The importance of work always changes depending on the situation.
It was only natural that Julia entered the operating room first when Drake’s stylish compact SUV had turned into an ambulance.
“…Ugh, look at this dampness. It’s been years without maintenance. What’s the point of having top-notch cyberware if you don’t take care of it?”
“……”
“What is this? An unlabelled black market product? Heh, I’m amazed you’ve been walking around just fine until now.”
“……”
“It’s going to hurt a bit.”
“……!!”
The whirring sound of a dental drill kept ringing in the room.
I wish they had paid more attention to soundproofing here.
I felt a bit of mental damage sitting in the waiting room.
Although Julia didn’t scream, based on what Drake said, I could only imagine the pain she was going through. It was probably excruciating.
I couldn’t hide my nervousness as I tapped my feet. Should I run away or stay? I repeated the same dilemma like a madman.
Perhaps to ease my tension, Eve, who was sitting quietly beside me, looked my way.
“Are you nervous?”
“Uh-huh.”
Was that even a question?
With my obvious answer, Eve continued.
“There’s a method to eliminate ‘Siwoon’s’ state of tension.”
“…What is it?”
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. Last time, she insisted on playing classical music to help with my mental health.
I thought it would just be more music this time.
“It’s a hug.”
“?”
What’s this about?
I looked at Eve with a blank expression.
But Eve confidently continued her explanation as if there was no logical flaw in her statement.
“Organisms typically relieve stress through ‘hugs.’ It’s for emotional stability, and there are many related papers.”
“……”
“It’s a rational choice.”
“……”
I recalled what I thought about at the Fusion Café.
After that incident (the kiss), it felt like Eve’s brakes were broken.
The taste of lemon still faintly lingered on my tongue, causing an unexplainable pressure.
“No, I’m fine—”
“That’s not true. This is merely a rational action for ‘Siwoon’s’ mental health.”
Slowly, Eve approached me.
Her overwhelming presence snatched my gaze.
In that moment, I wondered if there was truly no one to help me.
As I was thinking that,
Ding dong.
The automatic door connected to the outside swung open, revealing several people in the waiting room.
I didn’t know who they were, but thank you…!
I was going to express my gratitude but felt it would have been a real thank you if they weren’t holding guns.
—
29. The Wizards’ Outing (2)
Fortunately, everything wrapped up before new decorations (bullet holes) could appear in Drake’s Workshop.
While I wouldn’t be useful without time to gather mana, Eve needed only a fraction of a second to hack into the attackers.
After subduing the armed intruders, I discovered their intentions through peaceful dialogue (and a bit of hacking) and explained the current situation to Julia as she emerged from the operating room.
“There are three bounty hunters, and five of them are from the organization you were part of before.”
“…Ah.”
It was just pure bad luck.
“They said someone saw them coming in here.”
Accompanying the rabbit doll that distorted camera footage to complicate identification, that was the response I got when I asked how they tracked us.
Afterward, they rushed in to gather information and people only to meet me and Eve.
Truth be told, Julia’s appearance was just as pretty as the other housemates, and she was hugging the white rabbit doll tightly.
Her appearance was quite unremarkable.
It was a completely understandable scenario.
“For now, we should certainly solve the bounty issue, even if we put the organization problem aside.”
As I said that, Julia replied in a small voice.
“…Um, Chairman and No Answer’s Boss have mentioned they would deal with it. However, since personal bounties and various companies are involved, they said it might not be an easy fix.”
“Hmm, really?”
Still, since they both mentioned taking action, it would be resolved with time.
“Then we’re left with just the organization issue.”
“…Yes.”
I momentarily recalled my memories.
When I had a bounty on my head, I had messaged Julia to inquire about it. When she checked the message, she had called me back.
The screams of people echoed in the background.
“What’s going on…”
“…I’m just tidying up things here before leaving the organization…”
That’s what she had said, right?
