"No need, just stay beside us and wait until the signing event ends. Of course, if you have something urgent to take care of, you can leave first."
"No, no, I'm totally free all day today!"
Nia Honjou shook her head repeatedly, then ran excitedly behind the signing table while hugging five manga books, grinning foolishly as she stood beside the editor.
Seeing this, the editor turned to one of the staff members and quietly gave an instruction. Not long after, the staff returned from the back with a chair and placed it beside Nia.
"Miss Honjou, there's still some time before the signing ends. Please sit here and rest for a while."
Since she was one of the people invited by Eriri Spencer Sawamura to dinner, the editor treated Nia with extra kindness.
Nia, feeling flattered, quickly sat down and thanked the editor several times.
To be honest, she was starting to feel her legs go weak—after all, it had been five hours since she'd arrived on the bookstore's second floor.
Standing for such a long time wasn't something most people could handle easily, especially for girls.
All the fans still waiting in line felt some degree of soreness in their legs. If it weren't for Eriri, none of them would have had the patience to stay.
At this moment, Eriri also noticed the situation. Without drawing attention to herself, she gently waved her hand toward the line ahead, sending a soft wave of energy through everyone's bodies.
It didn't enhance their physical abilities, but it instantly erased all the fatigue from their bodies. Immediately, everyone felt refreshed and full of energy.
This sudden comfort naturally didn't go unnoticed by the fans in line, but since they didn't know what caused it, they simply brushed it off and continued admiring Eriri's stunning beauty.
No matter how long they looked, they couldn't get enough of her. The longer they looked, the more deeply captivated they became.
Because of Nia Honjou's bold example, a few brave fans after her also tried to invite Eriri to dinner, but all were gently declined.
Fortunately, those few had enough self-awareness not to persist. Otherwise, Eriri wouldn't have hesitated to use more forceful means to make them give up, even if they were her fans.
After signing for the last fan, the carefully planned signing event finally came to an end. It was already past five o'clock.
The only people left on the second floor were Eriri's six companions, Nia Honjou, the editor, and a few female staff members who stayed behind to clean up.
In fact, under Eriri's firm request, not only were all the fans attending the event women, but all the staff working on the second floor were female as well.
"Phew, finally done. The signing wasn't that fun after all!"
Yamai Kazamachi, who had been sitting in her chair all afternoon, slumped forward onto the table without any regard for the editor or the staff around her.
Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru didn't look as bored. They were happily flipping through manga volumes in their hands.
All three sisters were now wearing matching summer outfits that only differed in color.
Eriri had changed them into these earlier, during the time-stop, since there was no way she would allow them to wander the streets in their revealing Spirit outfits.
Those outfits were too exposed for public places, so Eriri also created a more modest version of them for combat situations, avoiding excessive exposure.
As for the original, revealing version—that one was only meant for her eyes.
"I thought it was pretty fun," said Tohka cheerfully from the side.
"Of course you did. You've been eating snacks nonstop since the start," Yamai Kazamachi grumbled, rolling her eyes. Because Tohka's food looked so appetizing, she couldn't resist asking the editor for a snack midway through the event.
"Hehe~"
Tohka didn't bother denying it; she just scratched her head and laughed sheepishly.
Meanwhile, Mio sat beside Eriri, gently massaging her right hand to relax the muscles after all that signing.
Eriri calmly enjoyed Mio's massage, even though her hand muscles didn't feel the slightest bit sore after signing continuously for more than five hours.
Nia Honjou sat quietly behind everyone, showing no intention of interrupting.
At that moment, the editor approached the signing table with a smile on her face.
"Miss Kashiwagi Eri, the signing event is over now. Do you have any other plans? How about I, on behalf of our publishing house, treat you all to dinner?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Nia Honjou sitting behind Eriri.
Of course, she still remembered that Eriri had previously invited Nia to dinner. In truth, she was just like those fans in line—she wanted to have dinner with Eriri as well.
That was why she took this opportunity to extend an invitation in the name of the publishing house.
Upon hearing her words, the surrounding staff all paused in their movements, pricking up their ears.
Though they appeared to be busy cleaning, they had actually been paying attention to Eriri's side the entire time.
Now, hearing the editor invite Eriri to dinner, they couldn't help but imagine whether they might also get a chance to join.
Unfortunately, their hopes were quickly dashed. Since Eriri still needed to help Nia transform into a Spirit later, she didn't think long before politely declining the editor's offer.
"Sorry, Miss Matsuda. We have other plans, so we'll have to end things here today."
"I see. That's a shame."
Although she felt a little disappointed, the editor didn't press the issue. She simply nodded and said no more.
The staff members also felt the same pang of disappointment. But they could do nothing except continue their work dutifully.
Eriri gently patted Mio's hand, and Mio naturally released her right hand.
Then Eriri turned and smiled warmly at Nia Honjou, who was sitting quietly on her chair.
"Nia, thank you for waiting."
"No, no, it's fine! I only waited a little while—and it's something I'm happy to do!"
Nia waved her hands hurriedly, her heart fluttering again after having just calmed down.
