In the near-future city of Niihama, where cyberization and prosthetics are commonplace, Batou of Public Security Section 9 shares tiny romantic sparks with the super-wizard class hacker Ishikawa. Both are terrible at being honest with their feelings, and they spend their days exchanging awkward words during missions.
One day, they begin investigating a series of cyber hacking incidents. The common thread among the victims is the use of the latest chips from the major prosthetic manufacturer 'Po
Lovers in the Cyber Labyrinth - That blush of yours, it's completely obvious (but next time, I'll be the one to make a move)
That's wrong, he thought.
Two weeks since the incident. The emergency arrest of Poseidon Industries' CEO and the Nereid Mark VI backdoor issue had been made known to every citizen of Niihama through the Ministry of Home Affairs' official announcement. Public Security Section 9's achievements were officially processed as the work of the Cyber Crime Countermeasures Office, but Batou accepted that as a matter of course. They were, after all, an organization that didn't exist.
As a mission, it had been perfect.
Kurasawa was secured, and Ishikawa's ghost was safe. Siren's whistleblowing became decisive evidence, and Poseidon Industries' conspiracy was exposed to the light of day. Everything had gone well. And yet, deep in Batou's chest, a small snag remained.
*(Ishikawa's been kind of distant.)*
The main building of Public Security Section 9. In the underground operations room of the building officially operating under the name Wakaba General Insurance, Batou stared blankly at his terminal screen.
These past two weeks, he'd exchanged only the bare minimum of words with Ishikawa. Mission reports, data handovers, confirmation of the next shift. That was all. Even after that embrace across the cyber divide, after that confession broadcast to the entire world, she carried out her work with cool efficiency, as if nothing had happened.
*(Is she embarrassed?)*
*(Or — was that just momentum after all?)*
Batou let out a small breath. He stared at his own prosthetic hand. The fingers of his full military-grade prosthetic body seemed to tremble ever so faintly.
[sighs] "...Tch. Damn it."
When it came to matters of love, he truly had no idea what to do. The mind that could operate so clearly on the battlefield would freeze up instantly when it came to Ishikawa. His complex about being bad at cyber warfare reared its head even in situations like this.
*(If I were a wizard-class hacker, I wonder if I could say this more smoothly.)*
After grumbling inwardly, Batou shook his head. He knew, even himself, that wasn't the issue.
---
The first night of his leave.
In the old town of Tachibana Ward, the light of neon and the smell of damp alleys mingled together. In the basement of this district, crowded with low-rise buildings from the post-war reconstruction era, was the bar "Shelter." When Batou opened the heavy iron door, Gouda, who had been polishing a glass behind the counter, looked up.
[laughing] "Yo, boiled octopus. Curry today?"
Gouda's left eye — an old military-grade prosthetic — glowed a dull gold. The surgical scar on the top of his head was visible in the dim lighting of the bar. The fifty-eight-year-old former mercenary grinned at the large pot dangling from Batou's hand.
[muttering] "I didn't order any."
[laughing] "Gah-ha-ha! I can tell just by looking at your face. A muscle-brained idiot who sucks at love has no choice but to try and curry favor with curry, right?"
[angry] "Shut up!"
His face turning red, Batou placed the pot in the kitchen. The special curry was a labor of confidence, prepared since morning. The onions had been sautéed until caramelized, and the spices were brought from his personal box hidden in Gouda's shop. All that was left was to heat it up.
Thirty minutes later.
Ishikawa and Siren arrived at the bar almost simultaneously.
[surprised] "This is my first time in a place like this."
Siren's violet prosthetic eyes sparkled as she looked around the bar. Her platinum blonde twintails, reaching down to her waist, swayed softly, and the blue nano-luminescence at the tips glowed faintly in the dim interior. Clutching her rabbit plushie terminal, she clambered onto a stool at the counter. With her small frame of 148 centimeters, the height of the stool seemed a bit of a struggle.
