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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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I laid in bed, ruminating on a sense of emptiness. The Smile John issue, which had been a persistent headache for quite some time, was resolved. The credits received as compensation were so substantial they made me question if my ocular implants were malfunctioning. The perks that came with it weren’t bad either. Yet, the emptiness enveloping me showed no sign of dissipating.
I briefly continued my train of thought, pondering the reason. Was it because, against my will, Smile John had both initiated and concluded the incident? That could be it. I had been running full steam ahead to resolve the matter, only to have the momentum abruptly cut short. It wasn’t strange to feel a sense of unresolved frustration.
If not that, then… was it because I discovered that everyone living in my neighborhood, including the grumpy old man next door, were hired with credits? That was certainly a contributing factor. While they were all terrible neighbors, I couldn’t say there wasn’t any sense of familiarity.
Moreover, after the Smile John (prosthetic body) came to my house and revealed the truth, I went to Bill’s house and knocked on the door, just in case, but there was no response. The front door was unlocked, and the inside was completely empty.
If not that either, then… maybe it was because I’d been going out too much lately.
…….
Maybe that was it…
But even that was over now. With most things revealed to be Smile John’s scheme, the likelihood of further problems arising was significantly low. I had plenty of credits, and the incidents were all resolved. It should have been enough to just laze around at home.
So what was this emptiness?
As I laid there blankly staring at the ceiling, Eve approached.
“…Would you like to play a game?” she asked.
I listlessly shook my head. Observing my reaction, Eve returned to her previous spot and sat back down on the floor. She could have played games by herself, but she seemed to be cautiously gauging my mood, and I felt a pang of guilt.
Of course, Eve’s existence itself contributed to my confused state of mind. She was the (presumably) only Super AI, an unstoppable entity in a cyberpunk world dominated by cyberware and electronics. …She even seemed to have become more advanced after acquiring a prosthetic body.
I had no idea how, but I suspected the body played some role. It was both grateful and unsettling that such an extraordinary being showed me favor simply because I brought her into the world.
Especially when we lay in bed together, trying to sleep (I don’t know how, but Eve sleeps too), Eve had stared at me in the darkness more than once.
She could sleep, feel her feet tingling from restricted blood flow, and eat. I’d even seen her tear up while cutting onions and cough like a cat when inhaling pungent smoke.
Honestly, even to me, her design didn’t seem efficient. All her actions seemed to mimic humans. What was her ultimate goal? Why did she manifest a prosthetic body with such functions and appear before me?
I was curious but didn’t ask. If her answer was something like, “To conquer this world─” as they say in Net broadcasts, it wouldn’t be easy to just laugh it off.
Frankly, even if Eve just declared, “Insignificant humans! I shall rule you!! Kneel before my Wisdom and Power!” there was nothing I could do about it.
Anyway, I didn’t know the exact reason myself, but…
I was wallowing in this emptiness, doing nothing but lying in bed like a larva, when—
Ding-dong.
The intercom startled me into sitting up.
“Ah, I’ll get it,” I said.
Eve also stood up at the sound, but since I was already up, it made sense for me to answer.
I checked the intercom and opened the front door.
“Oh, what’s up?” I asked.
“…I have a favor to ask,” Andrea replied, looking unusually hesitant.
I assumed it was nothing serious and casually waited for her to continue.
“…I’m really sorry, but would you mind appearing on the NCB24 broadcast with me?” she asked.
“?” I questioned, unable to believe my ears.
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Andrea stepped inside and looked around. Her gaze lingered on the double bed before moving to Eve, who sat with an air of elegance.
With a slightly displeased expression, Andrea asked,
“…Are you two living together?”
P“Uh…”
Come to think of it, nobody besides Catherine, who lived next door, knew about this.
To be honest, Andrea and I weren’t in any kind of romantic relationship, and this wasn’t a situation that called for excuses like with Catherine, so I answered without feeling any sense of crisis.
“Not two, but three,” I clarified.
“?”
“Catherine said she’s coming later, too.”
“…….”
Andrea muttered softly,
“…So that’s why you sent that message.”
With that, Andrea removed her cyber sunglasses, hat, and mask. The mask was the same one she wore when we went looking for Maya. I wondered where she’d gotten it since it was the exact same design as mine.
Andrea casually crossed her arms, her ample bosom emphasizing her figure.
Her deep crimson eyes met mine.
“Isn’t living with three people uncomfortable?” she asked.
“Well, what can I do? It is what it is,” I replied. Still, a friend is a friend. I thought Andrea was probably the only one who genuinely worried about me.
“…Four people would be oka─”
Andrea started to say something, then stopped abruptly.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” she said, waving her hand dismissively and changing the subject.
“By the way, what happened with that terrorist, Smile John or whatever?”
“Oh.”
The fact that it ended ridiculously easily thanks to the Strategic Asymmetrical Weapon (Eve) was something I hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Drek or Natasha, let alone Andrea.
“Well, about that…” I paused, thinking not about what to explain, but how to explain it simply.
“It ended well.”
“?”
She looked at me as if I were crazy.
Even with that look… It was a difficult situation to explain. Even I, who was directly involved, hadn’t fully grasped everything yet. Andrea, knowing nothing, seemed even less likely to understand.
“Suddenly?”
“It’s really hard to believe, but…”
“…It’s not that I don’t believe you, but…”
Andrea’s expression was incredulous.
I felt the same way… but that’s how it happened. It really did end.
Looking at Andrea, I reiterated, “It just kind of… happened that way. Thanks for your help, really.”
“…….”
Andrea remained silent, lost in thought, her arms still crossed.
Even if she looked at me with suspicion, my answer wouldn’t change. Even I didn’t understand it, but it was true.
In the end, Andrea’s response was predictable.
“…Well, good that it’s resolved, then.”
She nodded, as if trying to convince herself.
“So,” I said, trying to shift the mood and bringing up what Andrea had mentioned at the door, “What’s this about the NCB24 broadcast?” Asking me to go on a broadcast… if she weren’t a friend, I would’ve kicked her out right there.
At my question, Andrea seemed to snap back to reality. She cleared her throat and replied,
“If you’ve been on the NetSpace lately, you’d know─”
“Ah, I’ve been busy.” I hadn’t been able to access the NetSpace since the Quantum Nexus corporate party.
“…Then you wouldn’t know.” Andrea reverted to her uncharacteristic hesitant demeanor, fidgeting even more.
“I’m really, really, really sorry about this,” she stammered.
Honestly, this drawn-out suspense was more frightening.
“Just tell me what it is.” I needed to know so I could decide whether to run or not. I kept those thoughts to myself as I spoke to Andrea.
Perhaps emboldened by my words, Andrea took a deep breath.
“It’s because of the post on the Net…” she started.
“I told you not to badmouth people online.”
“…It’s not that.”
Then what is it? I waited patiently for her explanation. Honestly, in this situation, I felt confident I wouldn’t be surprised no matter what she said. Just yesterday, I had a confrontation with the chairman of a megacorp. I had nothing left to fear.
Seeing my composure, Andrea squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out, “A post about bigamy… it’s trending! There’s a rumor about you and me dating…!?”
“?”
Huh? Biga-what? Dating ru-what?
Maybe my hearing was getting bad. I’d have to ask Drek to check my cyberware scaling. I scratched my ear, trying to ignore what I’d just heard.
…….
Is this for real? I felt my mind go blank.
What was even more surprising was that Eve had silently approached and was standing right behind me.
“…….”
That was a little scary.
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