Firefly set down the book in her hands and spoke to her with a smile.
Once Nene Arakawa had calmed down, Firefly continued, "How have things been for you at the Kurama Family these past few days, Nene?"
"Not good at all."
Hearing that, Nene Arakawa thought about what things had been like at home lately. Her mother practically wanted to keep an eye on her twenty-four hours a day, never allowing her out of her sight even for a moment.
For that reason, even though Nene Arakawa had the Fox Mask Firefly had given her, it was difficult to find an opportunity to leave.
Her mother's behavior made her feel suffocated.
Still, she had not gained nothing over the past few days. She had also investigated quite a few things.
"That must have been rough!"
Hearing the unhappiness in Nene Arakawa's voice, Firefly reached out and patted her head to comfort her.
"You don't have to do that."
Feeling Firefly's head pat, Nene Arakawa felt a little embarrassed.
After exchanging a few simple words, Nene Arakawa sat beside Firefly. Looking at her, her expression turned serious.
"Firefly-chan."
"What is it, Nene?"
Firefly quietly waited for what she had to say.
"I've already investigated it thoroughly. The DGP Grand Prix really is a reality show for Future People, not an organization meant to save the world."
"And even our Kurama Family has gotten involved."
At the mention of this, Nene Arakawa's expression was grave, with a hint of hesitation.
If she had not accidentally discovered at home during this period that her father knew about the DGP, she would never have known that the Kurama Family was involved as well.
And her father was one of the DGP Grand Prix's sponsors.
Even her joining the DGP Grand Prix had been influenced by her father.
"Mm."
Naturally, Firefly already knew everything Nene Arakawa had said, so she was not surprised.
However, she had not expected Kōsei Arakawa to tell Nene Arakawa about these things so soon.
Then again, she had already completely shattered the original plot, so it was not strange for Nene to learn about it ahead of time.
And judging by Nene Arakawa's current reaction, she still did not know that she was not Kōsei Arakawa's biological daughter, but a life created by the Creation Goddess.
Otherwise, she would definitely have been in unbearable pain.
Under normal circumstances, Kōsei Arakawa would never reveal that secret either. He had intended to take it to his grave. He had not even told his wife, Nene Arakawa's mother.
In the original story, it was only exposed by Beroba, the Jyamato supporter and sponsor, through underhanded means.
"I'm a little curious. Why would beings like the DGP management, who can already reshape the world at will, choose to cooperate with the Arakawa Zaibatsu?"
The DGP management came from the future. With technology far beyond this era and the Creation Goddess, they toyed with the entire world in the palms of their hands. Everything in this world was nothing more than a toy to entertain them.
Why would beings like that care about the power of a zaibatsu native from what they saw as an "ancient age"?
It was something Firefly had never been able to understand while watching the show.
"Huh? I don't know either. Maybe they need the zaibatsu's help to reduce the DGP Grand Prix's impact?"
Nene Arakawa had never really thought carefully about that question.
But that was probably it. The DGP management had taken a liking to the Arakawa Zaibatsu's influence, which reached into every aspect of Japan.
If the game environment became bad, perhaps they would find it troublesome?
After all, before a Desire God was born, the deaths and destruction caused by the competition were real. So perhaps the Arakawa Zaibatsu was simply a front that could reasonably cover up information about the DGP without needing to reshape the world?
It still felt a little absurd. Why would the DGP management care about such things?
From their perspective, the world would be reshaped in the end anyway. It was completely unnecessary.
Besides, in the later plot, there was no attempt at concealment at all. They simply began destroying the world again and again, launching an apocalypse game.
"Firefly-chan!"
While Firefly was still thinking, Nene Arakawa placed both hands on Firefly's shoulders, her expression incomparably serious.
"Now that I understand the truth behind the DGP Grand Prix, I absolutely cannot allow our world to be used to entertain those Future People."
"So I'll help you deal with the DGP management, Firefly."
After learning that the truth about the DGP was exactly as Firefly had said, Nene Arakawa actually felt relieved. That meant Firefly had not lied to her!
Naturally, that only made her even more determined to stand on Firefly's side.
A Chivalrous Wanderer Walking the Universe
"..."
Hearing Nene Arakawa's words, Firefly was a little surprised.
Come to think of it, even after Nene Arakawa learned the truth about the DGP in the original story, she still chose to keep playing.
She wanted to become a Desire God!
Yet now, she was saying that she wanted to join Firefly in dealing with the DGP management. This was a little too...
But after thinking it over for a few seconds, Firefly understood.
