Teddy was utterly bewildered.
If we were to use an example from one of the subculture productions (anime) he occasionally checked out when bored, it could be said that following the plot was a challenge.
His hometown friend, whom he met after a very long time, spoke up to Teddy.
“Since it’s come to this, you’ll be staying here for the time being.”
“…?”
Teddy couldn’t muster a reply to that.
Anticipating this reaction, his hometown friend continued to elaborate.
“For now, you’ll stay in a guest room on the 4th floor, and once you look around, you’ll see there are plenty of other facilities. There’s an artificial wave pool in the underground, entertainment options, a movie theater… If you’re bored, you can check it out with Dal.”
“But the 13th and 14th floors are our private spaces, so be a bit careful. Oh, and there’s a separate floor for employees, so watch out there too.”
“Thinking about it, you should probably get your cyberware checked too. How long has it been since you had scaling done? Anyway, I’ll get in touch with a professional I know later.”
Where to start and where to end with that?
Teddy felt completely lost.
“If you need anything else, just let me know.”
Having finished the brief explanation, his hometown friend disappeared out of the guest room.
In the end, Teddy couldn’t say a word.
Even the gratitude that had been swirling at the back of his throat got stuck, and he let out a sigh of frustration at himself.
‘…I should say I’m sorry for getting angry, and thank you too, but….’
He just couldn’t do it.
Having never found it easy to speak those words in his whole life, it was tough for Teddy.
…What should I do?
If they kick me out again because of this…
Just then, while Teddy was lost in thought…
“…Teddy! Look at this!”
He heard the bright voice of the girl who was usually quiet. Dal was bouncing on a luxurious bed that he couldn’t even guess the price of.
Her face was filled with joy.
“It’s super soft! No bugs! Smells good!”
There was no shadow of gloom on her expression.
Seeing Dal like that made Teddy feel pathetic for worrying.
“……Is it nice?”
“Yep!”
At that, Teddy nodded.
“…If you’re happy, then that’s good.”
He thought he’d definitely express his gratitude when he saw his hometown friend again, and he relaxed his furrowed brows.
Maybe because they were inside the building, but… the room was exceptionally warm.
39. Each His Way of Talking (1)
It was surprisingly natural for Teddy and Dal to become part of the Golden Smile Condominium.
First of all, there were plenty of “bioware management facilities” that Dal needed around here.
The chairman…, Taylor, Maya, and Eve all had bodies created with “bioware prosthetics.”
Since research experts like Dr. Terra were always around, there wouldn’t be a better place to care for Dal.
And neither of them had a ‘city identity’ yet.
In fact, that was something unavoidable for people like us born in the landfill.
Getting into the city database required a fair amount of skill, and it also needed connections that wouldn’t use that fact as a weakness.
In my case, I had help from Fixer, a technician from Sewage Village, but it must have been a challenge for Teddy, who jumped directly from the incinerator to the city.
Of course, just as we did, Teddy could head outside the city and maybe get help from her.
However, as I had experienced last time, traveling between the inside and outside of the city was very difficult.
He might meet a lost ninja or encounter a cleaning robot or mutant that swallows a person whole.
Well, Eve did hack the city’s database to create identities for them, but asking them to find a place to stay on their own after suddenly appearing on the ground was like telling a plant to grow on the pavement.
And the fact that I discovered there were guest rooms for visitors in our building was the biggest reason.
(I didn’t know that before.)
Though they looked bewildered at first by the luxurious facilities they were experiencing for the first time, they would soon adapt.
In a few days, I might see Teddy and Dal playing games together at the entertainment facilities.
I explained this to Catherine.
“…Hmm, that’s good.”
She replied with a slight smile, perhaps secretly worried about her brother’s situation while enjoying a big scoop of ice cream from the table.
I stared back and forth between Catherine and the gigantic ice cream and continued my explanation.
“Anyway, bioware prosthetics aren’t just whipped up in a day or two. With time, it should be fine.”
Since, as Teddy said, there’s a possibility of rejection.
More systematic preparations were necessary.
Of course, if he got help from immunosuppressants or nerve blockers, there wouldn’t be any significant issue. But it would be hard to take such kinds of medication for a lifetime.
What was important was to find a suitable prosthetic.
Thinking that internally, I took a bite of the ice cream that Catherine was holding.
The instant Catherine lost that spoonful of ice cream, she stared at me blankly.
Brr, it’s cold.
I could taste the sweet chocolate syrup.
“Have you talked a lot with Dal?”
“Kind of.”
As Catherine continued, she added,
“…But I’ll definitely go check on her again later.”
“Sounds good.”
It must mean more to Catherine.
It was a dramatic situation that her brother, whom she thought was dead, was still alive.
