Ch.157Work Record #022 – No Cradle Lasts Forever (1)

On the day the audit ended, the workload was unusually light, and there were noticeably more Security Mobile Response units on the streets. The most dangerous task night guards could be assigned was supporting Mobile Response patrols in high-risk areas.

Perhaps they had adjusted the workload, assuming we wouldn’t be operating at full efficiency during the audit. Normally I would complain about the low pay, but today I decided to be grateful.

Bola took the new employees out for a beer, while Mr. Enzo and Manager Yoon went off somewhere together. Kay, predictably, fled straight home. He left only a message:

‘Dewey Novak is on the move again! Suspending reconnaissance for now! Already found 17 of the 20 facilities on the list, but three are still missing!’

Work seemed to be progressing well enough. It’s somewhat tragic that we share the same goal but must avoid each other. The fact that it’s Kay’s fault makes the tragedy twice as painful.

No, I shouldn’t be the one discussing the magnitude of tragedy. That’s for Kay and Manager Dewey Novak to debate. As a freelancer, I’ve gained many privileges, but they’re all human privileges.

Believing I have the authority to assign guilt to some and absolve others reminds me of Hollowed Creek. I need a change of mood.

Fortunately, Eve was beside me. Her expression was serene, completely unaware of Kay’s situation. Sometimes the storms that disrupt our voyage are deeply personal.

“Sometimes when everyone leaves just the two of us behind, I wonder if they’re deliberately giving us space. Don’t you think?”

“Ah, I’ve already decided they’re all leaving for their own sake. Shall we have a beer today too?”

Eve nodded lightly, and once again we headed to a nearby convenience store. Unlike last time, she chose the beer properly, but… no. I didn’t want to seem like I was mocking her.

No, I can’t let this moment pass because of an internal worry. I had to acknowledge how cute she looked with that triumphant expression that seemed to say, “I didn’t make a mistake this time, did I?”

When Eve’s confidence was moderate, she appeared mature, but occasionally when that moderate confidence pierced through its boundaries, she would act like a child seeking praise for everything.

We bought proper beer and a bag of soy starch pretzels, then sat on chairs outside the convenience store. Yesterday the smog had been terrible, but today it merely resembled fog.

Eve’s finger poked my cheek playfully. I leaned my head slightly against her, letting my shock-absorbing skin cushion the contact, and heard her characteristically clean, refreshing voice.

“Have you ever felt this way, Arthur? When so much has changed… yet nothing has changed at all. You’ve become a freelancer certified by two mega-corporations…”

“Is it because we bought the cheap pretzels?”

Eve burst into laughter at my unexpected response. After a moment of reflection, her chuckle turned into full laughter.

“No! These all have the same fishy aftertaste anyway. Besides, I was trying to have a serious conversation, Arthur. But… this is exactly the same. Being Arthur Murphy, regular employee of the mercenary staffing company Night Guard.”

She recited my official Guild title with a rhythmic cadence. There was only one possible response, which fortunately was exactly what I wanted to say.

“I like this position. Being able to occasionally go to the laundromat with you is quite an excellent working condition, and I earn enough to buy two bags of pretzels… what’s not to like?”

“Don’t you want to become something greater? If you weren’t already extraordinary, I would have been afraid of falling to my death while pretending. But since you are extraordinary… sometimes I fear falling after trying to fly to the sun.”

This time I borrowed a fragment of Kay’s words. I shook my head leisurely. It wasn’t the sun’s heat that killed Icarus.

“Someone told me that what killed Icarus wasn’t the sun’s heat… but the limitations of people in that era who didn’t understand the stratosphere and thermosphere. Icarus didn’t die from falling; he died from being trapped in a framework.”

“Your lover is typically the kind of person who gets trapped in frameworks, Arthur. You… Well, yes. You’ve always been the type to shatter anything that displeases you or fails to bring you joy.”

“‘I won’t live anymore thinking the world is a well filled with filth.’ That’s what the person who was best at breaking frameworks once said. Do you know who that was?”

Eve’s ears turned red, and she lightly pushed my chest with her fingertips. Neither of us moved from the push.

“You’re making a big deal out of something I only said once? This time you’re being too sugary, Arthur.”

“When 1 becomes 2, that’s progress, and when 100 becomes 101, that’s a minor change… but when 0 becomes 1, that’s a miracle. So that makes you the person who broke frameworks best. Don’t you think?”

