In present-day Tokyo, Japan, influenced by the Gastrea, only a few areas remain where humans can survive. These areas are protected by tall stone monuments made of special metal that can repel the Gastrea.
After a night of flying, Tina arrived in the Tokyo area and sat on an outdoor chair. Her owl factor made her drowsy during the day, and even drinking a lethal dose of caffeine for most people only barely kept her awake.
Because of the flight, she had no time to go online. After all, on the plane, she couldn't guarantee that she would return to the same place after disappearing for twelve minutes.
"So sleepy... I really want to play games... If only the boss were here, then I could have some snacks..."
It was strange; every time she went to the internet cafe, whether it was day or night, she never felt tired. But now that she had to carry out a mission, she needed sleep during the day and reconnaissance at night. She estimated that she wouldn't be able to come and play for several days.
Just as she was feeling drowsy, a familiar person appeared beside her.
"I knew you hadn't come all day. Are you hiding here to sunbathe?"
"?"
Tina opened her eyes groggily, feeling that the man in front of her was familiar, but because she was so tired, she couldn't remember his name.
Beside her, Liu Yuan took out a bottle of coffee and handed it to her.
"You haven't come all day. Especially yesterday when you left, your expression was particularly bad. Kisara was especially worried about you. She said she will especially not drink cola for the next month to force me to come here nd see what happened to you in exchange."
Liu Yuan emphasized the seriousness of the situation with three "especially" in a row, while Tina nodded drowsily and said, "Hmm...okay."
After habitually pouring the coffee into her mouth, her drowsiness disappeared instantly.
"It tastes good, just like the cola in the internet cafe? ...Oh, oh, oh!"
Seeing Liu Yuan suddenly sitting beside her, Tina's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that Liu Yuan had come to find her.
"Boss, what are you doing here?"
"Oh! Maybe when you mentioned me, the permission to come to your world was activated, so I came over~"
Liu Yuan reached out and ruffled Tina's hair, teasing, "I know you're an assassin, but sitting here so tired on the street, aren't you afraid of running into bad people?"
"I'm strong."
"Bad people might be stronger."
Liu Yuan remembered very clearly that when he was sitting here, a black-haired high school student was about to come over, but when he saw how close he and Tina were, he didn't come.
"The boss is here too~"
"What's the use of me being here? The portal isn't open, and even if it was, if something happened to you, you wouldn't just call for help."
"Ugh..."
Tina tried to argue, but sitting beside Liu Yuan, she couldn't muster the thought of arguing. Instead, the desire to go back online grew stronger, especially since it was daytime. It would be nice to play for a while and then take a long nap afterwards, wouldn't it?
"Go online? It's too late, they're all closed."
Hearing the words "closed," Tina's expression fell.
What did this mean? She would have to wait twelve hours to go online again, by which time she would have to focus completely on the mission. Playing games would drain her energy, and for the sake of the mission, she had to give it up.
"Really, I don't know what your boss is thinking, sending you alone to carry out the mission. Let me ask you something, do you want freedom?"
"Freedom? Freedom...yes!"
Tina imagined herself in the game, being taken care of by Claire, being lifted up by Jill and Chris, being told to stay safe at home by herself, and being held in someone's arms for protection.
She found a reason to live; she didn't want to be someone's weapon or tool, she wanted to live like a human being. Even if it was virtual, she could accept it.
"I want to be free, but..."
"But what? Why? Are you still trying to speak up for the people who modified you? Or do you feel unhappy about starting your day playing games after waking up naturally every day?"
Tina lowered her head and said softly, "It's just that when I leave there, where else can I go?"
"Who knows?"
Liu Yuan leaned back in his chair, looking at the sky with his hands resting on the chair. "The world is so big, there must be a place for you to go. You can learn from Fujimaru Kaede, get some valuable things to sell. If you have nowhere else to go, you can come work at our store. No salary, but we'll provide food and lodging, and you can play after work. But let's make it clear in advance! Working here is not as profitable as being an assassin."
"Do you like me?"
Suddenly being hit straight on, Liu Yuan was stunned for a moment, and this time he carefully looked Tina up and down.
Golden hair, red eyes when serious, a soft and fragrant body. The only downside was that her chest was not developed, making her look too small.
