*Warning* This is a Fanmade Story created by Levelgap; the characters, events, places and other images might be inaccurate or outright false and if you don't like those, kindly turn back and look for other professionally made stories.
Disclaimers : I don't own anything that will be seen here. They are owned by their respective owners.
Chapter 36 : Aqua & Friends
"Thank you for giving me an audience to meet with you."
"It's natural to be grateful you know?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
"Silence! I am not asking for your opinion, human!"
"I am sorry for my insolence."
"Hmph! So, state your business with me!"
"Yes. The candidates have arrived at your doorsteps. Your presence is the only thing needed."
"I see! I commend your loyalty! Keep working hard for me!"
"I am grateful."
"Hahahaha! With this, my kingdom shall reign once again! Mwahahaha!"
"... Don't worry, even if you don't remember me, I will still support you."
The streets of Nishinoomote was currently in a festive mood. Which is natural because they are having a festival.
Among the crowds of people in this streets are a group of colorful girls walking and looking around as they conversed at each other.
"So your Fubuki-san's modeler!?" That's what Aqua said in excitement as she stares at Ayumi.
"Yes." Ayumi simply answered her back.
"Amazing!" And Aqua was having fun talking with Ayumi.
Ayumi was also surprised that she can easily talk with Aqua. It's like the two of them have something in common.
While the two of them are having fun talking to each other, the others are just looking at them on the back.
"They hit it off well."
"Yes, they really did."
That's what Fubuki and Shion said as they look at their friends being comfortable at each other.
The two of them are even surprised that they somehow became comfortable at each other.
It all started with Ayumi nervously introducing herself on the group and then Aqua introduces herself in turn in an audible tone. And somehow, the two of them suddenly became casual at each other.
It's like a weird link that somehow connected the two of them.
"How did that happen?"
"I don't know."
The fox girl and the magician can only shrug their shoulders as they try to wonder how the two suddenly became casual at each other.
"Your pretty good on your gameplay." Ayumi was the one who initiated the topic next.
"Nah, it's nothing. That was just basic after all!" Aqua proudly say with a puff of her chest.
And it seems like when she did that, her feet overextended, causing her to lose her footing.
"Woah!?"
Ayumi quickly got to her side and catch her before she fell to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Ayumi asks in concern as she put Aqua back to a stable position.
"Ah! Thanks!" Aqua said in gratitude.
"Hmph! Typical Aqua! Always stumbling on nothing!" Shion said behind them.
"N-no! It's not my fault! It's the rock's fault!" Aqua quickly said back after hearing Shion.
"There is no rock there." Shion can only say that with a deadpan look.
"T-then... Yes! It's your feet's fault!" Not seeing anything, Aqua unconsciously says that to Shion.
"I am pretty far you know." Shion can only reply like that while still giving her a deadpan stare.
"Oh right... it would be impossible for you. Your too short to even reach me." Aqua unconsciously mutters that to herself.
"You little!?" Shion hears it of course.
She goes besides Aqua and pinched her cheeks in anger.
"Who're you calling short?" She asks as she did an iron claw on her cheeks.
"Uwaaah!? I am sorry!" Aqua quickly apologizes after realizing her slip up.
Ayumi can only watch as the two interact like that. It feels like they are having fun, even though Aqua was currently having her cheeks pinched painfully like that.
"Ayumi! Let's go there!"
Ayumi's attention turned to Fubuki as the fox girl was pointing at the shooting stall.
"Hoh! Nice idea Fubuki-san! Let us try our skills in marksmanship then!" Ayame also chips in as she saw where Fubuki was pointing.
"Oh, let me join too!" Aqua quickly pipes in as she quickly escapes Shion's grasp with a surprising agile movement.
"Ah? Oi! Wait, don't leave me!" Shion quickly followed the others who are now walking to the shooting stall.
When they got there, the couple who are currently playing on it are just leaving, making it available for them to use.
"Hello good sir, how much is it for a try?" Yuzuki Choco, the only adult looking in this group, ask that politely to the guy manning the stall.
The guy can't help but stare somewhere below her due to how she dresses. Though, he still manage to utter a reply.
"U-uhmm... I-it's 200 Yen for three shots ma'am!" He answered her as he tries to avert his gaze at him.
"I see." Choco said before looking at Rushia.