Ishikawa sat down wordlessly at the end of the counter. Unconsciously, she twirled a strand of her shoulder-length emerald green hair around her finger. The same habit she had during cyber warfare. Seeing that, Batou realized she was nervous.
*(Me too.)*
[gentle] "...Want some curry?"
[quiet] "...Yeah."
Ishikawa's reply was short. But she didn't seem reluctant. Feeling a little relieved inside, Batou dished out the curry onto four plates.
The aroma of spices rose from the four plates lined up on the counter. Siren was the first to pick up her spoon.
[surprised] "...Oh my."
After one bite, Siren's prosthetic eyes shifted from violet to a bright lavender.
[excited] "Batou-san, you're a good cook! I thought you were nothing but muscle!"
[laughing] "Gah-ha-ha! Good one, little lady, you've got him figured out."
Gouda laughed heartily as he placed a bottle of whiskey on the counter.
[grinning] "Muscle, cooking, and tone-deaf in love — that's Batou's three-piece set. If only he could get better at even one of 'em."
[angry] "Shut up! Just eat your curry!"
Batou yelled, but his voice cracked. He hurriedly cleared his throat, but it was too late. Ishikawa let out a small snort.
[laughing] "...Pfft."
[embarrassed] "Wha—what is it?"
[teasing] "Nothing. Your voice just cracked."
Batou's face grew even redder. A boiled octopus right to the tips of his ears. Gouda raised his glass and twisted the knife further.
[grinning] "See there, shorty. He only gets this red in front of you, not even during combat."
[embarrassed] "Hey, Gouda-san!"
This time, Ishikawa's face turned bright red. She yanked the hood of her parka over her head, hiding her face. Her pale golden prosthetic eyes glinted through the gap in the hood.
Siren took out a taiyaki-shaped notepad and began scribbling something with a serious expression.
[serious] "Batou-san excels at curry. His voice cracks. Of the three-piece set, cooking is cleared. Remaining: muscle and tone-deaf in love... Noted, noted."
[angry] "Don't take notes!"
[innocent] "But it's interesting."
Gouda leaned his elbows on the counter, his wrinkled face crinkling even more as he laughed.
[laughing] "Little lady, you've got good sense. Might be the most promising customer who's ever walked into this bar."
[proud] "I'm honored by your praise."
At their exchange, Batou's shoulders slumped in defeat. Ishikawa still had her hood up, but her shoulders were trembling slightly. Probably holding back laughter.
When the curry was about half gone.
Gouda suddenly pulled a new bottle of whiskey from under the counter.
[casual] "Whoops, ran out of stock. Gonna hit the storeroom for a bit. Wait about three minutes."
With that, Gouda disappeared through the back door.
*(He did that on purpose.)*
Batou realized it immediately. There was no way this seasoned former mercenary would neglect inventory management. He had intentionally left them alone.
Silence filled the bar.
Only the low hum of the cooling fans could be heard. In the corner of the counter, Siren put away her taiyaki notepad and wrapped both hands around her mug of hot milk. Her prosthetic eyes shifted from violet to a deep blue — the color they turned when she was thinking about something.
Ishikawa set down her spoon.
A small *clink* echoed.
[whispers] "Hey."
Batou's shoulders jolted.
[quiet] "Um... that thing I broadcast on all channels. Do you remember it?"
Remember it? As if he could ever forget. Those words Ishikawa had shouted — to the whole world, via satellite link. *"Batou is someone precious to me!"*
[low] "...I remember."
He forced the words out. His own voice sounded terribly distant.
Ishikawa's finger traced the rim of her curry plate. The emerald green hair draped over her shoulder trembled slightly.
[whispers] "I meant it. For real."
Batou's breath stopped.
Deep in his chest, something pounded violently. Had the artificial heart of his full military prosthetic body always been this loud? No, this was — his ghost. Something programmed nowhere in his mechanical body, his very soul, was trembling.
