Chapter 81
[…Then, the next item! A new implant series made by the Ryan Eliens Company, a famous media franchise in Risk City that also boasts an impressive standing in the arms industry! The Leviathan MKM-9 cyberarm─. Yes, we already have a bid. Is there anyone here who would like to place a higher bid……. Yes, it doesn’t seem so.]
[This time too, this time too, and once again! The guest in the VVIP room has won the item! I really don’t know if this is okay! Hey, getting angry at me won’t change anything! I’m already completely dizzy myself!]
[…Yes!! With that, we’ll conclude today’s special auction. The other participants who failed to win even a single item they wanted must be terribly dissatisfied, but a performance by the popular idol group Jewelry Girls is scheduled next, so please, guests, don’t throw things onto the stage─, urgh!! I got hit in the head!!]
The entire chaotic stage below came into view beneath the translucent glass walls.
Although the host had displayed an astonishing level of professionalism, he could not withstand the jeers of the guests who had failed to properly purchase anything at the auction that had finally opened.
Yet the person who had created this entire catastrophe was calmly rising from the red sofa.
Creak.
Along with a dry noise that did not suit the luxurious, soft sofa at all.
“Then, shall we get up soon?”
“…Shall we?”
I finished stuffing the hot dog brought by the Black Star Society member into my mouth.
I had no idea what ingredients had gone into it, but the taste was not bad at all.
‘Except that it barely filled my stomach.’
As someone who preferred quantity over quality and one more sausage over elaborate plating, I couldn’t have been more dissatisfied.
It was already quite late, too.
When I returned to the grocery store, I would have to get myself another proper meal.
When we opened the door and stepped into the corridor, the Black Star Society member, who had been waiting outside the whole time, politely bowed at the waist.
“Was there anything that inconvenienced you?”
It wasn’t an appropriate situation for me to joke that the hot dog portion had been a little small.
You shouldn’t tease someone who is working hard and doing their absolute best—even putting their life on the line.
When I absentmindedly nodded, Luciana casually waved her hand, which was coated in dark nail polish.
“That’s enough. And we’ll collect the items we won ourselves, so just set them aside for us.”
“Understood.”
Then she tapped the air a few times, and a sparkling cluster of lights appeared above her red eyes.
“Oh, it’s me. We’re thinking of heading back now. Make sure the troops we had waiting can withdraw too. Yes.”
She seemed to be contacting one of her subordinates through her smart chip.
A large bead of sweat rolled down the Black Star Society member’s forehead as he listened to her from the side.
‘The troops we had waiting….’
Naturally, there was no way the boss of a mafia family had come to Black Square alone.
When she first appeared, a large number of troops had rappelled down from the tactical helicopter with her.
I couldn’t even begin to guess how many there were, though.
“The transportation we’re taking back is…….”
Her gaze paused briefly as it turned toward me.
Eventually turning her body about half a step to the side, Luciana lowered her voice and muttered.
“…You didn’t bring a two-seater at all? Sigh…. No, never mind. It’s my fault for not telling you ahead of time. Now? Of course it’s difficult now.”
Apparently developing a slight headache, Luciana placed the back of her hand against her forehead and looked over the others one by one, excluding me.
“Yeah. Got it.”
She soon ended the call and asked the Black Star Society member,
“Where’s the nearest AV parking lot?”
“…I’ll guide you there.”
AV stood for Aerial Vehicle.
Even from the Black Star Society member’s perspective, he seemed eager to get the head of the mafia faction, who was freely roaming through their territory, out as quickly as possible; he even seemed to let out a faint sigh of relief.
The tactless cat, who seemed to have lost all social skills except those necessary for fighting, slowly raised his hand.
“I still haven’t properly seen or obtained a real implant…….”
“…Are you crazy, mister?!”
Gio, whose earlier fear of the runaway ninja had long since vanished without a trace, smacked the cat hard on the ankle.
“……!!”
Though he ended up clutching his instep and making a pained face because it hurt him even more.
Fortunately, Gio’s actions achieved their purpose.
“Why, what is it? I─.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The cat had nearly kicked away his own good fortune, but the quick-witted Gio successfully intercepted him in the middle of the conversation.
Luciana narrowed her eyes and stared at the two of them.
A chilly atmosphere, as though time itself had stopped, enveloped the surroundings.
Gulp.
Even so, that atmosphere did not last long.
Gio hunched his shoulders, his face looking several years older than his actual age.
“Why do I have to go through all this….”
Thanks, Gio.
I’ll be sure to give you some spending money later….
In any case, we were finally in a situation where all we had to do was return home.
But this world never made it easy for me to enjoy peace.
[Oh my, are you leaving already? No, I mean, are you going?]
A gender-ambiguous, androgynous voice.
Our gazes fixed on the end of the corridor.
