Chapter 212

“”…….”

– ……. –

Two people and two robots. A shallow silence lingered on a balance that seemed almost precarious.

It felt awkward for someone to spontaneously start introducing themselves.

At the same time, it didn’t feel right to say, “Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting you during your busy time~” and just walk back in.

Why? It wasn’t out of excessive self-awareness; it was because as soon as we opened the door, the head from over there swiftly turned this way!

To be honest, I only like getting involved in unrelated disputes as much as a fighting cock, and if I had known that earlier, I would have just stayed at home, wrapped myself in a blanket, and waited for the storm to pass.

I shouldn’t have waded into this tingling nerve conflict like this!

‘…No, so what’s going on here!’

Let’s take a moment to gather the scenery entering my eyes.

First, the figure standing comfortably at the open door of the counterpart’s room seemed to be a woman.

This is just a conclusion based on the slightly exposed jawline under a deeply pulled-down hood, a fist still speckled with concrete and glass shards, and the prominent chest. Of course… if something was hanging between her legs, she theoretically could be a man.

Delving into that would only lead to confusion, and I didn’t really want to verify anything… Hmm. How dreadful.

In conclusion, this woman had a tall stature that didn’t fit Engineer Plaza and boasted a physique that was as healthy as it was vigorous. Considering the damaged structures, it meant that a terrifying human who showed no hesitation in wielding violence was staring at me.

Since the gaze I felt from the shadows was too burdensome to just stay put, I subtly hunched my body behind Zero’s frame and turned my head away.

On the other hand, directly facing the unknown woman, the robot occupying the hallway was quite slender, giving off the impression that it wouldn’t be a significant threat.

It was a head shorter than our butler, and the design that had a display device instead of a face where a facial feature should be reminded me of a restaurant android, making it appear more harmless.

However, the vaguely familiar shape was a little irritating to dismiss it as an ordinary service droid… But anyway, that was a matter for them to concern themselves with. I had decided it wasn’t worth my interference and awkwardly tried to step back into my home.

I never thought they might actually have business with me.

– Nice to meet you, Anastasia! I am LN-0914, assigned to the door-to-door sales service you requested. I have brought the product catalog you requested. Would it be alright to continue discussing the details after entering? –

“Eh…?”

– ……. –

Door-to-door sales service? Me? Why??

Wondering when I had ever signed up for something so random, I glanced at Zero; he was also looking back at me with the same question.

Who in today’s world would deal with such a hassle… If it were cyberware, I should have received an advertisement or something.

…Or did I accidentally agree to a toxic clause while web surfing? No, that definitely couldn’t be it… Ever since my life changed after mindlessly accepting something like that, I’ve made it a point to read contracts thoroughly.

Additionally, it was strange that there hadn’t been any contact from the front desk, even if the visitor was just a droid.

The gambling reporter, who couldn’t let go of the interview opportunity, might still come to my house, so I had looked over the recent entry rules for this residence. Without a pass issued by residents, visitors should either wait in the lobby or inform someone — yet this robot didn’t fit either case.

“…If it’s not inconvenient, I’d like to explain further inside.”

A sudden change in tone from the mechanical announcement. A pale mask gliding past the faint screen.

There was no long coat fluttering according to the wearer’s mood, nor was there the intimidating presence of accessories or protruding parts.

Assuming all of that was stripped away and only the base essence remained, at that moment, the distinctive appearance of someone from Exatech, which one would struggle to forget after seeing even once in Neo Haven, overlapped with my sight.

It didn’t leave a terrible impression… nor did I have any particular memories of a bad connection; however, saying we had built a strong bond would undoubtedly be a lie.

At the moment, I could only think of this black-market executive visiting me after our paths only brushed each other as we headed to work.

With this identification, I could understand the strange excuse and the lack of communication from the plaza’s security system.

It wasn’t surprising that a professional hacker ranked pretty high, with access rights to my mercenary ID, made a point to send a reconnaissance droid.

“Yeah, well… it would probably be more comfortable to observe indoors than standing here. Shall we?”

– Thank you, customer! –

The moment I responded, the droid immediately switched back to the internal mechanical voice. Did it feel embarrassed after putting on a show?

Now that I knew the party with business was me, I permitted entry at the door by stepping aside under the pretense of ‘door-to-door sales.’

And it would have been nice if I could naturally close the front door once that was settled.

“Uh… um, so, hello…?”

“…….”

Somehow, even while a fake service droid was doing some ridiculous tussle over with the neighbor, it was exceedingly difficult to ignore the woman who was staring blankly at me without uttering a word of protest.

Were the odds too great to just let her catch me holding onto the guest of someone else’s house, much less having the audacity to perform an absurd display of force against a machine? Was I afraid of the repercussions if I ignored a strange person who seemed broad-minded and impulsive?

…Just a little?

However, the reason I hesitated to utter even a faltering greeting was simply because I felt, all of a sudden, that she was watching me as well.

Surely, Sir Léonard wouldn’t have misknocked on the door by mistake.