In the original story, Nene had still longed to become a Desire God after learning about the DGP because she had discovered her true identity. She wanted to become a Desire God and make all her fans forget about her.
In her eyes, she was a fake Akari Arakawa, a fraud. But things were different now. She still did not know her identity.
"Don't you want to become a Desire God and fulfill your wish?"
Even though she understood Nene Arakawa's thoughts, Firefly could not help asking.
"It's not as if I have no wishes at all, but things are already good enough as they are."
Nene Arakawa shook her head.
She wanted to find true love and meet the person destined for her, but deep down, what she truly longed for was someone who could pull her out.
Now, she could be considered to have gotten what she needed, even if it was not perfect.
She was no longer as obsessed with it as before.
"Then that's wonderful. Welcome aboard, Nene."
Firefly welcomed her.
She did not expect Nene Arakawa to accomplish anything, but as a friend she acknowledged, Firefly only hoped Nene would not become her enemy.
And that was enough.
As for anything else, Firefly had never considered it.
"So does that mean I'm part of your organization now?"
"Uh... of course."
"Then... when can I meet Mr. Sam?"
Having received Firefly's confirmation, Nene Arakawa felt a little awkward and embarrassed. Still, she gathered her courage, took Firefly's hand, and asked her with eager anticipation.
"Huh? Mr. Sam?"
Hearing Nene Arakawa's request, Firefly froze, suddenly at a loss.
"Yes! That Stellaron Hunter, Sam. He's in the same organization as you, Firefly."
Nene Arakawa spoke quickly. Worried that Firefly might get the wrong idea, or perhaps worried about exposing her intentions, she hurriedly added, "I don't mean anything else by it. It's just... he saved me before, and I want to thank him in person."
"Uh..."
For a moment, Firefly did not know how to answer.
"Didn't you hate him?"
Thinking of how fiercely Nene Arakawa had reacted toward Stellaron Hunter Sam after Sam had wiped them out, why did it now seem like she had some ulterior motive toward Sam?
"How could I? I just didn't know what his purpose was at the time!"
Nene Arakawa immediately refuted her. The next moment, she looked at Firefly with pleading eyes, acting spoiled like a kitten, her face full of entreaty.
"So, can I? Firefly-chan."
"I just want to thank him in person. I absolutely have no other intentions."
"Um... we'll see. If there's an opportunity."
Not knowing how to answer, Firefly could only say that for now. They could talk about the rest later. When the time came, she could transform into Sam, and Nene probably would not be able to tell.
"Then you have to tell me if there's a chance."
"I wonder what Mr. Sam looks like beneath that knight armor?"
Nene Arakawa was incredibly curious about Sam's true appearance. Was he a sunny young man, a mature older man, or perhaps the rugged type?
The mystery of not knowing what he looked like at all, like an online romance, made Nene Arakawa look forward to it even more.
"..."
Firefly really wanted to tell her that Sam was not some Prince Charming from her fantasies, but a beautiful girl.
And that she was right in front of her.
"Oh, right."
"Firefly-chan, can you tell me what our organization actually is now? And Stellaron Hunter Sam... what exactly are the Stellaron Hunters?"
Once she stopped fantasizing about Sam's true appearance, Nene Arakawa finally asked about something important. Even now, she did not know what kind of organization Firefly and the others belonged to.
But since they opposed the Future People, possessed power like Mr. Sam's, and had all those miraculous items Firefly had produced, they definitely could not be ordinary.
Were they Future People too? Or aliens?
Or perhaps superheroes hidden in the shadows of this world, protecting it.
"...I can."
"You actually already said it just now. The organization is the Stellaron Hunters."
After a moment of silence, Firefly did not hide it from her.
"The Stellaron Hunters?"
So the organization was called the Stellaron Hunters, rather than referring to Mr. Sam alone. Nene Arakawa came to a realization, though she became even more curious about the organization.
"There are actually very few members in the Stellaron Hunters."
"We travel between different worlds, with hunting Stellarons as our primary goal."
"Traveling between different worlds? That's amazing!"
It was just like an organization from an anime. She could not even imagine what it would feel like to travel between different worlds.
She had never expected Firefly and the others to have such an extraordinary background.
But...
"What exactly is a Stellaron? A planetary core?"
Clearly, the Stellaron was the key.
Otherwise, why would they travel between worlds to hunt Stellarons?
"It isn't a planetary core. It's something extremely dangerous. Stellarons are seen as symbols of destruction, because wherever they go, they bring ruin and devastation."
"No one knew how many worlds had already been destroyed because of Stellarons."
Before you continue