Speedrunning the World Starting with Firefly

Firefly had not initially struck people as breathtakingly stunning. Instead, she gave off the feeling of a first love, a cherished white moonlight.

But she was the kind of beauty that grew more captivating the longer one looked.

She was like the first cherry blossom to bloom in spring, fresh and delicate.

After admiring Miss Firefly's appearance for a moment, the girl turned and left the room. She went to the bedroom and changed into an outfit well-suited for going out.

Overall, it retained a girl's innocence and energy while also carrying a sense of composure and calm.

Clearly, she was about to head out...

"Nene isn't here today. Going alone... or..."

She glanced at Nene Arakawa's room. The door was not closed, but no one was inside. Nene had gone out that morning without saying exactly what she was doing, and Firefly had not asked.

After all, everyone had their own things to do. She and Nene Arakawa could only be considered friends, so she had no right to interfere...

What she was going out to do was not particularly troublesome, but it felt as though having someone accompany her would be better.

After thinking for a moment, the girl shifted her gaze to the Herta Puppet standing by nearby.

"Herta, come out with me!"

She would bring Herta along. It was not as though Herta had anything to do at home anyway.

"Going out? Sure."

Hearing Firefly's words, Herta came out of standby mode. She did not refuse, merely nodded in agreement.

Then she headed for the door, preparing to leave with Firefly.

"Wait a moment. You should change first." Herta's current clothes were fine at home, where there were no outsiders, but they were not suitable for going out...

But letting the puppet Herta choose and coordinate her own clothes would be highly inappropriate. Firefly turned and went to Herta's wardrobe to look for something.

Nene Arakawa had previously bought Herta plenty of clothes in all sorts of styles. After looking through them, Firefly picked out a darker-colored Lolita outfit.

"This one, then. Will you change yourself, or should I help you?"

Holding the clothes out before the Herta Puppet, Firefly asked her.

"..."

However, Herta did not answer. She only looked at Firefly impassively.

"Then do it yourself."

As she spoke, Firefly sat down nearby without avoiding the sight... She stared fixedly at Herta. Changing a puppet's outfit was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

Though the puppet before her was a little too lifelike and even had artificial intelligence.

Herta, being a puppet, did not care about such things and began changing her clothes. Aside from the joints, the rest of her body was not much different from a human's.

Once Herta had changed, Firefly found some bandage-like wrist guards and slipped them directly onto Herta, concealing her joints.

That way, no one would be able to tell she was a puppet!

Firefly carefully examined Herta before her. She looked like a princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale, every detail brimming with the aura of art and magic.

Her hair had been carefully woven into an elaborate bun, every strand smooth and glossy, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

Her hair ornaments were equally exquisite, gleaming brilliantly and complementing the puppet's overall style perfectly.

Her limbs were slender and well-proportioned, their lines smooth and elegant. Her fingers were delicate and refined, as if they could play the most beautiful melody.

"Let's go."

Taking Herta's little hand, Firefly led her to the door.

After putting on their shoes, the two of them headed straight to the roadside.

She was going to a 4S store. She had not gotten a chance to look during the earlier auto show, so she had reserved a car online a few days ago.

One reason was for the convenience of getting around, so she would not always have to squeeze onto the train. The other was to fulfill her original idea: turning a sports car into an Itasha.

She had already designed the plan, including a design featuring Elysia...

Before coming to this world, she had seen other people's Porsches decorated with True Self Herrscher Elysia and had been incredibly envious.

Now that she had the chance and the financial means, of course she had to give it a try.

Although this world did not have Honkai Impact 3rd, and almost no one knew Elysia, none of that mattered. As long as she liked it, that was enough.

This time, Firefly did not choose to take the train. She was no longer broke like when she had first arrived, so there was no need to save such a small amount of money.

After waiting a while, the girl hurriedly raised her hand when she saw a taxi approaching, signaling to it.

Noticing Firefly's gesture, the driver pulled up in front of the two of them. He was a man in his fifties, dressed in a neat suit and looking utterly meticulous.

He gave off the impression of a butler from some luxurious mansion rather than a taxi driver.

After parking, he even got out to open the door for his passengers and made an inviting gesture...

With service this attentive, it was honestly hard to refuse the ride. Even if it was a little expensive, it did not seem so hard to accept.

"Where would you two ladies like to go?"

Only after returning to the driver's seat did he ask for their destination.

Firefly told him where she wanted to go. The driver nodded, set off, and told her roughly when they would arrive.

The ride was very smooth, nothing like sitting in the sports car driven by Blade, her fellow Stellaron Hunter. Who knew when he might decide he no longer wanted to live, have his Mara-struck condition flare up, and take her with him in a fiery wreck.

This speed made Firefly feel very safe. She could quietly admire the scenery passing outside the window, while Herta leaned against her in silence. Like a puppet—though she was one.

After driving for nearly an hour, they finally reached their destination.

When it came time to pay, even though Firefly had prepared herself mentally, her eyelid still twitched at the number. Ordinary people really could not afford to take taxis like this.

