On Terra, a Hunter and a Bad Woman

"This is going to be difficult... Unrequited love probably won't work out, right? And judging by how she looks, she should be from Siracusa? Siracusa seems pretty traditional, so not accepting feelings between two women seems normal."

"Come on... This is Sora's first love, isn't it? Isn't choosing someone like that a little too tragic?"

"Can't be helped. Not everyone's thinking is that open-minded... We can't force anything on other people."

As one of her companions spoke, she couldn't help lowering her head with a sigh.

However, their sighing didn't last long before a tall woman slowly circled around behind them...

A cloyingly sweet fragrance mixed with a hint of gunpowder smoke, creating an extraordinarily subtle scent.

Drawn by the smell, everyone turned to look.

Then they saw a woman who made all their hearts race.

Cool and quiet, she wore elegant black clothes that were both practical and beautiful. Her delicate features rested on a fair, gentle face, while her slender, silky white hair was tied into a simple ponytail that fell behind her.

Her gray eyes shone as brightly as moonlight, yet beneath that brightness lurked a hint of extraordinary charm.

Just seeing her made them inexplicably feel quite favorably toward her.

A demonic charm!

But before they could say anything—

Texas, who had been calm until now, rose excitedly. Keeping her steps restrained, she walked over to the woman.

"You're back?"

Texas spoke with an apparently unchanged expression, but these veteran idols noticed the joy revealed through her microexpressions...

Huh?!

Reunion Movement

"You're here?"

Texas's expression visibly changed upon seeing Maria arrive.

The girls watching nearby could clearly see Texas shedding her icy-beauty demeanor. The way she looked at the woman in black was practically dripping with affection!

Strange...

Really strange!

This woman...

Their expressions turned subtle. Looking at Sora, who smiled as though she hadn't noticed anything at all, they couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Was this what being dense meant?

You silly Sora, your love rival has appeared!

"Mhm."

Maria didn't say much. After giving Texas a slight nod, she looked at the girls nearby again.

"They are...?"

"They're my companions."

Sora enthusiastically nodded at Maria.

"Companions... Do bards also act in teams?"

Maria looked curiously at the girls.

After hearing Maria's words, the idols all wore peculiar expressions.

"Bard and all that... Idols aren't just that."

Sora helplessly shook her head as she explained to Maria.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to make Maria truly understand what an idol was with just a few words.

So, after thinking for a while, Sora suddenly clapped her hands.

"How about... Miss Maria, would you listen to me sing?"

"Sing?"

"Yes! It'll be my turn to go onstage again soon. Miss Maria, come listen then. Maybe you'll understand what being an idol really means!"

"...All right."

Faced with Sora's enthusiastic invitation, Maria hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

She had no interest in concerts or anything of the sort. She was merely giving Sora face.

But then again...

Since she had come to this world, experiencing its way of life more might be an option.

After all, she couldn't possibly keep living the way she used to—killing until she was tired, sleeping, then killing again when she woke up.

"Really?"

Sora was a little excited.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Maria. Her unabashed enthusiasm left Maria somewhat unable to handle her.

Still, Maria nodded.

Texas silently listened from the side.

Everyone present was dumbfounded.

"So... what's going on here, exactly?"

"Sora seems to like Texas, Texas likes Maria, and Maria seems to be getting led around by Sora now... Aren't the relationships between these three a little strange?"

"Boring. I want to see blood flowing like a river!"

"Hey, hey, hey, that isn't something an idol should be saying, is it?"

"I just have this feeling that these three will cause some trouble one day... Honestly, I can't wait."

"Tch, me too."

Several idols whispered among themselves nearby, without the slightest concern for maintaining an idol's image. They were simply a group of young girls who loved gossip.

After chatting for a while longer, everyone had rested enough. A staff member came over to tell them they could start preparing to go onstage, and only then did they stop gossiping and begin adjusting their condition.

"Then... see you later, Miss Maria, Senior Texas!"

Sora waved enthusiastically as she left, while Maria and Texas stood where they were, watching her go.

Before long, only Maria and Texas remained in the room.

