When I stepped out of the bar in the Lower District, the heavy night air clung to my lungs.
It was a cocktail of synthetic drugs, machine oil, and the stench of decay.
After spending so long inhaling a mixture of flowers, chemicals, and rot, the city’s atmosphere smelled cloyingly artificial.
At the end of the alley, two headlights flickered into view through the haze. A black car.
It was the recovery vehicle the Doctor had arranged—thickly armored with heavily tinted windows. The license plate was, of course, already faked.
A gruff man with a shaved head sat in the driver's seat.
He gave me a single glance but said nothing. He wore no uniform or badge, but a network of wiring bulging beneath the skin of his arm revealed a high-end prosthetic limb of the Doctor’s own making.
When I indicated the woman in my arms with a look, the man nodded silently and took her from me.
I opened the rear door and slid into the interior while he secured her.
Kaya and I climbed in after them.
The car’s interior was quiet beyond all expectation.
They’d clearly crammed it with every scrap of sound-absorbing material they could find. Even the seats were top-quality.
The man who had taken the woman moved toward the front, whispered something to the driver, and then laid her down in a medical pod installed in the back.
As I watched them work, I accepted a bottle of water the man handed me.
The driver glanced at us once through the rearview mirror, and then the van slowly glided out of the alley.
The neon lights and electric displays of the Lower District receded into the distance beyond the glass.
I looked at the woman inside the pod. She looked surprisingly "ordinary."
The rigid coldness of metal and resin from when I had originally installed her prosthetics was nowhere to be found.
As I studied her, the terminal in my pocket vibrated.
The caller was Sebastian.
『My deepest apologies, Master Haijima.』
The old butler's calm, steady voice reached my ears.
“Is there trouble?”
『No, it is not quite what one would call trouble. However, I would like to meet you at a location other than the manor.』
“Somewhere else?”
『Yes. Are you familiar with the Security Cafe “Vernier” in the Upper District?』
“Yeah. I know it.”
It was a “hole” where corporate executives and information brokers went to whisper their secrets. In reality, it was practically a fortress, employing well-groomed mercenaries to keep the peace.
It was an ostensibly refined cafe where the establishment handled communication, surveillance, and defense as an all-in-one package.
“What’s the reason for choosing that place over the manor?”
『The eyes of those targeting this family are already beginning to converge on the residence. There is no need for us to walk straight into the fire.』
I gave a short snort of agreement.
『Furthermore…』
Sebastian paused, carefully choosing his words.
『No, we shall discuss that once we have joined up.』
It was a loaded way of putting it.
“Understood. I’ll meet you at ‘Vernier.’”
『You have my gratitude. Please, be careful on your journey.』
The call ended just as the inspection gate came into view.
As the car slowed to a halt, the driver and the security guard began to talk.
Kaya looked up through the window at Neo Babel.
I wondered how a city that pierced the heavens like a giant tower looked through her eyes now.
“…It really is huge, isn't it?”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
I gave a brief reply, and that was that.
The car slowly passed through the gate and moved on.
＊ ＊ ＊
Security Cafe “Vernier” was an establishment with a calm atmosphere and a glass-fronted facade.
However, that glass was several centimeters thick—a fully bulletproof masterpiece.
Kaya and I stepped out of the car in front of the shop and saw the woman off.
If everything went according to plan, she would be transported safely to the Doctor's clinic.
Knowing we couldn't just stand around on the street, I led Kaya into the cafe. The moment I opened the door, a faint, high-pitched whine rang in my inner ear.
It was the jamming field covering the entire shop—the sound of every wiretap in the vicinity being crushed.
“Welcome. We have been expecting you.”
The receptionist greeted us with a corporate-standard smile.
An ID sensor at the entrance was already verifying our personal data.
“We have your reservation on file. Right this way, please.”
I followed her through the shop.
On the way to our table, I noticed a particularly conspicuous customer sitting alone at the counter.
It was a full-body prosthetic—a bare metal frame with nothing but a simple coat thrown over it.
A smooth, oval cover sat where a face should be, with a single red mono-eye set into a central slit.
While the figure looked entirely out of place in such a refined shop, he exuded an aura that made him seem strangely at home.
The other patrons passed by without a second glance.
For a split second, my eyes met his.
