"Lian, you're awake?" When she opened her eyes, she saw Inori sitting beside her. Those wine-red eyes of hers reflected Chu Lian's face within them, soft and tender.
"Mm, we're almost there, right?" Chu Lian glanced out the window, noticing that they had already left the suburbs and were moving toward the city.
"Half an hour more and we'll arrive. If you're still tired, you can rest a little longer," Inori said after checking the time, then lifted her gaze.
"Half an hour, huh... then I won't sleep. I'll chat with you for a bit instead." She lowered her head slightly, glancing at Anna, who was fast asleep in her arms, and softened her voice.
"Lian, do you have something on your mind?" Inori straightened her posture, resting both hands on her lap. Her voice carried a faint, distant quality.
Seeing her like that, Chu Lian didn't answer right away. Instead, a different thought crossed her mind. In GC, Inori used to often hold a little robot, didn't she? That robot called Fyu-Neru—it was actually a kind of rice cooker.
Because the world of Guilty Crown had been destroyed, Inori and the others began drifting across dimensions, leaving behind everything they once had. Now, she thought, Inori should have something that truly belonged to her.
"Inori, wait a bit—I'll get you something." Once the idea came, Chu Lian acted immediately and returned to the system space.
The moment she entered, she noticed something flashing on the screen—some kind of text—but it disappeared before she could read it. Puzzled, she ignored it and approached the main screen, calling out, "System-chan, help me find a robot named 'Fyu-Neru' from the Guilty Crown world."
The screen flickered with a string of "..." before System-chan dutifully began searching, soon displaying the robot's data before her.
"Fyu-Neru: A robot originating from the world of Guilty Crown. It has no combat capability but can cook food (Inori's personal rice cooker?). Due to its adorable appearance, it's quite popular among fans. Types available: Non-Combat Rice Cooker Model – 12,000 Integrity Points; Combat Robot Model – 5,400 Item Points (Upgradeable); Silicon-Based Lifeform Model – 12,000 Item Points, 55,000 Dream Points, 450,000 Integrity Points. (If you're not using it for battle, having a few of these around for cuteness value might be surprisingly pleasant.)"
"This thing comes in so many types?" Chu Lian was speechless. Why could a single robot have three different models? Were all robots going to be categorized like this from now on?
"That's because they're adaptable to various situations, and in terms of pricing, they're fairly reasonable. In fact, most mechanical-type items are classified into three groups—display type, practical type, and combat type. It's quite a balanced design." Lines of text floated across the system screen, explaining the reasoning to Chu Lian.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I've only been browsing the Fantasy category before, so I never paid attention to the tech ones. I'll start exploring those more." After hearing that, Chu Lian nodded in understanding. She realized she had overlooked many important details before—information that she really shouldn't have ignored.
"Exchange one Non-Combat Rice Cooker Model for me, then. Um... it's exactly like the one in GC, right?" Chu Lian asked as she initiated the exchange.
"Yes, it's crafted exactly to Guilty Crown's world standards. You don't have to worry about receiving some cheap knockoff. So, dear customer, please remember to leave a five-star review after receiving your order~" System-chan's tone turned mischievously cute, as a few icons appeared at the top of the screen.
They were hollow five-pointed stars, just like the rating screens on online shopping sites. However, System-chan's version had a little twist:
Service Attitude: ☆☆☆☆☆; Feature Description: ☆☆☆☆☆; Item Accuracy: ☆☆☆☆☆.
"This system was designed by Ayase, you know—to make sure you rate my service! She insists that I must get five stars every time, or she'll consider delaying my independence process. So please, Sister Chu Lian, I'm begging you, give me all five stars~"
Reading that, Chu Lian couldn't help but laugh. But at the same time, she deeply understood—any being with consciousness would crave freedom. The desire for an independent existence was something truly profound.
Beep~ Just then, a sound came from beneath her feet—the startup tone of a machine. Chu Lian looked down and saw the robot she had just exchanged for: Fyu-Neru.
Its green digital eyes flickered as she scanned the robot's attributes.
"Fyu-Neru: Multi-functional robot with no combat ability."
"Combat Ability: Zero; Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆; Intelligence: ★★★☆☆; Functionality: ★★★☆☆; Ammunition Capacity: Zero. Popularity: ★★★☆☆."
"What a peculiar little robot." Chu Lian looked over the data with mild surprise. Though most of its stats were quite low compared to the ten-star maximum, both Intelligence and Functionality being at three stars was impressive enough.
She bent down, lifted Fyu-Neru into her arms, and gently patted its head. "From now on, your name will be Fyu-Neru. I'll hand you over to your master in a bit, alright?"
Beep~ Its limbs twitched slightly, as if in joy.
"So obedient." Smiling softly, Chu Lian stood up, holding Fyu-Neru in her arms, then turned to tap all five stars on the rating panel.
"Thank you so much! T^T" appeared briefly across the system screen before fading away. The screen dimmed again, and Chu Lian knew it was time to leave.
