A Rainy Day (3)
A Rainy Day (3)
Let me tell you a story from the past.
This happened when I first entered Neon City.
I had just escaped the garbage dump and was wandering the lower levels as an unidentified mercenary with Catherine.
I once went to grab a meal after hearing about an Asian-run restaurant in the neighborhood.
Deep down, I'd been hoping for Korean food.
Contrary to my expectations, it was a cyberpunk-style fusion Japanese restaurant.
The food was surprisingly not bad.
I became a regular, showing up every day.
There was one female employee at that restaurant.
She was the owner's daughter.
Up until then, I hadn't thought much of her.
I just considered her a strong-willed woman.
We'd exchange silly jokes whenever our faces met.
That was it.
If I had remembered she was a character from the game, things might have turned out differently.
A few days later, she was kidnapped.
It was a common occurrence in the lower levels—but I hadn't seen it coming.
There were no clues, and my skills at the time were lacking. Her rescue kept getting delayed.
In the end, after a long time had passed, I barely managed to save her.
Maya—the woman known for her cheerful laughter who enjoyed joking around with the mercenaries visiting the restaurant—had her entire body modified with chrome.
From what I heard, she'd been forced into illegal jobs and experiments.
Only after seeing Maya in that state
did I remember.
That she was a character from a sub-quest in the game I'd played.
The quest involved dealing with a Chrome Psycho.
Would things have been different if I'd rescued her right after the kidnapping?
Or would it have been okay if I'd paid just a little attention beforehand to prevent it?
I ran through countless scenarios, but the bitter reality was already right in front of me.
In the end, it all came down to my own laziness and forgetfulness creating this situation.
'You came to rescue me, right? Right? I believed in you!'
'...I'm too late. I'm sorry.'
'No, you're not late.'
She was already broken.
'As I thought, it has to be you. I've seen plenty of mercenaries, but you were something else. I believed with all my heart that you would save me. But why did that woman come with you again? Why? Why are you together? Wouldn't it be okay to be with me now? I've become strong too. Look! No, this won't do. I heard from my dad—he said women need to keep men in line. If we're going to be together forever, all I need is your neck, right? Right? Now I'll save you. Stay still.'
Later I heard she was finally imprisoned.
It was one of those things you live long enough to see.
I thought to myself as I dodged the blades rushing at me like a flood.
6. A Rainy Day (3)
Let me tell you one thing: I'm never weak.
It was simply an unavoidable limitation of my role.
My role was ultimately to support the team or provide ranged fire support.
I couldn't hold the front line as firmly as the others.
So it was a given that I couldn't fight one-on-one on equal terms against Maya, who was heavily armed with full-body cyberware.
A sweeping curved blade came straight for my throat.
I barely stumbled backward.
I almost got split into head and body.
This is pretty tough, as expected.
The blade extended from Maya's wrist.
Small, long blades constantly slid in and out, fluidly adjusting their length.
To her, it was probably a half-playful gesture, but for me, it was a death sentence.
Forget a counterattack—I had no time to even gather mana.
But she probably realized she couldn't keep playing around like this forever.
Since this was the mid-level, Center Plaza, the NCPD's response would be quick.
So as time passed, her movements grew sharper and sharper.
At least, that's how it felt to me.
It didn't seem like we'd been fighting long.
But my body already bore many wounds.
My coat, torn in several places, fluttered.
If it weren't anti-blade spec, I figured I'd already be dead.
The continued bleeding was slowly becoming dangerous.
I opened my mouth, at least to buy some time.
'...How on earth did you get out of prison?'
I was honestly curious too.
Pelicanus was a prison for serious crimes, so its security would be tight.
Maya's red eye glow flickered.
At times it looked like she was convulsing, and the blades sliding in and out of her wrist moved unnaturally.
'I don't know either?'
It was as if that sight embodied the confused, tangled mental state of a Chrome Psycho.
Even so, she continued to answer my question.
'Does it matter who helped me escape? It matters. They gave me equipment and even told me your location. It matters. I'm grateful.'
...I hadn't expected that.
She said someone gave her my location.
I didn't know if it was true, but it didn't sound like a lie.
Lying was a basic survival skill for anyone living in Neon City, but still—Maya, whose mind wasn't sound, didn't seem like she'd be thinking that far ahead.
Did Maya herself sense something was off?
She kept twitching for brief moments. She also showed the symptoms of a Chrome Psycho, muttering quietly to herself.
I bought a brief moment.
I had to find some way in that time.
'...Eve, any good ideas?'
[I explain that the target's cyberware signal system is too congested to hack without getting close.]
'Then stalling is the best option after all.'
[However, I was conducting data mining based on the target's movements. Synchronizing with vision interface data... complete.]
As soon as Eve finished speaking, Maya rushed at me again.
But one thing was different.
A graphic of Maya's figure appeared through my vision interface.
A translucent form.
It looked like a predicted path showing where she would move and where she would attack.
That changed things a little.
Time was still tight.
But it became possible to dodge Maya's attacks much more easily than before.