She can't really do anything because she was still carrying a weirdly patchwork red head who somehow have a black sword on her head. Aqua was shy and always leaves conversing on strangers to the others, and the others doesn't hold their allowance. Only Rushia have it.
Rushia was just going to move forward when Ayumi took over.
"I'll pay for all of us." She said to the stall owner as she took something in her pocket.
She really doesn't have a wallet, but her system makes it convenient to her when it comes to the money she got from her objectives. It can either go straight to her bank account, or she can get it directly on hard cash by just thinking about it.
So she manage to materialize a 10,000 Yen Bill in her pocket before releasing her hand on her pocket. Then she handed it to the stall owner.
"W-woah!? This is too much!"
"It's fine. I am sure some of us will want to try this stall a lot. Just keep the change." Ayumi said that with a neutral tone.
She really can't help but have that tone. She doesn't even know why her tone was always like that when she was talking to people she doesn't know. It was like after the incident of her hacking, she just became like this with those unknown strangers.
Because of the neutral tone of her voice, the stall owner thinks she was a calm child who might be a daughter of some rich tycoon somewhere. It was just common sense not to show that much money on a festival like this. Other stall owners, and even some malicious people will put their gaze on that person if they see that they are rich.
Just like now. The stalls nearby saw what she just handed on this stall owner and they are thinking of advertising their own stalls to them after they are done with the shooting stall.
Good thing, only the nearby stalls saw this. The other crowd was just continuing on whatever they are doing.
Ayumi intentionally did that. She predicted that Fubuki, and some of Aqua's friends will want to try the other stalls next. So she let them hear that she was rich so they will be the one to invite them. Then, they can easily try anything this festival have to offer for this whole night.
She controlled the sound waves using her Psychokinesis to make it possible so only the stall owners on the nearby stalls can hear it. She even did it in a quick manner.
Of course, this doesn't slip up on the most of them. They manage to sense a weird form of neutral energy that pass through the whole place. And it originated on Ayumi. Aqua also sees it because she was wearing a necklace that enables her to sense supernatural phenomenons (gifted to her by a certain Yakuza loving girl). Though, she thinks it was just some sort of special effect that she doesn't know where it originated.
'Psionic? But that feeling is weird. Why do I feel it was also Mana somehow...' Shion thought to herself as she stares at Ayumi's direction.
'Wow! What kind of energy is that. I can also feel some Nether in that neutrality!' Rushia thought like that.
'What a weird lighting. I wonder where it came from.' That's what Aqua was thinking.
Ayame and the others are still casual about it though. They are more focused on trying the shooting stall.
"Me first!" That was Fubuki.
"Then I am next!" Ayame said that.
"Uh... I'll just wait for them to be done..." And that was Tokoyami Towa, who was standing behind Yuzuki Choco.
Choco doesn't really want to try the game. She was busy carrying a corpse behind her.
Ayumi finally became curious about it. No one was reacting about the person that she was carrying so she was also trying to ignore it. But her curiosity was becoming strong so she finally wants to ask about it.
As the others are taking turns on shooting the targets on the stall with the toy rifle in it, Ayumi walks besides Choco.
"Ano..." Ayumi tried to take her attention with that.
"Yes? What is it?" She asks with a smile on her way.
'So this is Yuzuki Choco. I don't know much about her other than her appearance so I don't have any reference whether she was the same as the one on my past life or not.' Ayumi thought to herself as she begins her question. "Who is that?" Ayumi asks as she pointed at the weird patchwork corpse.
"That's my minion." Instead of Choco, Rushia was the one who answered her.
'Minion?' Ayumi thought in confusion as she takes a look at the green haired girl. 'So this is Uruha Rushia. As far as I can remember, she was a necromancer. She was soft-spoken, but she can easily lost her temper and her character always changes to that of a violent one. Well, she wasn't really malicious. I think her screams are just too loud and she was prone to slamming her table.' Ayumi tries to recall Rushia like that. 'Anyway, she said this was her minion?' She thought with a tilt of her head.
All of Aqua's friend that was along with her (except Aqua herself) sees Ayumi as a part of the Other Side so they aren't hiding that they have knowledge of the supernatural. The people doesn't even look at them because they made some illusions on them so they will only be seen as just normal humans (thanks to Shion). Only people who have some decent strength on the Other Side can see through their disguise.
