Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

On a breezy Sunday afternoon, Shiho was practicing her bass in the school sekai. Turning the tuning peg and making sure she was in tune, she started playing.

(Calc. by JimyThumbP Shiho cover)

She liked Calc. as a warm up song: it was simple compared to the other songs, had a quick tempo and was perfect for working on straight eighth notes.

Sliding her hand down the fret board, she imagined the song playing in her head. Since the rest of Leo/need weren't there, she used her imagination.

Just as she reached the outro, she paused. A glint of pure white light shone radiantly on the floor.

Squinting her eyes and scrunching her nose up, she stared at it for just a moment, only stopping to give her eyes a break.

The circumstance made Shiho curious : what on earth even was that? Is this something that Sekais did?

Not even bothering to take off her bass, she reached out to it. Shiho picked it up and the shining light consumed her.
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And as quickly as the light came, it dissappeared.

Frozen in place, Shiho blinked once, twice, stuck in her position. Seriously, this was the second time she got transported to another world. She cursed silently and looked at her surroundings.

She was in a dark alleyway that reeked of trash and cigarettes. Okay, what kind of sekai was this anyway? What feelings turn into a trashed alley? Was there anything that Ichika, Saki or Honami obsessed over recently that seemed related to this?

Didn't Ichika say that she started reading those American comics with a bat guy or something? But there's no way she got so obsessed with it that it created this strong of a feeling that literally transported her to a Sekai because of that! Sighing, she put down the thought, it didn't matter now, she needed to figure out where she is.

Walking down the path, she finally found a sign. Park Row was imprinted on the metal plate with graffiti over it reading 'Crime Alley'. Now, Shiho knew that she was in an English speaking place. Just perfect. Also, Crime Alley? Who renamed it and who thought of Crime Alley? They better be joking, Shiho was not in the mood to be mugged.

And of course she jinxed herself.

"Empty your pockets and give me that instrument of yours." The man snarled in front of her, puffing his chest in an attempt to look intimidating.

What the hell did the guy just say? Shiho was decent at reading English, but speaking? That was a whole other thing.

"Nanimo yuzuranai"
("I'm not giving you anything.")

As soon as Shiho spoke those words the man gave up, a language barrier was too much of a hassle for the mugger. He fled,but not without trying to take her Fender American Elite Jazz Bass. Hell no! That costed a lot. Stomping the man's feet hard, she gripped her bass and sprinted away.

Shiho knew that desperate times called for desperate measures, but did they guy really think he could take her bass? Her bass was all she had since she left her phone on the music stand with the sheet music. She wouldn't trade her bass for the world.

Shiho decided that she needed more info about where she was. She doubted that there would be a Sekai where she gets mugged five minutes into teleporting there, unless the mugger was a virtual singer playing a prank or whatever. She might not be in a Sekai at all!
__________________________________________

Going out to the street, she noticed that lots of people seemed on edge, wary of everyone and everything. Hunched shoulders and slouches that their backs would regret later were positions that all the people there wore.

Huh, that's strange. Then again, she did get mugged five minutes into arriving here. Shiho frowned, the thought of the locals being fearful made her heart ache of sympathy for them.

Walking to the crowd of people, she prepared herself, it was time to brush up on her English skills. Shiho knew that she either needed to find a library, or a touristy area with leaflets and maps. She struggled to think how she would ask that. She knew the word library when Honami helped her with her English homework, but what about tourist spots?

Clearing her throat, she went up to a woman with her hood up, earphones in and humming a song.

"Excuse me, could you show me where a library or a... (what was the word in English?) tour place?" Shiho said with an accent that made her cringe slightly.

"Oh um... for the library, take a left on that street there then go up the stairs and cross the street." The woman said slowly, ensuring that Shiho could understand.

"Thank you." Shiho said, sighing with relief that she could register what the polite woman told her.

Slinging her bass on her back, she trekked on to the street where the lady pointed at.

As she walked, it gave her time to wonder: how would she get back home? She left her phone, so she can't even play NeedLe to go to the School Sekai. Her breathing became shaky. Groaning, she pulled herself together. She couldn't panic now, she was already on the stairs up to the library!

Entering the library, the person behind the counter grin and waved. Her fiery red hair swayed as she moved. Dark glasses framed her face perfectly and a kind smile
was directed towards her as Shiho stepped to her.

"Hello. Do you have map? Do you have computers?" Shiho struggled to say. Long words in English were difficult.

"Yes, we do. The maps are on that display and the computers are at the back." The woman replied.

As Shiho was about to leave, the woman asked for her name. Great! Finally, something she can say properly! Shiho did this a lot in English class.

"My name is Shiho Hinomori, and you?"

"Barbara Gordon, nice to meet you."

Taking a map, her eyes darted towards the computers. Shiho picked the one at the very end.

Typing in the password from the yellow note taped on the computer, she logged in, changed the settings to Japanese and started her searching.

First thing she did was research where exactly she was. And boy, she was in New Jersey of all places, in a city called Gotham. Yep, definitely from the comics Ichika read. Hold on, since when was Ichika into foreign comics and who even introduced it to her?

From her memory, the comics Ichika read were superhero ones. So, she researched about the heroes next.

How does Gotham have so many vigilantes when the rest of the cities have only one, or none at all? Right, there was lots of crime here. Her witnessing three robberies in a ten minute walk must be a world record.

Seeing a hero dressed as a bat was.... something. She wouldn't lie, he looked cool, but she could not take it seriously. And the bird sidekicks? She snorted. The heroes looked ridiculous here. And Gotham's heroes being animal themed- except Red Hood- was the cherry on top.

Next up: jobs. Convincing the heroes to take her back to her world could take a while and the only thing she had was her clothes on her back and her bass that was leaning against the wall. No money, no food, no water, no friends, nothing!

She didn't even have her résumé on her, how would she get a job?

And then it clicked. She could be a backup bassist or even a singer! She already has her bass and she will admit, her singing has improved by the little tips she got from Ichika (and also listening to the tips Shizuku got from More More Jump and mentally taking notes)

Hmm... she could also perform on the streets. Ichika did that a lot too. Shiho chuckled. Ichika seemed to be helpful here a lot, also probably because Shiho is here because of her in the first place.

A few jobs were available, with one catching her eye. A bar close by to 'Crime Alley' named The Velvet Lounge had a high pay for someone to play any kind of music. Apparently, they didn't care what you played as long as there was music which was good for Shiho, it meant she could do songs that she already memorised. No need to learn anything or sight read! The job was open for a long time because it was too close to Park Row which made people frantic.

The other job offers were at the borders of Gotham according to the map which weren't ideal since it would be a long walk from the library: she doesn't want to walk 3 hours for a measly $5 an hour. That's way below minimum wage!

Scheduling to go to the bar at 3:30 tomorrow for the interview, she exhaled slowly and just sat there, not moving an inch. She still needed shelter, food and water. Picking up her bass, she slung it across her back and made her way to Barbara.

"Excuse me, is there any....." Shiho trailed off, trying to find the right words, "food place to eat?" She managed to say with her thick accent

"Yes, there are restaurants and such just down the street." Barbara answered

Oh. She didn't have money yet, so restaurants wouldn't work (honestly, she knew it could, but she did not want to dumpster dive).

"No, no umm... no pay? Free." Shiho sputtered out. Blushing deeply since she didn't know the right word.

A look of pity was strewn on Barbara's face, making Shiho look away. She hated how Barbara's eyes said that she would help her, but Shiho doesn't want it or need it right now. She could hold up just fine (for now at least).

"Down the stairs. Cross the road, go straight, turn right. Take a left, and keep going straight. Do you want me to show on the map?"

Nodding her head, Shiho listened to the directions once more and marked it on her map. Thanking the librarian, she exited the building and started walking. Barbara seemed to want to have a chat, but Shiho wasn't in the mood. Food was more important.
__________________________________________

Ten minutes later, she was at the soup kitchen. Luckily, the food they gave were in Styrofoam containers. She could save it for later, she wasn't too hungry now. She had a place to go with food and water which only left shelter. Taking a serving of pasta and a bottle of water, she left and thought about the next thing: shelter.

Shiho either had to go to an abandoned building or stay with someone. She almost considered staying with someone when she realised: this was Gotham. Abandoned building it is.

