Chapter 601 - Minamoto Clan
The theatrical music show lasted ninety minutes in total. Elysia and Sylvia were impressed by all the series of events on display. Not to mention the role of Erina, which turned out to be really crucial for this event.
"Wow, even though I don't know anything they say and sing, I feel entertained by this music and performance." Sylvia gave a round of applause like the rest of the audience.
"Meow." Vanessa was also still mesmerized by the music and the enchanting glow.
"Mm! That's really amazing." Elysia completely agreed. She now thought that this event could have a much larger audience if this show wasn't limited to only two thousand people.
At that moment, Mio rushed over to their seats. She gave a signal that it was time for them to leave. Elysia immediately informed Sylvia, and they immediately left the theater hall.
By the time the hall lights were turned on again because the event was over, the young masters who intended to get acquainted with the two mysterious beauties could only be stunned. The two girls in question had left without them noticing it.
Meanwhile, Mio guided Elysia and Sylvia to go backstage. Erina was already waiting there, ready to go.
"You were really amazing, Erina-san. Your music is wonderful. Thank you for inviting us." Elysia expressed her appreciation and admiration.
"Hum-mm~" Sylvia just nodded in agreement.
"I'm happy if you like my music. However, this entire event is not just me." Erina grasped her hand with a satisfied smile on her face.
"O-yeah, are they your friends, Erina-sama?" An old gentleman approached warmly.
"Ah, it's you, Hiroki Mito-sama. Yes, they are my friends." Erina turned around and returned the greeting.
"Hm, what lovely girls. This might be our first meeting. Would you mind introducing your friends to me, Erina-sama?" Hiroki Mito watched Erina's friends with an approving nod.
"Sure. Allow me to introduce them. She is Elysia, and she is Sylvia." Erina didn't mind and pointed her palm to her friends in the introduction.
"Hello." Elysia gave a slight bow of respect for the elder. Sylvia just followed her movements.
"..." Hiroki Mito didn't know what to say. He didn't know why Erina only introduced the name without mentioning the background or the like.
Even so, he couldn't question that either. "Hm, nice to meet you. Anyway, do you want to go straight away, Erina-sama?"
"Mm, we'll just go home. My grandfather and my father just arrived at the house this evening." Erina gave a subtle sign that she needed to leave immediately.
"Ah, then I won't hold you back any longer. Have a safe trip. Please convey my regards to Mitsuzuka-sama and Kenji-sama." Hiroki Mito nodded with a smile.
Erina then excused herself before she left with her little group.
"She finally has close friends, hmm. What's more, she wants to invite them to go with her to her house. It's my first time to see Erina-sama have such friends. Either way, this might bode well for her." Hiroki Mito shook his head with a smile. He then turned away.
Erina looked left and right as she just got into her car, as if she was looking for something.
"What are you trying to find, Erina-san?" Elysia felt a bit confused.
"I just want to make sure that no third party is watching us. Mio, the protectors?" Erina relaxed in her seat.
"Three black SUVs and two Rezvani Tanks in the back are our people, Erina-sama." Mio informed that while looking into the rearview mirror. She started the engine and waited for the two cars to leave before following them.
"A blatant escort?" Elysia asked curiously.
"Yes, this is to ensure our journey to my house is safe." Erina nodded slightly.
"I see..." Elysia nodded slightly and started a small conversation. "Nee, Erina-san. Who was that old gentleman just now? He looked dissatisfied after you introduced us to him."
Erina tilted her head slightly. "Hm, is it like that? He is a retiree from the army. His name is Hiroki Mito-sama, my grandfather's friend. If he was dissatisfied, it was probably because I only introduced you by your name, without any other information. It's not a problem, don't worry."
"Fwaah, I'm quite full and entertained. Today was fun with a lot of new things. Now I feel sleepy. Ely, I borrowed your shoulder." Sylvia yawned and wrapped her arms around Elysia's. She leaned her head against her friend's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"..." Elysia glanced to her left. Was Sylvia going to sleep right away?
"Sylvia-san looks tired. This will be an hour's night trip. It's fine to let herself sleep." Erina smiled gently to see the closeness between Sylvia and Elysia.
"Mm, I'll wake her up when we reach our destination." Elysia relaxed her body and found a comfortable position in her seat. Vanessa was lying on her lap, and now Sylvia was leaning against her.
"You have a good friendship with Sylvia-san. She trusts you so much. May I know how you met her, Elysia-san?" Erina felt interested in finding out more about these two mysterious girls.
"Hm, we were actually on two opposing parties, and we didn't know each other at first. Until that night came, we ran into each other because of a silly encounter and introduced ourselves under pseudonyms. Yes, that meeting got us to know each other. A lot of things happened." Elysia smiled in amusement to recall how she met this devil girl.
"Oh my... Then, what happens when you find out the truth? The enemy becomes a friend? Uhm, this may sound a bit impolite, but I really want to know." Erina looked at Elysia with sparkling eyes. She was interested at first, but now Elysia got her full attention.
"Well, I can't say for sure. But I guess Sylvia's father is still in the opposing party. It's just, he allowed Sylvia to keep in touch with me for some reason." Elysia shook her head. She remembered that the Devil Race and Human Race were actually still enemies.
