After incurring another "loan," information regarding the target location appeared on the translucent blue panel.
[Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub]
[Status: Completely abandoned (approx. 20 years)]
[Key Features: Original site was a leveled ground for an unbuilt small airport. Main structure is semi-underground with a concealed entrance. Previously connected to Tokyo's northwest circular water supply network.]
[Suspected Contamination Path: Dormant valve illegally opened → Inducing agent injected into abandoned facility/pipes → Contamination flows back into urban water supply system.]
Concise, cold, and straight to the point.
Nyamu quickly scanned it, imprinting the key information into her mind.
This was the answer that an additional 20,000 yen bought, so expensive that the tip of her tail twitched in pain.
The roar of engines tore through the somewhat desolate air of the Tokorozawa city outskirts. A heavy motorcycle and a Little Hornet rode one after another, avoiding main roads and scattered farmhouses, speeding along the illusory blue line projected by the FT navigation.
The wind swept through Nyamu's sweat-dampened bangs, and also ruffled Fuuki's scattered golden hair. The shadow on his face had receded, revealing an overly handsome but bloodless countenance, his gaze intently fixed on the road ahead.
"Your 'superpower'…" Fuuki's voice carried through the wind, breaking the silence with a hint of pure academic curiosity.
"That panel. How exactly does it work?"
'It's here! The big shot's curiosity about my ability!'
Nyamu's spirits lifted, and she immediately began to explain.
"It's called 'Freely Tomorrow'. Essentially, it's like a surreal wish-task system. It issues tasks based on my wishes, like solving beast transformation crises, protecting important people…"
'Or, becoming a superstar or something…'
Fuuki tilted his head slightly, signaling her to continue.
"Completing tasks or meeting certain conditions earns me 'titles,' rewards, or unlocks features. See, this navigation is a 'service' I just bought." Nyamu pointed to the route map floating before her eyes.
"There's even more outrageous stuff. It has a built-in 'Shop' with all sorts of strange items, skills, and services, as long as you can afford them… or borrow for them."
By the end, her cat ears drooped, and her tone was full of resentment. She remembered the accompanying "loan" feature, with a daily interest rate of 3.5%, compounding interest… it was practically legal usury.
Fuuki fell silent.
Even though he had merged with fragments of his other self's memories, was well-informed, and understood the vast collection of Stand Discs his other self had amassed, he felt a certain cognitive stagnation at this moment.
A Stand that comes with a Shop, loans, navigation services, issues tasks based on the host's wishes, has modular functions, paid services, and even an interest system?
The world was full of wonders, but this thing, which seemed to stitch modern internet business models and RPG game systems into soul power… its operational logic was so bizarre, and the upper and lower limits of its abilities so vague, it was simply unheard of.
"Interesting." After a moment, Fuuki uttered only two words, his tone unreadable as praise or criticism.
His golden pupils shifted slightly, and an idea surfaced.
"I have a proposal."
"Meow?" The cat-eared girl immediately perked up her ears.
"What if…"
"What if I provide ample funds for you to 'shop' without limit in the system's Shop? To what extent could your ability, with this financial boost, demonstrate its upper limits?"
'Oh my god, a rich guy!'
Nyamu's pink cat eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, her previous resentment completely vanishing.
She looked at Fuuki's face, which appeared even more noble in the sunlight, and combined with the terrifying combat power he had previously displayed, a glittering identity was about to emerge—on the surface, a low-key young master of some ancient zaibatsu, and in secret, the Dark Knight protecting Tokyo!
'Batman!'
'But the conditions for becoming Batman are a bit harsh, so thinking that might be a bit rude.'
A wild mini-drama played out in her mind. Nyamu suppressed her excitement and immediately pulled up the Shop panel, beginning to fantasize about an invincible, cracked version of the future: clear all debts with one click! Buy god-tier skills! Exchange for a star destroyer… oh, maybe not that.
In short, trust money power!
She concentrated, trying to input the concept of "teammate providing funds" into the system, attempting to establish some kind of "external funding injection channel."
Buzz—!
The panel suddenly flashed with blinding red light! A line of cold, bolded, black text instantly popped up, filling her entire vision:
[Warning! Attempt to establish external funding injection detected!]
