CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
The sharp, relentless sound of chewing was the only noise left in the room. Putato leaned back against the sofa, enduring the agony of being eaten alive. His left hand had already crushed the pneumatic syringe, yet he continued to press it tirelessly against his chest.
SQUISH!
Shreds of flesh fell to the floor, and small, greedy snakes immediately crawled toward them, only to be viciously crushed by Yixin. She then carefully knelt on the ground, licking it clean like a child treasuring a treat.
"Putato, you look like you're in so much pain, just like the others. Don't you feel any joy even when I'm eating so happily?"
"I can imagine the sense of bliss and satisfaction whenever I see others eat. Mama used to encourage me like this, too."
...!
Putato finally grasped a piece of this lunatic's logic: it was likely her nature as an innate experimental subject that left her with no concept of physical pain. Consequently, she couldn't empathize with others, which made it impossible for her to understand why her so-called "shared delicacies" failed to bring anyone else happiness.
But the pain in his heart couldn't be erased!
Even if she was a natural-born man-eater forged by the mad, fickle currents of The City, her thoughts were simply a naive desire to share good food!
The more Yixin tried to achieve this goal, the further away it slipped. The only way to stop this cycle of pain from deepening was to consume herself.
At this moment, Putato felt his mind splitting: half of him was a weeping pupa, while the other half couldn't comprehend how he was actually empathizing with a man-eater.
Was it the influence of the synesthesia?
But what about Elena? Wasn't she just like Yixin?
"Pinnacle of The City."
"Huh?"
Tossing aside the fragments of the pneumatic syringe, Putato, his thoughts in a whirl, clutched the spot over his chest where Khaji's card was hidden. He immediately found his answer; there was no reason for him to flee or waver.
"Yixin, I'm not in pain. It's just a facial muscle cramp, an old condition."
"Also, thanks for helping me handle that Leaflet Workshop business. I like to keep my debts and grudges clear. Consider this an apology for today, but you can come find me again next time."
"Really?!"
Yixin excitedly licked the fluid seeping from the torn cross-section of his right arm, forcing Putato to bury his head deep into the sofa again. He gripped the leather upholstery with his left hand so hard he tore it open.
"I... am a man of my word."
CRUNCH!
"Also, don't share your delicacies with anyone else. They're all just ordinary; only I am special. Only I am the one who can understand you."
"Ah, wouldn't that be a bit too selfish?"
"Then so be it. I am a selfish person. Besides, didn't you want to be the only person to taste my Life's Menu before?"
"At that time, I was actually afraid the other Chefs would find out and be unable to resist acting early. After all, some of those guys simply can't control their own hunger."
SLURP!
"Ngh! No matter what, I only want to share with you, Yixin."
Yixin finally halted her seemingly bottomless, parched eating. She carefully laid Putato's right arm on the sofa, then followed his instructions to bring a Regeneration Ampule. She watched with immense delight as his skeletal frame and flesh restored themselves in the blink of an eye.
She crouched down and hugged Putato gently, as if afraid he would escape, blissfully taking in the revelation of this sudden banquet.
"Thank you, Mama. From now on, I'll only share with you."
Slumped on the floor and drenched in sweat, Putato's eyes couldn't focus. He didn't have the energy to process what Yixin had just said. He simply felt the farce had finally come to an end, though the world around him felt even more chaotic.
Stupid City!
Putato was exhausted beyond measure, yet the Regeneration Ampule had forced his body back into a healthy, peak state, making him feel so restless he couldn't even sleep.
Stupid Regeneration Ampule!
So Putato simply sat there in a daze all night, too lazy to wake Yixin, who was curled up in his arms, until the next day.
...
As the first light appeared, his communicator rang.
"Hello, Philip."
"Senior Vanda, you sound very tired. Didn't you rest well yesterday? Sorry, it was my sudden idea that wore you out."
"Get to the point."
"It's like this: Master said he's willing to vouch for you. Also, he'd like you to come to the Sakura Alliance. We can head back to the Office together. Dawn Office is located inside the V Nest, so we can provide you with a V Nest pass."
"Mama?"
"Uh, Senior Vanda, I... I won't bother you then."
Philip hung up the call in a panic.
...
Putato frowned, staring at Yixin. Her skin no longer had those snake scales from before, but her eyes remained bright yellow and reptilian, exceptionally clear.
Was that weird phenomenon yesterday a Distortion?
Putato stared into space, wondering why these things seemed to happen so frequently around him. Between Khaji and now this, it was already the second time. Or perhaps it was somehow linked to his Star above the City self?
"Who's your mother?"
"Mama said she was special, and that as long as I shared with her, it was fine. Don't you count as my Mama now?"
Putato was instantly dazed, unable to keep up with the leaps in Yixin's logic. He still couldn't truly understand madness, but he didn't regret the choice he'd made.
