Chapter 252

“Hey, you shameless caveman! Speak sense! You expect me to get a budget of just 150,000 credits for a PDA with diaphragm microphones that can handle portable SPL and NL, along with translation software? Just buy a common language data chip to stick in your head and go fix your cyberware at a shop!”

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy! So I need cyberware… No, I just want something a bit cheaper. A cheaper one, please! I don’t have that kind of money!”

“This damn thing! There’s no model cheaper than this that blocks background noise and picks up speech! Who on earth are you, living out in some backwater town, looking for such a cheap model?”

As I stepped back, I could see that our opinions were really far apart.

It seems that their wallet situation isn’t good.

What kind of urgent situation would make someone urgently look for a substitute interpreting device while their cyberware—a lifeline for modern people—was broken?

Maybe they have to get to work immediately but just don’t have quite enough for the repair costs?

I’m enduring the pain of tearing my flesh to put in the latest devices and modules, and I don’t know the exact price, so I can’t figure out what would make it break down.

The cyberware series used by mercenaries in games seemed to have no concept of durability… Is that where reality diverges? Or perhaps regular people use cheap ones, causing the implant’s lifespan to differ?

Watching a man wave around a prepaid credit card as he moves his arm, I ponder but can’t figure much out. However, it seems like there wouldn’t be any major issues in fulfilling what he wants.

“Hi, Hemet. Are you busy? I’m trying to pay.”

“Oh, you’re still here… Ahem! Welcome, dear customer…!”

Clack.

I casually started stacking the chip cases I had chosen on the counter, just like a Jenga tower, and received a very contrasting reaction.

Especially, Hemet displayed a formality that was almost ironic considering how friendly they had called me by name.

Could it be that they were truly acting as if I had never been to their store before, just as I had asked during our earlier contract? I simply wanted them to keep the sale of the program a secret!

If that’s the case, then I’m the one coming off as really strange for presumptively acting like I know them. What the hell?

[ Why are you calculating all this trivial stuff? I’ll take care of the tags, so just take them! ]

[ …I have something else to deal with on the other side. Don’t say too much of that nonsense, just adjust it a bit. ]

With an exchange of glances, I effortlessly blocked Hemet’s overreaction with a message.

“Huh!?”

On the contrary, the guest—who appeared to be a Korean—suddenly shut their mouth, as if wary of my unexpected intrusion.

Ah, that’s a bit disappointing.

The atmosphere was nice, and I wanted to mix in a few words like a natural polyglot, but if they consider interacting with others a bother, I can’t help that.

Furthermore, this was me being greedy, so I should respect their personal inclinations.

“Ahem… If it’s about payment, maybe have another staff do it… Just give it to me. I’ll help out first.”

“No, no, keep the order, no cutting in line. If not… it looks like you’re having trouble understanding from afar. I can help make sure ‘my turn comes quickly’ a little.”

If necessary, I could pay the amount for them.

With the thought that I could be scolded for being a fickle rich boy, I had laid out the bait.

I pretended to be an unrelated guest. I made sure not to evoke sympathy. I maintained a straightforward attitude without any ulterior motives.

However, it was like we were lining up behind the man who was busy bargaining at the counter.

I could observe him without feeling awkward, while on the other side, I thought they would undoubtedly turn away to show some reaction.

“……”

This person—focused only straight ahead, biting their teeth.

It was as if realizing the presence of a human would turn a previously unprepared danger into reality, like a scene from a horror game.

Honestly, I expected that if I looked closely for even a moment, the face hidden behind those hazy gas mask lenses would be revealed, but their stubbornness surprised me.

Or did I perhaps offend them already? If so, I’m really sorry… It might be more plausible to suspect that I have some ulterior motive.

…Well, if that’s the case, then that can’t be helped.

I initially intended to guide the conversation smoothly, but since it didn’t seem like there was time for a back-and-forth like a tic-tac-toe game, even if I had to force the issue, I needed to hand them something.