A strange monitor mounted on wheels was slowly approaching us.
The words ‘Mountain Lord 山主’ were written across the monitor in a dark reddish color.
[I haven’t even apologized for my mistake yet….]
“Ha.”
Along with a derisive snort.
Luciana rebuked him in a leisurely tone.
“You sure have a lot to say for someone too scared of wetting his panties to even show that filthy face.”
…What?
Despite her quiet voice, Luciana’s manner of speaking had become remarkably crude.
It had been the same when I first saw her at the organizational meeting, but Luciana was surprisingly blatant when dealing with hostile organizations.
She casually continued speaking, apparently forgetting for a moment that I was standing beside her.
“If someone spared your life, you should start by thanking them. You piss-pants bastard. Isn’t that right……?”
Then her eyes met mine, and the pupils she had narrowed widened slightly.
“Ahem….”
The Black Star Society’s Mountain Lord must have been offended, but he seemed to be desperately swallowing down any sign of it.
Although I couldn’t see his face, his intention to change the atmosphere with an awkward laugh was obvious.
[Hahaha…. In the end, I’m only human too. Who could have imagined that I would meet ‘Don Rapido’ there?]
Neither did I.
No, but this bastard.
His tone was completely different from before.
It seemed Luciana had not called him that bastard for no reason.
[Anyway, I apologize for my mistake. I didn’t realize you and Hot Dog Man were so close.]
“Forget the mistake. Now get lost. You’re starting to get on my nerves.”
A faint burst of noise appeared across the monitor.
He was still holding himself back, but it seemed he was gradually getting irritated.
[…You seem to be under some sort of misconception. This is the Black Star Society’s headquarters. No matter how powerful the Sparo Rapido Family may be, you would find it rather troublesome if you completely crossed our Society, wouldn’t you?]
The guy with a hole in his head sure had a lot to say.
Perhaps because he was not physically present, he seemed unable to notice that the atmosphere was growing heavier and heavier.
[Did you enjoy the auction? If you wish, I can give you not only the special implants made by megacorps, but even every type that has not yet been released on the market. Now that Hakugakumi has fallen, the only forces in Zone 49 that can truly be called organizations are us and the mafia, after all.]
I quietly took a step backward.
My sense of danger had sounded the alarm.
[You understand, right? This is both a courteous apology and a request to shake hands with Don Rapido─.]
At that moment.
Luciana’s body disappeared from its spot.
She had not installed any basic implants, but thanks to the serum the boss had given me, I could vaguely follow Luciana’s movements.
Her movements were as though they had been cut apart frame by frame.
Thoom!!
The sound actually came a beat later.
The carpet on the floor caved in.
When she turned her head forward, Luciana was already standing on top of the monitor that had been knocked backward.
“W-Whoa!”
“……!!”
Everyone except me grimaced at the sudden gust of wind.
Luciana’s lowered gaze turned toward the monitor beneath her feet.
“Your attitude is far too presumptuous.”
Crack.
A long, straight crack appeared across the red monitor.
“It’s true that I like bold and shameless behavior…. But I really dislike it when someone acts this arrogantly.”
Aren’t bold and shameless behavior the same thing as arrogance?
Ignoring the question that had appeared above my head,
she glared down at the monitor with an aura more savage and merciless than any tiger beastman’s.
There was no color in her eyes.
Not anger, irritation, or pleasure.
‘Wow.’
For the record, that made her even more frightening.
“Yeah. You should’ve secretly brought your subordinates and ambushed me instead. You must have been furious after getting shot in the head. It’s not every day you get an opportunity like this….”
The cracks spreading like a spiderweb eventually formed a massive fissure.
“But if you don’t even have the courage for that and pull this kind of shit with a monitor….”
Only then did I realize that the shoes Luciana wore with her elegant suit were not high heels, but women’s shoes with extremely thick soles.
“Now I’m annoyed again.”
Crack!!
The monitor split in two right where it stood.
No more voice came from the monitor.
That strange feeling I had sensed from Luciana.
Just like the android in our grocery store, she was no different from a walking tank.
At this moment.
The scattered clues all came together.
The reason she wore thick-soled women’s shoes instead of high heels.
The reason the floor creaked every time Luciana took a step.
The reason she had not shown any signs of caution despite being in the middle of Black Square.
‘A military-grade cybernetic body….’
And quite a serious one at that.
Flustered, I accidentally muttered to myself.
“Not once, but twice…….”
“Then your weight is approximately─.”
Luciana abruptly stopped speaking and looked at me.
There were several unspoken rules in this world.
For example.
You should not attack someone’s balls, no one should touch a person while they are transforming, and you should not ask a woman about her weight….
“Did you just say something?”
“…No.”
I didn’t say anything.
Really.
* * *
“Warning.”
