Chapter 55

I’d only just snuck into Konpeki Plaza to steal a biochip called the "Relic" from Arasaka's Yorinobu as part of a gig. The heist itself went off without a hitch—until Machine Dragon crashed the party, and I barely got out alive, only to have Adam Smasher blow my heart out.

Then, because I died, the Relic activated properly. But Little Boss revived me mid-sequence, stopping the chip from fully overwriting me into Johnny. That’s why we ended up sharing a mind—Johnny and I.

And while I was still reeling from the shock, sleep-deprived after an all-nighter of nonstop sex, Johnny snapped me back to my senses with a shining wizard to the face.

"…So basically, our sex was watched?"

"Like hell I’d do something that lame. I was asleep, ya big-assed woman."

Johnny muttered defensively, a cigarette between his lips, straddling a caster chair as he rolled past the bedside.

…Is it just me, or is he pulling more stuff from my memory lately?

That chair—it was in my old office back in my counterintelligence days. Not bad quality either.

"He’s not the kind of guy to do that sort of thing. Anyway—Little Boss says the Relic I’ve got isn’t like the commercial versions. It’s custom. Built with bio-nanomachines. You try to yank it out, and it’s like peeling off part of your brain."

"Huh. Well, fine, I guess."

"Haha… So here’s the deal: its designer, Anders Hellman, is trying to defect under cover of a Kang Tao convoy. I want to nab him. For that, I need Aldecaldos’ help—hence why I took this gig from Rogue, which puts me in contact with you."

"I see. So the convoy’s route cuts across our turf. And I’m guessing you’re offering solid pay, yeah? In that case, Saul’ll bite. He’s been scrambling for ways to support the clan."

"It’s gotten that rough?"

"Pretty much. We've been hitting Biotechnica transports for cash here and there. Wait, wasn’t it your people who trashed them? Biotechnica?"

"…Yeah, that was our Little Boss. A straight-laced fixer who loathes drugs and Scavs. Plays it clean."

No joke. The way she uses government ties and scheming to pull off moves like that—she’s a real fixer. A puppet master.

A fixer who deals in both violence and medicine? That’s way too scary.

She’s like a perpetual motion machine.

And on top of that, she’s got zero interest in power. Like some kind of artificial storm...

"…You keep calling her Little Boss. She’s that young?"

"I think she said… sixteen."

"Haa!? That’s way too young! And she’s already taken down a whole corp!? Damn… born in the city, huh. Geniuses really are built different…"

"She’s a genius, yeah, but the kind who grinds. Worst kind of prodigy. Started out as a ripperdoc, too."

"Ugh, that’s a job you can’t do without education and resources. Must be why she can structure things so well—makes sense she became a fixer."

"Yeah, that’s about right."

When Panam headed off to shower, I took the chance to throw my clothes back on from last night.

Thinking back on the conversation, I realized again just how insane it is that I work for a kid like that.

Come to think of it, the day I lost everything and was left with only my irreplaceable friend… that was the turning point.

It’s because Jack was there that I could grow into this cyberpunk life. The gigs are brutal, but they never go beyond what I can handle—probably Little Boss’s doing.

Truth is, without her, I’d have died a flashy death that day at Konpeki Plaza.

"Alright then. You should come along to Aldecaldos as is. If you bring the job to Saul yourself, it’ll cool his temper about me too."

"Yeah. Get me there on the Thornton. The gig goes live in five days, so there’s no need for a full team."

"Right. Then the responsibility's all on you, Vincent. If you don’t win him over, the rest of the crew’s gonna be in a tight spot."

"Not like you actually care."

"Maybe not? But I think the clan’ll like you. You are my guy, after all."

"…Just so you know, I’ve got contraceptive implants in. No risk."

When I said that, Panam, halfway through pulling on her jeans and sticking her peachy ass in my direction, whipped around and yelled:

"WHAAAT!? You’ve gotta be kidding! I timed it for my peak fertility window! I can’t believe this! I even had you go six rounds!"

"Sigh…figured as much. You were letting me finish inside back then too—should’ve noticed."

"I hadn't started menstruating back then, so I knew I couldn’t get pregnant!"

"Goddammit, Badlands women! You're too damn cunning! And why didn’t past me catch on!?"

"Ehehe, out here in the wastes it’s either cars or, well, this for fun, y’know?"

"Still! Don’t just throw yourself at the first guy you fall for! Value yourself more, you unruly filly!"

"Well, wouldn’t not going for it be worse? I mean, come on—when I messed up and fell, you jumped off a convoy in gunfire just to catch me. A guy like that’s worth holding onto, isn’t he? I am the faithful type, you know!"

When she said that, blushing like mad, I couldn’t bring myself to argue.

…Maybe it is time I settled down. I’m getting old. All those one-nighters dulled my sense of it.

She’s serious enough about me to aim for a shotgun wedding on purpose. Can’t take that lightly.

"…Yeah. Though honestly, you didn’t need to go to all that trouble. But, well… that’s Panam for you."

"…? Vinceeent… mmm—"

"I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s time I anchored myself. Panam, will you be my girl? My partner?"

Catching her off guard, I pulled her close and kissed those lips that always said the cutest things, then asked her straight.

Her face turned beet red, and she stood there stunned before leaning into my chest and giving a small, sweet nod.

She acts tough, but in truth, she’s just like a girl swinging a stick at the unknown—brave, yes, but still just a girl trying to match a man’s world.

