Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

“—but I can’t protect a band yet.”

Rin Rinko looked at Li Xi.

"..."

Lixi looked at the empty space in front of the bar unhappily.

"One band. Four people. Acting together." Li Xi frowned and said, "If you can't even protect a situation like this, then it's the same as not being able to protect anything."

Rinrinko put down the cleaned cup and picked up a new one.

"My [Physical Body] is 2 points away from [Extraordinary]."

Lixi said.

“I have to get to that realm as soon as possible.”

"Once I get there, I can apply for an exoskeleton for my personal use—"

"——So, I have to hurry."

"..."

Rin Rinko smiled softly.

"what?"

Lixi didn't seem particularly happy that the audience suddenly laughed - although she was not happy in the first place.

"The last time I heard someone say 'I want to increase my points quickly', it was from a student of Hanasakigawa's."

Rin Rinko said:

"Is your name Hachiman?"

"—"

Li Xi was even more unhappy than before.

"You know her?"

Rin Rinko asked.

"She's an unpleasant person who uses emails instead of important conversations." Lixi said, "Anyway, no matter what she is, I hope the mission-"

However, at this time.

Beep, beep, beep.

Rinrinko's brain machine started to buzz.

"Sorry, wait a moment."

Rinrinko said to Li Xi, and then answered the call on the computer.

"..."

Li Xi is equipped with a BCPD communication blocking device, but she will not use it to block other people's private calls.

So, she just sat there and waited for a while.

Rinrinko's conversation ended quickly.

"I have to go in for something." Rin Rinko put down the cup, pointed with her chin at the employee behind her using a touch pad, and said, "Look for the tasks yourself. I'll give you the authority after I get out - don't choose something too difficult, I won't give it to you. Last time, in the case of [Body: 12], they said you almost lost a leg."

Rin Rinko walked out of the bar, but after taking two steps, she turned back and said:

"Oh, by the way. If any of the guests want drinks, please make them some. Just connect the biotransmission cable to the cocktail machine down below."

"what?"

Li Xi made a puzzled sound.

"Please~"

But Rinrinko had already walked out of the bar.

……

Rinrinko walked over the bar, passed by the free mercenaries holding [Alliance Munitions X-9mm], [Heckler & Koch MP-2013] and [Hydraulic Hammer], and headed towards the box.

She was no longer as relaxed and casual as she had been when she was talking to Lixi just now, but became serious.

Because in the box separated by a wall, the people calling her were two "big shots".

Speakeasy.

In the box.

Under the dim red light, two young women sat opposite each other.

One is the drummer of Poppin'Party, the "fermented girl" who manages the food industry in the city of music, Saya Yamabuki.

The other is Afterglow's keyboardist, who is in charge of port management and has a certain degree of control over the import and export status of the City of Joy, "The Great Ordinary", Tsugumi Hanezawa.

"...Is there no suitable candidate at Afterglow?"

Saya asked Tugumi.

Thrush shook his head.

"Afterglow's situation is similar to Poppin'Party's," said Tugumi. "The capable teams have either settled down or gone to [Reclamation New Land Phase 2]."

"Is it true..."

Sha Ling thought about it.

"It's hard to find anyone during this time." said Thrush.

“What a pity,” Sha Ling said, “The opening period of [Phase 2 of Reclamation New Land] is very critical.”

"Everyone knows that the Seven Bands will definitely take action... Everyone in the city is watching us." Sha Ling looked around, "There were also many eyes on us on the way here today."

“But no one is watching Fengchuan like this.” She said, “It’s not the seven bands that are competing for [Phase 2 of Reclamation New Land] now, but the seven bands and the Fengchuan family are competing for it.”

"The Toyokawa family is more secretive than us."

"They are below the stage and we are above it."

"That's bad. Toyokawa will have an advantage. In fact, recently, Toyokawa has been taking advantage of this concealment to do something quietly."

"..."

For the time being, Thrush just listened.

"Kasumi's meaning is that Toyokawa should either fend for himself or enter the game with integrity," said Saaya.

"What is Kasumi going to do?" asked Tsugumi.

"Repeat what Toyokawa did." said Saaya.

"..."

Thrush looked inquiringly.

"The attack on the band," Saaya said. "Kasumi plans to reenact Toyokawa's attack on the band."

"We'll stage a fake attack and expose the fact that the attackers are the Toyokawa family," she said.

She looked at Thrush.

"It has always been Toyokawa who serves and we handle it. This time, we serve and see how Toyokawa handles it—"

"——Now, the plan is just missing the participants."

"…We are sorry, but we cannot provide any performers."

Thrush clasped her hands and said.

Saya looked at Tsugumi.

“…Come to think of it, when I asked Afterglow for a meeting, I thought it would be Mocha who would come.”

Sa Ling asked seemingly casually.

“… Sometimes it’s me.”

Thrush smiled and answered.

Sha Ling seemed to want to say something else.

But that's it.

Snap.

The box door opened.

Shinji Rinrinko walked in.

"Hello, you two."

She nodded slightly and said.

"You've come just in time." Sha Ling smiled and said, "I want to ask you something. Do you have any--"

She asked halfway when she suddenly looked outside.

"Excuse me, what's wrong?"

Rin Rinko asked somewhat strangely.

“…I saw a young man I knew.”

Saaya looked over Rinrinko's back, toward the bar, and said.

Rinrinko also turned to look at the bar.

At the bar, Lixi was standing there, using the cocktail machine with an embarrassed look on his face.

Chapter 230 Sorry to bother you

Xiangzi didn't want to admit that he had "the best sleep in a month" on the bed in the nightclub, but that was the fact.

It's all the fault of the memory latex soft mattress.

When Xiangzi got off the Columbus freight van, she couldn't help but think so.

She hadn't woken up like this in a long time. She didn't feel any discomfort in her body, no soreness or pain at the junction of her physical body and prosthesis, no strange dreams, no strange dull pain in the back of her head.

But sleeping too well would also make Xiangzi uneasy.

The fact that "maybe I'll get used to a comfortable life" made Xiangzi's throat tighten as if he had inhaled too much salbutamol sulfate aerosol.

"..."

so troublesome.

Xiangzi thought.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Click.

There was the sound of a lock being locked behind me.

Hailing closed the car door.

Click, click.

She came from behind with the [Black Unicorn] slung over her waist, fiddling with another [TKI-20 Shingen] behind her.

The sound of the weapons colliding with each other reminded Xiangzi that it was time to come back to his senses.

"..."

Xiangzi took a deep breath.

The heartbeat slowly stabilized and the signs gradually calmed down.

Xiangzi walked forward.

Going around the corner where the Columbus freight van was parked, Xiangzi turned to the north side of the road from the low, dirty path that still had water left over from last night.

This is the destination given by Murakami.