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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Gazing at the illuminated monitor, I noticed a distinct sense of satisfaction welling up within me, a feeling I couldn’t quite articulate.
The ‘old CRT monitor,’ with its prominent moiré pattern, was enough in itself to help me forget my hidden longing, my homesickness.
On the screen, shimmering with a grid-like pattern resembling a mosquito net, an 8-bit programmed ‘plumber’ character jumped with a peculiar sound effect.
Deeyong, deeyong.
Crappy pixelated graphics.
Loud, low-quality sound.
Maximum possible efficiency.
For me, to sum up this game in one word:
“Supreme.”
It was the best.
So even in Cyberpunk, there’s Super Ma○io… I felt a surge of emotion welling up inside me.
I started playing the platformer game.
It was a ‘retro game console’ I bought from an antique shop in Little Shinjuku, the Vanta Market, where I went with Eve the other day.
Besides, there were still plenty of game cartridges left.
I felt my SAN value (sanity), which had dropped from living in the Cyberpunk world for so long, recovering.
Catherine pointed at a moving mushroom (Goomba, enemy) on the screen and asked,
“Do you get bigger if you eat that too?”
“Uh, no~”
I shook my head firmly.
Not all mushrooms are the same.
Andrea, looking at the retro game console with its connected wires, asked,
“Wow, how old is this console? Where did you even get such an old machine?”
“The antique shop I mentioned.”
I replied, pressing the A button, which was the jump button.
Being an old classic game, the only buttons were the directional keys, the A button, and the B button.
A was jump, B was run.
Finally, Eve sat next to me and said,
“Connecting 2P.”
“?”
At her words, I unconsciously turned my head to look at Eve.
A moment later, a green character, identical in design to my red character, appeared on the old CRT monitor.
Eve… how did you know there was a 2P?
Indeed, there was nothing the super AI didn’t know.
The monotonous BGM continued.
Beautiful women, completely out of place with this classic game, focused on the screen.
“…….”
Hmm.
It was a sight I couldn’t describe.
Aside from minor issues like my privacy, it was a peaceful scene.
None of them were idle people.
I couldn’t understand why they were here, watching me play a retro game.
I struggled to ignore the gazes I felt behind me and controlled the plumber character.
Ddu ddu ddu ru, ddu ddu ddu ru~.
“Wow, it’s sparkling.”
Andrea observed my red character as it collected a ‘star.’
Especially Andrea, being a famous singer, must have a busy schedule.
Yet, she showed no intention of returning to her own apartment on the same floor.
She’ll probably sleep here at this rate. I thought, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
…….
She’s not actually going to sleep at my place, is she?
Anyway, that’s that, and this is this.
For now, I decided to simply enjoy my nostalgia.
My plumber character entered the ‘underground,’ advancing the game to the next stage.
Just then.
A message popped up on my visual interface, a concentration of Cyberpunk technology, completely out of place with the retro game I was playing.
It was a message from the boss of ‘No Answer.’
Sender: ‘Natasha Petrova’
Everything okay?
I heard from the others.
I never imagined Smile John’s true identity was the chairman of Ko-ozaka.
I’ve prepared the next operation related to this.
Reply when you see this message.
I couldn’t stop the words from slipping out.
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, I forgot to tell Natasha that everything was over.
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Of course, from my perspective, I wasn’t entirely without excuses.
With Eve appearing, and my TV appearance, and going shopping…
I have been incredibly busy.
Who would have known things would end so anticlimactically?
It was the same when Ko-ozaka William called me to ‘PeteMac Land’ afterward.
I just excitedly rushed over because he said he would give me a new outfit, and I never expected to meet Smile John there and have everything resolved.
Moreover, come to think of it, it wasn’t just Natasha I hadn’t explained things to.
I hadn’t explained it to ‘Drek’ or ‘Julia,’ who also knew about my relationship with Smile John.
“…….”
I briefly considered just letting it slide without explanation.
But eventually, everyone would figure it out.
Before I forgot again, I sent the same message to Drek, Julia, and Natasha, who had made me realize I had forgotten this fact.
I told them that I had received an apology from Smile John, or rather, Chairman Ko-ozaka, and decided to end things. That I had received a suitable (large) credit reward. And that I was thankful for their help.
That was roughly the content.
The first reply came from Drek.