Heading back to Park Row, she stopped in her tracks. Was the place called 'Crime Alley' the best place to find shelter? Then she thought about it again. Crime Alley should have lots of abandoned buildings. It was called Crime Alley for Christ's sake! There was bound to be an uninhabited building that could be fine. She just had to be extra careful.

Continuing her walk, she halted once again. It was a music shop. Shiho hated having her bass out in the open when she was walking (why did the fragment of a feeling have to show up in the middle of practice?) Maybe she could find a case for it. The chances of a music shop throwing away a bass case, was low, she'll admit, but maybe they had some materials she could use?

Putting her food and bass on the floor, she opened up the dumpster and coughed. It smelled terrible. Unexpectedly, there was a tattered case that fit her bass. Just a few holes, but it worked just fine. Now Shiho could walk with peace of mind that her bass is safe.

Gently placing her bass in the case. She zipped up the black case, picked up her food and went on with her journey.

Arriving in Crime Alley, Shiho scanned the area. She was not in the mood for mugging number 2 of the day, but she must be ready at the very least.

A metal pipe glinted in the light. Perfect. Now, Shiho had a weapon to defend herself. Striding into the Alley, she gripped the pipe tightly. Looking up and down at the building to see if they were occupied, she noticed a group of men, all wearing clown makeup.

Turning on her heel, Shiho walked the other way. Making her way to the intersection and going the other way.

There were many people who wore clown makeup, so after an hour of avoiding them, she found a building at the heart of Crime Alley. There weren't any clown people there, so she decided that this would be it. The building was an apartment. She explored every room and found a good amount of things: a watch; flashlight; notebooks and pens; a broken radio; old clothes and the jackpot- 6 cans of tuna that weren't expiring until next year.

For every room Shiho went in, she tested the bed. She found the one on the top floor to be quite comfortable, so she settled in there.

She also tried on the clothes. Thankfully, she found: jeans, plain shirts, bras and underwear. Basic and decent enough to be worn.

In the bathroom, she tried the water. Nothing came out. If she wanted to shower, where could she go? She'll ask Barbara tomorrow. She also needed to wash the clothes too. However, she had no money to go to the laundromat.

She also needed to go to the library tomorrow for the time. The watch's battery was still working, just the wrong time, and she couldn't be late for tomorrow's interview.

Shiho ate her dinner from the soup kitchen.
The pasta was alright. Could use a bit more pepper, but all that mattered was that she ate.

The silence was deafening. All day Shiho avoided her panic, but now that she was alone and had nothing to do she felt it bubbling up in her chest. She just wanted to be home. Maybe even do some scrapbooking with the stickers that Saki gave. She could imagine it already. Placing a picture of the sugar bunnies on the page and sticking down cookies and cupcake stickers on. But alas, she's here. With no one. No Ichika, no Saki, no Honami, no Shizuku. Just by herself. She always liked being alone, but that was when she knew that the rest were there for her. She can't even contact them here. Her fists balled up in irritation and banged on the wooden floors of the apartment. Her fingers twitched and her hands were shaky.

Her eyes watered and tears fell down her face. When did she start crying? Blinking away the tears, she manually took deep breaths. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Repeat. After a while, she calmed down.

Shiho huffed. She shouldn't be spiralling like this late at night. Since when was it night already? She should be sleeping, or be doing something productive.

Making her way to her bass, she unzipped the case and took out the bass. Heading upstairs to the the roof, she breathed in as she opened the doors. The air wasn't fresh, but it wasn't stuffy and that's all that mattered.

And so, Shiho played. And let all her frustration of the situation out.

(Tokyo Teddy Bear by Neru. Shiho cover)

She needed to scream and cry in frustration and lonliness, but all she did was play and sing her heart out.

Belting out her voice that was loud enough for the whole world to hear, she was immersed into her music. The music that she should've done with Leo/need. But she's here, on the rooftop, with no care if people's sleep were interrupted.

As the song ended, she felt more calm. Playing the bass always had this effect on her. She felt her best when playing the bass and that was a fact.

Just because she was a little calmer, doesn't mean that she was done playing.

(Tengaku by YuuyuP Shiho cover)

Tengaku was the song that let all her anger out. With the shrieking in the song, it felt amazing to let it all out. She didn't sing it like she normally did. This time it was full of growls and the intensity of her emotions than her usual singing.

The bassline in Tengaku was different from the last time she played. With no guitar to do the riff, Shiho improvised and did a bass riff instead.The deep vibration of the strings complimented Shiho's singing as she hit the high notes in the bridge after that. And in the end, Shiho sang as loud as she could from the rooftop. Panting from her excellent performance, she drank a bit from her water bottle, then played the next song.

(from Y to Y by JimyThumbP, Shiho cover but no Saki since she isn't here, obviously)

Shiho wanted something to calm her down more. With all the anger out, she wanted to play a tranquil song. Admittedly, she almost shed a tear. She only sang this with Saki when Ichika needed a break for her voice. But Shiho stayed strong for the sake of the song. It felt empty without the rest of the instruments.

The song made her think of Saki's keyboard playing and how elegant and heartfelt it sounded. It made her think of how Honami's drumming was quiet and steady in the song. It made her think of Ichika and her hushed strumming during this song. The song itself was beautiful and the lyrics were inspiring: a girl getting over a break up and hoping to see her ex as a friend. Shiho found the song to be soothing and comforting like a warm hug from her friends.

As Shiho was caught up with her thoughts and music, she failed to notice the figure behind her. A tight black suit with a red bat symbol in the middle, a black utility belt around his waist, a brown jacket layered on top of his suit and a red helmet: Red Hood.
__________________________________________

The song was finished and Shiho looked around and finally saw Red Hood facing her.

The he approached her.

"Not everyday I see people singing on the rooftops."

"Red Hood." Shiho said curtly, remembering his name from the Internet.

"Yes, and you?"

"My name is Shiho Hinomori."

"You from Japan? You're definitely not from here judging by the accent and the fact that you were singing in Japanese."

"Yes."

"Your music is good."

"Thank you."

"You speak English?"

"I do not speak English good."

"Hmm."

The silence stretched on for a few minutes. Because of Shiho's school level English, she didn't have a proper conversation with the vigilante.

"You okay?" Red Hood asked, wanting to break the awkwardness.

"Yes."

Red Hood cursed under his breath, he didn't speak Japanese but he wanted to talk about her playing. He would have to keep it simple.

"Umm... So you play bass?"

"Yes."

"You also sing while you do it."

"Yes."

"It's impressive. You sound good."

"Thank you."

In a split second, Shiho remembered from library the that Red Hood was seen with Batman, Batman was in the Justice League and maybe they might help her get back. She had to talk to him more.

"You're a hero." Shiho said, she knew he was a crime lord and such, but how was she meant to know those words in English? That was the closest she could get to.

"Not really kid, I'm a Crime Lord."

"You know Batman?"

"Yeah, work with him sometimes."

"I need help with going back. Need Batman's help."

"Back where?"

"Not here. Different world."

"You need help to get back to Japan?"

"No, different world."

"Different world as in, different Earth?"

"Yes."

"You're from another Earth?"

"Yes."

"Okay kid, I'll tell Batman that."

Just then, Oracle spoke in his comms.

"Hood, there's a robbery on the end of the street you're on." Oracle stated in a monotone voice.

"Sorry kid, gotta go. I'll be leaving now."

"Bye."

"Bye, stay safe out there."

Red Hood left, leaving Shiho alone again.

A yawn escaped Shiho's mouth. What time was it? Walking towards the door, Shiho went downstairs and entered her new bedroom.

It was spacious, but messy, almost as if the owner left in a rush. The bed was a queen sized bed, soft but dusty and paired with a duvet and a pillow.

Lying down on the bed, a long sigh came from her. Her grey hair becoming messy as she tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. And in an hour, a dreamless sleep came upon her.

Chapter Text

Waking up, Shiho opened her eyes. Rubbing them and blinking away the sleepiness. She coughed. The bed was still as dusty since she didn't clean it.

She got off the bed and went straight to the bathroom, only then did she realise that the building had no water.

