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Enter the Debauchee! – Part 03

Onlookers stole glances, while a compassionate young mother scolded her child for pointing and laughing at Bon Vivant’s distress, saying, “Stop, dear, it’s not polite to stare.”

As the wind ruffled his cloak, Bon Vivant lifted his head. “Anyway! I’ve had my fair share of experiences with gold-digging girls since my days at New York High School. Like taking off my designer pants and pawning them! Or tricking me into buying a diamond-studded bicycle saddle by covering up three zeros on the price tag. That’s why…” He raised his fist defiantly. “Wonder Girl is my ideal girl!” His cloak billowed.

“Keep it down,” said a nearby elderly man, reading a crumpled newspaper. He lifted his gaze. “Isn’t that the protagonist of your comic book?”

“Oh! Thanks for reading, sir. Here’s to New York!”

“Well, it’s famous.” The old man exhaled sharply.

“Oh, do you want an autograph?”

“No need.”

“Really?” Bon Vivant stared at his raised fist. “A miraculous girl from beyond the cosmos! Hair like the Milky Way, beauty unparalleled! Incredibly strong, upright, and full of valor! Now, folks, what’s her name? The All-American Girl… Wonder Girl!”

His shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“Just kidding. Such a wonderful woman could never exist in reality. Despite New York’s vastness, I’ve never… encountered… one… Huh?” Bon Vivant’s eyes widened suddenly. “Whaaaaat?!”

On the street, atop three worn suitcases piled high, sat a mesmerizing figure exuding an air of enigmatic grace and future promise, a tiny blue star perched upon a cosmic throne. Wrapped in modest gray cloth, her gleaming silver hair danced in the wind, resembling a magical fish swimming through the heavens. Enveloped in the brilliance of a night befitting a celestial queen, she seemed to radiate and reflect moonlight. A beautiful, mysterious extraterrestrial being descended from a distant realm, now secretly resting her wings on the pavement.

With icy, penetrating eyes, she fixed a gaze of intense suspicion upon Bon Vivant.

Bon Vivant’s body trembled violently. “Sh-She’s real! Wonder Girl is… is real!”

Tears of joy streamed down his face. His quivering hands opened wide, and the two letters were whisked away by the wind, fluttering off into some hidden corner of Manhattan.

Bon Vivant slowly opened his mouth and let out a guttural scream, piercing the depths of the universe. “Jesus Christ!”

“Kujou, we’ve got an oddball over here. Deal with him. I don’t know what his problem is, but he’s definitely a weirdo.”

“What’s the matter, Victorique? I brought some soup. It’s just for one person, though. Drinking it might help you feel better. You can have it all to yourself. Um, do you know this man in blue?”

“I’ve never seen him before. That’s why you need to deal with him!”

Kazuya stood perplexed on the streets of Manhattan, holding a cup of soup.

Victorique huddled atop the stacked suitcases, looking thoroughly disgruntled. She bore a resemblance to a startled kitten fleeing from a flamboyantly dressed dog, scampering up a tree.

Beneath the suitcases, a mysterious young man donning a sparkling suit in the motif of the American flag hopped about like a frog, clutching bundles of hundred-dollar bills in each hand, bouncing up and down, up and down.

Kazuya felt thoroughly confounded. “You found a peculiar company while I was gone for a bit, Victorique. Instead of sulking, can you shed some light on it? I’m at a loss here.”

“I-I know nothing! This is truly unexpected. You must do something about it!”

“What does the Wellspring of Wisdom say about this?”

“I’d rather not resort to it for such a bizarre situation.”

The man continued to hop around, shouting in a frenzied, high-pitched voice, “How much must I pay for this bitch to be my companion?! A million dollars? Two million dollars?!”

Kazuya spun around in surprise. The man leapt, arms wide, applauding and striking triumphant poses in mid-air, before descending again.

“You want more?! Cheapskate!” His expression shifted to one of growing anger. “What a greedy woman. Ah, I’m running out of time. Come with me immediately! I’ll pay whatever you ask! Come on!”

Befuddled, Kazuya glanced up at Victorique.

“Just name your price!”

The man dropped fifty-cent coins from his pocket. Although he casually held bundles of bills, he hurriedly bent down to collect the coins. Kazuya tried to help.

“Don’t you dare steal my money, you broke shit! Wait, you look just like Linlin! Is this girl with you? Chinese, huh?! Incredible! Did you come from Chinatown?”

Kazuya grew even more bewildered. He looked at Victorique. “Please use your Wellspring of Wisdom.”

Peering down from atop the suitcase, Victorique disdainfully turned her face away. Kazuya persisted, calling her name repeatedly, like someone coaxing a cat down from a tree.

