"Yeah... my place is pretty small. Please don't mind the mess." Kyle chuckled sheepishly as he placed Pochita down in an empty corner of the room.
It was one of the few spots that wasn't already occupied by old furniture or scattered belongings. He gently set up the dog bed, opened a bag of dog food, and added a scoop of canned meat on top.
His movements were practiced, almost too natural.
Rachael watched him with interest. "Kyle, have you raised a pet before?" she asked curiously.
"I used to have a dog named Shaggy," Kyle replied, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "I got it from the street... in exchange for a dog treat, I guess."
In truth, the dog named Shaggy wasn't just a pet. In his previous life, Kyle had rescued it after it had been hit by a car. It was on the verge of death, so he rushed it to the vets. Eventually on the way he decided he was going to adopt it.
"But… what happened to the dog?" she asked after a pause.
"It's at my other home," Kyle replied, scratching his head. "But… I can't go back right now."
Thankfully, he had installed an automatic feeder before leaving. It should keep Shaggy fed for at least half a month. And eventually someone should come check on him and find Shaggy. If worst came to worst, Shaggy would find a way to survive on his own.
Rachael nodded slowly, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "So you're not from around here?"
"Kind of half local," Kyle smiled. "I'm originally from Canada, but my mom's from Lagios, here in the city."
He was technically referring to his past life, but coincidentally, the ID card of the body he now inhabited listed the same region. Talk about fate.
"Then… why are you renting a place alone? Shouldn't you be staying with your grandparents or relatives?" she asked gently.
"My parents and grandparents passed away a long time ago," he said with a shrug, like it was no big deal.
In truth, he had no family left in this life, or the previous one.
Rachael looked flustered and immediately clasped her hands together. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up something sad."
Kyle waved her off with a faint smile. "Don't worry. It's all in the past."
Just then, Rachael's gaze landed on some sketch papers piled messily on a nearby desk. Curious, she picked one up.
Her eyes lit up.
"Wait… these are really good! Are you a manga artist?" she asked, flipping through the illustrations.
"Eh, not really," Kyle scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "I just draw a bit to make ends meet."
Calling himself a mangaka was a stretch. In reality, he was more of a copycat than a creator, drawing from memory, scenes he'd seen in his previous life.
But of course, he wasn't about to tell her that. He might be broke, but he wasn't crazy.
Still, the drawings were impressive, detailed, emotional, and dynamic.
"This is your original work, right?" Rachael asked, flipping to another page. Her voice held genuine amazement.
On the page was a powerful scene. One she didn't know was already considered a classic in another world.
It was the final moments of a tragic character named Maine. In the story, he had lost control, and turned into a cyberpyscho. Before he died, he turned to David.
"David… this is the end for me. But you... you need to live."
"Speed is what you do best right? Just keep on running."
The tension. The heartbreak. The hope.
Rachael stared at the page, stunned by the raw emotion.
Even someone like Rachael, who had never heard of Edgerunners before, felt her heart stir as she looked at Maine's vacant, lifeless eyes in the sketch.
The final panel lingered in her mind.
David, sitting in the backseat of a car, held Maine's severed arm in silence. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, empty, and tears streamed silently down his face.
"This is... the end," he whispered.
Rachael couldn't help herself. "Kyle, do you have the earlier chapters? I'd love to read them too."
It was no exaggeration, Kyle had drawn one of the most sou crushingly powerful scenes in the entire first half of Edgerunners. The moment Maine broke down, and the way David cried in that quiet, shattered way... the emotion was palpable, even in manga pages.
It was almost on par with the haunting anguish of Agni from the cult classic Fist of Fire.
Anyone who saw it would instantly want to read the full story.
But Kyle gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head. "Ah... sorry. I only have chapters 7 through 23 here. The earlier chapters, one through six, I already submitted."
"Wait, submitted?" Rachael's eyes lit up. "You're being published? In which magazine?"
"I think it's GoGo Jump?" he replied. "They told me it'll start running next month."
"Next month... What's it called?" she asked eagerly.
"Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Cyberpunk 2077? So it's set in the future?"
"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "The year 2077."
"So what is cyberpunk exactly?" she asked again, her curiosity bubbling over.
Kyle paused for a second. Thankfully, his perfect memory was flawless, he remembered this definition word for word from the wiki in his past life.
"Well... 'Cyberpunk' is a term I kind of coined from cyber and punk. 'Cyber' refers to things like computers, networks, and technology. 'Punk' isn't just about music, it's about rebellion, counterculture, defying mainstream systems."
Rachael, a university student with decent education, nodded thoughtfully. "So… cyber is tech, and punk is rebellion?"
"Exactly," Kyle continued. "Cyberpunk is a genre where highly advanced technology and powerful corporations dominate everything, capitalism pushed to the extreme. People become small and powerless, and as tech evolves, the line between humans and machines starts to blur. AI, androids, hackers… they all exist in this world where high tech coexists with low life. And individuals use tech to fight for freedom, individuality, and truth."
Rachael's eyes sparkled. "So… dystopia, anti-capitalism, and lots of cool tech?"
"Yep," Kyle chuckled.
Wait… cyberpunk doesn't even exist in this world yet… he suddenly realized. Does that make me… the father of cyberpunk here?
"That's awesome! So David, the main character, he fights back against those evil corporations, right?"
"He does," Kyle nodded confidently.
"No wonder your work's getting published!" Rachael gave him a big thumbs up. "I have to read it when it comes out!"
She was a loyal reader of Gogo Jump, subscribing every month without fail. Now that she knew Kyle's Edgerunners would be serialized there, she couldn't wait.
"I'll even vote for your comic on the official site's reader poll when it's up!"
Kyle laughed modestly. "You don't need to force yourself."
"I'm serious!" she grinned.
Then, glancing at the time, her expression changed slightly.
"Oh no… it's already this late?" she muttered, suddenly remembering the original reason she came. "I was just supposed to familiarize myself with your address to check in on Pochita later…"
But after seeing the sketches and chatting for so long, she had completely lost track of time.
She bent down and gently patted Pochita on the head. The pup wagged its tail, licked her hand, and let out two soft, reluctant barks. "Woof! Woof!"
"Aww, I'll come visit again," she said, reluctant to leave.
Kyle walked her to the door. "Take care, Rachael."
"I will! And now that I don't have classes for a while, I'll definitely stop by again to see Pochita!"
With that, she turned and walked down the narrow corridor, disappearing into the night.
1282 Words.