Huffing, Shiho walked to the kitchen. Internally, she debated whether she should eat a tuna can for breakfast or eat at lunchtime. She decided to eat at lunchtime, that way she could save it for another day. Next, she'd sniffed herself. She smelt okay. She would shower, but she obviously couldn't with no running water.

She looked out the window. Where she expected a bright, shining sun, there was just grey clouds, covering the sky.

She grabbed the old watch, brushed her hair with her hands, put on her shoes and exited the apartment.

First stop: library.

Taking out her map, she weaved through the streets, head down and avoiding eye contact.

A quick walk later, and she arrived at the library.

"Hello Barbara." Shiho confidently said. This was also something she said many times in English class.

"Hi Shiho, what do you need?"

"Computers."

"Well, you know where they are. How've you been?"

"Good. I'll go to computers now."

"Oh, okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Making her way to the computers, Shiho logged in checked the time. It was 10:00 in the morning. She adjusted the watch's time. She also checked the date, Sunday April 13th 2014.

"2014?" She breathed out. How did she not notice this last time she was at the library?

Why did Ichika's comics have to be set on 2014 of all years? She'd be around 5 or 6 here, luckily she's still the same. Hoping that the year won't cause problems, she moved on.

Shiho went straight to Google Translate. She wanted to know how to say a few things for the job in English.

An hour later, she felt sure of herself. She was aware Google Translate might not have been the best translator, but the phrases she'll say should be understandable enough.

An idea sparked as quick as lightning: she should get a Japanese to English dictionary! That would be useful if she wanted to have a conversation, especially in the interview for the job.

Quickly, she typed in what she wanted to say in Google translate, translated it, memorised how to say it, then went up to Barbara.

" Where can I find a Japanese to English dictionary?" Shiho said proudly. She practiced saying it quite a bit.

"Oh, just over there. You see where it says dictionaries? It should be there. Just look for the one that says Japanese to English, of course." Barbara answered.

"Thank you." Shiho replied and headed to the dictionaries.

She made her way to the dictionaries, went through them and found a Japanese to English dictionary. Feeling content, she grabbed the dictionary and walked to Barbara.

"Hello, can I check out."

"Sure! You need a library card for that."

"Yes."

"I'll need your full name, address and phone number."

"No phone number."

"Oh that's alright, you can use mine."

"Thank you."

Barbara took the book, scanned it and placed it on the counter.

"Thank you." Shiho spoke, getting the dictionary from Barbara.

"It's my job after all." Barbara chuckled.

The interview! Shiho had to get ready for that.

"Job, right. Sorry, leaving." Shiho apologised as she sprinted to the exit.
__________________________________________

It was 12:37 pm when she left the library. She was aware that was more than enough time to prepare until 3:30, but Shiho had to eat and look presentable enough for the interview, so she rushed back to her 'home' and made a plan from there: eat, clean up, get her bass, go to the bar.

Opening a can of tuna, Shiho smelled the fish. It didn't smell like it was expired, so she digged in.

Next: clean up. Shiho realised that she forgot to ask Barbara where she could shower. She smelled okay in the morning, but now that she ate, she stank of fish.

She really did not want to go back to her. It would be so awkward to come back to the library to talk with her again. But, she really wouldn't want smell like tuna. If she couldn't find a shower, she could also spray herself with a perfume or body mist if she could find one.

Glancing back at her watch, it read 1:00pm. Just enough time to talk to Barbara and shower.

She sprinted to the library. She did not want to waste time. She only had 2 and a half hours left until the interview.

Slamming open the doors, she hurried to Brarbara.

"Hello, where I can..." Shiho searched for the word in the dictionary, "...shower?"

Barbara had a look of understanding in her expression.

"Well, there should be showers in gyms and such. I think there might be one in the disabled restroom here actually."

"Thank you! Can I use?" Shiho pleaded with desperation, she wanted to be presentable for the interview.

"Sure! Do you need soap or anything? I should have some under here." Barbara said as she started opening the drawers.

"Aha! Here's the soap. The disabled toilets are just over there." Barbara pointed to the door. It was grey and had the words 'disabled toilets' on the front.

"Thank you!" Shiho flashed a genuine smile to Barbara, she was filled with gratitude for her, she helped her so much.

Shiho grabbed the soap and dashed to the toilet.

She could shower! Finally! She didn't have a change of clothes, but she could rewear it.

Locking the toilet, she undressed then turned on the shower head. It hissed out cool water, washing away the dirt, grime and sweat that built up from yesterday.

The cold enveloped her, making her skin feel refreshed. Her hair became dripping wet and loose hairs slid down into the drain. Shiho had no idea how she would dry her hair in time, but that was a problem for later. She focused on the freezing water and the feeling of being drowned with relief.

After 5 minutes of just letting the water run in her, she started to actually shower- she scrubbed away filth from her skin and massaged her head with her scalp.

She dried off with the 1 ply tissue in the bathroom and also dried off her hair with the dryer in the toilet.

She came out a new person: clean, pristine and shining.

Shiho checked the time. One hour to go.

She thanked Barbara again briefly, then briskly walked to her apartment to take her bass.

Turning the handle to her door, she opened it, removed her shoes to get her bass. She left her bass close to the bed, so Shiho took her bass by the neck, stuffed it in the case and exited her room.

When she left her house she had 35 minutes left. Not too bad. It was a 15 minute walk to the Velvet Lounge, leaving her 20 minutes. She wondered: what could she do?

She decided that she should probably practice what she would say.

She walked a bit until she found a bench on the street. Perfect. She took out the dictionary and memorised words she might need.

"I sing and play bass. I have played bass for many years. I play in a band and I am the bassist. I can sing and play bass at the same time. I have worked in a live house before. I have served drinks, acted as a backup bassist, set up the instruments and more." Shiho mumbled to herself. That was hopefully enough for the interview.

Shiho was a little nervous for the interview. Since she couldn't speak English well, they might not hire her if people had requests or asked her questions and she couldn't understand. Oh well, she could always go to the other bars if they don't hire her. Hold on, what if they asked her to play a song, what would she play? The idea sparked in her mind: she had the perfect song. She could play Hello, Worker! Internally, she thanked Ichika and Saki for begging Leo/need play that song.

Okay, she had to go now. She stood up, checked the map and headed towards the bar. As she walked, her mind raced back to Leo/need. She pondered about what they would doing. Would they be searching for her? Would they think she was sick? Oh wait, what about Shizuku? How would she react with her being missing? She exhaled through her nose, it was going to be a disaster there and when she comes back. Hopefully Red Hood told Batman about her situation. She just wanted to be home and maybe even jam with a virtual singer.

And suddenly, she was at the Velvet Lounge.

Taking a deep breath, she took a look at the state of the bar. It seemed to be there for many years, with a worn maroon sign saying 'Velvet Lounge' with the letters being white. There was faded black paint on the walls and a maroon colored door frame with square glass panels on it.

She stepped in.

"Hey there, what can I do for you? You want a drink?" The bartender asked her with a grin.

"I am here to play music." Shiho answered, clutching the dictionary in her hand, ready to take it out at any second.

"Great! Sit tight, gotta get the boss here." The bartender cheerily informed her.

Shiho nodded her head and took a seat. She looked over the words she might need in the dictionary. Experience, band, audience, professional. She whispered those words to herself, making sure she could pronounce it correctly.

"You here to play music?" He asked as he approached her.

"Yes."

"Follow me."

Shiho followed the man into the room. She presumed it to be his office. It had a navy wallpaper, peeling at the corners, an oak table with golden accents on the edges and two chairs facing eachother. One was velvety and navy, with regal golden framing along the cushion. The other chair was a wooden stool from Ikea with three legs.

The man pulled out his seat, sat down and motioned Shiho to sit on the stool.

"What's your name? Mine's Charlie Chalpin."

"My name is Shiho. Nice to meet you."

"So you want to play some songs, huh?"

"Yes."

"Play one right now."

"What?"

"If you sound good, I'll hire you, if not then I don't hire you simple as that."

It looked weirdly easy to get hired here, but his reasoning made sense, so she took out her bass. She tuned it and took a breath.

(Hello, Worker by KEI, Shiho Cover)

As she played, Charlie was nodding and taking notes as if he was a judge in a talent show. Shiho sang softly like angel and hit the high notes with precision. Her usual singing wasn't this soft, but the song needed a mellow voice and Shiho made sure her voice was gentle for the song.

