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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Even in Little Shinjuku, considered the most bustling place in the City Center district of the lower levels, the undisputed most noisy and vibrant place was the black market known as Vanta Market.
And as such a place, Vanta Market was home to more people with unspeakable pasts than anywhere else.
This was also true for the old man of the antique shop, known by the false name ‘Tencho’ (店長 – shop manager).
Explaining his past would require reading through all the diaries he wrote every night (equivalent to three books).
It goes without saying how many hidden pasts he had.
His real name was Hei Qiu, and the fact that he was on the wanted list of the Chinese mafia corporation, Heishuqwai, was a secret even his closest neighbors didn’t know.
If even Tencho, himself, was like that,
it was clear that the others who had drifted here would also have similarly unsavory pasts.
Perhaps that was why
the old man could confidently say he was better at judging character than most.
Of course, he couldn’t know everything about a person based on first impressions alone,
but he rarely forgot a face once he had seen it,
and his gut feeling was seldom wrong, which further bolstered his confidence.
And because of that, he could shout harshly at the customer who walked through the door.
“Get out.”
“…E-Excuse me, old man. I came here before.”
The man seemed to say something in response, but the old man didn’t hear him.
The very fact that this man was walking around Vanta Market with a woman in a ‘white maid outfit’ proved that he wasn’t normal.
“You trashy otaku!”
It seemed the old man had picked up some Japanese.
His words were translated and conveyed directly to the man through the translation module.
The man, Lee Shiun, sighed and held his head in his hands. That came next.
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Surprisingly, the misunderstanding was cleared up sooner than I expected.
Of course, it was also thanks to my vehement protests of innocence.
Perhaps he still remembered my face.
The old man, regaining his composure and recognizing me, nodded in acknowledgment.
That was a close call.
I asked the old man, who was sitting exhausted in a chair behind the counter,
“…I was wondering if you had the hardware for the ‘net connection device’ I bought last time.”
In other words, I was asking if he had an old computer.
The old man slowly nodded.
“Hmm, there’s been a lot of people looking for those devices lately, so I’ve been keeping them aside.”
Perhaps because of his efforts to prevent perverts from entering his store.
The old man groaned as he tried to get up from his chair. His trembling hands gripped and then released the back of the chair.
Seeing the old man’s state, the ‘Confucian scholar’ within me regained consciousness.
‘You fool! How can someone raised in a Confucian society not assist an elder when they struggle to rise?!’
Oh dear, had I become tainted by cyberpunk culture?
I hurriedly approached the old man.
I tried to offer my shoulder for support.
“…No, it’s alright. You’ll find them in the corner over there.”
At the old man’s refusal, I stopped.
The ‘Confucian scholar’ within me cried out again.
‘Go!! How dare you ask an elder with a frail body to guide you?! Are you truly someone raised in a Confucian society─.’
Ugh, what am I supposed to do?
I shook my head, ignoring the voice in my head.
I bowed my head to the old man.
Actually, I also preferred to leisurely browse the store rather than having someone guide me.
I called out to Eve, who was looking around the antique shop.
“Eve.”
“I was awaiting your command.”
Until I called her, Eve had been observing ‘something’ that resembled a ‘dried frog’ hanging from the ceiling.
It looked like a frog, but it had several extra legs, so it wasn’t any frog I knew.
Anyway, I led Eve in the direction the old man had indicated.
As it was known as the largest antique shop in Vanta Market, the variety of items on display was vast.
Of course, we had come with the clear objective of finding an ‘old computer,’ but I couldn’t help but be drawn to the unique items along the way.
Eve, too, seemed to find this space novel,
as she continued to look around, her eyes darting about.
“Wow, they even have this.”
I said, lifting a ‘cannon-shaped arm’ cyberware that was on display.
Seeing its bizarre form, Eve added,
“A highly inefficient design.”
“Ah, you don’t know this? This is called a ‘Rock Buster.’”
It was something worn by someone called ‘Rock Man.’
……Of course, it probably wasn’t a real product name.
It was just proof that someone in this world shared a similar romantic ideal.
There are crazy people everywhere who want to turn their hands into cannons.
I then spotted something else and said,
“They even have a really old game console! It wasn’t here last time I visited.”
It was a device needed to play retro graphic games.
Retro games had a deep connection to cyberpunk culture, but the cold reality was that even if you went to an arcade in this world,
you couldn’t find games with similar designs.
I never thought I’d find one here.
Next to it were several ‘cartridges’ that seemed to be game titles.
…Hmm.
Alright, I’ve decided.
I’ll buy it on my way home.
With that thought, I put the game console back in its original place. Finding an old computer was the priority.
Perhaps because it was an old antique shop,
browsing around was quite enjoyable.
Just as my gaze was being caught by something new every three steps or so, we arrived at the corner the old man had directed us to.
Keyboards and monitors were piled haphazardly on the floor.
The brands all seemed different, and their conditions varied greatly.
I expressed my honest feelings,
“…Finding a working one among these will be a chore.”
It wasn’t this bad when I bought mine.
The old man’s explanation about the increased demand made sense.
But perhaps that was just my worry.
Eve maintained her usual impassive expression.
Not only that, but I could sense a hint of excitement from her.
Eve looked at me and confidently declared,
“It is alright.”
