Gracia Moneyrich's Grand Search For Friends!
Prologue - Part 1, Gracia Moneyrich
Written by: CS-Masyet
Uploaded on: December 21, 2017
Dearest Diary,
This shall be the first entry that I, Gracia Moneyrich, write in you. Yes, that is right; the daughter of the Richard Moneyrich is now your owner, and shall be the one writing in you from now on. If a diary could feel fortune, I am sure you would feel more fortunate than any other diary in the entire world! Well, anyway, while I am most positive that I will write many stories about my great endeavors, today I shall be starting with a reveal most tragic...

It may seem very hard to believe, but even someone like me is not absolutely perfect. For you see, even after these 16 long years, I am still without a single friend!

It is not like I do not put any effort into making friends either! In my quest to make friends, I try as hard as I possibly can, no matter what it is I have to do (of course, someone as incredible as me gives their 100% for everything they do, but still). But even so, all of my peers simply scoff at me and tell me they are not impressed by my lineage or my money. How dare they! They all may be rich as well, but I am Gracia Moneyrich, so that automatically makes my money far superior to theirs! Hmph! What utter buffoons to not realize such a simple fact!

But to go so long without even one of them realizing this and offering their hand in friendship, I had begun to think I was the one at fault. Of course, that was but a moment's error; I mean, how could one such as I ever be wrong about anything?! I (other than the fact I have no friends) am absolute perfection, after all! It was then that I had thought of an idea. An idea that was absolute genius. Honestly, why had I not thought of it before now?!

Simply put, the reason I have not been making any friends is because I have been asking the wrong people! I have been asking the same five people for so long; it is time I expand my horizons!

Once I had told this idea to my butler, Butler (who I prefer to call by his given name, Butler, rather than his job title, which is that of a butler), he told me something incredible. Now, this may be very hard to believe, but there are people out there who do not have a lot of money! They have so little that some of them even have houses smaller than one of my bathing rooms! It is absolutely astounding!

I was so astounded by this that I decided to call Papa and confirm it with him. He told me that these people really do exist; they are known as "commoners". And he said that they would be very glad to meet someone like me. He told me that as long as I show them how great I am and that I have lots of money, they will worship me!

Which means I could have an army of them if I wanted to! An army of friends! Those five girls are going to be sooo jealous!

I am planning on going to the commoner's village as soon as I finish relaxing in my jacuzzi, which is made of solid gold. Which, of course, is filled with money. Which, of course, is also made of solid gold.

I am very excited to write about how much fun I will have making friends with the commoners in my next diary entry!

Gracia   "... And done! What a wonderful first entry that was!"

I said to myself, handing my diary and pen to Butler so that they would not get wet from touching my golden money.

Butler   "Honestly milady; I am still very shocked that you have not gone blind with all of this gold around..."

Gracia   "What a silly thing to say, Butler. I, Gracia Moneyrich, live to be around money!"
Gracia   "Ahahaha~!"

Butler   "Of course; it is exactly as you say, milady..."

Gracia   "However, I do feel as though I have enjoyed relaxing in my jacuzzi long enough. I am just so thrilled about the thought of visiting the commoner's village! Butler, please prepare some clothes perfect for an outing like this."

Butler   "I have already done so. I have left your attire in your room for when you are ready to head out, milady."

Gracia   "Wonderful! In that case, let us go this instant!"

Butler   "As you wish, milady."

I then decided to temporarily leave the comfort of all my money and went to my room to change. After Butler helped me put on my outfit, I was all set to head out!

Gracia   "Now, let us go! To the commoner's village!"

Butler   "Very well. Which one would you like to visit?"

Gracia   "Which one...?"
Gracia   "Y-you mean to tell me... There is more than one of them?!"

Butler   "Indeed, milady. There is more of them than you can count."

Gracia   "Oh, how interesting! Now I am becoming even more excited!"
Gracia   "But goodness... How will I possibly be able to decide which to go to...?"