I said as I dodged her attacks.
'Seriously, I swear. If I survive this, I'll definitely donate to your stream.'
[I quietly question whether that's just the credits I earned anyway.]
I didn't know about that.
'What are you saying!!'
Maya shouted at my mumbling self.
I still had no opening to attack.
To incapacitate Maya, I'd need to cast a spell with enough firepower.
But I was still busy dodging her attacks.
Even if I shot her with the pistol I had, it would be a miracle to so much as scratch her outer shell.
What was around me.
How much time I had left.
My brain was running at full capacity.
Then an idea came to mind.
'Why do you keep... dodging!!'
To survive.
Seeing me narrowly dodge attacks that had been grazing me moments before,
Maya's movements became more exaggerated.
Emotional excess.
A typical symptom of a Chrome Psycho.
I used a simple spell.
It was much easier now that her movements had grown larger.
An intense flash erupted from my fingertips, blasting through the street.
Special-made Flash Spell.
I hoped it would buy enough time, but unfortunately, her ocular cyberware seemed to recover far too quickly.
But it was fine.
Even just a split second of stopping her movement was my goal.
'I'm counting on you, Drex!'
At the same time, I clenched my fist tightly.
I saw my once-loose coat sleeve fill with muscle.
Muscles that instantly swelled.
It was a new cyberware implant that Drex said could even lift an orc.
It'd be nice if I could punch her face and try my luck at a knockout, but Maya, hit by the flash, was instinctively guarding her vitals.
This was also fine.
My target wasn't the vitals from the outset.
My swung fist struck directly at Maya's stomach.
A punch.
The first time since I left the garbage dump and the lower levels.
Crack—I heard the sound of my wrist or fist cracking.
Maya's body flew far after the punch.
Straight toward
the cyberware specialty store I'd just bought something from.
The automatic door shattered as Maya's body crashed through it.
As soon as the door shattered, the sound of countless turrets whirring to life echoed.
I'd confirmed it when I entered the store:
several turrets guarded the store instead of armed guards.
Since she broke in through the door, they would have activated automatically even without an employee pressing a button.
The ear-splitting gunfire of the turrets echoed through the street.
A heavy noise—it sounded like at least 7.62 rounds.
That meant even Maya, whose whole body was covered in reinforced outer shell, couldn't completely block them.
Soon after, the noise stopped.
'Did that take her out?'
[...No, I deny.]
Eve was right.
Stepping over broken glass,
Maya walked out.
I could see cracks and wounds here and there on her outer shell.
But she was much more intact than I expected.
'Seeing you after so long, you're overflowing with wild charm?'
That was the first compliment I'd heard since falling into this world.
I inadvertently nodded.
...No, this wasn't right. Get a grip.
The woman in front of me wanted my head—and she wanted to kill everyone around me.
I prepared to start round two.
With Eve's help, it was easier to read her movements, and I had inflicted some wounds.
I felt like I could somehow get through this situation.
But before the fight could continue, a faint sound came from between the buildings.
It was the sound of something flying.
[Information. I notify that the NCPD's tactical drone is flying in.]
That meant Chrome Force would also arrive soon after.
Maya seemed to have heard it too, as she scanned her wounded body.
Had she come to her senses for a moment after being hit by the turrets?
The earlier instability was gone.
'...Let's stop here for today, since my body is wounded. You don't like seeing me like this, right?'
With that, she lightly leaped.
She landed on top of a tall streetlight.
'Next time, I'll definitely come back.'
Without waiting for my answer, she disappeared between the buildings.
Watching her disappearing figure, I pulled out the healing nano ampoule I'd brought when heading out and injected it into the worst wound.
A sigh escaped my lips before I knew it.
'Hoo...'
I then thought.
Could I chase right after her?
No.
Considering her physical abilities, following her was almost impossible.
Then was it right to let her go like this?
That wasn't right either.
Because if I left her like this, the people around me could be in danger along with me.
'Eve.'
[Standing by.]
'Can you track her location?'
[Notification: the target's biosignal has already been stored. Affirmative—location tracking is possible.]
'Good.'
Then there was no need to postpone.
[Confirmed. I will begin tracking.]
'No, wait. Let me stop by home first.'
[I question whether there are more items to bring.]
'That's not it.'
I'd already brought everything I needed when I left the house anyway.
The reason I wanted to go home...
I picked up the bag I'd set down earlier.
Fortunately, the contents were intact.
There was a point to being careful not to damage the bag even as I became covered in blood.
Honestly, I think I took a few more of her slashes because of that.
'I went out for this, so it can't get ruined.'
[...]
First, I would put the data module safely at home, then start tracking.
Anyway, home was just a short walk away.
I decided to aim to finish the job before Catherine returned home.
* * *
Andrea came over to visit.
'Hey! I heard Catherine went out for a bit? I thought it was perfect timing, so I came over. I'm on vacation too.'
'...Can't you just go back?'
'No. ...What's this, why are you hurt? Did something happen?'
My plan to go alone had gone awry.