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The sensation of the ground brushing against my shoes felt distant.

If it weren’t for the store she recommended, and if she hadn’t looked at me with that knowing expression, mentioning suspicious words like ‘special talent,’ I would have ignored her or called her a quack.

Why does it have to be blocked from this crucial part…? If this is a dream, please let me wake up.

Being deemed ineligible for Implant surgery is even more heartbreaking than being stuck living with Helena.

Of course… not everyone in Metropolis is a superhuman. Just thinking about the passersby on the street or the mercenaries I’ve encountered, there are probably more people who live with only the benefits of Cyberware enhancements.

Besides, if I trust what that teacher-like man said, you have to pass through a triple Rashomon of surgery costs, compatibility, and amplification rate to become a superhuman, so the number of truly dangerous individuals must be even smaller.

…Shit, that’s obviously about ordinary people! If you include corporations, all sorts of crazy people are bound to pop up, so I can’t relax at all. To get back home, I have to fight against a Mega Corp…!!

“Ugh…!!”

“Asha… Cyber engineers can live without getting those kinds of modifications.”

“……”

Hearing that from a cheat who can deflect bullets makes my chest feel tight.

I raised my head and looked to the side, and there was our heroine with a somewhat pleased smile.

…Even if the Implant problem is unavoidable, it’s still strange.

Her job as a combat police officer, and the fact that she shouldn’t be such a kind and friendly character. She keeps smiling at me so freely… and even tries to initiate skinship, it’s driving me crazy.

“Wait… Helena! Why are you patting my head?!”

“…You have such rude manners with your older sister. Should we take the motorcycle to the robot store…?”

“…!!”

I took a step back after hearing those scary words. I’m still being held by the arm, so it’s only about two steps… but pulling out the blackmail card right away, that’s definitely the Helena Valentine I know…?

Or maybe it’s because the original timeline hasn’t arrived yet, so her personality is a little more rounded.

……Timeline? Huh?

“Helena…! I’m the ol… no, I’m older!! I’m 27 years old…!”

“……?”

I’ve finally found a clue to escape this endless pressure.

At the start of the game, Helena’s age was estimated to be in her late twenties. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, it’s almost certain based on the conversations where she never mentioned getting Anti-aging surgery and the brainstorming results of users based on her beauty.

So I’m older…! I almost got tricked like with the mercenary trio.

I’m glad I can turn a crisis into an opportunity….

“…Citizenship.”

“……Citizenship? Why citizenship all of a sudden?”

“The last time I saw it, it definitely didn’t say 27 years old. If it’s not… as punishment for that strange joke, I’ll hug you all the way to the store.”

“……When did you even sneak a peek at that?!”

“I looked at it proudly.”

I don’t know what she did, but Helena was quite confident. Come to think of it… did I tell Grandpa Heinrich my specific age? I think we were both too shy for that…?

Before sending the data to Helena, who was radiating a terrifying aura, I quickly checked it first.

[ Green Grade Citizen, Anastasia Valentine. Cyber Engineer, 20 years old. ]

“……”

It’s… it’s okay. It’s not like they’re cross-referencing with a corporate database, so just changing one number and showing it would be a perfect crime.

And that shallow thought of mine was seen through by her blazing eyes.

“Ah.”

Dangling. My sad worker shoes that can’t touch the ground are swaying. I didn’t have the courage to look around, so I covered my face with both hands.

…It’s even more embarrassing because I made eye contact with a little kid who was passing by right before I hid. …Hey! Don’t ask your mom to hug you!! It’s not like that…!

Unlike the Implant shop, which was located a bit away from the shopping district like a hidden gem, the robot store was located in a mega-sized shopping center that ran through the upper, middle, and lower levels of Harvest Planet.

That meant the traffic was enormous… and people who did unusual things there were bound to attract attention.

“Are you going to lie again?”

“No… it’s not a lie, but really…!”

Helena’s arm around my waist loosened. I thought she had finally understood my unfairness, but we had arrived at the store in the midst of the chaos.

The robot store, which occupied an entire section near the most accessible main entrance, had all sorts of mechanical soldiers on display, attracting attention with their cool and elaborate designs, regardless of the era.

Just looking at the legs, there were bipedal and quadrupedal models as a base. There were even models with wheels or treads.

I slowly walked inside. Sensing my endlessly serious mood, she stayed close without saying anything.

Even though I promised a revival without a deadline, I don’t even know that idiot’s model name.

