Speedrunning Worlds Starting with Firefly

But a bowl of noodles should be enough, right?

Firefly wasn't a picky eater. She even liked Oak Cake Rolls, which ordinary people couldn't stomach, and ate one almost every day.

This thing absolutely could not be called delicious. On some remote planets, impoverished people added sawdust to their bread to make sure they could fill their stomachs.

That practice later evolved into a rich person's eccentricity, meant to "remember bitter times and cherish sweet ones."

Oak Cake Rolls contained a large amount of plant-based additives, resembling a piece of oak in both appearance and ingredients.

Only those with the greatest ambition and determination could successfully swallow one down.

With some hesitation, Firefly entered the noodle shop. After checking the price of the ramen on the wall, she relaxed. One thousand Japanese Yen was enough for a bowl of noodles.

She found a seat and ordered a bowl of the shop's specialty, Tanuki Soba.

While Firefly waited for her soba to arrive, she noticed a familiar man and woman...

Keiwa Sakurai?

And that girl who looked somewhat like him... she should be his older sister.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Seeing the two of them, along with this noodle shop, Firefly immediately realized something. She was a little surprised. If she had guessed correctly, this was the noodle shop Keiwa Sakurai often visited for Tanuki Soba.

As Firefly looked at them, Keiwa Sakurai also noticed her from across the room. He had been speaking to his sister with a miserable expression about the disappointment of his recent job-hunting failures, but his words abruptly stopped.

What a cute girl...

He ate here often, but this was the first time he had encountered such an adorable girl. At first glance... her looks and temperament completely matched his type.

No, rather, Firefly was the kind of girl most men in this country would like.

Unlike those girls whose distinctive traits and charm were obvious at a glance, Firefly could perhaps be described as "unremarkable" by comparison.

More precisely, she was the girl-next-door childhood-friend type. The "white moonlight" in one's heart.

She didn't make people feel she was impossibly distant like those endlessly charming girls did.

Cute and refreshing.

The perfect little-girlfriend template...

And Firefly was exactly the type most ordinary people liked best.

"Nene-chan is so cute!"

Sara Sakurai held her phone in both hands, watching the Kurama Family heiress's great escape, constantly voicing her admiration.

Whenever she had free time, Sara Sakurai liked watching the young lady's livestreams.

Even setting aside her status as a wealthy heiress, Nene Arakawa really was beautiful and adorable.

However, Sara Sakurai soon noticed that something was off with her younger brother. He had stopped talking halfway through. She had brought him here today to treat him after his repeated job-hunting failures.

Sara Sakurai put down her phone and raised her head to question her brother.

"Keiwa, what's wrong?"

Only then did Sara Sakurai notice where her brother was looking. Following his gaze, she spotted the beautiful silver-haired girl.

"So... so cute!"

The moment she saw Firefly, Sara Sakurai instinctively voiced that praise.

Because she really, truly was adorable.

When Firefly had been called "unremarkable" before, that was only in comparison to the top-tier Goddesses in Star Rail. In reality, Firefly's looks were still outstanding anywhere.

"She really is cute. Does she like Tanuki Soba too?"

Just as the owner set Firefly's soba before her, Keiwa Sakurai became even more interested. Anyone who liked Tanuki Soba was a good person.

"What? Have you fallen for her?"

Hearing her brother's words, Sara Sakurai couldn't help teasing him.

"N-No, I haven't."

Hearing his sister's words, Keiwa Sakurai panicked and hurriedly denied it.

"Don't talk nonsense, Sis..."

They didn't even know each other. How could he talk about falling for her when he knew nothing about her? Besides, he didn't have time to think about that now. Finding a job was more important.

Though it was impossible to say he hadn't felt even the slightest flutter.

He was just being rational.

"Don't be embarrassed. If you like her, seize the chance. If you miss it, it'll be too late. Besides, my little brother is so amazing. You definitely have a chance."

"She's really cute. I don't want to admit it, but she's even cuter than Nene-chan."

"It would be wonderful if such a cute girl could become my sister-in-law."

She liked Nene Arakawa very much, but she understood that a wealthy heiress like that would never have anything to do with people like them! But the girl before her might be different.

Firefly didn't look like some young lady from a wealthy family. No rich heiress would come to an ordinary noodle shop like this to eat.

So it wasn't impossible.

This girl was so cute and beautiful that even Sara's heart had fluttered. If only she weren't a girl herself...

Still, it would be nice if Firefly became her sister-in-law. Then they could see each other often.

"Sis..."

Keiwa Sakurai called out helplessly. He hadn't even found a job yet, so how could he talk about pursuing girls?

Besides, he didn't know anything about her.

"Alright! I get it, I was just joking."

"But she really is cute..."

