Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

Under the stars, Xiao Chuhua nodded.

“That’s what the adults call us!”

"They work on this island. Every once in a while, they get mail sent to them, and then they go out to sea in their boats."

Chu Hua pointed into the distance.

"Look, in that direction! There will be cargo ships heading to the City of Joy coming from that direction. The adults' job is to 'catch fish'! They will stop the ship and then jump on board--"

"Bang! Bang! Snap! Snap... Dada! Dada! Beat them all! Then, return with the 'catch'..."

Xiao Chuhua smiled innocently.

“They are amazing!”

"But sometimes, they are not easy to deal with. At this time, they will let us pretend to drown or sneak close to them! We can hide in many places that adults can't hide, and find the right time to destroy the rudder or engine!"

"I'm the best among everyone." Xiao Chuhua patted his chest proudly, "Pistols, flares, engine rooms of different ships... I can learn all that knowledge after just one study! Xiaozhi, Lili and the others learn it several times but still forget it! That's why I can skip my study time and always go out to play! I..."

"Xiao Chuhua, Xiao Chuhua!"

Xiao Xiangzi interrupted Xiao Chuhua and held her hand anxiously.

This was the first time that Xiao Xiangzi took the initiative to hold Xiao Chuhua's hand. Xiao Chuhua blushed slightly.

"What's wrong? Xiaoxiang——"

"Child soldiers are very dangerous!"

Xiao Xiangzi said loudly.

"I saw it on the news! The death rate of child soldiers is the highest among all branches of the military! Moreover, child soldiers are usually equipped with explosive plug-ins before going on a mission... If you are not careful, you might be blown to pieces!"

She shook Xiao Chuhua's hand anxiously.

"Xiao Chuhua, stop being a child soldier!"

"It's okay, it's okay, Xiaoxiang." Xiao Chuhua was shaken continuously and said with a smile, "I'm very capable! The adults are also very nice, nothing will happen--"

"Xiao Chuhua!"

"It's safe, Xiaoxiang. By the way, Xiaoxiang really knows a lot. Many of the adults who were arrested for interrogation had never heard of child soldiers, but Xiaoxiang knew. It was the same before. I told you the knowledge of survival, and you knew almost all of it."

"I, I just know that... Chu Hua really can..."

"Do the children in Le City really know so many things? The adults said that Le City is a place much more dangerous than our island. If it's so scary, why do people still want to go there? ... Xiaoxiang also lives there. I am more worried about Xiaoxiang."

"No, Le City is not dangerous... Although it is dangerous, there are more dangers there..."

"Not just dangerous?"

"The City of Joy is a place of dreams. That's why everyone wants to come here."

"What Xiaoxiang said is so hard to understand."

“It’s a place where any dream can come true!”

"dream?"

"What is Chuhua's dream?"

"Dream... I don't know. It's good enough to be with everyone. The future is so far away. Xiaoxiang, do you have a dream yet?"

Xiao Xiangzi nodded:

“I want to be somebody.”

"What is a big shot?" Xiao Chuhua asked curiously.

"I don't know either!" Xiao Xiangzi said, "But I heard my grandfather say that in this era, only by becoming a big shot can you have what you want!"

……

The white light dimmed and the billboard's timer was up.

The large Sumimi poster was removed, and a dark-toned used car advertisement appeared alongside restless drum beats.

The surroundings darkened. The waste mountain in the distance was once again shrouded in darkness.

Xiangzi was still standing under the billboard.

The bright white light had disappeared, but she still stood there for a long time, as if the white light was still shining in her eyes.

Chapter 12: It's not that I don't forget, it's just that the time has not come yet

After all, that happy summer in his childhood was a thing of the past. Xiangzi left the island in autumn and never went to the mansion again, nor did he contact Chuhua again.

Spring goes and summer comes, autumn goes and winter comes.

The two people did not leave any contact information and they were separated for many years.

In fact, Xiangzi thought they would never see each other again.

As he grew older, Xiangzi gradually realized that Chuhua was the child of a local armed organization, and gradually understood his own status and position as a person born in the Toyokawa family.

“(Perhaps such pure friendship that transcends class can only occur between children.)”

Xiangzi felt a little bit of regret, but he never thought that they would meet again in the future.

Chuhua was a child soldier. She might have died after so many years. Even if she was still alive, she had already become an enemy of the Toyokawa family by hijacking the goods of the City of Music. The good impression that Xiangzi brought to her would be gradually overwhelmed by the hatred of her companions who were killed by the Toyokawa family as time went by.

Even if we take a step back, Chu Hua at that time did not seem to be interested in the world outside the island at all.

Xiangzi always believed that this precious and nostalgic memory would remain in her heart forever.

