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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Fragmented memories flashed by like a panorama.
Blood and revenge.
A rainy day and love.
And a mage.
Maya felt as though she had awakened from a long dream.
Her mind was hazy, like someone who had been connected to virtual reality for a long time, and the detached sense of reality felt awkward.
Her arms and legs would not move.
It felt strange that her chest wasn’t stuffy, even though she wasn’t breathing.
Only countless bubbles rose before her eyes.
Maya realized she was trapped inside a glass wall filled with some kind of liquid.
She noticed she was in a place like a ‘laboratory,’ which she had never seen before in her life.
‘……A laboratory?’
For a moment, her mind went completely white.
“……■■!”
Even if she shouted with all her might, her voice did not carry outside.
The painful memories she had buried in her memory came back to life.
She wanted to curse her own misfortune and bite her tongue, but even that minimal freedom was not permitted to her.
In that situation.
《Hello~! Hello!!》
A bright voice, unfitting for the atmosphere, was transmitted to Maya.
《I came by because there was an abnormality in your vital signs, and it seems you’re finally waking up~.》
Maya moved her eyes and looked outside the glass wall.
‘…A noppera-bō (faceless ghost)?’
It was a figure of a yōkai that could have come out of an old story from Neo Japan, one that Maya’s father had told her.
A metal mask covered its entire face. It had no facial features at all, including eyes, and I had no idea how it was even breathing.
The yōkai, neatly dressed in a white gown that a scientist would wear, also had a androgynous voice, making it impossible to guess its gender.
《I’m sure you must be very flustered, is it a PTSD reaction~. Hmm, don’t worry. It’s not like yo.u were kidnapped, as it says in your patient records. Ah, in a way, I guess it is a kidnapping.》
The gender-ambiguous yōkai, who talked unnecessarily too much, introduced itself as ‘Dr Terra.’
《Believe it or not, I’m a ‘chief researcher’ at Monolith, you know? Hahaha, which means~! That this is inside a Monolith corporation research lab. Now, are you feeling a little calmer~?》
It doesn’t have a mouth, but.
《You probably don’t have a ‘body’ to move with right now since we’ve only performed the cyberware removal surgery, but don’t worry too much about that either~. I got permission to use the Chairman’s spare body bioware, so you’ll be able to move soon~. Tch, he wouldn’t even give me permission when I asked if I could use it for experiments….》
It talked too much.
For Maya, who couldn’t answer, it was an extremely perplexing character.
《And there was a cyberware implant that couldn’t be removed, but that can’t be helped~. So I have a question for you. How are you feeling right now? I think you’re probably fine~, but you never know. Ah, you can’t answer yet, can you. That’s because your oral parts have also been removed. Haha, just answer with your thoughts.》
Maya sorted out her situation.
Indeed, just as the yōkai said, her mind was clear, as if a contaminated filter had been removed.
The pain, like her nerves were being tortured, which had been tormenting her ever since she was ‘kidnapped,’ was no longer felt.
Except for her physical condition, she was completely normal.
《Thinking about what you want to do when you get out will also help with your recovery~. And now, after the bioware surgery, we’ll proceed with the drug treatment process~, I saw a paper that said it helps alleviate chrome psycho symptoms. Of course, the first author who actually wrote that paper is none other than me—.》
Dr. Terra continued the noisy conversation, but Maya’s mind no longer heard the yōkai’s voice.
‘Something I want to do when I get out…?’
When I get well, and nd if I get out of here.
I will—.
Maya thought.
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“……I am truly sorry.”
She.
Maya had changed a lot from the image that remained in my memory.
I recalled the most distant memory.
When I first met Maya, she was very bright, strong-willed, and characterized by a cheerful laugh.
Then, I recalled the most recent memory.
When I met Maya on a rainy day. Blades had sprouted from her hands, her personality was as sharp as those blades, and her smile was tinged with madness.
And now, her appearance itself was similar to when we first met, but the atmosphere was the complete opposite.
“…All my memories remain. I’m also aware of the fact that I made a mistake.”
“……Ah.”
I couldn’t say anything in response.
What to say, how to comfort her.
The words wouldn’t come out right away.
Taking a deep breath, she continued to speak.
“…Actually, I was discharged a few days ago, but I’ve been helping out at my father’s shop in the lower level. …Just in case some other problem might arise.”
It was obvious what kind of ‘problem’ Maya was talking about without her having to explain.
She must have been worried about the ‘chrome psycho’ symptoms reappearing.
“…Seeing your face, I do feel a bit restless. But it’s better than I thought.”
Maya gave a clumsy smile.
“Ah, because of my status as an escaped convict, I got help from Monolith to change my identity. ……For now, I haven’t changed my name.”
As if she was embarrassed to talk for a long time.
Maya said, scratching her head.
“…At times like these, I’m grateful for the city laws that work so sloppily.”
Was that her idea of a joke?
She had been forcing a smile since a while ago.