…….
…Don’t tell me.
Is it what I think it is?
No, that’s impossible.
Could she really check the condition of ‘old computers’ externally by hacking them, even though they weren’t turned on, not connected to any wires, and not transmitting any signals?
No matter how I thought about it, it was impossible within the realm of my common sense.
As expected of a Super AI. She seemed to have no limits.
…Amazing, Eve.
Of course, that thought quickly vanished.
It happened after I saw Eve returning with dozens of wires, converters, and connectors after asking the old man for them.
“Ah.”
Incidentally, electronic device connectors weren’t standardized in this world.
It was easier to think of it as the result of crazy corporate cartels solely focused on making credits.
There was no convenient USB-C type.
I fell silent.
“…….”
“It will be quick if we do it together.”
Eve’s expressionless face, as she looked at me, seemed to radiate a halo.
Her expression remained the same, but she seemed to be looking forward to it.
Although it was probably an unconscious action, she was nodding very slightly.
…….
So, she was planning to check and connect every single one.
In the end, there was nothing I could do. I squatted down in the corner and started checking the devices with Eve.
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To put it simply, it felt like my eyes were going to pop out.
I wondered if I should stop by Drem’s place on the way back and get my ocular implants scaled.
About an hour later, we finally found ‘cables’ and ‘input/output devices’ in working order.
As I stood up, a loud cracking sound emanated from my spine, echoing through the antique shop.
“Ugh.”
Moments like these reminded me of my trash-like physical constitution.
I’m dying, I’m dying.
I turned my head slightly to look at Eve.
There she was, gazing down at the monitor, keyboard, and other devices with sparkling eyes (subjective).
…Well, this wasn’t much of a hardship.
“Please pack these.”
“Yeah, he’ll have cardboard boxes.”
I tried to help Eve lift the devices in front of her. However, Eve had already lifted the old devices with a swift motion.
…Come to think of it, this was the same Eve who sent that Ko-ozaka Koichiro guy flying several meters with a single punch.
She didn’t show any signs of struggle.
We headed towards the counter.
Before that, I made sure to grab the old game console I had found earlier. Thinking about it, going out wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe it would be okay to go out once a week.
But there was already another customer at the counter.
Was he a troublemaker?
The old man was trying to get him to leave with a troubled expression.
“Why would I look for a tactical drone here?!”
“I heard they have all sorts of things here, so I just came to check it out.”
It was the Information Broker.
Was he following us or something?
When we first arrived at Vanta Market, I had pretended not to see him and passed by, so he couldn’t have noticed us then, but
now, there seemed to be no way to avoid facing him.
And right next to me was a maid carrying large devices.
It was definitely not a combination that would go unnoticed.
The Information Broker, Underdog, looked at us while talking to the old man.
“But maybe if I looked around, I could find─, …Oh.”
But something was strange.
His eyes narrowed.
Normally, in this situation, anyone would be unable to take their eyes off the maid, but strangely, his gaze seemed to be directed at me.
What was this?
Did he somehow figure out that I was the one who destroyed his electronics?
That couldn’t be it. I did it secretly and anonymously, so there was no way he could know it was me.
But strangely, his reaction was definitely that of someone who knew me.
Was it just my imagination?
The Information Broker turned his head back to the old man at the counter.
“Haha, of course, you might not have it. Sorry to bother you.”
He bowed his head and went out the door.
He had suddenly become very polite.
What was going on?
While I was pondering this, he antique shop owner, the old man, rushed towards us from behind the counter.
He seemed quite urgent.
He couldn’t even get up earlier, but now he was running around just fine.
The old man spoke hurriedly,
“Hey! Run away, now!”
“Huh?”
What was this all of a sudden?
The old man, perhaps frustrated by my bewildered expression, explained urgently, spraying saliva from his long beard.
Some of it even landed on my mask. I almost frowned involuntarily, but I managed to hold back by channeling the spirit of Confucianism.
“There’s no time for a detailed explanation. That guy who just left is an information broker called ‘Underdog.’ Judging by his reaction, it’s certain.”
“Huh?”
I responded with the same word.
The old man asked me,
“Your name is Shun Li, right? The one they call the only magician.”
“…The first part is wrong, but the second part is right.”
It wasn’t Shun Li, it was Lee Shiun.
“Heishuqwai is secretly putting out requests for information about you to small-time information brokers.”
…Heishuqwai.
The infamous Chinese mafia corporation.
Why would they be after me─.
Thinking that far, I recalled a memory.
The corporate party.
The Heishuqwai tactical operations manager I met at Quantum Nexus.
His name was Hei Lü, wasn’t it?
…….
So, this was how things turned out.
“Perhaps because they don’t want to involve ‘Liu Xing,’ they’re keeping it very quiet, so not many people know. I know because I’m secretly digging up information on Heishuqwai.”
I nodded nonchalantly.
That could be the case.
Seeing my reaction, the old man pounded his chest in frustration.
“Why are you just standing there blankly! Heishuqwai’s tactical operatives could be swarming here any minute now!”
Well, even if you say that.
I naturally turned my head.
I looked at Eve standing behind me.
She had already put down all the old devices she was carrying.
Her face was still expressionless, but the feeling was completely different.
Even if I told her to run, I didn’t think she would listen.
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