"From a heterosexual perspective, you haven't reached my aesthetic standards. From an adult perspective, I like you as this obedient 'child.' From the perspective of a boss, I think you're a qualified cash cow, spending more than Fujimaru."
"Boss, you..."
Tina sighed and patted her face to cheer herself up, then said seriously, "Boss, you're the one who seduced me for my freedom, so you have to take full responsibility for me."
"I won't shirk it. The biggest dream of my life is to be a scumbag, but unfortunately, I've been single since birth."
"I don't believe you~"
"It's hard, I tell the truth and nobody believes me."
After laughing for a while, Tina sat on the stool, swinging her lower body in the air, and asked, "Can you take me to play?"
"Of course, considering your state, have you ever properly played outside besides going online?"
"Never..."
Tina recalled her experiences from childhood to adulthood, and playing around was something that didn't exist.
"Let's go~ This city looks pretty good. Let's have some fun. Since we're here, it would be a shame not to explore the world."
That's why Kisara requested and sacrificed her right to three meals and cola a day for a month otherwise Liu Yuan wouldn't bother coming over. But since they were here, it was nice to experience a bit of the atmosphere of another world.
According to the monetary calculations provided by the system of this world, he only needed to spend fifty yuan to have a great time.
But this world's atmosphere seemed no different from his life's japan in his current location.
There were amusement parks, arcades, and even claw machines. Even the inability to catch dolls in the claw machine was exactly the same. The technology also felt very modern, and if Liu Yuan hadn't seen all the cities outside being occupied by monsters with his own eyes, he would have thought this was a peaceful world.
"Let me see~ Next, we'll take the subway, and in half an hour, we'll be at the amusement park. Let's go!"
"Okay~"
At this moment, Tina excitedly raised her hand. Halfway to the station, Liu Yuan stopped in his tracks.
Standing beside the road was a little girl with white cloth covering her eyes, holding a sign.
"I'm the cursed child of the outskirts."
The sign said so. She was dressed in rags, and she didn't even have shoes.
"Hey, little one, are you okay? Why are you alone here?"
Liu Yuan's inquiry made the girl, who had been singing softly, turn her head. She took off the white cloth covering her eyes and explained softly, "I poured lead into my eyes because my mom who abandoned me doesn't like red eyes."
"That's harsh, but you're quite capable. Have you ever thought about restoring your eyes? Then you could have a better life?"
The girl shook her head. "There's no need. I can't survive without relying on others, so I can only smile like this."
As soon as she finished speaking, two people walked by, and one of them threw the pull tab from a soda can into her bowl. The crisp sound of the pull tab hitting the bottom of the bowl sounded like a coin being dropped in.
The girl stopped talking to Liu Yuan and smiled pure and grateful.
"Thank you."
Hearing this thank you, the two men who had passed by began to tease each other, as if they were proud of doing something fun rather than being ashamed of it.
Watching this scene, Tina felt uneasy, clutching her fists with nothing she could do.
She was a cursed child, they were ordinary people, and it would be very miserable if she let them wait for her to bring about her own doom.
Liu Yuan reached out and patted Tina's head, asking, "Do you feel like you can't do anything? Change your fate, give her a good life, or something else?"
Tina nodded, feeling choked up.
The life of the cursed child was not just worst, but also cruel. She had some money, but she couldn't take it out of her account casually, and she couldn't help the girl in front of her.
Liu Yuan stretched out his index finger and shook it. "Don't say you, even I can't change things like this, but in this world, I can still do something, like help you vent."
Liu Yuan took out the Albinauric headset and put it on his head, and Tina understood and led the girl away.
"Hey, you two guys!"
"What do you want?"
Hearing Liu Yuan's call, the two men who threw the pull tabs frowned and turned their heads, but when they saw the Albinauric headed guy, they sucked in a cold breath.
Wasn't this guy's head abit too scary?
"I'm walking on the street today, and you two seem to be feeling uncomfortable. Can I beat you up?"
Before the two men could speak, Liu Yuan punched them.
In order to fight with cruelty, he studied medical knowledge deeply, knowing where it hurts when hit. He guaranteed that after this beating, these two would not leave any aftereffects, and even if they went to the hospital for examination, there would be no problem. At most, they would be sore all over for a couple of days.
A punch couldn't solve any problem, but it could make a person feel happy.