“Victorique… Victorique…”

Eventually, Victorique relented, puffing out her cheeks as she reluctantly began to explain. “Unfortunately, I’ve only uncovered a fraction of the truth. Kujou, remember what Bearded Joey said at the port? About the Bluecandy family, the magnates behind the construction of the skyscraper?”

“Yeah, the Apocalypse. They’re having a party tonight to celebrate its completion. It’s also the reason behind this traffic closure.”

“The son currently serves as the mayor of New York, but the grandson is a degenerate. Said grandson happens to be this man, and for some reason, he has taken a liking to me and is insisting on bringing me to the party.”

“What? So he’s a weirdo? I have to protect Victorique. She only has me.” Cautiously, he turned away from Bon Vivant.

Victorique gracefully descended from the suitcases. Kazuya handed her the cup of steaming soup and swiftly made his way down the sidewalk, burdened by the heavy suitcases.

Bon Vivant rushed after them, peering at the annoyed Victorique and glancing at Kazuya’s expression. He looked at the wad of bills he held, then tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Does money not cut it? No way. Mom always said that flashing cash usually did the trick with girls.” He shook his head and pulled himself together. This time, he adopted a more plaintive tone. “Please… I beg of you… Jesus!”

Victorique strode on indifferently, dragging the gray cloth behind her. Kazuya, however, couldn’t help but worry, glancing back.

When he saw this, Bon Vivant intensified his efforts, assuming an even more distressed expression. Raising his voice further, he attracted the attention of passersby.

“I’m in trouble! Help me! Christ! My mom wants me to bring a beautiful girl to the party, but I don’t have a girlfriend or a female friend! I wanted to make a grand entrance with a stunning girl like Wonder Girl in the Miracle Car… Sob…”

“Why are you crying? And who’s Wonder Girl?” Kazuya blurted out unintentionally.

Bon Vivant abandoned the fake tears, lifted his head, and with bloodshot eyes, declared, “All right, let’s discuss this in detail! Come over here!”

“Kujou!”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry… Victorique, but this man seems distressed.”

“I also want to attend the ceremony tonight! My dad despises me, but my grandma adores me. And also…”

“And also?”

“Hey, Kujou!”

“Ah, I-I did it again. Sorry, Victorique.”

Exasperated by Kazuya’s constant humoring of the guy, Victorique reprimanded him. “Kujou. Why don’t you just ignore the weird guy? We don’t know him. Besides, this isn’t the time to be helping others. If anything, we’re the ones who need help.”

“I-I know, but…” Kazuya cast his gaze down awkwardly.

Victorique narrowed her eyes, her voice icy and hoarse. “Kujou, weren’t you supposed to have matured and changed a bit? We discussed this on the ship. But you’re still the same overly-kind boy. I find it a little surprising.”

Kazuya remained silent, staring at the ground. Yeah… During the war, when I was in the army, a lot of things happened. I’ve changed since then.

“Hmm?”

“I… I want to help when I can. But I’ve learned there are times when I can’t do it alone. I’ve grown to know prudence and limits. So when faced with tragedies beyond my control… I… I…” He trailed off. “…I pray.”

A warm breeze swept through the night. The moon twinkled, the stars sparkled. Victorique’s silver hair shimmered in places, catching the evening sun. She remained silent.

Then, her expression shifted to one of mischief. She narrowed her green eyes, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

“Hehehehe! What an excellent idea!”

“…Huh?”

“Let us pray for this man. A-A-Amenmen… All right, I’ve prayed! Let’s go.”

“A-Amenmen? W-Wait a minute. You’ve never prayed before, have you? That was terrible.”

“Hmph.”

“Wait, Wonder Girl! How much do you want, you greedy woman! Money-grubber!”

“And what’s your problem?” Kazuya snapped. “Wait, Victorique!”

Kazuya went after Victorique with a hefty bundle of luggage in his arms. Meanwhile, the man in the peculiar stars and stripes suit trotted alongside.

Uh, how did it come to this again? Oh, Victorique!

Bon Vivant rummaged through his suit’s pocket for anything he could give. He found a large, light blue lollipop, but that didn’t seem right. He offered it anyway. Then, Victorique poked her head out from the gray cloth, looking rather serious. She groaned softly.

Surprised, Bon Vivant exclaimed, “Huh? You want this? Not a bundle of hundred-dollar bills, but candy? I thought you were a money-grubber.”

“Oh…”

Kazuya also regarded the candy curiously.

Victorique, Kazuya, and Bon Vivant formed a triangle, each staring at the other on the street.

The rain began to patter loudly. The sky darkened, and the shadows of towering buildings lengthened. Clusters of buildings and laundry lines crisscrossed like spider webs. From above, the moonlight dimmed, casting the city into darkness.