The sound of the door opening startles Teddy awake.
A deep, instinctual feeling whispers that this isn't the first time she's woken up today.
She sees Moineau step inside, two bags of bread in hand.
Hungry? I've got bread, bread, and more bread.
Moineau is her usual self, yet a spark of wariness flashes through Teddy.
This inexplicable caution leaves her frozen for a moment.
What's with that blank stare?
Moineau tosses a bag of bread onto the bed, snapping Teddy out of her trance.
I don't remember giving you a key.
Guess who used an electronic lock? And remind me, who taught you everything you know about network programming?
A self-taught genius.
Bingo. So, standing before you is at least half your teacher. And your prize for the right answer...
She delivers a totally off-topic response while rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.
...is a cup of my hand-brewed tea! ...Seriously, where do you hide your tea leaves?
Ah, got them.
Teddy rises to dress, listening to the sound of Moineau boiling water for tea in the kitchen. For a fleeting moment, this peaceful domesticity feels almost surreal.
Such moments were rare in the Norman family.
Meals were prepared by chefs and eaten under the servants' watchful eyes, with proper table manners strictly followed...
Everyone was performing their rigid, pre-assigned roles in the grand play of being a "Norman".
It was strange to think how a family, once a mere mining corporation before Dominik selected them as allies, had accumulated so many "aristocratic customs."
New money, it seemed, could indeed be polished into old nobility.
Moineau returns from the kitchen, placing the freshly brewed tea before her.
So what's the real reason for the dawn raid?
Do I need a reason? Maybe I just wanted to see your morning scowl.
...
Teddy took a deliberate sip of the tea.
Your brew is horrible.
They finish their breakfast in the drowsy haze of early morning.
Case files are thin. The bureau actually approved a day off. So, feel like getting some air?
The faint chirping of sparrows drifts through the window, and Teddy turns to see several of them chattering on the windowsill.
No cases, really?
Yeah, so we might as well go out for some fun, you know.
With Moineau's urging, Teddy finally accompanies her out of the apartment.
Together, they cross the overpass, wait for green lights at intersections, and order bubble tea like the most ordinary young women.
Around them, Elysium's commercial engine never stops humming. Shopping malls bulge with bustling crowds.
As they walk, they pass a plaza taken over by an anime convention, where teenagers in elaborate costumes sing and dance with uninhibited joy.
Oh, I know that character!
She gestures toward a muscular man dressed in a red and blue bodysuit.
Everyone knows Superhuman.
And there's that Creepy Batguy, too.
I heard someone once devised an elaborate plan to breach multiple security layers just to reach the Central Building's rooftop, all to check if there was a spotlight that projected a bat symbol.
Is there really one up there?
Of course not.
On the outdoor screen, an anime promotional video plays. In it, a young man in a yellow jacket walks with a white-haired hacker girl under a moonlit sky. The theme song swells, filling the plaza.
"'Cause I really want you to stay here..."
The soft plastic of the bubble tea straw yields, denting and flattening under the pressure of her teeth.
Do you want me to stay here with you, too?
Moineau's hand, which had been stirring the ice in her cup, freezes mid-motion.
You're thinking of changing jobs?
Yeah. Any suggestions?
The straw circles her glass once more as a smile breaks across Moineau's face.
Whatever works. I can tag along and quit with you.
Rising in the glass elevator, they watch the city transform into a distant tapestry of light.
Stepping out, they are drawn into an elegantly decorated dessert shop, where the highlight is a taste of the limited-edition cake.
So this is what Sachertorte tastes like.
They wander into a theater and pick a movie purely on a whim.
I still think Iron Wolf is stronger.
Nah, he doesn't match up to Immortal Motormouth.
They enter an arcade and settle in for a showdown at the King of Kickers '98 cabinet.
How are you so good at fighting games...
This is just child's play for a genius like me.
They step into an electronics store.
This camera looks pretty nice.
The value for money isn't there.
Even a rich girl like you worries about value for money?
...Seriously...
Let's check out.
They walk into an accessory shop.
Is there anyone you'd want to buy a gift for?
For who...?
You know. Someone special... that sort of thing.
...
There must be someone, right?
A familiar figure flashes through Teddy's mind.
■■■, you owe me so much already, so asking you to promise me just one thing isn't too much, is it?
Who is that?
That expression says it all! I knew it!
On the street, Moineau's camera rises, capturing the scene.
Hey.
Teddy turns at the sound. The shutter clicks, capturing her profile in a flash.
The photo transforms the city lights into layered streaks and smears the passersby into ghosts. Teddy alone stands in stark, relative clarity.
Hmm, it's out of focus.
It's all digital noise, and your shutter speed is completely off.
You clearly don't know the first thing about photography.
Not everyone's a privileged young lady who's an expert in everything.
The day gradually slips away as they wander about.
They find themselves back in the plaza where they first began, now transformed.
The anime convention is winding down; the big screen has gone dark, no longer cycling through vibrant animation clips. Now, only a raw punk song echoes across the vast space.
"In time, I want to be your best friend..."
Teddy watches Moineau under the streetlight, where a misty, dreamlike glow envelops her.
You're very cheerful today. More than you used to be.
Am I that different?
More like an actual living person now.
I thought that look of doom and gloom was a permanent fixture on your face.
...
Want to go check out the rooftop of the central building?
Why there?
We might run into Creepy Batguy there. Who knows?
Sure.
The central building's elevator takes three minutes to reach the top floor—longer still with stops.
Pressed among strangers, Teddy and Moineau keep their silence.
The doors part and seal again.
The crowd begins to thin.
They lean into opposite walls, a mirrored tension.
Their eyes carefully avoid meeting.
Through the glass, the cityscape below softens into a smear of light.
Overhead, lights stutter, neglected for far too long.
Their shadows warp on the walls, stretching into grotesque, comical shapes.
The last of the other passengers disembarks, leaving only Teddy and Moineau in the elevator.
The faint, grinding hum from the elevator shaft sets Moineau's nerves on edge.
Ding—
The doors slide open onto the top floor.
Ahead, a small terrace door stands partially ajar. Around the corner, a final flight of stairs leads up to the rooftop helipad.
The night wind sweeps in, cool and insistent, tousling their hair.
Well, looks like there's nothing here.
Yeah. Absolutely nothing.
Should've brought some snacks.
Not like food would help anyway.
Ah... right. Constructs can function just fine without eating.
A strange emotion hangs in the air. Sadness, perhaps?
Moineau draws an electrolytic vape from her pocket. She takes a long pull, the vapor passing through her artificial lungs before she exhales a shimmering, meditative cloud.
You know that's not what I mean.
Moineau's hand trembles at Teddy's words, but a glimmer of hope remains in her eyes.
She exhales a plume of smoke that the night breeze snatches away, vanishing in an instant.
Her barely audible whisper fades with it, into nothingness.
Please...
I brought you a rose.
Please, stop...
Teddy raises her right hand and tosses a glass card into the air.
Does it really have to come to this...
Bang!
Amid the swirling shards in the sky, a thousand roses shimmered in the light.
I've been thinking for a long time... Why do you have to erase my memories? Why go to such extremes to play these games...?
Moineau. What are you... what are you people really plotting against Babylonia?
...
From the distance, the sound of measured footsteps approaches.
With each step, a man with fury burning in his eyes draws nearer.
**** it all! I choose the truth!
