Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Talking Machine (4)
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Basically, my daily life was largely confined to inside the grocery store.
The extent of going out was just stepping into the vacant lot behind the building.
It was practically no different from going out to breathe in the dust-filled wind.
If someone asked why my routine had become so monotonous.
First, there was the security issue,
second, there wasn't really anything to do even if I went out,
and finally, the biggest reason was that I'd recently succeeded in acquiring a terminal, allowing me to access the so-called cyber web—the cyberpunk version of the internet.
Since I'd ended up living in this world,
shouldn't I start by figuring out what kind of place this is?
"I pulled some aggro just to show you this..."
[What are you doing right now?]
"Trolling."
[...??]
Of course, I didn't devote 100% of my time to gathering information.
Comparing myself when I first fell into this world to now, it's not a world of difference, but I could say it's at least like comparing a bean sprout to a tree.
'This dopamine hit is intense.'
I was enjoying an internet news article—real or fake, who knows—about how, as part of a corporate war, someone had slammed a bunker buster into another company's headquarters rooftop.
Ding-a-ling.
The sound of the building's entrance door opening reached me.
Yes.
Finally fixed. The grocery store entrance.
And even cleaner than before.
Honestly, I thought it would take a bit longer, but some weird-looking machine or drone came and fixed it in a flash.
For someone like me who expected interior workers or day laborers, it was a bit disorienting.
Anyway.
I gazed at the entrance door opening with the classic bell chime.
I quickly scanned the newcomer with my eyes.
His clothes looked a bit worn, but he didn't seem like the typical neighborhood homeless person wandering around.
A man in what was probably once a white suit, neatly dressed, glanced around before spotting me at the counter and grinning.
Finally, my first customer.
I felt a surge of quiet excitement inside.
"Welcome—"
"A plump sex toy you can play with all day for just 300 dollars. How about it?"
"......"
I immediately shut my mouth.
No, damn it.
Not a customer—a peddler.
'Is this guy messing with me right now...'
My face naturally scrunched up.
It felt like dozing peacefully on a weekend nap, only for someone to ring the doorbell, and when I go out, it's those aunties saying, "Come to church~."
Other variants include voice phishing calls, insurance sales, and ARS surveys.
I suppressed my anger and slowly opened my mouth calmly.
"Not interested."
"Aw, come on."
"Not buying. Not looking. Not going. Not leaving?"
"Hey, calm down and hear me out. These ones have all-new skin parts replaced—no ugly bits, perfectly clean. Skin's super soft and firm. Tempted yet?"
The man's hand gestured in an inappropriate shape.
Tempted my ass...
It'd be a lie to say I had zero interest, but giving in to lust over that would make me less civilized than a monkey.
"300 dollars is 150 hotdogs. That's enough for me to eat heartily for 5 days alone."
"If 300's too pricey, I can go down to 250—, wait. 5 days?"
"Shut up."
I waved my hand dismissively.
"If you're not a customer, get out."
"I can match any taste you want! Slender? Glamorous? Or do you care about the numbers on the chest? Even a bit hardcore is fine. Come on, tell me secretly..."
The man's head tilted upward more and more as he kept yapping.
[Dyu.]
A turret the size of his body had appeared from the previously empty ceiling.
Hard not to notice.
"Wha— a turret that'd only be in government facilities..."
I knew from experience.
The moment that turret targeted you, you couldn't even open your mouth.
The destructive power of a 20mm caliber turret was that formidable.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down the man's forehead.
I slowly began counting down.
"...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4."
"I-I'm going!!"
Hearing the numbers speed up, the man bolted in panic.
Now equipped with sudden manners, he probably wouldn't come back.
The grocery store fell quiet again.
A business card lay discarded on the floor, seemingly dropped by the man.
Accidentally or left on purpose?
No way to know, but his sales spirit was truly admirable.
I bent down and picked up the fallen card.
'...Hole Paradise.'
Pretty straightforward naming.
Not particularly clever.
Falling into a game world, and all sorts of crazy things happen...
'Numbers on the chest, my ass.'
This isn't Total Recall.
I crumpled the card and pocketed it.
At that moment, Nova's voice came from the speaker on the counter.
[May I ask why you're keeping that waste item separately?]
"Gonna throw it out later. Can't leave trash on the floor."
[...Understood.]
Nova, knowing how serious I am about cleaning the store, quietly accepted.
I was a bit curious about android hookers, but I would never call the number on that card for such a purpose.
Unless it was perfectly safe and legal.
......
Anyway, that was that.