Fubuki and Ayumi can see through their disguise thanks to their status enhancement.
Seeing that Ayumi was just staring at her, Rushia repeated her sentence.
"That's my minion." She said once again.
"Okay..." Ayumi said while feeling somewhat creeped out at the girl. 'She really is a necromancer in this world!' She thought while feeling a bit sick at this fact.
She also felt a bit sorry about the girl who turned into Rushia's minion. She hopes it wasn't someone that Rushia personally kills just to reanimate it.
It seems like Choco can guess what she is thinking because she just smiled at her.
"Don't worry about it. This girl was already dead for a long time. Rushia seems to have taken a liking to her so she reanimated her." Choco explained to Ayumi.
"Ah... then what's with the sword?" Ayumi asks while still feeling creeped out.
"The sword? It was already there when she reanimated her." Choco explained.
"I see..." Ayumi muttered to herself before looking at her again. "Did she have a name?" Ayumi asks in curiosity.
"Kureiji Ollie."
"Crazy Ollie."
Both Choco and Rushia spoke at the same time. The two of them thought that they said the same thing so they didn't think they are on a different page at all.
'... Who names their minion as Crazy?' Ayumi thought to herself while looking at the sleeping zombie. "Anyway, why are you carrying her?" Ayumi asks the final thing that's making her curious.
"Rushia can't carry her so I took it upon myself." Choco answered her.
Ayumi doesn't know this but Choco was the health teacher of everyone here (except Aqua, Towa, and Ollie). They are from the Demon Realm who were accidentally summoned to this world due to some incident involving magic and Aqua messing it up somehow. That's nearly two and a half years ago, a few months after she was kicked out of Yubelverse.
Ayumi can only nod on her words before she turn her attention back to Fubuki.
'... Now I don't know what to say next.' Ayumi thought while feeling somewhat awkward about it.
So she just watches Fubuki and the others to play on the shooting stand. It seems like Aqua and Shion also joined. Towa was also coming besides them to join.
Only Rushia, Choco, and Ayumi were watching them on the sidelines. Ayumi doesn't want to play the game. She wasn't interested on any games from the festival. She much prefer computer games than playing on the stalls.
"Hey Aqua, your last. I know you'll win anyway." That was Shion.
"That's too cruel! I want to be next!" And that was Aqua.
"Ah... I can't even hit anything." That was Fubuki who was somewhat disappointed as all her shots misses.
"Let me show you how it was done then!" And Ayame seems to be the next one to do it.
Towa was just waiting for her turn on the sidelines. Despite being a devil, she seems thoughtful to let the others have a try first.
As they watch on the sidelines, Ayumi can't help but feel more awkward with the atmosphere.
'Come on Ayumi! Think of a new topic!' She thought to herself.
"... So, how about you Ayumi-san?"
But it seems like Choco was the one who breaks the silence. It causes Ayumi to flinch for a moment due to the surprise.
"W-what about me?" She stuttered a bit as she ask in confusion.
"Well, you seem to be a part of the supernatural like us. So I wonder what makes you come here on this place. I am sure it's not just because you are here to sightsee right?" Choco explained to her.
Though she was saying it with a gentle tone. It seems that she was trying to talk to her without sounding too confrontational.
"... I am here for a friend." Ayumi answered after a moment of silence.
Ayumi trusted anyone whom she remembers as part of the Hololive Productions. Though it took her a moment because she was thinking if it was alright to reveal her plans here.
'I am sure they won't do anything bad right? They are the ones I need to recruit to build the Hololive Group after all!' Ayumi thought to herself.
"Is that so." Choco nodded on her words. "As for us, we are here to hunt someone." Choco easily revealed that to her.
"Eh?" Ayumi was shocked at that sudden revelation.
"It's fine. You revealed something to me, so it's fair that I also reveal something to you." Choco said with a gentle smile on her way.
'That's fair.' Ayumi thought to herself. 'In fact, she didn't reveal much about their plans. Just like how I answered her.' Ayumi continued with that train of thought.
They won't know if their plans are in conflict on each other. She didn't specify who is her friend. They didn't specify who are they hunting. It's an equal exchange of information if someone was looking at it in a general point of view.