When she finished, Charlie clapped.

"You're hired!"

Charlie seemed a little desperate for music, but that just made it easier for Shiho. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of how suspicious it felt. He didn't do a background check, didn't even ask her old she was and didn't ask for any kind of detail at all! She was expecting to play for Charlie, him to ask some questions and then wait for an answer after a couple of days. Hearing her once couldn't be enough for her to be hired on the spot!

"Thank you very much. But, are you not going to ask about me?" Shiho asked with uncertainty in her eyes.

"It's fine. You see, we really need some live musicians. The regulars are getting real tired of the same elevator music everyday. Of course, I'll still ask for some details about you, but unless you're a wanted criminal, I don't really care. Also, I know that English isn't your native language judging by your accent and the fact that you sang in Japanese, but don't worry about it. I'll figure something out." Charlie answered with exaggerated hand gestures and an unpromising assurance for the last statement.

"Ah... okay." Shiho replied back, still processing the information: he yapped a lot and spoke very fast.

"So Shiho, we just need the basics: how old are you, when is your birthday, where do you live, blah blah blah."

"I am 16. My birthday is on 8 January. I live in... ahh..." Shiho couldn't remember the address of the apartment. She'd have to check later.

"If you don't remember your address it's fine, I can ask next time. Just fill out this form, sign a couple of documents and we should be good to go!" Charlie positively said with a cheery smile.

"Ah, yes." Shiho replied.

After an hour of signing documents and constantly checking the dictionary, Shiho had to sort out a timetable.

"How about, Monday to Friday on afternoons after school." Charlie suggested.

" There is no class. Full day." Shiho explained.

"No school? You're still 16 though, don't you still have Senior Year?"

"Senior Year? I am a Second Year." Shiho confirmed.

"But you don't go to school here?"

"Holiday?"

"Summer holidays start in June."

"Huh."

"Anyway, so you want to do full day? We can do Monday to Thursday or Thursday to Sunday for you."

"Monday to Thursday." Shiho picked to have the weekends free.

"What time? You get to do either 12:00 in the afternoon to 7:00pm, or 4:00pm to 11:00."

Yikes, 4:00pm - 11:00 sounds like hell. When Shiho would be done with her shift it would be mugging galore!

"12 o'clock - 7 o'clock."

"Great! We'll see you tomorrow!" Charlie announced as he pointed towards Shiho.

"Nothing left?" Shiho asked, wondering if that was it.

"We'll give a tour and stuff, and that should be about it!"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep, you start tomorrow!"

"No. Tour tomorrow?"

"Oh, sure, yeah. Come in early though. Be here by 11:00 for the tour!" Charlie beamed at her.

"Bye."

"Leaving so soon?" Charlie giggled to himself, "Buh-bye Shiho!"

"Bye."

Shiho left the bar with her bass and a few documents. She sighed and allowed her tense shoulders to relax. Money should be fine when she gets paid. That just leaves one thing: getting back home. She took a deep breath- it might take a long time until she gets back, but all she has to do is be patient and have faith that Red Hood told Batman.

It was already 8:00 when she got out. And she knew what that meant: prime time to get mugged. If only she had a weapon or anything to make her feel at least a little safe. She mentally noted to get a pocket knife when she gets paid.

She gripped her bass tightly as she walked into the streets of Crime Alley. She decided that if anyone tried to mug her, she would run away if she can catch them off guard.

Feeling slightly better with a plan, she walked closer to her apartment.

A gun clicked beside her head.

"Put your belongings in the bag!"

"No." Shiho objected as she stared at the woman straight in her eyes, not letting any panic show.

"I will shoot your brains out!"

"You'll do what?" An intimidating and modulated voice came from behind.

The woman froze in her tracks and pleaded, "Red Hood! I wasn't going to do anything, really! You know that I would never hurt a kid."

"Yeah right." He spat out as he took out his gun and shot the woman's leg.

She responded with a high pitched screech from the top of her lungs.

"You good?" Red Hood asked Shiho, but she was stuck in her place, unable to move. Shiho just witnessed someone getting shot, of course she wasn't okay!

"Mmm..." Was all that Shiho was able to say.

"Don't mind her."

"Yes..."

Red Hood switched the subject, "I need to talk about what you said the last night."

"Yes?" Shiho replied as she snapped back into reality.

"Let's go to somewhere private."

"Yes."

"All you say is yes! Sheesh..." Red Hood mumbled.

"My English is not good." Shiho reminded Red Hood.

"Yep."

They moved to a small diner. They sat by the window in a secluded corner with no people around.

"Hungry?"

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"I do not have money."

"I'm paying."

"Thank you."

"So, what do you want to eat?"

"Uhh..."

"Take your time."

"Thank you."

"Anyways, you need to get back home, right?"

"Yes."

" I talked to Batman."

"Yes?" Shiho said with eagerness in her eyes.

"I'm getting to it, wait!" Red Hood chuckled.

"Sorry." She said bluntly with no remorse at all.

"So, I told him and I gotta take you to him."

"When?"

"When are you free, preferably late at night?"

"Tomorrow."

"What time?"

"At 8 o'clock."

"Can you do later?"

"Later?"

"Yeah"

"11 o'clock?"

"I guess that should be fine. By the way, for time you don't need to say "o'clock" after it every time. You can still say it, but you don't need to."

"Yes." Shiho nodded as she took note of that.

The waitress went up to them.

"What can I get for you two?"

"I'll get a meatloaf with mashed potatoes. No beans and a can of coke." Red Hood answered. The waitress jotted it down in her tiny notepad.

"This," Shiho pointed at the cheeseburger deal on the menu, "and this." She then pointed at a bottle of water on the menu.

"The meal comes with fries or mashed potatoes. Which one ya want?" The waitress elaborated.

"This" Shiho pointed at the fries.

"For 50 cents, the water can be swapped for a milkshake." The waitress offered.

Shiho looked at Red Hood. He nodded to her, giving the signal that she could have a milkshake.

"Yes."

"Strawberry, banana or chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"Great! The food should come soon." The waitress wrote it down and smiled. She then turned around and left.

"Back to what we were saying, Batman should help you get back to your Earth. He just has to meet you first." Red Hood gestured towards her as he mentioned her.

"Yes."

"So, what's your Earth like?"

"It is," Shiho checked the dictionary, "advanced." She barely managed to say with her thick accent.

"Avanced?"

"The date is 2025."

"2025! Wow, wonder how that's like."

"There is no heroes."

"No heroes? Then what about the rogues?"

"Rogues?"

"Y'know, bad guys?"

"The police."

"The police barely do anything though!"

"Yes."

"Anyways, how'd you get here in the first place?"

Shiho didn't know if she should tell him. Then again, he could help her get back...

"I have this Sekai."

"Sekai? That means world in Japanese right?"

"Yes. I use my phone to go there. There is Miku."

"Who is Miku?"

"Vocaloid."

"Okay... So how do you get to that Sekai?"

"I play NeedLe. It is a song that was called Untitled."

"Was?"

"Song name changed."

A sigh, "I'll ask later, continue."

"I was in Sekai. There was this light. I touched it."

"You touched the light and came here?"

"Yes."

"That's it? No portal or anything."

"Big light."

"Um okay... So do other people have a Sekai of their own?"

"I do not know."

"Does anyone else know about the Sekai?"

"Friends. There is more Vocaloid in Sekai."

"Which friends know about your Sekai and who else is in Sekai?"

"3 friends. Hoshino Ichika, Tenma Saki, Mochizuki Honami. There is Miku, Rin, Len, Luka, Meiko and Kaito in Sekai."

The waitress walked to them, holding a tray.

"Here ya go! Enjoy!"

"Thank you." Shiho said as she eyed the food.

"Thanks." Red Hood said as he $100 note to the waitress.

"The bill is $25.50, I'll bring you your-"

"Keep the change." Red Hood cut her off.

"Thanks for the tip!" The waitress skipped away.

Red Hood's helmet hissed open, conveniently only revealing his mouth.

"Back to the topic, so you play a song to get to that Sekai?" Red Hood said as he stuffed his face with meatloaf. His lips were in a thin line when he tried the meatloaf. He coughed and spit out a hair. Gagging, he coughed some more and covered his mouth with a tissue.