* * *
The vacant lot behind the grocery store.
I was spending time there as usual, handing out food (to Michael) to the homeless folks who'd turned it into their hideout.
"...Hm?"
Then I noticed something.
Someone wrapped head to toe in rags close to tatters.
Not particularly because of the outfit.
It was a style you saw sneakily often among the homeless.
Just...
I spotted something odd.
'Just staring at the food.'
Normally, the homeless who came for expired groceries devoured them the moment they got them.
Compared to scavenging rotten food from trash cans,
or buying mystery meat skewers from street vendors in the old district,
corporate food past its sell-by date but still within consumption date was far better.
However.
This person just held the food, staring blankly, with no intention of eating.
Perhaps noticing I was watching, Liberra appeared silently behind me and spoke.
"Is something wrong?"
"Whoa, you scared me."
It felt oddly familiar.
The gloomy voice that immediately followed.
"......Sorry."
"No, no, that's not what I meant."
I barely grabbed Liberra as she tried to vanish again.
Why is this kid so fast?
Liberra's presence was so faint that if I didn't keep her in sight, I'd lose her instantly.
Maybe because she's small...
Her bushy hair hid her cute face, making expressions hard to read, but she probably looked like a scolded child pouting.
I naturally picked up Liberra and sat her on my lap.
"......!!!"
The kid tried to spring away like a coil, but as I started petting her head, she hunched her shoulders and shrank back.
"Seeing that girl act so tame..."
"...Your tastes really are weird. Maybe those rumors from the gang meeting are true."
For some reason, the homeless folks around us—actually, me—started trembling in their eyes.
But since I'd basically raised Liberra like a little sister, taking care of a kid felt completely normal to me.
Sizzle...
With Liberra steaming hot on my lap—like that's the onomatopoeia for it—
I turned back to the mysterious homeless person.
Why the staring contest with perfectly good food...?
He seemed to steel himself with a nod, then opened his mouth wide.
And then.
After chewing for a while, he spat it back out.
"Wha—what the hell's that guy..."
Killing intent rippled through the gazes of the surrounding homeless.
Some even naturally drew pipes from their waistbands...
Finely chewed food bits plopped onto the ground.
I set down the frozen-like Liberra—cold as ice despite the heat—where I'd been sitting.
Then slowly walked toward the person.
"Looks like Hotdog Man's handling this himself."
"...Is that really Hotdog Man? The one who took down the Bogers Gang alone?"
"That's what I said."
Man, someone fix this nickname.
There were still many faces I didn't know among the homeless, but hearing their talk, I could see why rumors about me were spreading weirdly.
"...Uh, um, excuse me."
The voice from inside the rag was surprisingly soft.
Like Liberra's, almost girlish.
But I focused elsewhere.
"As I thought."
"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to waste the food on purpose."
"You're an android, alright."
"......!!"
No heartbeat at all.
Like standing in front of an electric car, only silence emanated.
Beyond her deeply bowed head, metal gleamed.
After some android recently caused a scene and left, androids' image among the homeless had hit rock bottom.
The hostility in their gazes thickened.
Unaware, the android girl muttered in panic.
"I-I'm really sorry. Truly. I know I shouldn't take it, but I just... couldn't help it."
"No, that's fine, but..."
Unlike the last one who took over a box,
what bugged me was,
her effort to swallow food despite knowing she couldn't eat it.
"Why try to eat the food—"
As I started to ask,
"Anna!!"
A fairly familiar voice rang in my ear.
"Please, if you're not even here..."
The frantic voice's owner kept looking around, then spotted me and froze.
I tilted my head at him.
"Walter?"
"You..."
The old man who ran the recycle shop nearby looked at me, then froze at the rags in front of me.
His expression was indescribable.
Relief, shock, anger, sadness.
A torrent of emotions flashed by.
I nodded toward the android in front of me.
"You know this kid?"
"That child is, well..."
His usual gruff demeanor gone,
just a trembling old man remained.
His shaky voice continued haltingly.
"M-My daughter..."
"......Pardon?"
Didn't he say he was single last time?
An android daughter? What?
I knew cyberpunk tech had reached space, but birthing machine kids? News to me.
But even so,
the homeless around us didn't seem pleased.
Like the stares at that mafia party.
As if looking at a crazy guy... no, that'd make me the crazy one.
Just say it's not goodwill.
Anyway, in the increasingly awkward atmosphere...
I scratched my head and,
casually pointed at the grocery store while looking at Walter and the girl android.
"...Let's talk inside first."