Outside the Goblin Lair, stood a young woman who was undeniably Japanese - save for one notable exception.
A young girl who was a full blown gyaru.
She had tanned skin, blonde hair with dark roots that hung loosely and wavy, heavy eyeliner, and a confident and flirtatious look to her; she wore a modified adventurer’s outfit that somehow still managed to look fabulous and fashionable for the cold weather. It consisted of a short jacket, a tight top, and stylish yet practical pants.
Airi Fuyuki was a Hero who had been sent to Alderia, Yet she had decided to stay in Frostveil.
She was Not alone though behind her stood a party of four young women, their weapons varied but each one an expert in their respective craft. They all moved in a coordinated fashion - as if puppets awaiting for the orders of their master.
The first wielded a longsword, she is a Warrior with short brown hair and a serious expression.
While the second brandished a spear, she was a Lancer with tied back black hair and keen eyes.
The third carried a bow she is an Archer with light brown hair and a watchful eye.
And the last gripped a staff, she was the Mage of the party with silver-blue hair and a composed face.
These girls were Airi’s party... and also her puppets.
When Airi had first arrived in this rift, she had awakened the Puppeteer class. The description of which stated that she could control people like puppets. She instantly dismissed that idea, not wanting to use her class like some other heroes did. But she was weak without using her class, and living alone was proving to be difficult.
Eventually she had gone to the guild, and had found four girls willing to form a party with her. At first she had not controlled them. The problem was that she gained little stats from battling alongside them, while they were free to move as they wished.
That was until she had called them one day, and had truthfully explained to them the ability of her two classes. The girls had been shocked when she told them, but surprisingly enough, all of them had volunteered.
"A Puppeteer class sounds awesome," one of the girls had said. "We could use a Hero like you around these parts."
Ever since that day, they had been her puppets. And with the help of her party, they had cleared cave after cave. Airi’s power had grown immensely, as had her skills and mana aptitude, reaching to extremely high levels.
Now they stood before what would be their tenth cave.
Airi glanced at her precious party members - her precious puppets.
"We’re going in. This will be our tenth cave clear."
They all nodded in unison and started walking towards the entrance of the cave.
As they walked, Airi suddenly spotted another Japanese girl standing by the cave. This one had long black hair and a sheathed katana at her hip.
Aiko noticed her at the same time.
The moment their eyes met, both of them instantly understood. They were from the same world.
’A real life Japanese gyaru!!’. Aiko nearly shrieked in her head.
’A Japanese samurai... that’s so cool’. Airi was fangirling silently inside.
They stood frozen, staring at each other until a figure walked out the cave behind Aiko.
White hair. A black mask covering the left side of his face. A long blue scythe slung at his side.
It was John.
He studied the new arrivals, questions already forming in his mind.
Who is she? And why is Aiko looking at her like that? Do they know each other?
He stayed silent as Aiko spoke first, her voice brimming with excitement.
"Why is there a Japanese gyaru here? She’s so precious... Who would send someone like you to a place like this?"
A flashback into Aiko’s past
Aiko used to live in Japan, where she was always a fan of the strong Eastern beauties from cultivation novels and classic samurai stories. But she also had a fondness for gyaru characters. She loved romance anime that starred them and fangirled each time her favorites appeared on screen.
There was a particular dress-up anime she adored, whose main girl constantly cosplayed as different fictional characters. Aiko had read the manga and binged both seasons of the anime at least five times before Truck-kun ended her old life.
Airi’s eyes widened
.
"I could say the same thing. Why is there a Japanese samurai beauty standing out here in this freezing place?"
John quietly pieced it together. Both of them were from Japan. That meant there was more than one Hero.
The higher-ups always said there could only be one Hero at a time... then why are there two?
He did not understand as of yet, and for now, he decided to put the question aside. They had bigger problems to deal with.
A moment later, Lyra stepped out of the cave as well.
The moment Airi’s eyes landed on her, the playful atmosphere vanished. Anger flared in the gyaru’s expression.
"My puppets attack that woman!"
The four girls moved immediately, raising their weapons.
John stepped forward before any of them could reach her.
A cold, dark aura spread out from his being as he spoke in an even, yet dangerous voice.
"Lyra is my lover. No one will attack her while I’m around."
Airi was still fuming with anger.
"She’s with the higher-ups! She was the one who chased me into this rift to kill me!"
Aiko said still fuming with anger.
"She’s not with the higher-ups anymore. In fact... she’s going to take revenge on them. All of us here are."
Airi was frozen in place. Her mind was racing through the possibilities she could attack them or listen to them.
After a few tense seconds, she exhaled and dropped her hand.
"Stand down," she ordered her puppets. The four girls promptly stopped and went back to their positions behind her.
Airi looked at the group warily. "Explain."
John gave a small nod and stepped aside, gesturing towards the cave entrance.
"Come inside. We’ll tell you everything."