Paranormal Link-35
With the immediate crisis more or less resolved, Blanca and I faced a new worry.
"Mom's gonna kill me...."
"Lopez Wife's gonna fold me in half...."
We were trembling after getting that call from Lopez Wife, demanding to know why we were so late.
"Mom has no idea about the chaos here, right? Right?"
"Maybe if we say the bandage is a fashion statement on my forehead, she'll buy it?"
As we desperately denied reality, the woman from the next room—who'd been quietly observing—finally spoke up.
"If you explain it well, it'll be fine."
True to her enigmatic nature, she showed zero empathy, like some faint-hearted freak who couldn't grasp human feelings.
"Blanca."
"...Me?!"
No, she wasn't just lacking empathy—she was actively shoving me into the pit of despair!
I yelled in a fit at her added remark, only to get a smirking sneer in return.
...What the hell? Was her cyberpsychosis flaring up, driving her completely insane?
They say doing something out of character means you're done for. Wasn't this kinda like that?
Something felt off about her, so I subtly put some distance between us.
"But really, Blanca will be okay."
"...I know, you don't have to say it again. It's me who's... "
I barely stopped myself from dropping a vulgar reference to a certain male body part and carefully chose my words.
"...fucked."
"That's not what I meant... I was saying Lopez Wife will listen and understand if Blanca's sincere."
"......"
Even so, Blanca clamped her mouth shut, her face gloomy with worry.
Well, she knew that much, of course. It was just the usual kid dreading a scolding from her parents.
Ye-ran used to make that exact face when she didn't want to get chewed out by Lady Moyong....
Though over there, she looked more like a big sister than a mom.
"Don't worry too much about Lopez Wife. If you talk to her right, she'll understand."
"...Yeah, I know, but...."
Blanca let out a sigh and glanced around.
"Will she understand this...?"
"You can't hide it anyway. Word about the mess here will spread—through rumors or intel."
"...Real comforting."
"Real comforting."
Blanca hesitated a bit, but I openly snarked.
But this woman, the poster child for not getting human hearts, seemed clueless about the art of sarcasm.
She just nodded calmly, face straight as ever.
"If it's really what you want to do, just be honest about it. And if you're still scared, I'll stick around when you talk to Lopez Wife."
"...For real?"
"Yeah."
Did the idea of having company for the scolding ease her mind? Blanca brightened up, and the woman nodded back.
"...Then leave me out of it."
Seizing the moment, I raised my hand, only for Blanca to shoot me a look of pure contempt.
...Damn, she could make that face too.
"Is Brother Isan kinda trash, by any chance?"
She'd at least pretended to hesitate when snarking at that woman earlier, but with me? Straight fastball, no mercy.
This is why you don't raise juniors—whether sect siblings or blood kin. Another scar on my already scar-covered heart today.
"...Anyway, we should head back before it gets any later."
Blanca had gone quiet, focusing on something—probably another message urging her to hurry.
"So, did you find anything earlier?"
I sidled up to the woman as she walked ahead, asking quietly.
I'd seen her tinkering with one of the robots while Blanca was glued to her phone.
"......"
She stayed silent at first, only speaking once Blanca started her call with someone—probably Lopez Wife.
"No corporate markings on any parts. They're covering their tracks."
"So, a trap laid by whoever spread the rumor?"
"...No, not something a lone fixer would pull. And..."
She trailed off, staring down at her own hand.
The metallic lines revealed it: an exquisitely crafted cybernetic arm and hand.
"...Familiar workmanship."
I didn't miss how her eyes briefly scanned my arm and leg.
"...Is the Mad Scientist involved somehow?"
Her suspicion was too obvious not to ask. She stared right at me.
I was getting the hang of reading her eye movements, but her expressions? Still a blank slate.
"You think this city's short on mad scientists?"
I glanced at the distant cityscape.
Gray sprawl here, blinding neon there, towering skyscrapers everywhere.
Inside: mercs, crooks, psychos who can't function without swapping flesh for machine.
Pick out just the scientists, and you'd fill a truck with lunatics.
"...Fair point."
"What?"
