I want to strongly emphasize that this explanation is merely my objective assessment of the situation and I have no intention of tarnishing the reputation of my roommate.
Looking back, Julia has said she wants to go on an ‘outing’ so few times that I could count them on one hand.
It’s true.
There was a time when she asked me to join her for a fighting game tournament.
But if I recall, it was more to prevent the slander she was facing (which is known as “kill” in terminology), rather than wanting to go out for the sake of fighting games.
The second instance was when we went together for a cyberware implant scaling.
That outing happened thanks to my consideration (selfishness because I couldn’t face it alone); it wasn’t Julia who expressed her desire to tag along.
This was the case with every other similar instance.
Considering she is my partner who enjoys gaming with me in our room, it’s absolutely impossible for her to take the initiative and suggest going out.
“…You really thought that…?”
Julia, with a betrayed gaze, looks up at me.
In the game, she was a boss with a pretty high difficulty level.
I hastily stammered out an excuse before witnessing those patterns in reality.
“Uh, well, just… a little?”
I sneaked a look at her.
“……”
“……”
I immediately bowed my head and apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
At that moment, she looked scary enough to be called ‘sister’.
—
What’s going on here (3)
Julia said that her outing was partially influenced by the teacher’s disappearance, but the biggest reason was that she hadn’t gone out with me as often as others.
However, once she finally mustered the courage, there was a certain wizard who became the reason for her outing….
– “Julia is going out…?!”
She explained that this response deflated her a bit.
I sincerely apologized then.
In any case.
I could see the warm breath escaping from her mask into the outside air.
Going out after a month felt really cold, and, oh so awkward.
Especially since I didn’t have a temperature control implant installed in my body, I was wearing twice as many layers as usual.
“…Wow, it’s cold.”
Saying that infamous phrase dreaded by many convenience store part-timers, I shook the snowflakes off my arms.
“The average temperature in the lower class is currently 1.2°C, which is still considered warm.”
“…Warm?”
Seems I might’ve misinterpreted the word’s meaning.
But at least I’m grateful they didn’t mention it in Fahrenheit.
If they had said ‘The average temperature is about 34.1°F’, I wouldn’t know what that suggested.
Catherine, casually dressed as usual, replied to me.
“…Um, it is indeed pretty chilly.”
It’s not exactly the time to talk about what we’re wearing.
At least her special model temperature control implant made things easier.
And Julia finally sniffled.
“……Kuh.”
She wiped her red nose with the long hood’s sleeve.
Fortunately, the rabbit plushie she was hugging had a heater function.
The cold felt even harsher in the lower class, where the temperature control system wasn’t functioning properly.
The light snow that had been falling since yesterday had piled up deeply on the ground, leaving footprints every time we moved.
The lower class doesn’t exactly have the best security compared to other areas.
Every time we passed the streets, we could see people warming themselves by drum fires in alleyways.
On a regular basis, a few vagabonds would have already approached us to start trouble, but it seemed survival took precedence for everyone.
I let out a sigh behind my mask.
This rogue must belong in the upper-class underground; I have no clue why he had to come down to the lower class to bother us.
I cursed my second mentor, Merlin, in my mind and checked the map’s location again.
“Is this the place?”
“That’s correct. The records indicate there should be a sewer entrance connecting to the underground.”
At the end of the large sewer path, I could see round manholes appearing widely.
Originally, they served to handle the rainwater, but now they functioned as entrances connecting to the underground.
It looked definitely better than just opening a manhole and going down, but there seemed to be other issues.
Inside the broken iron bars, I could see people resembling the vagabonds we’d seen earlier, huddled around small flames, fighting against the cold.
I really don’t want to bump into people if I can help it.
But avoiding the manhole underneath is even worse. The path is narrow, and we’d probably get lost trying to find the right way.
Well, they probably won’t just shoot us on sight.
We moved toward that direction.
“…Aang?”
A mohawk man with red feathered hairstyles spotted us and growled fiercely.
In his eyes, the real skin had peeled off, and the metal beneath was bare. Despite that, I was impressed that he maintained his mohawk.
What is it about that hairstyle…
He wasn’t just here because it was cold, as he looked at us and spoke with a cocky voice.
“What’s up, you guys here to go underground?”
Those soaking in the fire behind him also pulled out firearms, adopting a stance of watchfulness.
…Scavengers, huh?
They don’t look like ordinary vagabonds.
