Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

"..."

Xiangzi did not reply or refute.

"You didn't expect that."

Hailing looked at Xiangzi.

“But in the City of Music, there are always so many things that people don’t expect.”

She continued.

"More advanced equipment, better weapons, more sophisticated hacking paths. Someone who can only install eight behavioral plugins today will have an extra one in his head tomorrow. A gun that cannot carry a large warhead today will start firing depleted uranium bullets tomorrow. Today, the encryption technology you use is still the most advanced, and tomorrow, there will suddenly be 8 more instruction files on how to crack your encryption on the market."

“No one can keep up with the City of Joy forever.”

“Living here requires adaptability.”

"Oblivionis."

“You never give up. When faced with special circumstances, you can quickly change your strategy and adapt to new circumstances flexibly. What’s even more valuable is that your [goals] don’t change because of this adaptation.”

"Actions that will change, attitudes that will not change..."

“I admire people like that.”

"You are indeed reliable."

"…Timoris."

"Besides that, I also admire your persistence in reaching the top," Hai Ling said.

"If I follow you, maybe I can really see the scenery of the 'peak'."

"That--"

"—but I need to think about it."

Hai Ling suddenly changed the subject.

"Because your invitation looks like a life-long bet."

“…That’s right.”

"With such a big bet, I will not be stingy with my life. But before that, there is one thing I have already promised in my life."

"I have to check there first."

she says.

"First come, first served is my principle."

Chapter 100 Hai Ling and Li Xi ( monthly tickets plus more)

First come, first served is my principle.

After hearing the last sentence, Xiangzi smiled.

She said, "No problem, think about it carefully. After all, this is a matter of a lifetime," got off the motorcycle, and returned the ARCH Nazaré to Hai Ling.

Afterwards, the three of them retrieved Meowmeow's bright red [Kusanagi CT-3X] from the parking lot of the gas station rest area.

After some simple greetings like "Luckily you didn't drive my motorcycle", the three of them separated at the place where they had gathered yesterday.

A few hours later.

Hai Ling returned to the downstairs of the apartment where she lived.

……

Instead of going to the prosthetic doctor to treat his injuries, he returned to the apartment first.

This incident surprised Hai Ling herself.

She glanced at the AI ​​dial of [ARCH Nazaré].

It seems that I was distracted without realizing it and set the destination of the auto-cruise to [Apartment].

This kind of thing, I always feel, has happened before.

"..."

Hai Ling remembered.

That was when she first came to the apartment.

At that time, this was not my own apartment.

It's just "Shiina Tatsuki's Apartment".

"(It was a long time ago.)"

Hai Ling thought.

It was probably a few months after I left BCPD Hanasakigawa Police Academy.

The obsession of revenge makes me unable to forgive myself for taking a break. I am on edge as I go in and out of dangerous environments. I keep accepting unfamiliar things, forcing my brain to work and accepting challenges one after another.

Under such circumstances, Hai Ling persisted.

The days of fatigue, injury, and loss of focus continued.

At first, it wasn't particularly hard.

But after doing this for a few months, when I was clearly starting to get the hang of it, suddenly one day...

Hai Ling felt like “Ah, I can’t hold on any longer.”

She doesn't have too many prosthetics.

But she thought, that's what it felt like when a nerve was snapped.

No more.

You can't turn yourself into a cyberpsycho.

This was the only thought in my mind, and my vision was blank.

When I came to my senses, I had already arrived downstairs of the apartment building where Shiina Riki lived.

Shiina Riki is Hailing's classmate at the BCPD Hanasakigawa Police Preparatory Academy.

He is one of the few people she feels is "quite compatible with her".

She was also the only person who knew the other person's home address - because she had once sent Li Xi home when he was injured during training.

Maybe it's respecting the warning of the subconscious mind, or maybe it's the paranoia about past life.

Without much hesitation, Hai Ling made a decision.

She rented an apartment here and moved in.

It's like trying to grab some anchor in life.

Naturally, Li Xi was surprised. She kept knocking on the door, and Hai Ling could imagine the other party's dissatisfied face.

The reason why it is "imagination" is that during the initial period of time, I deliberately went out early and came back late, and never saw the other person.

I moved here, but I don’t see my old classmates anymore…

Even Hai Ling herself didn't know what she was thinking at that time.

Every day that you continue to persevere, the sun will rise in the east and set in the west.

Hai Ling adjusted her mood a little and gave Li Xi a simple explanation: "It's just that the price-performance ratio here is high."

Perhaps the resistance worked. From the next day, Li Xi really did not knock on the door again.

But instead, Hai Ling began to receive a drink called "Melting Milk Jelly! Chocolate Flavor!" on the windowsill.

……

Thinking too much about Lixi.

Hai Ling thought as she walked up the stairs of the apartment.

There is no way. Because when I negotiated with Miss Toyokawa, I said "there is one thing I have already agreed to", which was the promise I made to Li Xi.

Hai Ling promised Li Xi that she would be the bassist.

She accepted Lixi's bass chips and milk jelly. In Hailing's opinion, this was a deal.

Although there had been no rehearsals or performances yet, Hai Ling promised that she could be contacted once they reached a consensus.

"(Wait a minute.)"

Hai Ling hopes she can fulfill what she promised.

Click, click, click.

The sound of thick-soled boots echoed down the stairs.

...In addition to being a bassist, there is another thing that Hai Ling cares about.

"Is there anyone important in Timoris?"

Ms. Toyokawa's question.

When Hai Ling answered "I guess so", the person who appeared in her mind was Li Xi.

This incident also made Hai Ling think about it over and over again.

Because, it's a little strange to admit that Li Xi is an important person.

……

Hailing and Lixi met at the BCPD Hanasakigawa Preparatory Police Academy. Before that, their lives had no intersection.

The reason for the intersection is simple.

Li Xi is the only classmate besides Hai Ling who wants to join the Terrorist Squad.

Her sister seemed to be very capable. At a young age, she had already gained experience in both the Terrorist Squad and the Trauma Team and entered the management of the BCPD.

Lixi always wanted to catch up with her sister.

"She's Shiina Maki's sister!"

"Isn't that a bit fierce?"

"Really? I feel like I'm better than my sister..."

When she was studying, Hai Ling often heard such gossip.

"Maki did better back then, right?"

“It feels a bit pathetic.”

"People are born different after all. It's useless to try so hard to climb up."

There are a lot of these sounds.

However, compared to these, Hai Ling often hears...

"—Do you look down on me, bastard?"

What is heard more often is Li Xi's roar.

Lixi often quarreled with others, and sometimes they even fought.

It's so exciting. Hailing thought about it every time.

Compared to Hailing, Lixi has a more irritable personality.

But it's still reliable.

“(Is what you bring when you are born really that important?)”

As for talent, Hai Ling doesn't know Li Xi's sister, so naturally she has no way to compare.

But Hai Ling feels that compared to those classmates who have given up on moving forward and only strive for stable office jobs, Li Xi, who constantly puts pressure on himself and strives to do better, will be a better partner.

Study, training, exercises, social work.

Because there are only two of them competing for GPA, Hailing and Lixi have many opportunities to interact.