Blanca, finishing her call, jumped into the conversation late.
"Just saying good work today."
"You two did all the work."
"Exactly why we were talking about it."
I brushed it off casually, eyeing my terminal as it buzzed once.
The woman, who'd been listening while stuck to chatty Blanca, met my gaze and gave a short nod.
///
In the end, Lopez Wife didn't fold me up, and Blanca didn't get it too bad.
When she first spotted us at the boarding house entrance—glaring daggers with those axe eyes—Lopez Wife's eyes went wide in shock.
"...What the hell have you all been up to, looking like that?! And you—what happened to your forehead?! I'm losing my mind here! Isan, what happened to you?! Oh god, look at those wounds! What've you been doing all day?!"
She fussed and hollered at the sight of us, but there wasn't a hint of real negativity.
She grilled Blanca about the forehead cut, sure, driving me nuts with worry over what could've caused it.
I got some flak too for being filthy from rolling on the floor and dodging blades.
But it was more concern than anger, leaving us standing there like mutes with mouths full of honey.
Especially me—I wasn't used to pure worry like that, so I just stood awkwardly.
"Forget dinner for now—go wash up first! All of you, to the bathrooms, quick!"
At Lopez Wife's bellow, the three of us scattered to our respective bathrooms.
Blanca and the neighbor woman to the main house bath, me to the boarding house one.
As I rinsed off the dust and metal shavings with lukewarm water, my junctions stung sharply.
Pain radiating faintly from the burn scars near the seams—like red lightning roots spreading like plant veins.
At Super Peak, would I just electrocute myself to death?
Not even Peak yet, so without some heavenly opportunity, it was distant. Still, needed countermeasures.
I wasn't about to end up like that idiot who tried incinerating his shit with samadhi fire to skip the bathroom and poisoned himself—or the moron who hit Super Peak and fried from his own inner energy.
Damn that Three-Legs bastard....
Root cause was the Mad Scientist, but couldn't kick a dead guy's ass. So, time to chew out the one still attached to my living(?) body?
I glared at it under the water for a while before giving up.
Not like it had eyes to glare back.
Fine, you rusty prick. At least it doesn't corrode.
That much was a blessing in this mess.
If it'd been rust-prone, I'd be down an arm by now. Or dead from tetanus.
I rag on Three-Legs every time, but better than a stump.
This heavy steel arm throws off balance a bit, but get used to it, and it's the same as flesh for centering.
Heavier's more useful anyway. Like today—can swing it wild in a pinch.
Not a real arm anyway, so who cares.
Costs extra inner energy for lightness skill, but pros and cons go hand in hand.
Last glance at the sturdy Three-Legs—barely scratched despite blocking blades—and I finished up.
...Fuck, that stings.
Stings on contact, stings wiping it off.
Burns are the worst wounds—no quick healing, pain worse than cuts.
Griping as I left the bathroom, I bumped into Lopez Wife passing by.
"Perfect timing. Come here."
Carrying an oval kit down the hall, she grabbed me and headed upstairs the moment she saw me.
Passing the bathroom still running with shower noise, she sat me on the sofa in the living room and opened her box.
First-aid kit, looked like.
Not brands I knew like MadekaX or HooXdin, but she pulled out ointments, bandages, tape, and slathered them on thick.
And I mean thick—no exaggeration.
"......"
Sitting still as she worked, I started wondering if I was some critical patient with grievous wounds.
Weird... Not even minor injuries, really.
Worst was a slight stab at the end, just a bit of blood.
Rest? Dodged well—paper-cut depth at most.
Or... was I hurt worse than I thought? Serious condition?
"There, done!"
She smacked my back—thwack—declaring treatment over.
Honestly, that hurt more than the wounds.
Probably the shoulder burn.
...Speaking of, need burn ointment too.
Noted it mentally as Lopez Wife spoke up.
"So, what exactly happened today? Gonna tell me?"
"...Uh...."
Payback for trying to bail earlier? Just me hung out to dry.
I eyed her hands.
No inner energy now—my frail body might shatter under one strike.
All I could pray for... was flesh and bone staying attached.