“Anyway, I did think that coming to see you like this might be rude, but… no matter what, I thought it would be best to apologize in person.”
Maya bowed her head to me once again.
“Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
“…No, you don’t need to apologize.”
Only then was I finally able to open my mouth and answer.
Once I opened my mouth, the next words flowed out of me without a hitch.
“Want to come in for a bit and talk before you go? I can’t just send a guest away like this.”
“…No, I just stopped by for a moment. I have to go help at my father’s shop again soon.”
Maya answered, lifting her bowed head.
“I’ll just say hello today and be on my way.”
With those words, Maya walked toward the elevator in the hallway.
What I should say in this situation.
What state of mind she might be in.
I couldn’t know.
When the elevator doors opened, my calling out to Maya was an act close to instinct.
“Maya!”
If I just let her go like this, I was certain I would regret it.
“……Yes?”
Maya slowly turned around and looked at me.
“Later.”
I said to her.
“I’ll go to your father’s restaurant for a meal, so let’s talk again then.”
At my words, as if she hadn’t expected it, Maya had a blank expression for a moment.
And soon, she drew a smile that looked the most genuine among all the smiles I had seen today.
“I’d be grateful if you would!”
I saw Maya off as she disappeared between the elevator doors.
I complained to the person on the other end of the hologram call.
“…Didn’t I tell you to let me know when you discharge her?”
[Hahaha. It completely~ slipped my mind.]
This person.
“What do you mean, slipped your mind.”
I rattled on with my complaints to Dr. Terra, the woman (probably) with a smooth, featureless metal face.
Even if I glared at the face of Dr. Terra, which was rendered as a hologram, I couldn’t tell what kind of expression she was making since she had no eyes, nose, or mouth.
[Still, the Chairman said so too, and I did my best to care for her as you requested~. The reason I didn’t inform you of her discharge right away was because she herself wished for it.]
I sighed at Dr. Terra’s answer.
“…Well, thank you.”
[This is no different from a thank you received with a twisted arm~. For your reference, this is a proverb, and its meaning is—.]
Letting Dr. Terra’s words go in one ear and out the other, I thought.
To think that this person is the most competent bioware expert I know….
Perhaps because this was the cyberpunk world.
It truly was the end of days.
I cut off Dr. Terra’s words and said.
“…You told her my home address, didn’t you, doctor?”
[I don’t know what you mean. How would I know the address of the ‘Mage’s’ house?]
…You would have found out somehow.
I managed to hold back my retort and spoke again.
“…Still, it’s a relief that her condition seems to have improved a lot.”
[To think you’re worrying about me like that—.]
“Maya.”
[…We even used the Chairman’s spare body bioware, so of course it should be~. And do you know how much overtime I worked because of that?]
“You live and eat at the lab anyway, doctor.”
[Ah.]
I felt my heart lighten a little at the silly skit.
But anyway, Dr. Terra shook her head on the other side of the hologram screen and grumbled.
[Really, you should know how grateful you should be that we at Monolith are taking care of you like this.]
“I am always grateful.”
[Haha, you should be.]
In truth, she wasn’t someone I could talk to so casually.
She was also the chief researcher at Monolith.
And that was even more so if one knew the fact that almost all implant parts developed at Monolith passed through this person’s hands before being released.
[Oh, right.]
“Yes?”
[Come to think of it~.]
At the sudden change of topic, I looked at the person on the other side of the hologram again.
[You appeared on a broadcast recently, didn’t you~?]
“Ah.”
When did she see that.
She was the type to tease me more if I showed any embarrassment.
I feigned indifference and reacted as if it were nothing.
“I can appear on it. It’s no big deal.”
[…Thaaat’s true~.]
Dr. Terra, who was rubbing her smooth chin while humming, continued speaking after a brief moment of thought.
[The call you were having with our Chairman was suddenly cut off, wasn’t it? And the entire NCB24 broadcast station building was also hacked.]
“……”
[Thanks to that, the Chairman almost dispatched the security team to the NCB24 broadcast station, you know~, hahaha.]
“…Hahaha.”
That could have been a real disaster.
[But you know.]
I suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
I didn’t know about anything else.
But usually, when this person dragged on their words like this, nothing good ever came of it.
[The amazing fact that our intelligence team found out is…!]
“…The fact is?”
[That the hacking signal came from none other than the ‘Mage’ I’m talking to right now!]
“……”
It was actually a natural thing.
Eve, who was not permitted to enter the broadcast station, would not have moved her artificial body, but would have received the signal from my neural computer chip inside my data module.
It wasn’t a strange thing at all.
[They said it was strangely difficult to track, but who are we? In fact, no matter how much you hide the clues, there are parts that can’t be helped~.]
But the problem was that ordinary people didn’t know this fact.
[I just told him you were on the phone. The Chairman said he’s a little curious about that part~? He said to come see him sometime later.]
Ah.
[I have relayed the message~.]
I just wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard.
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