Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Most Enjoyable Shopping Trip
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"Boss, it's about time to head out."
"Got it."
The interior of a bright corridor.
During mealtime, with a veritable feast laid out.
The boss of Area 49's mafia, the Sparo Rapido Family, was enjoying some cyber web surfing when
a spark of curiosity struck her.
'So, who was behind it?'
Red eyes visible through faded blonde hair gleamed like machinery.
Hakuga Group? Probably not.
If it were those barbarians, they'd have dragged the bodies out and hung them up like laundry.
Black Star Society? Unlikely there too.
They ruled the black market zones and never strayed from the new city center—if it were them, there'd be noise for sure.
Which left...
'Yeah, I'm curious.'
Curiosity demanded a hands-on check.
Before heading out for the organization's regular meeting, she crooked a finger at her direct subordinate.
"Yes, Boss."
"Got something for you to look into."
"Just say the word."
"Eh, nothing major."
For now, it was just a matter of interest.
Normally, she wouldn't bother with a small fry like the Bogers Gang,
but a peculiar hunch was nudging her.
And besides...
'...Missed the fireworks. What a shame.'
She was called a terrorist for a reason.
She did love fireworks, after all.
God, that's annoying as hell.
How many times is it gonna ring?
Tapping my temple irritably, the voice in my head faded away.
I let out a sigh, but it was short-lived.
Seeing the devastation of the half-destroyed grocery store again made a vein throb in my forehead.
"...Hoo."
Calm down, calm down.
The other building got wrecked too, anyway.
The grocery store entrance was still chaotic.
A bunch of homeless folks had gathered, all buzzing together.
"H-Hotdog Man!!"
"Damn, if only that turret wasn't there, I'd check Hotdog Man's status right now...."
"If you're alive, say something!!"
They were worried about me after I shared food for just a few days. Nice folks.
If you ignored the sweat and grime, anyway.
"...But uh, can we pick up the food scattered here? It's all trash now, right?"
"This is Hotdog Man's condo.... Still warm."
......Never mind.
Where do they find all these bums?
I wish they'd all scram.
Then, one homeless guy with apparently zero conscience lit up with fury.
"...You fucking bastards. If you have even a shred of decency, instead of scavenging food, worry about Hotdog Man—."
Our eyes met.
I gave him a casual wave.
See? This is why you trust people.
He stared at me like I'd risen from the grave, clearly thinking I was dead.
"H-Hotdog Man...?"
"Thanks for worrying."
That damn Hotdog Man bit.
...Getting used to it was the real problem.
My name's not Hotdog Man—it's Abel Anderson. No, wait. Cheon Su-ho.
But no one would buy it if I said that.
I narrowed my eyes at the stunned homeless crowd.
"By the way, where's Liberra?"
"Liberra? Is that your sidekick's name?"
Most superheroes have promising sidekicks.
Batman has Robin, Joker has Harley Quinn, Superman has Kryptonite....
...Yeah, no.
Anyway.
Liberra was nowhere in sight, so I frowned a bit.
In a lawless hellhole like Area 49, her wandering alone was worrying enough—disappearing suddenly only fueled bad thoughts.
"The little kid who was here. About chest-high on me, cute face hidden under shaggy hair...."
Not much to go on, description-wise.
Maybe if she'd shown her face, people would recognize her.
Or maybe that's why she hides it.
"I definitely told her to hide here with Nova...."
"Who's Nova?"
"The turret over there."
"......??"
The homeless guy's eyes trembled like he was looking at a lunatic.
But a serious possibility hit me.
Even if the initial homeless folks fled when it started, Liberra not being here was odd.
If she'd stayed, she could've told them I was fine.
Then they wouldn't be wailing my name like this.
The thought didn't last long.
A petite girl peeked out from the back of the ruined grocery store.
Round yellow eyes peeking through shaggy hair.
"...Liberra! There you are!"
"Uh, um...."
Uh-um? Not stock certificates, surely.
Liberra trailed off awkwardly, shrinking more than usual.
"Y-Yeah...."
"Good job."
From her perspective, the swarm of homeless must've been terrifying.
Probably huddled in the corner, trembling and crying.
I pulled the (probably) scared Liberra into a tight hug.
Then patted her shoulder.
"It's all over now, no need to be scared."
"Uuuuh...."
"Hm? Something to say?"
Liberra fidgeted guiltily, like the food-scavenging bums, but it had to be my imagination.
Suspecting such a small, fragile girl was a sin in itself.
"...Nothing."
"Must've been scary hiding here alone. Or did Nova watch over you?"
I glanced at the turret on the ceiling, and Liberra replied in a shaky voice.
"Y-Yeah...."
And the turret twitching wildly.
[...Du?! Du! Dudu!!]
Nodding, shaking side to side.
But deciphering the turret's text gibberish was near impossible.
Probably meant it took good care of her.
[......Du.]
As the turret's lens glowed redder,
I comforted Liberra with shoulder pats and turned back to the gathered homeless.
"Hotdog Man, I knew you'd pull through!"
"Heroes don't die. Common knowledge, right?"
"Phew, we were really worried."
Autographs? No thanks.
I wanted to say that to the crowding bums, but they were here out of worry (for me or the food).
"Grocery store's closing temporarily."
My bombshell announcement dropped.
"...Can't be helped. Entrance is totally smashed."
"Still, we ate well for a few days...."
Their faces fell into gloom.
But this wasn't the end!
"That said, the warehouse has products expiring right this second."
"D-Does that mean...."
Gloom turned to anticipation.
Think about it.
Business was dead either way—door open or smashed.
"So from now on, meet at the back lot instead of the entrance."
Might as well share the unsellables.
Brief silence.
Then.
"Hotdog Man! He's a god!!"
"Hotdog Punch! Hotdog Kick! Hotdog Bomber!"
"Hotdog Man! Hotdog Man! Hotdog Man!"
I fled the cheering horde.
Go take a shower, seriously.
Still.
Couldn't leave the entrance like that forever.
Fine dust blowing in through the hole.
At least ventilation was sorted.
"Let's see."
I checked the business card I'd stashed away—the Boss's, Christine's.
Jet-black card, no name, just a few numbers.
'Probably her terminal number.'
Business barely started, and now the entrance was trashed—sorry to report, but
no other options came to mind.
The homeless? Expecting anything from those parasites?
To contact Christine, I needed a terminal first.
Better to get one now than borrow.
Couldn't stay phoneless forever.
"...You really don't have a smart chip?"
Felt like my kid nephew asking, "Uncle doesn't even have a smartphone?"
"Implants creep me out a bit."
"...Then you'll need an old-model terminal. But for those, you gotta leave the old city and head to the new city."
"Fair enough."
No proper shops around here.
The homeless overflow said it all—this was a forsaken corner of Area 49.
"And um.... The new city outskirts might be even more dangerous than here."
Worry flickered in Liberra's upturned eyes.
But who am I?
The man who toppled the Bogers Gang barehanded.
"So stick close to me—."
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
She froze mid-sentence, like a glitch.
"What?"
"N-Nothing. I won't stray."
"Good. Want me to hold your hand?"
My little sister had a cute phase like this too....
I recalled my sister at 144 months—peak adorableness.
(Erased everything after.)
The cute angel turned into a monster calling me "bro" for allowance....
Anyway.
"Here? Hand."
I offered my hand to the kid I was supposed to look after.
Can't have her getting lost.
"Eep, o-okay...."
She seemed a tad embarrassed, sure.