Little Ai's Guide to Surviving in Another World

Aemeath woke amid a commotion.

That was strange. Aleph-1, Lahai-Roi's Lament, had already been driven away, and she had returned to Lahai-Roi from beyond the Tethys Gate. She should have been sleeping soundly in her room.

So why did her head feel so heavy and muddled, and even ache a little?

The voices around her were too loud and jumbled for her to make out what anyone was saying. She decided to open her eyes and look around first.

As Aemeath's muddled consciousness gradually cleared, her pale golden eyes, bright as stars, saw a circle of people she didn't recognize surrounding her.

Faced with the strangers crowding around her, she instinctively tried to use her Resonance Power to protect herself. To her horror, she found that an invisible rule was suppressing her power, preventing her from using it freely as she had on Solaris.

All she could do was huddle in the corner and watch the people observing her with the wary eyes of a cat.

"Hey, why are you crowding so close? Look how badly you've scared her!"

Someone shouted, and the onlookers immediately stepped back a couple of paces as one, giving Aemeath enough room to catch her breath.

It couldn't be helped. A beautiful young woman had appeared out of thin air in an alley, and the locals' curiosity far outweighed their surprise and suspicion.

Aemeath understood what had just been said and realized that the people around her probably meant her no harm. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but remained huddled in the corner. It never hurt to be on guard.

"What's going on? What are you all standing around here for?"

An elderly but robust female voice rang out, and the onlookers promptly made way for its owner.

Aemeath got a clear look at the newcomer. She was an elderly woman, somewhat hunched but still hardy. Her clouded eyes looked formidable, but when she looked at Aemeath, they held a touch of awkward tenderness.

"All right, stop gawking at her. You've all lived this long-what kind of girl haven't you seen before?" The old woman swept her clouded gaze over the onlookers, her threat leaving no room for argument. "Go on, get back to whatever you were doing. If anyone still wants to stare, I'll come to their house in the middle of the night and gouge their eyeballs out."

At the old woman's threat, the crowd immediately scattered. Those who couldn't resist sneaking another look shrank back under her murderous glare.

"Are you all right, dear?" the old woman asked Aemeath, her expression changing to a kindly smile.

Aemeath shook her head. After observing the old woman for a moment, she had concluded that she could trust her.

"Come with me. I'll find you somewhere to settle down." The old woman held out a hand to Aemeath.

Aemeath didn't hesitate much before taking the offered hand, and the old woman and the young woman walked side by side through the alley.

"My surname is Lin. Everyone in the alley calls me Grandma Lin. I might be old, but people around here still listen to me. If anyone bullies you, tell me and I'll deal with them for you."

Protecting their own was second nature to every person in Dragon Country, and Grandma Lin was no exception. Besides, there was something about Aemeath that made people want to protect her.

You guessed right. This was the same Grandma Lin who would later chase Xiao Ling around, whipping him with a clothes hanger.

Rule one of surviving in another world: before introducing yourself, think carefully about what you can and can't say.

Aemeath knew perfectly well that Grandma Lin meant her a great deal of kindness, but she couldn't tell her everything about her past.

For one thing, she didn't understand, and it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings. For another, revealing her unusual abilities would land her in unnecessary trouble.

"My name is Aemeath. I came here from a very, very distant place, and I just reached adulthood this year." Aemeath's smile was full of energy, making her look like a silly girl without a care in the world.

"You're just about to end up wandering the streets, and you can still smile?" Grandma Lin said crossly.

"But you came along, didn't you?"

"You and that sweet tongue of yours," Grandma Lin retorted with a smile.

Grandma Lin led Little Ai around for a while until they came to the entrance of an old apartment building.

She was the landlord of the building, so finding Aemeath a place to stay was no trouble at all.

"You can stay here until your family or friends come to get you." Grandma Lin took her upstairs and found her a vacant apartment.

Family...

Aemeath suddenly felt a little wistful, but she still put on a soothing smile. "Okay. Thank you, Grandma Lin!"

Grandma Lin returned her smile kindly, then turned and went downstairs on her own.

Aemeath used the key Grandma Lin had given her to open the apartment door and went inside.