Butler   "If I may make a suggestion, milady... If it is simply a gathering of common folk you wish to see, then it may be a good idea to visit one of their public schools. Currently, my nephew is attending high school at the moment, so if you would like..."

Gracia   "Oh, how nice! I did not know you had a nephew, Butler!"

Butler   "..."

Gracia   "That settles it, then! Let us go to your nephew's school!"

Butler   "Very well, milady. I shall get the limousine ready."

Gracia   "A commoner's school... I can already imagine the thrilled faces they will all be making once I arrive there. And soon... they'll all be my friends!"
Gracia   "Ohohoho~!"

--

Once I had made my way outside, I entered the limousine that Butler had brought to the entrance of my mansion (which, like everything else I own, is made of solid gold). It was a fairly long ride to our destination, but simply seeing the commoners we had passed by and their reaction to my arrival to their village had already begun to fill me with glee.

Gracia   Hm... I should start preparing for what I want to say when I finally first speak to the commoners...
Gracia   Ah, what am I thinking? I am Gracia Moneyrich; anything I say is sure to impress them!

Butler   "We have arrived, milady."

Butler brought me to the commoner's school. He drove the limousine near a gathering of a bunch of cute, little vehicles but didn't park it close to them.

Gracia   "Wow, so that's a commoner's school... It is a lot larger than I thought; it is almost bigger than my mansion, even!"

Butler   "Many students come to this school, so its size is necessary to accommodate all of them."

Gracia   "I see... But what would be the best spot in this large building to look for commoner friends?"

Butler   "An area where many of them like to gather would be ideal, yes?"

Gracia   "Naturally!"

Butler   "May I suggest the audiotorium then, milady?"

Gracia   "Audiotorium?"

Butler   "It is a place in the school where teachers discuss important matters to a large group of students. However, at the moment it is being used for some sort of performance festival by the students themselves. They are using it to show their talents to their peers."

Gracia   "A talent show, you say?! And that is truly happening right now?"

Butler   "My nephew confirmed it with me only a moment ago, so there is no doubt about it."

Gracia   "Wonderful! Surely that kind of place would be perfect to introduce myself to the commoners, would it not?!"
Gracia   "Ohohoho~!"
Gracia   "Now, let us go! To the talent gathering!"

--

♫ "We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! ♫
♫ I say rubber, you say BAND! I say hair, you say BAND! We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! ♫
♫ A girl walks up to me, and asks 'Are you a band?' And I say... We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! ♫
♫ 'What farmers plant crops on?' That is LAND! 'Like a piece of string?' That's a STRAND!
♫ We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! ♫
♫ 'Like the opposite of sit?' That is STAND! 'Like what you find on the beach?' That is SAND! ♫
♫ We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! We're a band! We're a band! A ban-dy, ban-dy, bandy band! ♫
♫ You say you want to go out with me? Well, you're in luck! 'cause after this we should go and...
Uh... like, y'know... Maybe go on a date or something... if, like, that's what you want..."

 Person on Loudspeaker   "Anyway, that was, uh... Dennis's performance of 'BANDY BAND!'... or whatever. Give him a round of applause..."

 "Dennis"   "My name is Andy!"

Nothing but silence filled the room as that "Dennis Andy" fellow walked off the stage with a forlorn expression on his face.

 Person on Loudspeaker   "Now then, whoever would like to go up on stage next may do so..."

Gracia   "OHOHOHOHOHO~ My time has come at last!"

I was kind enough to wait for the commoner to finish making noise on stage before I went up myself.

Commoners   "Huh? Who's that?"
"I don't think I've seen her before... Is she even from our school?"
"She's kinda hot..."

Gracia   "You all should remember this day well! As I, Gracia Moneyrich, the daughter of the Richard Moneyrich, have decided to grace you all with my presence on this fine day! You should feel honored to meet someone as great as me!"
Gracia   "I have come here for one reason, and one reason alone. And that is to ma-..."

 ???   "HOLD IT, YOU!"

Gracia   "... Eh?!"

A boy with, weird spiky hair suddenly came up on stage, and pointed at me angrily.