Before she replied, Shiho took a bite of her cheeseburger. The patty was greasy, the cheese was American cheese, so it tasted a little questionable. The buns were extremely dry, except for the parts that were oiled from the beef. In short, not the best, but at least she didn't have to pay.

She gulped, then responded. "Yes, I play NeedLe to go to Sekai."

"How does that work?" Red Hood muttered to himself.

"Feelings."

"What?"

"Sekai was from feelings."

"Let me get this straight, your feelings made an entire world?" Red Hood pointed his fork at her.

"Yes."

Red Hood seemed to be deep in thought, so Shiho tried the rest of the food.

Shiho took a sip of the milkshake. It was concerningly sweet. The milkshake tasted artificial and was extremely sugary. She cringed: it was awful. The chocolate was barely there, but more prominent when she stopped drinking. Shiho loved sweet things (not that she would admit it) but this was just terrible.

She tried the fries to stop the disgusting aftertaste from the milkshake. It was the only decent thing there. Slightly soggy, but it had the perfect amount of salt.

She dipped the fries in the milkshake. The milkshake became a bit bearable, so she took a another fry and did the same.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"Are you dipping your fries in the milkshake?"

"Yes."

"That's..."

"The milkshake is not good, not very good."

"So dipping it in fries makes it better?"

"Yes."

"Um... okay."

"How is your food?" Shiho asked, preparing herself for a full on rant on the flavour, stench and texture the meatloaf. Shiho wasn't one to socialise, but she was genuinely curious on how his food was.

"I think they got a new boss. They cut the quality on these. These used to be good." Red Hood sighed, he added, "Enough about the food. Who might know about you being missing in your world?"

"Friends, sister, parents, classmates maybe."

"Your friends know about this 'Sekai', right? Do they also have Sekais of their own?"

"Share."

"Multiple people can have a Sekai?"

"Yes."

"So these must be very close friends since your 'Sekai' was made from feelings- feelings you must all have." Red Hood connected the dots.

"Yes... We have a band because of Sekai"

"Cool, what's it called?"

"Leo/need."

"Say, what's you Sekai like?"

"School."

"So you study there and stuff?"

"No. Music there."

"A music school? They teach you and stuff?"

"There is no class. Instruments in rooms."

"Ahh I get it: it's a classroom with instruments!"

"Yes."

"Only one classroom?"

"Many."

"Okay..."

Shiho checked the time, it was 9:03pm. Too late to be out in a city like Gotham.

"Excuse me." Shiho said as she got up from her seat.

"Leaving now? Yeah, I get it. The food's really bad."

"Bye."

"Bye, see you tomorrow."

Stepping out the diner, Shiho checked the name of the diner. 'Yummy' were in illuminated bold words. She rolled her eyes: it was anything but yummy. She would never set foot in there ever again.

She checked her map, the diner was pretty close to her apartment. She made her way to the abandoned building, wary of the shadows and silhouettes around the area.

Shiho made it to her place safe and sound and her bass safe and sound, only having to stamp on a mugger's toe and kick the man's crotch to get there.

Kicking her shoes off, she carried her bass and set it aside on the floor. Her plan for the night: clean. She didn't want to be breathing moldy air, but she didn't have the right chemicals for that. She could only do so much. She'd have to get cleaning supplies when she gets paid. She sighed, there was so much to do.

She began with organising the bedroom. The desk was extremely dusty and was cluttered with pens, knick knacks, old cups, pictures and books. She picked up a book, it was It by Stephen King. She could use this to practice her English skills. She put it on the floor and put the rest of the things down there too. She went out the door, descended down the stairs and looked through the other rooms for cleaning supplies or old clothes that can be used as rags. She was rushing the last time she checked the other rooms, but this time she would be thorough.
__________________________________________

Her trip was successful. There were lots of torn clothes that could be reused, she found a pack of dried baby wipes and old dishwashing liquid. She poured a small amount of the detergent onto the wipes and used it to take off the layer of dust on the table. She haphazardly put back the items that were previously on the table back and walked around the apartment to wipe down any surfaces.

When she finished wiping the kitchen counter top, she had enough of cleaning, so she decided that she would continue tomorrow. She also had to figure out what to say to Batman.

Plopping unceremoniously on the bed, Shiho lied down and wondered what Batman would say. Would Red Hood be there too? What kind of things would Batman ask her? Would he even be willing to help? Hopefully he does: she yearned to be back home.

If - no - when she gets back home, the first thing she'd be doing is play her bass, sitting on her own bed, in her own room, in her own house, in her own world. Not here, in a world where heroes and villains exist. Not in a world where so many conveniences happen everyday to an unrealistic level: she wasn't complaining though, but it was jarring to say the least (who throws away a bass case?). Not in a world that Ichika was reading. Not in a world made for an audience's entertainment through comics. She would be home and safe, hopefully soon.

Thinking about playing bass back at home reminded her to play today, she almost forgot! Almost.

Shiho had no energy to sing tonight, so she just sat on the floor, playing through the songs she was thinking she should play the next day in the bar, but without her singing. She would practice singing tomorrow.

She went through the songs twice, then got ready for the night.

She walked to the bathroom and wished that she could brush her teeth. With no water, she improvised. She took a baby wipe and rubbed off the junk in her teeth. She then, sloshed around her saliva in her mouth and gargled with it.

Sluggish and tired, she forced herself to go to the bed. Shiho's body hit the bed hard and she immediately went to sleep

Chapter Text

Consciousness came to her slowly, her senses coming gradually as she coughed, just like yesterday. She groaned in frustration: she forgot to shake the dust off the bed last night. She huffed, she'd do it before she leaves for work.

Not moving from her position, she reached over to her watch that she left on the floor. It was 9:00 in the morning. Her brows furrowed - she woke up so late! That left her about 2 hours before her tour and shift, and after that would be meeting Batman at 11:00. Okay, at least she had a solid plan for the day.

Wait, where is she going to meet Batman? Maybe on the roof of the building she's living in? Red Hood didn't specify where since they had to order the food. Eugh, the thought of that horrendous food sent shivers up her spine.

Shiho shot up from the bed, made her way to the kitchen and took one of the cans of tuna. Popping the tuna open, she used her hands to pick up pieces of it and ignored the disgusting feeling of her hands being drenched in the sunflower oil that preserved the food.

When she finished, she drowned her hands in dishwashing liquid and baby wipes to remove the oil.

After who knows how long, Shiho left her room and roamed around the building, looking for more supplies yet again. Although it was her third time doing this, you could never be so sure. The last two were a little rushed, this time it would be thorough. Unnecessary, yes, but she'd rather not have missed something useful.

The first suite she went in, she found a spork in the kitchen! If only she found that before breakfast. Shiho sighed at this, then went to the living room. Pulling the drawer of the coffee table, she only found a remote for the TV and old ads that the owners received from the mail. She took a look at it. The ads were purely for restaurants and plumbing. She could eat at some of those restaurants. The only ones she knew were the bars she researched in the library and the retched diner from last night. Shiho took the restaurant advertisements, and went back to her accommodation.

Tossing the spork and the pamphlets aside, she grabbed her bass and sat there doing nothing for a while. She was wondering what songs she could do.
Shiho probably had to have a song plan, huh?

She would need lots of songs since her shift is 7 hours...

She had to start off strong, so maybe Attract Light by *Luna? She stood up and searched for the notebooks and pens she found earlier to write the song plan. Opening the notebook, she wrote down the title: SONG PLAN. Her hand writing was fancy and in cursive due to all the hours she spent on calligraphy when she was younger.

Shiho wrote:

SONG PLAN

1. Attract Light (*Luna)
2. From Y to Y (JimyThumbP)
3. Dramaturgy (Eve)
4. Hello Worker (KEI)
5. Hello World! (Fujiwara Motoo)
6. Lost One's Weeping (Neru)
7. Calc. (JimyThumbP)
8. Heartbeat #0822 (Chouchou-P)
9. We're Still Underground (Eve)
10. Amanojaku (164)
11. Yomosugara Kimi Omou (TOKOTOKO)
12. Tengaku (Yuuyu)
13. World Lampshade (reunion) (buzzG)
14. Tokyo Teddy Bear (Neru)
15. Kagerou Daze (JIN)
16. ROKI (MikitoP)

She would do this set, then loop it until her shift was over. A couple of these songs were only sung by Ichika and sometimes with the entire group, so Shiho attempted to remember the lyrics to the songs that she didn't sing. If she couldn't remember the lyrics, she could always do the bassline...

