“Phew~
Clean work!”
Franklin, grinning satisfied, threw me a thumbs-up.
I returned it with one of my own.
Another mission completed smoothly.
Looking at the android slumped on the floor, I recalled my first mission.
A month had passed since joining Red Dog.
After clashing with Lycan and realizing Karen’s condition, I’d thrown myself into missions.
Even low-grade jobs, I’d take, sometimes solo.
Teammates worried I was overdoing it, but I felt fine.
The more I did, the more I grew, feeling pride in my progress.
Before I knew it, my name started spreading.
Red Dog’s new rookie.
The Stoner merc following Karen’s path.
Honestly, it didn’t feel bad.
An orphan who’d achieved nothing
System: in my past life, I’d never imagined being recognized like this.
I was steadily paying off my debt, and Karen’s Stone usage had noticeably dropped.
I couldn’t ask for more.
If things stayed just like this, how perfect would that be?
“Mission’s done early—how ’bout a drink?
I know a good spot nearby!
…Hic!”
“I’ve gotta meet Ruby, so I’ll pass.
Also, Franklin, you’re already drunk.”
“Tch.
Boring kid.
You gotta leave your sister alone sometimes—build her independence!”
“I’m leaving her alone plenty already.”
Taking more missions naturally cut into my time with Ruby.
It saddened me, felt guilty, but it was all for Ruby’s sake, so no choice.
The silver lining?
Ruby understood it all.
Plus, she’d recently made a friend—Sion, I think.
From a glance, it seemed one-sided, but having a friend nearby?
That’s something.
“No helping it.
Mary!
Let’s go, just us two!”
“Are you serious?”
Mary, uncharacteristically, shot him a scornful look, stepping back.
Thinking about it, this was our first mission with just us three.
“Ugh.
Why are our team’s women so dull?
Fine, I’ll have fun solo—get back on your own!
…Hic!”
Franklin stumbled off, disappearing somewhere.
In the bustling city center, just us two women were left.
Mary, now alone with me, beamed like a blooming lily, clinging to my side.
“Come to think of it, Lapis, you haven’t really explored the city, have you?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
As a merc, I’d had plenty of chances to leave Rat Town, but I’d always rushed missions and hurried back to Ruby, never lingering to sightsee.
“Wanna hang out a bit before heading back?”
“But Ruby…”
“Ruby’s probably having fun with Sion, so she’ll be fine.
Plus, Karen and Lycan are at the bar, so no danger.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Like Franklin said, independence matters.
If Ruby only hangs with me, her social skills might suffer.
“But then, shouldn’t we have kept Franklin with us?”
“That guy?
He’s not sightseeing—just guzzling booze.
You like drinking?”
“Nope.”
In this lawless era, minors drinking isn’t an issue, but I just didn’t want to.
It’s not that I hate alcohol—I’d sipped some in my past life.
But thinking of booze brought up lonely memories of drinking solo in an empty house, so it wasn’t appealing.
“Good!
I don’t drink either.
How ’bout we shop around?”
“Hmm… okay, just a little.”
“Hehe, great!”
Mary dislikes alcohol too?
Karen said the same.
Now that I thought about it, Karen loved shopping.
And Mary suggested it first.
Just a coincidence?
For some reason, the subtle vibe between them last time popped into my head.
Dangerous fantasies sparked again—two women, barely clothed, gazing intimately, then…
“Lapis?”
“Eek!
W-What…?”
“You just zoned out.
Caught up in fantasies again, huh?”
“Well… haha…”
Getting closer to my teammates meant they’d learned my TMI—my overactive imagination.
I’d tried to curb it, but it wasn’t easy.
Probably because, in my lonely past, I’d indulged in fantasies to soothe solitude, and it stuck.
My fantasies were always similar:
What life would I have lived if I’d had the family I’d never known?
The happier and vivid my fantasies got, the harsher the misery when reality hit.
That led to a cycle—escaping reality with more fantasies.
But now, I’m okay.
I have a real family.
