Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

"...I will talk to you properly."

After hearing what Xiangzi said, Chuhua smiled and left.

Hai Ling also followed them and left.

However, when she passed by Mu, she took one more look at him.

……

The door was closed.

The three of them left.

In the dim room, only Xiangzi and Mu were left.

Xiangzi didn't speak first.

It was Mu who spoke first.

"Xiang, you said last time that you would not come to see me again, but you came to see me after all."

she says.

"—!"

At that moment, Xiangzi showed a very sad expression.

Come on, Siang.

Harmony thought.

Don't look so sad. I'm glad you came to see me.

"……Yes."

Xiangzi said.

"I want to not involve Mu, but it's impossible."

"Feel sorry."

Mu shook his head gently, telling Xiangzi not to think like that.

"…From now on, I will talk about my business."

"Mu, listen to me and make the final decision."

Xiangzi looked into Mu's eyes.

Their eyes met. Both had golden pupils, glowing in the darkness.

"My father is in trouble."

Xiangzi said.

"The Toyokawa family abolished my status as heir."

"You know all this, Mu."

"What I want to talk about is what happened next."

"I don't want to be abandoned like this."

"I want to return to the top of the City of Joy and become a [big shot] once again."

"This time, not as Toyokawa Shoko, the heir of the Toyokawa family, but as the leader of a new gang."

"In order to achieve this goal, I need a backer to start my business."

“My chosen patron is Pastel*Palettes.”

"I'm helping them, stealing things from the Avex Research Base in exchange for the resources in their hands."

“But I don’t have enough manpower to do this.”

"We are short of a technician. A liaison operator who can bypass the electromagnetic interference signal of the Avex Research Base."

"This liaison correspondent needs to have 13 points in [Technical Ability]."

"You did, didn't you?"

Mu nodded gently.

Xiangzi looked at Mu. She continued.

"Next, I'm going to say something serious."

"Mu, I'm about to drag you into something dangerous."

"I want you to join me as a liaison and steal the [nanorobots] and necessary software from Avex's research base."

"I chose you not because of reason, but because of three reasons."

"One, you have enough [Technical Ability] points."

"Second, you are worthy of my trust."

"Third, your original life is no different from being dead."

"..."

"Mu, I've been saying this since I was a kid. Do you remember?"

"Being tightly bound, without freedom, without self, I can only live like a beautiful doll..."

Mu nodded.

Of course she remembered those quarrels between the peaceful Ruoye family's parents.

"Now, coming to me is also death," said Xiangzi.

"If you stay with me, you might be shot by a gun and die physically. Or you might be discovered by the Toyokawa family and be "purged", and die spiritually."

"But you were already dead."

"How can a person who is already dead be afraid of another death?"

"Since they are all death, there is no superiority or inferiority. It won't make much difference to you which one you choose."

Xiangzi looked at Mu.

"I invite you to abandon the Wakaba way of death and enter my way of death."

Xiangzi said.

"Between death and dying, choose one."

She pulled out a mask from behind her.

It was a mask that covered the right side of his face and the entire lower half of his face.

Xiangzi pinched a corner of the mask, raised his hand and closed his eyes.

"Mu, from now on, I won't open my eyes. You choose."

"If you take this mask, I'll take it as your acceptance of my invitation."

"From now on, you will be bound to me for the rest of your life, until you finally die."

"If you don't accept it, don't take it, just go away."

"Go. Leave this room, go downstairs, and don't look back."

"I asked Hai Ling to wait downstairs. She will take you home."

"..."

Xiangzi stopped talking.

She sat there quietly, not saying a word.

When she doesn't speak, she looks a bit like me.

Harmony thought.

Mu took two steps forward.

Xiangzi didn't feel the mask being taken away.

Her heart was beating, but she still didn't open her eyes -

but.

She immediately felt the warmth on her hand.

Mu did not pull the mask away from above, but instead held Xiangzi's hand holding the mask.

"I want to join."

Mu said.

"...!"

Xiangzi suddenly opened her eyes. She could no longer conceal her fragility, which was obvious on her face.

She almost said - Go back -

however.

"Because Xiang, it looks like it's about to break down."

Mu said again.

There it is again.

I heard this sentence once in a coffee shop.

Xiangzi's expression changed immediately, from sadness to a mixture of shame and anger.

"You're still like this, Mu."

Xiangzi's tone turned cold.

“Is that enough?”

"..."

Mu was silent. She didn't speak, but frowned sadly.

Xiangzi closed his eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she had regained her composure.

"Welcome to my masquerade, heir to the Wakaba family."

Xiangzi looked at Mu and said.

"From today on, you are Mortis."

……

do not do that.

Harmony thought.

Every time he saw Xiangzi make this expression, Mu felt sad.

I did something wrong and hurt Xiang. I should seriously consider the two options Xiang gave.

But how could she possibly consider it?

The answer already exists.

Because Xiang is behind one of the answers, Mu will definitely choose that answer.

It is impossible for me to be separated from Xiangzi.

They are each other's accomplices and the halves of each other's destiny.

Even without this kind of contract, their lives would already be tightly bound together.

Mu pushed open the birdcage and entered the larger, more sinister, puppet stage.

There is no particular reason.

Just because Xiang was there.

……