…Well, how would I know when he didn’t even know himself?

I passed through the human-like AnDroid and the intimidating Droid sections and entered the Care Bot section inside.

The promotional text on the sign caught my eye.

[ The best choice of this era for your family! Meet the guardian of your home right now, who takes care of everything from annoying housework to the safety of patients! ]

“…Pfft.”

According to that logic, I would have to buy four of them. Grandpa… Helena… and even a Care Bot for the Care Bot. …I really have to work my ass off.

Just looking around, the prices were not cheap.

Even a basic Care Bot with only the basic frame and parts, without any special options, cost 70 to 80 million Credits as a base. Considering that you could roughly solve a meal for 3 to 4 thousand Credits in the wasteland, this was an excessive luxury item.

But… it’s definitely cheap for the price of a life.

“Ah!!”

I moved quickly because I saw a familiar silhouette in the corner of my vision.

Even though it didn’t have the attached Droid arms, multiple scanners, or brutal additional armaments. Looking down at that head on the burning earth was one of the clearest memories I had left.

I may have already forgotten the face of the pursuer who brought me a miserable end, but I couldn’t forget the robot who entrusted me with his heart.

……Come to think of it, it’s clear that I’ve become strangely tearful because of this guy. Anyone would have trauma if they saw that kind of sight.

“…You were working as a mercenary because you wanted to buy this? 100 million Credits is… quite a big goal.”

“……No, this isn’t a goal, it’s… um… a kind of starting line?”

Helena, who had come closer while I was stuck to the glass display case, expressed her doubts.

I’m not one to back down when it comes to pride.

The current me, living with a life I owe, hasn’t even properly reached the starting point. So, just as he burned his circuits for me, I will also work for him.

“Then is our business done now?”

“……Yeah.”

Today’s harvest is a huge disappointment and an unwavering determination that surpassed it.

I’m glad I visited both stores on the same day. If I have this much motivation, I can do anything…!

Thwack!

“…Huh?”

Helena grabbed my arm as I was walking out so happily.

“Where are you going now…?”

“Where am I going… well, of course, I have to go back to the hotel…?”

I haven’t even gotten the surgery yet, so it’s not even lunchtime, but I believe that’s no reason to stop me from resting in a comfortable hotel bed.

The environment kept pushing me outside, but originally, I’m a cautious person who doesn’t underestimate the dangers outside the blanket.

However, her brow furrowed at my extremely common-sense answer. A sigh was a bonus.

“Haa…. You said that what you’re wearing right now is all you have, right? Then that means you don’t have any necessities or anything, right?”

“Uh… I have enough ammo…?”

“……”

…I made a mistake. It seems like I answered wrong again, and her head tilted to the side.

“Okay…. I won’t ask what kind of story makes you so tender-hearted and determined. But!”

“Ugyak?!”

Not figuratively, but my body was really grabbed at lightning speed. Helena asked, almost forcibly making eye contact.

“Even if you’re a minimalist, you haven’t been living without any clothes to change into, have you?!”

“Well… isn’t that what Cleansing Gel is for…?”

…If I could have seen the future 3 seconds from now, I would have testified more specifically that today was the first time I had ever been to a proper 22nd-century store. Then, at least, I could have protected my sanity, even if I was treated like a weirdo.

“……Asha, you have to go to a lingerie store with your older sister first.”

“Huh…?”

Before my head could even understand, my arm was being dragged.

“! Hey, what are you doing… Heeik?!”

“Ugh…!!”

The shopping center crowd parted in the face of Helena Valentine’s unprecedented spirit. Even the pedestrians who were shoulder-checked because they couldn’t get out of the way in time quickly turned their heads when they saw her.

Screech…!!

I tried my best to brake, but I could see it. It’s getting closer. A store with a design that instinctively makes me reluctant to enter, no matter how much time passes.

Elegant cursive font on a pink sign, and a mannequin standing in a seductive pose from the entrance. It even had a face like a real person instead of the white object in my memory, making it twice as embarrassing.

But even that was nothing compared to the shopping process that took place inside.

“Asha…? This is underwear that’s popular with minimalists.”

“?! Th-This is just a bandage…? No, I’m not that kind of pervert!!”

“Oh my, customer? Then do you have something else you’re looking for…?”

“Something comfortable…! Please give me something that’s easy to move around in, no matter what!!”

“To know that, you have to try it on properly first, right?”

“Sister?! Wait…!”

……Our, her shopping continued even after skipping lunch.