Opponent Color (1)
Through the lobby windows, sunlight leaked in and shattered against Helena's silver hair. The hotel's golden decorations, which I'd thought a bit over-the-top, suddenly felt like a temple enshrining a goddess with her standing smack in the middle of the hall.
So... I finally let the tension drain from my body after god knows how long.
Even accounting for that massive world war that set civilization back on its heels, there was still nearly two hundred years between my era and this city. If it weren't for the cyber revolution filling the singularity gap instead of some total blackout on electricity and machines... I wouldn't have dreamed of being this aggressive in my moves. I'd believed that fundamental disconnect would never fade, no matter how many familiar gadgets or systems I spotted here and there. That's why I'd decided to hole up in this hotel, which aped old-world design and service, even if just for a bit...
But the emptiness that even nostalgic furniture, interiors, and food couldn't touch melted away like snow the instant I laid eyes on Helena Valentin.
Ah, this is Neo Haven, alright. Dangerous... brutal... soulless, maybe. But without a doubt, the romantic world I loved most.
"……."
"……."
I'd been lost in a whirlwind of random thoughts for ages, but she showed no sign of budging from in front of me.
...Time to snap out of the escapism.
Why the hell had she shown up here, anyway?
...Vacation? Then why'd she grab my face like that? Do I look like a wanted poster to her? She was awfully gentle for that, though...?
One question spawned another, snowballing into a mess. Get it together. I had to.
No matter how welcome or magnetic she was, I'd sworn not to do anything that could derail the original story...!
Even this brief standoff we had going could come back as a massive storm someday and rewrite the whole scenario.
So, whatever the reason for this encounter, I had to wrap it up peacefully, unknown cause be damned.
"...Helena? Nice to mee—"
"Helena sister."
"......Miss Helena?"
"Sister."
...Instant, no-hesitation response.
But thanks to that, even if I didn't know how she'd tracked me down, I could guess why she'd come in person.
Anyone would get suspicious if some shady nobody with no known background or origins suddenly sweet-talked the family elder into putting her on the household registry as "family."
Forcing the title on me... it was like she was daring me to claim it myself if I had any conscience left.
...Denying the connection would be easy. I could say I faked the surname because it sounded good for my forged ID... or that I'd hacked the data myself... excuses galore.
But this was the proof cranky old Grandpa Heinrich had given me. Proof that Anastasia Valentin had a home to return to beyond the collapsed lab basement or some dream of a one-room dump. A family to share updates with.
As precious as the pistol and clothes I'd gotten from that nameless Carebot.
So I got why Helena Valentin had the right to be pissed... but I absolutely couldn't give this up.
"...Sorry. For real."
"...?"
I pumped energy back into my relaxed body and hardened my expression. Eyes are the windows to the soul—this made it clear I wasn't spouting half-hearted resolve.
"...I get it. Some chick who fell out of the sky rubs you the wrong way. I know I don't deserve to raise my voice when we haven't shared a single memory or moment. But...! But I don't want to say the name I was given means nothing."
"......Impressive. Where'd he dig up a kid like you...?"
A sigh of exasperation mixed with admiration escaped her at my rambling defense.
I nearly bit my lip but held back. If we were assigning roles, she was the victim here, and I was the perp. Appealing to emotion without logic? That was all me.
"...The Valentin name means a lot to me, and I'm grateful to Grandpa for it. I swear I won't exploit it in any way...! So please... let me keep it... as part of me...?"
Squish squish... pinch pinch.
Familiar hand movements I'd felt somewhere before tugged my cheeks just shy of painful and poked my forehead.
"...I get it now. My little sister's got zero listening skills. Big sis is here to drag her home before she gets in real trouble... Did someone abuse you and you ran away or what?"
"Wha...? Huh?!"
Her words overlapped with the night-fighting cop from before, resurrecting a hypothesis I'd scrapped entirely. Alarm bells went nuts.
I'd thought I'd botched the first impression... but apparently, we'd already made first contact without me knowing.
Once I realized that, I couldn't fathom what Helena thought she knew, based on her long experience and insight.
"Um... Helena...?"
"Helena sister."
Ah, twin flames were starting to ignite in her formerly expressionless eyes.
Fine, I got it—she didn't particularly dislike this Anastasia Valentin intruder.
...That was all I got, though?
"……."
"......Hurry up."
I dragged out the staring contest, now hopelessly lopsided. Her urging voice was sweet, but I ignored it.
It'd been nearly a month living in this high-spec but fragile body that could shatter if mishandled. The drastic body change had become familiar since the lab days, thanks to my brain auto-correcting distances... but the gender flip still left a bitter taste whenever I clocked it.
...Not denying the dark history where I'd leaned into it hard. Results were good—hell, perfect.
Just... my gaming tastes aside, my somewhat conservative mindset made it uncomfortable experiencing a full 180 in gender with so little agency on my end.
Up till now, it mostly hit near bathrooms (...), but one more thing just got added.
I could stomach being called miss or big sis by others. But hearing sister or bro from my own mouth? They'd need harsher trials than this...
"......Helena sister."
"……."
Somewhere between surrender and compromise, I struck a dramatic deal.
If she wanted elder-sister treatment, this should satisfy; if not...
"Helena?! Ow...! Ow ow ow!!"
"Haa... Bouncy when you pinch 'em—just like mine."
My cheeks burned like fire, scattering my pathetic thoughts to the wind. Her other hand ruffled my hair wildly—like she was out to break me, and damn if it wasn't working. Cheeks stinging, skin smarting, head spinning. Mercy...!
"...Heard you barely made it to the city this morning, then almost died playing mercenary at night. Grandpa grabbed you on the spot and said live together. Lucky I found you by chance—what were you thinking?"
"Sorry...! Sorry!! I'm sorry...! ...Sister---!!"
Pop! The Valentins clearly didn't skimp on corporal punishment in child-rearing—I learned that down to my bones.
The magic word triggered a sound from her elegant fingers I wouldn't have believed possible, freeing my face.
Absolutely not buckling to pressure. Only because it was Helena... and Grandpa had been worried.
...For real.
"...Enjoy your stay."
The beefy guards who'd rushed in thinking there was violence backed off at my shout and retreated outside. The witch at the desk was all sunny smiles, finally getting her show as she ogled Helena.
No... that's not it! Don't jump to conclusions—look at reality...!
"Th-that hand of yours..."
"...Nope. Kids who worry about others but can't care for themselves? Especially no."
Like busting a runaway teen. Dragged along by our linked hands.
To her—who shredded merc squads—my gun might as well be a toy. I tried half-hearted resistance, realized I couldn't match her strength, and gave up.
Fine... if my face explodes and kills me, even cutting-edge tech might not revive me. Lucky me...
Thankfully, something appeared to heal my shattered pride and embarrassment.
"Ah...!"
Parked at the hotel entrance was Helena's trademark black-red autobike. Tires wider than my body, massive frame—its cool factor was overwhelming.
Was I about to ride this...? My eyes sparkled briefly, but after a short deliberation at my excitement, she slipped her hands under my armpits, hoisted me up effortlessly...
And mounted with me cradled gently in front like a doll.
......God is dead.
If He weren't, I'd kill Him myself.
"Hold on, ...Anastasia? Where's your stuff? You checked out...?"
"……."
For a kidnapper snatching someone mid-errand, it was a surprisingly thoughtful question.