“I heard you wanted a cheaper model, but you ended up with an expensive one, which is troubling, right? I think you can trust this shop owner, even if he might be a bit abrupt sometimes. They won’t come up with nonsensical sales. If you’re really suspicious, I can guarantee, ‘especially this time.’”

“Uh… Was the height talk really necessary? And what language is that? I can’t be sure what you understand. By the way, Korean…? I only knew it meant something spicy.”

“…It’s a small country in the far eastern region. I’m not sure when it disappeared. Ah, if you look closely, there might be a few lucky businesses still remaining. And I think it probably doesn’t have a dedicated translation system, but is included in some outdated universal language pack.”

As the person kept silent, I took care of all the nominally necessary parts and moved on to action.

Casually glancing down, I nudged my way over and rolled up my sleeve.

I reached out to present my wrist so the counter scanner could recognize my personal wallet, and as I hastily urged Hemet, who was passionately explaining the sample PDA, to hurry and calculate.

“Phew… Hey, Tommy!! What was it, that high-end touchpad that was trending from back when some singer used it? Bring that out! And pack a copy of that royalty-expired unified voice translation software onto one chip!”

After sighing, the man seemed to realize my odd wish to somehow grant that one item to this man, and he tidied up the situation neatly.

Scrape—!

Why isn’t our boss pulling any tricks this time? He swiftly tore open the box that the staff brought with a similar gaze and motioned to bring the immobile gas mask customer back.

I didn’t know what was going on, but since the transaction was done by this lady, it was as if he signaled her to quickly learn how to use the product.

“Ah, um. Ahem…!”

How could the coughs he let out be so full of that refined accent and dignified manner?

Humorously observing him as he cautiously waddled toward the counter to learn the basic operating methods and receipt processing was a delight.

Even if they pondered alone about who I was and what I was doing, I wouldn’t be keen to explain that I paid because I overheard their mutterings. They can just take it. Yes.

However, now that I noticed, this person… the sharp vigilance they had seems to be solely directed at me.

“Where are you supposed to check… Here? (Here?) No, wait, is it there…?”

“That’s the scanning lens! It’s a brand-new product you just unwrapped, so don’t keep rubbing it with your dirty hands. Just speak to it! Test it out with a few words and see if the translations work fine!”

“……Hmm.”

It felt like two guys chatting away about unwrapping a toy; I was left feeling somewhat excluded with the preconception of ‘you wouldn’t understand this.’

No, during that time, Hemet had shot a glance as if to ask if this was enough, so I nodded in acknowledgment.

The man—clearly visiting the shop for the first time—was only showing their back with an attitude as if wishing to stand out with some unique personality along with the eccentricity.

It was somewhat infuriating. Does my appearance seem that untrustworthy? More so than that furry dwarf? I resolved not to act pretentious, but if it wasn’t due to fear of Zero standing next to me, I could hardly see this as anything less than an insult.

But amidst all this, I was happy that everything had gone well.

Hemet made a good profit.

Though no one had insisted, I felt relieved by diminishing my own mental debt.

The unnamed guest saved money while acquiring what they needed, so it was a perfect outcome.

…Huh? Why didn’t money get deducted from my account? Did they really just give this to me for free?

In that case, I’ve ultimately benefitted at someone else’s cost, and only one person profited…?

Crumble, crumble. …Click!

The musings about whether the boss’s insistence had indeed created a loss didn’t linger for long.

Before long, the guest, who had understood the usage, fixed the somewhat larger than palm-sized PDA near their solar plexus and hesitantly exited the store.

Although it was a bit more boring than I expected… If letting my nose poke where it didn’t belong cultivated suspicion, this could be considered normal. Both Zero and I were too peculiar to claim we were the norm.

“…So, what was it all about in the end?”

“Well… My foolish satisfaction?”

Hemet simply laughed off my rather nonsensical and sentimental response.

However, the lone figure walking away appeared to have some repressed regret. Or maybe it was merely my own sentiments reflected back.

An end is an end, but it felt too regrettable to let them leave like this. Hey! I’m not asking for a thank you; just look me in the face one last time! Huh!?

“Take care! The sentiment in this town might be a bit rough, but don’t be too pessimistic!”

