Starting with Firefly, Speedrun the World

The sky had already turned to dusk.

Under the glow of the setting sun, the city appeared utterly dreamlike.

"So? What do you think of this place?"

Nene Arakawa walked up beside Firefly-chan, but she didn't look at the scenery below. Instead, she watched Firefly-chan's profile, catching the moment she was lost in the view before her.

Compared to the scenery here, she was far more beautiful in this instant!

"It's really... beautiful..."

Firefly-chan stared fixedly ahead, completely immersed in the sight before her.

"Yeah."

Nene Arakawa also withdrew her gaze. She had timed their arrival perfectly to bring her here, because this moment held the most captivating view.

And Firefly-chan's reaction did not disappoint her.

"How beautiful... If only time could stop forever in this golden moment..."

Firefly-chan slowly reached out her hand, as if trying to grasp the light before her.

But the sun always sets, and the moon inevitably rises—whether you like it or not, it cannot be changed!

"..."

Hearing this, Nene Arakawa said nothing more. She simply accompanied Firefly-chan in quiet silence, watching the last remnants of the sunset until the sky was completely dark.

And at the same time, colorful lights appeared in the city below.

After a long while, Firefly-chan suddenly turned to look at Nene Arakawa, her expression conflicted, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Firefly-chan?"

Seeing Firefly-chan like this, Nene Arakawa's eyes showed a hint of confusion.

"I'm sorry... Actually, there are a lot of things I've been hiding from you."

After thinking it over, Firefly-chan couldn't hold back anymore.

She placed one hand over her chest, her voice filled with apology as she softly said sorry to her.

No matter how she saw things in her past life, in this world, Nene Arakawa had wholeheartedly looked out for her, while she herself had harbored other motives.

It really weighed on her conscience.

"Huh? Hiding from me?"

Nene Arakawa was a bit puzzled by this.

She had always known Firefly-chan was mysterious, but that was her privacy, so Nene Arakawa had never pressed her about it.

"Actually, the Oddity I gave you before—I had an ulterior motive. It's essentially a tracker."

Leaving everything else aside, this was the core reason Firefly-chan felt guilty toward Nene Arakawa. No matter the cause, she had indeed used her.

"A... tracker?"

Nene Arakawa was startled. She never expected it to be something like that.

"Why?"

She didn't understand why Firefly-chan would do this.

And now she was confessing it herself.

"I'm sorry. For certain reasons, there are things I still can't tell you everything about right now. But there are also things I should be honest with you about..."

Firefly-chan took a deep breath and stepped closer to Nene Arakawa, deciding to be open about some matters. There was no need to hide everything from her, and it was also to let her mentally prepare early.

The reason she hadn't told her before was that circumstances were different then.

But after today's experiences, she could no longer bring herself to use her without guilt—to use someone who had given her everything with a pure heart.

If before she had only seen her as a familiar character in a story, now Firefly-chan had completely come to regard her as a friend.

PS: Still asking for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and blades! Please, dear readers.

Chapter 33: Let's Take a Photo as a Souvenir! Firefly-chan

"Actually, the DGP Grand Prix isn't some mysterious organization that saves the world."

"It's a group of people from the distant future who use this world as a stage to put on a reality show, satisfying their own pursuits—or rather, their twisted tastes."

"The DGP's management, the audience behind the scenes—they don't care at all about what happens to this world. Human lives, happiness—to those extreme Future People, they're just things to satisfy their perverse emotions."

"Even when the game ends and the finale arrives, this world will be on a countdown to doomsday..."

Firefly-chan told Nene Arakawa everything about the DGP Grand Prix, sparing no detail. To be honest, she wasn't very good at being a cryptic riddler.

But Nene Arakawa wasn't like Ace Ukiyo or the others. Firefly-chan believed that with her instructions, she wouldn't act recklessly or blab.

Of course, if she did mess up, then Firefly-chan would have to admit she misjudged and trusted the wrong person—but she also had ways to fix it.

"Future People... a reality show..."

"Audiences who delight in the misfortune of others..."

