Chapter 44

…I had somewhat anticipated the possibility.

After all, the world has changed, and my body has changed as well. New abilities have emerged that I did not possess before, and not only has my thought process been warped, but my physical makeup might also be different.

If there’s a problem, it would be that after just a few sips of what could barely be called alcohol—a strawberry-flavored drink with an alcohol content of 1 or 2%—my mind went blank?

“…It’s a familiar ceiling.”

After muttering the lines I could not hold back, I stared at the dimly lit ceiling of the house.

There’s no helping the break in consciousness due to drunkenness, but the fact that I lost my memories entirely was far beyond my expectations.

The last scene that lingered in my mind was the swirling froth in a glass and the image of the female LeeInJo beyond it. The clear contrast between refreshing Helena and calm Anne was vividly imprinted.

Considering I still felt bloated, it seems I finished my meal somehow… I hope I didn’t slur any nonsensical drivel or utter anything unnecessary? …I really shouldn’t have, please.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped me involuntarily.

Since my body felt too sluggish to unravel the blanket enveloping me, I only slightly poked my head over the back of the couch to check on my sleeping housemate.

Even while sleeping, her subtly furrowed brow and tightly closed lips caught my attention, hinting that she might have some lingering worries.

Yeah, the person who was in front of me suddenly became unresponsive, and I had to bring her back home. I must apologize to her on my way to work later.

Come to think of it… I only hung on to a motorcycle after work and walked a bit, but in a few hours, I’ll have to head back to work…? Is this the effect of healthy drinking…? This is ridiculous.

“……”

Somehow angry, I buried my face deeply into the pillow.

Bullets flying around… grenades exploding… There were certainly clearer dangers like gun barrels pointed at my head, but the overwhelming current state was causing a significant amount of stress as well.

…Let’s try to sort through these messy fragments a bit.

First, Helena’s past is deeply connected to Anne.

In fact, anyone observing the two of them hanging out naturally would gather that even those without information from a parallel world could guess that.

Second, I don’t really understand Anne’s true feelings.

Whether Anne Grisha existed in the original work or not has become a pointless pondering. I’m only curious about her intentions; she subtly hints at feelings for me, yet in front of Helena, she does not reveal anything beyond a friendship.

Lastly, if there’s a chance of Anne being taken out of the picture… the place would likely be the gate, at her workplace.

It’s a groundless assumption, but considering the worst-case scenario, it’s plausible that gate number three could be attacked.

So, based on this, what can I do?

…What else? Maintain a heightened alert status to the best of my ability! Anastasia Valentine, just wake up and go to work quietly. Don’t forget to treat Helena at the vending machine for all her hard work.

Tap…! Tap, tap…

“Ahsa adapts so quickly, doesn’t she?”

“…It seems I was just naturally gifted at this.”

Leaving the provided protective gloves beside me, I moved my fingers gracefully, analyzing the constant influx of data.

While outside, Helena and the combatants and mechanics belonging to Team DS3 were busy conducting checks in an analog manner, the battlefield of the cyber engineers was an invisible fight not perceivable by the naked eye.

I interpreted the information read by the large scanner installed inside the gate and matched it against the internal list to check for any illegal items.

If it’s clean, report it as clean to the team leader’s terminal. If anything suspicious is discovered… I must quickly find the cause and brief on the suspected illegal activities.

…You wondering why there’s a vaguely unsettling thing called an ‘internal list’?

Rather, it’s more appropriate to ask how many of such lists exist.

There’s the whitelist suspected of being high-ranking individuals who must pass without any questions; the blacklist, where you must detain anyone regardless of whether they violate the law; and the list of criminals that must be shot without a checkpoint.

In addition, there are countless other lists for verification or reference, such as numerous radio lists and examples of encrypted data.

I finally began to understand why everyone arriving at the interview venue seemed to have metal rods rammed into their brains. Without implants or additional functionalities, doing this by hand would require hands and eyes each multiplied by ten, or it would have to follow fundamentally different laws like mine.