At just seventeen years old, she was still a pure and innocent girl—far from the version of herself in the original story who, influenced by the Tome of Revelation, had seen too much of humanity's darkness and turned into a flirtatious older woman.
In front of Eriri, she showed only the bashful side of a young girl.
"Mhm, it's getting late. Let's head out of the bookstore now."
Eriri stood up and gently patted Nia's head, then suggested it to everyone.
Her proposal, of course, was met with unanimous agreement.
Unlike when they arrived, Eriri didn't take the internal elevator to the first floor or use spatial abilities to leave. Instead, she openly led everyone down the stairs, making no effort to hide her presence.
The fans who had already gotten their signatures still hadn't left the store. Many lingered on the first floor or outside, just hoping to catch another glimpse of Eriri.
Some of the men who had seen her earlier on the first floor were also still around. As for those who hadn't seen her in person—even though they'd heard from others how breathtakingly beautiful she was—they lacked the same sense of awe and had already gone home.
Even if they were curious about how charming Kashiwagi Eri truly was—so much so that she could make countless people, most of them women, wait patiently without complaint—curiosity alone wasn't enough to keep them there.
Because there were simply too many people on the first floor, the usually quiet bookstore had become noisy, filled with the rustling sounds of conversation scattered in every corner.
But the moment Eriri and her group of seven descended from the stairs, the entire floor instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gaze turned toward Eriri, as if beholding a goddess.
Wherever she walked, the crowd instinctively stepped aside, leaving a clear path for her and her companions—her presence alone radiating an overwhelming aura.
It wasn't until Eriri and the others had left the bookstore that the fans inside finally snapped out of their daze, letting out a series of awed exclamations.
When they tried to rush after Eriri and her group, they realized that their figures had already disappeared from sight.
...
Not far from the bookstore, in a private room of an elegant restaurant, Eriri and the other six were seated around a large round table.
Eriri hadn't chosen the best five-star hotel, nor had she gone home to have Aoi Kujou prepare dinner. Instead, she picked this refined restaurant simply because its food was known to be delicious.
There was no special reason—she simply wanted to try the food here.
As for whether Nia Honjou would agree to become a Spirit, Eriri couldn't imagine any reason why she would refuse such a blessing.
On the way from the bookstore to the restaurant, everyone took the opportunity to chat with Nia, making sure she didn't feel left out.
By now, Nia had grown more comfortable around them, and her naturally cheerful personality began to show. She could chat easily with anyone.
"Nia, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."
Since they had just placed their orders and there was still some time before the food arrived, Eriri decided this was the perfect moment to turn Nia into a Spirit.
Nia, who had been enthusiastically discussing manga with Yamai Kaguya, immediately stopped and turned her gaze toward Eriri.
"Eriri, what is it?"
Through their earlier conversations, Nia had already learned Eriri's name—and after Eriri's gentle correction, she no longer addressed her as "teacher."
"Hey, do you want to become a Spirit?"
Eriri rested her chin on her hands, her eyes locking directly onto Nia's.
She didn't act mysterious about it—just like when she had offered the same proposal to Yamai Kazamachi, she stated it plainly.
"A Spirit? Do you mean the elves from your manga? The ones with pointy ears, powerful magic, and super long lifespans?"
In the Date A Live world, which was still in the late 1980s, the concept of "Elves" was still somewhat vague.
It wasn't until Eriri's works appeared in this world—combined with her distinct art style—that the traditional fantasy image of elves became solidified.
After all, who wouldn't like those cute, beautiful, and curvy elf girls?
"No, it's a different kind of Spirit."
"Oh? Can you show me what kind you mean? I want to see if it's suitable for cosplay."
Since Eriri and the others had never revealed any extraordinary abilities in front of Nia, she never imagined that they were actually supernaturally gifted.
When Mio first came into being, her birth had caused the massive Eurasian Sky Disaster—but to the general public, it was explained as a natural calamity or a meteor strike. No one had ever thought it was caused by supernatural power.
After all, there had never been a second spatial quake event.
So, in Nia's understanding, supernatural powers didn't exist in this world at all.
Thus, when Eriri asked if she wanted to become a Spirit, Nia thought she was being invited to cosplay as one for a convention.
Of course, Eriri understood perfectly what Nia was thinking, but she didn't bother explaining. Instead, she simply smiled and exchanged a glance with the others—including Mio.
Catching that signal, the other Spirits all smiled knowingly.
Yamai Kaguya tugged lightly on Nia's arm, drawing her attention away from Eriri.
"Nia, why don't we show you instead?"
As soon as Kaguya finished speaking, everyone except Eriri and Nia stood up from their seats, their bodies suddenly glowing with white light.
In the next moment, as the radiance faded, five dazzlingly beautiful girls in ornate Spirit dresses appeared in the room.
"See clearly now? These are the Spirits Eriri was talking about!"
Wearing her bold outfit—still bold but less revealing—Yamai Kaguya playfully winked at Nia, her face lit with a mischievous smile.
Nia didn't respond. Her mouth hung open in stunned silence as she stared at the five transformed girls before her, her face filled with disbelief.
Although their appearances hadn't changed much, the aura given off by their Spirit outfits was entirely different.
It was as if characters from a fantasy world had descended into reality.
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