Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Territorial Dispute (7)
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The Sparrow Rapido Family and the Hakuga Group had been locked in opposition for a long time.
Although the Sparrow Rapido Family, with its long history, held overwhelming dominance in most cases.
The Hakuga Group, having fully absorbed the old Japanese factions and moved into Area 49, was one of the organizations that divided the underworld into three parts.
The very fact that they maintained their influence and foundation against those so-called "mafia" was proof enough of the Hakuga Group's strength.
However.
Lately, strange rumors had been circulating among the organizations under the Hakuga Group.
- Boss, we've got a good job lined up...
- Don't you dare touch that grocery store.
- Huh?
It was a rumor related to some grocery store.
The two organizations, which treated terrorizing each other's businesses or hideouts as routine personnel matters, never ceased their attacks on one another.
Naturally, the Homeless Clan—which had recently swelled its ranks by swiftly gathering the homeless forces—and the grocery store had become prime targets eyed hungrily by the Hakuga Group's affiliates.
- Doesn't this look good enough? Why...
- If I say don't do it, then don't do it!!
- Did something happen last time?
They were even offering a hefty reward from the Hakuga Group just for blasting the building's entrance.
Therefore, it wasn't particularly strange that various large and small factions in Area 49 had planned and executed raids on the grocery store.
The problem was...
- I-I didn't do it. I didn't. I didn't see anything. I-I... B-Brother to the heavens!!
- Ah, he's freaking out again. Bring some Black Mamba Double mix!!
Even a full week after that.
The grocery store building remained perfectly intact.
As the number of unreachable organizations grew one by one, even the factions that hadn't attempted a raid from the start began sensing something off.
If it had failed, there should have been word of the failure.
If it had succeeded, news of success.
Some nutritious update should have come in.
Yet the reward from the Hakuga Group remained unclaimed, and the grocery store continued operating normally as always.
Just who the hell was protecting that grocery store that no one had claimed the reward?
"You ready? Dum?"
"Of course. Dam."
The mercenary group Dum & Dam, notorious in Area 49 for their ruthless methods, intended to find out the reason this time.
Their combat cybernetic prosthetics were in perfect condition.
The fingers equipped with the recoil control processor specially sold by Logic Systems moved flawlessly, and implants like the Aion sensor and synapse amplifier, bought on loan, functioned perfectly.
Though inferior to the special prosthetics available only to megacorp mercenaries or the military cyberware used by the city government.
On the flip side, if the enemy lacked city government or megacorp-level personnel, the outcome was obvious without needing to see it.
"EMP for the finale?"
"Included, right up to the anti-personnel mines. Perfect."
"Still, no letting our guard down."
"Aren't you the one being too stiff? Sure, a bunch of losers failed, but we can't think like them."
"I know."
—If only the ambush had succeeded,
things would have gone exactly as they predicted.
"..."
"..."
If the custom-made artificial intelligence hadn't luckily acquired a high-compute android body in time to hack the city's surveillance cameras and detect the raid in advance.
If the experimental subjects capable of assassinating a megacorp chairman hadn't been steadily patrolling near the grocery store.
If a particularly loyal corporate executive hadn't actually formed an organization of homeless people, stabilizing security not just in the blocks around the grocery store but in the outer areas.
Then they too could have succeeded in their ambush, just like the Bogers Gang's truck missile that had vanished.
If that had been the case.
"...Wait, someone's there."
"Hey, get your head down and stay flat on the ground!!"
And at that moment.
A ninja appeared...
The grocery store was quiet today as well.
No special incidents, no minor disturbances.
Of course, no customers either.
"So peaceful..."
It wasn't the kind of sentiment one would harbor in a game world rife with bullets and explosions.
But what could he do when nothing was actually happening?
'This is actually normal.'
Too many incidents had occurred lately.
Starting with the Bogers Gang, getting tangled with an unexpected mafia family, Anna suddenly kidnapped, hearing Liberra's circumstances, stealing a megacorp chairman's item from Black Square, and most recently, a cult fanatic causing chaos.
In the case of the Black Square incident, his own fault was clearly over 90%, but he lightly ignored the minor details.
Anyway.
Somehow, he'd ended up hanging out with homeless people who had various circumstances.
Thinking back to the day he first landed at the grocery store, this was actually the normal daily life.
'I still don't know what that ominous premonition from before was.'
But it hadn't come with something blood-pressure-raising like 【Random Encounter Occurred!】.
Having no clue what was happening outside, he fiddled with his terminal, focusing on cyber web gossip sites.
『Hello! The fine dust blowing in from Area 48 is as brutal as ever today! This is your transceiver tower guardian, Dobble-Dobble! Today, we'll talk about the noisy organizational situation lately—』
Beep.
『RBC News: Famous actress Yulia Volkova, who arrived in Risk City this morning, has canceled all schedules and secluded herself in her mansion—』
Beep.
『The power struggle within the Astra Group is escalating to extreme levels. Chairman John has yet to issue an official statement—』
The news today was all boring.
No new Mc&Ham hotdog product...
As he idly scrolled through the terminal screen to kill time.
Ding-a-ling.
The bell on the grocery store's front door rang.
No need to say it wasn't a customer.
"Out for a walk again today?"
"...Yes."
Liberra's calm voice was followed by Nova nodding as she entered.
The two had been going out together more often lately.
Walks that fun, huh.
"Seems more doable than I thought."
"Well......"
"Well?"
"...Yeah."
Unlike Nova, who kept a poker face, Liberra wore an expression like she felt a pang of conscience.
Aha.
