Although the things they had discussed on the way left everyone feeling a little strange and complicated, these were, after all, matters that had not yet happened. Moreover, Chu Lian's calm demeanor influenced them, allowing their hearts to settle.
"By the way, Big Sis, where are we going this time? Even if it's free activity, we should still have a clear destination, right?" Chu Chu looked out the window at the changing scenery. The increasingly colorful buildings and obviously anime-inspired sights marked that they had entered the holy land of otaku from all over the world—Akihabara.
Chu Lian shook her head. She couldn't possibly say outright that she was planning to work as a maid in a maid café, could she? If she did, how would she face them afterward? Even if they thought nothing of it, her own sense of shame wouldn't allow her to be so forward.
Still, in her previous life, she had never come to Neon. Her impression of Akihabara came only from a few videos. Comparing her memories now, she realized many things had changed.
In her last world, Neon, because of Huaxia's decline and its own militaristic expansion in the 20th century, had led the way into various wars. Among them, the war of aggression against Huaxia was the most brutal and cruel.
After surrendering, they began to westernize in thought and leaned toward the West. As a result, in their anime and other creative works, westernized styles blended with national elements dominated in number and influence.
Here, however, because of the Otherside and the existence of the extraordinaries, the control each nation held in the shadows was limited. Even their own governments only gradually established authority through prolonged exchange. From the beginning, development here had always stayed within certain bounds.
This caused Huaxia never to fall, and Neon to become half eastern, half western—leaning toward Huaxia in culture while resembling the West in lifestyle. In such a social environment, their anime became even more diverse. Thus, all of Akihabara, all of Neon, and even the entire world's otaku culture took on a different appearance.
Some things still existed, but some could no longer appear. Such changes were both good and bad. Every world's development followed natural laws, but this world was different—slowly twisted by non-human power.
These changes weakened the Dimensional Barrier, which was why the seals of the Otherside kept breaking sooner each time.
When the world had already become unrecognizable, how much strength would she have left to stop what was bound to happen in the future?
These were the messy thoughts that flooded her mind upon seeing Akihabara's completely different scenery.
Many of her judgments might be unreliable due to lack of evidence, but once she confirmed this train of thought and followed it, she could vaguely glimpse the truth buried deep beneath.
"Big Sis? Big Sis? Big Sis?" After calling several times without a response, Chu Lian, immersed in her own world, remained unreactive. Chu Chu bit her lip in frustration and muttered, "So I can call you forever without a reaction, but if Inori calls, you'll answer right away, is that it?"
Hearing her mutter, Li Xiu'er couldn't hold back and let out a pfft of laughter. Chu Chu turned her attention to her immediately, her little hands darting over to tickle her.
In an instant, the back seat was filled with the girls' laughter and playful breaths, leaving the silent white-haired girl beside them staring blankly, lost in thought.
"Lian, wake up." Knowing Chu Chu's antics were her way of showing that Chu Lian was her responsibility, Inori unfastened her seatbelt, moved to sit beside Chu Lian, and gently shook her arm, calling softly.
"Hm? Inori, what is it?" That soft call alone pulled Chu Lian from the depths of her thoughts. Looking at Inori with confusion, she asked.
"The driver asked us where to go next…" Inori's words made Chu Lian pause. Only then did she notice that the car had already stopped, and the driver was waiting outside her window. Judging from the sweat on his face, he must have been standing there for some time.
"Mm, let's go somewhere quieter first." She had a map of the area on her computer and knew where the maid cafés were. By asking for a quiet place, she meant somewhere they could walk to slowly without attracting too much attention.
"Somewhere quieter?" Inori glanced at her, murmured softly, and then her eyes lit up. "Lian, are you going to do something you don't want others to know?"
Her words nearly made Chu Lian open the door and bolt—her intuition was far too sharp. But seeing the anticipation in those wine-red eyes, Chu Lian felt relieved. It seemed she hadn't guessed what exactly she intended to do.
Why was Inori in the anime so adorable, yet the one at her side now was so smart? Not adorable at all.
Exposed, Chu Lian wanted to cry without tears. The longer Inori spent with her, the sharper her heart became, making it harder to hide anything. Yet this was the change Chu Lian most wanted to see, for only such an Inori could truly begin to radiate the beauty that would astonish the world.
