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Femina Economica Monster – Part 03

Outside the peculiar, shell-shaped building, a colorful convertible was parked in a lush green garden. It boasted a futuristic design, with blue and red checkered patterns highlighted by white stars. Bon Vivant walked around and settled into the driver’s seat.

Kazuya froze. “A-Are we riding this?!”

Without a word, Coup de Grâce lifted both Kazuya and Victorique and carefully placed the pair on the back seat like they were precious dolls. It seemed he was already accustomed to this car. Coup de Grâce then sat in the passenger seat.

A young man wearing a suit with the American flag motif occupied the driver’s seat, while a muscular young man in a tailcoat sat in the passenger seat. In the back seat were Victorique, her silver hair flowing, and Kazuya, dressed unusually in a tailcoat.

A young group of residents passing the lush garden pointed curiously at them, glancing back repeatedly.

The engine roared, and the car shook. Bon Vivant cheered enthusiastically.

“Let’s go to the party in my amazing Miracle Car! Hang in there, Granny, Grandpa, Mom, and Dad!” He grabbed the steering wheel and looked behind him. His bloodshot eyes peeled back even wider, revealing thick vessels. “Let’s go, Wonder Girl, Linlin!”

“Um, our names are Kazuya Kujou and Victorique de Blois.”

“Off we go!”

“Uh…”

“Don’t bother, Kujou. You’re just wasting your time,” Victorique said. She looked really full and sluggish. “The degenerate is content as long as we accompany him. It has been about an hour since we met, but he has shown no interest in learning where we come from or the circumstances that led us to immigrate.” Her green eyes dimmed. “Don’t show interest in others. Stay within boundaries. Don’t even bother learning people’s names, but engage in friendly conversation. Is this how life is in the bustling metropolis of the New World? It seems there’s still a bit more to learn.”

Kazuya nodded in earnest agreement. “Still more to learn, huh? I take it you mean toying with fragments of chaos? Maybe you should consider becoming a detective, after all? That part of you hasn’t changed since… Ouch…!”

Victorique reached out her chubby little hand and sharply pinched Kazuya’s cheek, turning it like a faucet with a sharp angle.

“No, I don’t want to. I won’t work. I swear by my pride, I will not move,” she grouched. “I dream of becoming a lazy watchdog. Working hard, breaking into a sweat, is the fated duty of plebeians like you. Hmm, yes, I’m sure of it.”

“Oh, come on! Calling me a plebeian, huh?! And what’s this about fated duty? Also, you don’t have to pinch me so hard! It really hurts! …Ow?”

The Miracle Car burst out of the property. It zoomed down the alley, despite the traffic blockade. Perhaps because Bon Vivant was recognized as the pampered man from a wealthy family and the mayor’s own son, the police cars didn’t even attempt to stop them. The Miracle Car raced through the empty streets toward the black building towering in the night sky. Its blue, white, and red body gleamed brightly, reflecting the streetlights.

Kazuya marveled at the night view of the world’s greatest metropolis. Brown brick buildings stood alongside modern structures covered in steel frames and glass. Amidst the sleek new cars, chestnut-colored horses carrying policemen trotted along. While well-maintained streetlights illuminated the scene artificially, statues of mythological heroes and semi-naked goddesses looked down from the buildings.

Medieval, modern, and future elements mingled haphazardly. This was New York, a developing city.

Glancing over, Victorique let her silver hair flow like a band of light in the night sky, occasionally catching the neon lights. With her green eyes wide open, she gazed intently at the passing cityscape.

Ah, Victorique and I have come to the New World. From today on, we’ll live here. It feels like a dream, but it’s true. In this small, mysterious world, just the two of us, like silver butterflies… hand in hand… living our lives.

Ahead, the pitch-black Apocalypse towered high. It was so huge and modern. The moon hung at the top, gradually glowing bluish-white. Like a tower of demons.

Suddenly, Kazuya noticed Victorique seemed to avert her gaze from the tower. Curious, he tilted his head.

At that moment, Bon Vivant burst out, “Isn’t it amazing?! Isn’t it?! The United States is like a huge, fresh peach that hasn’t been bruised by two terrifying storms. Oh, these buildings! Tremendous economic and political power. It’s Babylon City, the stage of Wonder Girl!”

“Uh, well…”

“My partner and I are portraying the essence of New York— the essence of America itself. A new nation advancing towards the future. America’s future is bright! Oh, brave new world!”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that,” Coup de Grâce muttered casually from the passenger seat.

Bon Vivant was taken aback. “Huh? You don’t think so? That’s news!”

As the Miracle Car turned the corner, Coup de Grâce, realizing he had everyone’s attention, scratched his head awkwardly.