The apartment's furnishings were very simple, and the plaster was even peeling off the walls in places, but it was a pretty good place to stay.

At least things couldn't get any worse, Aemeath thought optimistically.

Rule two of surviving in another world: be sure to build good relationships with your neighbors.

"Auntie Liu, should I put this here?" Aemeath asked the snack stall owner beside her, carrying a rather heavy sack of flour.

"Yes, yes, right there!" Auntie Liu came over and took the sack from Aemeath, setting it securely on the ground. "Thank you for your hard work, Little Ai."

"It's no trouble. You even invited me to stay for dinner, so I'd feel bad if I didn't help out a little~" Aemeath took the clean towel Auntie Liu handed her and wiped away her sweat.

This was Aemeath's third day here.

Strange as it was, her physical body really had returned completely intact. After all, she could feel hunger now.

She analyzed her current situation and found that she was facing a very serious problem.

She had no way to obtain information.

Her phone hadn't come with her when she crossed over, though Aemeath figured it probably wouldn't have worked even if it had.

She couldn't very well ask Grandma Lin for a phone, could she? Just thinking about it felt inappropriate.

For the past few days, she had been helping the people in the alley with whatever she could to earn enough money. At the very least, she needed to sort out the phone problem first.

The people in the alley gradually accepted this enthusiastic, slightly silly girl, and quite a few elderly people who lived alone even came to regard Little Ai as their own daughter.

It had been a long time since fresh young blood had come to the old alley. Little Ai's arrival added a touch of her own color to the humdrum daily lives of these neighbors, all past middle age.

Things took a turn after she finished working that day.

Grandma Lin suddenly called her over to her home, saying she had a surprise for her.

"Grandma, what surprise is so mysterious? Give me a hint~?" Aemeath bounced around, trying to get Grandma Lin to reveal some details about the surprise.

"You'll know when we get there," Grandma Lin said with a smile, but told her nothing else.

When Aemeath followed Grandma Lin to her door, Grandma Lin told her to wait outside while she went in to fetch the surprise she had prepared.

Aemeath obediently waited at the door, twirling her hair around a finger, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

A little while later, Grandma Lin came over with a white box and gently placed it in Aemeath's hands.

"Open it and take a look. It should be very useful to you right now," Grandma Lin said with a beaming smile.

Aemeath opened the box curiously and was startled by what was inside.

A brand-new phone.

She didn't know much about prices in this world, but judging by how the phone felt in her hand, it definitely wasn't cheap.

"No, Grandma Lin, this is too valuable. I can't accept it!" Aemeath hurriedly tried to hand the gift back.

"Silly!" Grandma Lin tapped her on the forehead. "Haven't you been working so hard to save up for a phone? Technology's advanced these days, and you've come here all alone, far from home. It's inconvenient not to have one."

Grandma Lin's meaning was clear: Aemeath was taking the phone today whether she wanted to or not.

"Don't worry. Everyone in the alley chipped in of their own accord to buy you this little gift. They're all very grateful for your help these past few days," Grandma Lin added.

In truth, that was a lie. It was a birthday gift from Grandma Lin's son, who worked far away. But she was used to her old phone, so the new one had been left idle, not even taken out of its box.

She had no use for it anyway, so giving it to Aemeath was a good way to put it to use.

Seeing how determined Grandma Lin looked, as though she might smash the phone if Aemeath refused to use it, Aemeath could only gratefully accept the surprise that had come just when she needed it.

"Thank you, Grandma Lin. You've helped me so much!" Aemeath gave the old woman, whose head only came up to her chest, a deep hug.

"It's all right, it's all right. I'm glad I could help," Grandma Lin said gently, patting Aemeath's smooth, delicate back.

Rule three of surviving in another world: make the most of your talents.

After getting the phone, Aemeath ran a test and found that she could still use her ability to interfere with data.

Aemeath breathed a sigh of relief. Many formal jobs in this world required proof of identity, and if she had no legal identity, she would surely arouse the suspicions of the relevant local authorities.

So the first thing she did was use her ability to arrange an electronic ID for herself in this world.

"Next..."

