Chapter 39

Bleep bleep bleep—!!

“Ugh….”

I barely opened my eyes to the merciless alarm ringing in my ears.

For a moment, my drowsy mind tried to fall back asleep again, but… upon seeing the motorcycle helmet neatly placed in the corner of the sofa, I suddenly jolted awake.

I gathered my scattered consciousness and shaped it into exam candidate mode.

Today is the day of the combat police engineer job interview.

Helena, who clearly understood that I wanted to work in the same place as her, bluntly gifted me the helmet that was meant for me, stating that we could commute together every day.

It’s true that I applied with such intentions and motivations…! Unbeknownst to the worried people around me, watching me commute in light steps every dawn made me swallow my words more than once.

If anything, they should be scrutinizing their surroundings a little more closely…! I’m the one who’s truly nervous!

“Ugh…!”

I stretched out my arms and legs, feeling refreshed.

Lately, after a lot of intense exercise, every part of my body seems to react much sharper.

…Despite waking up at a time much closer to lunchtime than breakfast, living with a true morning person, I hope I won’t make a foolish display of it.

Working with Helena meant that I’d be crammed into that brutally packed schedule, a realization that only struck me belatedly….

Cling….

I tossed aside the pajamas I was wearing and put on my comfortable combat suit.

While doing so, I opened the refrigerator to see if there was anything that could fill my empty stomach, but… in this despairing place where delivery and takeout are almost my main meals, I only found drinks and alcohol.

…No, perhaps it’s just as well.

I couldn’t continue living under the condescending gaze of those above me, holding onto talent and uncertain future information.

I’m done pondering to rationalize my anxious position and existence. At least before the problems I face are resolved, I’m just like the ordinary citizens scattered across the city.

So… I’ll grab something to eat from a restaurant or food stall on the way to the interview.

…My mouth has already been exposed to all sorts of unidentified chemical seasonings and ingredients for a long time now.

Clank, and lastly, after strapping on my trusty sidearm, I left the villa, making sure the door was properly locked.

Glimpsing at the countless vehicles racing down the road and surprisingly intimidating pedestrians, I hurriedly moved as well.

My current destination… first, the internal circulatory train station of Harvest Planet to get me near the interview location.

It’s truly ironic how, even after a century, most of humanity still travels using sturdy legs and developed public transportation.

Even if resources may be insufficient, shouldn’t technology be advanced enough? Why does such a scene persist? I tried to ponder this myself….

Boom—!

“Are you not driving properly!! You idiot?!”

“Isn’t it more of an idiot to almost crash into a car that’s operating in auto-navigation, you moron?!”

“Aha….”

Right after narrowly avoiding a collision, without knowing who started it, I nodded as I watched two drivers stop on the roadside, grabbing each other by the collar.

It wasn’t hard to understand that the people inside had changed, yet remained similar… it was somewhat bittersweet but funny.

Turning my eyes away from the amusing scuffle, I looked at the pedestrians…

Once again, there they were.

People overflowing with narcissism and self-esteem. Conversely, those who looked suspicious and gloomy were also present, but the unchanging commonality was that everyone was looking straight ahead yet busy staring at something else.

…If modern people were looking down at their smartphones, at least these folks were too busy staring at the cyberware imprinted on their retinas, which is a small difference.

“…They really use their time sparingly.”

Bleep….

[Welcome to the Upper-Level Green Sector 46 Housing Station!]

Unlike the trains departing for the outside, as I passed through the entrance equipped with sensors and stepped inside, the messages appeared without me needing to do anything.

I thought a public transport system was surprisingly kind, but now, as I noticed the credits displayed in small print in the corner while I was distracted by the welcoming message… it felt like just petty marketing, didn’t it?

While there didn’t seem to be anyone particularly interested in others, I leaned against a corner wall to avoid the potential brawls that might occur when getting on or off.

“…Cough…!”

I coughed involuntarily at the acrid smell of burning smoke tickling my nose.

In broad daylight, I observed quite a few disheveled prospective passengers silently smoking with lifeless eyes.

…Well, surely half of them looked like they were smoking something that was definitely not normal cigarettes, so there was no reason to relate to them.

“Oof…!”

Even on drugs, being sensitive to gaze, I quickly turned away from someone scanning the crowd to find me looking.

Feigning ignorance, I glanced around when the bright digital board in the station kept scrolling advertisements and announcement intervals, while the dark walls devoid of proper sunlight featured dilapidated posters for loans, information exchanges, and ‘unbelievable drugs that companies will never sell’…

…They looked very suspicious, but I noted the number marked as an information dealer.

It would be far more precise for me to investigate the network myself than to rely on the help of such places… but you never know in this world.

Boom… Boom…! Kaboom!!

“Whoa…… What?!”

With a fierce wind, my bangs shot up.

Following the example of those who had a lit cigarette in their mouths and shielded their faces, I also covered my eyes with one hand as I watched the incoming train.

Although it wasn’t a design that felt vintage or cool, its sleek and smooth surface, almost as if it was wasting fuel instead of air resistance, was quite… nice. All I knew were the square subways of Neo Haven.

Naturally following the crowd that had gathered, I boarded the circulatory train.

…An empty seat? That’s only for the weak! This body, with the experience of training, will endure standing for the sake of strengthening my legs…!

Boom… Boom…!

Boom……

…

“…You idiot…!!”

I wanted to smack my decision made ten minutes ago, which was mistaking the warm sunlight for a good thing.

This circulatory train… whether it’s a time issue or a station ambiguity, people keep getting on without ever getting off. Crammed into a corner of the cabin, I felt so miserable at how I ended up there.