Without continuing to persuade Keiwa Sakurai, Sara Sakurai picked up her phone and stood, preparing to head over to Firefly.

No matter what, meeting in a place like this was fate. She couldn't just let the opportunity slip away.

"Big Sis, what are you doing?"

Seeing Sara Sakurai's actions, Keiwa Sakurai grew a little nervous. Was his sister really planning to do something?

"Of course I'm going to ask for a photo with her. Who knows if I'll ever run into such a cute girl again?"

Answering as though it were only natural, Sara Sakurai walked over to Firefly.

"Hello!"

Sara Sakurai bent down and greeted her with a smile.

"Hello. Is something wrong?"

"Um, you're so cute! Can I take a picture with you?"

"Huh? A picture?"

This wasn't a convention, though.

Still, Firefly didn't refuse. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement. It wasn't a big deal, after all.

Then Firefly watched as Sara Sakurai moved close beside her and took a photo with her phone.

Sam Mecha, Combine!

"Thank you. I'm Sara Sakurai. What's your name?"

Looking at the photo on her phone and confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, Sara Sakurai happily introduced herself.

"I..."

Just as Firefly was about to answer, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. But this clearly wasn't an earthquake.

After the intense shaking stopped, a strange barrier suddenly appeared, directly separating Keiwa Sakurai from Sara Sakurai and Firefly.

This barrier was the Jyamato Field barrier unique to this world.

Within the Jyamato Field, the final battle of the DGP Grand Prix would unfold. And inside the Jyamato Field, all Jyamato would attack humans indiscriminately.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary people killed by Jyamato would be revived when the Creation God... or rather, the Desire God's wished-for world was born.

But there were exceptions.

"W-What is going on?!"

"Keiwa!"

Sara Sakurai couldn't understand what was happening before her. This had clearly gone beyond her common sense, especially that barrier that had directly separated her from her brother.

She tried slapping the barrier, but it was completely useless.

Keiwa Sakurai on the other side was also panicking.

At that moment, a large group of humanoid monsters suddenly appeared outside the shop. They had human bodies and monstrous heads, looked terrifying, wore priestly attire, and carried weapons.

They were Jyamato.

Before anyone could react, those Priest Jyamato had already rushed into Lizi Ramen Shop. One slashed the ramen shop owner across the chest.

The owner stopped breathing in an instant. He died from a single blow.

This cruel scene was too much for ordinary people like Keiwa Sakurai to bear. But what worried him even more was his sister.

Though a barrier stood between them, Keiwa still feared that the Priest Jyamato might threaten his sister and the others.

After exchanging a few frantic words, Keiwa Sakurai gritted his teeth and was the first to rush out of the noodle shop, intending to lure the Priest Jyamato away.

"We should leave too."

Seeing her brother run off with the Jyamato, Sara Sakurai was worried about him, but she still resolutely grabbed Firefly's wrist and fled the area.

Though those monsters didn't seem able to cross the barrier and attack them, who could say for sure?

However, Firefly had no intention of leaving just like that. These Jyamato were her targets.

After Sara Sakurai pulled her along for some distance, Firefly stopped and then sent Sara Sakurai away.

Sara Sakurai didn't think much of it. At that moment, she was worried about her brother's safety. She called the police while hurrying toward the station. It was the only thing she could do.

The two parted ways there.

Returning to the barrier, Firefly reached out and touched it. Just as she was considering how to get inside, she discovered that her hand passed through it easily.

That worked too!

She no longer needed to think about how to enter the Jyamato Domain.

Otherwise, she could only force her way in with the Power of Destiny. If not, she could do nothing but wait for Geats to complete the challenge and recreate the world.

To speedrun this world, Points were essential.

The greater her increase in strength, the easier it would be to clear the challenge.

Not long after entering the DGP Grand Prix battlefield, Firefly was targeted by a squad of Jyamato.

Looking at the Jyamato before her, Firefly didn't rush to transform like those Kamen Riders.

Instead, she intended to fight with her bare body first and see just how strong she was without using Sam's power.

This shouldn't be too difficult. Back when Ace Ukiyo was a high school student, he had encountered rampaging Jyamato. Not only had he not been afraid, he had defeated every Jyamato with his bare hands.

Afterward, Tsumuri had found him, given him a Desire Driver and the Geats ID Core, and he had officially become Kamen Rider Geats.

With the enhancement of the Destruction Path's power, she naturally wouldn't lose to Ace Ukiyo.

As a Jyamato slashed at her, its movements seemed incomparably slow in Firefly's eyes. It was as though she had gained a cat's vision, and she effortlessly dodged the attack.

Then she clenched her small fist and slammed it into the Jyamato. Powerful force erupted... and she killed the Jyamato before her with a single punch.