This Chat Group's Vibe is a Bit Off
Author: Black-and-White Horned Dragon
Synopsis:
Good news: he had transmigrated, and it was even into a peaceful everyday world.
Bad news: there was a chat group, and the group members' vibe was nothing like that of a normal world.
Kiana: Everyone, run! I have a split personality!
Talulah: A hundred people challenge ten jin of flour to survive on the snowfield for a week. Let's go! We're doing it, brothers!!
Toyokawa Shoko: The boss is withholding wages again. So annoying. We haven't been paid for two months already. I think that damn boss wants a change of heart! Everyone, gather in Tokyo tonight! We're going to steal hearts!!
He had suddenly transmigrated into a happy, beautiful everyday world and gained a Dimensional Chat Group. The two joys overlapped, and he should have obtained a dreamlike happy life. Yet why... why had it turned out like this...
Why was your vibe so different from that of a normal world?!
Volume One
I Think My Milk Might Be Expired
"Next stop, Ginza, Tokyo."
The faint sound of an announcement echoed through the comfortable, tranquil train carriage, informing passengers of the approaching destination.
The spacious business-class seat allowed one to enjoy the complimentary rich coffee and fresh bread, but Qianyi had no interest in the lifestyle perks that only petty bourgeois types could enjoy in the past. He merely adjusted his headphones and listened to the gentle music by his ears while taking this time to read Cognitive Science.
As a seasoned transmigrator, he deeply understood the importance of studying.
In his previous life, he had been a student from Shenzhou, the most ruthlessly competitive nation in East Asia's monster cram-school environment. After watching an anime about bands, he had impulsively spent all the living expenses he had saved up on bass lessons. After several years of self-study, he had set out for Japan.
Because he had obsessed too much over the bass, he had failed six university courses in a row. Yet he did not care in the slightest. He believed gold would always shine. As a bassist of the new era, he would surely form his own band, perform the songs he was proud of at the Budokan, and then blow up Tokyo Tower.
But that had merely been the fantasy of a street-performing bassist who could not earn money, could not even afford Pin Hao Fan, and had nearly starved to death on the streets.
His journey through Japan had been an utter failure. He had spent all his living expenses, the band he had formed had run into problems again and again before miserably disbanding, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not save it. In the end, he had no choice but to sell his bass cheaply, buy a plane ticket, and head back home.
Fuck, Japan was just too awful!
The trip home had not gone smoothly either. He had no idea what the Japanese airline was thinking, painting the plane he was supposed to take in Steel Prison Big's classic iced-tea color scheme and even specially adding Steel Prison Big's classic numbers, 8 and 24. He had felt it was terribly unlucky, but his savings were no longer enough to support cancelling the ticket and transferring flights. So he could only board the plane with gritted teeth. While he was anxiously on edge, some idiot started playing "See You Again" on the plane. Then, just as expected, the plane crashed amid a shout of "Man," and when he opened his eyes, he had entered his second playthrough.
In his second playthrough, he understood that playing in a band had no future and that only studying offered a future. He worked hard at everything. Even when family circumstances forced him to temporarily leave Tokyo and come to Inaba City, he never gave up studying. After becoming an esper, dispelling the fog that had shrouded Inaba City for years, and solving a serial murder case, he was finally able to return to Tokyo to continue school.
Following the development of a youth daily-life anime, what he should do next was study hard in high school, get into the University of Tokyo, enter politics, become the new prime minister, and then—implement the Band Dissolution Tax!
Anyone who dissolved a band without filing a report or obtaining the consent of every band member, merely because of one person's selfishness, should be fined and additionally charged at least a hundred thousand yen in Band Dissolution Tax!
He longed for this godforsaken Japanese society to be reformed.
Bzzz—!
A vibration signaled that the software download had finished.
Qianyi took out his phone and discovered that some unknown app had appeared on it at some point. He held it down, dragged it into the trash, and deleted it.
Yet a few minutes later, his phone vibrated again. It was that same app.
Hm?
Were junk apps this brazen nowadays?
Delete it again!
After repeating the process more than ten times, Qianyi, who felt his data being rapidly consumed, gave up. He wanted to see just what this lousy chat app was doing.