"Just keep that to yourself. From now on, just call me Putato."
"I can't. Mama is special."
Looking down, Putato realized Yixin had completely lost the cool, composed rationality she had when they first met. She was no longer desperately starving; she was calmly clinging. For a fleeting second, she almost seemed innocent.
He looked up again, saw the utter mess of the room, and suddenly remembered something important.
CLICK!
He opened the rice cooker. Inside was Shamisen's head in hibernation mode. She seemed to detect the change in light, booted up instantly, and screamed at a sheepishly smiling Putato.
"Putato! Go to hell! Don't you dare let a third one pop up!"
After much coaxing and persuading to get a reluctant Yixin to leave, Putato had to head to Union Co. himself to buy new prosthetics and get Shamisen back on the job.
Shamisen's screen displayed a giant middle finger, you'd think she was a member of The Middle. She locked onto Putato's location so she could keep an eye on him at all times.
"Look, didn't I rush here to save you?"
"Haha. I want funds for personality chip maintenance."
"No problem at all. The money is yours. Do a good job, and when we establish a Corporation, I'll make you the Head of Security."
"So we can just get destroyed by The Head later? No thanks."
"How's that possible? I'm not some idiot who'd intentionally touch a Taboo of The City. You're being way too imaginative."
"Then I want to rebuild the Phoenix Project. It's a massive undertaking specifically for personality chip backups, it needs to precisely evade The City's Taboos regarding cloning."
"We'll do exactly as you said."
"Tch."
Walking out the main door, Putato saw the sky nearing high noon and quickly hailed a ride to the Sakura Alliance, hoping Salvador wouldn't be tired of waiting.
...
Kasuga Cafe.
"Sorry, some stuff at home held me up."
The three who had been waiting for a long time looked unexpectedly at the rushing Putato. Yuna, who was sipping coffee, immediately set her cup down and excitedly waved to him.
"Sit, sit! Vanda, tell me, when are you getting married?"
"Ahem, Yuna, tone it down a bit."
Putato silently sat next to Philip, ignoring Yuna's gossiping gaze to look at the composed Salvador. The representative returned the look with a smile.
"Vanda, you've shown me your capabilities and your way of handling things. I fully approve, and I'm willing to act as your guarantor for your promotion."
"No time to waste. Let's head to the Association now. After that, we'll take you back to the Dawn Office with us."
"One more thing: young people should also learn some self-restraint."
"Philip? You're not playing me, are you?"
Philip immediately became restless, then stood up and explained in a panic.
"I didn't tell them what you do earlier. It was Senior Yuna who happened to overhear when I called her this morning!"
"Ah? Vanda, what were you doing last night? You don't look like you rested well."
"Nothing much, just had a friend over for dinner. Don't spread rumors, okay?"
"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be so reliable in other aspects, yet so unrestrained in this one. We can't let you corrupt Philip, can we?"
Yuna, even more energized, pushed her coffee towards Putato and curiously prodded him with questions. In the end, it was Salvador who couldn't stand the commotion and put a stop to their playful banter.
"Let's put personal matters aside for now, it's work time."
...
Hana Association High-rise Station.
Olivier solemnly signed his name on the special promotion document and immediately handed it to Salvador.
"Although I know you're here to make the decision, I still have to ask as a formality, are you aware of the consequences of guaranteeing Fixer Vanda?"
"Of course. I trust Vanda won't cause any trouble for himself or Dawn Office."
"I didn't expect you to agree to guarantee Vanda in just a single day. You're an old-timer who participated in that war. Don't you think this is a bit rash?"
"Hahaha! If we waited a few more days, Vanda might have already become a Grade 3 Fixer. I've truly seen Roland's genius. I think the Hana Association should quickly consider granting him a Color.
"That's not my responsibility, and I don't have the authority to make that decision."
"Then you've got a headache. If he truly becomes a Grade 1 Fixer within a month, it will cause at least a stir in the Fixer community."
With the Office seal affixed, Salvador and Olivier both looked towards Putato. Even Yuna and Philip were momentarily lost in thought upon hearing this. After all, this could be a first for The City.
Olivier meticulously collected all the documents, then presented a Fixer certificate to Putato with both hands.
"Please accept this, Grade 3 Fixer Vanda."
[Congratulations on your promotion within Dawn Office]
[Acquired Work Talent: Cremation Brand]
[Description: I want you to incinerate everything! Until not a shred of flesh, not a drop of blood remains!]
[Effect 1: Your method of spreading brands has shifted from physical contact to eye contact]
[Effect 2: Derivative brands no longer produce a simple burning effect, but instead ignite the Brand of Fire]
[Effect 3: The wrath of all those bearing derivative brands will enhance the brand's burning and explosive effects]
What a powerful incineration!