[Balance Rules Activated!]
[Rule One: All forms of external funds constituting 'excessively unequal gifts' are not recognized by this system.]
[Rule Two: Based on Rule One, such external funds cannot be used to repay any debts incurred from 'in-system consumption.']
[The final interpretation rights belong to 'Freely Tomorrow'. Thank you for your understanding (or lack thereof).]
"…" Nyamu's smile froze, her mouth twitching.
"…" Fuuki, through the rearview mirror, clearly saw the cat girl's instantly petrified expression.
"Understand my ass, meow—!!!"
The next second, the girl's frantic scream echoed through the countryside, her purple cat tail bristling with anger, wildly slapping the seat.
Watching the cat-eared girl's exasperated and impotently furious state, raging at thin air, a flicker of understanding passed through Fuuki's eyes.
His assessment quickly formed: Freely Tomorrow—a Stand strongly bound to the host (Yuutenji Nyamu)'s individual condition, specific actions, and will strength, and highly reliant on an "internal cycle."
Its growth potential is enormous, but the growth path is strictly defined by its own "rules," making it difficult for external forces to forcibly accelerate it.
Huge potential, but also huge limitations.
After nearly an hour of non-stop speeding, the navigation's blue arrow finally pointed to an unusually flat and open rural area. Far from the main road, overgrown with weeds, it was dotted with several strange "roads"—the remnants of a failed airport plan—whose concrete roadbeds were long swallowed by wild grass.
At the navigation's endpoint, a low, dilapidated reinforced concrete building lay half-hidden among overgrown trees and waist-high weeds.
Vines, like greedy tentacles, covered the mottled and cracked exterior walls. The massive iron gate, rusty and corroded, was firmly sealed by a thick chain and a similarly rusted giant lock. If not for the prominent red dot on the FT panel and the faint, lingering smell of rust and old water in the air, a passerby would simply mistake it for an abandoned warehouse or some forgotten industrial ruin.
"This is it… the Old Tokorozawa Water Distribution Hub."
Nyamu parked her Little Hornet, took off her helmet, her purple cat ears rotating vigilantly, catching subtle sounds around her. Only the rustling of wind through the wild grass and the distant cawing of crows broke the excessive silence.
Fuuki had already dismounted, parking his motorcycle nearby. Mutsumi the cat poked her small head out from his trench coat collar, calmly surveying the building before them.
Although the overall scene presented an image of desolation, certain details revealed discordant information.
The rust on the chain and giant lock was real, aged over many years. However, near the clasp, several very new, broken pieces of wire, reflecting a cold metallic glint in the sunlight, were scattered on the ground.
An inconspicuous vent grille next to the main door showed signs of its weld points being quickly melted by a high-temperature cutting tool and then crudely disguised, a professional technique, certainly no more than a week old. Even more hidden in the dense weeds, a few faint but clear fresh footprints, not belonging to the three of them, remained.
"Deliberately left obstacles… and a more concealed entrance."
"Someone is inside, or just left. The setup is very professional."
He looked at Nyamu, and the cat girl nodded gravely; she too had caught a very faint scent of chemical residue in the air, not from natural decay.
"Let's infiltrate. Better to be cautious." Fuuki made the decision and walked towards the disguised vent entrance.
"Understood, meow!" Nyamu immediately snapped into action, dropping to all fours, her body slightly crouched, the agility and alertness of a feline awakened. She was about to use her nimble movements to be the first to squeeze in—
"Yuutenji." Fuuki suddenly stopped, turning his head to call out to her.
Nyamu paused, looking up at him.
"Mutsumi and I," Fuuki's voice was calm, carrying a sense of frankness, "the special power we possess, whether you call it 'superpower' or something else… in a certain circle, it's called a 'Stand.'"
He explained concisely, as if describing an objective phenomenon: "A Stand is the materialization of spiritual energy, varying from person to person, with diverse forms and abilities. A person who possesses a Stand is a 'Stand User.'"
His gaze swept over Nyamu, and also over the virtual panel before her eyes that only she could see.
