The all-powerful middle schooler

"You've been too cold! Fine, I just brought you here to witness my efforts! I'm going to get started!"

Eriri couldn't wait any longer and put the coin into the coin slot, starting to operate it carefully.

I'm very confident, but...

This level of skill is a bit ridiculous.

"There's definitely something wrong with this! The puppets are all connected, so you can't hook them together at all!"

She failed several times in a row, and her expression became increasingly ferocious.

"Are you here to give me money? Eriri, as expected of a rich girl, you're so kind."

Izumi Hasegawa's comments from the side only made the girl more upset.

"How about I do it?"

"A gift that isn't given personally has no meaning! You better take good care of mine!"

His proposal was also rejected.

So he turned to offer a reminder.

"You can try tagging; that makes it easier to apply force."

"For those with a box, you can also hook the handle into the small gaps in the box."

Eriri perked up her ears, listening to the advice.

Although childhood sweethearts often do absurd things, their abilities are undoubtedly top-notch.

So she kept trying.

Finally, through her tireless efforts, the hook managed to pull out the high-end goods sealed in the box.

"Success!"

Holding the box, Eriri wore a satisfied expression.

"This is really troublesome, you idiot young lady."

He teased.

"Hmph! Izumi, you may talk a good game, but in actual combat, you might not be as good as me!"

The proud and arrogant girl was not convinced.

"Alright, then I'll show you the amazing skill of 'Niagara Falls' when it comes to claw machines."

"What kind of made-up trick is that?"

Under Eriri's suspicious gaze, Hasegawa Izumi inserted a coin and began the operation.

"Wow..."

With a gentle touch, the hook landed on a spot in the doll mountain. Instantly, gravity tilted the dolls, as if triggering a chain reaction, causing them to fall and block the exit.

"Wow!"

This scene shocked Eriri so much that she screamed.

"real or fake?"

"Is this something a human can do?"

"It's actually a legendary technique?"

The other friends also looked over, their expressions all shocked.

Such a flashy move is still too dazzling for ordinary people.

As an awakened being, Ruri Gokou saw more.

She couldn't sense the flow of spiritual energy, which means that Hasegawa did this through calculation or some unknown means.

But in any case, it demonstrates the other party's unfathomable depth.

Previously, she only felt that Hasegawa was mysterious, like a green mountain that was sometimes visible and sometimes hidden. But now what she saw was a vast and boundless sea of ​​stars, incredibly powerful.

Is it possible for such an amazing person to exist in this era?

They truly are visitors from a foreign land!

"Take all of these; I can't carry them all by myself."

After taking out the dolls, Izumi Hasegawa handed the duplicates and extras to the girls.

"Thank you, big brother."

Ayase Aragaki blushed slightly and carefully accepted the gift.

"Alright, I'll take it then. I quite like this anime too."

Kirino Kousaka hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and caught it.

"Mr. Hasegawa is truly generous and handsome; I'm starting to become a fan of you."

Saori Makishima joked.

“My younger sister watches this anime too, Hasegawa, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”

Ruri Gokou took over quite casually.

As for Eriri, he gave her an extra one.

"You know what's going on!"

Feeling valued, the childhood sweetheart, who had been sulking with puffed-up cheeks, was overjoyed.

After that, they strolled around Akihabara, checked out various merchandise stores, and even tried out a maid café. Ayase Aragaki also came to understand the meaning of the term 'master' and immediately started settling accounts with Eriri...

Time flew by, and a few hours passed quickly.

Before parting ways, Ruri Gokou took the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities to Hasegawa.

"good."

Hearing such a comment from the other party made her slightly disappointed.

"Indeed, I'm too weak, I'm completely worthless..."

Thinking about this, she had a strong and urgent idea.

"goodbye!"

"If there's a chance, let's all get together."

"I had a lot of fun today!"

At the tram stop, the group said their goodbyes.

"Little Dove, this is for you."

Hanesegawa Izumi walked over carrying the bag.

"Thank you, brother!"