I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: I'm telling you, that super pretty girl I met before, the one called Raiden Mei, talked to me again! Ah! She has stolen my heart. Perhaps there will be no more joy or sorrow in this life.
Customer Service Xiangzi is at your service: That just sounds like sexual harassment.
Talulah: Agreed. Would a normal person change their group name to such a perverted name?
Child of Prophecy: No matter how much you like someone, doing something like this...
Aspiring Magical Girl: Is that Mei a Magical Girl? If she is a Magical Girl, then I can sort of understand. Hehe~.
Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: Honestly, there's a newcomer joining the group. I know none of you have any senior-member baggage, but at least watch your image a little!
So it was that kind of group chat.
Qianyi calmly changed his group name to Steel Prison Big, intending to observe for now before making a big move later.
After leaving the station, Qianyi made his way with practiced familiarity to a courtyard on a quiet street in Tokyo's Ginza district.
At the press of a switch, the iron gate opened automatically. Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing he saw was a carefully trimmed Japanese Karesansui garden. A delicate cobblestone path wound past a pond dotted with several blooming cherry trees, their petals drifting down with the wind. A stone bridge spanned the crystal-clear water at its center.
Walking straight ahead over the stone bridge, he faced a three-story building. The first floor contained the dining room, living room, and bathhouse. The second floor had a hall, gym, and study. The third floor was made up of bedrooms. There was also an attic for storing miscellaneous items, though it had not been used in a long time and definitely gave off an unclean, gloomy impression. The courtyard was large, and behind the building was a field that could be used for both baseball and soccer.
The house was far too empty, and he was the only person living there. No matter how one looked at it, it severely lacked the feeling of a lived-in home.
"I kind of miss Inaba City."
"Oh, lucky me. There's actually still milk in the refrigerator."
"Let's see, does it expire today? A one-year shelf life really is too short."
He should ask the group members whether milk expiring today could still be drunk.
At that moment, the group members happened to be chatting actively.
Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: Sigh, supplies in the Underworld are insufficient again. We have to find a way to get some from the upper city. Talulah, can you provide any support on your end?
Talulah: I'm afraid not. Winters in Ursus are especially cold. We do not even have enough warm clothing, and the Earth Essence Seele provided before has almost been used up. Food and other supplies are even less worth mentioning.
Child of Prophecy: Winter is approaching on my side too, but I collected a lot of berries. If you need some, I can send you some of the berries I gathered.
Customer Service Xiangzi is at your service: The boss is withholding wages again. So annoying. We haven't been paid for two months already.
A misery contest?
Then it had to be him!
Steel Prison Big: Can I ask something? I bought some milk a year ago and it has been sitting in the refrigerator ever since. The expiration date says today. Can I still drink it? I think my milk might be expired.
Talulah: ...
Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: ...
Talulah: If it expires today, you should still be able to drink it.
So he could still drink it. Then it was fine.
Gulp gulp gulp.
It tasted a little strange. His stomach started hurting, and he might need to use the bathroom.
He spent half an hour on the toilet.
His courage increased slightly???.
At that moment, something happened in the unknown chat group.
Talulah: Is anyone there? Come help me! Alina, she... she's about to die! @All Members.
Customer Service Little Xiang: She's about to die? What exactly happened?
Talulah: I don't know, but whoever it is, please help me. I'll do anything!
She would do anything?
Then drink expired milk and spend half an hour on the toilet for me!
Steel Prison Big: Hang in there, kid. I'm coming to save you right now!
Terra Continent, Ursus snowfield.
The endless pure-white snowfield hurt Talulah's eyes just from looking at it. She did not know how much longer days like this would continue.
Come to think of it, why had Alina not returned yet?
She had only gone to the eastern village to trade for food. Normally, she should have returned by this time. Her Drac instincts vaguely told her something was wrong. She called FrostNova and Patriot over to ask, only to learn that neither of them had seen Alina today.
"No, I have to go look for her!" Talulah did not have time to think. She turned and ran toward the eastern village.
