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Femina Economica Monster – Part 04

The luxurious car, bedecked in blue, white, and red, careened around the corner with Bon Vivant’s reckless driving. Victorique’s silver hair danced like a phantom in the back seat as they arrived at the square in front of the Apocalypse. A displeased groan escaped Victorique’s lips.

The red carpet was filled with gentlemen donned in tailcoats and ladies draped in glamorous evening gowns. Sparkling necklaces and cuffs embellished their attire. The Cigarette Girls, wearing blue miniskirts, greeted the guests with radiant smiles. Newspaper photographers relentlessly flashed their cameras, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

A tall Italian youth with curly hair turned to capture a picture. “I’m from the Daily Road, Mr. Wolf. One picture please!” but was shoved aside by the other photographers, sending him tumbling.

“Move, rookie!”

“Small newspapers don’t get to be in front!”

The Miracle Car screeched to a halt, and Victorique’s hair descended a second later. Silence enveloped the surroundings. Gentlemen and ladies on the red carpet shifted their attention.

Bon Vivant leisurely stepped out of the car. Remembering something, he retrieved the reversible cloak from Victorique in the back seat, turned the blue side up, wrapped himself with it, and struck a sharp pose.

Sporting a blue silk hat paired with a star-spangled suit, he wielded an ancient sword as if it were a toy. His cloak billowed magnificently in the wind. Victorique and Kazuya observed from the back seat, their expressions reflecting disbelief. Subsequently, Coup de Grâce emerged, quiet and imposing like a shadow, in a tailcoat. The crowd held their breath as they encircled the Miracle Car.

The DJ cautiously announced, “First to emerge from the car are Bon Vivant, wearing a crazy outfit as always, and his brawny partner, Coup de Grâce. In a way, the most famous duo in New York, Bon & Coup. And then…”

Victorique cast a glance at the DJ, a young man sporting green, star-shaped glasses and a pink pompom microphone, handsome as an actor. She leaned in close to Kazuya’s ear and whispered hoarsely, “His outfit is just as crazy. What a strange place the New World is, Kujou.”

“Y-Yeah. We actually immigrated to a bizarre land.”

Coup de Grâce lifted Victorique and Kazuya from the back seat, placing Victorique on his right shoulder and Kazuya on his left, standing tall beside Bon Vivant.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd and the press. Kazuya gazed around, bewildered, then cast a worried glance at Victorique. The whole land seemed to shake.

The young bestselling comic authors, Bon & Coup. One, the affluent scion of a New York family, bedecked in a striking, star-spangled suit and a cloak. The other, his partner, possessed a massive physique reminiscent of an ancient warrior.

And…

Perched on his partner’s shoulder, her resplendent silver hair shimmering like stars, was…

Wearing a stunning blue satin dress paired with a deep-red mini hat and a white, star-patterned chiffon shawl. Red ribbons adorned her sleeves and waist, with white lace accentuating the neckline and hem. The layered frills of the dress fanned out like a fully bloomed flower, gleaming like a full moon in the night sky.

Her hair, silvery as the moonlight, turned bright platinum blonde with each flash of the cameras. Astonishingly petite and slender, yet exuding an aura more formidable than anyone else. A diminutive girl radiating a dignified presence, her emerald green eyes flickering, casting an intimidating gaze upon her surroundings.

On the opposite shoulder, a familiar, Eastern-looking boy perched.

The DJ’s pink pompom microphone shook as he bellowed, “It’s Wonder Girl!”

The square erupted in excitement. The most popular character in comics, the conscience of New York and the guardian of the neo city—Candy Holiday, a normal schoolgirl from Little Italy during the day, and a champion of justice at night—the city’s renowned fictional girl, had suddenly appeared in the real world.

Comic fans in the crowd whispered among each other.

“W-Wonder Girl…”

“…showing up on the night of the memorial ceremony?!”

Victorique and Kazuya, unable to comprehend the cause of the commotion, surveyed the surroundings. Kazuya kept stealing glances at Victorique out of concern.

“Look, look! Linlin’s here too!”

“Wow, he’s even cuter in person than in the comics!”

Kazuya was taken aback as younger girls blew kisses at him.

Oh no… this is… a boy’s lifelong… n-no, dream.

He covered his face with both hands, curled up, and blushed with embarrassment. Victorique glanced at Kazuya’s flustered state with a hint of disdain.

“What a lively celebration this turned out to be, huh?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Surrounded by the sound of shutters, Bon Vivant widened his eyes and proudly puffed out his chest.

Out of nowhere, a mysterious gentleman appeared next to Coup de Grâce—a dashing man with clear green eyes and a prominent golden mustache, but only about 140 centimeters tall.

