Chapter 5
Lucy gently placed two fingers on the contract, her third resting lightly at the bottom of the page.
Then she lifted it — sliding the papers toward Moe — before casually taking another sip of her lemon soda.
The fizz crackled softly as she closed her eyes, letting the bar's rhythmic bass and neon hum wash over her.
Moe sighed, reaching out to take the folder. Her movements were mechanical, graceful in their apathy. She flipped open the first page, eyes scanning the dense legal text as her voice filled the room — calm, serious, and just a little lifeless, like someone too tired to care anymore.
---
Moe
> Special Supply Contract
Contract Code: TC-L/1512/2086/W+9+0
Parties Involved:
Principal: Toyota Corp
Executor: L231 NightFox
Target Information:
Full Name: Kurumi Iwasaki
Codename: Mochi
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Weight: 47 kg
Height: 162 cm
Distinguishing Features: Auburn-brown hair and crystal-blue eyes.
---
Lucy nearly choked on her drink the moment she heard the name.
She coughed violently, trying to compose herself, keeping her expression as neutral as possible while her heart raced like a trapped bird inside her chest.
Moe, oblivious to her partner's inner panic, continued reading in the same even tone — detached, disciplined, unreadable.
---
Moe
> Frequent Locations:
HQ Mitsubishi, 512 Nobunaga Street, Kivotoc District, Neo Osaka
Schedule:
Commute via P500 Line to Musashi Public High School at 7:00 AM [+9], return at 4:30 PM [+9], Monday through Friday.
Execution Terms:
Deadline: Before 24:00, January 1st, 2087
Primary Directive: Kidnap — absolutely no termination of target permitted.
Rendezvous Point: Toyota HQ (reference code 1512 to on-site security).
---
Lucy dug her nails into her own thigh to stop herself from standing up and shouting.
This mission was suicidal — an impossible task — a direct invitation to war with Japan's most powerful corporate dynasty.
She took another long sip of lemon soda, pretending to stay calm, while every muscle in her body trembled with quiet tension.
Moe, still unaware, turned another page and kept reading — unbothered, emotionless, like someone reciting a grocery list.
---
Moe
> Financial Terms:
Total Payment: 520,000 USD
Deposit: 120,000 USD
Remaining Balance: 400,000 USD
Confidentiality Clause:
The existence of this document is strictly classified.
Project cancellation before December 20th, 2086 allows refund of deposit; after this date, no refunds under any circumstance.
Breach of contract: Death.
Signatures:
NightFox: | Toyota Corp:
| David D.
Date: | December 15th, 2086
---
When Moe finished reading, silence filled the room.
She slowly lowered the file and turned toward Lucy — who had now completely stopped pretending.
Lucy's cheeks were pale; her hand trembled around her glass. She glared at David, her gaze sharp and dangerous — a look that could've cracked the man's perfect corporate smile. Her cute voice came out laced with venom as she tapped her fingers on the table in Morse code:
> - .... .. ... / ... - ..- .--. .. -.. / -.. --- --. / .. ... / .--- --- -.- .. -. --.
She knew damn well he wouldn't understand.
---
Lucy
> What the hell is this…?
The mighty president of a global corporation — stingy enough to hire bounty hunters for kidnapping and extortion?
You think the Iwasaki family, the people who own Mitsubishi, are just ants you can crush under your boots?
Why not use your private army instead of paying us?
---
David only smiled.
A perfect, sterile, corporate smile — polished by years of boardrooms and lies.
Without a word, he reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a pen and a check already filled in.
Five million dollars.
Prepared in advance — because he knew Lucy would refuse.
He placed the pen on the table, slid it across the surface with that same smile.
Lucy stared at it for a few seconds, then sighed.
Money. Always money.
She snatched the pen, signed her name with an exaggerated flourish, and took the check — her expression a mix of annoyance and reluctant satisfaction.
After all, a Land mercenary lives for money.
---
The Next Morning — December 16th, 2086
The Dark Moon City Intercontinental Station glimmered like a colossal dome of glass and steel — half-white, half-blue, alive with holographic posters of anime idols and luminous corporate ads.
Everywhere, the faint scent of ozone mixed with the artificial citrus of cleaning bots.
Neon red and black lights pulsed in rhythm across the terminal, casting shadows that danced against the cool white floors.
Through the overhead speakers, cheerful synthetic voices echoed — and from the central plaza, a massive Hatsune Miku hologram flickered to life.
---
Miku
> "Everyone!!! The A21 line, train P512, will be arriving in ten seconds!
Passengers heading to Neo Osaka — have a wonderful day!!!"
---
The crowd stirred slightly as a maglev train slid into the platform.
Despite its 600 km/h approach, it stopped in just fifteen seconds — smooth, silent, elegant.
Its exterior gleamed in pure white, aerodynamic and sleek, proudly bearing the insignia of the Empire of Japan, rebuilt after the Anomaly War.
Inside the station, the morning rush had long passed.
It was nearly 10:00 AM — quiet hours, when only a few travelers wandered under the neon sky.
Most vending machines were already half-empty, drained by the early commuters.
Lucy and Moe stepped onto the platform, dragging four heavy suitcases and two backpacks.
Both were dressed head-to-toe in black — masks, coats, pants, boots — like a pair of professional assassins or drug smugglers.
Anyone watching would've believed it.
Lucy looked exhausted, her face pale from the weight of their gear.
Moe, on the other hand, was perfectly composed — she was a robot, after all. Weight meant nothing to her.
Lucy groaned internally, wondering why in the world they needed this much equipment. Moe's expression remained blank, completely unaffected.
Inside the train, the business-class cabin was a sanctuary of white leather and soft light. Rows of wide seats lined the walls, cooled to a constant 24°C.
Miniature service robots glided silently between the aisles.
Of course, Lucy had wasted an absurd amount of money on this ticket — a 19-minute trip that cost as much as a week's salary.
The two entered Room 204.
Simple, elegant.
A narrow 80-centimeter bed, a clean desk with a single chair, a shelf with no books, and a tablet fixed to the wall for meal orders.
Lucy lazily tossed her backpack onto the bed and collapsed beside it, sinking into the softness — a rare comfort compared to the damp mattress in her apartment.
The train began to move.
Through the window, Mount Fuji appeared after only a minute — its snowy crown gleaming like silver.
To the left, a ruined city lay submerged beneath green water, buildings half-swallowed by moss — remnants of the Anomaly War, when sea levels rose ninety-two meters above the old world.
Moe looked out, her voice flat and tinged with dry irony.
---
Moe
> Those idiots in the U.S. thought Site-22 was inside that city.
But it was actually right under Mount Fuji.
So they dropped the nuke on the wrong damn place.
---
The landscape blurred past in silence — one side beauty, the other decay — as the train sliced through the horizon like a silver blade.
[To be continued]
The secret revealed by the author: Site 13 is bigger than Tokyo