Since they were wandering around in such shabby attire and poor wallet circumstances in what’s supposed to be the commercial hub, I said goodbye with encouragement, surmising they might have experienced a series of unfortunate events recently.

Perhaps they hadn’t heard anything from anyone other than family or relatives. I hadn’t spoken Korean in ages, so it was a heartfelt release.

Life is unpredictable, and one can meet many not-so-bad connections, a subjective opinion based too much on overly optimistic personal experience that I had planned to add on, but decided against it since it sounded like old-fashioned advice.

It seemed they weren’t an entirely clueless person; despite the uncomfortable gas mask filter, even gratitude, mixed with embarrassment and moisture, came back as a last message.

Moreover, I finally caught a glimpse of their front face with some black hair peeking through.

“…Cough! Thank you, thank you. My angel…!”

“Phew!?”

Wow, this guy was surprisingly sappy despite appearances.

I thought keeping silent up until now was a blessing, because he just made me blush deeply in an instant!

It felt nice. No, I was happy. Without any exaggeration or belittling.

Going forward, even if annoying things happen, I could find comfort by recalling this moment.

Thus, while we brushed shoulders, awkwardly pushing what could barely be called a good deed, I planned to part ways on a somewhat positive note.

Until I heard Zero’s cold criticism.

– Was that person someone you personally knew according to the ‘knowledge’ you mentioned before? –

“No, not at all! …Why?”

As I tilted my head while holding the now neatly packed chip case in the shopping bag, it seemed my temporary whim was indeed classified more as a disruptive notion and he began to share information he had been holding back.

– No. I couldn’t be sure from the beginning without the deep scanner, but seeing up close, I got the impression they were indeed a rather unique individual that Ahsa would be interested in. –

“Uh…? What do you mean, in what way?”

I halted my upbeat steps.

– Based on the elasticity of exposed skin, condition of their hair, and height, I estimated them to be a male adult in their 20s. However, their body was strangely clean. There were no signs of complicated implants, or even basic circuit boards embedded in their body. –

…Even I, who had just basic communication implants and an ID combined with an electronic wallet barcode inserted, was called ‘pure human’ in this age.

Even radical anti-mechanization environmental organizations had given up living without cell phones and wallets, not to mention test-tube orphans abandoned right after birth being immediately implanted with cyberware and barcodes.

But someone had none at all? Not even one??

“……”

I frowned.

Collecting the bothersome facts I tried to brush aside and piecing together fragments of information into one coherent picture.

They weren’t just from some wasteland… Even the late Schneider’s daughter, Mary, managed not to burst into tears even when she smelled the stench of blood in the desert.

Even there, it was common to use a self-constructed network connection to respond to unexpected situations.

Despite lacking in number, their attitude showed they were doing their utmost with the only path they had.

A pristine body without a single metal fragment.

An environment where it was acceptable not to proficiently use the universal language of English until adulthood.

The coincidence of them coming to this particular shop, ‘Circuit Refinery’ among countless stores.

And, above all, their proficiency in Korean, which I deemed worthy of recognition.

Hemet even thought ‘Korea’ was simply a prefix attached to food names.

The laughter vanished.

After managing to send off Martina, I tightened the loosened strings of my tension again.

Pausing at the store’s entrance, I glanced up at the overcast sky, partially hidden by the ceiling.

…Yeah, it’s still too vast.

If one can come and go, it’s terribly extensive like the size of this metropolis to spread my wings all alone.

It was simply an impending disaster that could arise from hastily skipping through dialogues or system messages, assuming it was only possible for me.

All this might merely be a product of my egocentrism and the byproducts of an illusion, leading to my downfall, but now that I was conscious that there was a possibility, I couldn’t just let it slide.

Ignoring it would be impossible. Pretending not to know is even more out of the question. I wouldn’t let it go like this. If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize with everything I have.

But if you too are a guest who knows this place… We wouldn’t run out of things to discuss even if we spent an entire night together.

“Catch that guy over there. Right now.”

I locked my gaze onto a man who was about to turn the corner and disappear into the crowd more than ever.