『Hey, Vincent. Hate to rain on the romance, but no sex until we wrap up the Relic mess. Sex ranks right at the top of activities that spike Relic activation.』

(…You’ve got to be kidding me, Johnny.)

『You planning to let her take care of things after I take over your body?』

(…Fine. One week… maybe two or three. I’m gonna die.)

『Well, assuming you even get the time. That chick feels like the kind who plans things while gazing down at the world from orbit.』

(…Yikes, can’t argue with that. Maybe I rushed this a bit?)

『Heh. If you’re gonna be desperate to save your own life, you might as well say it’s for her smile. Fits you better.』

(No doubt. Thanks, Johnny. You really are the rocker the Little Boss has a soft spot for.)

『Damn straight. Kid’s even been blasting some of my live tracks lately. Kinda makes my ass itch with how much she adores me.』

…Could’ve phrased that better, even if you were being shy about it.

I gave the vanishing Johnny an exasperated look, then gently let go of the overwhelmed Panam in my arms.

"Well, let's pay a visit, consider it a greeting. Before the invisible bomb goes off."

"Mhm, sounds good. By the way, any plans on becoming the new clan chief?"

"Not a chance. I'm not cut out for that. At best, I'm just a perch for beautiful birds. Right now, it's reserved just for you."

"Ehehe, guess that's true. Then I guess that means I'm leaving the clan to become Vincent's wife. So, where do you live?"

"H10 Megabuilding, somewhere around the middle floors. I'll invite you over eventually—again and again."

"It's a promise! Even if it pisses me off that the old hag Rogue is involved, I don't care anymore! Alright, let's clean out the Kang Tao transport ship!"

"No, just Hermann's enough. If we hijack the supplies too, they'll definitely come after us. Little Boss is supposedly arranging for a weaponized AV to support us. It's a simple fetch job—just take down the targeted convoy."

"That sounds exactly like the kind of thing that makes Kang Tao's security forces come flying in."

"…Hard to say. Honestly, if it were my old corporate self being glared at by Little Boss, I would've cut ties without hesitation. Just to wipe out one gang squatting in Pacifica, I’d leak it as a bioterror incident, get the NCPD involved, and have the field ops gynoid clean them up with a flamethrower. Seriously, I don’t wanna get tangled up with a fixer who could pull that off."

"Eh, what’s that? Oh—wait, are you talking about that news segment from earlier? …Ugh, that’s terrifying. I mean, if you just tell them to hand him over to Kang Tao, wouldn’t that be the end of it?"

Panam's question… honestly made me nod.
Johnny, floating beside me, did the same. We couldn’t help but exchange glances.

Including what just happened, it's clear that Little Boss wants to move things forward with us at the center.

【Like a GM, huh. Tossing a job to us troubleshooters—couldn't be more textbook.】

"Little Boss wants to do something using us. But if we mention Alt’s name, things get messy, right? If Little Boss is the game master, then..."

【She probably wants us to follow the scenario. A big, long story that could potentially be streamlined depending on our deductions and actions… Maybe my hunch wasn’t wrong. That girl knows about Alt. And not just anyone’s version of her—from half a century ago, the kind of knowledge only Militech's spec-ops that clashed directly with Arasaka would have. No way you'd find that just trying to dig up my glory.】

"What if the intel on the『Mikoshi』came first?"

【…Makes sense. Calling『Mikoshi』the dedicated system for Soulkiller isn't even exaggeration. And the reverse is true too. That lines up. In that case…】

"【Their goal is to secure or destroy『Mikoshi』, huh】"

I voiced the conclusion that aligned with Johnny’s theory.
I see. Things are starting to come into focus.

What Little Boss truly wants isn’t Anders Hellman.

She’s aiming for the Aldecaldos we'd secure in the process—in other words, fresh foot soldiers for the coming assault on Arasaka.

"…Seriously?"

【…Speaking from experience, it’s hellishly tough. No way we’re all holding hands and making it out safe. And on top of that, we’ve got to do something about that full-body chromed-out bastard who killed both of us.】

Adam Smasher.
Just hearing his name makes my chest ache.

Even knowing it’s phantom pain, that trauma—the shock, agony, the unbearable heat—keeps reminding me not to forget.
I catch a glimpse of Panam staring at me, confused.

…Time to cool my thoughts. For now, this is all hypothetical. If Little Boss were really planning that, she’d be handling it more tactfully.

………Wouldn’t she?
A wave of unease rises from the pit of my stomach.

【Heh. Come on, you already know what to do.】

"…And what's that supposed to be?"

【Go ask her directly, duh. Problem solved. What, you think that girl’s some stiff who won’t talk? She’s the type who’d actually say, 'Glad you figured it out.'】

"But… if it is true, then what? Charging in without thinking is just asking for trouble."

【Take that into account and then go ask. You call yourself a cyberpunk? Empty your head, down some hardcore tequila, and charge in headfirst. It’s my rockstar-style survival philosophy. Improv usually works out somehow.】

As Johnny flashed that smug, confident grin, I sighed and rubbed my temples.
While I sat down heavily on the bed, trying to sort it all out, Panam, giving me a skeptical look, cut in bluntly.

"Look, I don’t really get it, but... shouldn’t you just talk it over with the team?"

…If only things actually worked out that easily.
Then again, she’s not wrong. Carrying all this on my own might be even dumber.

Letting out a sigh—deep, like from the bottom of my soul—I connected to the team holo.