This isn’t a fantasy—it’s reality.
Ruby, my sister, and my teammates.
My deepest wish came true.
So, I couldn’t let even one piece slip away.
Greedily, I clutched this happiness tightly.
“Let’s go!
We gotta hurry to see everything in time!”
Mary extended her hand.
Staring briefly at her pale hand, I gripped it firmly.
Just like last time, it felt cool, almost cold.
“Wow…”
Neotopia was stunning.
I couldn’t believe I’d lived in this city—it felt alien, new.
Skyscrapers so tall my neck ached to see their tops.
Neon signs blazing so bright my eyes hurt.
Massive billboards flashing oriental motifs.
People’s incomprehensible, funky fashion strutting by.
Yet their faces bore deep apathy or frantic pursuit of cheap thrills.
What more to say?
This was pure cyberpunk, nothing new.
Still, it was leagues better than Rat Town.
That place amplified this city’s flaws tenfold.
A slum best described as the city’s pus.
“Wow, this looks great on you!”
“It’s too expensive…”
“No worries!
I’ll buy it for you today!”
Mary casually bought the clothes and handed them to me.
Honestly, more than the price, the style was too extreme, making me uneasy.
Even picking the tamest options, everything felt far from normal.
“Hurry and try it on!”
“…I’m fine with what I’ve got.”
“Tch!
I bought it for you—you wouldn’t reject my kindness, would you?”
Reluctantly, I changed and stepped out.
As expected, it was way too bold.
The front was fine, but the back?
Practically exposed.
With my hair tied up as usual, my pale skin was fully visible.
Feeling naked, I flinched.
Then, from somewhere, a lewd smirk echoed.
“Heh…
Very nice!”
Was it my imagination, or was she molding me to her tastes?
Anyway, after buying tons of clothes, we tried other activities.
“What’s this?”
“Come on, you’ll see inside!”
Mary dragged me into a suspicious-looking booth.
In the cramped space, us two pressed together, I stared warily ahead as a robotic voice rang out.
“One person detected.
Would you like to take a hologram sticker?”
“Hologram sticker?”
What’s that?
Also, one person?
As I tilted my head, Mary paused, then smiled brightly.
“Guess it sensed we’re connected as one!”
“Nah, it’s probably just broken.”
Thankfully, the machine worked fine.
Like a CT scan, a pillar-shaped omni-camera scanned us up and down, then printed a hologram sticker.
Normally a flat photo, it projected a hologram like a figurine when activated.
We each took one.
Then it hit me.
This is totally a date course, isn’t it?
It felt off, but we hadn’t done anything wrong, and it was fun, so I let it slide.
After having a blast, we headed back to Rat Town.
Passing through Ombre’s tunnel, the familiar slum scenery unfolded, calming my excited heart.
‘This place just won’t do.’
Could I live that happy everyday life here in this sewer?
I know who you’re with matters more than where, but location still counts.
I wanted to gift Ruby that same joyful time.
Not as a special day, but as an everyday norm.
To make that happen, I’d need to work harder.
As I steeled my resolve, I glanced out the window and spotted a familiar face, prompting me to tell Mary.
“Stop here, please.”
“Here?”
“Yeah.
I saw someone I know—gonna say hi.
You go ahead.”
The bar wasn’t far, so Mary agreed readily.
It’s been a while since I’ve come here.
Navigating the dank, dangerous-smelling alley market, I greeted a shabby middle-aged man.
“Marco.
Long time.”
His eyes widened in surprise, then he chuckled softly.
“Yeah.
The hotshot rookie coming to greet me?
What a shock.”
“Don’t embarrass me—just treat me like usual.”
“For once, we agree.”
As we chatted casually, I suddenly felt eyes on me, frowning and scanning around.
“What’s up?”
“Hold on.”
Thinking it was just my imagination, but unable to shake the unease, I searched around.
Then, far off, I spotted a man staring directly at us, startling me.
His face, somehow familiar.
He was definitely part of the bald merc’s crew from last time’s confrontation.