Starting with Firefly, Speedrun the World Chapter 9

And she's great at spinning around!

It could barely count as a purple-quality item.

Reaching out to touch her, I found that this puppet wasn't just realistic to look at—the feel was almost the same as a real person. Pretty impressive.

Alright then, having a puppet to keep me company isn't bad!

I didn't waste any more of my points.

The remaining points weren't enough for another ten-pull, so Firefly stopped trying to draw cards and instead chose to exchange everything for the power of the Destruction Path.

But the boost wasn't that big...

"It's already this late. I need to find a place to stay."

With all the important matters handled, Firefly looked up at the sky and realized it was already dark.

Without overthinking it, she prepared to take the Herta Puppet to find a hotel. There were still plenty of functions about this Herta that she hadn't figured out and needed to study carefully.

According to her self-introduction, she had a certain level of artificial intelligence.

I wonder just how advanced she really is—whether she could build a website on her own, or break through the firewalls of some big companies.

Come to think of it, this world, including those Future People, were all data lifeforms. If she were a powerful enough AI, she could probably just erase everything outright, right?

Looking at it that way, if she had transformed into Silver Wolf in this world, it would've been a much better fit!

Thinking about all this, Firefly walked up to the hotel entrance, then patted herself down and realized she had no money.

In her original world, she was used to just carrying a phone and going anywhere, since everything was mobile payments. Plus, with the money she earned, as long as she didn't get married or have kids, she could easily coast through life.

And she had no plans to marry, so she was basically financially free.

It was just a habit—she'd never really paid attention to money issues in daily life.

"What now?"

The thousand yen she'd picked up earlier was only enough for a bowl of soba noodles. Right now, she was completely broke.

She should've grabbed some cash back in the Jyamato domain as a backup, but it never even crossed her mind.

Chapter 14: The Waiting-for-God Girl

A single coin can stump a hero.

Firefly was really feeling that now. She was right at the hotel entrance, but couldn't stay because she had no money.

Even though Sam was incredibly powerful, Firefly couldn't bring herself to use immoral means like robbery to get cash.

After thinking for a moment, Firefly's gaze shifted to the adorable Herta Puppet beside her.

"Herta, go get some money."

Didn't she say she was an AI?

AI should be able to make money easily, right—stocks, currency trading, that kind of thing. Surely with the Herta Puppet's abilities, it'd be a breeze!

So Firefly was full of expectations for this Herta Puppet.

She'd been wrong before—this puppet really was useful after all.

But then...

"Get money?"

Hearing Firefly's words, the Herta Puppet tilted her head adorably, looking a bit confused, then seemed to catch on.

"Get money, get money..."

The Herta Puppet scanned the surroundings, then locked her gaze on a bank not far away. A giant crystal hammer had somehow appeared in her hand.

She started walking step by step toward the bank.

Seeing the Herta Puppet's stance, Firefly panicked. Was she seriously about to just go rob a bank when told to get money?

That was too ridiculous. Without a second thought, she grabbed her.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Getting money!"

Herta answered very seriously.

At the same time, she looked puzzled, not understanding why Firefly was reacting this way. Wasn't she the one who told her to get money?

"I told you to get money, and this is how you do it?"

"There's money in the bank."

The Herta Puppet replied with certainty, as if afraid Firefly wouldn't believe her.

"..."

Do I not know there's money in the bank?

But just because there's money in the bank doesn't mean you go rob it.

"I meant for you to earn money legally and properly, not rob a bank."

"Earn money? No way!"

The Herta Puppet, upon hearing this, planted her hands on her hips and replied with righteous indignation.

With nothing to her name, how was she supposed to earn money?

Was she supposed to beg? Or sell herself, haul bricks? There wasn't even enough time for that now.

As for technical work, she had nothing to work with—how could she manage that?

Fleecing someone with empty hands?

"Forget it, let's just leave it at that."

Not bothering to press the Herta Puppet further, it seemed they really would be sleeping on the streets tonight.

After looking around, Firefly found a spot that seemed decent enough—a small garden with a little pavilion that could block the wind and rain.

There was also a streetlamp next to the pavilion, casting bright light.

She'd just camp out here for the night.

Firefly lay down on the bench inside the pavilion, found it a bit uncomfortable, and then had the Herta Puppet lie down beside her.

That felt much better.

The night passed without incident.

Nothing happened, likely because the area had decent public security.