Although her neighbors helped her out to varying degrees when she did work for them, there was a limit to that. She needed a more stable and efficient way to earn money.

As she browsed Bilibili and thought about her next move, her eyes suddenly landed on the virtual streamer section of the livestreaming area.

"Right... How could I have forgotten about this?"

Aemeath smiled knowingly. At Star Torch Academy, she had posted songs online under the alias "Wooly"!

What was more, people in this world seemed to like her songs too. In that case...

She casually hummed a sample of a song, paired it with a random image, and posted it to the platform. She didn't much like editing videos especially for posting, preferring to do as she pleased.

As for how she registered an account, all that could be said was that, as a former digital ghost, she was simply too much of an expert.

Once the video had uploaded, Aemeath put down her phone and decided to get something to eat first.

A little over an hour later...

When Aemeath returned to the living room with the liangpi Uncle Li downstairs had made, she happily slurped the noodles while opening her profile.

"Oh my... Everyone's so enthusiastic~"

In just over an hour, her comment section had exploded with messages, and her follower count was growing rapidly.

In an instant, she had gone from a nobody who attracted no attention to a small content creator with over ten thousand followers.

Of course, alongside the praise and encouragement, there were some different voices, such as people asking whether she was reposting someone else's audio to attract attention.

Aemeath's response was...

"Little Wooly will be hosting a late-night radio livestream tomorrow. Don't forget to come and show your support!"

As soon as she posted the update, it racked up over a thousand replies. Everyone was surprised and delighted by the impromptu livestream.

Of course, some corporate groups also extended offers to her, but she turned them all down. Songwriting was best done freely, following her heart. If it was confined within a framework of rules, the songs would lose their true meaning.

In short, Aemeath's virtual idol debut plan was a huge success!

Rule four of surviving in another world: going it alone is certainly an option, but banding together for warmth is the best solution.

Thinking back on how she had met Chisa and the others, Aemeath found the memories rather amusing and unforgettable.

She knew Chisa from school. Chisa usually seemed quite aloof, but beneath that cool exterior was a passionate heart, though she sometimes did unexpected things, such as swaggering past her classmates with a piano-like barbecue machine on her shoulder.

So when Aemeath spotted Chisa on a bustling street, leaning against the wall of a fast-food restaurant with her eyes closed, she immediately went over to check.

"Hey, Chisa, what are you..."

Before Aemeath could finish, Chisa toppled straight onto her.

Aemeath took a closer look. Six six six, Chisa wasn't resting her eyes at all-she was about to faint from hunger!

There was no time to think further. She immediately helped the nearly starved Chisa into the fast-food restaurant and ordered her a substantial meal.

Half an hour later...

"You saved me... Thank you, Aemeath." Chisa dabbed her mouth with a tissue in a ladylike manner and thanked Aemeath, who sat across the table, with gratitude.

"No problem, no problem. But speaking of which, how many days has it been since you ate?" Aemeath waved a hand, then asked with concern, "The way you were eating just now, you looked like a starving ghost reincarnated."

It wasn't a very flattering comparison, but it at least vividly conveyed how Chisa had wolfed down her food.

"...Three days," Chisa answered, her cheeks red.

Wasn't she just relying on her superhuman Solaris physique to tough it out?!!

"It looks like you've already found a stable place to stay here, Aemeath?" Seeing how energetic Aemeath was, Chisa immediately guessed that she had found a reliable refuge.

"I guess so? A kind person took me in, and lately I've been earning money by livestreaming on a video platform in this world. I've already got nearly a hundred thousand followers!" Aemeath shared what she had been up to.

Chisa's eyes lit up, but then she stopped herself from speaking, looking somewhat hesitant.

"Have you had enough to eat?" Aemeath asked, her eyes smiling.

"Yes." Chisa nodded gently.

"Then let's go. I'll take you home."

"C-can I?" Chisa hesitated. She wasn't the type who liked to trouble others. "If it's inconvenient, please don't force yourself..."

"What do you mean, inconvenient~?" Aemeath poked Chisa's little round cheek. "Going it alone might be an option, but in another world where you have no one to rely on, banding together for warmth is the best solution, you know?"

