Hololive EN: The Awakening

Chapter 9: Prelude

Looking out the window of a cafe in Shibuya, Amelia watched daily commuters walking through the crossing. Like a floodgate releasing water, droves of people advanced across the intersection at the sight of a crosswalk signal. It was a sight she had only seen in old travel magazines she read at the doctor's office as a child. Even with her status as part of an international detective agency and all the abilities that came with it, she had not taken any jobs in the country, preferring to keep her business closer to home in the West. Though she desired to take a break and relax for a while, circumstances were different. She remembered that she was here on urgent business, not for travel. She took a sip of the tea she bought, feeling its warmth throughout her entire body. Amelia had slept the night before on the submarine, though she still felt her body ache from all the battling the days prior. Not only that, but there was also a nervous feeling creeping around her, one she could only describe as dread. Sitting across from her, Gura admired a strawberry cake sitting on a clean, white plate, ready to dig in at a moment's notice. The Atlantean looked up at Amelia, noticing her troubled expression.

"You feeling alright?"

As if shaken by her words, Amelia's face suddenly lifted to a friendly smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm ok."

"You've been quiet this entire morning, something on your mind?"

"No, nothing in particular."

Gura cut a piece from her cake with her spoon. "You're thinking about her, right? The Ancient One?"

Amelia's smile dissipated, leaving only apprehension in its departure. Her gaze fell to the table in front of her, sighing. "I don't know why I'm feeling like this."

"I don't blame you, Ame. This is the same girl who destroyed your home."

Images from that night flashed across her mind at lightning speeds. When she thought of seeing that face once more, her stomach dropped. She wondered if Cthulhu was right, if the Ancient Ones were truly benevolent. After seeing what only one of them did to the world, it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe.

Gura continued. "Are you sure you're fine with meeting her?"

"Completely," Amelia lied.

The truth was that she actively dreaded the idea since its conception by Yog-Sothoth. She put her fears to the side till she crossed that bridge and now, looking at the bridge with her own eyes, she hesitated to take a step further. However, she remembered that the High Priestess could be a vital part of preventing the end. She would force herself to cross that bridge if it meant bringing back everyone she knew and loved and saving Gura, Emma, and Marine from that terrible fate. The detective had pondered on whether Yog-Sothoth was trying to deceive her, her trust in him weak, but  a part of her knew felt that it would not go through all the trouble to assist her. Furthermore, she recalled a certain uneasiness in the Outer God's voice when they spoke for the first time, something that convinced her that it was not lying. Besides, even if the deity was tricking her, what choice did she have? She would be lost in the past searching desperately for how to start her journey. For the time being, she would follow Yog-Sothoth's instructions, until she gained further knowledge of what was going on.

"So where do we start, Ame?" Gura asked, taking a bite from her cake, "Tokyo's a big place."

"We'll need to find a database for all residents living in each ward of the city. We've already got a name, Ninomae, so I don't think it'll be too hard to find her."

"True, I've never met of a Ninomae in my life."

"Me either. I'm assuming then that her name's one-of-a-kind, which makes finding her way more easier. I have clearance from the organization I'm in to access any database I need, under the condition it's for an investigation." Amelia shrugged, "Well, this is bigger than any case I'm ever going to work on, so I should get a pass."