The sky in the Cyberpunk world is always dark.
It’s stuffy, gloomy, and faded like a broken TV screen.
But the building I’m in, the Golden Smile Condominium, stands tall. I wonder if the clouds seem lower today because of the ceiling shield.
Today, the clouds appeared particularly dark.
I thought about clearing the clouds above for a moment, just like I showed Catherine last time, now that I can gather mana in my body.
However, that evening, I witnessed a related article through breaking news from NCB24, so I left it as just a thought.
If Eve hadn’t concealed the related information, I imagine the chaos from (the reporters crazed for exclusives) would have lasted for days.
Anyway, when I honestly opened up my hidden feelings, my heavy heart felt a bit lighter.
Drake leaned back in the holographic screen. The chair let out a painful scream with a creek.
i[Hoo-.]*
Dark smoke poured out of the electronic cigarette Drake was puffing on, billowing like clouds.
i[No matter how mechanical the whole body is, one thing that doesn’t change is human emotion. Primitive feelings like joy, sadness, and anger.]*
Drake slightly lowered his smart sunglasses. His green robotic eyes sparkled.
i[And among those, the greatest is ‘love’.]*
I never knew my dwarf friend had such poetic sensibilities.
Being rebellious by nature, I couldn’t help but poke fun at Drake’s words.
“Wasn’t there an incident a long time ago when a company installed a backdoor in a support operation module to manipulate human emotions?”
Drake, who knows me too well, continued talking as if he hadn’t heard my jab.
i[Seven may be a bit much. It worries me how you’ll manage, considering your frailty.]*
What does that have to do with my physical condition─.
i[But it’s all Siwoon; you created this mess. You reap what you sow.]*
Drake quoted a simple American proverb and set his electronic cigarette down on the table.
He smiled broadly, as if relieved. His golden teeth glittered through the holographic graphics.
That green eye was distinctly filled with joy.
i[Well, what can I say? Hahaha!]*
Hey, look at that guy.
Laughing as if it’s not his business.
…….
Of course.
If it weren’t my business, I’d be laughing too.
“…sigh.”
I sighed and pondered.
After finishing the call with Drake, I stayed briefly on the rooftop.
The skyline was filled with brightly colored skyscrapers, holograms soaring through the air, and laser projector billboards using clouds as screens.
Everything was full of stimuli.
The whole city felt like one giant advertisement.
It might feel like that because of the neon signs shining in English, Japanese, or Chinese slang.
I gazed at the moving monorail that hung the billboards, or the building that resembled a landmark, Monolith Tower.
This view really is breathtaking.
Maybe it’s because it’s taller.
It felt different than viewing it from inside the house.
“Cough.”
Still, I should probably head down now.
I’ve been up here longer than I thought.
I rushed out without even wearing a mask, and it’s starting to concern me about my health.
Although this is a game world, the cold reality is that I can’t just click-click and change my lungs like in a video game.
Unless I utilized healing nano-robots, that is.
I don’t want to be stuck in the hospital for a few weeks just because of fine dust.
Thinking this, I slowly moved my feet back towards the building.
“…….”
The elevators are all on the first floor.
Hmm.
My dilemma was brief.
I’ll just take the stairs.
Since I’m heading down anyway, there’s no issue with my stamina. With mechanical joints, I won’t feel any knee pain.
Once I moved to the stairwell, I slowly stepped down one level at a time.
Though I’m a proficient city dweller living in Cyberpunk, I didn’t bother manipulating the visual interface while going down the stairs.
It’s like not using my smartphone while walking down the steps.
I certainly didn’t want to risk getting a new dental implant in this body, which doesn’t even have decent coordination.
Now that I think about it, I need to replace my chipped tooth sometime. When will I get around to that? How annoying.
With those thoughts, I considered the matter of dating seven people.
Hmm.
It’s not a problem under city law. However, the social implications would be incredibly strong.
I worry that my photo will circulate as a meme on the web already. Will Eve take care of it?
Especially since Andrea and the chairman hold significant social status, it would be harder to bear the backlash.
What on earth do they see in me?
I don’t even feel like I’ve done much.
What should I do moving forward?
Acknowledging my feelings and deciding what to do next are separate issues.