Spiky Boy   "Who do you think you are, suddenly coming to our school and interrupting our peformance festival like this?!"

Gracia   "Um, like I had said previously, I am Gracia Moneyri-..."

Spiky Boy   "Yeah, and your dad's some rich big shot, right? Does that make you think you can just waltz in here and look down on us!?"

Gracia   "'Look down on...'? Well, of course. I am on stage at the moment after all..."

Spiky Boy   "In that case, get lost! People like you aren't welcome here! You don't have any influence here just because you're rich!"

Gracia   What is this strange boy talking about? And why is he so furious with me?!

Commoners   "Yeah, you tell her, dude!"
"Get lost, rich girl! You're ruining our festival!"
"I guess Lake does have a point. She's still pretty hot, though..."

Gracia   And now the other commoners have become angry with me as well!

All of a sudden, the lights that had previously been helping to highlight how gorgeous my dress and hair were, had suddenly turned off, leaving the entire room practically pitch black.

Gracia   Huh?

 Spiky Boy   "W-what the?!"

 Person on Loudspeaker   "Alright, enough with the commotion. Return to your seats, all of you."

Butler   "... I believe now is a good time for us to leave, milady."

Butler had told me, suddenly appearing from behind me.

Gracia   "Ah! But I still have no-..."

Butler   "Unfortunately, I do not believe this situation that boy has caused can be salvaged any longer, milady. We have no choice but to leave, while it is still too dark to anyone here to see us."

Gracia   "... Hmph, very well. Let us take our leave, Butler..."

Gracia   I swear... I will get my revenge on you one day, you strange spiky-haired commoner!

--

Gracia   "That was absolutely awful! I cannot believe the nerve of that blue-headed commoner!"

I exclaimed out loud once we had returned to my mansion.

Butler   "What will you do now, milady? Would you like to try a different location?"

Gracia   "Absolutely not! I refuse to let that spiky-haired barbarian get the last laugh!"

Butler   "Returning to that school is not wise, milady. The students' opinion of you is not a very good one, thanks to that boy."

Gracia   "Honestly... If only there was a way to make a better impression of myself without them knowing about what had transpired today. Of course, such a thing is impossible..."

Butler   "That may be so. However, there is such a way where you could become their friend without today's events mattering at all..."

Gracia   "W-what?! Truly!? Butler, if you know of such a way, please tell me this instant!"

Butler   "Before I tell you of this method, I would like to let you know that you may have to do something you are not used to. Is this fine with you, milady?"

Gracia   "Not a problem! I am Gracia Moneyrich, I can do anything if I set my mind to it!"
Gracia   "Ohohohoho~!"

Butler   "... Very well."

Butler suddenly walked away, but shortly returned, holding a strange device in his hands.

Gracia   "What is that?! Are they some sort of goggles?"

Butler   "It may not look like it, but this is a gaming device."

Gracia   "'Gaming'? Like those games you can play on a computer?"

Butler   "Something like that. If you put it on, it puts your mind in a dream-like state, making it seem like you are in a completely different world."

Gracia   "A different world?! ... But it is a gaming device, yes?"

Butler   "Yes. But in this game, people often pretend to be someone they are not in real life, and make friends as their alter-ego. Player groups are based on location, and many people from the school we had just visited play this game, so you are bound to meet a few people from there."

Gracia   "That is wonderful! And they will not know who I am, so they will not know that I am the person that blue-haired brute humiliated at their festival!"
Gracia   "And that means if I make a great enough impression in this game, I can let them know who I am once again without the prior incident becoming relevant in their eyes!"

Butler   "Precisely. That is exactly what I had intended upon giving this to you, milady."

Gracia   "With many friends in tow, I can return to the school and surprise that blue-headed boy. And then he will be the one who will be humiliated!"
Gracia   "Ahahahaha~!"

Butler   "... So, have you become set on using this gaming device?"

Gracia   "Naturally! I thank you for coming up with such a brilliant plan, Butler! Of course, it is only natural that my butler would be such a genius!"
Gracia   "But still, I am most curious... How did you even think to bring such a device to me?"