Doesn't this mean I could practically boil the entire City alive? Turns out I'm the real Chef of The City!
Putato could clearly feel that as his Fixer rank rose, the quality of the work talents was simply incomparable to the Good Person he first received. In his heart, he grew even more expectant about becoming a Grade 1 Fixer and joining L Corporation.
An orange-colored brand appeared on Putato's left side, giving him a faint illusion of being burned.
"Since the business here is settled, Vanda, you should head back to the Office with us first."
"Go back for what?"
Seeing the group's confused looks, Putato excitedly spread his arms.
"To take commissions! Why else go back to the Office? Is the next job in V Nest?"
Yuna took a speechless sip of her milk tea before finally responding.
"We just finished a big contract; we can rest for a week. What's the rush? Even though there's plenty of chaos in The City, people willing to pay to solve it aren't necessarily that common."
"Besides, you probably had some 'friendly exchanges' with some Syndicates after work yesterday. Philip is just an assistant and he's already calling it quits, so how are you still so energetic?"
Those words made Putato realize he might have a heavy dependency on Regeneration Ampules.
If not for the injections, Putato couldn't have worked non-stop day and night since transmigrating. The City's tech was actually pretty decent.
Putato immediately pulled out the new pneumatic syringe he'd gotten from the orphanage's Katae, pulling back his collar to give everyone a demonstration.
"Regeneration Ampules and Enkephalins. These two are lifesavers. Philip, you want some?"
The three of them looked at him with weird expressions, finally understanding why Putato was hyper-spirited all day, almost looking like he had hyperthyroidism. He was a stimulant-fueled warrior.
"Ahem, Philip better pass. And since you put it that way, Vanda, I won't spoil your fun. Let me contact some colleagues."
"Even though both drugs are products of the Wings of the World and advertised as having no side effects, it's better to show some restraint in this area."
While Salvador was busy contacting people, Putato sat down and checked on Yixin's situation. His head hadn't been clear when he let her leave earlier, and he didn't know if she'd be up to any new mischief.
Yuna tried to nose in for gossip, but Putato sent her off to buy sandwiches. Philip, meanwhile, was too embarrassed to speak because of the morning incident.
[Putato: Yixin, you okay? Give me a heads-up before you visit next time.]
[Yixin: I know! Mama, you're so tasty, you must be a peerless God of Cooking! It's a shame I can't let the whole world in on the good news.]
[Putato: Just don't share this, whatever you do!]
[Yixin: I really want to sleep hugging you, Mama. Last night was so peaceful!]
[Putato: If you're that bored, watch this instead.]
Putato casually sent over the link to Urban Girl's livestream, feeling incredibly lucky to have snatched a guy like Brandon to handle the chat software. He'd have to give him a promotion and a raise.
[Yixin: Long-haired Mama is so cute!]
Staring at Yixin's screen, Putato sighed. He couldn't have imagined how things between them would end up like this, it was simply too absurd.
Suddenly, she sent over a photo. It showed two snakes spiraling and entwined together.
[Yixin: My tongue can do this too. I'll let Mama taste it next time.]
After looking at it several times, Putato still didn't know what to make of it, so he switched back to business.
[Putato: Brandon, you're now the Head of the Livestream Department. Once things settle down, I'll register the Corporation, and I'll make sure all your back-benefits are paid in full.]
[Brandon: Huh? Am I really qualified for that? I only just joined, after all, and my skills are pretty average.]
Could an average person build rapport with so many of The City's lunatics? You're being too humble!
[Brandon:
Olga [100,000 Ahn]: I feel like I've been dumped. Sob sob.
Don Quixote [100,000 Ahn]: I will work hard to earn money! For an even more beautiful City!!!
Katae [100,000 Ahn]: Everyone, come join the Urban Girl Support Club!
Sinclair [5,000,000 Ahn]: Thank you, Urban Girl.
Gregor [100,000 Ahn]: An idol this popular actually exists in The City? Even with the Index's backing, she'll probably vanish into thin air soon enough.]
Frowning at Olga's screen, Putato finally remembered that he had promised to treat everyone once his promotion was successful. He'd almost forgotten in the rush.
As for this Gregor, if he remembered correctly, he was a former war hero of G Corp. His body could transform to have insectoid features, and his current situation was likely as tragic as those of the other discarded bug-soldiers.
After all, the residents of The City harbored deep-seated prejudice and discrimination against employees from fallen Wings of the World.
[Putato:
To Olga: The City likes you.
To Gregor: The Star of the City never ends.]
"Vanda, I've found an Urban Plague level commission for you. Take Philip and go settle it."
"In the meantime, Yuna and I will pay a visit to some Offices affiliated with the Liu Association to see if we can find any major commissions for you. Don't worry, I know you're in a hurry to promote, but these things shouldn't be rushed."