Chapter — 8

As Rei slowly woke, she groaned. Her position on the hard floor wasn't the least comfortable, and it felt like she'd sprained every joint.

Way too close for Rei's comfort, a tiny hiss responded to her pained sounds, and her eyelids snapped open to meet a feline gaze no more than a meter away.

The tiny cat's fur suddenly bristled, a clear sign of hostility. It arched its back in a threatening posture that Rei would have found endearing. With another hiss, it vanished from sight, leaving Rei alone with her thoughts.

Ugh, everything huuuurts. What happened? And why did Sally seem spooked all of a sudden?

Strenuously, Rei rose and moved to the couch before flopping down into its faux leather cushions. She stared ahead for a few seconds, trying to get her head straight and filter out the pain.

She blinked as she felt herself suddenly shrugging off the pain signals without effort, her mind simply skimming over the fact that she was actually in a lot of discomfort. The pain was still there, insistently knocking on her mental door in an effort to get her attention, but it was easy to just ignore.

What the hell?

Rei focused back on the pain and immediately felt herself be washed in the unpleasant sensations once more. She groaned and yet again pushed those sensations away, stunned at how easy it was.

This can't be normal, right? I've never been this good at ignoring discomfort before.

Suddenly, Rei remembered her last lucid moments by the window, and everything clicked into place. She'd acquired a perk. [Merciless] to be exact.

So the perk is already in effect, huh?

The lack of alarm and apathetic acceptance of the fact clued her into the truth even more. It felt easy to accept things as they were, and none of the implications that would have otherwise bothered her seemed as important any longer.

It wasn't that she didn't care. She did. But it was now more an academic curiosity than an emotionally invested response.

I wonder... Can I somehow turn it off?

At her will, everything began to change. The effects of her perk started to wash away, and in its stead, a profound dread grew. Rei didn't even notice herself beginning to hyperventilate, her mind going into overdrive as all those implications she'd just discarded as unimportant came rushing back full of emotional baggage.

Without even meaning to, Rei re-engaged [Merciless], her mind calming as if a dam had plugged the river of emotions. Her breathing calmed, and her gaze — a moment ago unsteady and frantic — steadied unnervingly quickly.

So, the perk is shielding me from the emotional upheaval that came with the proof that it actually works? It's a bit convoluted but understandable, I suppose. It seems that I feared the perk actually working more than selecting a perk in the first place.

It was fascinating to Rei. Although her mindset was so different from what it was without the perk, she still felt like the same person. She knew that if she hadn't been so afraid, her thoughts would have moved in the same patterns even without the perk active.

This thought should reassure me, right? It's weird to think about myself in two different personas. Do I really need the other one, though? I mean, I'm clearly functioning more efficiently right now, even if I'm pretty sure that my current state of mind resembles some psychopathic tendencies. I'm no psychiatrist, so maybe not.

It was a challenging puzzle for Rei to ponder upon, and she enjoyed the challenge.

Hm. No, I suppose leaving [Merciless] on permanently and slowly erasing my other persona wouldn't be ideal. It would, at most, be a crutch to prop up my current weaknesses.

The best outcome would be for both of these states of mind to progressively meld, giving me access to this mental detachment when necessary while otherwise being the same as before. I feel like this perk is more of a guide than anything, showing me how to mold my thoughts and strengthen my individuality against cruelty.

Rei knew she could toggle the perk on and off — or keep it running perpetually — but that felt too easy for her liking. It would work; she had no doubt about that, but it felt hollow somehow.

Ah, I think I get it. Using the perk as an external aid forever would feel like an acceptance of weakness, as if I couldn't overcome this mental obstacle myself, given time.

I may need to use it as an external aid initially, but the goal should be to embody the perk in its entirety without needing to use some system toggle to switch back and forth between states of mind.

After all, I'm not two different people. I'm an amalgam of Agnes and Rei, the new Takeda Rei — one person.