The aperture of the mono-eye clicked, adjusting slightly.
We were shown to a private room in the back.
The walls were hologram panels, completely sealing us off from outside view.
A carafe of water and two glasses sat on the table. No one else had arrived yet.
Kaya sat down, and I took the opposite chair, taking a sip of water. The cold liquid slid down my throat and settled in my stomach.
A moment later, there was a light knock on the door.
“Your party has arrived.”
“Let them in.”
The door opened, and Sebastian and Lucia appeared.
Oh? I thought, though I kept my expression neutral.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Master Haijima.”
Sebastian bowed deeply.
Lucia offered a polite bow of her own, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“I am sorry to have kept you waiting.”
I waved a hand to signal it wasn't a problem.
As I did, I stole a glance at Lucia.
Her poise was as refined as ever.
However, there was an indescribable sense of incongruity. I wondered if she was doing it on purpose.
I shifted my gaze to Sebastian; our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and the old butler’s eyes narrowed as if to say “no problem.”
…Good grief. They were playing quite the elaborate game.
“Where’s Cecily?”
I checked the most pressing matter first.
“The Master has issued strict orders that she is not to leave the manor. …It is a rather regrettable situation.”
“I see. Risk management.”
I nodded.
Either way, if the “switch” was in effect, they were likely keeping her there. Or perhaps both of them were being shielded.
Sebastian cleared his throat softly.
“Furthermore… I am somewhat concerned about Lady Lucia's condition. It is a great imposition, but would you be willing to ‘examine’ her, just once? I do not ask for treatment—simply your professional opinion.”
Sebastian was being uncharacteristically pushy. He was clearly trying to get me to notice something.
“I don't mind.”
Prompted by Sebastian, Lucia sat down across from me and hesitantly offered her right hand.
I lightly wrapped my fingers around her wrist.
Pulse, temperature, breathing. From what I could tell externally, there were no fatal irregularities.
I let my consciousness sink deep, opening my “Repairman” vision.
I let my eyes slide over the data points manifesting before me.
There, engraved clearly, was the familiar “mark” I had left behind. I let out a small, silent breath of relief.
…I see. Just as I suspected.
“How… does it look?”
Lucia's anxious voice pulled me back to the present.
Right.
“Yeah. It’s likely just fatigue. Nothing to worry about.”
Lucia exhaled, her shoulders slumping as if a great weight had been lifted.
Sebastian spoke up, his voice tinged with a wry smile.
“I, too, am relieved. Oh, and I have a message from the Master—he says you needn't worry about any damages incurred.”
His gaze shifted to Lucia.
“…Understood. I'll try not to break her too much.”
Lucia, seemingly unaware of the subtext between us, simply continued to smile brightly with an expression that revealed nothing.
“Now then, regarding the manor in question—”
Sebastian straightened his posture to begin the briefing.
At that exact moment, I held up a finger.
“Wait a second.”
“…Yes?”
“It’ll be faster if we let one more person hear this.”
“One more person?”
I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, pointing toward the door of the private room.
“There’s someone back there who’s been itching to join us for a while now.”
Lucia’s eyes widened in surprise, and Sebastian’s expression froze. Kaya’s gaze sharpened as she turned toward the door.
From the other side, I heard the faint creak of a floorboard.
“Come in.”
I remotely disengaged the door lock. The door opened quietly without a knock.
The figure who entered was the full-body prosthetic I’d seen at the counter.
A rugged metal frame, a tattered coat.
A metal plate in place of a face, with a red mono-eye in the center slit that moved slowly, as if licking over everyone in the room.
The prosthetic sat down in an empty chair without saying a word.
The low groan of the chair was the only sound in the room.
“Th-This person is…?”
Sebastian asked, his voice thick with suppressed tension.
Lucia’s posture had gone stiff.
Kaya shifted her weight, ready for a fight.
“Do you recognize him?”
“Y-Yes… In the footage of ‘those who were scouting the manor’ that I mentioned earlier, we saw a prosthetic like this.”
The corner of my mouth quirked up into a smirk.
“I see. Then that makes things simple.”
I lightly poked the shoulder of the silent machine with my finger.
“Allow me to introduce him.”
The mono-eye’s aperture clicked.
“One of the high executives of Eradicata—Junkhead.”