Butler   "I have previously told you that my nephew attends that school, yes? According to our last conversation, he is an avid player of that game. I recalled that conversation, then had the idea to bring this to you to try out, milady."

Gracia   "I see. It seems your nephew has inadvertently been a great help in my search for friends! I shall have to meet him and thank him personally one of these days!"
Gracia   "However, that will have to wait until later. Please teach me how to use this device, Butler."

Butler   "Alright. Follow me, milady."

We left the entrance and went deeper into the mansion.

Gracia   I wonder where Butler is taking me to...

Butler   "... Here we are, milady."

Butler stopped at a large, golden door.

Gracia   "Wait, this is my...!"

Butler   "Your bedroom, yes."

Gracia   "But why would you think to bring me here? I would think a more open area would be more appropriate..."

Butler   "That is not the case. As I explained before, this device will put you in a dream-like state. To do so, you must lose consciousness of reality so you are able to focus properly on the game world."

Gracia   "Oh right, so it is just like an actual dream, then! So, I must be asleep to play this game?"

Butler   "You will be put into a sleep-like state, yes."

Gracia   In that case, my bedroom would definitely be the best place for this!

Butler and I entered my room.

Gracia   "How interesting! I never would have thought participating in any sort of recreational activity while in bed was possible before now! And here I thought they were only for sleeping in!"

Butler   "..."

Gracia   "Even someone like me is impressed by how far technology has come!"

Butler   "... Indeed. Please lie down on the bed, milady."

I did as he had asked, laying in a relaxed position.

Butler   "Next, you will need to wear this."

He took the device and placed it around my head. It felt a lot more comfortable than I thought it would, although I was not able to see anything for some reason.

 Butler   "Now, when you are ready, I shall activate the device. Then you will be 'sent' to the world of the game."

 Gracia   "Fantastic! Activate it immediately, if you please."

 Butler   "Of course, milady. Before I do so, I should warn you that you will be on your own for quite a while. So even if you come across anything confusing or unfamiliar to you, you will have no one to rely on but yourself."

 Gracia   "You have nothing to worry about, Butler! I am Gracia Moneyrich; I am sure I will be a master of this game in only a mere few hours!"
 Gracia   "Ohohoho~!"

 Butler   "Very well. I wish you luck, milady..."

I then heard a strange clicking noise, and everything started to sound odd. I was still not able to see anything, but I could feel myself losing my sense of reality, as if I was leaving this world altogether.

 Gracia   I was not aware it would feel like this... T-this is actually quite terrifying... But I will remain strong! This is all for the sake of making friends, after all!

--

Gracia   Ungh... Where am I? It feels like I am floating...
Gracia   "What has become of my attire?!"

My clothes had vanished, being replaced with nothing but a long, drab shirt. I was floating in a black void all by myself. Then suddenly, a giant, glowing screen appeared in front of me.

 Screen   "Welcome new player, to 'Cyber Shot', a revolutionary new game where your mind is sent into a whole new world full of fun, shooty goodness! Please use this screen to help create your character."

A message identical to what the screen had just spoken appeared, along with two empty boxes. Next to the first one said "Name".

Gracia   "I am not sure if I understand exactly what is going on, but I must put my name into this box, right? Seems simple enough..."
Gracia   "I shall fill this box with my fantastic name! G-R-A-C-I..."

Before I finished writing, I stopped myself, upon realizing something important I had almost forgotten.

Gracia   "Goodness; I was supposed to create an alter-ego in this game, was I not? What am I doing, almost blundering like this?!"
Gracia   "If I am to disguise myself, then I must use a different name. But what name to choose...?"

Before deciding on a name, I had just realized something most interesting.

Gracia   "Come to think of it, cousin Jasper does not have much money either, so would he not also be considered a commoner? I wonder if he also plays this game..."
Gracia   "... No; there is no possible way that a self-centered jerk like him would know anything about having fun!"
Gracia   "But if that truly is the case, then..."

Upon deciding on a name, I entered it into the box, writing it by waving my finger over it.