“You two will be on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper,” he said.

“Huh? Who are you?” Kazuya asked, confused.

The DJ leaped multiple times. “It’s Wonder Girl! Everyone, Wonder Girl is here! The girl of everyone’s dreams! A super miraculous girl who immigrated from beyond the stars of the universe. With super strength, she breaks the strong and helps the weak, our ally of justice who fights evil bosses in our place and protects the peace of the city. The girl of hope for the future. Wonder Girl, with her proud silver hair, has jumped out of the comic world tonight!” he shouted while bustling around with the microphone.

The crowd, still in shock, gazed up at Victorique.

“I was making fun of Bon Vivant, wondering if he had a date for the party, but I have to eat my words! He’s triumphantly brought along someone breathtaking. He’s shown up to the adults who look down on us comic folks. It’s frustrating that we can only broadcast the audio. As a radio guy, I hate to say this, but folks, the photos should be in tomorrow morning’s tabloid, and you can take a look at the girl. But seriously, where did she come from? Such an extraordinarily beautiful face, and that rare silver hair. There’s no way someone as well-informed as me in Manhattan wouldn’t have heard of her until now.”

Bon Vivant and Coup de Grâce strode gallantly on the red carpet. The mysterious gentleman who was beside them had vanished without a trace.

The deep red of the carpet leading to the entrance suddenly resembled a river of blood. The entrance door, reminiscent of the end times, stood open. A door like the mouth of a monster. Kazuya grew anxious again and scanned the surroundings. Victorique’s cheeks also seemed to pale.

“Are you okay? It’s really a strange world here.”

“Stay by my side.”

“Huh? Yeah! Of course.”

Kazuya nodded vigorously. Victorique gazed up, her emerald green eyes staring at Kazuya. Then she looked down again.

Things got strange right after our arrival. Anyway, I have to… protect Victorique.

Kazuya nodded repeatedly.

The Tower entrance was spacious and luxurious. They entered a state-of-the-art elevator, glass-walled and fast.

Victorique smoothly descended from Coup de Grâce’s shoulder, took Bon Vivant’s cloak, flipped it to the gray side, and donned it. Then, the unusual presence that surprised the people outside vanished again, returning to a small, insignificant form like a cocoon.

Bon Vivant appeared bewildered, but Coup de Grâce spoke with a hint of concern.

“You must’ve been surprised, huh? Well, this is the hustle and bustle of the big city. You’ll get used to it soon enough if you live here. Wherever you live, it’s the city.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“You both just arrived today, right? Do you have a place to live or a job lined up? Any guarantors? Do you have qualifications or licenses?”

“Uh, well, my sister Ruri and her husband… should be here. I plan to discuss housing with them first once we meet up with them, then look for a job. As for qualifications, um…” Kazuya replied with his head down.

Coup de Grâce cast him a dubious glance. “I see.”

Kazuya nodded quietly.

“Well, that’s the way it goes. First-generation immigrants are often all excited to leave the Old World behind and step into the new world they’ve all dreamed about, only to find themselves wondering what to do next once they arrive. In short, this country is the land of the descendants of opportunists, adventurers, and the exiled. That’s why things are generally like this. You two seem to have your own circumstances. It’s the typical, ‘Welcome to America.’”

Kazuya hung his head uneasily.

“But you know,” Coup de Grâce added reassuringly, “in the end, you’ll end up living and working wherever fate brings you. Everyone does.”

Kazuya looked up at the man’s profile. “Fate?”

“Yeah. That’s what it means to live in a big city.”

Kazuya’s expression brightened slightly.

“Take me, for instance. After my dad and grandma passed away and I was all alone, wandering from job to job…”

Outside the glass-walled elevator, the ground rapidly receded. The gorgeous night view sparkled brightly. The drama on the ground concluded, signaling the approach of a completely different time.

“I met Bon while I was running away from home, by chance. That night, if it hadn’t started pouring, I wouldn’t have come back. It was raining so hard, I got worried about the guy and went back with an umbrella. And we hit it off.”

Kazuya nodded. Victorique also listened intently. Bon Vivant, like a colorful lion, just wandered back and forth, seemingly not listening. Coup de Grâce saw this and chuckled.

“He never listens to my stories. And he’s forgetful. He probably doesn’t even remember the night we met.” He turned back to Kazuya. “And then, before we knew it, we became Bon & Coup, the authors of Wonder Girl. A strange story, isn’t it? But that’s fate. So, I’m sure you two…”

Ding!

The elevator arrived at the top floor. The doors clattered open, and artificial light dazzled Kazuya’s eyes.