Her footsteps echoed over the empty snowfield, each step seeming to strike against the fear in her heart. The frigid air cut across her cheeks, and every breath she exhaled turned into a cloud of white mist in the night before quickly dispersing into the silent surroundings. Her heartbeat raced, while those ominous premonitions loomed over her mind like shadows.
As she ran, her feet stamped deep marks into the snow, producing creaking sounds. Yet the unease in her heart only intensified, because she could smell a faint scent of rust mixed with sweat in the air. It was a scent with a primal force, carrying the close connection between life and death.
Her swift steps, moving at full speed, abruptly stopped. As a powerful Drac, she had never wavered even before the strongest Inner Guards of the Ursus Empire, yet now her entire body trembled as if she had witnessed something terrifying beyond measure.
On the snow lay a figure curled into a ball, covered in dark-red blood. Dirty blood mixed with mud stained her body into a filthy mess. Her limbs were twisted into positions no ordinary person could possibly make. The ring Alina had always worn on her hand was gone, but her shattered hand still clutched a basket tightly.
Perhaps sensing a familiar presence, Alina, whose consciousness had already become hazy, moved her lips and made a tiny sound like a mosquito's buzz.
"Sorry... I couldn't protect... the dried fruit... I traded for the children..."
"Alina! Who did this? Was it the villagers? I'll kill them!"
"Talulah... I... I can't make it."
"Alina! You can't give up now. I still haven't shown you the sight of infected children living beneath the same blue sky as ordinary children!! You can't die. I won't allow you to die!! As long as we get back to camp, we can definitely heal you!!!"
"Talulah... don't force it. Being able to see you one last time at the end, I can die without regrets. But I still have one final request. I hope you won't resent those who hurt me. Don't hate them, or else... you'll be consumed by hatred..."
Tears streamed down from Talulah's eyes. At that moment, she desperately wanted to call Alina's name, but no sound would come out. She wanted to speak, wanted to respond to Alina, yet she could not make a sound.
Why? Why had it become like this?
"Alina!!!"
She could not think of any way to save Alina. At the critical moment, she thought of the Dimensional Chat Group and immediately asked it for help without hesitation.
She knew that most of the group members would have no way to help with her plea, but at a time like this, she could no longer care about that!
Right afterward, she saw the newcomer who had just joined the group reply below and send a request.
Steel Prison Big has requested to enter your world. Accept?
Yes/No
"Yes!"
The next moment, a heavy wooden door appeared more than ten meters away from her. A young man with silver-gray hair, a tall, slender build, and clothing that made him look like a delinquent emerged from it. He gave off a calm, cool aura, carrying a case of milk in one hand and a blue tarot card in the other as he ran toward her.
"Persona!"
Qianyi crushed the tarot card, trying to summon his Persona and heal Alina. Yet his expected Persona did not appear, as though a thick wall of the heart was blocking it.
My self-awareness should already be strong enough to summon a Persona in reality.
Is it because the worldviews are different?
"Then, Susanoo-no-Mikoto! Come forth!"
Qianyi pulled a silver pistol marked with the letters S.E.E.S. from his pocket, aimed it at his own head, and pulled the trigger.
A mysterious being slowly manifested behind him, draped in a gleaming silver trench coat and wearing a magnificent silver mask. Its arms, legs, and chest were covered in exquisite, radiant armor. It held an Ōdachi decorated with a ring-shaped guard, its blade flashing with cold light. Noble and sacred, it carried endless majesty and solemnity, like a deity stepped out of an ancient legend, inspiring awe and reverence.
Its name was Izanagi!
"Savior's Heal!"
Susanoo-no-Mikoto behind Qianyi spun the Ōdachi in its hand, causing it to rotate rapidly like a propeller before floating toward Alina like the wind and enveloping her entire body.
Talulah's eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. Her gaze locked tightly onto Alina in her arms, as though she could not believe what she was seeing. The red fluid rapidly congealed under the light's effect, restoring the skin's original color. She watched in astonishment as Alina's once-twisted limbs slowly returned to normal, her bones and tendons realigning as if gently smoothed by an invisible force.
Even more unbelievable, Alina's breathing, which had nearly faded away, gradually returned to normal. Her chest rose and fell with strength as the breath of life flowed back into her body.
Talulah: "??!"
Before you continue