Seeing that I hadn’t moved away, Eve pulled her plastic chair next to mine and slowly leaned against me. Her voice continued as she reclined halfway. The sky didn’t look that cloudy.

“I’m quite curious about the moment your 0 became 1. Can you tell me about it?”

“Of course. Actually… I’ve talked about it so much I could sell t-shirts printed with ‘Arthur Who Died and Came Back Twice.’ The first time I died and came back was the first time. That’s what I think.”

Was it loyalty to the company? I did keep the company as my place to return to, but I didn’t escape because of loyalty. It didn’t matter if my second chance at life came from someone’s greed.

“I’ll scold you from the third time on. They say anything done three times becomes a habit.”

“Ah, then there’s one thing I’d like to make a third time. Is that okay?”

Eve slowly tilted her head. As she mentally listed things we’d only done twice… the redness from her ears invaded her cheeks.

It took seven seconds to remember that silence isn’t consent, and after covering her cheeks with her hands once and removing them, Eve finally nodded.

We did again what we had only done twice before—once on Christmas, and once two days after. Eve’s lips were already close as she raised her head while leaning against me, so I didn’t need to bend down too far.

At least I’d experienced Eve’s kisses more often than death. That might be quite an achievement for a twenty-three-year-old. I decided to think of it that way.

After our lips parted from their languid contact while our bodies were half-pressed together, Eve buried her face in the plastic table with almost Posthuman Type IV-level reaction speed, covering it with both arms. She really was that fast. Truly.

Fortunately, my genuine Type IV implants could understand everything she was muttering while face-down. It wasn’t anything bad. Just small complaints about losing the initiative again.

I enjoyed watching her, unable to get up despite her breathing and heartbeat returning to normal, still pretending to be embarrassed. When I looked away, she would slowly rise again and lean against my shoulder.

After spending that leisurely dawn together, we once again swapped bikes for the ride home. Mine had an external AI connection for autonomous driving, but Eve’s was an older model without that feature.

The day ended only after Chance, who drove in Eve’s place, reported our arrival at the destination. I hoped we could have a date tomorrow since it was a day off… but days off always seemed to arrive slowly.

There were no known necromancy or black magic spells to summon holidays early. I got up from my comfortable, pleasant bed and stretched. Meanwhile, Chance’s voice came through.

“There is one missed communication from early morning, Agent Arthur Murphy. It’s from Noah Verami. Would you like to check the voice message?”

“Transcribe it. If it’s urgent, I’d better draw my gun first rather than listen to the whole thing.”

“Understood, Agent. Transcription complete.”

As for Noah… I wanted to treat him as a good junior, a mercenary younger than me trying to become an offliner as I once was, but I couldn’t help being cautious.

‘I’m really sorry for being so impatient last time. Fitts & Morrison contacted us, and we’re thinking of visiting together today. Would you be able to join us?’

If that’s all he said, I should have just listened. The detention period seems longer than before. If it were truly Fitts & Morrison’s dirty laundry, they would have detained him formally for just a day or two, but that’s not the case.

Not Fitts & Morrison’s dirty laundry… are they actually showing mercy? I didn’t know the reason. As far as I knew, Simon Verami was an ordinary mercenary.

I needed to go find out. After only four hours of sleep—the only time I’d spent resting—I washed up and prepared to go out again.

I wasn’t tired. This was enough rest. With Small Misdeed holstered at my waist, I mounted Eve’s bike and connected a call to Noah from the parking lot.

He was capricious. Not particularly calculating. This time too, he hesitated before speaking.

“Ah, I sent that message too early in the morning… I was getting anxious. Kanun Company doesn’t have any connections except you, Mr. Arthur. If we went to Fitts & Morrison by ourselves, we might cause trouble…”

He was still within bounds. This was still his first chance. I could still help him. I decided to willingly share what I had with them.

“Your caution is sufficient. Shall we have breakfast together after the visit? There’s a pretty good restaurant near Fitts & Morrison. By the way, how’s work going these days?”

Wilder who thinks he’s invincible when holding a shield, Evelyn who’s too timid to stop such a Wilder, Riley who goes berserk once a fight starts, and… the problematic Noah Verami.