Chisa froze for a moment, then accepted Aemeath's offer with a warm smile. "All right. Sorry for imposing."

And just like that, Chisa became the little apartment's first guest.

Her meeting with Lynae wasn't quite so pleasant. Lynae had been a regular on Mr. SIGMA's punishment list at Star Torch Academy, and sure enough, after coming to this world, she had been caught speeding by a traffic officer.

When Aemeath saw her, she was scratching her head in embarrassment as the officer gave her a reprimand and a lesson. At this rate, the motorcycle she had gotten from who knew where was bound to be impounded, and she might even be invited to the police station for tea.

Driving without a license and speeding-the debuffs were fully stacked.

"Officer? What happened here?" Aemeath immediately went over to the traffic officer to make her presence known.

"Oh, Little Ai. If you want to chat, let's do it later. I'm working right now," the officer, who looked to be around thirty, said gently.

The girl was well known at their local police station. Not only did she help the police catch thieves, but she also volunteered to direct traffic from time to time. He had met her a few times, and she not only looked as though she had stepped out of an anime, but was especially kindhearted. He had a very good impression of her.

"Hm? Are you giving this girl a talking-to? I'm sorry, Officer. She's my friend Lynae. She just came here from abroad, and it's partly my fault for not explaining the traffic rules here to her right away. I'm terribly sorry for the trouble we've caused you!" After that rush of explanation, Aemeath pulled the still-bewildered Lynae along and bowed deeply to the officer.

Lynae: I don't know what's going on, but I should just bow along with her.

The officer looked at the two pretty girls obediently admitting their mistake and sighed softly.

"Don't let it happen again." The officer chose to let them off lightly. "But you'll have to bring your friend to the station later. I need to explain the relevant traffic laws to her personally."

Aemeath finally breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like she had managed to bluff her way through with cuteness.

After they came out of the police station.

"I'm really very sorry, Aemeath. I've caused you so much trouble!" Lynae pressed her palms together and bowed in apology.

"You should be glad you were only speeding and didn't hit a pedestrian," Aemeath said gravely. "Otherwise, even I couldn't have gotten you out of it."

Lynae scratched her cheek awkwardly and repeatedly promised she would never do it again.

"Come on, let's go home." Aemeath returned to her usual gentle smile as she spoke to Lynae.

"Okay. Whose home?"

"Mine!"

"Really? Really?!" Lynae's eyes lit up, and she even bounced twice, looking extremely excited.

For the past few days since crossing over, she had slept under the open sky with the earth for a bed. She hadn't even taken a bath, and her sticky body felt terribly uncomfortable.

"Really~ Come on, let's go." Aemeath smiled with her eyes narrowed.

"Hooray! Long live Little Ai!" Lynae flying-tackle.jpg.

As expected of an outstanding student from the Lahai-Roi Development Department, Aemeath caught Lynae steadily as she lunged at her.

Aemeath's little nest happily gained one member.

Last of all, Sigrika was the least troublesome of the companions, and hers was also the longest stretch of time.

Aemeath found traces of Sigrika on a short-video platform on her sixth day here. In the video, Sigrika was in the bird section of a zoo, introducing each kind of bird to the children behind her with a sweet, charming smile. She appeared to be doing quite well.

But a family ought to be together, so she set out immediately. After confirming Sigrika's exact location, she rushed off to find her.

By the time she reached the zoo, night had quietly fallen.

Aemeath conducted a thorough search of the zoo and its surroundings, finally finding Sigrika lying on a bench like a sleeping beauty.

It was May, and the weather was gradually growing hot. Mosquitoes had begun to stir, too. Sigrika was sleeping so soundly that she didn't even notice the red welts they had left on her delicate, pale legs.

Aemeath didn't wake her. She simply sat down beside her and waited quietly.

As though sensing something, Sigrika woke from her deep sleep not long after Aemeath arrived.

She sat up on the bench, and her large, watery eyes met a pair of eyes shining like stars.

"Good morning, Sigrika~" Aemeath smiled and pinched her cheek.

That pinch brought the tears right out of her. Forgetting all about appearances, Sigrika threw herself into Aemeath's arms and began to sob.