Siren quietly slipped off her stool. Carefully, so as not to make a sound.
[whispers] "I find myself with time to spare, enough to eat a taiyaki while I wait."
Turning her back to Batou and Ishikawa, she moved to the sofa in the corner of the bar. Hugging her rabbit plushie tightly. Whether she was naturally oblivious or reading everything perfectly — Batou couldn't tell.
[stammering] "I... I also..."
He opened his mouth.
But the next words wouldn't come.
*(Say it. Now. Say it.)*
He knew it in his head. And yet, his tongue tied itself in knots, his vocabulary evaporated, and only a voiceless "I, I, I" leaked out as breath. Ishikawa's pale golden prosthetic eyes gazed steadily at Batou. Those pupils narrowed like a cat's depending on the light.
[embarrassed] "I... I also... um..."
At that moment, the door at the back of the bar opened.
[laughing] "Still haven't said it, boiled octopus?!"
As if he had timed it perfectly, Gouda returned, cradling the whiskey bottle.
[angry] "Shut up!!"
Batou shouted. And then — carried by the momentum — the words flew out of his mouth.
[shouting] "Not just me protecting you — next time, wanna go grab a meal or something?!"
The bar fell utterly silent.
Ishikawa's prosthetic eyes widened. Her finger, leaving the rim of the curry plate, stopped in mid-air.
"...Eh."
[stammering] "I—I mean — a date! I'm saying let's go on a date!"
Batou's ears had completely passed red and were approaching a shade of purple. His prosthetic hand on the counter was unconsciously making a grinding noise.
Ishikawa froze for a few seconds.
Then — the corners of her mouth slowly relaxed.
[gentle] "...You finally said it."
She took off her hood. Her emerald green hair spread out softly, and the faint freckles around her nose were subtly illuminated by the bar's lighting. The smile that surfaced on her face was — more honest and gentle than any expression Batou had ever seen on her.
Batou saw that smile head-on.
He exceeded his boiling point.
[shouting] "Alright!!"
*BAM!!*
Batou's prosthetic hand slammed the counter with all its might. Gouda's glass toppled from the vibration, whiskey spreading across the counter.
[angry] "Ah!! You idiot! My Macallan 18!"
[laughing] "Gah-ha-ha! The expensive stuff tastes better, right? The floor drinking it is the same thing!"
[angry] "Like hell it's the same! You muscle-brain!"
[laughing] "Ahaha... Batou, your face is insane. You've gone past bright red and turned into a traffic light."
Ishikawa laughed out loud. Her prosthetic eyes increased their golden glow happily. In the corner of the bar, Siren, who had at some point taken out a taiyaki and was munching on it, nodded with satisfaction.
[gentle] "That's wonderful, Ishikawa-san."
[embarrassed] "...Thanks."
---
It took about ten more minutes for things to settle down.
Just as Gouda finished wiping the counter and was pouring whiskey into a new glass, his expression shifted slightly. The surgical scar on the top of his shaved head stood out clearly under the fluorescent lights.
[serious] "And now, the main topic."
Gouda pulled a thin terminal from under the counter. A sticker reading "Evidence No. 2047-C Kurasawa Seized Terminal" was affixed to its surface.
[serious] "The log analysis of Kurasawa's seized terminal is finished. Take a look inside."
As Gouda operated the terminal, a hologram materialized in the space above the counter. Countless encrypted communication logs appeared as strings of pale blue light, arrayed in the air.
[surprised] "This is..."
Ishikawa's prosthetic eyes scanned the strings of text at high speed. Her fingers danced in the air, classifying the logs, extracting patterns. Her movements in cyberspace always captivated him. This was her true ability as a wizard-class hacker.
[serious] "Communications with Poseidon executives — only three in total. And all of them were instructions for the cover-up."
[serious] "What about the other communications?"
[cold] "...Encrypted communications addressed to 'Mother.' Twelve of them."
A chill ran down Batou'
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