Knowing she couldn't say more, Chu Lian lowered the window and told the young driver outside: "Please take us to the secluded Xingguang intersection. You can either return first or wait for us there—we'll be back around seven."
"Understood." The driver gave a respectful salute before adding, "Young Master instructed me that here, your word is law. I'll wait at the intersection."
"That man really is meddlesome… but thank you, little brother. Next time, I'll treat you to a meal." Chu Lian's politeness toward him was oddly out of character. Since when was she so courteous to a man?
Even the driver looked flattered. Though he wanted to nod and accept, recalling his duty, he shook his head firmly in refusal. Fortunately, Chu Lian had expected as much, so she wasn't the least embarrassed.
After lowering the window again, watching the driver return to his seat and restart the car, Chu Lian turned and asked: "Strange, isn't it, why I was so polite to him?"
Inori, Chu Chu, and Li Xiu'er all nodded. They didn't understand either.
"Because he's just a servant—an ordinary man working hard to live. Not a rich young master, not a little prince, and not someone who throws his family's weight around. Why should I take issue with him?" Chu Lian's words left the girls deep in thought.
Indeed, Chu Lian only used that cold, distancing tone—or even infuriating manner—toward those who had problems of their own, who had done things she disliked, or who harbored desires toward her.
Toward anyone else, she bore no hostility. For example: Bai Tiange, the vocalist of Seven Rain; Zhang Feng, the chubby boy who had a crush on her; the boys in her class; or the men she met on Taian Pedestrian Street who defended their loved ones. She treated all of them with equanimity.
That such an obvious detail had escaped their notice until now was ridiculous.
Inori, however, didn't think much of it. Since meeting Chu Lian, the only other time she had seen her act this way was during the incident on Taian Street. But that situation was completely different, so she hadn't thought about it too deeply.
Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er, on the other hand, both felt like covering their faces.
Chu Chu was disheartened—finally realizing why Chu Lian never favored her. After all, despite being with her for so long, she hadn't even noticed such a simple thing. How could someone so careless hope to win Chu Lian's love? What a foolish dream.
Li Xiu'er, meanwhile, felt shy. She had wanted to stay by Chu Lian's side without truly understanding her. That wasn't good enough. From now on, she resolved to be more attentive—to learn everything about her.
In short, with just a few words, Chu Lian had not only cleared their doubts but also deepened the three girls' understanding of her.
Chu Lian didn't actually dislike men. On the contrary, she usually treated people most equally. It was only because figures like Wang Tingsi and Zhao Ziming were so imposing, and her attitude toward them so terrible, that the others had formed that impression of her.
The silent white-haired girl couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Where are we going?"
"To Akihabara's secluded Xingguang Road. We'll start from there, and wherever we find something interesting, we'll go play. After all, this is a study trip—we're supposed to experience the customs of the world, so of course we should walk around properly." No matter what, she couldn't tell the truth. A maid café? Too embarrassing!
Hearing Chu Lian's words, the white-haired girl looked puzzled. Clearly, she didn't understand what Akihabara was, what a study trip meant, or what was fun about Xingguang Road…
Seeing Kurosaki Satsuki's confusion, Chu Lian shook her head. "Don't worry about these things. Just follow us, and in time you'll understand everything. Also, you should relearn Chinese. That way, you can chat with us instead of sitting there alone."
"I… I've forgotten Chinese. I clearly remember I once knew it, but I can't recall it anymore. I don't even know why." Kurosaki Satsuki turned her face slightly, her voice low.
"Do you remember when you lost it?" Chu Lian asked. Hearing her words, she felt there might be something hidden here that even Satsuki herself didn't know.
"Around… about a year ago, I think." She wasn't certain, but it should have been around then.
"And do you remember when your hair turned white?" Chu Lian frowned. Could it be related?
"Also more than a year ago…" Her reply made Chu Lian even more certain of her suspicion. But just as she was about to say more, the car came to a stop. The driver got out, opened her door, and bowed. "Miss Chu Lian, we've arrived at Xingguang Road. I wish you all a pleasant time."
Chu Lian opened her mouth but swallowed the words back down. Better to wait until she had more evidence before speaking. For now, Satsuki might not accept it.
One by one, the girls stepped out of the extended Corona sedan. After waiting for the eight strong men in black trailing behind them to gather, they finally entered the avenue—one noticeably quieter than the others.