Shiho shaked her head, basslines are repetitive, no matter how fun it may sound. ROKI had a lively bassline, but it was repetitious until it reached the chorus. Oh well, she had about an hour until she had to go to the bar, she could continue jogging her memory for some of the songs' lyrics for a while. If not then she'll just improvise.
__________________________________________

With 15 minutes left to spare until she had to leave, Shiho finally dusted the bed. She went into a coughing fit but managed to get rid of the majority of the dust in her queen sized bed.

How did it get this dusty anyway? How long ago did the owner leave? Whatever, the dust is all gone now.

Shiho snatched the notebook with her plan, placed her bass in the case, took her dictionary and got ready to leave. As she was descending down the stairs, she spotted a full body mirror in the hallway and fixed up her appearance. Licking her finger, she tamed her hair and combed through it with her hands. Now she was ready to go.

Going down with thumps as she went down the stairs, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for her first shift.

The walk was quiet and peaceful, if you ignored the crime at every corner. Shiho arrived slightly messed up due to running away from a mugger.

Charlie stumbled to the entrance, tripping on his own feet as he greeted her, "Hi! Ready for the tour? It hopefully shouldn't take too long, which should give you time to do whatever before 12:00!"

"Yes." Shiho replied after a few seconds of attempting to process his fat talking.

"Great! Laura, show her the way!"

A short woman, presumably Laura approached her. Her hair was cut short and her green sweater covered her white blouse. The cobalt jeans she wore were cut just above her black mary-jane shoes.

"Hi, I am Laura."

"I am Shiho." She nodded to her.

"I'll show you around, come." Laura said she started to walk to a room that had a sign saying: "Employees Only."

Shiho followed her as she was introduced to all of the staff. Embarrassingly, when they told her their jobs, she had to check them in the dictionary. There were four bartenders named Taylor, Harper, Laura and James. Two barbacks named Sophie and Maverick. A busser named Sharon. Five chefs named Ben, Quinn, Melody, Kassandra and Maria. And last but not least, the manager, Charlie. No way could she recall all of them...

"And your name sweetie?" Sharon? Quinn? One of them asked.

"My name is Shiho. Shiho Hinomori. Nice to meet you." She did a shallow bow.

Polite greetings were said and the person who asked for her name spoke again,

"You don't speak English that well, huh?"

Shiho nodded.

"Well guys, we gotta teach her then!" The eccentric one said, she added, "Laura, show her around!"

"Of course I will Sharon!"

So that was her name... she'll keep that in mind. Probably.

Laura linked their arms together, much to Shiho's defiance, and began to show her around.
Shiho felt annoyed because Laura didn't ask if she wanted to link arms or not! You can't just do that without permission. Even when she voiced her opinion, they were still arm in arm.

"This is main area for the customers and over there is where you'll be playing." Laura gestured to the stage as Shiho yanked her arm out as she was distracted.

With a pout, Laura put her hand on her shoulder instead of linking their arms like earlier.

Shiho frowned. She doesn't want to be touched without consent. Laura means well yet continues to have physical contact with her. How frustrating...

Shiho walked up to the stage, once again getting out of Laura's touch and ignored the look of dismay that painted Laura's face.

The stage was small. It was a corner in the room that was slightly elevated. Above it, a dramatic light shone to put the space in the spotlight and grab people's attention.

She stepped up onto the stage, gently leaning her bass on the wall for later and looked at the bar from the platform's point of view.

It was an underwhelming sight, to be honest. Just chairs and tables... maybe it'll look better with actual people in it.

She hopped down and trailed behind Laura as she went into the next area.

"The kitchen." Laura said as she theatrically waved her hands towards the kitchen. The kitchen itself was a decent size. Multiple metal counter tops were scrubbed clean and every single one of the chefs were cooking, possibly making the popular items on the menu for when Velvet Lounge opens up. She sniffed and smelled the savoury and sweet scents. Honami would be such a good cook here. Her mouth was watering at the thought of Honami's food.

Before Shiho could take a closer look at the door towards the very back, Laura dragged her away to the next place: the pantry.

It was quaint, there wasn't really a pont in looking at their stock, so they moved again to the cleaning closet, which was as you'd expect: cleaning supplies.

A brief look at Charlie's room later and it was thirty minutes until work already.

Shiho sat with one leg dangling on the ledge of the stage and the other having her knee up to rest her chin.

She eyed at her bass case and chuckled at the thought of finding a perfectly good case. How absurd.

"Komikkurojikku..." ("Comic logic...") Shiho mumbled to herself.

"What was that?"

"Ha?" Shiho asked, unsure who said that.

"Oh, over here!"

She turned her head to see faded pink hair with blue ends: Sophia?

"It's Sophie, if you don't remember." She said as she walked out of the kitchen, going up to Shiho.

As she got closer, she asked, "Were you saying something there?"

"No."

" 'Kay."

"Huh?"

" 'Kay; it's a shortened version of okay, which is a slang for yes, or sure."

"Okay?"

"Good, you're using it right. I can teach you more if you'd like."

"Yes."

"Hehe, great!"

And so, Sophie taught Shiho what she needed to know, phrases such as, "Buzz off," to rude people; "got it" to say you understand something and much more.

Maybe she shouldn't use "buzz off"... that sounded really stupid when she said it to customer demanding to be allowed inside when the bar hadn't opened yet.

She was definitely going to use "got it" a lot though.

When their lesson finished, it was time to do her actual job, she officially started at 12:00, however she was told to start playing when there were customers there: there was no point in playing for ghosts.

And in a few minutes, the first customer of the day arrived.

Shiho had to introduce herself to her audience before she could play, so she breifly said, "I am Shiho Hinomori and I will play music." Not the best, but talking to audience was never forte.

And she began the music.

(Attract Light by *Luna)

As she was singing with a calm voice for the intro, Shiho stole glances at the customer and staff. Even in another world, she still wanted her music to resonate with them.

As the music picked up, she no longer looked at the people that she fascinated and drew in. She focused on the revelling feeling of playing for someone and it striking a chord with the audience. Her fingers danced down the frets of the board and after 4 and a half minutes, the song ended as quick as lightning that was thundering outside. It was raining. Hopefully it'll stop when she gets home.

The newly accumulated audience clapped and whooped along with the staff of the Velvet Lounge. This was perfect: she needed a strong start and they received it well.

"Thank you." Shiho spoke. And with no warning, she went on to the next one: From Y to Y. It made her think about her encounter with Red Hood. Hmm, she still doesn't where to meet him...

Shiho made a slight mistake: she played ever so slightly early. It wouldn't noticed who were not musically trained, and hopefully not detectable for those who were. She had to focus. No thinking about vigilantes, not right now.

The song finished, and she played the next one and the next one, enjoying herself and relishing in the pleasure that was playing her bass.

After a while, the set was done. Wiping her the sweat from forehead as she thanked them for listening; she walked to the back, sipping water as she leaned on the wall in the hallway.

"That was amazing!"
A tan androgynous looking person came up to Shiho. Chocolate brown hair accompanied their hazel eyes and freckles were dotted around the face. Taylor maybe? Quinn? Harper?

"Thank you."

"You probably don't remember my name, do you?" A cheeky smile lit up on the person's face.

"It's Quinn, pronouns they/them."

"Got it." Shiho replied, using the new phrase that she learned.

"Anyway, I loved it! Your music spoke louder than your words. Come to think of it, you barely spoke to the customers except a thank you. I didn't even know what songs you were playing!"

"Ah. Sorry." Shiho apologised. The audience had no idea what songs she was playing! She face palmed.

"Nah, it's alright, you can do it next time."

Quinn gave a radiant smile. Not like Charlie where he was beaming, but a simple smile that could be model material... She got it now. They were pretty like Shizuku. Stunning and fair face card, friendly and approachable. Luckily, she was a little immune to people like this because of her sister (unlike Minori).

