When it comes to road trips, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Route 66, affectionately known as the 'Mother Road'.
Although no one in the group was particularly sentimental, since such a rare opportunity presented itself, under Stark's leadership, everyone decided to follow the trend and experience Route 66.
However, the eastern starting point of Route 66 is in Chicago, which is quite a distance from New York.
Fortunately, everyone had already adjusted their mindset and prepared themselves before departure, so no one found this extra stretch of road troublesome or unnecessary.
Of course, the happiest one was undoubtedly the little girl, Conna.
Although Shi Xiaolei and 2B, like her, hadn't been in the United States for long, the difference was that Conna, after being summoned to this world, had never left New York City.
When she occasionally went out to play on weekends, it was only within the small area of her daily life.
Shi Xiaolei and 2B, however, had a much larger range of activities.
After all, running the store required purchasing inventory.
To buy better ingredients at lower prices, the two occasionally drove out of New York to small towns in neighboring New Jersey, directly sourcing first-hand ingredients from farms or ranches.
It was her first long-distance trip, so the little girl's mood was understandable.
In fact, ever since they left the bustling urban area with its towering skyscrapers and entered the more open suburban areas, she had been excited.
Whether it was the trees flashing by on the roadside, a rock on a distant hill, or the clouds floating in the sky, whenever she saw a slightly odd-shaped scene, the little girl couldn't help but make a fuss.
Happy as a bird released from its cage, the little girl's cheerful laughter echoed throughout the journey.
Infected by the little one's joy, both 2B, a sentient android whose emotions are inherently less intense than humans, and Bayonetta, who had just been summoned and carried a hint of cynicism in her personality, kept smiles on their faces, appearing very happy.
As for Shi Xiaolei...
Although long hours of driving could be somewhat tiring, the laughter of his family made him involuntarily forget his fatigue.
Despite driving all day and covering nearly seven hundred kilometers, upon reaching the campsite, he still wore a beaming smile, showing no trace of impatience or irritation.
"Tony," Shi Xiaolei called out to Tony Stark, who was also stretching and relaxing his muscles, after parking the car, getting out, and stretching.
"Should we rest for a while and then set up, or should we get the site organized first and then rest slowly?"
"I definitely need to slow down first~" Stark waved his hand with a pained expression and kicked the tire lightly, a bit dejectedly.
"I'll swap you out in Chicago. Ugh~ my back."
He had only thought about not weakening his reputation, ignoring the common knowledge that 'low-slung cars are not suitable for long-distance travel,' and this journey had been quite a bumpy one.
Even after temporarily adjusting the suspension system midway to increase the flexibility of the shock absorbers, he was still jolted quite a bit.
He twisted a couple of times, still feeling uncomfortable, and Stark turned around, naturally asking Pepper for a favor: "Pepper, help me massage... huh, where are you going?"
"Sorry~" Pepper left with a playful smile, walking away, "You know, I have a date."
"Eh? No..."
Before Stark could finish his sentence, Pepper had already struck up a conversation with Bayonetta, who had just gotten out of the car.
What else could he do? Stark sullenly rubbed his nose and subconsciously turned his gaze towards Happy.
"Happy to serve you, boss." Having witnessed the entire exchange, Happy smiled at the opportune moment, a hint of teasing in his tone.
"Tsk." Stark grimaced, his expression stiff as he averted his gaze: "Never mind."
On the other side,
Shi Xiaolei took out his bank card and car keys, handing them to Bayonetta.
"Sister Bay, try to spend sparingly, okay? Our family's finances are a bit tight lately. Once the store is renovated and there's no more money to spend, you can spend freely then." Shi Xiaolei looked at Bayonetta, feeling a little nervous.
Bearing the title of a witch, from a professional perspective, it seemed that everyday world items would be of little use to her, and expenses in this area shouldn't be large.
But in reality, Bayonetta was a true big spender.
Just look at the opening scene of Bayonetta 2: this sister was dressed more exquisitely than a noblewoman, and the various luxury goods she shopped for were piled higher than Enzo's height.
Although Enzo was a chubby little midget, it was undeniable that Sister Bay really had no sense of proportion when it came to spending money.
With Sister Bay's habits, if she were to spend freely, the money left in his card would probably vanish in the blink of an eye.
"That statement isn't very grand, is it?" The silver-gray bank card flipped nimbly between her fingertips, and Sister Bay habitually winked at Shi Xiaolei: "But who cares, since you're my dear? Don't worry, I'll be careful and try to leave you some funds."
Before Shi Xiaolei could respond, Bayonetta turned her attention to 2B and Conna: "Little one, stubborn one, want to come along?"
Hearing Sister Bay's address for 2B, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but show a wry smile.
Excluding the time spent on lunch, they had been in the car for over five hours on this journey.
With such a long time, there were naturally many topics of conversation.
And because Sister Bay had just arrived, Shi Xiaolei spent a lot of time during their chats introducing her to things like the background of this world, their current family life, and the neighbors and friends they had made, among other things.
Unlike Shi Xiaolei, who had received nine years of compulsory education, Bayonetta's personality... to put it nicely, was casual and direct; to put it less nicely, she could be a bit too self-centered.
So, after listening to Shi Xiaolei describe the events of the past few months, she offered different opinions on how Shi Xiaolei handled certain matters.
It wasn't disdain, but she certainly didn't approve.
Because of Bayonetta's views, 2B couldn't help but argue with her a few times.
As everyone knows, Bayonetta has a habit of giving people nicknames.
And so, because she said a few 'no, can't' during their argument, 2B received a brand new nickname from Bayonetta.
Fortunately, 2B is an android and doesn't take things to heart.
"I won't go." Not at all bothered by Sister Bay's address for her, 2B shook her head: "Setting up camp requires manpower; you two take Conna and go."
"Let's go together." Pepper smiled and came forward to link arms with 2B: "Sylvia, didn't we agree to leave the camp setup to them? Come on, let them do the work; we'll relax for a day."
"But..."
"Come on, come on, it's rare to go out and play; it's only fun if everyone's together."
2B still hesitated, her gaze turning to Shi Xiaolei.
"Go ahead, take care of Conna, and keep an eye on Sister Bay for me."
"Alright then."