Makima extended her right hand, only then realizing she was still wearing a pair of white silk gloves. With his help, she slowly stood up. The moment her feet landed firmly on the ground, she felt a strong sense of unease.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with her legs; it was because she was currently wearing a pair of high heels. Makima looked down at her side, her white skirt clearly visible.
Recalling what she had seen earlier, the system displayed her current identity as 'Robin'. Without a doubt, the outfit she was wearing now must be the classic attire from Star Rail's Robin character art.
The man in black seemed to notice this and asked, "Do you need to change your shoes?"
However, when Makima walked out of the bedroom, through the living room, and reached the door, she saw a pair of 'Iraq War-damaged' shoes on the shoe rack. They were earthy yellow with several holes, so much so that her toes would likely be exposed if she wore them. The design was interesting, and the ventilation was truly excellent.
"No, never mind," Makima shook her head. Although it was her first time wearing high heels, she felt her body's balance was astonishingly good. As long as she didn't run, it wouldn't be a major problem.
"Alright then." The man in black didn't pay much attention and led Makima downstairs. This was a six-story building without an elevator, and Makima's current 'home' was on the third floor.
After leaving the building, Makima looked up and saw a black vortex hanging in the sky, like a second 'sun', very conspicuous.
"This is..."
"A Aetherium Wars," the man in black said. "It's different from the videos and pictures you see online, isn't it? The sense of oppression you feel seeing it in person is completely different."
"It's because a Aetherium Wars appeared nearby that we came to investigate. The frequency, scale, and location of these things are unpredictable, and their effects after each appearance are completely different. They might cause monsters to appear out of thin air, or suck people into an alternate dimension, or, like you, create ability users."
Makima showed a thoughtful expression. The man in black continued, "The affected area of this Aetherium Wars is relatively small, probably just this Tianming residential area where you live now. We first evacuated all civilians, and then, while conducting a detailed investigation, we found you."
As he spoke, several people successively got into the police car. Makima sat in the back, recalling every word he had said.
Agate—when they first entered the bedroom, they called her that. This meant she had most likely transmigrated into the body of someone named 'Agate', then acquired that so-called 'identity system', and then transformed into Robin's appearance.
This made Makima feel somewhat strange. Normally, shouldn't one transmigrate into someone with the same name, identical appearance, and nearly similar experiences?
Well, not necessarily. Transmigrating into a completely unrelated person's body also seemed common, but this made things difficult, because Makima had no idea what kind of person 'Agate' was, so wouldn't it be easy to expose herself?
——————
The scene shifted to a pure white room of less than twenty square meters in the Abnormal Investigation Bureau. Makima smoothed her skirt with both hands, brought her legs together, and sat on the chair, looking a bit reserved.
This was a 'police station', and she was currently the one being interrogated. Makima was originally just an ordinary person, so it would be strange if she felt completely calm, wouldn't it?
The previous man in black sat opposite Makima. Through their conversation, she had learned his name: 'Clyde', in his forties, and he had been in this line of work for almost ten years.
Clyde held a pen and paper, asking and writing:
"Your situation is generally referred to as a [Transformer]. Whether you transform into a person, an animal, a plant, or something else, you gain an [identity]. Agate, can you now carefully feel if there's any new information in your mind?"
"Uh..." So, there was no game called Star Rail in this world? Otherwise, he should have recognized her.
Moreover, him calling her 'Agate' made Makima feel very awkward. Her cherry lips parted slightly, "How about you just call me Robin?"
After all, she couldn't possibly say her name, Makima.
Clyde's pen scribbled rapidly, "Robin, huh? What about your abilities?"
"Emmmm..." Makima's delicate brows furrowed as she tried hard to think. She truly couldn't feel anything from this body. She tentatively said, "As for abilities... I should be very good at singing?"
"?" Clyde was startled, then asked, "And then?"
"No... nothing else?" Makima recalled Robin's skills in the game and said, "Perhaps, I can buff people who listen to my songs?"
Clyde raised an eyebrow, "A support ability? Can you use this ability now? Try singing a song?"
"..." Makima's expression stiffened. Again, she was just an ordinary person. While not socially anxious, she wasn't a social butterfly either. Sing a song in a 'police station' surrounded by strangers, under the watchful eyes of the police?
Gah, just kill her.
"If you can't, then never mind. Many people can't control their abilities at first." Seeing Makima's expression, Clyde waved his hand and changed the subject, "So, about joining us, joining the Abnormal Investigation Bureau? Are you interested?"
"This... I'll think about it." Makima only knew that this was an official organization and should be a good one. She knew nothing else, so she felt she needed to understand more before deciding.
"Hmm." Clyde lowered his head and started writing again, saying at the same time, "Because of the Aetherium Wars, you definitely can't go back to your old residential area. Even if there's no danger now, there might be later. So, we'll arrange a new residence for you. Is that okay?"
"No problem." It was reasonable and logical; Makima had no reason to refuse.
"Then that's it. Your new identification will be ready in a day or two, and I'll bring it to you then."
"This... it's over already?" Makima was taken aback. From entering until now, it hadn't even been five minutes, had it? They only asked about her name and abilities, and that was it?
"That's it. You don't sing, and you don't have other abilities, so what else can we do?" Clyde shrugged.
Just like that, Makima was back in the police car just a few minutes after entering the 'Investigation Bureau'. It could be said that ever since her 'transmigration', one thing after another had happened, forcing Makima to process a large amount of information. She felt her brain wasn't enough.
Fortunately, she finally had some free time now, and she could at last start examining her system.
...