"Damn, your performance was good." Another person came up to her.

"Melody." She stook out her hand and Shiho shaked it firmly.

"You like music?" Shiho asked due to her name.

"Obviously!" Melody laughed as she shoved Quinn.

"What was that for?" Quinn demanded.

"For talking to Shiho without me when I was in the middle of an order!" Melody pouted.

"Well, I'm just so, so SO sorry." Quinn emphasised on the last 'so' as they put their hand over their heart.

While they bickered, Shiho left, wanting to drink more water since she finished the bottle.

She entered the kitchen, and asked if she could take some water. Someone in the middle of flipping the contents of their pan assured her she could take some. She filled up her bottle from the tap and drank.

She sighed in contentment. Shiho checked the time: 1:24pm. She'd go back out there in 20 minutes. That should be enough time for thinking about where to meet Red Hood, yet again...

After a bit of pondering, she concluded to stand on her rooftop and hopefully meet him there, if not, then she can look around. The rooftop would give her a bird's eye view, so she might be able to spot them.

Shiho was sitting on the floor when Quinn and Melody came running towards her.

"Where were you?" Melody breathlessly said.

"Why'd you leave us?" Quinn panted.

"Water." Shiho answered.

"You could've asked us for some!"

"Wanted water."

"You were that thirsty?" Quinn titled their head as they giggled.

"Obviously! She was singing for an hour straight!" Melody retorted.

A fond chuckle came from Shiho, Quinn was a little like Saki, but a tad bit calmer. And Melody was like when she teased Saki but with more energy. Jeez, when did she think so much about her friends? She chuckled at the thought of her and Saki having friendly banter.

Melody and Quinn snapped their heads to her and chortled together with Shiho without knowledge of why they were laughing in the first place.

Their cackling subsided way after Shiho stopped.

"What were we even laughing about?"

"I was laughing cause of Shiho."

They expectantly looked at her, eyes filled with curiosity.

Shiho flipped through the dictionary first, then answered. "You remind me of friend and me."

"Awww."

Shiho blushed deeply, "Stop." She said as she sent a stern glare.

They pouted together and teased, "Awwwwwwwwww."

Rolling her eyes, Shiho checked the time: her break was over.

"Okay, bye." Shiho stood up from the floor and left.

Chasing after her, the two were halted by Charlie ordered them to get back to the kitchen.

Dejected sighs from them were heard all the way from the stage where Shiho was standing once again.

Time to go through set yet again... This time she would at least say the names of the songs she would play.
__________________________________________

Shiho's shift was finally over. Her throat was sore and scratchy from singing for 7-ish hours and she had to meet 'The Batman'.

She began her walk back to her place. Shiho thought about the day so far. She managed to attract customers who wanted shelter from the rain. The rain luckily stopped soon, leaving puddles on the pavement that she maneuvered over. She heard a car crash in the background. It made her think of the first Leo/need fan... Good thing Ichika saved her from getting injured by that car. She hummed as she thought, but the sound she made was a garble. Her throat was in terrible condition... Would she be able to talk to Batman later? Maybe she should just point at the words she wants to say using the dictionary. Maybe not. That looked stupid. She could still speak though. It's just a little rough and husky. Batman will have to deal with it. She should probably get a shorter shift since it's the entire reason she can barely talk now. Shiho should tell Charlie tomorrow.

She was already back at her building.

Ascending up the stairs, she tossed her notebook and lightly put down her bass guitar on the floor. Wearily climbing the stairs, she made it to the roof and collapsed on to the floor: sitting with her back by the door of the roof and hands on her throat.

She practiced speaking, hoarse and croaky but understandable. Turning the page of the dictionary, she studied the words until a quiet thump was heard by the corner of the area.

Her eyes darted to the figure: Red Hood.

They greeted eachother and then stared at the night sky in silence. The sky was purely smog. Smoke and gloom filled the bleak sky, covering the stars and moon. Very underwhelming compared to the School Sekai. Leo/need's Sekai had a breathtaking view of the stars. The sky was a blend of pinks, purples and blues and stretched out clouds framed the white stars. Gotham was dreadful.

"He'll be here shortly." Red Hood broke the quiet.

"Got it."

"Expanding your vocab, are you?" Red Hood observed the dictionary

"Yes."

"Ooo, what'dya learn?"

"Words." Shiho shot a deadpan look.

"Yeah..."

Shiho noticed a silhouette, in the background. He blended in with the shadows: a shade in Gotham's painting. His black suit tightly fit his armour and his head was donned with a cowl: charcoal black and sharp tips pointed towards the grey gloomy sky as if the brush used to paint Gotham was flicked up repeatedly to get it as thin as possible. Was he seriously brooding in the background? Here of all places?

"He's here." Red Hood announced.

The Batman marched forward. His steps appeared to be heavy, but silence was the only thing heard.

"What Earth are you from?" Batman's gravely voice questioned.

Red Hood groaned, "Not easing into it, are you?"

What did Batman mean by that? Did he mean universe she's from, or something?

Shiho shot a blank look towards him, wanting him to elaborate further.

"This is Earth 0. What is your Earth."

That made more sense... In her world, no one knew for sure if there was another world aside from the ones in the solar system. Heck, no one knew that there could even be dimensions that you can hop into with your phone. There would be no point in naming Earth if there weren't different versions of it, so she doesn't even have a clear answer for him.

How should she answer this?

"No." She settled on after wondering what to say for a hot second.

"No?"

"No number for Earth."

"Why?"

Shiho looked through the dictionary and sputtered out a barely cohesive sentence. "Travel not easy there? No other Earth."

"Then why are you here?"

Red Hood cut in before Shiho could answer, "Shiho is able to go to a world that she calls 'Sekai'. She can access it through her phone. When she was in there, she touched this bright light and came here." He looked at her as he was saying that to make sure the facts were correct.

A grunt came from Batman.

Then began the rapid fire questions.

Batman asked her the same questions as Red Hood, so she gave the same answers as last time. Couldn't Red Hood just tell him what she said? It's pointless.

When they finished, Batman did his signature grunt yet again.

"I can't do anything until I know what Earth to send you to."

"Yes."

Red Hood spoke up. "You may need to stay with someone for a while. We need to keep tabs on you in case you find your way back. What do you say?"

"Ah?" Shiho wasn't sure about this. Was the guy trying to kidnap her?

"We're not gonna kidnap you, don't worry. But you have to understand that we need keep track of you; you being from another world and all." Red Hood said in a beat.

Hesitantly, Shiho accepted. Being abducted was not the way she wanted to go, but what else was she meant to do? They have a valid point. Still though... She shouldn't be agreeing to this.

Batman grumbled. This must've not been part of the plan.

"Relax old man, she doesn't have to stay at the manor. She can stay at my safehouse."

"No. We need to keep track of her, not just you." Batman objected despite the obvious reluctance.

"Manor it is then."

Red Hood turned to face Shiho.

"Pack your bags. We'll wait here."

"Now?" Shiho gave a baffled look. This guy didn't even give her a day to get prepared!

"Yes, now."

"Okay." She said with an exhale of exasperation due to her being rushed.

"Wow! You said something that isn't yes!" Red Hood sarcastically remarked.

"Yes." Shiho responded with sass as she walked through the door.

She descended down the stairs and entered her room.

She started packing.

First, she opened up the case for her bass guitar, took her bass out, splayed all her notebooks and pens on the bottom of the case and put her bass guitar on top of the books. She flattened it out some more, ensuring that the bass would fit in the case. She did this because in her time of searching, she somehow has not found one bag in this 5 story apartment.

How weird.

Second, she pocketed whatever she hoarded the other nights.

The chunky flashlight barely fit her right back pocket. She cursed women's shorts. The spork and baby wipes went into her front pockets. The dishwashing liquid and pamphlets went to her left back pocket. Patting her shorts pockets, she then dove to the floor where she left the clothes she found the other night.

She folded her clothes to be as small as possible and shoved them into her jacket pockets. The 5 tuna cans were tucked into her armpit, uncomfortable but she had no choice. Once again, she cursed women's pockets. Why did they have to be so small?

She was done. She barely had anything here anyway, so it didn't take her long.

