More importantly, even if she found a job, she would not get paid right away. She would have to wait until next month.
The laptop in front of her and the cheap phone in her hand had both been bought with money she borrowed from Nene Arakawa.
Although Nene Arakawa said she was giving them to her outright, Firefly understood that Nene Arakawa did not want to go home right now, and her money would run out sooner or later.
She was already grateful enough to be staying in the house Nene Arakawa rented, so naturally, she could not keep taking her money.
She always joked about wanting to live off a rich woman, but that was just talk. When it actually happened, she felt too embarrassed to accept it.
Come to think of it, Firefly had never thought making money was difficult before.
Even in her previous life, she could make several hundred thousand a year by writing web novels, taking copywriting jobs, and grinding game accounts for others.
That was why she had been qualified to quit her job and slack off in her previous life.
Logically speaking, many things from her previous life did not exist in this world, so making money should have been easier.
But jobs that paid quickly were hard to find.
"Do I have to look for daily-pay work again?"
Looking at the little cash in her hand, although she had already started working online, the earliest she could earn anything would still be next month.
So she chose to work as a receptionist at a daily-pay job for two days.
Since it was a legitimate large-scale venue, nothing unexpected happened.
And the pay was pretty good—15,000 Japanese Yen a day for six hours of work.
It was fairly easy too!
Although the competition was quite fierce, Firefly got selected without any trouble after she went.
Speaking of which, the girl herself had never done this kind of work in her previous life. It was Firefly's memories that contained relevant experience.
Back in Penacony...
"Should I sell some worn stockings for emergency cash?"
She took out the stockings she had drawn from Fu Xuan. There should be perverts interested in something like this, right?
And compared to those people who rubbed them under their armpits, stuffed them into shoes, or even had men pretend to be women before selling them online as stockings and clothes worn by cute girls...
These had genuinely been worn by the adorable Miss Fu Xuan of the Divination Department!
They were absolutely worth the price.
"Ahem, forget it!"
"At this point, I might as well toss aside my principles and make money!"
If she really wanted to make money quickly, she had countless methods. There was no need to go this far. It was just that the values she had developed made her unable to make up her mind to do it.
She was a law-abiding, upstanding citizen!
Even in another world, she had not forgotten her original principles.
Perhaps her moral bottom line would lower in the future, but not now.
But it was precisely because she could not let go of her principles that the girl had no money. Of course, more importantly, she had not been pushed to her limit yet. If she had not met Nene Arakawa and gained a place to stay, perhaps she really would have taken that step that day.
"Firefly-chan, what are you doing?"
Just as Firefly was thinking about how to make money, Nene Arakawa's voice came from outside the room.
"Nothing."
Firefly closed the page on her computer, then went to the door and opened it.
She found Nene Arakawa dressed very fashionably, as though she were preparing to go out.
"Nene, are you heading out?"
"Yep."
Nene Arakawa nodded, then excitedly told her about a discovery she had made over the past few days.
"Firefly-chan, this mask you gave me is seriously useful! It's been so many days, and they still haven't found me."
"And even when I go out and walk among crowds, no one recognizes me."
This time, it seemed she had truly succeeded in running away from home. They had not found her again, though she still occasionally missed home a little.
But more than that, she was enjoying this time of freedom.
After all, it had only been a few days. The time was still short.
Once more time passed—a month, half a year... perhaps she would change her mind again by then.
"As long as you're happy."
"But have you considered that your parents might be frantically looking for you right now?"
Although Nene Arakawa's family situation was complicated, there was one thing... they truly did love her. They did not entirely see her as a replacement for their deceased daughter.
"I want her to worry for a while. Besides..."
At that, Nene Arakawa fell silent. Her mood visibly sank, all because she remembered her parents' behavior and reactions every year on her birthday.
Was their love for her really "real" love?
Although she did not know that she was merely a replacement for Akari Arakawa, the true daughter of the Arakawa Zaibatsu, and that she was a human created by the Creation Goddess because Kōsei Arakawa and his wife could not accept their daughter's death...
She had still keenly sensed something, which was why she always said she wanted to obtain true "love."
That love was not limited to her parents, nor was it limited to a romantic partner. It was the kind of love she wanted—love from someone who truly loved her.
"Let's not talk about that. I already sent them a message to let them know I'm safe! Nothing will happen."
"Of course, I left the message using a public phone in another area, so I didn't leave any clues behind."
Nene Arakawa smiled again, then explained to Firefly that she had already assured them of her safety and how cautious she had been.