It was clear that she had crossed paths with me by chance or that she had an issue with the robot passing through the corridor… yet such a sensitive person suddenly became gentle upon seeing me? What could that possibly mean?

Let me reiterate, this is Engineer Plaza.

This is a hotel residence only professionals can move into unless, like me, a backdoor support has facilitated the original paperwork.

Rushing to conclusions would be dangerous, but… it was close to objective reality that most people living here were socially awkward recluses.

Thus, even apart from her hot-blooded tendencies and the impressive display of muscle in her fist, it could well mean she was merely a shy person unsure of how to handle communication with neighbors….

“Excuse me?”

“…!”

My hypothesis concluded as I confirmed her twitching, excessively checking her hood and overall attire in response to my cautious calling.

Oh dear.

I thought the intense standoff that seemed to have no resolution except a fistfight would end in such an anticlimactic way.

To ensure Zero wouldn’t get embroiled in a similar dispute later, I offered the best advice I could as a considerate neighbor.

“If you claim it broke from falling and crashing, the plaza will repair it as maintenance costs, so don’t waste money fixing it unnecessarily.”

“Ah… I, I understand. Thank you… no, I’m sorry.”

In return, she nodded and gave a stammered reply before quickly disappearing into her room… I was able to catch a glimpse of this somewhat clumsy woman.

It seems I chose my future residence wisely. Professional workers who are more shy than potential criminals are certainly friendlier. …Next time I see her, I should properly introduce myself.

“You raise quite a fierce dog. I was a bit surprised.”

Regarding Zero, who was carefully checking for weapons upon entering the house.

As soon as I stepped inside, having lost sight of any onlookers, Léonard quickly turned off the droid’s internal mechanical voice and opened a direct line to share his voice after a long time.

Well, it was the same as sitting across and operating the droid, as it also output his voice through a speaker, but the natural tone made a difference.

“I don’t quite understand why you’re making a fuss over something that’s not new… But anyway. Why did you come out of the blue?”

“……Hmmm, is that so? First, let me apologize for the rudeness. Sincèrement. I considered placing a request for a named assignment but thought it better for me to ask directly since it’s rumored that you’ve been scraping down the cash vault of the casino.”

Having said that, he elegantly continued, taking a brief look around the living room while being meticulously searched by Zero, who had one arm held captive.

“Contrary to rumors, it seems things are well-organized, but I suppose you had less fun than expected. Do you really use all this ridiculous junk?”

“Ugh!? What does it matter! …It just feels too wasteful to throw it away.”

I had no intention of picking up such nonsense about intruding into a lady’s home!

It’s not like our house’s cleanliness and organization, maintained under Zero’s strict control, could be criticized.

However, the casino-themed souvenirs scattered across the place were indeed quite disparate from the existing decor.

For example, the blue towel hanging in the kitchen sink was from Jakarta Casino, the bottle with an orange scent on the table was a fragrance from Baden-Baum Entertainment, and the bright red cushions laid on the sofa and computer chair were souvenirs provided by Lucky Palace, and so on.

To sum up the stories behind these items:

In essence, it wasn’t hard to see that kicking me out directly would obviously bring scandal to the business, so they had sent me away instead, forcibly showering me with various gifts and souvenirs.

If I mentioned that the cupboard was still piled with snack boxes and distilled spirits, would it trigger a hint?

Seeing that scene may make Léonard realize there’s some rumor he has heard or that I hadn’t officially severed ties with the casinos, yet I wasn’t in a position to keep going back and forth either, which he probably caught on to.

…In retrospect, I didn’t think those were the kinds of decorations to be ashamed of.

This was practically a tribute presented by the casinos as a sign of surrender. It was akin to showing off some kind of merit for securing enemy supplies. Hmm, I won’t entertain rebuttals.

Even if this guy wasn’t a highly augmented cyborg, I would have still turned the conversation around by commenting on the expensive snacks — how unfortunate.

Thud…!

After enduring an intense full-body inspection from head to toe, Léonard’s dispatch robot finally slumped into place.

He had subtly revealed that he had come with something he wished to request, he answered my questions sincerely, yet he hadn’t readily spoken about the most critical part.

What kind of fearsome case had he brought that required such hesitance? At least as far as I knew, there hadn’t been significant events occurring recently, except for the ongoing downfall operation of Kajun, which I was aware of.

“Phew….”

Yet there was undoubtedly more than met the eye, as seen through the monitor.

While it might not have influenced the vast currents of Neo Haven, it seemed incidents within had become turning points in the lives of those living within.

Hesitation, reluctance. Carefully chosen words. The once boisterous madman who had no qualms about adopting a heavy-handed approach to matters seemed to struggle to articulate his sentences multiple times.

Finally, with a deep sigh, he genuinely brought up the core of the matter.

“……It seems you know a lot about me by now, so I’ll get straight to the point. I request your assistance for a task to regain my physical form. A retrieval… no, a recovery operation, if you would lend me a hand?”