The hacker seemed to be the only reasonable one, but while Simon could bind the five of them together as a mercenary staffing company, Noah lacked that ability. The response was caustic but predictable.

“We managed to get paid yesterday following the Mobile Response unit, but things are… bad. With Uncle Simon gone, I’m trying my best, but…”

“I work evenings, so I can join you for a job around lunchtime. Get a request ready.”

Noah responded with a surprised voice. He seemed to be shaking his head vigorously, though it wasn’t audible through the communication channel.

“That’s, you don’t need to go that far! We can’t afford to hire a freelancer, and surviving by imposing on you…”

“Surviving is enough, whatever it takes. I’d rather do real work than be cooped up in a virtual reality training machine anyway, so I’m not losing anything. And most importantly.”

“Most importantly…?”

“If I help you earn something at lunch, you won’t ask me to pay for dinner.”

Noah Verami, who had been tense, laughed at my mischievous joke. The laughter sounded layered, suggesting other employees were listening too.

Since Noah was an offliner, he would be using a smartphone, making it simpler than sharing a call. Riley’s voice was closest.

“You’re truly a gentle giant, aren’t you? If my grandmother saw you, she’d say what she always used to: ‘I thought all people like this were lost in that war.’ You must hear that a lot?”

“It’s much better than the second most common thing I hear. That’s something like ‘Do you enjoy performing miracles?’ Grateful, but cringeworthy.”

“Hmm, speaking of that, I think I heard a story about you recharging a depleted cybernetic implant with just a word of encouragement?”

When Noah wasn’t being hostile, I could interact comfortably with Kanun Company like this. After meeting Simon and uncovering the truth, this scene could become a regular part of daily life. Definitely.

Dreaming of that moment, I decided to respond to the joke with another joke. I faintly heard Noah grumbling as Riley asked if she’d ever seen him laughing like this during a call.

“Ah, that did happen. But I call what I did then a reboot, not a miracle. See you in front of the Fitts & Morrison building.”

I seemed to have managed the situation successfully today. If I could just keep Kanun Company on the right track… it could become a better place.

People can only live consumed by vengeance for a month or two. After that, they need to find another fuel to live like humans.

I won’t interfere beyond that, but… I might be able to change this much. I may not be capable of extraordinary feats, but I’m not helpless either.

I started the bike and headed toward the Fitts & Morrison headquarters. Though the smog was somewhat lighter today, the streets were filled with people rushing to work. I felt like I had stepped outside of everyday life.

Blending into that commuting crowd, I headed toward the Fitts & Morrison building. After waiting for Kanun Company’s van to arrive, I walked through the main entrance with them following behind me.

The Lobsters examined us once, but they merely gave a brief salute to a freelancer recognized by two companies. Noah kept his eyes fixed on the ground ahead. He was drawing his own boundaries.

Meanwhile, Riley approached me and pushed over a virtual screen. It was a visitation permit. She asked in a serious voice:

“Should we submit this ourselves, or would there be some advantage if a freelancer submits it?”

I briefly examined the document, but the applicant was listed as Noah Verami. Simply having me deliver it wouldn’t change anything.

“No, it’s better if Noah submits it himself. The applicant is Noah anyway, so…”

“See, Riley? I told you I could handle it. I kept saying…”

“Sorry, sorry, Noah. I just wanted to be certain. Someone who’s worked with mega-corporations multiple times would know better, right?”

Noah nodded as if he couldn’t help it. Was I being envied? Admiration and jealousy… it’s hard to tell where one branches from the other. We entered Fitts & Morrison’s concrete fortress.

Inside the headquarters, angular shapes and raw concrete’s characteristic rough gray were prominently displayed. To signal that I wasn’t here to solve all their problems, I let Noah take the lead as we headed inside.

Everyone from Kanun Company had their weapons confiscated, and Noah even underwent a body search, but I was able to enter with Small Misdeed still holstered after exchanging salutes with the security staff.

Simon was sitting in the visitation room in a corner of the visitor center. He kept his head bowed, as if unable to face Noah, and only raised it slightly when he saw me. He tried to speak cheerfully, but there was only as much genuine cheer as there was real skin on Bola’s full-body prosthesis.

“Ah, Freelancer. You were right about everything. Misfortune doesn’t just fall from the sky—some idiot creates it. Yeah. Damn it all.”