If they were just your typical vagabonds, they would have flirted with our female group’s looks by now, but there was no such relaxed atmosphere whatsoever.
As I frowned, the mohawk guy shrugged casually.
“Don’t make that scary face. We’re not blocking you to start trouble, you know? And you’d better not think of fighting either.”
A massive turret donned with loud machine sounds descended from the ceiling of the sewer entrance.
“It’s the new turret from Steel Tech. If I move just a finger, I can turn all of you into rags, so don’t even think about moving.”
The turret’s muzzle ominously turned before stopping. Perhaps stopping wasn’t part of the setup, as the mohawk man looked at the turret with a puzzled face.
In the back, I heard Eve’s calm voice.
“Hacking device complete. I claim ownership.”
“……”
The words ‘This turret is now mine.’ flickered through my mind.
The man seemed unaware, and continued to talk with a forced grin.
“Well, we’re not here for anything special either. Just give us fifteen hundred credits per head, and you’re free to go. What do you think?”
That’s an outrageous price just to enter.
Of course, it’s not bad when considering the cost to access the illegally used underground.
For reference, the entrance fee to the restroom of the theater I went to with Catherine last time was ten credits.
I still have credits, so why not pay the entrance fee? ─
Just as I thought that.
The turret spun 180 degrees, aiming at the mohawk guy’s group.
“……?!”
“Damn, what the heck?”
“Hey, hey! You featherhead, what’s going on?”
The people tense at the back didn’t grasp the situation, heightening their voices toward the mohawk man.
Only the mohawk guy, who fully understood what was happening, had beads of sweat rolling down his neck.
The turret’s muzzle spun violently.
The mohawk guy waved his hands in a soothing manner, shouting at us.
“Okay, okay! Just let us pass! We didn’t do anything wrong?!”
Eve replied in a cold voice.
“What do you mean?”
She took a step forward and continued speaking.
How I wish I had some popcorn right now.
I watched Eve’s back with anticipation.
“If you hand over all the credits you have without resistance, there won’t be any bloodshed.”
“……What the hell.”
Watching an AI rob vagabonds was quite an amusing sight.
—
The underground is a region that goes beyond the general laws of the city.
The NCPD reportedly does not respond to calls unless under special circumstances (like paying extra fees).
(That’s pretty standard in the lower class.)
Going deeper into the underground, the presence of criminals and contaminants tends to increase. There are also rumors of illegal black markets and living spaces inside….
In the game, it was just treated as an ordinary dungeon, so I’m not too familiar with that part.
Catherine opened her mouth while looking around.
“Smell isn’t that bad, surprisingly.”
Maybe because we’re underground, but it didn’t stink of sewage as Catherine mentioned.
“It’s because this isn’t the outside sewer.”
Furthermore, they even had shining LEDs installed, so it was presumably well-maintained.
I kept my posture vigilant, scanning the surroundings for any possible situations.
But Catherine, who appeared relaxed as if on a picnic, turned her head towards Eve and asked a question she was curious about.
“But what do they need the credits for? They already seem to have plenty.”
“Those are credits belonging to ‘Siwoon,’ not mine. I plan to invest the legally obtained credits appropriately to prepare for any potential situations.”
So there wasn’t a particular reason behind receiving them.
“…Hmm, potential situations.”
Catherine nodded at Eve’s words.
Anyway, whether the news from the entrance spread inside, we thankfully didn’t encounter anyone while crossing the sewer.
I whispered softly while checking the holographic map popping up in my sight interface.
“…Um, well, we did arrive at the marked location.”
In one of the cracks, I saw a turret blinking with red lenses. That was something confirmed in the voice data.
Looks like we made it properly.
“Wow, we arrived quickly? There’ll be plenty of time to go somewhere else afterward.”
“……!”
At Catherine’s murmured words, Julia’s eyes widened as if she realized something new.
She seemed about to shout ‘Eureka!’
Looks like getting back easily won’t happen.
I didn’t show it on my face and instead moved toward the location where Merlin was.
Actually, I was about to move.
“Hold on a second.”
I felt Catherine’s hand on my shoulder.
I could see her sniffing the air over my shoulder, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the inside where Merlin was.
“…I smell gunpowder and oil.”
That line….
I asked Catherine, who had come to a halt.
“Are you saying there are booby traps?”
“Quite a few, actually.”
…No, Master.
What in the world are you doing down in the city’s underground?
I sighed deeply as I gazed into the darkness where only shadows could be seen.
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