Carrying the bass, she went back up to the roof, one handedly opening the door with the other gripping her bass tightly.

"Is that all you have?" Batman croaked.

"Yes."

"Red Hood. Take her to the manor."

"Yep." He replied.

Shiho turned to face Batman but was met with nothing.

"Ah-"

"He does that all the time, don't worry about it."

"Yes."

"Follow me, I'll drive you there."

"Yes."

"Oh my gosh, can you stop saying that?" Red Hood exasperated pleads fell short on Shiho's ears.

"Yes." She said with a smirk.

Frustrated groans came from Red Hood as he was walking down the stairs.

They exited the building as Shiho was adjusting the tuna cans in her armpit.

"Why are you carrying cans in your armpit?"

"Food."

"Well, you need your arms when I drive you, so leave them."

Red Hood was reaching for the cans, but Shiho already handed it to him.

"We could give these to the Alley kids. If you're okay with delaying the trip for a while." Red Hood suggested.

"Yes." Shiho affirmed. Her heart ached at the sight of homeless kids, so this would be good. It would also be a waste if they just threw it out.

They wandered around with purpose, searching for anybody who needed the cans of tuna. The first kid they saw looked to be around five. Her hair was matted and clothes ragged. When she was given a can, she hugged Shiho tightly and Shiho awkwardly patted her back. Red Hood ruffled her hair and did a checkup on her when they finished the hug.

The second kid had a sibling who was out dumpster diving, Shiho gave him two cans and he gratefully accepted the food. Red Hood chatted with the boy for a while and handed him a lollipop.

The third kid they met owned a cat. The cat was fat and hefty. Shiho gave the kid two cans as well: one for him and the cat. The cat rubbed her leg as she was giving it and she was in awe of the cat. Its weight pinned her down to the floor, forcing her to sit. She couldn't show that she liked it! Her image would forever be tarnished. Her body betrayed her, however. Shiho's cheeks became red and her lips in a thin line, her eyes wide and her brain only thinking of one thing: "It's so cute!". She'd never admit it though. The chubby orange cat purred and pushed her against the ground more, its weight keeping her stuck in place. She pet it hesitantly, then with more care, now stuck in her own world consisting of the cat and herself alone.

After a few minutes of petting, Red Hood snapped her out of her trance by waving his hand over her face. Her cheeks became redder than it already was and tried to play it cool. The child giggled at this. She thanked the child for allowing her to pet the cat and gave the orange tabby one last pet in secret before the two made their way to Red Hood's motorcycle.

The bike was sleek and maroon with hints if black. Red Hood hopped on and revved the engine. Fixing the bass case so that it was on her back like a backpack, she buttoned closed all her pockets and got on the bike. Her arms wrapped around him as he drove.

The drive was long and uneventful, like watching paint dry. Shiho's only thoughts were purely about the cat. How did it get so fat? What did the boy feed him? The cat was adorable. Did the cat miss her? Would the child be able to take care of the cat? With luck, the two would find a home. Maybe she should scavenge for more food and come back a later day for the cat? Her thoughts distracted her from the high speeds Red Hood was driving in.
__________________________________________
They slowed down as they reached the high and mighty gates. A large 'W' on top of it.

The gates opened up to an extravagant manor. The dark of night cast a shadow on the mansion, making it seem sinister. The ash colored roofing seemed to be pitch black and the stone walls were illuminated by the outside lights. A multitude of windows were on the mansion's pale white surface, organised neatly in rows.

"Woah."

"Big, ain't it?"

"Yes."

"You're gonna be living here with Bruce and his kids, okay?"

"Got it."

"We'll get a room for you."

"Yes."

They arrived at the massive doors. It creaked open and an old man gave a welcoming smile.

"Master Hood, hello. Is this the young lady I was told about?" The old man with a British accent welcomed.

"I'm Shiho Hinomori."

"Greeting Master Hinomori, my name is Alfred Pennyworth. I have heard quite a bit of you. There is a room prepared for you. Do come in."

As Shiho entered, Pennyworth took her bass case.

"My, do you play an instrument?"

"Bass."

"Very good."

Aside from that little conversation, the walk to her room was quiet and long.

Her room was on the 4th floor of this maze of a mansion. The furthest room to the right. The walk there was long yet interesting as she inspected the walls that were adorned with paintings, old and new. Nothing in particular caught her eye due to the dim lights of the mansion. Shiho thought, "How is a billionaire not able to afford a proper lightbulb? All of these are incredibly faint in terms of lighting that I can barely see the paintings!"

"Your room, ma'am." Pennyworth stated, taking Shiho out of her thoughts about the walk.

She opened the door, and it revealed a room that would cost an arm and leg. The bed had an elegant headboard: black metal that swirled in all directions. The gigantic bed barely fit the frame and looked as soft as clouds. The bedsheets were pure white, with hints of an iridescent design that shone in the light. It looked

The room itself was spacious considering the sizeable bed, the huge desk and chair and the massive couch. The wallpaper was sleek and coal black. The desk was neat. The chair and table were inky black and the table had a white lamp and white knick knacks. The couch was, as expected: ebony black.

Someone liked monochromatic colors...

"You like it?" Red Hood whistled.

"Black." Shiho stated, her unimpressed feeling towards the interior designer made known with her tone of voice.

"Yep. In a good way or bad way though? You can always ask Bruce to replace all this black and white furniture. He shouldn't mind, he's a billionaire, after all."

Shiho shouldn't use his money like that. This man was already allowing her in his home! He also had a terrible taste in interior design. If he replaced the furniture, it would probably be worse than it already is. Anyway, the furniture shouldn't be a problem at all. It's just ugly. That's all. As long as she can live with it. She cringed at his direction.

"Don't look at me like that. Y'know he has a billion dollars, if you ask to change something, he won't mind."

Maybe if she stays for a long time she would ask, but so far, absolute no to spending Bruce's money.

"Please get situated in your room. I will call you for breakfast the next morning. Good night Mistress Hinomori." Pennyworth greeted her.

"Good night."

Pennyworth slipped out of the room, leaving Red Hood and her alone.

"I should be leaving too. Bye Shiho." Red Hood turned to leave but as he was about to, Shiho muttered "Thank you." He looked at her and probably smiled, she couldn't tell though since he was wearing a helmet.

Shiho exhaled through her nose and pulled out all of the things in her pocket. She left it on the desk. She realised there was a door that she hadn't noticed before and opened it. And there stood a bathroom. It matched the bedroom: black walls, shower, sink, toilet and white items like soap and facial wash, contrasting the black. There was a mirror above the sink that with able to open, but she would check that later. She had a bone to pick with this interior designer. Black and white are nice colours, but it's so bland here! It's just black with accents of white.

Taking the clothes from the apartment she previously stayed at, she placed them in the bathroom and took a relaxing shower. This was not like the library. This was hot water, cleansing and comforting. She sat on the shower floor, just feeling the heat spread throughout her body.

As she showered, she pondered about how she even got here in the first place. It hasn't even been a week and she is already living in a billionaire's mansion! How unbelievable... What kind of comics were Ichika reading? She wondered about her friends. Would they be able to find her? Did the virtual singers know about her disappearance? Wasn't Rin somewhere in the hallway when she was practicing? She must've noticed her being gone, right? What would the virtual singers be doing now? Maybe supporting her friends as they try to find her. She missed home. She missed being with her friends. She missed playing as Leo/need. She missed everything.

After a while, she finished her shower, dressed up and looked inside the cupboard. There were toothbrushes and toothpaste. She sighed in relief that she could properly brush her teeth. Shiho instantly snatched a toothbrush and a bottle toothpaste and brushed her teeth hard. She brushed away the gunk and made her breath minty fresh. She took the facial wash she noticed. Squeezing the bottle, she poured it on her hands and rubbed it against her face.

"AAAH!" The facial wash got in her eye. Her tired state made her less careful.

She rinsed her eye. Shiho then washed her face roughly, wanting to take off the grime she accumulated.

Shiho came out the bathroom and flopped on the ridiculously large bed. She hummed. It was a long day and she doesn't know how she managed to talk the entire day. Her throat was painful, so it might be hard for her tomorrow. She'll have to make an instrumental set for her shift the next day.

Climbing into the cold blanket, she shivered and fell asleep easily.