Not long after deciding to have Ikuyo Kita perform, Chen Xiao received a message from Ding Jiafang. The convention was near the Magic City Exhibition Center, and they could head straight to the backstage entrance when they arrived.
He would give Chen Xiao and his friends passes, and he ended the message by repeatedly reminding Chen Xiao that he absolutely had to come.
"Of course!"
Chen Xiao sent an emoji back to reassure Ding Jiafang.
Behind him, the materialized Elf Yamada and the others had already rushed into the computer room and found seats for themselves.
"Time to start a novel!"
"Let me get used to the keyboard first."
But just as they were about to register accounts, Chen Xiao hurried upstairs to stop them.
"Wait!"
"?"
Everyone looked toward Chen Xiao in the doorway in confusion, then noticed the petite girl behind him, with blue twin tails and fairy-like wings on her back.
The electronic warfare Angeloid-Nymph.
"Since Master asked, I suppose I can reluctantly handle your 'security.'"
Nymph puffed out her chest, acting every bit the tsundere.
Then the translucent, rainbow-colored wings on her back spread out. Ethereal data light enveloped every device in the room, completing their upgrades in an instant.
[Welcome to the Angeloid intelligent system]
Even the original Windows operating systems were replaced by an AI system Nymph had whipped up.
"If you had a slightly better server, I could even make a really good..."
As she spoke, Nymph began struggling to maintain her form and gently leaned into Chen Xiao's arms.
Although Nymph had little close-combat capability, materializing her still consumed an astonishing amount of energy because she was an Angeloid. This round of computer upgrades alone had depleted nearly half his [mana bar].
As for why she had to collapse into Chen Xiao's arms as though she were exhausted...
Nymph: I suggest you don't ask!
Actually, Chen Xiao could also have had Asagi Aiba from Strike the Blood or Matsu from Sekirei upgrade the computers' systems, but for the best possible protection, and to test the current limits of materialization, he had simply brought Nymph out.
Still, despite both being Angeloids, Nymph could not compare to Ikaros. The existence of the all-purpose cards alone was beyond what Chen Xiao's current [mana] could sustain.
Chen Xiao had also heard from Mari about what had happened inside the display cabinet on the night he was attacked. He had learned that the first individual materialized after his power awakened could wield her full strength, with the cost of materialization greatly reduced as well.
He just did not know whether that "first come, first served" perk would remain when his power leveled up in the future.
Three days later.
While Elf Yamada and the others were typing furiously in the computer room, the materialized Ikuyo Kita prepared to head out with Chen Xiao, only to discover that every member of Kessoku Band was there.
"Wasn't it supposed to be just me?"
Seeing Nijika Ijichi and the others materialized beside Chen Xiao, Ikuyo Kita looked surprised.
So everyone else was coming too!
Then all the mental preparation I'd been doing these past few days was...
"A-Xiao! I'm mad! You'd better compensate me for my 'emotional distress' when we get back!"
Ikuyo Kita puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be angry.
"Hahaha... sorry, sorry. It only just occurred to me. With Nijika and the others cheering you on from the audience, you might perform even better."
Chen Xiao deployed his head-patting technique again and soon soothed Ikuyo Kita.
"But A-Xiao only has one little electric scooter. How will you get all of us there?"
Nijika Ijichi asked curiously.
"How about A-Xiao rides the scooter with all of us piled on him, like a Bharat Republic military parade performance? We'd definitely be the center of attention!"
Ryo Yamada gave a thumbs-up as she made her suggestion.
"Ryo!" / "Ryo-senpai!"
Ryo Yamada's suggestion was far too outrageous, but Nijika Ijichi and Ikuyo Kita still could not help imagining the scene, then immediately blushed.
As for Hitori Gotoh...
Our little Bocchi had practically melted into a slime the moment she stepped outside the villa.
"This place is so dazzling..."
Magic City's villa district was simply too overwhelming for the pink-haired Shimokitazawa tsuchinoko that crawled around in the shadows.
"Bocchi! Pull yourself together!"
Watching the cheerful scene unfold before him, Chen Xiao felt warmth fill his heart.
Ah... bliss!
But carrying Nijika and the others like a Bharat motorcycle stunt team was out of the question. Instead, Chen Xiao led them through the villa district, avoiding roads where they might be spotted, until they reached a parking lot.
A plain black sedan came into view.
"I borrowed a car from a friend."
"Ooooh...!"
Everyone except Bocchi let out an impressed exclamation.
They all got in. Ikuyo Kita took care of Hitori Gotoh in the back seat alongside Ryo Yamada, while Nijika Ijichi sat in the front passenger seat.
"Oh, it's an automatic."
Nijika Ijichi looked around the passenger seat with fresh curiosity, then noticed that the car was not a manual.
"Yeah. If I drove a manual, I'd probably stall while pulling away, just like MMK-Momoka."
Chen Xiao's mouth twitched.
He remembered the scene in Girls Band Cry from his previous life where Momoka Kawaragi stalled the car. The video had been flooded with scrolling comments about point deductions and failing the test.
He had even laughed at her back then.
Then, when he took his own driving test in his previous life, he failed the second section because he stalled while pulling away.
Was that instant karma?
As for this life...
Heh heh! Naturally, I got my license in one clean run!
Unfortunately, he had not driven a manual since passing the test, so he only dared borrow an automatic.
However, a small mishap occurred when he reached the security guard.
"Oh! A-Xiao, when did you buy a car?"
The older guard paused when he saw Chen Xiao behind the wheel, then struck up a curious conversation.
"Oh, I borrowed it from someone. I have something to take care of, so I need to head out."
Chen Xiao answered with forced composure.
"I see. Go on, then."
Suspecting nothing, the guard opened the gate.
But as he watched the sedan drive away, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Chen Xiao usually rode his little electric scooter in and out of the neighborhood alone. There was no need to borrow a car just to go somewhere.
And when he had looked over just now, A-Xiao had deliberately leaned toward the window. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like he was hiding something...
Could there be someone else in the car?
The guard's gaze gradually sharpened, then he sighed.
"That kid's finally caught on. I wonder whose daughter she is."
Meanwhile, inside the departing sedan.
"Phew! That scared me to death! I almost forgot we'd have to get past Uncle Liu!"
Chen Xiao wiped away his sweat.
Nijika Ijichi and the others in the front and back seats were also nervously clambering up from the footwells.
When the car had been stopped, they had hidden themselves without even waiting for Chen Xiao to warn them.
Until Chen Xiao was ready, neither Nijika Ijichi and the others nor the other figures in the display cabinet would expose themselves for the sake of some supposed "romantic conquest."
Plots where a beautiful transfer student fell for the male lead and openly declared her love, making everyone else jealous, were certainly satisfying. But when you became the person involved, they were genuinely hard to deal with.
With Chen Xiao's social network, all it would take was one blabbermouth letting it slip, and he would be bombarded with 999+ messages-more terrifying than a certain band's unmarried widow.
Before you continue