Right now, she did not want to return so soon to that home that made her feel so suffocated she could barely breathe.
"Compared to all that, Firefly-chan, shall we go shopping? There seems to be some kind of festival nearby. It's supposed to be really lively."
No longer wanting to think about those upsetting things, Nene Arakawa enthusiastically invited Firefly out with her.
That was also why she had changed clothes so early.
"A festival? Sure."
Since Nene Arakawa had her own thoughts about this, Firefly naturally would not meddle further. Instead, she agreed to Nene Arakawa's invitation.
Making money could wait for now too.
"Wait for me. I'll go change."
After saying that to Nene Arakawa, Firefly turned and walked over to the wardrobe.
After so many days, Firefly naturally could not keep wearing the same outfit. Even if the clothes did not get dirty, constantly wearing one set would not leave a good impression on others.
Although Firefly in this world was indeed very poor, she had still gritted her teeth and bought two affordable outfits.
They both suited her very well.
They were inexpensive, but when she wore them, they looked as though they had been tailored specifically for her.
That girl-next-door, unattainable first-love style was brought out to the fullest.
Sweet and adorable!
Just like the outfit Firefly changed into now: a pale yellowish-white blouse paired with a black outer layer and a brown plaid JK skirt. It was simply too cute!
It made people want to pull her completely into their arms and never let go.
"All done."
"Nene, let's go!"
Once she was sure there were no problems, Firefly walked over to Nene Arakawa's side.
Compared to Nene Arakawa, she looked more like a well-behaved little sister.
I'll Treat You to Dessert as Thanks
"What's wrong, Nene?"
Firefly looked at Nene Arakawa, who was staring at her without blinking, and tilted her adorable head as she asked in confusion.
"So cute! Firefly-chan."
Only then did Nene Arakawa come back to her senses, unable to resist hugging Firefly directly.
The Firefly before her was truly, truly adorable. She was like the cute little sister one could only find in fantasies, the kind neither men nor women could resist.
"If only I really had a little sister like you."
After snuggling against Firefly for several seconds, Nene Arakawa reluctantly let her go. She really wanted a little sister like this.
"Uh, I might be older than you..."
Firefly was not quite used to Nene Arakawa acting like this, but she did not resist. She only answered hesitantly.
"How could that be?"
Looking at the adorable Firefly before her, Nene could not believe it. How could she possibly be older than her?
"Don't be so sure."
"Sometimes, eyes can deceive you too."
Not to mention anything else.
The Future People alone had appearances and even lifespans that they set themselves. They were absolutely not as simple as they looked.
"Let's not talk about this. Didn't you say we were going shopping?"
There was no point to this topic. Her age in her previous life had been about the same as Nene Arakawa's, but Firefly's age was indeed far greater than hers.
There was no need to explain all that. Firefly changed the subject.
"Right, let's go shopping first."
Seeing Firefly change the subject, Nene Arakawa did not think much of it and started talking about going shopping again.
Being able to shop freely, without bodyguards following her around and without every move being watched by her family, had always been her dream.
Now, thanks to Firefly's Fox Mask, she could finally experience this hard-won sense of ease.
As she spoke, Nene Arakawa grabbed Firefly's wrist and led her out of the house.
Although Firefly said she might be older than her, given Firefly's current appearance, Nene Arakawa instinctively still treated her as a little sister.
So she unconsciously made some big-sister-like gestures.
The streets were packed with people coming and going.
There would not normally be so many people, but today was a festival at the local shrine, drawing a huge crowd.
They were enjoying this rare time of celebration.
At that moment, two girls walked through the crowd, chatting and laughing as they admired the sights around them... but to the people around them, weren't they a sight themselves?
"So many people. It's really lively."
Nene Arakawa led Firefly along the street. Looking at the festival stalls on both sides and the crowds passing by, the happy smile on her face never faded.
Firefly followed beside her, curiously looking around as well.
She had never actually experienced this kind of festival in Japan. She had only seen them in anime and games, so it all felt quite novel.
Every now and then, shrine staff passed by carrying various props, seemingly preparing for some ritual.
Unfortunately, there were no cute shrine maidens to be seen. They were all male priests.
"Firefly-chan, look at this... it's so interesting!"
By now, Nene Arakawa had completely immersed herself in the atmosphere. She pulled Firefly from stall to stall, eagerly sharing anything interesting she spotted with her.
And Firefly actively went along with her...
Before you continue