The Shopping District at night was always bustling with people; it was currently the busiest time for restaurants and small bars.
"Oh, as expected of the legendary Emperor, isn't she?" The TV was showing a program about Symboli Rudolf, known as the "Emperor" in Japan. Several commentators were reviewing a certain race where Rudolf had secured a grand victory years ago.
"Hello, here is the large beef bowl you ordered. Please enjoy your meal." A soft voice suddenly appeared behind the diner watching the race, startling him so much that he couldn't even hold his chopsticks steady.
"Ah! Phew... it's Miss Dust. Speaking so suddenly is a bit scary." The diner complained with some lingering fear, then added, "Ah, don't mind what I just said, I just didn't hear your footsteps."
"It's fine, please bear with me." The Horse Girl, with white hair and eyebrows, nodded expressionlessly. She placed the beef bowl in front of the diner with smooth, precise movements, without a single wasted motion.
"Miss Dust White's movements are so pleasing to the eye no matter how many times I see them." The diner looked admiringly at the white-haired Horse Girl waitress. No one knew when she had appeared in this Shopping District; they only knew that one day, a white-haired Horse Girl started looking for work everywhere in the Shopping District. She was hardworking and didn't ask for much in wages, so she was often seen in various parts of the district.
"Practice makes perfect." Dust White remained expressionless, silently clearing the table in front of her. Her movements were concise and powerful, as if she didn't want to waste a single redundant action.
"Speaking of which, has Miss Dust White ever considered participating in races?" The diner seemed quite interested.
"Maybe in the future," Dust White.. or rather, Nanami, sighed silently in his heart.
He looked into a mirror in the small bar, but the reflection was not his usual college student self.
Nanami, an ordinary college student, a veteran prisoner of the CY high-grade cell, and a zero-spending hardcore player.
He hadn't encountered a truck, there was no thunder, he hadn't saved anyone, and he wasn't even on the toilet. He just closed his eyes and opened them to find himself in a strange room, naturally fluent in Japanese.
As an undocumented resident, it was already hard enough to support himself. Then the three goddesses played some strange joke on him, placing this beautiful Horse Girl's body beside him. In that instant, he roughly understood that he had transmigrated.
The white-haired Horse Girl in the mirror was about 1.6 meters tall, wearing an ordinary waitress uniform. She had shoulder-length hair that was pure white, or what this world called a Gray Coat. All the hair on Dust White's body was white, even her eyelashes, making Nanami wonder if she had albinism. Her pupils were a rare pale pink; if one didn't look closely, it would seem as if Dust White had no pupils at all.
Nanami knew very well how ridiculous the amount of food a Horse Girl needed was.. And there were two particular uma's that are to blame for that. He had even gone to the police station claiming to be an undocumented transmigrator, only for the police to find his registration and kick him out with an impatient look.
"So why does a transmigrator have a registration in this world? Am I a soul possessor?" On the other side, Nanami controlled his original body to search the room over and over for traces left by his past self, but found nothing.
When Nanami discovered after transmigrating that he could control two bodies by himself, he breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't have the ability to take on the responsibility of raising a Horse Girl. If a real Horse Girl followed him and suffered with him, his conscience would have a hard time.
"That's why I can openly let Dust White go out and work everywhere," Nanami said silently in his heart. Since he was essentially the one working, he could take on so many jobs without hesitation to earn wages. Combined with the low-income subsidies provided to his registered identity, he could maintain the daily lives of his two bodies.
Next, a panel appeared beside Dust White's body in the mirror:
Speed: 224
Stamina: 190
Power: 210
Guts: 137
Intelligence: 215
Skills: [Temperance], [Precise Movement]
This was one of the benefits Nanami gained from transmigrating: he could see a character panel similar to the one in the game.
"After working for a month, the total attributes have only increased by a few dozen points." Nanami sighed helplessly. "It's still too risky to go racing."
Nanami also hoped to earn prize money through racing to support his life, but the problem was that he was still living hand-to-mouth. He currently managed to balance his consumption and earnings only by relying on the two skills he had acquired.
[Temperance] (Unique) (Core Special): When inactive, it suppresses 30% of all attributes and converts them into energy in a special energy bar. When active, energy from the bar can be exchanged for attributes in equal amounts.
(In this path, people are divided into two schools: the Indulgent, who grow stronger by indulging their desires, and the Temperate, who suppress their desires, waiting for the day of outburst.)
[Precise Movement] (Common): Precise and concise movements often reduce one's consumption. The longer the duration of exercise, the more the importance of conciseness is reflected.
If he let Dust White run freely, the prize money earned might not even cover the cost of replenishing the energy consumed. He didn't want to end up begging under a bridge; that would be the end of everything.
"Little White, here's today's wages. Come and take it."
"Boss, this seems a bit much?" Dust White looked at the stack of money, which seemed a bit thicker than usual, with some confusion.
"Haha, you've done a lot of work today. Just take it as a little extra to eat more and grow well." The kind middle-aged man waved his hand cheerfully, telling her not to worry about it.
"Thank you very much." Dust White bowed seriously to the man. This world, seemingly due to the presence of the three goddesses, had very honest and kind folk customs. Everyone was very kind and friendly, even willing to let someone like her, who was practically undocumented, work in their shops without ever withholding wages.
And so, accompanied by the night and the evening breeze, Dust White rushed into the supermarket with the money she had just earned, picking up ingredients and instant bento boxes that were about to expire.
"We can have a more sumptuous meal today." Nanami turned on the lights and started boiling water to prepare dinner.
The moment Dust White returned home and opened the door, Nanami naturally took the ingredients from her hand and walked to the stove.
Dust White sat down at the dining table of her own accord, looking ahead lifelessly like a real Doll.
This was the one-month anniversary of one soul surviving in this world with two bodies. They had a dinner that was very sumptuous for them.