He saw right through Liberra's heart.
"Should I come along next time?"
She must have felt bad leaving without him.
But the reactions that followed were completely opposite to his expectation.
"...It's fine! It could be dangerous—, I mean. Whatever. Um..., anyway, it's fine."
"Due to the current fine dust levels being extremely, extremely bad, users close to purists should stay inside the grocery store."
Sulky.
His shoulders immediately slumped.
No need to state it that definitively...
Well, no harm in the two getting along.
He shook his head side to side, brushing away the gloomy thoughts along with it.
Best to change the subject in times like these.
"By the way, have you seen that guy?"
"...Michael?"
"No, not him."
He continued casually.
"The guy I beat up at the church last time."
"Were you looking for me?"
At that instant.
A black-masked figure popped up right beside him without warning.
"Jeez."
"Jeez?"
—Almost decked him.
"Use your blinker when you move around..."
"I'll be more careful."
He hadn't even noticed he was right there.
'...When did he get here.'
Actually, he hadn't sensed the ninja's presence even when they first met at the church.
Walks around all cat-like, presence vanishing like a cat's.
As he sighed and patted his chest, Liberra eyed the runaway ninja with a somewhat wary gaze.
"...Yeah, I saw him earlier."
"Oh, then no need to explain."
"It's what Hotdog Man decided."
Liberra answered resolutely.
If only his little sister back home followed half of Liberra's attitude...
Anyway.
"Heard you got fired from the Hakuga Group."
"I quit of my own accord."
"Voluntary resignation means no unemployment benefits."
"...I don't know what that means, but."
The most intimidating-looking one among them crossed his arms sternly.
"I'll do my utmost to earn your trust."
"Thinking of changing your name?"
"Regrettably, no."
"Ugh."
How can a person's name be Cat...
Unnecessarily principled.
Anyway, they'd taken in the guy as a grocery store regular... no, freeloader.
Since he was formerly with a Yakuza organization, he hoped the two would be cautious on their own.
Adding one runaway ninja wouldn't complicate things in the current situation anyway.
Liberra's eyes lit up at his words.
"...Yes! I'll keep a close eye on him to make sure no problems arise!"
"No need to go that far..."
He answered nonchalantly.
"Well, thanks."
By the way, at that moment.
Liberra was planning to firmly put the "ninja" in his place who was encroaching on her position.
After Abel Anderson's request.
Liberra kept observing "Cat."
But even after several days.
She found nothing suspicious.
If anything.
"......Ah."
"Perfect timing. I caught this one red-handed trying to resell valuable food elsewhere, ignoring Hotdog Man's kindness."
"...W-Well done, but..."
Liberra swallowed her regret.
This was originally her job.
He'd been caught by her quickly at the church building, but at the grocery store, the runaway ninja (self-proclaimed Cat) moved needlessly faster and stealthier.
Only a change in mindset.
Not knowing that, Liberra found the ninja increasingly suspicious.
Even similar situations kept arising.
"Ah, Liberra wasn't around, so Nova and I blocked the intruder."
"...I-I was delivering meals to the kids."
"No worries. Everything we do is for Hotdog Man, right? Doesn't matter who does more or less."
"......"
An arrow pierced the heart of Liberra, who had been helping Hotdog Man with ulterior motives.
Of course, in most cases, Liberra finished the jobs much faster and easier than Cat.
But if the ninja beat her even once out of ten times, Liberra fell into self-loathing.
Because she was a being made by human hands.
Because it felt like she couldn't repay Hotdog Man's trust that accepted everything about her.
In the end, Liberra's expression darkened day by day.
But since she covered her face with her hair, almost no one noticed the change.
Fortunately, Kanpu noticed before Abel Anderson and leaned her face on Liberra's shoulder.
"Something going on lately? What's with the face."
"...What face? It's nothing."
"It is something. Tell me. What's up."
"......That's."
She was the first to meet Hotdog Man.
But her presence felt like it was fading.
So she was anxious.
Liberra couldn't voice such things honestly.
Liberra slightly misinterpreted her own feelings.
"...Lately, I've been worried about Hotdog Man's safety."
"Something happen?"
It wasn't exactly a lie.
Hostile forces had been raiding the grocery store for over a week already.
Fortunately, Kanpu didn't suspect Liberra's roundabout confession.
"Yeah, I've heard that rumor around too. ...Hotdog Man is such a kind person. Bound to draw attention."
"Yeah."
"What should we do..."
Liberra saw her chance and spoke up.
Having at least one person help with her tasks would be enough.
"Anyway, Runrun doesn't have much to do lately—"
"This is a chance for the kids to see the world—"
Differing opinions spoken simultaneously.
Liberra tilted her head quizzically.
"......Huh?"
My acquaintance who took on plenty of regular requests and maintained his cybernetic prosthetics diligently... He took the grocery store request with me and spotted some small kids nearby... Area 49 doesn't usually have little brats, so he went to pet their heads saying they're cute, even though we all told him not to, insisting it was fine...
He died right in front of my eyes... They snatched him up to the rooftop in an instant... Just a single scream left behind, and he's still not answering... Can't forget it... Don't go anywhere near there...
Suddenly, a call came from a scary person.
[Hello.]
"...Yes, hello."
He'd almost saved her under "Crazy Bomber," but fearing he'd really die if caught, he'd cautiously saved her as "Luciana," the boss of the mafia family.
She didn't seem to have any particular business with him.
[Just checking if anything's up lately.]
"Nah, nothing. Boring, if anything."
[......]
When he honestly said nothing had happened.
A brief silence followed.