Chapter 105
"I was a Net Diver."
He spat it out while sipping the little beer left at the bottom of his glass, staring off into the distance Outside the window.
At Tony's unusually serious voice, my brain momentarily froze.
A Net Diver?
In a way, it was similar to my guess... my ass.
Net Divers and hackers both shared the commonality of being related to the net cyberspace, but that was merely a commonality within a massive, broad categorization.
I didn't know the Details either, but even digging just a little bit revealed a tremendous difference and gap between them.
Lumping the two professions together just because they were related to cyberspace was no different from putting humans and chimpanzees on the same level just because they shared the commonality of being primates and apes.
If hackers were a common breed you could find anywhere, Net Divers were a distant realm made up entirely of the elite, highly trained Best of the Best.
They didn't just tinker with Shallow programs on the Net Surface; they were adventurers and fixers who dug into and explored the underlying cyberspace—the essential realm—to achieve their objectives.
You could say it felt similar to that of astronauts or fighter pilots in the Previous World.
A healthy body without even Minor ailments, Physical Ability trained to the extreme, and the Mental Durability to withstand rigorous testing.
On top of that, they had to hone their knowledge and Technique regarding net programs and ICE Firewalls (ICE-Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) to an expert level,
they must have no rejection response to cyberdives, know how to Freely handle Net Dive-related equipment and facilities, and perfectly Master all information regarding the mechanisms of the vast, known cyberspace...
And Tony was that kind of Net Diver.
It wasn't that it made no sense.
Rather, it was logically plausible.
It explained why Tony possessed suspiciously profound knowledge of the net and Mechanical Engineering, as well as his hacking Skill.
Because those were all abilities that were practically Basic Aptitude for a diver.
But even so, Tony?
It was hard to believe.
The guy who enjoyed cracking jokes day in and day out, who childishly bickered with Dragon President every day... who always looked sluggish and unmotivated in everything he did,
Tony, who I thought was just a mediocre engineer and Bartender scratching his belly in the corner of his room while tinkering with programs, was a super-elite talent.
"Hey, that's a bit harsh. Is that how you've been thinking of me?"
I ignored Tony grumbling and protesting beside me and fell deep into thought.
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't Make Sense.
If Tony really was a Former Net Diver, why was he doing this here?
They say no profession is inherently noble or lowly, but...
Honestly, it was hard to see a Bartender as a highly coveted job.
It had its own rewards, and he probably worked as a Bartender because it suited his aptitude.
Beyond that, the stress that came from Serving all kinds of customers, the stiff body from standing in front of a table mixing drinks all day, the inconvenience of the Early Morning Shift... there would be many difficulties in various ways.
At least Dragon President treated his employees humanely and paid bonuses well, so they received much better treatment compared to ordinary Bartenders.
Even taking that into account, it was a World of Difference compared to the treatment a Net Diver received.
It went without saying. Even hackers, who were considered the Inferior Version of Net Divers, were treated preciously wherever they went as long as they had the experience and the skills to back it up.
The Upper Echelons of any industry were like that, but it was especially true in a Cyberpunk City where Net Security was important.
I heard that truly exceptionally skilled and verified top-tier hackers could rake in tens of millions of City Dollars just by pulling off a single job.
So what about Net Divers, their Superior Version?
Each and every one of them held astronomical value—literally super-elite talented persons painstakingly managed by nations and corporations.
Because the time and cost it took To Train Net Divers were so massive, it took quite a while to recover the consumed capital and start turning a profit, but
even considering that, divers were capable of generating capital on the level of a walking corporation all by themselves.
No matter how I thought about it, there seemed to be absolutely no reason to quit being a diver and switch to being a Bartender.
Even if he tried to Resign in the first place, there was no way the affiliated institution or corporation would have just left him Alone.
Would they be Crazy enough to release a Net Diver, whose very existence was on par with a Strategic Weapon, Outside their fences?
It wasn't like he Retired because he got old. Tony was in his late twenties, right in his prime.