It seems like Choco was a bit wary at her. She and Fubuki was an unknown who came here at the same time as them. And because they are considered as a part of the Other Side, it was fine to think that they might be hostile.
Ayumi can think that in a rational way. Though, she wants to deny that as quickly as possible.
"Don't worry, whoever you are hunting, I am sure it doesn't have anything to do with a normal highschool girl right?" So Ayumi reassured Choco with that kind of question.
She was basically telling her that her friend is just a normal human. Choco quickly got what she was inferring. It seems like she was a bit tense as Ayumi saw her relaxing her muscles after she says that.
"Yes. It doesn't have anything to do with a normal highschool girl." Choco replied to her.
After that, they passed through the many stalls on their surroundings. It seems like Fubuki is pretty bad at games that needs an aiming. Though Aqua was godly at that type of game. It seems like even Towa was decent on anything that needs aiming.
They tried the other stalls like the fish catching stalls and the ring throwing stalls. Fubuki was pretty good at fish catching, as she got a lot of fishes with just a single plastic net. Aqua was also good at the game, easily surpassing Fubuki in it. The others are just average.
It seems like Rushia also joined on the fun. Though she almost lost her temper when she can't even catch anything. Good thing, Choco somehow knew when she will snap because she quickly took Rushia out of the stall with just a prod on her shoulder.
Choco can easily lift the zombie girl with one of her arm. Though she prefers using both of her arms because she said it would look pitiful if she just carried the girl like a sack of potatoes.
By the way, it seems like Rushia wanted Ollie to be always nearby. Though she can't carry her because she was much shorter than the one she reanimated. Only Choco can carry the zombie girl and Choco just happily obliges just for her student.
As they toured the festival a bit more, they saw some young people giving their thanks to some elders and seniors.
'Hmm... when is the Initiation Program of this festival?' Ayumi thought in curiosity.
While touring, she was also looking for any signs of the Initiation Program happening. Her prediction was telling her that something is suspicious with that event on this festival.
While she was looking around for anything else, it seems like Ayame was also wondering about it as she initiates a conversation to a stranger.
"Good evening sir. Can I ask where is the Initiation Program happening?" Ayame asks in curiosity.
As stated, Ayame was interested with the festival. Though Choco and Shion have other plans because they detected something fishy on Tanegashima, Ayame just wanted to have fun.
"Initiation Program? That's on Sunday! Your too early if you are looking out for that!" The old man told her that before laughing for a bit. Then he walks away.
"Eh... it's still Friday you know?" Ayame said in disappointment.
"Well, we should go back to the hotel. It will be midnight soon." Aqua said as she looks at the time.
'Oh right... It was already 10 PM. I also need to wake up early tomorrow to get to Nakatane!' Ayumi thought to herself.
"""Eeeeeeeeeeh?"""
Ayame, Towa, and Fubuki whined in disagreement as they heard it's time to get back now.
It seems like even as a shut-in, Aqua was somehow more responsible than them.
"H-hey! You still wanted to roam a bit more? Some of the stalls are closing now you know." Aqua said while feeling overwhelmed at their disagreement.
It seems like she was weak when it comes to the request of others.
"But the games..."
"The food..."
"... What about the sights..."
That was Fubuki, Towa, and Ayame who said that respectively.
"... Okay, I think we can still stay outside for a bit more..." Aqua quickly relented.
Shion can only roll her eyes at Aqua's timidness.
"Uhmm..." Ayumi tried to take their attention.
"Yes Ayumi-san?" Aqua ask in curiosity.
Aqua and Ayumi actually became a bit too closer. They can easily call themselves on their first names.
"Uhmm... I need to get to Nakatane tomorrow so I will be going back now." Ayumi said while feeling a bit bad for leaving them alone.
""Eh!?""
Both Fubuki and Aqua exclaimed in surprise.
"... Ah, how disappointing." Fubuki muttered that, though she was also walking closer to Ayumi to go along with her.
Seeing that the two of them are going back, Aqua can't help but show her own disappointment. Even Ayame and Towa also showed some of it.
Seeing their disappointed expressions, Ayumi can't help but feel like she was doing something bad.
'Wait... they are a part of the supernatural side right?' Ayumi thought to herself. 'Then maybe...' Her mind made up, she looks into Fubuki. "Fubuki, you can stay with them if you wanted."
"Huh?"