“Uh, well… I’m just… I prefer living peacefully, even if it means being poor. Both my grandma and my dad were like that. Everyone’s got their own place in life, you know.” His large body shrunk a bit.

Kazuya looked up at the night sky alongside Victorique. Gradually, he began to feel a sense of unease and foreboding.

A tall, black, artificial tower loomed grandly, its pointed tip like an ancient warrior’s sword, with a golden sphere at the top that glowed ominously.

“Your grandma is a great woman, to be sure, but that building scares me. It reminds of the Tower of Babel that challenged God. Progress isn’t always a good thing. Well, I’m not exactly educated, and I don’t get into complex stuff, but I reckon maybe that’s what caused those two wars. I mean, isn’t that tower just too dang high? It’s a terrifying sight. For a regular guy like me, a five-story building is plenty enough.”

He shuddered. Kazuya also felt a chill. Victorique’s profile seemed to turned paler as well.

Bon Vivant suddenly burst into laughter. “You’re such a scaredy-cat! You’re just overthinking it. I attended the prestigious New York High School, so I’m a bit educated. And all I gotta say is: wow, so tall, so cool!”

Coup de Grâce shrank in embarrassment. “Well, overthinking is just my nature. You know that, Bon.”

“Yeah, well… But thanks to that, Wonder Girl is all hyped up. Your stories leaving her home planet, fighting an evil mastermind. They have both sad and fun parts. I couldn’t come up with anything like that.”

“And I can’t draw as well as you.”

Bon Vivant laughed. “Oh, we’re here!”

The tires screeched, and the blue, white, and red Miracle Car burst out of the corner onto the street in front of the Apocalypse. Flashing lights as bright as the midsummer sun startled Kazuya.

“All right, folks, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The party’s about to begin. It’s like flipping through the pages of New York’s Who’s Who. Oh, look, first to appear on the red carpet is a group of up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood. Absolutely breathtaking! But who’s who? And here comes the welcoming committee for our high-flying guests, none other than the Bluecandy family’s gorgeous group of models, the Cigarette Girls! Rocking those blue miniskirts, they look so sexy! Oh, and look over there, we’ve got a bunch of gents, senators, bankers, artists, lawyers—you name it! Oh, and behind them is none other than the automotive kingpin of the new world, Mr. Robert Wolf. Excuse me! Mr. Wolf, care to share a few words to celebrate the completion of La Guardia’s Apocalypse?”

“What a lively coverage you have there. I was just listening to your radio show. Unlike those junky cars from other companies, our cool new model cars come with built-in radios. To all the distinguished ladies and gentlemen gathered here, and to those listening on the radio! If you’re buying a car, be sure to check out Wolf Cars from Wolf Company! Oh, and also congratulations on the building’s completion, Lady La Guardia! Got too caught up advertising, I almost forgot to say that. Whew, close call!”

“Hahaha! An ad break. Well then. Oh, is there something else you want to say? Wait, Mr. Wolf, that’s my mic…”

“We’re here to celebrate the completion of the Bluecandy family’s giant tower, but actually, I’ve come to recruit Bon Vivant. Can you guess why?”

“Huh, why? You’re not seriously considering hiring that idiot for Wolf Company, are you?! Please give me back my mic! Ugh, fine. Rumor has it that you recently bought out a rundown newspaper company in the corner of Newspaper Row with the money you made from the new Wolf Cars. Um, what was the name again? It’s so obscure that even I can’t remember. And I know everything about New York.”

“Rundown? You rude bastard! Hahaha. I was just pretending to be angry! No need to be so scared. Everyone, listen up! Its name is the Daily Road! It may be rundown now, but give it a few years. I want Bon & Coup to serialize with us. How’s this for a story? The protagonist is a little boy who immigrated to Bluestar as a child, loves machines, and even designs cars during class.”

“A little boy? I bet he’s based on you. Ah!”

“Speak of the devil. The debauchee is here. Wait, what?!”

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“That’s the new convertible model of the Wolf Car that I sweat over developing! A super luxury car that just launched and costs a million dollars. A magical vehicle imbued with ancient wisdom from the Old World. Th-That is quite the paintjob. I expected nothing less from the biggest aficionado in town.”

“Yahoo! Attention all comic fans across the US! We present the sparkling underground star, Bon Vivant! Unfortunately, I can only convey this through audio, but this guy arrived in a flashy, star-spangled Wolf Car. Next to me, the developer and president of Wolf Company, automotive kingpin Robert Wolf himself, had his jaw drop.”

“Wonderful! I want to see it up close!”

“Huh? He likes it? And there’s… H-How do I put this?! In the back seat… th-that’s Wonder…”