Paranormal Link
The streetlamp flickered. "What a goddamn shithole."
North End wasn't exactly a hotbed of crime, but it was rundown as hell. The man grumbled as he passed under the sluggishly blinking streetlamp. Draped in gaudy silver jewelry, with a shiny silver chrome hand to match, this was the guy who'd tried to shake down Gustavo for protection money only to get his ass kicked by the beggars. His face still bore the bruises as he slunk through North End.
He never wanted to set foot in this beggar-infested dump again, but when it came to dodging the cops, there was no better route than cutting straight through here. The problem? There was jack shit to do. Your typical rundown neighborhood might have some junkies to rough up or other entertainment, but this cursed place was nothing but shuttered buildings and beggars. And unlike the vagrants in other districts, mess with one here and they'd swarm you—solo, that was more than a hassle.
"Fuck..."
As he spat the curse, nursing the throbbing spot where he'd taken a beating for no good reason, something pale and indistinct slithered out from the streetlamp's shadow.
"Wah?! Shit, you scared the hell outta me, you psycho bitch!"
He jumped like a ghost had popped up, yanking his pistol from his pocket on reflex. "Who the fuck are you?!"
The woman who'd appeared out of nowhere flashed a bright smile at the man aiming his gun in a sloppy stance.
"...What?!"
Is she a real psycho? He demanded again, staring at the woman who just kept smiling without a word.
"Tonight feels like it's gonna be a long one."
"...Huh?"
At the out-of-left-field comment, he scanned her up and down. Her clothes were ragged, sleeves frayed to hell, but up close? She was a knockout. His gaze traveled from her face down her neck and collarbone to her ample chest and slim waist—until her next words snapped it back up.
"Didn't get that? I mean a long night."
"......"
Her pale face split into a lewd grin. Seeing that smile, he instinctively glanced around. No one lurking. Even giving her a hard look for traps, she just came off as a slutty hooker flashing that grin.
"...I ain't too keen on this neighborhood myself, but how 'bout Chinatown over there?"
Her lips curved into an even deeper smile at his words.
"Sounds good. Night's just getting started anyway."
While his eyes were glued to those oddly red lips, she answered. "Heh heh heh, alright then. Let's go."
Grinning ear to ear, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist. From the moment they'd met, his attention had been hooked elsewhere—he never noticed. The thick smile on her lips never reached her eyes. Not for a second. How her fingers twitched like they could barely hold back, clenching the hem of her skirt.
Should've taken at least a day off yesterday. That was my 167th regret while slapping together the 167th sandwich. Sure, it was just external training, but it was exhausting all the same. For the record, skipping sword and breathing exercises wasn't laziness—Blanca had looked rattled.
You don't fix a troubled heart by swinging a blade around unless you wanna turn into a murderer. Like the woman right in front of me.
"Tame your inner demons."
"Hey."
Unlike last night's shaky vibe, she greeted me in her usual unsteady way. What the hell is this? She was wearing something new: a black short faux-leather tube top and an equally short skirt. A shockingly bold getup. Real embarrassing for a guy to see.
I'd thought she needed new clothes after seeing her dress's frayed sleeves yesterday, but this was a radical glow-up. My eyes had nowhere to land on that flashy outfit, darting around helplessly. Unlike my shoddy seams, her cyberware joints on arms and legs were sleek, mimicking human skin as much as possible while sporting decorative lines. And beyond that—the sculpted neckline and collarbone, the flare of her hips, that nipped-in waist and abs...
"Coffee and a sandwich."
Ignoring my staring, she casually ordered her usual like nothing was up.
"That's all we got anyway."
"Ahem."
Gustavo cleared his throat from behind. I pretended not to hear and kept making the sandwich. Perfect timing—quitting time. I grabbed an extra bun.
Heading out with the sandwich, she was waiting with her coffee. We swapped, then headed to the boarding house stairs where we always ate lunch. As I unwrapped and bit in, the damp tips of her faintly wet hair swayed in front of my eyes. Maybe it was my imagination, but I caught a whiff of blood.
"......"
"......"
A sip of coffee filled my mouth with that burnt-bean stink—tough call which was worse. Then footsteps came down the stairs behind us.
"Oh... wow..."