"I mean, I am sure you also want to interact with your new friends for a bit more. And I am only staying on Nakatane until Matsuri-san is done with her camping. So I'll go back to you after that." Ayumi explained that to her.
Fubuki also thinks about it. She can see through the disguise of most of Aqua's friends so she knows that they are just like her, a part of the supernatural side.
But...
"What about you?" Fubuki was honestly concerned about Ayumi.
She already thought of helping her. And while Fubuki wanted to spend more time with Aqua and the others, her first priority is still Ayumi. This is the only person who was taking care of her since she woke up without any memories of her life as a human.
She doesn't want to look like ungrateful by doing whatever she wants as her benefactor was going somewhere and doing all the hard work for herself.
But Ayumi just shook her head and holds Fubuki's hand in reassurance.
"Don't worry about me. Nothing bad is going to happen to me." Ayumi said to her. "Also, it's only just until Monday. So I think nothing drastic will happen." Ayumi said that to Fubuki.
Fubuki stares at her for awhile before she sighs.
"Okay..." Fubuki said before gazing straight at her eyes with determination. "But you must call me if something bad happens okay!" She said to her.
"Eh?" Ayumi can only become dumbfounded at Fubuki's sudden persuasion.
"I told you to call me if something bad happens." Fubuki repeated her statement.
"... Okay..." Ayumi muttered that while feeling reluctant about it.
Fubuki nodded happily when she heard her acceptance. Ayumi always does her promises to the others. Fubuki didn't even saw her breaking any promise that they have.
Just like when Fubuki ask Ayumi not to help her in streaming unless she ask for it. Ayumi really didn't help her even when she wanted to do so. Or when Fubuki ask Ayumi that she also wants to help her too, she gave her status enhancements to Fubuki so she can also become stronger like her.
For Fubuki, Ayumi doesn't break any promises. She doesn't know if she will do it in the future, but she was sure this promise, she will keep it.
She trusted Ayumi that much that even that kind of reluctant acceptance can still be considered as an absolute guarantee.
And Ayumi will do it. She doesn't want to disappoint Fubuki so she will call her even if she was hesitant to do so.
"Well then, have fun with them." Ayumi said to her.
"Yes, see you soon!~" Fubuki said to her with a wave of her hand before she goes back to Aqua's side.
Ayumi thinks that the others are strong enough to protect Fubuki. If they can walk on the public in a carefree manner like that, she thinks Fubuki will also be safe in their care.
Of course she will still take care of Fubuki. She was just letting Fubuki have fun with her friends before they go back to their home after she was done with her objective.
'I really hope that nothing drastic happens on that duration.' Ayumi thought to herself, while praying in her heart about it.
**End of Chapter 36**
Hoshimachi Ayumi/Sakaguchi Kotomi (Hololive Founder)
Physique : 27,890
Fitness : 28,230
Wisdom : 27,345
Creativity : 27,775
Talent : 31,020
Charisma : 27,100
Essence : 26,500
VP : 255,029
[Abilities]
Game : FPS God
Game : Horror God
Game : Puzzle God
Game : Survival God
2D Modeling God
3D Modeling God
Alchemy God
Analysis God
Animation God
Baggage God
Cooking God
Cover God
Disguise God
Mental Control God
Enchantment God
Engineering God
Evasion God
House Chores God
Illusion God
Improvising God
Instinct God
Multitasking God
Portal God
Prediction God
Programming God
Psychokinesis God
Tracking God
Technician God
Voice Acting God
FP : 354,823
A/N
So I decided to end it at that part.
So about the name of the festival, there are many meanings about the first and second letter of that festival. So it will be pretty hard to pinpoint it's meaning.
This arc is pretty complex so I am having a headache. This chapter should have been longer but it seems like I ran out of juices. So I skip to the next chapter.
Hope this doesn't lessen your reading experience...
Review if you like, helpful comments are welcome and thanks for reading this!~~
P.S. Still looking for a beta reader. Also, my current goal is to have this story be put on the recommendations on Tvtropes and Reddit. I am not doing that by myself, that's frowned upon you know! I hope this story became so popular that it have it's own Tvtropes page. Oh, and my most ambitious dream is to somehow have at least one Hololive Member to read this xD
(We know that all of that is just a pipe dream as far as the edge of the universe itself)