"For example, that system panel in front of you is your Stand. Mutsumi's ability is related to 'electricity,' and mine…" He paused, not elaborating, "is more inclined towards creating and manipulating 'illusions.'" This was the safest "surface" explanation he offered based on his combat performance so far.
Mutsumi the cat let out a soft "meow" on his shoulder, confirming the electricity part, but her eyes subtly glanced at Fuuki.
'He voluntarily spoke! About the superpower!'
Nyamu's heart trembled, followed by a surge of warmth from being trusted. But then, Fuuki's sharp gaze made her heart skip a beat again.
'But… why did he suddenly call me 'Yuutenji'?'
'I… I don't think I ever told him my surname, did I? Or my name…'
'Could it be… he also knows? Just like I found out his real name is 'Enrico Pucci' through that rotten panel?'
'A bit scary…'
'Although I'm the same in this regard, having presumptuously learned information about you and Mutsumi-san.'
Her gaze involuntarily and quickly darted to the lower right corner of her vision. There, the "teammate" information panel, visible only to her, still floated:
[Enrico Pucci (Priest /???)]
[Skill: Ability to manipulate 'illusions' to a certain extent.]
[Unlock more information! (Requires 10 billion yen)]
[Wakaba Mutsumi (Cat)]
[Skill: Ability to manipulate 'electricity' to a certain extent.]
[Unlock more information! (Requires 6.8 billion yen)]
The girl looked at the astronomical unlock prices following those entries, and any small positive evaluation she had just formed for her own Stand instantly plummeted to rock bottom, even wanting to kick it a few times.
'Speaking of which, the skills displayed in this information panel were initially just "guesses," followed by "pending," but they actually aligned with what Fuuki said.'
'Unlike names, such relatively private information can only be acquired step by step through "communication" and "observation"… it's really inconvenient.'
'It seems the secret of one's ability is truly super important! I must never tell anyone casually again, meow!'
'But Fuuki voluntarily told me about his and Mutsumi-san's abilities… even if it might be a simplified version, it's still a sign of trust, isn't it! As teammates!'
Thinking this, Nyamu's slight doubt faded, and she nodded vigorously.
"Understood! I'll be careful! …Sir?" She tentatively added a respectful address.
Fuuki didn't mind the address; a thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes and then vanished.
'From our meeting until now, she has never asked my name, even deliberately avoiding addressing me…'
'After I inquired about her ability, she didn't show the basic curiosity about our abilities that one might expect.'
'Now it seems it wasn't that she deliberately suppressed this curiosity, but rather that she already had an answer in her heart.'
'Her Stand ability, in terms of information acquisition, indeed has its unique aspects. Perhaps it's not just about issuing tasks and the Shop…'
'It seems deciding to bring her along was the correct choice.'
"Follow me, Yuutenji." Fuuki said no more, his tone returning to its usual calmness.
"The environment inside is complex; we need your keen feline senses to scout." He walked to the vent and set the cat on his shoulder down.
Zzz… snap!
With a barely audible crisp sound, the weld points, melted by high heat and then disguised, gave way, and Fuuki effortlessly removed the grille.
"Ah… okay, meow!" Nyamu immediately cast aside her distracting thoughts, concentrated, and nimbly followed behind Fuuki, squeezing into the dark entrance that reeked of rust and mildew.
The very next second their figures disappeared into the vent—
The bright yellow Teiai delivery electric bike parked in the open space outside suddenly shook violently! As if something inside had instantly disintegrated.
Creak—sizzle—bang!!!
After a series of noises like metal's death throes, this "Little Hornet," which had just been restored to new by a "medium repair kit" and carried its owner's massive debt, disintegrated with a crash without any external force!
The frame twisted and broke, the casing flew off, the motor emitted its last wisp of black smoke, turning into a pile of charred, completely scrapped metal debris.
A line of cold blue text quietly appeared in the corner of Yuutenji Nyamu's vision, who had already gone deep into the building, like a merciless obituary:
[System Notification: Critical Item Lost - Teiai Delivery Electric Bike]
"Huh—?!"
From deep within the passage, a faint, echoing cry of disbelief from the girl could be heard.
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