What if it was a retirement he didn't want?
If he hadn't quit of his own volition, but had some Unavoidable Circumstances, then it would have been somewhat understandable.
What kind of reason could there be for that?
A Permanent Injury that hindered cyberdives? That made sense.
Given the nature of net dives, it would probably be internal rather than external Physical Damage—meaning damage to the realm of the mind or brain.
I felt like I had actually heard of cases where someone suffered an accident while exploring cyberspace and their brain burned out along with their socket, or they fell into a Vegetative State.
Tony looked perfectly Fine on the Outside for now, but you never know...
Uh, maybe not.
If a person who was originally sincere and diligent completely lost his mind due to an injury from back then and ended up like that, that also made sense.
It felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place...!
"What do you mean falling into place? You've been saying rude things for a while now, you know? Hey, Sey! Why are you nodding your head too!"
Tony shouted furiously beside me, but I nodded my head with a benevolent attitude.
I could understand. Tony probably didn't end up like that because he wanted to either.
What could he do about the aftereffects of an injury? As his Junior Colleague at the Workplace, I had to be generous and understand.
"I didn't get injured! I'm perfectly Fine, you Punk!"
They say a strong denial is a strong affirmation...
"I said I'm not!"
I decided to stop teasing him here.
Because if I joked around any more here, Tony might actually get hurt.
Then I'd discard the hypothesis that he developed a brain abnormality due to an injury.
Even if it wasn't a brain abnormality, maybe a Trauma remained.
There was no Physical Damage, but his mind rejected Cyberdives due to PTSD.
I wondered if that was why he ended up retiring.
"Nope? My mind is healthy too. If I went back right now, I could work active duty."
So that was it.
With two hypotheses discarded, there was only one last thing that came to mind.
"Then it's a crime."
I drew a conclusion lightly.
That's right. A crime.
I couldn't think of any other reason why a perfectly Fine Net Diver would be reduced to a Bartender at a mere Outskirt Bar.
Like mistakenly touching something he shouldn't have out of curiosity during a Cyberdive, or stealthily skimming off the overflowing cash in the Electrobrain Space for his own selfish desires...
It could be that he was kicked out because he committed such crimes so often, or he might have plummeted all at once because he caused a massive Major Incident that he couldn't possibly fix.
Either way, he must have been slapped with a Red Tag Criminal Record, making him unable to Ever work as a diver again.
I thought “no way,” but there was no other possibility besides that.
"Just what exactly do you see me as?"
"Is it not then?"
"..."
When I asked in response to Tony's protest if it wasn't true, there was no Answer. As expected, I was right.
"No, it is true, but."
"If it's true, it's true. Why do you keep adding a 'but'?"
"I really feel it's unfair, you know? It's not like I did it on purpose; I inevitably got swept up in—"
"Sure, I bet you did."
"..."
Tony just sulked right then and there.
He sulked so hard that even though I kept apologizing and coaxing him after that for over ten minutes, he didn't say a word, keeping his arms crossed.
I couldn't hear any more information from Tony, who had shut his mouth firmly just like that.
It was a shame. There were still many things I was curious about.
I didn't get to hear which institution, Organization, or corporation Tony had belonged to as a Net Diver, nor did I hear what kind of crime he committed to get kicked out.
Even if he couldn't work as a diver, he could have easily made a good living in another profession by utilizing his outstanding hacking Skill, net-related knowledge, or Physical Ability, yet I didn't get to hear the reason why he specifically became a Bartender.
I could have heard about what Net Divers do, the secrets of cyberspace, or tales of his past experiences, but I didn't get to hear any of that either.
If he had still been in that good mood from earlier, I could have asked as much as I wanted and even gotten answers, but now it's definitely impossible.
Because it was so fun to tease him, it seemed I had joked around too much.
It was a mistake.
Both in the sense that I couldn't get any information, and because I had ruined someone else's mood.
This was definitely my fault.
