Chapter 307: Good Morning! Neon City!

"Magic power level, E-Rank third-grade."

"Failed!"

!!!

Vivi jolted awake.

Her back was soaked with sweat, clothes clinging to her skin uncomfortably.

Beep beep beep.

A red dot blinked on the glasses frame by her bedside.

"..."

The girl reached out, picked up the glasses, and put them on. A string of text suddenly popped up on the lenses.

[AAAA Black Snake Gang debt collector Little Cui: You're already two days overdue. Tomorrow is the final deadline. Either have the money ready, or have your organs ready. Don't make this awkward for me.]

"..."

In the next instant, all traces of sleep vanished. Her expression slightly tense, she sat up from the hard wooden bed.

This was an exceptionally cramped and plain room, with mottled gray walls on all four sides, no extra decorations whatsoever, not even a window.

The only notable feature was a workbench in the corner, cluttered with various magic-mechanical parts and all sorts of tools.

Dragging somewhat heavy steps, the girl walked into the bathroom, the narrow space carrying a faint dampness.

When her gaze swept past the old, worn dryer, a yellow notification suddenly popped up on her glasses frame.

[Warning: Insufficient balance.]

Vivi opened the dryer and looked at the clothes inside, damp to the point of starting to mildew, and wore an expression of disgust.

"My life's about to end, who's going to top up your meter?"

She muttered a couple of words and casually draped the clothes over the dryer's hatch, as if expecting them to air-dry naturally.

A moment later, the girl arrived at the sink, her gaze passing over the rusty narrow window to look outside.

A massive magic-powered airship was slowly drifting through the distant high sky.

It was a model specifically designed for advertising, flying very slowly.

On the enormous holographic screen on the airship's side, a golden-haired girl dressed in a gorgeous spirit outfit, with a sweet smile, was energetically dancing, a pair of golden cat ears on top of her head, a cat tail swaying back and forth behind her.

"Super popular active C-Rank magical girl, Shatterer of Decaying Night, Magical Girl Erika, officially joining the 'Wish Echo' prayer card pool on May 11th!"

"First week acquisition rate UP, log in to get ten free draws!"

"Come join Erika and pierce through this decaying night with lightning!"

"All miracles and magic, all in 'FMO (Fate/Magical Order)'!"

"..."

Vivi's gaze seemed captivated by the magical girl's figure, utterly still, a flicker of light passing through her orange-yellow eyes.

Only when the airship disappeared from view two minutes later, blocked by tall buildings, did she slowly shift her gaze away.

That wasn't an advertisement meant for paupers like her, because she couldn't afford it. It was for those damn rich people who had money to throw away in games.

Yet every time she saw it, Vivi would find herself unable to look away.

If... she could also become a magical girl like that, just the various image licensing and advertising revenue alone, wouldn't that be enough to become a billionaire?

As Vivi daydreamed, with a mere thought, a slender black tail popped out from above her underwear, deftly lifting the hem of her white tank top, gently scratching her belly button with its heart-shaped tip.

In the next moment, she suddenly noticed herself in the mirror.

A mess of short white hair, wearing a slightly yellowed white tank top and black shorts, with stubborn orange-yellow eyes.

If one looked carefully, that face and those features could absolutely be called good-looking, but they were buried under heavy dark circles and exhaustion.

Vivi snapped back to her senses.

No right to think about that anymore.

Because the debt collection countdown was like a blade hanging at her neck, leaving only one thought in her head, get money.

She had to get money fast to pay the installments, or even her life would be gone.

But before that... she had to go to school first.

In the next instant, she yanked off the tacky large round-framed black glasses from her nose, twisted open the faucet, cupped the ice-cold water in her hands, and splashed it forcefully on her face.

Water splattered everywhere, the cold stream stimulating her nerves, droplets sliding down her cheeks in large beads.

As the freezing temperature seeped into her skin, that irritable expression finally calmed somewhat.

The girl put her glasses back on, picked up the heavily worn toothbrush beside her, squeezed on a bit of tasteless cheap synthetic toothpaste, and began to wash up.

She casually flicked on the magic-signal radio beside her, which started playing the local station that could only be received in this area.

"Good morning! Neon City!"

"Yesterday's Meteor District death lottery, the final result was a full hundred and three!"

"Last night, demon beasts and gang members had a massive shootout, forty-eight dead on just one street!"

"But an officer also died. I figure they're all doomed, because the NCPD (Neon City Police Department) definitely won't swallow that."

"Los Santos Street had another blackout, the power grid was sabotaged, those electric gremlins up to their tricks again."

"And over on Peace Street... well, Peace Street is still the same old Peace Street, with law and order comparable to those Nest-like areas in the mid-city zones!"

"I'm your good buddy Big Bob."

"Join me, and let's start another day in the City of Dreams."

After washing up, Vivi returned to her room and opened the humming old refrigerator.

There were no fresh ingredients inside, just rows of toothpaste-like things with no patterns or labels whatsoever. She pinched three of them out with her slender fingers, casually stuffed two into the single-shoulder bag on the workbench, and tore open the remaining one to hold in her mouth.

Vivi sucked hard on it while rummaging through the pile of clothes on the sofa.

A disgusting taste mixing industrial saccharine and machine oil exploded across her taste buds, making her want to vomit, but she forcefully swallowed the urge back down and sucked the nutrient paste clean in one go, like taking medicine.

A pauper didn't even have the right to be picky about food.

At least this nutrient paste was cheap, and provided enough calories.

A moment later, she dug out a short-sleeved gray shirt and long pants from the pile of clothes that could hardly be called clean, already the most presentable set in that heap, then grabbed her single-shoulder bag and pushed open the door.

Outside was a small living room, with another half-open door on the opposite side.

On the balcony stood a dog-eared woman in bright, revealing clothing, leaning against the railing and smoking. Both her hands had nail art, except for the middle finger and ring finger.

Seeing Vivi come out, the woman gave a slight wag of the brown dog tail behind her as a greeting, looking to be in a decent mood.

"Up this early, students really have it rough. Want a stick?"

Vivi looked at the expression on her roommate's face and smelled the musk on this woman, immediately understanding what had happened.

This woman clearly hadn't slept yet. She must have gotten a client last night and hadn't been roughed up too badly.

Vivi said offhandedly, "Can that be sold?"

"Dream on."

"Forget it then."