After receiving his gift, Little Dove gave him a big hug in her sweet, childlike voice.

He ruffled the girl's hair.

My little sister is so cute!

……

And then on Tuesday, two days later.

On these seemingly ordinary days.

After receiving news that her mother, Sayuri, had returned home, Eriri quickly asked for leave from her club and hurriedly returned home.

Just twenty minutes later, she finally learned the truth about this world!

72 Eriri: The Clown is Me

"Is there such a rush? It's just a gift. You can come back after the club activity, right?"

Eriri entered the villa and immediately saw her mother, Sayuri, sitting on the sofa, seemingly deep in thought.

"Because this is something important for me, and it's also very important for Eriri Shiori."

Sayuri Sawamura looked up, her face, which resembled that of a young girl, seemed untouched by the passage of time, and she wore an unusually serious expression.

"Is that right?"

Eriri was skeptical.

It was just visiting that person's art exhibition and bringing a gift along, what's so important about that?

Or are you worried that she'll be angry because of this?

There's no need for that; she's not as fragile as she used to be.

The girl had actually foreseen the so-called gift.

"Eri, don't be afraid of what I'm about to tell you."

Suddenly, Sayuri Sawamura stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Nani?

No, Garsang, why are you doing this too?!

Eriri looked at her mother's serious expression, which reminded her of someone, leaving her feeling confused.

Before she could react, Sayuri Sawamura withdrew her hand, sat back down, and began to explain: "Eriri, what you don't know is that about two months ago, this world underwent inexplicable changes. Some supernatural phenomena that defy common sense, or beings possessing supernatural powers, appeared in this world..."

Eriri: "Huh?"

The girl stared wide-eyed, as if she were listening to gibberish.

"Gasang, you didn't team up with Izumi to lie to me, did you?! Being a chuunibyou at this age is a bit outdated!"

"Don't bother me, keep listening to me, you idiot!"

Sawamura Sayuri glared at her daughter, annoyed.

"At first, no one paid attention or noticed it, until the continuous emergence of various ghost stories and events that could not be explained by science. This suddenly attracted the attention of all agencies around the world, who began to investigate in secret. They eventually came to the conclusion that the world was becoming strange, and things that only existed in anime and novels were appearing in reality. Although everyone still did not understand the reason, it did not prevent everyone from recognizing this. For example, you also saw the 'blood moon' back then, right? In fact, nothing happened on that day, and a disaster was launched all over the world, but it was suppressed."

In reality, although the internet allows netizens to broaden their horizons, they can also easily become trapped in information cocoons. Moreover, with all agencies working together, such information becomes even more tightly controlled.

Of course, this is only on the surface.

Secretly, a storm was already brewing.

"Really? I don't believe it."

Eriri hugged herself tightly, still stubborn.

"I know you think I'm joking, Eriri, but I brought evidence today, which is also a gift I brought back for you from this trip abroad."

As Sayuri Sawamura spoke, she opened the wooden box next to her and took out a framed oil painting.

"It's a drawing by Shiina, isn't it?"

When Eriri saw the picture frame, a complex look appeared in her eyes.

When she first started learning to paint, she was terrified by the astonishing speed of her progress. If it weren't for her childhood sweetheart's companionship, that memory might have become a permanent demon in her heart.

But now that things have come to this, their paths have diverged. Although she marvels at his achievements, she feels she has nothing to fear anymore.

"This is the evidence?"

She expressed her confusion.

"Just take a closer look."

Sayuri Sawamura smiled mysteriously and showed her the front of the oil painting.

Eriri stared intently at it.

This is a landscape painting depicting a rural scene. At first glance, one can appreciate the artist's meticulous attention to detail. Not only is the composition ingenious and the colors rich, but the profound artistic conception conveyed in the painting is also fully apparent.

This is a breathtaking painting, beyond description as a 'world-class genius painter'; it is simply an unimaginable masterpiece.

If that's all there is to it, it proves nothing beyond that Shiina's superb painting skills.