"E-eh? It must be a story filled with suspenseful drama. How did you get Sylvia-san's father's approval? And, how did your friendship last even though you are still on the opposing sides?" Erina failed to understand what Elysia was saying.
"Hm, I counterattacked when Sylvia's father attacked, I guess? Ah, I'm actually on the neutral side despite being on the opposing party." Elysia raised her finger when she just remembered that.
"Oh my... But, did Sylvia's father ever attack you just because you were friends with his daughter? That was really scary. You were okay with that incident, right?" Erina covered her mouth in surprise.
"I'm fine. I beat him instead as a form of self-defense." Elysia raised her fist with a playful smile.
"Yo-you beat a strong adult when you were a little girl?" Erina was once again surprised but filled with amazement.
"Uhm, I just made him seriously constipated so he won't attack me. He didn't know about my position being neutral back then." Elysia twiddled with her finger. She talked too much about the details.
"Oh~ Fufufu, he deserves it. You really have an interesting story, and your meeting with Sylvia-san was simply wonderful. Very few or even almost no friendships can survive under conditions like yours, Elysia-san." Erina chuckled in amusement.
Elysia and Erina then share their life stories in their conversation.
Mio was just driving while eavesdropping on all those conversations in silence.
Young girls loved to chirp with their peers, and her milady hardly ever did that. She had thought that Elysia had other goals with this life story conversation. Still, she didn't take any action for now just because she saw her milady really enjoying it.
Time passed, and it was nine o'clock in the evening. Erina's entourage finally arrived at a luxurious mansion area in Kyoto.
"Wow... If I didn't know the context, I would have thought we came to a palace with military-grade security." Elysia looked at the mansion area in amazement. The residence of overly wealthy people with significant influence was genuinely extraordinary.
"Uhm, sorry for the inconvenience. You could pretend those soldiers and guards weren't there. Please don't feel pressured by them. They won't harm you." Erina was feeling a bit worried for many reasons.
She had never invited friends of her age to come to her house, but she had often seen many people feeling pressured and stiff when they arrived here.
"Mm, no need to worry, Erina-san. This isn't the first time for me to have something like this happen." Elysia patted Erina's hand with a smile.
"???" Erina became curious again at Elysia's answer. However, they had already arrived in front of the mansion.
"We've arrived, milady." Mio got out of the car. Several men in black suits opened the door for Erina.
"Let's go out. Allow me to host you at my house." Erina went down first and waited by the side.
"Sylvi, we're here. Please wake up, sleepyhead." Elysia patted Sylvia's cheek repeatedly.
"Uhm, ah? We're here. Um, alright. Fwaah, uh, that was a pretty comfortable sleep though it was brief." Sylvia yawned and got out of the car with Elysia.
"Milady, your grandfather and father are waiting for you in the main room." Mio looked at her smartphone for a moment before telling.
"Oh, then we can't keep them waiting any longer. Elysia-san, Sylvia-san, let's come in." Erina invites her friends to enter her house. She walked in front, accompanied by Mio.
Two rows of servants greeted Erina in unison as they passed the entrance. "Welcome back, Erina-sama!"
"Woah, is this a grand welcome? I've seen similar to this one." Sylvia's eyes lit up a little.
"Hm, I remember you told me that you also treated like this in the past. Butt, you asked not to be greeted excessively every time you came home from playing because you felt uncomfortable." Elysia rolled her eyes.
"Hehe, you know a lot about me, Ely." Sylvia chuckled.
"It's quite warm in here. Can you please take off your jacket, Elysia-san, Sylvia-san?" Erina stopped her steps and turned around.
"All right." Elysia took off her jacket and told Sylvia to do the same. She thought it was just the rule and courtesy.
Erina saw that her friends were wearing a casual blouse under their jackets. White blouse for Elysia and black for Sylvia.
"En, let's go to the main room." Erina continued on her way again.
They went to a room on the second floor. Mio opened the door for them.
"Erina, you're back. Hum, you've gotten prettier since last month. Come here and give me a sweet smile." An old man raised his head with a bright expression.
"Welcome back, Erina. Oh-hoho, you came with friends?" A middle-aged man greeted with a smile.
"En, I just arrived. Sorry for making you wait so long, grandfather, father. Are you going to be home for a few days?" Erina smiled happily and hurriedly sat near her family.
The grandfather then exchanged words with the granddaughter, but the father still stared at the two girls in the doorway with a confused look.
"What's keeping you there, girls? Come and sit with us." Kenji beckoned the two girls to come over.
"Then, please excuse us." Elysia politely entered the room. She felt a little tense because Elena told her that this man was the same person as the one who found them in the middle of the sea. So, Erina's father could recognize Elena's form.
Sylvia didn't understand why Elysia suddenly felt tense, but it was only for a moment, and she didn't question anything. They sat beside Erina and were stared at by two burly people like these two men wanting to reveal some secret out of them.
Elysia felt a little nervous for some reason because she was in front of two people with great authority and influence.. It was as if she would be interrogated down to even trivial matters.