Memory, or Data
The call with Hugo ended with Swoo's parting promise to see him in two days.
Yet, no one in the office dared to open their mouth. It wasn't that they were angry at Swoo for calling Hugo without warning.
It was simply that her plan was so utterly absurd—and yet, the more they thought about it, the more it seemed like it might actually work. That was what left them speechless.
The downfall of Lui Chen.
In a way, Lui Chen wielded the greatest influence over the citizens of Eden. Since they controlled food—the most vital of the basic necessities—most people held that belief.
The collapse of such a giant was something they couldn't even begin to picture in their wildest dreams.
Yet Swoo had declared Lui Chen's downfall as if she had already witnessed it in the future.
"...Boss."
Toppus was the first to break the silence. Having lived as a scavenger, the fire of vengeance that once consumed him had mostly flickered out. He had realized that no matter how hard he struggled, he could never reach those heights.
Because of that, Toppus thought it would be enough if he could just return to Eden and live with his sister. Of course, even that had been an impossible dream.
Without any means of communication, how could he ever return to Eden?
Thus, Toppus had been slowly turning into just another ordinary scavenger of the Wasteland.
"Should we get ready?"
But everything changed after he met Swoo.
He remembered his fading dreams. He gained the confidence that he could actually achieve them.
He felt the familiar thrum of excitement from his days as a mercenary, and he harbored the hope that he might once again see the moonlight weeping through the cracks of the neon signs.
"The forces I can mobilize right now number about forty. But they will definitely be of help to you, Boss. These men—no, we scavengers—have either been erased from Eden's database or marked as deceased. For covert operations, we are the perfect fit."
On top of that, Swoo had reunited him with his only family. What a miracle it was that his only sister had returned to his side, safe and sound...
For that alone, Toppus was ready to pull the trigger for Swoo.
Throwing his life away... well, not quite.
He didn't want to die just yet. If he was going to live, he wanted to live as happily as possible.
“Yep. Just write down a contact ID. I'll send an untraceable line to it.”
"An untraceable line exists?!"
Miko spoke up right after Toppus.
"Ah, ah! Of course, I'm going to help too! We absolutely have to get revenge on those bastards at Lui Chen! So, what is this untraceable line???"
She was definitely a haughty, cold beauty in the game. How did she end up like this? Swoo wondered at Miko's transformation as she spoke.
“It's a line Angela made.”
"Angela... you said she was a Netwatcher, right? Swoo was praising her so much on the way here..."
“Ahaha... I wouldn't say I'm amazing. Just slightly skilled.”
"Uh... if someone like you calls themselves 'slightly skilled,' you must be a real genius..."
“Still, you played a bigger role than I did this time, Miko. Peeking at the map of Eden's underground waterways is something even I couldn't have done. It's impressive.”
"Ah... sincere praise...!"
Of course, accessing the underground waterway maps had only been possible because the scavenger Netwatchers, including Miko, had acted as bait.
But regardless, it was a plan Miko had conceived, and it had succeeded. Miko took Angela's compliment at face value.
She was starved for praise as it was.
Compared to Swoo's soulless compliments or the mindless praise of the scavengers, Angela's heartfelt words warmed Miko's heart.
Indeed, the maternal aura radiating from that generous bosom was not to be underestimated.
"Anyway! That means I'm still useful! Right, Swoo?"
“U-Useful? What a way to put it...”
Angela smiled awkwardly at Miko's choice of words.
But when it came to conversing with Swoo, that direct manner of speaking was the fastest and most precise.
“Yep. Angela is a field Netwatcher, so I need a shut-in Netwatcher like Miko too.”
"S-Shut-in...?"
“You're the control tower, Miko.”
"Control tower...!"
“The scavengers Toppus mentioned are good, too. Since Eden can't track them, they can leave as many traces as they want.”
"Yes. We will be able to provide the right support to help you achieve your havoc—ah, I mean, your plan, Boss."
“Will things change if I provide some proper support from here?”
"It would split into two paths. Either we reinforce the existing forty to hone them into a sharper blade, or we recruit more people to scale up. You can choose whichever direction you prefer, Boss."
There was no need to hesitate.
Swoo answered immediately, as if she had been waiting for that exact response all along.
“Let's reinforce. We need to move as guerrillas. The support will consist of weapons, food, and medicine. I'll have someone suitable handle the transport.”
At the word 'transport,' Draco's body twitched. Did he think she was going to use him?
"Um... if it's not too much trouble, could you also throw in some cigarettes...? We'll pay for them, of course..."
“Yep, I'll send cigarettes too. E-cigarettes, and a few real ones as well.”
"Ah... real tobacco? Something so precious...?"
“Yep. But there won't be much, so ration them.”
