Childhood Friend, Bolt from the Blue
There's a saying about a bolt from the blue sky. It metaphorically refers to sudden misfortune or accident without warning. But what just tore through the warehouse ceiling and struck down was a literal bolt from the blue.
“Eh...?”
Frey's face went pale. This warehouse was packed with items she'd scrimped and saved for, denying herself every material desire to handle the house and dowry all alone for her marriage to Enoch. And now lightning had struck that very warehouse. A massive hole gaped in the ceiling, and who knew how much stuff underneath was wrecked...
“My, my wedding funds...?”
“...This is gonna be rough.”
“Ahaha...”
Enoch brushed back his singed bangs and supported the staggering Frey. You never knew when or how Soo might pull off an accident, so protecting Frey came first. Of course, Soo's mishaps never hurt her own people, but still, better safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, Angela tallied up roughly how much Soo would owe for this blunder. At the very least, no fried chicken and cola for a good while. Soo would be left munching fresh hamburgers with a teary pout.
“Anyway... shall we go take a look?”
“Guess we should.”
“My dreams and hopes... ugh...”
“We'll make up for whatever you lost, Miss Frey.”
How bad was the damage? Honestly, right now they couldn't even imagine.
That lightning was definitely Soo's magic. A brand-new spell she'd just mastered. Normally, Soo would've come bounding over with a beaming smile, chattering happily about her new trick, face lit up like the world was hers.
But now? Dead silent. No laughter from Soo, not even a breath.
They'd all seen videos of cats playing dumb after causing massive chaos. Was Soo pulling the same act right now...?
“Frey... aren't you clinging a bit too much?”
“I'm dizzy, can't walk. Need your support right now.”
Seizing the moment like a true merchant, Frey milked every bit of gain. Sure, it was cute compared to Angela's aggressive assets, but you couldn't just say no... and her shape was something she had confidence in.
These days, even small ones are a status symbol. M-means there's plenty of demand...
Frey pressed her chest firmly against Enoch. Her feelings were already out in the open. Time to push with full-body contact.
“Ahem...”
Enoch, who would've brushed it off before, now... well, he had no choice but to notice. The human heart was truly bizarre, full of mysteries. The saying that everything depends on your perspective wasn't wrong.
Soo's accident was proof. The warehouse ceiling ripped open, rows of premium guns and armor around it smashed to bits. The price tags alone rivaled a regular merc's monthly pay. Dozens of them ruined—how much would it cost to replace?
This time, Enoch felt a wave of dizziness. Soo's money flowing out, straight into Frey's shop—it was a headache either way.
But Soo was utterly nonchalant.
“Put me down.”
She was dangling upside down, ankle gripped in the massive hand of a hulking power suit...
“...Soo?”
“What the hell are you doing...?”
The loose hood had flipped back, completely covering her upper body. All that showed was the silhouette of a cute little navel and slender ribs. And those bizarre shorts Angela had nagged her into wearing—the ones with the butt flap wide open. But now, instead of a ribbon cinching the waist, a plump, shiny tail was wagging shyly.
“Seemed expensive, so I didn't break it. This your favorite piece, Frey?”
“...Yeah.”
From under the hood-draped torso, Soo's face peeked out. She was grinning ear to ear.
“Count the busted gear covered by fixing this.”
A hole punched through the factory ceiling, countless machines shattered. It was as good as 30% of her Enoch wedding fund vanishing in a flash.
And the culprit? Smiling all pretty, plump tail swishing away.
They couldn't make sense of it. But honestly, no need to. Everything depends on how you look at it.
“Gasp.”
All Frey could see was the power suit humming with a low, steady thrum.
“Gasp!”
Was there a better proposal gift? She couldn't use it herself, but nothing in the world matched its value.
“Jackpot!”
A brilliant smile spread across Frey's face.
“What, how the hell did you fix it?!”
Frey, inspecting the power suit from every angle, threw her arms around Soo in a tight hug. Any shyness from moments ago? Gone. Dopamine exploding in her brain had wiped it clean.
“Dragon magic can do anything.”
“Dragon magic's amazing!”
“Yep.”
“Dragon magic's the best!”
“Yep.”
“I love dragon magic!”
“Yep.”
Enoch let out a weary sigh at Frey's brainless praise and Soo's smug grin.
“...What the hell happened?”
“Thought I could fix it, so I did.”
He'd expected that answer. Enoch moved on without missing a beat.
“That lightning... magic?”
“Yeah. Name's right here.”
Soo hoisted up the massive stone slab she'd been sitting on. Her tail pointed right at the spot with the spell's name.
Of course, no one could read it. It barely qualified as writing—looked like some freaky drawing to the three of them.
“How do you even read that?”
“Read it and lightning drops again.”
“Thanks for holding back.”
Enoch meant it. He shifted his gaze to the power suit standing quietly behind Soo.
“...Frey.”
“Yeah?”
“How, when, where the hell did you scrounge something like this?”
“You think I hauled it all in one go?”
Heading to Eden's outskirts for stock like always, Frey had stumbled on a seriously weird implant one day. Way too big, heavy, and brutish for a human body—an empty cyber arm. She dealt in every kind of stolen and secondhand gear, knew them all inside out. But this? First she'd ever seen.
Snagged it right away and dug into research. Turns out, it was a power suit, heavily used not long ago. From the 'Abyss War' kicked off by Aegis System's netrunners—worn by a teammate of Eden's greatest, most radiant legend, Beatrice.
Given its purpose, it was completely hacking-proof. No hooks for netrunners to burrow in and wreak havoc.
And that made it a nightmare to use. Unfamiliar pilots got crushed flat. Rumor even said implant users couldn't control it directly.
Frey figured she'd wasted time on junk.
But more digging turned up faint info: in the past, simple control via external signals.
She hunted for external activation methods for a while. Gave up, half-shelved it...
Then Soo cracked it.
“And the method was... dumping lightning energy in all at once?”
“To pilot right, gotta supply energy while you're inside.”
“What about the person inside?”
“They endure.”
“That's bullshit.”
“Won't die. Got devices to let you survive in there.”
“Isn't that just a defibrillator?”
“Enoch's right—defibrillator fits best. That violent? Only way to survive is dying and coming back. Explains the scarce user logs.”
While hearing Frey's epic tale of scavenging and assembling the power suit, Angela searched related records. Even she turned up little. Meant extremely few users ever.
Implantless human risking crush-death in terror, then tanking lightning from the sky? Ninety-nine percent dead or brain-dead.
“Still... impressive as hell.”
“I agree.”
“That ain't science anymore...”
They say sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. The three there had no choice but to nod along.
That level of tech? Had to call it magic.
No implants or cyberware—just running on raw natural energy. Brutally violent and crude, but that's what made it a netrunner-slaying beast.
“Frey.”
“Yeah?”
Plump tail thumping the power suit, stone slab in hand, Soo asked.
“Both from the same spot?”
“Parts from all over Eden, but the core was right next to that slab.”
“Where?”
“North side, but...”
Enoch eyed Soo with unease. Her eyes were already sparkling.
“Let's go together.”
“Why me? Gotta watch the shop.”
“Enoch's heading north front on business. We'll drop you off.”
“...M-me, front lines? Enoch?”
Frey's trembling gaze turned to Enoch. He rubbed his face and sighed.
“Yeah, that's how it shook out.”
Puuuueeng! Frey burst into tears again.