Only then did Aemeath understand that her smile in the video had concealed her fear and unease at coming to this world all alone.

Being abruptly cut off from everything she had known and thrown into a world she knew nothing about was far more frightening and despair-inducing than facing her other self in the academy's dark side.

She could only rely on her hobbies to take her mind off her fear and unease for a while, and give herself a little hope for the future.

Surely, surely someone will come looking for me, right?

Six days wasn't particularly long or short, but it was enough for Sigrika's hopes for the future to gradually wear away.

Each sunrise and sunset had kindled and extinguished her hope again and again, until her soul was utterly exhausted.

Aemeath felt that she had come too late, yet also that she had arrived just in time.

At least, at the end of the story, she had caught the lovely girl who was about to fall into the abyss.

Now that the final piece of this family's puzzle had been found, it was time to take this adorable, pitiful future Sixth Seat of the Midnight Rangers home.

The last rule of the guide to surviving in another world: even if you miss him so much that you fall ill, don't disturb his life.

"I don't think we should disturb him."

With a single sentence, Aemeath poured cold water over the three girls chatting away enthusiastically on the sofa.

Now that the four girls from Solaris had successfully gathered, the matter of finding the real-world Rover had naturally come up.

Yet Aemeath was now objecting, even though Rover meant more to her than he did to the other three.

He was the guide who had brought her warmth during her darkest days, the family member she would spend her life protecting.

"I don't understand, Little Ai. Doesn't Rover welcome us?" Lynae was straightforward, and her first thought was that perhaps this world's Rover didn't welcome them.

Aemeath folded her arms and shook her head.

"In that case, shouldn't Senior be happy if we go and find him ourselves?" Sigrika asked in her soft voice. "Why call it disturbing him?"

Chisa said nothing, but her slightly dimmed eyes silently questioned Aemeath.

"...I know you might all have strong objections to my decision." Aemeath chose her words carefully before speaking slowly.

Out of the others' sight, her fingers gripped her arm, leaving dark red marks on her pale skin.

Aemeath's wish was simple. She only wanted Rover to live safely and happily, whether in Solaris or the real world.

So...

"But why don't you take a look at this first?"

Aemeath opened Wuthering Waves on her phone and showed the three girls the game.

All three were stunned when they saw Rover appear on the screen.

Only then did they realize that Rover and the world they came from were merely a game created by a creator.

And outside the game, anyone could be Rover.

If that were the case, finding Rover would be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

But clearly, that wasn't the main reason Aemeath had chosen not to disturb him.

"To explain it in terms you can understand," Aemeath said, her voice slightly lowered, "we're no different from virtual idols right now."

"As idols, we'd be watched and scrutinized while people fawned over us. We might even be stalked."

Since coming to this world, Aemeath had seen many cases of idols being stalked by obsessive fans. Those people acted without regard for the consequences, oblivious even when they seriously disrupted their own idols' lives.

"Perhaps in Solaris, Rover could cut through every problem and settle it quickly. But what if he's just an ordinary person living a peaceful life in this world?"

That was Aemeath's real concern. The Rover of this world was no longer the savior who bore everything on his shoulders, but an ordinary person living a peaceful life.

Perhaps, like the older men and women in the alley, he wore flip-flops and a loose undershirt while running his own little business.

Or perhaps he was like those overworked employees who squeezed onto the subway and worked hard from nine to five every day to earn a living.

Or maybe, like them, he was a student still finishing his education, currently fretting over his exams.

If he really wasn't happy enough, then the moment they were forced to cross over, they should have arrived at his side and brought him the happiness he longed for!

Instead of being scattered and left to wander without a home!

(Actually, Xiao Ling was already living a shameless life alone with Dania by this point, so get the fuck over here and die, Hajiling! (Haha iliwala!))

Aemeath felt a stabbing pain in her heart, so sharp that tears nearly spilled from her eyes. She tried with all her might to hold them back.

This was entirely different from their previous parting. That time, they simply couldn't see each other; this time, they mustn't. The latter hurt her far more than the former.

A deathly silence fell.

There was no need for her to say anything more. Sigrika and the others already understood the real reason Aemeath had made this decision.

