"Hi hi hi, my name is Sairenji Akiho! You can just call me Akiho, big sister!" Sairenji Akiho raised her small hand excitedly.
Then she reached out and pulled her sister, Sairenji Haruna, to her side and proudly said, "Eriri-nee, this is my little sister, her name is Haruna! Isn't she just as cute as I am?!"
"What are you saying, onee-chan... Cute and all that..."
Being pulled in front of Eriri by her older sister, Haruna immediately grew even more bashful. Her cheeks, which had already turned slightly red, were now flushed all over.
Even so, despite being so shy, she still greeted Eriri politely.
"Hello, Onee-san. I'm Sairenji Haruna. I'm six years old."
In response to her sister's objection, Akiho said with full confidence, "What I said is true! If you don't believe me, ask Eriri-nee!"
Hearing Akiho's words and seeing Haruna's glancing gaze, a smile appeared on Eriri's face. She gently placed her right hand on Haruna's small head and patted her a few times.
"Akiho is right. Haruna-chan really is very cute."
Feeling the soft touch on her head, Haruna shyly lowered her gaze.
"...Thank you."
A soft voice came from Haruna's lips. Aside from the nearby Eriri and Akiho, it was barely audible to others.
Her adorably shy reaction made Eriri rub her head a few more times without restraint.
Mrs. Sairenji didn't interrupt the interaction between her two daughters and Eriri. On the contrary, she watched everything with a gentle smile.
She didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Eriri, who had suddenly appeared before them. In fact, she herself felt a faint urge to get to know Eriri better.
Withdrawing her hand, Eriri turned her gaze to Kotegawa Yui, who was standing not far away and observing the scene with interest, and smiled warmly at her.
Noticing Eriri's gaze, Yui, who had been enjoying the moment, quickly hid behind her mother, peeking timidly with only half her face showing.
Not everyone was as bold as Akiho. Even though the grown-up Kotegawa Yui would become a serious and strong-willed disciplinary committee member, the current Yui was just a shy little girl.
She might have been fine with others, but when faced with someone like Eriri—whose presence brought an overwhelming psychological impact—she couldn't help but feel timid.
Even Haruna had only managed thanks to Akiho's guidance.
Seeing this, the smile on Eriri's face grew even brighter, and she stepped forward toward Yui and her mother.
In truth, there was barely two meters between them and the Sairenji group, so Eriri closed the distance in just a few steps.
Now standing before the Kotegawa mother and daughter, Eriri looked at the beautiful woman who seemed a bit nervous from her approach and said with a smile, "Ma'am, may I get to know your daughter?"
As she spoke, Eriri winked at the shy Yui peeking from behind her mother. Yui's face turned bright red, and she immediately ducked back out of sight.
Seeing Eriri's playful gesture, Mrs. Kotegawa's initial nervousness quickly melted away.
Though Eriri's noble aura brought considerable pressure, her wink toward Yui was so playful and adorable that Mrs. Kotegawa could sense her sincerity. Clearly, Eriri genuinely wanted to befriend her daughter, not out of any ulterior motive.
What's more, Mrs. Kotegawa had observed the entire exchange between Eriri and the Sairenji sisters, and together with her impression of Eriri, her sense of caution had completely faded.
"Of course that's no problem. In fact, it's our Yui's honor to get to know someone like you," Mrs. Kotegawa said with a warm smile, not once considering the age difference between Eriri and her daughter.
She then stepped around behind Yui, placed both hands on her shoulders, and gently nudged her forward into Eriri's view.
Mrs. Kotegawa knew her daughter well. When Eriri had been interacting with Akiho earlier, she had noticed the look in Yui's eyes.
So she understood that Yui hiding behind her wasn't out of fear, but simple shyness.
Otherwise, no matter how good her impression of Eriri was, she wouldn't have so easily allowed them to get acquainted.
Sure enough, once exposed in front of Eriri, Yui didn't try to hide again. She merely stood shyly in place with her head lowered, occasionally stealing glances at Eriri.
"So your name is Yui? What a lovely name."
Eriri squatted down and gently rubbed Yui's head with her right hand.
Feeling the soft touch, Yui mustered her courage and looked up, blinking her large eyes at Eriri.
"Yes, my name is Kotegawa Yui. Big sister, your name is really pretty too."
"Oh my, looks like you've remembered my name already. Very impressive~" Eriri said with a beaming smile, rubbing Yui's head once more.
"Mhm! Hehe."
Hearing the praise, a radiant smile bloomed on Yui's face.
Meanwhile, Akiho—who had followed Eriri over—quickly pulled Haruna to Yui's side upon hearing Eriri's words.
She said hurriedly, "Eriri-nee, I remembered your name too! No matter how much time passes, I'll always remember it!"
