Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Fake Church (1)
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"Right now, in the streets around here, there's a rumor going around about a miraculous new technology that completely cures Cybernetic Overmodification Syndrome."
The news Esty brought was downright shocking.
"A miracle..."
It might just be a coincidence, but the fact that this rumor was spreading right at this moment... it was no small matter to brush off.
It seemed far more likely to be connected to my abilities in some way.
'But how the hell did it leak out? The only ones who know the secret are Esty and Kayla—just the two of them.'
Suspicion naturally fell on them at first, but I quickly shook my head.
'No way. Neither of them stands to gain much from spreading rumors.'
A "[Miracle]" wasn't proven power with hard evidence, so vague stories like that wouldn't even fetch a decent info fee.
At best, they'd make pocket change. But Kayla wasn't the type to break a promise for chump change.
In the original game, she'd stayed loyal to her comrades even when faced with far greater temptations. I could trust her word on that.
So what about Esty...? She wasn't even a character in the original game, so after just a few weeks of knowing her, it was hard to be completely sure of her character. But she still had something coming from me. We'd only just started repairing her damaged cyberware, so any trouble on my end wouldn't do her any favors either.
There was no reason for her to leak info right now.
The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was spiraling into a dead end.
'Where the hell did the secret leak from?'
Pondering it alone wouldn't yield answers.
In the end, I decided to meet the two who knew about it and talk face-to-face.
Back at the fixer office after so long.
Kayla, who'd been waiting after my call, looked noticeably more cheerful than before.
"Long time no see, Eve? How's the part-time gig treating you?"
Having shaken off her chronic illness, her face was brimming with vitality.
"Jenny's treating you well, right? I asked her specially."
There wasn't a hint of suspicion in her warm greeting.
So I cut straight to the chase.
"Kayla, have you told anyone about me treating you?"
"No way! What are you talking about? We promised to keep it secret."
She shook her head in horror.
"Even if I'm just a back-alley fixer scraping by, I don't forget favors. If I betrayed the person who gave me a new life like that, I'd rip my own tongue out on the spot!"
Her vehement denial rang true.
Esty, who'd come with me, nodded quietly from the side.
That wasn't just agreement—it was her cybernetic eye scanner confirming no lies through Kayla's biometrics.
Thanks to that, I could ease my suspicions about Kayla a bit.
So I laid out the current situation truthfully.
"Actually... I heard there's a rumor going around about a [miracle] lately. Seems like the secret leaked somewhere."
"What? For real?!"
Kayla looked flustered and couldn't continue for a moment.
"Where? How?!"
"We haven't figured out the cause either. That's why we came to ask you..."
She seemed just as lost.
So we put our heads together and pondered for a bit.
Then, suddenly, Kayla muttered with a sigh.
"Oh no, don't tell me...!"
"You thought of something?"
She nodded gravely.
"Remember when we first met? You used your 'ability' to cure my Overmodification Syndrome."
"Yeah."
"I couldn't believe my body was cured in an instant, so... I went to a nearby cyberware clinic for a checkup."
"!"
Then it hit me too. Right—I'd been dead certain only those two knew the secret...
But there was actually one more person who'd witnessed the miracle's results firsthand.
Kayla ground her teeth as if swallowing them.
"Maybe that quack doctor there blabbed. I'll go rip the bastard's tongue out right now."
"No, wait! Calm down, Kayla! We don't need to do that!"
I barely stopped her from charging out of the office to rough someone up.
"If the story's already spreading, grabbing one doctor won't fix it."
Storming in recklessly now might just fan the flames of the rumor.
And it'd make it easier to trace back to me.
Only after my explanation did Kayla calm her excitement, her face full of guilt and self-reproach.
"Sorry, Eve... I wasn't thinking. I was too shocked back then to consider the risks."
"No, it's fine. I didn't notice either."
I comforted Kayla, who was beside herself with regret.
No matter how careless it was, expecting her to think that far ahead from the start was unfair.