"Over on your side... has everything been dealt with?"

The moment she saw that no one else was around, Texas couldn't help asking.

Others might not have noticed, but Texas was extremely familiar with the faint scent of blood lingering around Maria.

Clearly, Maria had just gone through a brutal battle.

"More or less."

Maria lowered her head. After sighing, she raised a hand and rubbed between her brows.

"There was a group from the Reunion Movement over there... They planned to make some noise and draw attention so their companions could act... But I scattered their team, so the others probably won't dare make any reckless moves."

"It's been dealt with?" Listening to Maria's account, Texas let out a breath and murmured with her head lowered.

But Maria shook her head at that moment.

"It can't be considered completely dealt with."

"Hm?" Texas tilted her head.

Maria continued.

"This isn't over yet."

"In the end, that batch of Reunion Movement members was only meant to harass us. Altogether, they numbered only a few hundred... Spread out, they were certainly dangerous, but to such an enormous city, they wouldn't inflict any truly serious damage."

"But their objective was to genuinely seize this city."

"In other words, these people were merely an advance force. The enemy's real main force hasn't appeared yet."

As she spoke, Maria turned her head.

In the distance, noisy vehicles sped past. Through the gaps, Maria could make out the uniform Lungmen Guard Department defensive gear on their bodies... Their destination was precisely where Maria had fought earlier.

Probably some passerby had reported it.

Thinking this, Maria looked at Texas before her.

"There are still enemies... More enemies hidden in corners we don't know about."

After hearing Maria's words, Texas thought for a moment and understood everything, her brow knitting tightly.

"This has already gone beyond what an individual can handle!"

Texas had great confidence in Maria's abilities... But in the end, Maria was only one person.

No matter how strong an individual was, they couldn't be strong enough to destroy an entire mobile city-state alone.

And since the Reunion Movement had chosen to attack Lungmen, that meant they had confidence in their own strength... Even if they weren't equal to Lungmen, they wouldn't be far inferior.

Such a threat was clearly beyond what any individual could handle.

"Regarding this... it'd be better if we didn't get too involved."

As she spoke, Texas looked at Maria.

From beginning to end, Maria had protected her perfectly. Maria had been the one to stop those trying to attack Sora, and she was the one who had now foiled the Reunion Movement's plans.

If danger arose, Maria would certainly be the first to be caught up in it.

Whether for herself or for Maria's safety, Texas didn't want Maria to keep involving herself in this matter.

In the end, Sora had merely been unlucky enough to catch those people's attention. Having failed this time, they probably wouldn't specifically target her again afterward.

Their job was already done.

But after hearing Texas's words, Maria didn't answer immediately. She merely lowered her head and narrowed her eyes.

"The Reunion Movement..."

Miss Maria Couldn't Cook

Although Texas truly didn't want Maria to continue getting involved in this matter, Maria didn't answer at all.

She merely fell silent.

Clearly, Texas hadn't truly understood Maria before, and that remained the case now.

Faced with Texas's worried gaze, no different from Puppy's, Maria shook her head.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

After saying that, she spoke no further and turned toward the concert venue.

It had to be said that Sora's voice really was pleasant... Even though Maria couldn't really understand those songs, she had to admit that Sora sang beautifully.

At the very least, this girl's voice truly was lovely.

And the noisy crowd around them seemed to prove the same thing.

In the blink of an eye, the concert came to a safe conclusion.

There were no extremist lunatics and no terrorists. There were some fans who looked rather overenthusiastic, but those people could be left to the organization called Blacksteel International.

Sora and the others were invited to a celebratory banquet. Although Maria wasn't a staff member, as the friend of the popular idol Sora, she was naturally invited with great enthusiasm.

However, Maria genuinely had no interest in it, so she declined.

Instead, Maria had Texas stay behind in case anything unexpected happened.

Worth mentioning was that the people most disappointed by Maria not staying weren't Sora or Texas, but the other idols who had only met her once.

Maria could clearly see the disappointment on their faces. Their melancholy expressions made it seem as though they had just suffered heartbreak.