Chapter 1
Dying sucked, Amelia decided.
At least, dying as she was currently, bleeding out from a knife in her gut, slumped in a back alley in some large city, having been following a lead on a case from Interpol about a string of international jewel heists.
Embarrassingly, it wasn't even the suspect she was following that had stabbed her. No, instead Amelia Watson, the great time-travelling detective, was stabbed by some twitchy vagrant that she wasn't even paying attention to.
'Well... It was a good run, at least.' Amelia thought to herself, half-delirious from blood loss. 'Hope Kronii can find another problem solver.'
As she lets out one last wet, bloody laugh, Amelia leans back against the brick wall, and lets herself fade away...
-=(0v0)=-
Amelia woke with a jolt, staring up at the familiar sight of a certain divine realm as she sucks in a deep, shuddering breath, and presses a hand to the spot where there should be a bloodied knife wound, only to find that she had been healed. As she sits up, a familar voice speaks from behind her.
"Hello, detective. I take it this is your first time dying?" Kronii asks, walking up behind Amelia. Dazedly, Amelia stands, and bows to the resident Time Goddess, who also happens to be her boss, and begins to respond only to stop, take a moment, and shoot upright.
"Wait... First time?" Amelia questions, wondering if she might have misheard her.
Instead of responding, Kronii gives her a cryptic smile, and walks up to the shore of the River of Time, staring into the glowing water. "You're a smart girl, dear detective. Tell me, what was it I told you when you first used your grandfather's watch?"
Amelia thinks back, trying to remember exactly what the Goddess had told her. "Wasn't it that, as the bearer of the watch, I am bound to the River?"
Kronii grins, and nods as she waves a hand. "Indeed. For most, their lives are merely a small drop in the River, carried forth by the flow and currents. For you, however, your life is bound to the River itself."
Amelia ponders this, moving to stand beside Kronii. "So... When I die... The River realizes I'm still bound to it, and resolves the discrepancy?"
Kronii gives her a proud smile. "Precisely, detective. As far as the River is concerned, as long as it exists, so must you, and so when you 'die', the River solves this by restoring you to your prime, much like how a phoenix is reborn."
Amelia gives a relieved sigh, and runs a hand through her blond hair. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about. Dying in an alleyway would've been a sorry end. Wasn't exactly a pleasant way to learn about this." This earns her a shrug from Kronii, who gives her an apologetic look.
"There wasn't exactly a need to bring it up before. After all, you already knew that, due to your bond to the River, you no longer age."
"...Couldn't you have seen what would happen though?"
"...Please go home, Watson."
-=(0v0)=-
Arriving home after her unplanned visit to her patron Goddess' realm, Amelia unlocks her front door, and trudges inside her manor, wanting to get comfortable and relax after an unpleasant day and its revelations. Thankfully, she was able to arrest the suspect she had been following, and found the necessary evidence for Interpol to close the case. Shambling tiredly to her room, Amelia sheds her typical outfit of a pleated plaid skirt and white button-up, and changes into a pair of soft lounge pants and a somewhat oversized t-shirt, sighing contentedly as she feels the tension dissipate. Making her way out to the kitchen, she rifles thorugh her fridge, and grins triumphantly as she grabs a box of leftover chow mien. Picking a clean fork from the dish drain, Amelia takes a seat at the kitchen island, and begins eating, not having bothered to even heat up her meal.
As she eats, she notices a letter that, while she swears wasn't there last she checked, she admits that it honestly could've been something she put there yesterday, and merely forgotten about until now. Grabbing the envelope, she tears the top open with practiced ease, and reads the letter, only to grow shocked as she sees the contents.
Dear Ms. Watson,
We have reviewed your application to spearhead our new Hololive EN branch, and are pleased to inform you that, out of one thousand candidates, you have been chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-
Stunned, Amelia drops the letter, wondering when she would've applied to a virtual idol agency. Oh, she had heard of Hololive, of course. The hot new VR company whose talents all streamed online, singing, dancing, and playing videogames for the entertainment of countless fans worldwide, all while dressed as demons, angels, animals, and even a robot. She had even wondered, at times, what it would be like to join, to stream herself for the world, but had always dismissed it as not in the cards for her. Now, here was that abandoned fantasy, apparently coming to reality.