“…Yes.”
Luciana’s index finger trembled pitifully in front of Abel Anderson.
It was merely the delicate gesture of a girl trying to hide her flushed face, but to Abel Anderson, it looked like an enemy’s attack aimed at stabbing him in the eye.
Luciana had to take several deep breaths before she could return to her usual impassive expression.
If Abel Anderson had seen that scene, a few of the walls he had built in his heart would have crumbled.
Unfortunately, he was fascinated by the Aerial Vehicle he was riding for the first time in his life.
He had seen one last time, but this was the first time he had actually ridden in one.
Abel Anderson, Luciana, the ninja named Cat, and Gio sat side by side in the seats that had been prepared.
Since Gio lived inside Black Square, he was able to escape this awkward atmosphere before long.
“You worked hard today. Here’s some spending money.”
“…Thanks.”
Gio, who had endured all sorts of hardships throughout the day, did not refuse the spending money Abel Anderson handed him.
Although, at first, he really had intended not to accept it.
The number of people aboard the Aerial Vehicle fell from four to three.
The vehicle glided beneath the hazy smog clouds toward the grocery store at a ‘very slow speed.’
Since it was Abel Anderson’s first time riding in an Aerial Vehicle, he had no way of knowing whether its current speed was fast or slow.
Cat was imagining the possibility of the Aerial Vehicle suddenly being hit by an anti-tank missile and crashing, while running through scenarios for how to rescue his master.
‘First priority is protecting Hot Dog Man…….’
If Abel Anderson had been able to read Cat’s thoughts, he would have remarked, ‘It’s not like a teenager imagining terrorists entering his classroom….’
For the moment, he was too preoccupied with Luciana sitting right beside him.
But Luciana was just as uncomfortable with the current atmosphere.
Men generally tended to prefer delicate women.
That was why she had never properly displayed her physical abilities before, and she regretted falling for the Mountain Lord of the Black Star Society’s provocation so easily.
‘…I’ll have to put a bounty on him later.’
As the bounty placed under the Mountain Lord’s name was about to increase considerably,
Luciana could not maintain silence all the way to the grocery store, so she uncharacteristically started a conversation to lighten the mood.
“By the way, your subordinate’s name is Cat?”
“…Yes, I suppose.”
It was a remarkably unusual name even in Risk City, a city consumed by chaos.
Honestly, it sounded more like a nickname than a person’s name.
Abel Anderson slowly shook his head.
“I think a name like Catus, Felix, Leon, or Mouser…. Something along those lines would be much better.”
“If Hot Dog Man wishes it….”
At those words, Abel Anderson gave a small chuckle.
“Forget it. You’re one cat, aren’t you?”
He had no intention of changing the name.
Unless Cat wanted him to.
“Just do whatever you want.”
“……”
Then an emotional emoji in the shape of [ ㅠ _ ㅠ ] appeared across the visor of Cat’s full-face helmet.
Seeing that, Abel Anderson realized he still had not told Cat that his emotions were being displayed plainly for everyone to see.
‘Well…. It’s amusing, so I’ll just leave it.’
As though trying to hold back a laugh, his gaze turned toward the window.
The sky had already grown dark.
Of course, the sky over Risk City was usually like that, but the time was already approaching evening.
‘I feel like I left in the morning, but time sure flies.’
The distance between the grocery store and Black Square was considerable, so it could not be helped.
Perhaps it was because the seat was so soft.
Abel Anderson felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
He let out a long yawn.
However, he could not fall asleep with the terrifying mafia boss sitting beside him……
“If you’re sleepy, you can sleep. I have some work to do in here, too.”
“…Ah.”
Luciana, who was sitting beside Abel Anderson, was already tapping away at a holographic keyboard and organizing electronic documents.
He tried to force away the drowsiness for a while.
Then a thought bordering on self-rationalization occurred to Abel Anderson: he should not reject the other person’s offer too firmly.
“Then I’ll just close my eyes for a moment….”
“Yeah.”
Abel Anderson somehow felt that he would not have a nightmare this time either.
Before long, he surrendered himself to the encroaching sleep….
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of the grocery store.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep and failed to wake up, so someone must have carried me here.
Embarrassed, I scratched my head and got to my feet, only to find a turret that had quietly descended from the ceiling staring down at me.
[…Dyu.]
“Good morning.”
[……. ]
But its reaction seemed strange.
It looked almost as though the turret were sighing.
In any case, washing my face after waking up was part of my basic routine, so I tilted my head and headed toward the sink.
And then I saw it.
The faint lipstick marks on my cheek.
“…What.”
There wasn’t just one mark, either.
One, two, three….
Hmm.
I couldn’t even begin to guess what had happened while I was asleep.
…….
Let’s wash my face first and think about it afterward.
I plunged my head into the cold water.