After entering the 4S store, Firefly was led by a salesperson directly to the car she had reserved.

Looking at the white sports car before her, Firefly was fairly satisfied. She was already looking forward to what it would look like after becoming an Itasha.

"No need to introduce it. I'll take this one."

"Huh? Aren't you going to test-drive it first?"

The salesperson, who had been enthusiastically introducing the car, froze. He had never expected the customer before him to decide after only a few glances.

"There's no need for all that trouble. I trust your reputation. Prepare the purchase contract. I'll pay in full."

Though she said that, the truth was that Firefly and Herta had already inspected it. Any problems with a car like this were practically obvious to them at a glance.

There was no need to make things so troublesome...

She was in a hurry, too.

Taking a Girl for a Drive

By the time Firefly came out of the 4S store, two hours had already passed.

When she came out, she was already driving the sedan she had reserved. If not for the time spent selecting accessories and handling paperwork, it would not even have taken two hours.

However, her official plates had not arrived yet, so she only received temporary plates.

Of course, that did not make much difference...

If anything, it was even more convenient.

As she drove her new car, quite a few vehicles on the road gave way to her. Although the Xiaomi SU7 next to her was a similar model—

In this area, a sports car like hers still clearly looked extremely expensive. Naturally, no one wanted to collide with such a luxury vehicle...

Though it was not a custom car, it was still a limited-edition luxury car with only a small number available worldwide.

While driving, Firefly glanced at Herta in the passenger seat. For some reason, she felt like she was taking a girl out for a scenic drive.

Though the girl in the passenger seat was only a puppet, there was no denying it... Herta really was adorable.

Having such a cute girl in the passenger seat made her mood noticeably better.

Firefly rolled down the window and felt the wind blowing in. The sensation of having the steering wheel in her own hands was incredibly reassuring.

Whenever she rode in someone else's car, she was often somewhat worried.

Like when Blade drove... He had gone twenty system-hours without sleep and still drove incredibly fast. Perhaps he was confident in his own skills, or perhaps it was because he simply could not die.

If he really could die, he would probably be even happier...

And in Blade's eyes, Firefly, who was also a Stellaron Hunter, was the same way.

Looking at the camera ahead, Firefly suddenly remembered... Did this version of her in this world not seem to have a driver's license?

Whatever. It was not important, as long as she did not get caught.

When they reached a traffic light, Firefly slowly stopped at the side of the road...

The appearance of such a luxury car looked utterly out of place here, and it naturally attracted envious or jealous looks from those nearby.

In particular, the driver in the adjacent lane slightly behind them first noticed the sports car beside him, then noticed Herta in its passenger seat. His jealousy immediately grew even stronger.

Sure enough, the passenger seat of a luxury car never disappointed.

Such a cute girl. What a shame she belonged to someone else—to a rich person...

Then he could not help wanting to see what this rich second-generation kid looked like. He guessed the person was probably short and sleazy, merely rich. He edged his car forward slightly and turned to look at the driver's seat, only to freeze...

It was also a beautiful young girl.

At that moment, the light turned green. He still had not reacted, immediately irritating the drivers behind him.

Firefly did not notice any of that. Once the light turned green, she drove off.

As for the Itasha, Firefly planned to do most of it herself with Herta. There was no need for anyone else, and it was not exactly difficult.

They merely lacked professional tools and equipment, which they would need to buy or use at a specialized location.

She had checked, and there were plenty of places in Akihabara.

This kind of Itasha originated in 2D culture, and as the globally recognized holy land of 2D culture, Akihabara naturally could not lack such things.

There was no need to rush and do it today, though...

When Firefly drove back to their residence, she happened to see Nene Arakawa returning home with something in her hands. She had probably finished what she had been busy with.

Firefly drove over beside Nene Arakawa and called out to her.

"It's you, Firefly-chan. This car... You bought a car?"

Noticing Firefly inside the car, Nene Arakawa looked a little surprised. She had bought a car and brought it back so quickly? Though that was nothing special to Nene Arakawa.

What luxury car had she not seen before?

"I mentioned it to you before..."

"Oh, right, I remember now. You were going to buy a car and turn it into an Itasha, right? I remember there are a lot of those in Akihabara."

Though Nene Arakawa was not part of that circle, she knew a little about it. Many wealthy 2D fans decorated their beloved cars with anime characters they liked.

She had not expected Firefly-chan to have that hobby, or to put it into action so quickly.

This car was not cheap either, was it?

"Yes, that's right."

Firefly nodded.

"So when are you planning to go there, Firefly-chan?"

Nene Arakawa was not especially interested in Itasha, but since it was Firefly, she was interested. She wanted to go and take a look with her.

"Any time is fine, but it seems I need to register in advance. The problem is that I don't have a driver's license in this world..."

Firefly voiced what she was concerned about. It would be fine even without registering—just as long as she was not caught or stopped.

But if possible, registering in advance would still be better.