Nene Arakawa listened to Firefly-chan's words, her entire being caught in shock and disbelief.

The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, feeling almost unreal.

She couldn't believe that the true situation of the DGP Grand Prix was like this—that a group of Future People had turned their world into a stage for their amusement.

Everyone's happiness and misfortune, toyed with at will by these Future People.

"How could this be..."

Nene Arakawa clutched her head, somewhat dazed...

"This is all I have to say. I have no other purpose—I just want to stop those Future People, to keep them from running rampant any longer."

"Let me process this, Firefly-chan. What you've told me is too shocking."

Nene Arakawa crouched down; she needed time to digest it all.

"Mm."

Firefly said no more, quietly staying by her side, waiting for her to absorb the information.

After who knows how long, Nene Arakawa finally stood up again, momentarily unsure of what to do.

"So that's why that Stellaron Hunter Sam said what he did. Was he also targeting the DGP's operations and the Future People?"

She let out a deep breath, now understanding what the Stellaron Hunter had meant with his final words last time—telling all Future People that it was he who had sent them off.

Before, she hadn't understood what Future People were; it had all been so confusing.

So the people behind the DGP all came from the distant future.

But a future like this was truly hard to bear. If Future People had become like this, then there was nothing to look forward to in the future either.

Nene Arakawa didn't connect Firefly with Stellaron Hunter Sam. How could that mighty, powerful Rider be the same person as a delicate girl like Firefly?

Maybe they were connected, part of the same faction, but they absolutely couldn't be the same person.

For one thing, their genders were completely different!

Stellaron Hunter Sam was clearly male, so Nene Arakawa had never suspected her.

But still...

"Then, Firefly, who are you?"

Since she was targeting the DGP Grand Prix, Firefly wasn't an ordinary person either. That wasn't surprising, given the incredible items Firefly had pulled out.

"Sorry, I'll tell you, but... not now."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Firefly answered like this.

"If that's the case, then why did you tell me all this?"

Nene Arakawa didn't understand.

"Because I didn't want to lie to you."

"I didn't want us to part ways and become enemies... at least, I didn't want that to happen."

"..."

Nene Arakawa fell silent. After a long moment, she looked back at Firefly.

"I understand. If you're not lying to me, then... I'm willing to help you."

"If the DGP Grand Prix really is just a reality show for those Future People to amuse themselves..."

Even though she was reluctant to admit it, she was indeed a member of the Kurama Family. As a member of the Kurama Family, there were things she had to do.

That was what her father had taught her.

"Good."

Hearing this, Firefly broke into a smile.

Then her expression turned serious as she continued to apologize to Nene Arakawa.

"Finally, I'm sorry again!"

With that, Firefly turned to leave.

She was no longer fit to stay with her. Even though she had never harbored any ill intentions toward her and had actually been helping her, some things were still a form of exploitation.

But just as Firefly turned to go, Nene Arakawa grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Huh?"

Firefly halted, a look of surprise on her face.

"Firefly-chan, where are you going?"

"I already..."

"I never blamed Firefly-chan! Even if it was a tracker, the truth is... Firefly-chan was protecting me. If anything... I should be thanking you."

Nene Arakawa looked at Firefly with a serious expression. She wasn't lying. Though she was shocked by the true nature of the DGP and the revelation that Firefly was a tracker, she had never once disliked Firefly.

There was no way she'd let this create a rift between her and her only friend.

If she let Firefly leave like this, their relationship would never recover, and she would surely regret it.

What Firefly had done wasn't really deception at all.

And the fact that she was here now, telling her everything, wasn't that proof of Firefly's trust in her?

She didn't even have to mention the tracker, but she did anyway.

That alone showed Firefly's character!

"Nene..."

"Alright, enough of that. Since we're here, let's take a photo as a memento! Firefly-chan."

Pulling out her phone, Nene Arakawa grinned and tugged Firefly into position, ready to snap a commemorative selfie together.

"...Mm."

Firefly hesitated for a moment, then said nothing more, obediently going along with her.

"3, 2, 1..."