At that time, I thought Julia had cleaned everything up neatly, but it seemed there were still remnants left or other organizations entangled.
Even if Julia wasn’t someone who went out much like me, she didn’t never go out at all.
Today we were lucky to be together.
If she had been alone during the attack, it could have been a bit dangerous.
I turned to Eve and called her name.
“Eve, can you figure out which organizations might be related to this attack?”
“Understood. …Done. I’ve transmitted the data into ‘Siwoon’s’ visual interface.”
Wow, that was fast.
I scrolled through the names and personal information of the organization members that appeared in front of me.
“Likes animals that stand on two legs.”
…Did I need that kind of information?
I didn’t care to know anyone’s secret preferences.
I quickly closed the visual interface.
“The bounty will resolve itself over time, so let’s just handle the organization problem together today.”
“…I appreciate that, but I can manage just fine on my own. You don’t need to worry so much about me…”
“Nope.”
After all, she was a housemate.
I couldn’t just not lend a helping hand.
However, even with my answer, Julia couldn’t hide her hesitant demeanor.
She looked apologetic as if my involvement was causing trouble for her or others.
Sigh.
I let out a quiet sigh internally.
I gently placed my hand on my knee and lowered my head to meet Julia’s gaze.
This way, I could see Julia’s faded eyes directly at my chest level.
“It’s just like when we participated in that game tournament together. It’s not a difficult task, and I want to help.”
“…Okay.”
“If there’s something you want to do or say, don’t keep it locked away.”
“……Yes.”
I removed my hand from my knee and straightened my back.
Somehow I ended up living next door to Julia.
Maybe that’s why I felt she was more cautious around me than with others.
Honestly, I was confused about how I ended up cohabitating with a bounty target, but well, we were indeed living together.
I extended my hand to Julia.
“Okay, then let’s go.”
Maybe it was because Julia looked quite young.
It felt like I was caring for a child.
“…Yes!”
Julia, who had been hesitating, broke into a faint smile at my words.
She nodded vigorously before gripping my hand tightly. I almost wanted to pat her head.
“……”
By the way, how old was Julia?
“Hey, Julia, how old are you again?”
“I’m 28 years old.”
She was older than me by quite a bit.
…
Instinctively, I shut my mouth. Thankfully, there’s no word for ‘older sister’ in English.
Well, it wasn’t an important issue.
In cyberpunk, age is just a number anyway.
So I casually led Julia outside through the automatic door.
“Wait a minute.”
Drake stopped me.
I calmly opened my mouth to explain.
“Oh, did you just hear? Something urgent came up, and I need to take care of that first. I was intending to grab a drink, but that will have to wait. Well, you got married now, so you have to be devoted to your family. I’ll take my leave now.”
Alright, I nailed that perfectly.
“Well, that’s that, but scaling is scaling.”
“……”
He heard what I said but brushed it aside full force.
Drake shook his head resolutely and added.
“It won’t take long anyway. Come here, it’s your turn for scaling this time.”
I was about to make a smooth escape,
But to have noticed and catch me like that, he really is my comrade.
…
I dashed forward immediately.
I didn’t think I would succeed.
But even though a frog stuck in a well can’t escape, it doesn’t stop trying.
I had simply turned into a frog and moved instinctively.
“So, I had no choice but to run away.”
I explained while being caught by Drake.
As if he understood my feelings, Drake nodded repeatedly in agreement.
“Yeah, yeah. But since you ran away, let’s check your joints while we’re at it. It’s about time to check them out anyway. Or how about we take this chance to replace the implants with new products?”
“……”
I should’ve just not run away at all.
I regretted it belatedly.
—
*
I couldn’t help but gasp.
“…Wow, what on earth happened?”
It was fine that I had found the organization that ordered the attack on Julia.
But the place was already in shambles.
Black smoke was rising everywhere, and those who seemed to be members were scattered across the floor.
…
Should I just go home now?
I thought lightly while looking around.
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