So, when Xiangzi received that call from Sanjiao Chuhua a year ago, he was very, very surprised.

What surprised her more than the fact that a childhood playmate with a completely opposite stance came to her on his own initiative was what Chu Hua said.

"Xiao Xiang, I'm here in the City of Joy."

Chu Hua said on the phone.

Her tone was still as cheerful, just a little more calm.

"Actually, I've been here a while ago...but I haven't been able to find my feet yet, so I was embarrassed to call you."

"But now I can tell you! Ah, it hasn't been finalized yet, my agent only told me to tell my family... so Xiaoxiang, you have to keep it a secret for me."

"I'm going to debut in the City of Music."

Chuhua is going to debut in the City of Music!

It was hard for Xiangzi to imagine what had changed her mind.

You don't want to be a child soldier anymore?

That’s right, he should be a young soldier now…but that’s not the question.

You're not staying on that island anymore? You're not doing your old job of "fishing" anymore?

Xiangzi saw the document sent by Chuhua. Chuhua wanted to join a female duo band as a guitarist, lyricist and composer.

Xiangzi had heard of the name of the agency. It wasn't a big company, but it wasn't a small one either. It was a very good choice. If they invested resources, it would really become a hit.

When she was a child, Xiangzi had indeed heard Chuhua sing, and at that time, she thought Chuhua sang very well.

She just didn't expect Chuhua to seriously intend to make a living from this.

This is quite different from the Chu Hua she knew.

What happened to the armed group? Was it destroyed? What about the people you lived with? Are they dead?

Are you here to make a living? Is this your true ambition? Or is this a mission for an armed organization?

These thoughts flashed into Xiangzi's mind, and immediately aroused disgust in the then naive Xiangzi.

"(How could I think of my friend like this!)"

No matter what Chuhua's background was, since she came to him so enthusiastically and frankly, Xiangzi would not ask any inappropriate questions.

therefore……

"Congratulations on your debut."

Xiangzi sincerely blessed her.

……

The ad changed again. This time, it was Costa Rican Pineapple brand fruit jelly candy.

The flashing colored stripes and brainwashing melody songs brought Xiangzi back to reality from his memories.

She took one last look at the billboard.

Chu Hua is no longer there, but she is still the rising star of the City of Music who can appear on a 6m×3m large-format billboard.

Once upon a time, the two were one above and one below. Xiangzi was the heir of the Longtou family, and Chuhua was a child soldier on the island.

Now, the two are still one above and one below, but their status has undergone a drastic change.

Chu Hua becomes a popular star and is about to possess huge amounts of money, fame and power.

Xiangzi became a wanderer with nothing, wandering in the garbage dump late at night.

"..."

Thinking of how she had congratulated Chuhua on her successful debut in an audio message a year ago, Xiangzi felt as if she had been away for a lifetime. She turned around and walked into the darkness.

One step, two steps.

"..."

Xiangzi suddenly stopped.

She realized something.

“…that phone call.”

Chu Hua called himself to tell him the news of his debut.

The entertainment industry in the City of Music is very developed. Therefore, the management companies also have a set of standardized standards for the management of their artists.

In order to prevent the leakage of internal information, all telephone communications of artists will be recorded.

Of course, artists have their own private phone numbers, but Xiangzi remembered that Chuhua was worried that he would not answer suspicious private numbers, so he used the company's identity verification number.

Because of this...

“(Chuhua has kept my audio files.)”

The presence of audio data means the presence of personal voiceprint information.

Xiangzi was "cleansed" and kicked out of the house.

But her voice didn't change.

Because she has not undergone vocal cord reconstruction, she does not have artificial vocal cords that need to be removed.

This means that she has the last and only way to prove that she is "Toyokawa Shoko".

Voiceprint recognition.

"(Chuhua can recognize me...!)"

Xiangzi couldn't find Chuhua privately, but she could call the agency. She still remembered the name of the agency, and it wasn't difficult to find the contact information for such a public company.

All you have to do is call the agency, tell your name, and after voiceprint verification, you can get in touch with Chuhua.

Xiangzi didn't expect that his old friend, whom he hadn't seen for almost ten years, would shelter a homeless man who was being hunted by a kidney-stripper.

But at least, she could ask Chu Hua to provide her with some channels to transfer the [point chips].

Xiangzi is now penniless. For a vagrant like this to sell such expensive items in an unfamiliar neighborhood, the chances of being targeted are too high.

Even if she wasn't targeted, with her reconnaissance abilities, it would be difficult for her to guard against even the most basic deception.

But the channels at Chuhua are different.

Chu Hua climbed up from the bottom and now works in an entertainment company as a popular artist. His channels are definitely safer than his own, and more...

"..."

but.