continued her leisurely stroll forward.
However, Tearju seemed a bit more concerned about the voices coming from the classrooms.
Although she had somewhat gotten used to the curious glances while shopping with Eriri, she couldn't help but feel a little shy at this moment.
As they walked, Tearju found herself shrinking slightly, sticking close to Eriri's side, her hands tightly gripping Eriri's left arm.
Tightening her grip, Tearju glanced down at Eriri's face.
"Eriri, is there something we need to do here?" Tearju whispered softly in Eriri's ear.
Feeling the soft sensation on her arm, Eriri's mood became even more cheerful. At the same time, she gained a deeper understanding of Tearju's natural innocence.
From the time they left home, walked to Sainan High School, passed through the school's hallways, and nearly walked halfway down a corridor in the teaching building, it was only then that Tearju asked about the purpose of their visit.
Perhaps it was due to her absolute trust in Eriri, but it was rare to encounter someone this innocent.
Eriri didn't mind, though; in fact, she found Tearju's innocence very endearing.
"Hmm, I brought you here to meet someone."
Eriri lightly patted Tearju's arm and smiled.
Upon hearing Eriri's response, a puzzled look appeared on Tearju's face.
"Meet someone? Who is it? Someone I know?"
"Someone you know, but I won't tell you who just yet. You'll find out soon enough."
Eriri didn't give Tearju a full answer, leaving her in suspense.
"Okay then."
Tearju didn't press the issue further, nodding obediently and continuing to walk forward with Eriri.
In truth, with Tearju's current abilities, she could easily use her mind to scan the entire Sainan High School and find out who Eriri was referring to.
However, Tearju rarely used her mental power, and in everyday situations, she never felt the need to use it.
Though Eriri had mentioned this person to her ten years ago, it was clear that Tearju had long forgotten about it.
If she could remember what Eriri had told her back then, she would have easily recognized that the person Eriri was bringing her to meet was her former classmate, Ryouko Mikado.
...
Not long after, after passing by all the classrooms on this floor, Eriri stopped in front of a door with a sign that read "Health Room."
"Eriri, is the person we're meeting in there?"
Tearju curiously peered through the small window on the health room door but didn't see anyone inside.
Since they had already left the classroom area and weren't being watched by students anymore, Tearju released her hold on Eriri's arm. Instead, her right hand now tightly held Eriri's left hand.
"That's right, but it seems she's not inside right now."
"So, what should we do now? Should we look for her around the school?"
"No need for that, we can just wait here. She'll be back shortly."
"Mm-hmm."
With that, Eriri opened the health room door and pulled Tearju inside. They sat down in two nearby chairs.
Eriri had already sensed Ryouko Mikado's location—not far from the health room, in the restroom.
Eriri wasn't surprised by this at all.
Though Ryouko possessed the most powerful medical skills in the universe, she was still an ordinary alien. Going to the bathroom was a normal biological need.
Unlike Eriri and the others, who had evolved into higher beings, they no longer needed to use the bathroom.
Since the first trace of cosmic energy entered her body when she was five, Eriri hadn't needed to use the restroom once.
...
As Eriri had sensed, Ryouko Mikado, who had felt the urge to use the bathroom after drinking too much tea, had gone to the restroom, missing her chance to meet Eriri and Tearju.
Since there was nothing urgent in the health room, Ryouko Mikado wasn't in a rush to return right away.
After using the restroom, she stood in the hallway for a while, enjoying the scenery.
When she finally returned to the health room door, it had been over ten minutes.
Before she could open the door, she overheard soft conversations and laughter coming from inside.
From the sound, she could tell that two girls were speaking, one of whose voice felt strangely familiar.
She didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a normal occurrence for students to visit the health room.
However, as a nurse, she had the responsibility to check on any students in need, so with a smile, she opened the health room door.
Inside the health room, Eriri was holding Tearju's hand, chatting intimately, and Tearju was blushing slightly.
The sound of the door opening immediately drew their attention, and both of them looked up at the door.
In the next moment, Tearju's gaze met Ryouko Mikado's as she stepped into the room.
"Eh… Mikado?"
"Tear?"
Both Tearju and Ryouko spoke simultaneously, their faces showing surprise.
"I wondered whose voice felt so familiar. Turns out it was you, Tear."
As she spoke, Ryouko stepped forward into the health room, quickly approaching Eriri and Tearju.
"It's been a while, Tear." Ryouko smiled warmly at Tearju.
Though they specialized in different fields, as top cosmic geniuses, they had been very close friends during their school days. Meeting her old friend after so many years made Ryouko genuinely happy.
Tearju also shared the happiness. As Ryouko walked in, she immediately stood up, her face lit up with surprise as she looked at Ryouko.
"It's been so long, Mikado! So, Eriri brought me here to meet you?"
At that moment, the memory that she had long forgotten resurfaced.
"Eriri? Is this adorable little girl with you?"
Ryouko Mikado turned to look at Eriri, who was sitting next to her, smiling and watching her with curious eyes.
Ryouko's gaze was filled with curiosity.
In addition to her curiosity, Ryouko was genuinely taken aback by Eriri's presence.
As the best doctor in the universe, Ryouko had encountered many species and had vast experience. She even had a powerful network throughout the cosmos.
But in all her encounters, she had never seen someone as stunningly beautiful as Eriri.
Even the renowned "most beautiful woman in the universe," Queen Deviluke, paled in comparison when it came to looks.
Upon hearing her friend mention Eriri, Tearju became even more excited.
She immediately pulled Eriri up from her seat and, beaming, began to introduce her to Ryouko.
"That's right, Mikado. Let me introduce you. This is Eriri, one of my most important family members, and also... the one I love the most."
As she spoke, Tearju's cheeks flushed with shyness.
Hearing this, Ryouko Mikado was momentarily stunned.
She knew that during their school days, Tearju had been so focused on her studies that she had little awareness of love. Even when someone confessed to her, she had ignored them all.
So, hearing for the first time that Tearju had someone she loved, and that this person was a woman, surprised Ryouko.
But after taking another look at Eriri, she soon understood.
Eriri's presence transcended gender. After taking a few more glances at her, Ryouko herself was slightly moved.
It was only natural that Tearju would fall for someone like Eriri.
"I see. Well, congratulations, Tear! You've finally found your place. I used to worry about how you'd find someone with your personality, but now I see I was just overthinking it." Ryouko smiled warmly at Tearju.
She then extended her right hand to Eriri.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Ryouko Mikado, an old acquaintance of this one here."
If it had been another 16 or 17-year-old girl, Ryouko wouldn't have introduced herself so formally.
But Eriri was different—she was not only her friend's closest loved one, but also someone who had made Ryouko's heart skip a beat.
That was why her attitude had shifted.
Eriri smiled sweetly and took Ryouko's outstretched hand.
"Hello, I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura. Although this is our first meeting, I've heard a lot about you from Tearju before."
"Really? Then it's my honor."
Eriri's words caused Ryouko's lips to curl into a smile.
Ryouko wasn't surprised that Eriri had heard of her.
Most people in the universe knew of her as the underground doctor, so it wasn't unusual for Eriri to have heard about her, especially with Tearju as her close companion.
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