A heartwarming thing rarely seen in cyberpunk.
While I was nodding with a grin, Catherine scooped a large amount of ice cream and presented it to me.
“?”
No, I just had enough of that.
Keep in mind, the size of the ice cream Catherine was holding was like ‘half a gallon.’
Considering Catherine’s high metabolism, it wouldn’t matter if she had that now since dinner time was approaching.
But for me, whose physical characteristics were akin to garbage, two bites were a stretch.
Unless it was mint flavor, it was quite tough to eat.
“…Thanks.”
“Huh?”
I could barely hear it.
Catherine held the scooped ice cream close to my mouth.
“Thank you.”
“…What’s with the sudden…”
That came out of nowhere.
But the atmosphere was serious.
Reluctantly, I sank my teeth into the ice cream that Catherine offered.
As I bit into the ice cream, Catherine murmured with a much more relaxed expression.
“…Since you’re taking care of me, a precious little brother, this is all for you, right?”
“……Yeah.”
That was true.
Honestly, if only Teddy had been there when we went underground, we would’ve just exchanged casual greetings and parted ways.
…But, saying thank you was enough.
Catherine continued to present ice cream to me. This was the third bite now. I was starting to feel full.
I avoided Catherine’s gaze and tried to respond as naturally as possible.
“…It’s not just because of that; anyway, we’re both from the same landfill, right?”
So, can we stop with the ice cream already?
Catherine was grinning at my response. She had expected me to say that.
Then Catherine narrowed her eyes.
“Whose turn is it today?”
“…Uh.”
While there still wasn’t any context ahead or behind, the subject we could call ‘turn’ was just one.
It referred to the schedule that went round one person a week.
But… why out of the blue…
I answered, trying to hide the shivers running down my spine.
“…By the way, how many more days do you have until it’s your turn?”
“I know that too, but… I was wondering if I could ask the person whose turn it is today to swap for just a day.”
“……Why?”
My voice trembled with anxiety.
However, Catherine didn’t reply to my question.
—
“To be fair, there’s still plenty of time until dinner, so… I’ll go wash up first.”
“?”
Suddenly saying she’d go wash up, what does that mean?
Catherine? Goldie? …Huh?
……
I fled to survive.
*
“I’ve been feeling the importance of physical enhancement magic a lot lately. But I just can’t seem to get the hang of it….”
“…….”
“The relationship between strength and body enhancement magic is a bit different. …I honestly have no idea how to supply oxygen to the lungs and heart.”
“…….”
“Do you think so too? I knew we’d get along well. …Lately, nights have been a bit scary. But what will it be like until the wedding? I kind of get what Drake meant now….”
“…….”
I was talking to the ‘Curse Doll’, Jupiter, who was nodding eagerly.
The place I sought refuge from Catherine for a moment was the 2nd-floor café terrace of the Golden Smile Condominium.
It was a spot that had been wrecked in an incident before, but that was quite some time ago.
Now, with neat repairs done, it was operating in full swing. The minor issue was that I was the only customer, but well.
The reason I was chatting to this straw doll wasn’t anything special.
In fact, it wasn’t really a conversation at all. The doll housed the ‘spirit’ that Andrea received as a gift.
Of course, to others, it likely appeared as though I was a crazy person talking to a doll.
Physically, the doll occasionally nodded, making it sometimes suitable for me to seek advice.
Though Andrea received the doll as a gift, she hardly ever carried it, allowing me to do so without issues.
Cody didn’t suit the vibe, it seemed, or something like that…
She always seemed to be sitting on the sofa, staring blankly into space, so I took her down to the café one time.
Now, she was (forcibly) one of my friends.
……
Although calling a doll my friend seemed a bit stretching it.
Anyway.
It seemed that this spirit, Jupiter, was also quite bored being home all day. Whenever I called, she would follow with a pleasant expression (?).
Though I had carried her down, anyway.
“……”
“Ah, thanks.”
Just as my coffee mug was empty, she swiftly brought over a new mug filled with coffee.
Standing straight, like a soldier on duty.
I received it from the Monolith employee at the counter. Initially, he couldn’t hide his shock at a doll flying around, but now he had gotten used to it to the point of letting Jupiter take care of my service.
Savoring the subtle aroma of coffee, I quenched my thirst.
“…Hmm.”
If I ignored the fact that a crisis awaited me at night, everything was wonderfully peaceful.
If nothing happened, it should be fine─.
Ding!
The notification sound from the visual interface rang out.
“…….”
Usually, in times like this, the news tends to disrupt the calm atmosphere…
I sighed and checked the message that arrived in the visual interface.
It was about an unexpected guest arriving.
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