And the owner sounded just as awestruck as me. I turned to see Blanca frozen, speechless, staring at the woman from next door without blinking.
"Hey."
"...H-hi. ...Um..."
She wanted to ask about the outfit but figured it'd be rude. Or maybe she was just tongue-tied.
"So, what's with the clothes?"
I asked for her. Honestly, I was dying to know where the hell she'd gotten that. Sure, she could wear it, but compared to the plain, ragged dress from yesterday? Night and day.
"This?"
Finishing her sandwich and sipping coffee, she spun in place to show it off.
"Yesterday's got too dirty."
"Ah, yeah... but... uh... it suits you."
"Thanks."
Blanca seemed to settle on that after fumbling for words. It did suit her. Just caught me off guard.
Silence fell as we munched. Then Blanca piped up like she'd remembered something.
"Oh, you two free for dinner tonight?"
"Why?"
"Mom's inviting you to thank you for helping me yesterday."
"Dinner?"
"Yeah. She said thanks for yesterday."
"...I didn't do shit."
All I'd done was overkill after the fact. Telling the truth, Blanca replied with a laugh in her voice.
"You came running like hell."
"That flying kick at the end was pretty solid."
...The last bit felt like shade, so I stared at next door's face, but reading intent on that inhuman smile was impossible.
"Anyway, if you're free, see you tonight. 7 o'clock."
"Hold up."
I stopped Blanca as she named the time and slipped past us.
"Where you headed?"
"......"
She turned back with a kid-caught-red-handed look.
"Well..."
"......"
I just stared, and she averted her eyes, out of excuses.
"Yesterday..."
I opened my mouth for the "be more careful" lecture—then tube-top killer cut in.
"I'll go with her."
"......"
Go with her my ass. You're the scariest one here. I shot her a look conveying that, and she just smiled brightly again.
"Quit smiling. Gonna get attached."
"Really?"
"Nah."
I shot it down flat, but she kept grinning, linking arms with Blanca.
"You can relax with me around, right, Master Isan?"
Hand my kid over to a murderer? But Blanca—already a hostage—grinned back like, How 'bout it? Big sis has your back!
Wrong. She's gone. Stockholm syndrome!
"No..."
I was about to say hell no when—
Bzzz! Bzzzz!
My pocket vibrated.
"Alright, gotta go! See ya later!"
"...Hey!"
While I was distracted, Blanca dragged her arm-candy away at a run. My empty shout of concern trailed after the pair of brown heads vanishing down the street.
"...Hah..."
Handle this quick and tail 'em. Sighing, I pulled out my comm and answered.
"Yeah, what's up? ...What?"
It was old man Rom.
[You bastard!!]
Not just Rom—pissed-off Rom.
[What the hell have you been doing?!]
What now? I could picture his eyes bulging bigger than his tiny glasses without seeing him.
Trot-trot-trot! After sprinting a ways, Blanca glanced back, confirmed Isan wasn't chasing, and slowed to a walk. Melissa, who'd followed her lead, eased up too.
"Hoo, hoo... he didn't follow?"
"The other guy's pretty mad, huh."
Breathing hard, she teased playfully. Melissa stared at her flatly.
"Mad? Who?"
Rom grandpa? Nailed it, but Blanca brushed it off, wiping sweat from her brow and changing the subject.
"But sis, you're on vacation—sure it's okay hanging with me?"
"Why not?"
"Just... didn't wanna bug you while you're resting."
"Not at all, so don't worry."
With a soft smile, Melissa continued.
"It's been a while since I fiddled with implants anyway—could be fun."
"You know your stuff. Corporate researcher or something? Oh, no need to answer if you don't wanna."
She tacked on the disclaimer hastily, worried it'd offend. Melissa just shook her head slightly.
"Nah. Just... someone I knew back in the day loved that kinda thing."
Her usual smile held, but with a subtle shadow. Blanca felt a twinge of guilt—like she'd pried into something she shouldn't.
Pursing her lips, she forced cheer into her voice.
"Alright then, let's go!"
"Yeah. Your methods intrigue me anyway."
"But how'd you figure it out just from watching me disassemble yesterday?"
"Like I said, the drive disassembly..."
Chattering like old friends, Blanca and Melissa headed toward the distant Iron Valley.