But since she dared to sleep out in the open like this, Firefly naturally wasn't afraid of any danger—whether it was her or the Herta Puppet beside her, either one was enough to make any ill-intentioned person regret their choices.

Morning arrived, and the temperature had turned a bit chilly.

Especially the cold dawn wind—it was like an invisible blade, silently cutting through the stillness of the night.

This wind gently rustled the treetops, carrying away the lingering warmth of the night and the dreams of those still asleep.

Yet despite its chill, the cold wind also brought a refreshing clarity. As it brushed across her face, it delivered a crisp sensation, as if it could wash away the fatigue and dust of the entire night.

Feeling the cold wind's bite, Firefly instinctively hugged the Herta Puppet tighter, but after a little while, she had no choice but to open her eyes and sit up on the bench.

She stretched slowly.

She hadn't slept well—nothing like her soft, big bed.

At least she had the Herta Puppet to keep her company; otherwise, it would've been even worse, with nothing to cover herself with.

When Firefly got up, the Herta Puppet beside her sat up as well, her expression unchanged.

In fact, the Herta Puppet hadn't slept at all throughout the night—she had been wide awake the entire time. As a puppet, she wasn't a living being, more like a robot, so naturally she didn't need sleep.

That was also why Firefly could rest easy here—having the Herta Puppet keeping watch the whole time.

Day had come, and people began to trickle in.

When passersby noticed Firefly and the Herta Puppet, most of them paused for a moment, realizing that these two beautiful girls seemed to have spent the night here.

It was quite strange.

Why wouldn't such adorable young girls go home? Weren't they afraid to sleep outside? Were they runaways with no money for lodging?

That seemed likely, because in this country, such things weren't uncommon.

Many girls ran away from home due to family issues or rebellion, but they couldn't—or wouldn't—earn money to support themselves, so they ended up wandering.

Sleeping on the streets.

Some would cave in and call home. But others stubbornly refused to go back, gradually turning into so-called "Waiting-for-God Girls."

The term "Waiting-for-God Girl" might sound pleasant, but it wasn't a good thing at all.

Waiting-for-God Girls, also known as "girls waiting for a god," were typically homeless minors with no stable shelter or income. They would post on forums or dating apps, stating their location, and look for men willing to provide them with free lodging and food—men they called "gods."

This term originated in the period after the economic bubble burst.

Back then, many families fell apart, and poverty was severe, leading some minors to run away and become Waiting-for-God Girls.

With the rise of the internet, these girls began posting on various social media platforms to find so-called "gods."

But this lifestyle was neither safe nor healthy. Many people might exploit their plight for illegal activities.

Thus, the life of a Waiting-for-God Girl was full of danger and misery!

Someone like Firefly, sleeping out in the open like this, could easily be mistaken for one.

The only difference was that, compared to the average girl, Firefly and the Herta Puppet were far too cute.

But that only made passersby pay more attention.

Aside from those who didn't want to meddle and the office workers rushing to work who just glanced at them and moved on, everyone else had other thoughts.

So before long, a middle-aged man walked up to Firefly and asked if she needed help.

Chapter 15: The Young Lady Runs Away from Home Again

Though his tone sounded friendly, the gist of his words was that his house was big and she had nowhere to stay, so she could come live with him.

Beyond that, she could also take care of their daily needs.

The implication was clear!

Hearing these words, Firefly directly refused with a dark expression.

But Firefly underestimated the appeal of herself and the Herta Puppet. No sooner had she turned away the middle-aged man than another man approached.

Their intentions and thoughts were mostly the same.

Those who were polite were refused and left on their own.

But not everyone was like that. Some ill-intentioned types, seeing that soft tactics wouldn't work, tried the hard way. If it were an ordinary target, fine—but letting someone this beautiful slip by would be a disservice to themselves!

Yet there was no need for Firefly to act. The Herta Puppet beside her knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

She then helped herself to the cash on him, only to find seven thousand yen in his wallet.

"Broke-ass."

If you're broke, don't go around acting like a thug and trying force. You're an embarrassment to thugs!

In this area, people generally used cash—unlike her past life, where everyone was used to paying with their phones and carried no money.

Having only seven thousand yen on him was way too little.

Time came to the afternoon.

The weather wasn't great—a light drizzle was falling.

Firefly crouched alone by the roadside to take shelter from the rain, holding a piece of bread in her hand. She looked a bit pitiful.