"Thank you!"
It wasn't like she was buying them with her own money anyway.
Even so, Swoo accepted the gratitude with shameless grace.
"Um... by any chance, is Enoch the one doing the transport?"
This time, it was Miki's voice.
It was, by all accounts, the voice of a girl head over heels in love.
“Well, looking at the situation, it doesn't seem like I'll be the one moving,” Enoch remarked.
“Yep. Sorry to disappoint, but Enoch isn't going. Hang in there, Miki, even if you miss him.”
"W-W-Why would you think I... I want to see Enoch?!"
“If not, then whatever.”
"I-It's not that it's not! No, anyway!"
“Too many 'no's. Hard to understand.”
With those final words, Swoo snatched up the drone and stood up.
“Anyway, that's how it is. See you next time.”
"Ahhh! Oppa! Let go of me! I have something to say! Tell Enoch— Yes, Boss. I will see you next time—no, very soon— Swoo! I'll come back even stronger next time! Then you'll have to acknowledge— E-Enoch! Next time we meet, can I call you Oppa— Boss! Just throw it!"
“Yep.”
Standing before the wide-open window, Swoo hurled the noisily blaring drone out into the open air.
She wasn't worried about it breaking upon impact.
Though the scavenger-made drone was crude, it possessed a rugged durability built to withstand the harsh Wasteland.
With a dull clatter, the drone bounced off the ground and vanished around the corner of the alley as if nothing had happened.
Swoo watched it go, then closed the window and turned around.
“Should we throw a welcome-back party for Enoch?”
“I came back without warning. Is there really a need?”
Even as he spoke, Enoch secretly harbored a small hope.
He wasn't expecting a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, but he thought a few drinks and some takeout would be nice.
“Well, Draco is here now, so we should definitely have a welcome party.”
As if reading his mind, Swoo smoothly shifted the focus to spare Enoch any embarrassment.
“Right, Draco?”
“...What.”
Draco, who had been sprawled out as if powered down, slowly pushed himself up.
He stared blankly at Enoch standing beside him, then wrapped the blanket tighter around his body and shifted his gaze to Swoo.
“...Why do you call me by that name? I mean... why do you call me that?”
Perhaps speech correction had been part of that 'experiment' as well.
Draco's tone was significantly softer now.
“Why? Want me to call you a Sexroid again? Or Reina? Though, to be fair, you're in a bit of an awkward position to be called Draco.”
At Swoo's biting response, Enoch and Angela's expressions stiffened.
Bori, who had been watching the situation unfold, quietly licked Draco's hand.
At the touch, Draco's breath hitched as if he might die on the spot, but he soon began to stroke Bori, his eyes welling with tears.
Of course, what pooled in the corners of his eyes was not tears, but yellow oil.
“...I want to wash up.”
“Can you wash yourself?”
Draco tried to nod immediately, but realizing his body wouldn't move properly, he shook his head instead.
“Well, I can't wash you. Enoch, do you want to do it?”
“...Me?”
“Yep. Since Draco is a guy.”
At Swoo's words, Draco looked up at Enoch with a complicated expression.
Anticipation? Fear? Despair? Acceptance? Resignation?
Although Swoo loved observing people and took pleasure in deciphering their emotions, she couldn't read Draco's expression.
Was it because he was a broken Sexroid in more ways than one?
Or was he harboring emotions that Swoo couldn't comprehend? Perhaps he didn't even understand his own feelings.
Whatever the case, Swoo found herself intrigued by Draco's state.
“Do you hate the idea?”
“...If it's necessary, I suppose I must. Ah, of course, Dra... Draco? It's not that I find you unpleasant. I'm just, you know... well... trying to be considerate of you. Yes, consideration! I'm doing this out of consideration, not because you make me uncomfortable. Understood?”
“...You should rest too, Enoch. I'll help him wash. Is that alright with you, Draco? Let's wash Bori at the same time.”
“...Yes.”
"I would appreciate that."
Bori was perfectly capable of washing himself if given the chance, but he held his tongue, fearing that saying so would completely shatter Draco's fragile pride and self-esteem.
A human inferior to a cat.
The man had already suffered enough just moments ago; Bori couldn't let him sink into that kind of self-deprecation.
“Meow.”
With that, Bori licked Draco's ankle and led the way to the bathroom.
“Mmh...”
Watching from behind, Swoo could guess roughly what Bori was thinking.
Even without the meows, she had realized that cats could speak volumes with their expressions.
Because of that, she felt a sudden urge to convey Bori's consideration to Draco.
“Draco.”
“...Yes?”
Just look at that haggard face.
His mind was completely shattered.
What would happen if he found out that, in his current state, he was deemed inferior to a cat?
As expected, she was dying to see his reaction.