…No, more accurately, the station I was supposed to get off at is approaching quickly, so I need to come up with a way to escape this hold.

If not, I should at least think of a plan to not get crushed….

– The next station is the Combat Police Department 2nd Division in the Upper-Level Public Sector. May you have a fulfilling day at Harvest Planet today! –

“…Huh?”

Passengers suddenly began moving busily, and the pressure I was feeling in the corner vanished instantly.

Big bulky figures and scraggly people reacted and started preparing to get off.

As the train doors opened with a hissing sound, people disembarked like a flood, and I somehow succeeded in following along.

“……”

Like a ghost entranced, I left the station and visually traced the direction this crowd was heading.

…Police Department 2nd Division, today’s destination, and the announced interview venue. It’s not inside the police station itself, but a separate building connected to the division, so regardless.

Surely, they couldn’t all be excited by the pleasant weather and heading in to confess as criminals… and a creeping anxiety rose up that maybe I had made a gigantic mistake.

“Welcome, miss…! What would you like to order?”

“……Fried noodles, please.”

Gripping my dazed thoughts, I trudged over to a food truck exuding delicious aromas and sat down to secure my spot.

…It’s fine. There are still 30 minutes left until the designated time, so there’s more than enough time to ponder.

Sizzle…!

“……”

From cartridge ingredient input to griddle cooking, and finally packaging.

I quietly watched my lunch flying through the air according to the automated chef’s perfect process… then realized a local was right in front of me and opened my mouth.

“Um… Boss? Can I ask you something…?”

“…Food that has started cooking is not refundable.”

“No, no?! I’m just curious if that police interview is really that popular! …I thought everyone would be trembling at the thought of joining the police.”

The beardy food truck owner glanced once at the people entering the police station and then at me, and burst out laughing as if he had heard the most foolish question.

“Haha! Who would like the police or corporations? But for living while spending credits, isn’t it the best job imaginable?”

“Ah…?”

I accepted the To Go Box that was handed to me with my mouth open.

…Right, when did I last see people complaining about civil servants or big corporations?

But… did it really have to bear so close a resemblance to the old days?!

It was only right before the interview began that I realized the helmet I received was actually a kind of supportive talisman… truly marvelous.

“…It was delicious.”

“…? Haha! Even if you fail, don’t get too discouraged, miss!”

“Hah….”

Without savoring the familiar and nostalgic soy sauce flavor, I poured it down my throat in a rush, and the owner, seeing me head towards my destination weakly, offered an incredibly unlucky encouragement.

Still… still, I’d made up my mind that my cyber engineering skills would not fall behind anyone else, and I entered the division.

“…From 06:00 to 14:00, for the Cyber Engineer position at the Gateway Guard Unit. Is Anastasia Valentine here to interview? The cyber engineer interview will take place in a private room with interviewers directly dispatched from Paradise and Elysium Corporation, so please be particularly careful with your words and actions.”

“Yes… thank you….”

“Then, please pick up your submitted firearms after the interview at the counter… and wait until your name is called.”

…It reminded me that the interview didn’t just include a practical test, but also involved conversing with the interviewers. …Damn it.

I bowed my head to the counter staff, who must have repeated that same sentence hundreds of times throughout the day.

And as punishment for arriving leisurely after having lunch, I made my way to a corner of the waiting room and crouched down.

There were people dressed neatly in formal suits, and others casually wearing hoodies or caps, but seeing how most had signs of surgery around their heads or had mechanical components replacing their eyes or skin… I started to suspect that these were all the crazy folks from the hacker community.

– Nazir El Sadat, inside. –

A cleanly dressed, dark-skinned man walked proudly inside…

“Eek?!”

Bang!!

Not long after, he was thrown out into the hallway, pale as a ghost.

In response to that, two combat police officers entered from the opposite side, each grabbing one of his arms.

“…Nazir El Sadat. I will arrest you for the continuous posting of slander against Paradise on the city network and for hacking.”

“”…….””

The atmosphere in the waiting room became quite warm as the first candidate was dragged away.

But if it’s hacking on the city network… should I just leave now for my own well-being…?

– Marina Serrano, inside. –

“…Hehe.”

A woman with a fluffy afro hairstyle stood up lightly and immediately dashed out of the building.

Of course, one officer wielding a baton quickly followed her, but… judging by the absence of screams until my name was called, she must have considerable physical ability.

…Is this an interview or an execution ground?

I criticized myself for being rather careless, but they really were beyond comprehension….

– Philip Novak, inside. –

– Dan Hilty, inside. –

I continued to watch the headache-inducing scenes for quite some time.

Some left in the blink of an eye, while others sat still for twenty or thirty minutes.

Eventually, the applicants who had filled the waiting room and spilled into the hallway dwindled down to the point where I could count them on one hand.

But… something felt strange.

Candidates who came in after me went in and came out, but why hasn’t my name been called yet?

Now there are only three left….

– Cirillo Mashi, inside. –

…Two.

– Tahara Kohei, inside. –

…Shit.

Even after the candidate of Japanese descent exited with a gloomy expression, only my breathing alongside the counter police’s echoed in the separate building, and yet the speakers still hadn’t uttered my name.

As I pondered what to do, feeling the tension and anxiety along with the unmistakable air of manipulation and traps… the police officer who had taken my registration spoke to me.

“…Anastasia Valentine. You may enter.”

“……If you’re going to arrest me, you might as well do it now?”

“……?”

He tilted his head as if confused by my sudden statement.

Rather than genuinely curious… it felt more like I had asked an unreasonable question to someone difficult to deal with.

“…As a mere low-ranking officer, I have no say. Mr. Drayfuscus is waiting for you inside.”