Picking the letter back up, she skims through the contents, noting the requirements of a desktop computer with at least two monitors and an internet connection (something she had already, sans the second monitor, which wouldn't be difficult to acquire). Reaching the bottom of the page, she sees the contact information for the elusive CEO of Hololive, Yagoo, and pulls out her phone to try calling. To her surprise, the call is picked up on the third ring, and a man's voice with a Japanese accent answers. "Hello? This is Yagoo. Who are you?"
Clearing her throat and tamping down her surprise, Amelia replies. "Hello, sir. This is Amelia Watson. I just wanted to call in regards to a letter I received from you, stating my application to Hololive was accepted. I... I don't recall ever applying to your agency, though admittedly I have often wondered about it."
A pause, and then a reply. "I see... Well, that's strange, because I have your application right here, sent in a month ago."
Amelia hums, frowning in thought, as Yagoo reads off the address on the application, a perfect match for her own, and thanks him for his time. Curious, she checks inside the envelope again, and finds a smaller piece of paper, this one appearing to be from a notebook. Unfolding it, she reads the note written, and smiles tiredly.
"Dear 'little sister',
It's me, your 'big sister', and I've arranged a surprise for you. I know you- we, really- have often dreamed of becoming a member of Hololive, so I took the initiative, and sent in an application for you to Yagoo. If you're reading this, then he has accepted, and you'll have some questions about all of this. Please know that, even if it might seem hectic, I'm doing this purely for good reasons, even if they might not be obvious at first.
Love,
Your 'big sister'
PS. Four friends of yours are going to be coming tomorrow morning. Please give them a chance, and a place to stay. I swear to you, you won't regret it."
Amelia sighed fondly, used to surprises from her future self, AKA her 'big sister'. Knowing Future-Ame, there was definitely a very good reason why she'd be mentioning to give these new friends a place to stay, and is very glad that she had restored the Watson family manor, meaning she already had enough rooms for everyone. Resolving to deal with this in the morning, Amelia finishes her meal, washes up, and slips off to bed, curling up under the covers and letting her body and mind unwind.
-=(0v0)=-
The next morning, Amelia awoke with a languid stretch, blinking the remaining sleep from her eyes as her joints gave a series of satisfying pops. Crawling out from the physical siren-song of promised comfort that is her bed, she walks from her room to the kitchen, her body craving the life-giving miracle drink that is coffee. As she hums, she sets about starting the pot, and lets the smell of her favourite roast waft over her. Suddenly, a knock from the front door interrupts her, and she pads over to see who would be visiting so early. Upon opening the door, Amelia is greeted with the sight of for girls, each clearly something other than human, all standing patiently on her porch. "Um... Hello there." She greets, cautious.
Whatever Amelia was expecting, it certainly wasn't for the one with orange hair to give a delighted squeal, and pick her up in an excited embrace.
"Ah! Hiya! I'm the amazing phoenix Takanashi Kiara, and me and my friends here were told to come here to meet our new genmate!"
Genmate..? Right. Amelia remembers the letter, and Future-Ame's note to her. These must be the four friends.
"Kusatori... You should probably let her breathe, you know." The tall one with pink hair and red eyes says, her voice low and raspy. Kiara responds by sticking out her tongue, but obliges and releases Amelia, who takes a steadying breath. The pink-head turns to Amelia, and holds up a hand in a lazy wave. "Hey. Name's Mori. Mori Calliope, apprentice to Death-sensei."
The short one with silver hair then chimes in, giving a grin filled with sharp teeth as her shark tail wags eagerly. "I'm Gawr Gura, and I'm from Atlantis!"
Finally, the last one, the purple-haired girl with tentacles, wings, and admittedly cute little flaps on top of her head introduces herself. "Ninomae Ina'nis, Priestess of the Ancient Ones. Feel free to call me Ina, though."
Clearing her throat, Amelia waves. "Well, I'm Amelia Watson, time traveller, detective, and problem-solver for a very overworked Goddess of Time. Please, come inside, and lets get you settled in."