Every girl present wanted to see Rover, but they all hoped he could live a happy life, too. When those two wishes came into conflict, they too would choose the latter without hesitation.

Sigrika quietly walked up to Aemeath and gently wrapped her arms around the girl who was suppressing her true feelings.

Then came Chisa, and finally Lynae.

There were no sobs or heartfelt confessions, only silence.

With each new warmth added to her embrace, Aemeath's heart ached more, as though a knife were slicing it open inch by inch, drawing bright red blood.

She had prepared splendid shackles for these girls. They knew it, yet they silently put them on anyway.

And so, from that day on, no one brought up looking for Rover again, as though it had never happened.

"I saw Senior."

When Aemeath heard Chisa say those words, she tore a crack in the shackles she had struggled to put on herself so easily.

"...Really?"

"My instincts wouldn't be wrong."

Chisa's gaze was unwavering. Aemeath knew she wasn't the sort of person to joke about something important.

Aemeath was suddenly seized by the urge to throw everything aside and go looking for him, but she forcibly suppressed it.

Calm down, Aemeath. You've grown up now. You're a sensible girl.

"Let's wait until everyone gets back and discuss it together. It's too early to talk about this now."

And so the subject was set aside again, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner that evening.

Lynae looked happy. She was busy recording the beautiful scenery of this world. Oh, why was her hair blowing all over the place? Haha, how amusing.

Xixi still loved birds as much as ever. Whenever different kinds of birds came up, her eyes sparkled as if they had stars embedded in them.

Chisa had found something she liked doing, too. Her cooking might still be a little lacking, but she had improved a lot. Surely it wouldn't be long before she could make delicious meals, too. Aemeath looked forward to it~

As Aemeath watched the three girls chatting with smiles on their faces, a gentle smile came unbidden to her own lips.

What would Rover be doing right now?

Maybe he'd shout that he was finally off work and flop straight onto his bed?

Or perhaps he'd yawn as he cleaned up his stall and shut it for the day?

Maybe, after a day of studying, he'd complain to his good friends that today's test questions were so hard he couldn't answer them?

At least right now, he should be happy, just like us... shouldn't he?

But... in the end, I still...

"What are you thinking about?" Chisa had noticed Little Ai spacing out.

Aemeath came back to her senses and found everyone staring at her.

Although she had said they shouldn't bring up looking for Rover...

"...I miss him," she said softly, then, a little embarrassed, buried her head in her meal again.

The laughter and chatter around her faded, leaving only the sound of chopsticks tapping against porcelain bowls.

Ah... I've killed the mood. I really shouldn't let my feelings affect everyone else.

Chisa looked at Aemeath eating in silence and suddenly felt there was no need to discuss the matter anymore.

And so Xiao Ling received messages from Chisa on his phone.

Chisa: Senior.

Chisa: Can you come over?

Chisa: Aemeath said... she misses you.

When Xiao Ling saw the message, his heart gave a sharp pang, just as it had when he'd watched Aemeath sacrifice herself.

Chisa soon received his reply.

Xiao Ling: Give me the address. I'll come over tomorrow.

The two parallel lines intertwined after three firm, steady knocks at the door.

Aemeath was puzzled. Those knocks shouldn't have come from Lynae or the others; theirs were lighter and quicker, a rat-a-tat-tat.

If it were an elder like Grandma Lin, she would usually knock only twice.

It was the first time Aemeath had heard a knock like this.

Still, out of politeness, she called, "Coming!" and hurried over to open the door.

When she saw the tall figure standing beyond it, she felt as though time had stopped.

He really did look kind of scruffy. His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and his clothes hung loosely on him. He had none of Rover's sharp, capable air, yet the expression on his face held a gentleness and thoughtfulness she knew all too well.

Come to think of it, shouldn't I change into something more formal? Oh, right, I need to tie up my hair, too! It's so embarrassing to reunite like this!

The boy standing before Aemeath smiled and gently stroked her head with his large, slightly rough hand.

It felt so familiar. He had often rubbed her head like this when she was little, too.

"Aemeath."

The figure she had thought about day and night finally overlapped with the young man before her.

"I'm here to take you all home!"