Stepping into the residential district, the atmosphere felt considerably calmer than the bustling perimeter. It wasn't entirely devoid of civilian life from other sectors either, as Jeanne noticed a fair number of peddlers already setting up shop.
"We aren't trying to lock people out from visiting their new neighbors, but flooding the place like this and treating these Victorians like exhibits in a zoo is a massive headache," Nine muttered as she walked alongside Jeanne, a helpless sigh escaping her lips.
She understood the natural curiosity of the locals, but that kind of gawking behavior had to be curbed. The thought alone gave her a dull ache behind her temples; managing this influx would clearly take days to settle.
"If it gets too overwhelming, why doesn't Talulah make a public announcement?" Jeanne suggested, glancing sideways. "If she steps in, her words should carry enough weight to settle things down."
"No need for that," Nine instantly rejected the proposal without missing a beat. "If the Guard Bureau can handle this, we'll deal with it ourselves. Talulah has enough on her plate running the city without getting bogged down in crowd control. It's good practice for our recruits anyway."
Jeanne nodded in agreement. If the local security forces could manage the situation, there was no reason to pull Talulah away from her mountain of administrative work.
The two strolled down the sparse, wide streets, passing a few street vendors whose stalls sat rather quiet. Most of the newly arrived migrants had very little disposable income left to spare after the journey, meaning casual retail spending was practically non-existent right now.
Consequently, the district didn't quite look like a thriving, densely populated urban block yet. Most newcomers remained inside their assigned quarters, quietly taking stock of their situation and planning their next moves.
"Wait, is someone actually opening a shop on their very second day here?" Jeanne blinked, spotting a pink-haired Feline stepping out from a corner storefront, clutching a heavy ring of brass keys.
Standing next to her was an Ursus official tasked with overseeing district real estate allocations. Intrigued, Jeanne drifted toward them, with Nine following closely behind.
"Then I offer my official congratulations, Miss Susie. This storefront is yours starting today. May you find the life you're hoping for in this city."
The Ursus official beamed as he congratulated the young Feline. Freshly arrived from Victoria with enough capital to outright purchase a retail space on day one, she was practically a miniature tycoon.
Yet, looking at her youthful appearance—she looked remarkably green and inexperienced—he couldn't help a fleeting twinge of worry over whether someone so young could successfully run a business.
"I... I'm so happy. I never thought I'd actually own a shop of my own," the pink-haired girl murmured, staring down at the keys in her palm with trembling excitement. Such a milestone had been completely beyond her wildest dreams back home.
As an infected individual surviving in Victoria, Susie's life hadn't been harsher than what an Ursus infected might experience, but she had managed to claw out a sliver of hope to chase her ambitions.
Her dream was to run a modest little establishment—part barber shop, part pub—where she could carve out a stable living. To fund this ambition, she had scraped together every last coin she earned through grueling labor over the years.
There was only one tragic hitch: the shop she had originally set her sights on back in Victoria had been reduced to ashes in a sudden fire just weeks prior, costing her both her savings and her job in one fell swoop.
"I'm honestly so grateful to this city. If I were still in Victoria, I'd probably have to slave away for another three years just to afford a down payment on a place like this."
She gazed fondly at the slightly weathered exterior of the shuttered storefront, already visualizing how she would renovate and decorate it according to her own design, wearing a dopey, completely earnest smile.
While Susie stood there lost in her own daydreams, her sharp ears—honed from years of working service jobs—picked up the faint sound of approaching footsteps. She snapped out of her trance to see two women walking over.
"H-Hello! Is there something I can help you with?" Susie reflexively greeted them out of pure service habit, only to remember a second later that her shop wasn't even open yet.
"Just passing by out of curiosity. I didn't expect anyone to be launching a business here already. That takes a lot of nerve," Jeanne said with a warm, encouraging smile, inspecting the storefront whose sign was still slightly scuffed. From today onward, this place would breathe new life.
"I just... well, a friend told me that if I wanted the life I've always wanted, taking a leap of faith and moving to this city with everything I own was the best chance I'd ever get."
Susie paused mid-sentence, suddenly stiffening as a cold bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Her panicked expression made Jeanne wonder if the girl was suddenly feeling ill, or if the Feline was just terribly shy.
Then again...
"Wait, someone told you life would be better here?" Jeanne asked, her curiosity piqued. Who in Victoria would actively endorse Chernobog?
She didn't exactly have many acquaintances running recruitment drives in Victoria, let alone in whatever remote district this girl hailed from.
"Yes, she used to run the shop where I worked, and she's also a Rhodes Island operator. I heard her talk about this place so many times..."
Ah, a Rhodes Island connection. That explained it entirely.
"Well, I hope your little shop has a smooth grand opening and does a roaring trade. What kind of establishment are you planning to run? If I have time, I'll definitely drop by as a customer."
"It's going to be a barbershop! But I'll also be serving craft beer and small snacks, and maybe keeping some fresh flowers around..."
Susie eagerly launched into an enthusiastic breakdown of her business plan, leaving both Jeanne and Nine blinking in utter astonishment. How on earth did this girl plan to juggle three completely unrelated industries under one roof?
"You... are you sure you'll have the time for all of that?" Jeanne asked gently, offering a well-meaning word of caution to the pink-haired girl.
"I'll be fine! I've tried multitasking like that before, and once the shop gets running, I can just hire an assistant!" Susie nodded with boundless enthusiasm, completely missing the underlying warning in Jeanne's tone.
"Good luck then. I'll definitely come support you once the doors open." Jeanne hadn't expected this seemingly fragile pink-haired girl to possess such an industrious work ethic.
Hearing that, Susie hurriedly dug into her pocket and pulled out a freshly printed business card, handing it to Jeanne. The card was so new it didn't even have a physical address stamped on it yet—she was supposed to fill that in once the paperwork cleared.
The name printed on the card was quite charming: Green Spark. It sounded like it would turn into a rather cozy spot.
"If you ever run into any trouble around here, don't hesitate to reach out to the Guard Bureau. We're here to keep everyone safe," Nine added before they departed, offering a reassuring nod to the excited shopkeeper.
Knowing the girl's bubbly, unassuming personality, she didn't strike Nine as the type to seek out police help when things went south. Yet, as the proprietor of the very first commercial enterprise in the new district, her success carried symbolic weight.
Though the pink-haired shopkeeper probably didn't realize it yet, Nine—who was acutely aware of how desperately they needed to win the trust of the Victorian refugees—knew that protecting this little entrepreneur and ensuring her shop thrived was a matter of significant local importance.
"O-Oh, alright! I understand... wait!" Susie blinked, only just realizing that these two women were likely senior administrators of the sector. She stared nervously after their retreating backs.
"Still... they both seem like really nice people," Susie whispered to herself, clutching the business card tightly.
With a renewed sense of purpose, she spun around and pushed open the heavy wooden doors of her new shop, stepping into the dusty interior with a heart full of eager anticipation to begin cleaning and decorating.
She was actually going to be a shop manager of her own place. The pink-haired Feline flattened her unusual folded ears, her tail flicking happily behind her as she set to work.
Meanwhile, Jeanne and Nine continued their patrol down the district avenues, keeping a watchful eye out for any other matters that required their attention.