It was an inevitable oversight, an understandable mistake. I had no intention of blaming her.
Even with my reassurance, Kayla's expression didn't lighten. The problem was still unsolved.
She asked with a sigh.
"So what do we do now?"
"Did you tell the doctor anything else? Like how the treatment went, or what I looked like...?"
"No. I just got a full body scan kind of thing. Didn't mention the treatment or you at all."
Kayla shook her head, but added a bitter look.
"But... a guy dying from an incurable disease suddenly being fine overnight? They'd guess something special happened. You can tell just by comparing the scans."
The conclusion was clear. The leak wasn't from either of them—it was a third party we hadn't even considered.
Now the question was how to handle it.
For now, it was just some vague street rumor, but if someone dug in earnestly, they could trace it back. Someone could squeeze the doctor and eventually reach me.
'I need to take measures before that...'
My head was spinning.
That's when Esty, who'd been listening quietly, spoke up.
"Eve, do you remember what I said before?"
"What?"
"That a secret known by anyone besides yourself can no longer be called a secret."
I remembered. Back then, I never dreamed it'd come to this. I thought as long as Esty and Kayla kept quiet, it'd be perfect—no other variables.
Now that things had gone this way, was she right after all?
I felt a pang of self-reproach for being too complacent.
But Esty's words didn't end there. In her usual calm voice, she added,
"In other words, a secret known to the whole world is no longer a secret either."
"...What does that mean?"
Her golden eyes gleamed with inscrutable intent.
"How about we do this instead?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before I could even ask what her "method" was, Esty lightly took my wrist and started walking.
"I'll explain in detail on the way. Please follow me."
"Huh? Where to...?"
"Then we'll be off."
Even as I asked, her steps didn't falter.
She gave Kayla a brief nod and led me out of the fixer office.
Clueless as I was, I had no choice but to follow.
The direction we headed was near the suburban area where my lodging was.
She led me out of the residential district with the office and into deeper alleys.
A damp, dark alley where even the lighthouse-like skyscrapers' lights barely reached.
The acrid smell of dust stung my nose, mixed with sewer stench. Unidentifiable filth littered the ground.
It was just the kind of scene those punks from yesterday would love. Sure enough, tattooed guys wandered in small groups farther down. But I didn't feel anxious. Esty was with me.
How long had we walked?
She stopped in front of an old warehouse.
The rusty, dented iron door looked long abandoned.
She approached and knocked lightly. With a heavy thud, an inner door slid open smoothly.
"Boss! You're here!"
The one who opened it was a rough-looking man at first glance.
Inside stood a dozen more guys who looked just like him—big, burly types you'd call "meatheads."
"You're here!!!"
They'd reinforced their arms and shoulders with flashy chrome cyberware for intimidation, but the moment they saw Esty, they bowed deeply in unison. Their synchronized greeting looked practiced a hundred times over.
Esty waved them off indifferently, without a word.
Only then did the gangsters straighten up and part the way. I stood there, jaw dropped, frozen in shock. This dwarfed the bewilderment I'd felt at Kayla's office earlier.
"...Boss? Esty? What the hell is going on?"
The warehouse interior was dimly lit by a few faint bulbs, but even a quick glance showed over a dozen men. All the same breed—obvious back-alley gangsters.
And every one of them regarded me with awe and fear.
Esty answered my question in her usual tone.
"It's a form of proactive protection. To ensure your absolute safety, Eve, we needed to eliminate anticipated threats in advance and secure control over your activity area."
"Control the area...?"
"Yes. We've secured the gang that holds sway over this street and several surrounding blocks."
So that's what she'd been busy with while running around at odd hours. It hadn't been long since we met, but in that short time, she'd completely taken over a back-alley gang.
The process surely wasn't peaceful. Just seeing the thugs sweat bullets and avoid her gaze told me she'd bent them to her will through sheer force.
As I struggled to hide my confusion, Esty got to the point.
"Now, we'll use these men to create a fictitious religious group."