Haruna, hearing her sister, quickly raised her hand and said, "Um... Me too."
Though their behavior might seem childish, it only added to their charm—something that made Eriri very happy.
"Mhm, you two are both wonderful~"
Eriri withdrew her hand from Yui's head and then placed her hands gently on the heads of Akiho and Haruna, rubbing them softly.
The two girls immediately smiled with joy, closing their eyes and nuzzling their heads into Eriri's palms like content little kittens.
Noticing the warmth leave her head, Yui felt a momentary sense of loss. But it didn't last long, as her attention was soon drawn to Eriri's hair.
Pointing to the dazzling golden strands on the ground, Yui looked at Eriri with concern. "Eriri-nee, your hair will get all dirty like that."
Because Eriri hadn't tied her hair up, when she squatted down, much of her long hair fell onto the ground, pooling around her.
Hearing Yui's concern, Akiho and Haruna—who were still enjoying Eriri's head pats—opened their eyes and looked down at the glowing golden hair.
Not far away, Mrs. Sairenji and Mrs. Kotegawa, now standing together, also turned their eyes toward it, both showing expressions of awe.
Understandably so—such a sight was rare and captivating enough to draw anyone's attention.
However, their attention had been drawn to Eriri's face, which greatly diminished their awareness of her hair. That's why they hadn't noticed it right away.
"It's fine. My hair won't get dirty."
Eriri remained squatting, using her right hand to gather a handful of her hair and letting it fall from her fingers. The golden strands slipped to the ground like a shimmering cascade of light.
"So pretty!"
Kotegawa Yui exclaimed with admiration, and everyone else who saw it echoed the sentiment with amazed expressions.
"Well, what do you think? Isn't big sister's hair beautiful? Yui-chan, Akiho, Haruna-chan, do you want to come and touch it?"
Eriri lifted another section of hair and held it in front of Yui, Akiho, and Haruna.
"Really...?"
"Yay! I want to, I want to!"
As expected, different personalities responded differently. Before Yui could finish confirming, Akiho had already eagerly accepted the offered hair and gently stroked it.
Seeing this, Yui silently squatted down and picked up a handful of Eriri's long hair, and Haruna followed suit.
Behind them, Mrs. Sairenji and Mrs. Kotegawa watched with a bit of envy, feeling an urge to touch the beautiful hair themselves. But without an invitation from Eriri, they suppressed the thought.
After inspecting the strands closely, Akiho exclaimed, "Wow, amazing! It's really not dirty at all!"
"Mhm! It really isn't—amazing!" Haruna and Yui chimed in.
"Hehe, Eriri-nee's hair smells really nice too, and it feels amazing!"
After exclaiming, Akiho wore an enraptured expression and rubbed the hair against her cheek.
Normally, Akiho's fangirl-like behavior might draw awkward looks, but in this moment, all she received were gazes of envy and admiration—none of disdain.
Just then, a childish voice called out from nearby:
"Master, Master, is this a hair appreciation party or something?"
The unfamiliar voice and that particular form of address instantly drew the attention of Akiho and the others.
They turned toward the source and soon saw a little girl in a black yukata hurrying toward them.
To their surprise, this adorable girl ran straight up to Eriri and, without hesitation, jumped onto her back. Wrapping her slender arms around Eriri's neck, she rested her head on Eriri's right shoulder, their cheeks pressed together intimately.
Akiho and the others recognized her. Though their memory wasn't strong, her unique outfit helped them recall that she had entered the exhibit earlier with Eriri.
"Neme-chan, done exploring the exhibit already?" Eriri smiled as she rubbed cheeks with Nemesis, then raised a hand to pat her head.
Nemesis rubbed her cheek against Eriri's and said coyly, "Not yet~ But I want to explore the rest with you, Master."
Though Nemesis always called Eriri "Master," their relationship wasn't that of a typical master and servant.
In truth, the title was just that—a title, not a constraint. Their bond had always been that of family.
So her intimate actions with Eriri weren't overstepping at all. It wasn't even the first time she'd done something like this.
"Master, are these three little ones new friends of yours?" Nemesis asked curiously, her golden eyes fixed on Akiho, Haruna, and Yui.
The pressure in her gaze made the three girls feel overwhelmed. Even the usually outgoing Akiho went quiet, not daring to meet Nemesis's eyes.
Seeing this, Eriri gently pinched Nemesis's cheek and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, Neme-chan, don't intimidate them."
"Don't worry, Master, I won't bully them~" Nemesis said with a grin, instantly softening her gaze and making the three girls breathe a sigh of relief.
Then she raised a hand and waved to them, smiling brightly. "Hello there! I'm Nemesis. Nice to meet you all~"
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