Danang flexed the fingers of his mechanical arm, checking each one’s movement, then slapped his thighs with both hands. He shook his head, the pain slowly receding.
“Eve, let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“Lilith’s hideout. Gotta report on the job.”
“Alright, let’s get moving then. Lyars, thanks for the water.”
“No problem, Eve darling. Come back when you’re free, and big sis’ll teach you some naughty games,” Lyars said, flashing a dazzling smile with gleaming white teeth, waving a dull metallic hand extending from a log-like mechanical arm.
“Oh, and Danang-chan,” Lyars called out.
“…What?”
“It’s almost that person’s memorial day, isn’t it? How about it? Wanna grab some booze?”
“…Yeah, get me a bottle of the old man’s favorite. The money—”
“No need for cash, hon. I owed that guy plenty, so consider this my way of paying him back. Hang on a sec.”
The towering figure with dark skin retrieved a liquor bottle from the fridge and tossed it to Danang. Catching it, the young man read the label, a wry smile crossing his face at the ironic words scrawled there. “Got it,” he muttered, gripping the doorknob.
“Danang, what’s on it?” Eve asked.
“Just a warning.”
“A warning?”
“Yeah… that’s right.”
“What does it say?”
“…‘Don’t forget.’ That’s all.”
Ignoring Eve’s puzzled look, Danang tucked the bottle inside his tattered coat, then fished a crumpled cigarette from a pack buried deep in his pouch. Lighting it, he exhaled a plume of purple smoke.
“Cigarettes,” Eve said.
“Hm?”
“You should quit.”
“My business, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that. They just… remind me of the past. I hate it.”
“Pinch your nose and close your eyes, then.”
“What’s with that attitude?”
“I’m not quitting smokes. I don’t drink, but this—inhaling the smoke—it means something.”
“What do you—”
“Eve-chan,” Lyars interrupted, gently placing a hand on Eve’s shoulder as she seemed ready to lunge at Danang, shaking her head.
“Let him be, darling. The only thing a woman can do for a stubborn man is wait.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Lyars, you’re Danang’s guardian, right? Weren’t you entrusted with looking after him by that old man he mentioned?”
“You’re hitting me where it hurts, and I’ve got no comeback for that one. But… it’s fine. Danang-chan’s a gruff, stubborn fool, but he’s got his head on straight when it comes to himself. So, Eve-chan, just wait. Wait for the day he opens up about his past on his own.”
Eve glared at Lyars, whose garish makeup and bright lipstick stood out, then shifted her gaze to Danang. For the first time, she caught a glimpse of sorrow in his expression.
Regret, rage, hatred, and grief—a swirling maelstrom of emotions in his dark, murky eyes. Danang bit down on his lip, oblivious to the blood trickling out, crushed the shortened cigarette in his hand, and flicked it into the gutter.
“Danang,” Eve said softly.
“Eve-chan, don’t pry too much,” Lyars cautioned.
“But—”
“I get what you’re thinking, hon. Woman to woman, I understand. But I think it’s wrong for someone else to solve Danang-chan’s problems for him. So, Eve-chan, don’t let yourself turn bitter.”
“Bitter?” Eve echoed.
“Oh my, you’re such a proper little lady! Ugh, I’m too much!” Lyars burst into a bizarre laugh—a mix of feminine and masculine tones—slapping Eve’s back hard. “Danang-chan’s got his own troubles, and I bet you’re carrying your own baggage, right? So for now, call it even. Just accept that!”
“…Lyars,” Eve said quietly.
“What’s that? Wanna hear the secret to being a fabulous woman?”
“…Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I am! It’s the job of us older folks to look out for the young ones. Well, only for family, mind you—random nobodies can fend for themselves. So, Eve-chan…”
“Yes?”
“I hope you find a day when you can smile from the heart. Your face might not beat mine, but you’re plenty cute, so smile more, alright? Frowning all the time’ll turn you into a bitter old hag.”
Lyars, speaking like a woman despite his masculine form, gently stroked Eve’s head, combing her soft hair with his fingers.
“You’re… different from what Danang said about the people in the undercity,” Eve remarked.
“Am I? I was born and raised in the undercity, hon. Sure, this place is a dump for trash and scum, and there’s no guarantee you’ll make it through a day unscathed. But this is my home. The edge of hell’s gate, the border of the abyss—that’s where I belong. You get used to the undercity, and it’s not so bad. Right, Eve-chan?”
“…Maybe.”
Eve nodded, standing beside Danang as he lit a second cigarette. She sighed, gazing up at the steel plates blotting out the sky.
“Let’s go, Danang.”
“That’s what I said from the start.”
“Right.”
“You done?”
“With what?”
“Talking to Lyars.”
“It’s over.”
“Alright.”
Exhaling smoke, Danang kept the cigarette in his mouth and started walking. Eve matched his pace, stepping along the cracked concrete road.
“Danang-chan!” Lyars shouted.
“…”
“Come back and show your face sometime! I get lonely with just calls, you know!”
“…Noisy bastard,” Danang muttered.
“Huh?! You say something, kid?!” Lyars bellowed, her voice sharp.
What kinda ears does that guy have? Danang thought, waving his mechanical arm dismissively. Catching Eve’s wry smile in his peripheral vision, he spat out the half-smoked cigarette and scratched his head.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, really.”
“You were laughing.”
“Just thinking… you’ve got some humanity in you after all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Hey, Danang.”
“…”
“You’re alive, aren’t you?”
“…Obviously. If I were dead, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Not like that… Talking to you feels like talking to a kid sometimes. It’s weird.”
“Whatever.”
Eve didn’t know Danang’s past, and Danang didn’t know hers. When the girl tried to close the distance, the young man pushed her away, snarling like a feral dog. It was a psychological tug-of-war, no doubt about it.
“But…” Eve continued.
“…”
“There’s so much we don’t know about each other.”
“…”
“I don’t know why, but I don’t feel like you’re a stranger. It’s like we’ve met somewhere before. Don’t you think that’s odd? We met for the first time in those ruins, knowing nothing about each other, yet somehow it feels like I know you. What about you? Do you know anything about me?”
“Nope.”
“Right. So…”
“But I know you hold my life in your hands, Eve. We’re just temporary allies. If we don’t try to know each other, if we don’t get close, it’ll hurt less when the time comes. In the end, we’re strangers… If you learn about someone after they’re gone, it’s better not to know them at all. That’s the right answer. It has to be.”
Muttering as if to convince himself, Danang quickened his pace, as though fleeing.
“I’m not… wrong. If this is what it takes to survive, I’ve gotta stay true to myself.”
With Eve by his side, he vanished into the swirling chaos of the pleasure district, where flesh and desire reigned.