Anyway, it has already been about a week doing this, and I seemed to be getting quite proficient.

– The scanning results indicate the information is clean, but it seems that the spare tire hanging at the back of the minivan is coated to block signals. Therefore, I will leave the response to on-site judgment. –

– …Confirmed the spare tire. –

The expressions of the combat police who were listening to the communications between the engineer, the team leader, and Helena changed dramatically. They watched the scene anxiously from the control room, like a thriller movie.

“Hey…! Why would you split a perfectly good tire?! Are you all insane?! Where in the world is that rule from?!”

“The checkpoint procedure can be flexibly changed based on the judgment of the on-site and control room personnel. We ask for your cooperation.”

The lined-up police and the sensitive visitors started to argue. When those searching the minivan pulled the spare tire out, some, already furious, started pointing fingers at Helena… and they were immediately restrained by others.

They claimed that if it was a misunderstanding, ample compensation would be provided, and as she approached the beautifully laid tire on the ground, her katana revealed itself and, in an instant, it was decisive.

Swish…

“…I will arrest you for smuggling unregistered goods and violating customs law.”

“What the hell!!”

From the sliced tire, bags filled with white, blue, pink… all kinds of pretty colored powders began to pour out. …Creative little bastards. If they love drugs that much, they should keep it amongst themselves instead of trying to smuggle it into the city.

At the very least, if they had queued up at another gate, they might have avoided getting caught due to the cost of the tire they’d have to pay for if they were wrong… They’re quite unfortunate people in many ways.

…Or is it? Should I assume they deliberately brought their achievements to us to secure some bonuses?

“With this, I won’t have to worry even if I go on a work trip!”

“…In such a case, I would like to follow along.”

I don’t want anything to happen in my absence. I voiced my determination to stick together as I caught a glimpse of Anne’s shimmering eyes, quickly turning my head away.

No, it would be better to say that I pretended to surf the web using the backdoor channel that some kind senior engineer had opened for his poor juniors, blurring my focus.

If someone were to ask why… I had been receiving punishment every day since I collapsed at that bar.

What would the cost be for probing indiscriminately into someone’s mind?

…It’s exactly receiving the same in return from the person who made a resolution.

“Um….”

“…Does Lena seem to lack any fear in the world? Was she always like this since childhood? Even before undergoing modification…?”

“Uh… well, yes…?”

…What on earth did I do while intoxicated? I had insisted nothing was wrong, yet I find this treatment too harsh.

I forced my eyes to roll and made noise, pretending to be busy. Still, I respond appropriately to the relentless questions coming my way.

Even though there are breaks and times to relieve myself, or the occasional chance to go out to the field, I must spend nearly six or seven hours stuck in this room with my boss and colleagues… I couldn’t continue like this.

I had to resolve this somehow. That was my logical conclusion.

However, my gentle demeanor from the first day of work had vanished without a trace, and the insistent intrigue regarding everything being linked to Helena was something I sincerely wished would cease.

Even the reason for the questions was about Helena Valentine, yet the scrutinizing gaze studying my reactions never left. The irony of being monitored in a space without surveillance cameras…

“…Is that so.”

This time, Anne nodded as if to say that would suffice and quietly focused on the terminal she had brought in until the next team arrived.

‘Thank you… thank you… for being merciful…!’

Though there’s no one to hear it, I inwardly concluded my heartfelt gratitude, finally allowed to relax and lean back comfortably in my chair.

With dull eyes, I glanced at the control room monitor and the terminal atop the desk.

She had apparently officially registered the holographic pad she purchased outside as work-related.

A portable terminal… I should buy one myself soon, as soon as I have some extra credits. Something cheap that I can use as a hacking tool and easily dispose of.

…Oh? This isn’t a bad idea for alleviating an uncomfortable situation.

“…Alright.”

It’s merely a hypothesis, but if Anne’s antics continue for an extended period, using the excuse of buying a terminal to have an honest conversation in a private setting without Helena might be a good plan.

In the end, no feelings or beliefs can become reality unless they’re acted upon or spoken out loud.