At least I…
i‘- I understand everyone’s feelings. I feel the same way. Everyone, come to me.’*
Unless I say something along those lines, dealing with this tangled situation would be challenging.
Honestly, that doesn’t make sense.
I continued to ponder as I descended the stairs.
Then, desperate footsteps slowly echoed from below.
They seemed to belong to employees of Monolith.
“……Huh?”
An employee’s eyes met mine, and they halted in their tracks.
It wasn’t surprising to see them.
Considering the chairman’s ‘body’ resides in this building, it’s only natural.
Moreover, with so many facilities, having personnel to manage them is essential.
I slightly bowed my head. I usually exchanged light greetings when meeting them like this.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“……Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I didn’t know why they seemed surprised to see me, but I continued down the stairs.
Small voices floated from above.
“……Who is it?”
“Um, you know. The ‘special management subject’.”
“Ah…, is that them?”
I overheard their conversation and quickened my pace.
I should’ve just waited for the elevator.
This is more tiring than I expected.
…….
But there was something odd.
“…Thank you for your hard work.”
“……Yes.”
After that, I noticed many employees rushing up and down the stairs.
I never realized there were so many workers stationed in this building.
At this point, I began to understand why the elevator hadn’t moved from the first floor.
By the way, none of us had an outdated mindset that forbade employees from using the elevator.
Anyway.
It seems something urgent is underway.
Still, since it’s something internal to Monolith, it shouldn’t be any of my concern.
I steadied my somewhat ragged breath and opened the door to my home corridor.
“……?”
What’s this?
Employees dressed neatly in suits are guarding the entrance.
Some of their faces look somewhat familiar.
They appear to be part of the chairman’s secretary team.
In a past life, this would have caused a scandal involving corporate misconduct. Yet in this Cyberpunk world, using company personnel for personal matters seems perfectly fine.
“……Um.”
“This way, please.”
As I cautiously opened my mouth, one of the secretary team approached me.
They guided me towards the innermost entrance.
“…What’s going on?”
“……”
The employee remained silent, as if they didn’t know either, without giving any response.
Is there really a reason to enter that door over there?
After all, the walls have completely vanished, so it shouldn’t matter which door I use.
Scratching my head, I decided to follow closely behind him.
I had no clue what was happening, but at this point, I found no courage to resist the atmosphere with so many people working hard.
“You may enter through this door.”
“Ah, yes… Thank you for all your hard work.”
“……You’re welcome.”
I exchanged a brief greeting, and he nodded at me before moving with the other secretary team employees out of the corridor.
“……”
I felt a sense of foreboding.
I need to check what’s happening in person.
I opened the door that the employee had indicated.
i– CLICK.
The metal door swung open.
And then.
i– BOOM!!
With the sound of fireworks, thin pieces of paper fluttered down over my head.
““Congratulations!””
I couldn’t hide my baffled expression.
Is today my birthday?
No.
Of course, saying ‘birthday’ doesn’t quite fit when it comes to this character in the game.
However, it certainly wasn’t the date I had set as my birthday when I created my identity.
“Come here!”
Catherine shouted, grabbing my hand.
I was pulled further into the room.
While being dragged along, I looked around. The walls were adorned with decorations. It looked just like a real birthday party.
…It hasn’t even been long since I was on the rooftop; how did they prepare all this?
“Ah.”
I realized.
No wonder the Monolith employees seemed so frantic; it was all for this.
Thinking this, I glanced at the chairman. But she, too, watched me with a ‘somewhat pleased’ expression, like everyone else.
What the heck is going on?
I felt the need to calm down this excited atmosphere a little.
“Today isn’t my birthday…?”
“It’s not because of the birthday.”
Eve was the one who responded to my statement.
Moreover, Eve was wearing a ‘party hat’ on her head. I stared blankly at the hat resting above Eve’s head for a few seconds.
No, I need to regain my composure.
I shook my head to clear my confusion.
Let’s think.
What could I be celebrated for aside from a birthday?
…….
Nothing.
I looked around earnestly, hoping to find some small hint.
Then, in my search, I spotted a huge phrase hanging on the wall like a banner.
[Day 1 Anniversary]
“?”
What is this….
I turned my head to look at them.
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