For Tony, it must have been a terrible incident that completely ruined his diving career,
so summarizing it with the single word 'crime' was an incredibly inconsiderate action.
I shouldn't have teased someone with such a sensitive topic; I guess I really was drunk too.
It felt like my words were just popping out without any filter compared to usual.
Right now, it seems like whatever I said wouldn't get through well, and it might look like I was just saying anything to avoid the moment, so I should apologize sincerely separately to him later.
"Uh... um."
Amidst the slightly Awkward atmosphere.
I spoke.
"It's My Turn now, right?"
The Final Round of Truth or Dare, the last turn.
It was My Turn. It was time to tell my hidden secret.
"..."
The air changed.
Sey leaned forward, staring intently at me with her characteristically cynical gaze.
Tony still didn't say a word, but the way he pricked up his ears and glanced over showed that anyone could tell he was interested.
From the Ground, the driving sound of the subtly moving Powered Armor could be heard.
Everyone was focusing on me. They were on edge for the story that would come out of my mouth.
After some thought, I opened my mouth.
"I will tell you two of my secrets."
And the deliberation wasn't long.
They had shown me their sincerity. They had revealed the truths they were hiding.
If so, I had to give a corresponding reward.
Even if it was difficult to reveal all of my hidden secrets, I would disclose a part of them.
Just as I had come to trust them, so that they could trust me too.
I could hide it as much as I wanted if I tried, and I could easily gloss over it or tell a lie if I wanted to.
I didn't want to do that.
Maybe it was a soft-hearted thing to do. It might be a stupid mistake that brought a crisis upon me.
I might have let go of my tension and relaxed too much just from a few days of humane treatment.
Even so, I spat it out.
Not because I was possessed by something or drunk on alcohol, but because of my Original will.
"First, I am not from Neo Tokyo. I have never even been to Neo Tokyo. My surname isn't Nakamura either. The data about me is fake... and strictly speaking, I am an unidentified person in this city."
I couldn't read the thoughts on anyone's faces.
Tony seemed to have deliberately hardened his face, perhaps because his feelings were hurt, and Sey didn't originally have much Change in Expression.
And Dragon President was sprawled out on the floor/Ground, so he couldn't be seen.
I continued speaking toward the unresponsive Group.
"And second."
Tapping the side of my Temple on my head.
"Inside my head, there is a tiny chip."
* * *
[Goodbye and have a lovely day!]
The revived Guidance robot saw the customers off.
Squeeeak—
The dusty automatic doors of the 24-hour Unmanned Restaurant Tommy Jones spat me out last, then firmly shut.
It was chilly Outside. Artificial lights were pushing away the darkness of the early morning, dimly illuminating the streets.
The company Dinner was over.
Taking in the Cold air filtered through my mask made it feel real.
[Then... Maa (Well), everyone can get home on their own, right? It doesn't seem like anyone is drunk enough to be Blackout Drunk.]
It was pure comedy hearing Dragon President say that when he had been Blackout Drunk just ten minutes ago.
He barely got up from the Ground a few minutes ago, so I didn't know if that Yangban could even get home on his own.
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Dragon President put on the most solemn expression he could muster and spoke.
[Like I said before, Oresama (My Great Self) is treating to the Dinner, so don't worry about the money, and with that, dismissed! Let's see each other later this evening.]
That was right. It was already well past midnight, so the expression of seeing each other again in the evening was accurate.
So this short yet long vacation was ending like this.
Swept up in bittersweet emotions, I joined the others in shouting the slogan "President is the best!" to Praise Dragon President for treating us big time, and then looked for my way home.
Turning on my Cyberwatch's Navigating System was one way. Or, since we were heading in a similar direction, I could probably just follow behind Sey.
It was when I was having those thoughts.
Tap, tap.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
[Yo, Nakamura-kun.]
I felt the red presence and bright yellow LED gaze as soon as I turned my head.
It was Dragon President.
[If you have a moment, do you want to talk privately?]