Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

……

Mortis:

[The construction of the hacker workbench [Birdcage] has been preliminarily completed. ]

……

Just a short sentence, but it contains a lot of information.

“(Is the [bird cage] also ready?)”

Now, Ave Mujica also has its own hacker workstation.

very good--

Xiangzi thought.

Just then, she felt someone looking at her from the side.

Xiangzi turned his head.

She saw the bartender staring at her.

"Is there no next song yet?"

The bartender asked in a metallic voice.

Only then did Xiangzi realize that he had been playing the chord progression for several minutes.

…but you can’t say you’re connected to the internet and checking your emails.

Xiangzi turned around and smiled at the bartender.

"Sorry, I was distracted thinking about my sister."

Xiangzi made up an excuse.

"Yesterday, I asked someone to contact my sister," she said. "We got separated when [Phase 2 of Reclamation New Land] was blocked. I only found out recently that she was also in [Small Center Area]."

……

Play, play, and more play.

After 12 hours of playing, a short break comes with the day.

Xiangzi went off work.

She pushed open the side door of the bar and exhaled white smoke in the cool morning mist.

"(Let's go back to Ave Mujica's territory.)"

Xiangzi thought.

The bird cage has been built.

Xiangzi planned to see the situation and results in person.

Also, it's about time to go back to the territory and inspect the situation.

Xiangzi asked for leave from the bartender.

The reason used was "I want to meet my sister as soon as possible."

The bartender originally did not intend to agree, but after Xiangzi used wine and rhetoric to trick him, he got permission.

"(After confirming the [Birdcage]... find a place that is attacked by refugees, or an interface to attract customers... go to the west to confirm the "secret weapon"...)"

Xiangzi was thinking about his future plans and looking towards the side of the alley.

Xiangzi is looking for a bodyguard.

The bodyguards responsible for her safety - now reduced to two, but of course still existing - just came out first.

A dark shadow moved deep in the alley.

In the artificial eye, the scan is a green [Companion] logo.

Is it there?

Xiangzi walked over there.

"Come with me," she whispered, "I want to go back——"

Xiangzi's voice suddenly stopped.

Because she saw the golden tips of hair emerging from the darkness.

It wasn't the bodyguards who were there.

But it’s Chuhua.

Chuhua is here.

Chapter 397 My Sister

Chuhua walked out from the shadow of the alley.

When she was not in a state of preparation, Chu Hua kept her body circulation at a very low level. The light snow fell on her body, leaving a thin layer of white frost on her shoulders.

Chuhua waved to Xiangzi.

Xiangzi looked around.

"… Where are the two bodyguards?"

Xiangzi asked.

"I've already let them go."

Chu Hua said.

……

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of boots stepping on the hard ground was heard.

Xiangzi and Chuhua walked on the street one after the other, heading south towards the area of ​​Ave Mujica.

"How did you come?"

Xiangzi walked in front. She put her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker, looked ahead and asked.

"If I remember correctly, you should be in charge of supervising the installation of the newly built iron fence."

Xiangzi said.

"The fence is almost finished."

Chuhua followed behind Xiangzi, with her eyes downcast and a faint smile on her face.

"The northern part of the [Food, Fuel, and Processed Products Area], which connects to [Comprehensive Area 1], was installed last." Chu Hua said, "I have already seen the final riveting work, and there are no major problems. The next step is cleaning and tidying up. There is nothing else to do. I just came over to take a look."

"Oh, I see." Xiangzi said.

The streets are narrow.

From time to time, pedestrians who had undergone exaggerated cyber-transformations would squeeze past the two of them in suspicious ways.

Chu Hua blocked the pickpocket's hand from behind, using his strength as a silent warning.

The two walked forward quietly.

"I haven't seen you for a while." Chu Hua said.

"We have just acquired the new territory," Xiangzi said. "We have a lot to do. Everyone is very busy."

"Um……"

Chu Hua looked at the graffiti on the wall that were an interweaving of scarlet and bright blue.

"Are you using the name Oblivionis here...Should I call you Oblivionis here?"

Chu Hua suddenly lowered his voice and asked.

Xiangzi was stunned for a moment.

But, yes.

The name Oblivionis is known almost exclusively among the followers of Ave Mujica.

But as the power of believers continued to grow, rumors may have spread beyond the territory of Ave Mujica.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Xiangzi did not use this name.

She wore a mask that could block scans, and even in the [Small Central Area], due to the unknown [Insect Swarm] risk, no one dared to turn on the prosthetic eye scan to scan other people's identities.

People in the bar never cared about other people's names. They all called her "pianist" or "the one who plays the piano".

But how should we call our own people?

"...No." Xiangzi said, "Call me by my original name."

It would be better to use the real name, Xiangzi thought.

"Xiao Xiang."

Chuhua immediately used the permission, she said.

In the common chat channel of Ave Mujica or in face-to-face chats, Chuhua also called Xiangzi this way.

This shouldn't be surprising.

"..."

But today, Chu Hua's tone of voice made Xiangzi feel a little different from before...

“(Maybe it’s because we’ve been communicating via email lately, so the language is more formal.)”

There are few opportunities to be addressed like this, so I feel that it is different from before, Xiangzi thought.

She looked back at Chuhua.

Chuhua seemed a little happy.

The two walked a little further.

"Xiao Xiang wants to go back to his residence?"

Chu Hua asked first.

"I'm going back to my territory today."

Xiangzi said.

"Inspection?"

"Yes. Mainly to see the bird cage."

"Ah, yes. So it's done."

"Using the [Birdcage] to manage the territory can free those of us who are currently in charge. However, it is only a concept at this stage."

The two chatted slowly and casually.

"Xiaoxiang, do you need to go to a meeting when you get back?" Chuhua asked.

"The times of several people may not match." Xiangzi replied.

“There haven’t been any meetings since then.” Chu Hua said, “After we took over the [Food, Fuel, and Processed Products Zone] and assigned everyone their responsibilities, there haven’t been any meetings since then.”

"..."

Xiangzi was silent.

Chuhua's hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed Xiangzi's upper arm.

"!"

Xiangzi was startled and turned back.

Chuhua's other hand had already covered Xiangzi's cheek.

Chuhua's thumb, which was covered with thin calluses, rubbed under Xiangzi's eyelids in the cold winter air.