Sender: ‘Friendly Cyberware Specialist, 24-Hour Consultation Available’
?
…….
Let’s move on.
The second was from Julia.
Sender: ‘White Rabbit’
I’m glad to hear that…
But…
I heard construction noises last time…
And I think I heard multiple voices in your apartment…
Could I visit you sometime?
…Hmm.
Coming from a wanted criminal registered in the NCPD database, it felt a bit threatening.
It was creepy in a different way than Drek.
I didn’t answer Julia’s question directly. I left a reply along the lines of ‘Thanks for your concern’ and moved on to the next message.
I’ll figure it out later.
The last reply, contrary to my expectations, was from Natasha, who had sent the first message.
Sender: ‘Natasha Petrova’
There was nothing written.
And a few seconds later, a new message arrived.
I’ll send Smith over now.
Let’s talk at No Answer.
Even though I hated going outside, I couldn’t send a message refusing to go.
And so.
“—That’s what happened.”
I finished explaining to Natasha.
A short silence followed.
My throat was dry from explaining everything.
I lifted the cocktail, which I hadn’t even taken a sip of, and moistened my parched throat.
Since I had explained everything from the point I kidnapped the vice chairman, it took longer than I expected.
The taste of the cocktail, watered down from the melted ice, reached my tongue.
I put down the glass, noticing the faint scent of alcohol.
“…….”
Natasha, wearing glasses, tapped her fingers on the expensive ceramic table.
Unlike the cheongsam she wore last time, today she was dressed in a neat suit.
Out of personal curiosity, I wondered why she was wearing glasses, but I wasn’t so clueless as to ask in this atmosphere.
Natasha’s gaze slowly shifted.
I had said it was okay for me to come alone, but her gaze was fixed on Catherine and Andrea, who had insisted on accompanying me, and finally on Eve.
Drek had told me to explain Eve, the super AI, to Natasha myself later, as he wouldn’t.
My connection with Natasha wasn’t that short or shallow.
So I had just given her the most thorough explanation I could.
“…Eve?”
“Yes.”
Natasha’s blue eyes and Eve’s white eyes met, as if in confrontation.
The boss of No Answer, Natasha’s sharp gaze was legendary among us, but at this moment, even Eve’s expressionless gaze didn’t seem to be outmatched.
I opened my mouth to change the atmosphere.
“…Especially, if it weren’t for Eve, I would still be fighting with Smile John without receiving an apology.”
Since Natasha seemed suspicious of Eve, I continued to defend her.
A moment later, Natasha stopped tapping the table and turned her gaze from Eve to me.
“…Well, if it’s your choice, I’m sure it’s right.”
“Huh?”
It was such an unexpected statement that I tilted my head.
What do you mean by that?
But was I the only one who found it strange?
Catherine and Andrea behind me also nodded at Natasha’s words.
Everyone seemed to agree.
What’s with this atmosphere?
“No, I could be wrong…”
““No.””
“…….”
They denied it with conviction.
Why did they trust me so much?
In Natasha’s case, it was probably because my mission success rate so far was 100%.
It was a burden to me.
I had merely followed the ‘sub-quests’ I saw in the ‘game.’
I just knew the hidden secrets and remembered the flow of events.
And
As my thoughts reached that point.
I felt a chilling cold. My whole body felt heavy.
‘…Ah.’
Facts I wanted to forget resurfaced.
I was just ordinary.
Was I really worthy of their trust just because I played a ‘game’?
My being with Catherine was largely due to that reason. I realized she was the ‘protagonist’ of the game and made an effort to be with her.
So I could reap some benefits.
Hiring Drek, who was imprisoned, and comforting Andrea, who was dejected after being kicked out of the bar, telling her she could definitely become a singer…
It was all because I knew the future. I hadn’t actually done anything in the process.
It would have happened anyway, even if I hadn’t done anything. It was ‘fate.’
I didn’t know what my expression looked like.
I felt ashamed to receive their trust, and self-deprecating.
I felt a wave of negative emotions and nausea rising from my stomach.
Ah, this is bad.
Even though I knew it, I couldn’t stop berating myself.
A cold feeling washed over me like a chill.
I carefully grabbed my coat and wrapped it tightly around my face.
After all, this wasn’t my place.
That fact simply… chilled me.
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“What bullshit.”
Drek said.
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