The villa district where Amber resided couldn't exactly be called remote, but it was definitely on the city's outskirts.
The environment was quiet, the air fresh, but getting to the commercial districts required a vehicle.
While the villa didn't come with servants, drivers were readily provided by the property management.
After a quick call from Amber, a plainly-dressed, middle-aged man arrived at the villa, looking perfectly presentable.
They took a simple black business car, and within half an hour, they arrived in Shibuya.
While a high-end commercial area like Shinjuku might sound more fitting for a young lady's status… based on her experience from Jujutsu Kaisen, Amber still preferred the vibe of Shibuya.
Besides, since they'd come to this world of girl bands, wouldn't it be a waste not to experience a band for herself? She wondered if CRYCHIC was still around these days.
The atmosphere of a modern metropolis felt long overdue to Amber.
After all, in the last world, with something as convenient as the Realizer Units, and with the ongoing development of Realizers and the Territory system, human progress had skyrocketed.
By the time Amber left, Schicksal was no longer the sole island floating in the sky.
The bustling streets and this worldview where, for some reason, a casual glance revealed a crowd of high-quality beauties, all felt refreshingly new to Amber.
Especially since, as Durandal, she had to constantly watch her diet and routine.
Thinking of her current, completely liberated state—like a carefree paramecium—Amber let herself go entirely.
Shibuya, a symbol of youth, was never short on the food and snacks young people loved.
Crepes, egg tarts, takoyaki, taiyaki… she'd only walked a few dozen meters, and Amber had already spotted plenty of things she'd craved but couldn't eat in her last world.
"Mei! This is so good! You gotta try a bite!"
"This cotton candy… feels like it's a bit light on the sugar? What do you think, Mei?"
"Ah! Why is the line so long!?"
Two figures—one energetic, one more subdued—darted and paused along the street, drawing curious glances from many.
People wondered if they were some unfamiliar idol duo or members of a girl band. After all, even in a world where looks were generally good, Kiana and Mei stood out effortlessly.
The lively, foreign-looking white-haired girl and the black-haired girl trailing behind her with a mix of exasperation and tenderness on her face—such a perfect pair, combined with their striking looks, didn't just catch the eyes of passersby.
Numerous talent scouts were already poised to approach.
Being able to eat junk food to her heart's content nearly brought Amber to tears.
She'd been so disciplined in the last world; she'd almost forgotten the taste of these foods. She'd come to buy instruments, but one taste of that guilty pleasure and she couldn't help but indulge.
"After all those sweets and snacks, you won't have room for a proper meal later."
The black-haired girl sighed as they reached the front of the music store.
"It's fine! I can eat tons!"
Amber hadn't expected her to bring that up.
After all, whether it was her own constitution or Kiana's, both were incredibly energy-intensive. She could replenish directly through energy, while Kiana mostly relied on eating.
Calling them bottomless pits wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Honestly, you're impossible…"
Black Amber naturally knew this too, but her expression was one of indulgence, as if accepting her own unreasonable antics.
Although Amber was well aware of Black Amber's care and concern for her, the other had always downplayed it with an indifferent tone and expression, leaving it to Amber to point things out.
Amber had grown accustomed to her lack of frankness.
But like this… it was a first for Amber, and it left her feeling somewhat off-balance.
So, she instinctively averted her gaze, changing the subject.
"R-right! Earlier, we said we'd try forming a band, but we haven't decided on positions yet, have we? Mei, is there any instrument you particularly like?"
Black Amber's expression remained natural. "Instruments… piano, drums, and guitar—I like them all."
Anything but bass, huh.
Amber actually felt the same. "Me too… But for guitar, you'd have to be the vocalist, right?"
"If Kiana were the vocalist, she'd probably shine pretty brightly."
"Ah? I couldn't do it! You should do it, Mei! Wait—we only have two people right now; there's no rush to pick a vocalist, is there? Better to settle on instruments first!"
Seeing Black Amber was casual about positions, Amber decided to voice her opinion first.
"When I helped Miku with rehearsals before, I learned a bit of guitar, so I'll pick guitar."
"Then I'll pick guitar too."
Black Amber nodded, then turned to a shop assistant who had been watching them for a while.
"Could you show us some guitars suitable for us? Please don't worry about the price."
Ah, moneybags.
The assistant nodded, not overly surprised. Judging from their earlier conversation, picking positions so casually meant they either didn't know instrument prices or didn't care.
Combined with the obviously foreign white-haired girl, it was normal to assume she was a young lady from abroad.
"Certainly, please come this—way!?"
A sudden, violent tremor nearly sent the assistant stumbling. It was followed by waves of terrified screams from outside.
Something happening on the very first day?
Amber looked somewhat bewilderedly at the black-haired girl beside her.
Running into trouble was normal in this world. Every city had its own evil organizations, and their attacks were as common as stray dogs on the street. One a day wasn't even surprising.
"You two! Come with me quickly, the safe room is over here!"
The now-steady assistant, seeing the two girls showed no sign of panic, thought they were frozen in fear and hurriedly called out to them.
"We'll be fine. You should go take shelter."
Seeing how frightened she was, Black Amber spoke reassuringly.
This behavior, which didn't quite match her usual personality, made Amber give her an extra glance.
Perhaps the earlier reminder had made Amber, who usually wouldn't pay much attention to Black Amber's 'acting,' take some extra notice.
Even though the other had often said things out of character to maintain her persona when playing Seele before, Amber hadn't paid it much mind back then.
But seeing it now… it was a first for Amber, and it left her feeling somewhat unsettled.
"I… I can't do that! It's definitely dangerous outside. I'm the manager of this store. It might not compare to a proper shelter, but I've weathered plenty of disasters hiding here. It's safe!"
The manager clearly didn't want them to leave. Even though she seemed eager to move herself, she couldn't just stand by and watch them head into danger.
Seeing this, Black Amber looked at Amber, as if expecting her to say something decisive to settle the matter.
…Alright then. Time for the most cringe-worthy performance.
Swallowing hard, Amber put on a bright, confident smile and produced a baseball bat from who-knows-where.
"I am the future's strongest Valkyrie! Whether it's the citizens outside or you, I will protect everyone! Manager, please go take shelter without any worries!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.