 Screen   "Name chosen: 'Jasper Roopsgar'. Are you sure this is the name you would like to use?"

Gracia   "Yes; indeed it is!"
Gracia   I hope you do not mind if I borrow your crude name for use of my alter-ego, cousin! Not that I have any care of your opinion on the matter, hoho!

The second box said "Gender".

Gracia   "Hm... Since I am using Jasper's name, I will have to choose 'Male'..."
Gracia   "... Oh well, it cannot be helped. It may help in hiding my true identity, anyway."

I clicked on the box that said "Male".

 Screen   "Gender chosen: 'Male'. Are you sure this is the gender you would like to be?"

Gracia   "That is correct."
Gracia   Is this screen going to ask me this every single time? What a nuisance...

Once I had filled in the two boxes with my choices, everything on the screen vanished, and was replaced with more boxes with the number "10" inside each of them.

Gracia   "And just what would this be about?"

 Screen   "Choose how you would like your stats to be spread out. Keep in mind that your total stats cannot exceed 80 until you level up in the game. If you would like your character to be as balanced as possible, feel free to leave the stat spread as is."

HP, P.Attack, E.Attack, P.Defense, E.Defense, Speed, Range, Luck... That is what was listed next to each of the eight boxes.

Gracia   "But I have no idea what any of them mean... What should I do? It is a shame I do not have Butler here to help me..."
Gracia   The screen said I could leave them all as they are if I want myself to be "balanced"... I do not know what that means, but that is a good thing, right? Otherwise, I do not believe it would have mentioned it...
Gracia   "I suppose I will take the screen's advice and leave the numbers as they are, then."

I ignored the numbers and clicked on the check-mark box at the bottom, and the screen changed again. It now showed a whole variety of different weapons.

 Screen   "Choose what weapon you would like to use. The ones at the top have been chosen based on your selected stat spread, and are recommended by the game for you to use, but feel free to pick whatever you like."

Gracia   "What are all these for? Is this game about hunting, perhaps? I am not sure if I would be good at such a game..."

However, when looking through the weapons, there was one that caught my eye.

Gracia   "I-is that a bow? Oh, how nostalgic! I remember the days when I would visit my father's private, golden ranch and practice archery atop my favorite golden steed, Goldie!"

 Screen   "Weapon chosen: 'Bow'. Are you sure this is the weapon you would like to use?"

It seems I had pressed on the box with the bow without thinking. But it was no problem, as I already knew that it was the weapon I wanted.

Gracia   It must be fate that has drawn you to my side, bow! I may be a tad rusty, but I am sure with my archery skills, I will acquire many friends!
Gracia   "Naturally! This is indeed my weapon of choice! Ohohoho~!"

Once I had picked my weapon, everything on the screen disappeared, and this time was replaced with an image of... myself.

Gracia   "Oh my! Did the screen just turn into a mirror?!"
Gracia   "Hm hm, it seems as though I am absolutely beautiful even when I am wearing these rags! Ahaha~!"

A couple more boxes suddenly appeared around my reflection.

 Screen   "Please free to change your appearance however you see fit."

Gracia   "I can change my appearance to whatever I like in this game?! That is amazing!"
Gracia   It is quite a shame, but I will have to change my beautiful self in order to properly disguise myself...

With that, I got to work. It took a long while to learn how to use the boxes and decide what I wanted to look like, but I eventually was able to change myself to the appearance I wanted.

Gracia   "Fantastic! Now I just need to press this button at the side that says 'FINISH', right?"

I pressed the button and everything on the screen disappeared as usual. Except this time, nothing replaced it and it remained blank.

 Screen   "Great! Now you are all set to enter the world of Cyber Shot! Good luck of there, and have fun!"

Gracia   "Oh, that was all? Now what happens?"

Suddenly, I heard a rather familiar clicking sound, and everything started to sound strange. My head started to feel wobbly and odd. I could feel myself losing my sense of reality once again.

Gracia   T-this terrible feeling again... I must endure it! F-for the sake of making friends...!

To be continued in Part 2... >