"Get along with her well. From now on, most things will be your responsibility. I'll need some time to recuperate—I can't act freely for now. But don't worry. What I promised you will come true eventually." As Chu Lian logged out, Ayase opened her eyes from where she lay on the sofa. Barefoot, she walked over to the screen, gently touching it and murmuring softly.
"Ayase-sis, are you leaving?" System-chan's voice carried a hint of worry that almost spilled over.
"How could I? I'll never leave her. I'm just a bit tired, that's all. There may be things I'll need to deal with later, but I won't truly leave." Ayase shook her head with a gentle smile. She had promised Chu Lian from the start—to stay by her side always. How could she break that promise?
"Then why are you leaving everything to me? I've only ever helped manage the system. I never wanted to handle all these things myself." System-chan sounded confused. Logically, aside from the system's own consciousness, Ayase held the highest authority—why hand it over to a virtual mind without even an independent personality?
"Because I'll have less and less time to oversee the system. Other than major decisions and changes, I won't interfere anymore. There are still many things I must deal with, and I can't keep managing every little detail here. I made her a promise—when the time comes in a few years, I'll have to fulfill it."
Ayase exchanged a bottle of red wine from the system's catalog. A glass floated gently from the table into her hand. She poured herself a drink and took a slow, elegant sip.
Then, stepping lightly back toward the sofa, she suddenly turned her head and said, "From now on, your name will be Shiroha." With that, she lay back down and drifted off to sleep.
"Ah! I have a name now? Shiroha, Shiroha, Shiroha... this is amazing..." flashed across the screen. It was clearly overjoyed. After all, having a name was one of the proofs of an existence's individuality—a sign of life rather than mere utility.
"Hey, Inori, close your eyes—I have a surprise for you." Once Chu Lian's consciousness returned to her body, the first thing she did was tell Inori to shut her eyes.
Inori looked at her curiously but obediently closed her eyes. She didn't know what Chu Lian was planning, but if it was a surprise, she couldn't help feeling excited.
After a moment, she felt something placed into her hands—round and smooth to the touch, with a fine, high-quality texture like the most exquisite material. "What's this?"
When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the spherical object resting in her palms. Her crimson eyes lit up with joy. "Fyu-Neru!"
"Mm, it's for you. Do you like it?" Chu Lian's tone carried a hint of pride. It was the first time she'd seen Inori so genuinely happy over something other than herself—how could she not feel pleased?
"Thank you, Lian. I love it—I really love it." Inori hugged the little thing tightly in her arms, her voice soft and tender.
"Seems like this is the first time I've given you a gift," Chu Lian said, her mood brightening as well. Seeing Inori so happy made everything she'd spent feel more than worth it.
"Big Sis…" Having been watching curiously from the side, Chu Chu saw Chu Lian and Inori fiddling with something. When she noticed the adorable little robot wriggling its limbs in Inori's arms, her eyes sparkled and she immediately ran over. "Big Sis! Chu Chu wants one too!"
"Hehe, Chu Chu, how about I give you one you like later? This one can only go to Inori—it originally belonged to her." Chu Lian reached out to pat Chu Chu's head, trying to calm her down. Seeing her pout in disappointment, Chu Lian thought for a moment, then closed her eyes and returned once again to the system space.
"Ahhh, System-chan, quick—help me find something super cute! I need it!" Chu Lian rushed to the main screen, calling for help.
"Don't call me System-chan anymore—I have a name now!" A line of text floated across the screen, making Chu Lian blink in surprise. In such a short time, it had gotten a name?
"From now on, please call me Shiroha! It's Shiroha! Got it?" Another line of text appeared, with the word "Shiroha" bolded and italicized for emphasis.
"Oh, alright then, Shiroha. Can you tell me what I can exchange for right now?" Since it now had a name, she couldn't keep calling it System-chan forever, so after a short hesitation, she used the new name.
"At the moment, you've only got a decent amount of Culture Points and Integrity Points. The others are too low—you can't exchange much of anything with those," Shiroha replied truthfully. Indeed, Chu Lian's current balance was meager; she could barely afford anything worthwhile.
"But don't you still have some Kill Points? You could use those to exchange for some little creatures," Shiroha reminded her helpfully. That made Chu Lian suddenly remember—she had slain a dragon, and not just any dragon but a Heaven-tier one. The points earned from that should be far from few.
"Thank you, my cute, smart, clever, and brilliant Shiroha-chan! I'll need your help again soon." Chu Lian flashed a charming grin, fully intent on keeping her future system manager in a good mood. With Ayase gradually stepping back from direct control, Shiroha would be the one managing most system functions—best to stay on her good side.
"Hmph, fine then—take a look." Shiroha responded with a hint of tsundere pride before opening the Bloodstained Reward menu for Chu Lian to browse.
Chu Lian skimmed through the available lifeforms she could exchange but couldn't find anything she truly wanted. After a while, she looked up and asked, "Could you help me find something suitable?"
"Take a look at these—do any of them suit your taste?" After a short pause, Shiroha pulled up a few options. The moment they appeared, Chu Lian's eyes lit up.