This conclusion felt satisfactory to Rei, and her cold and calm gaze finally moved from the wall she'd been staring at for the past few minutes. She looked around, seeing if she could catch a glimpse of Sally. The cat's behavior had been out of the norm, even for her, which made Rei curious.

No Sally? She's probably in Miyo's room. Forget it, then.

***

"I'm baaack, Imouto!"

Miyo walked into the apartment, her posture showing her exhaustion but her face cheery. Rei moved her gaze from the holo where she'd watched some arena fighting for the last couple of hours to meet her elder sister's gaze.

"Oh, welcome home, Miyo." Rei's voice was flat.

Miyo froze, her expression shifting into one of concern as she swiftly approached Rei. "What's wrong, Rei?"

"What do you mean?"

Do I have something on my face? Even Sally... Wait, is it my expression?

"You don't look alright! What happened?!"

Miyo grabbed Rei's shoulders, her gaze intent as her eyes roamed her features, lingering particularly long on her eyes. "I'm here, Imouto; talk to me."

Is my active perk somehow visible? No, it shouldn't be, right? Then, how does she know? Is it that I didn't smile? That seems far-fetched for this level of concern. My tone of voice? Sure, I didn't sound enthused, but that could just be chalked up to tiredness.

Rei couldn't turn off the perk yet without her emotions roiling, and that wasn't something she wanted an already concerned Miyo to see. She had tried multiple times in the last hours but had to re-engage it every time to ease her mind. It had gotten better, but she still wasn't fully able to accept reality on an emotional level.

"It's nothing, Miyo," Rei said, shifting her gaze from her sister as she attempted to play it off, "It's just been a rough day, is all."

"No, don't you do this! Don't shut me-"

"I'm fine! Really," Rei interrupted, standing up and extricating herself.

I need to see for myself. Miyo getting scared is not what I intended.

Against her sister's protests, Rei moved into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Turning to the smart mirror, she looked at her own face.

Oh, yeah. I can guess why she'd notice something.

Rei's expression was flat, but the most notable change was her eyes. They were cold, and she looked dead inside. It was the expression one would expect to see on a victim of immense loss or a psychopath too far gone. There was no joy or sadness, no love or hate. It was as if no one was there, just two empty holes where the person's soul would otherwise shimmer.

Yeah... This might be a problem.

"Come on! Open up and talk to me, Rei-chan!"

I don't have any other option than to turn the perk off, do I?

Gathering her will, she braced herself and turned the perk off. Immediately, her emotions started to overflow, now tinged with additional ones of guilt and anxiety over Miyo having seen it all.

No! I can't continue like this. I have to master myself.

Rei forced her emotions to calm with what felt like a titanic effort. It was an arduous process, and in the mirror, she saw her expression shift as a few tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

「Notice:

[Strong Will] skill level has increased.

Level 1 → 2」

With the skill level up, it was as if a second wind grazed her mind and bolstered her resolve. With newfound strength, she leaned into it, her eyes— no longer dead — firming as she battled with herself.

These emotions are valuable, but they are part of me, not the other way around. I have to master them — control them.

「Notice:

[Strong Will] skill level has increased.

Level 2 → 3」

Rei felt her emotions settle, her tears drying up as she finally squashed the fear, anxiety, guilt, and other negative emotions down into a box. She mentally locked it and showed it to the back of her mind, her thoughts clearing somewhat as she did.

"Rei!" Miyo cried, her fist hammering on the door.

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"Alright! Alright, Miyo. I'm coming out."

Fuck. What do I even say? Hmm, perhaps I can be honest about some of my fears? Even if WolfMosh is listening in, my confiding in my siblings shouldn't raise any alarms on his end. He may even expect me to. Well, it's the best I got.

Drying her tears on her sleeves, she moved to the door and unlocked it.

***

"-so that's why I was a bit out of it. I suppose it just hadn't really settled in. Or I forced myself not to think about it," Rei said, her eyes on the floor as Miyo sat beside her, one arm over her shoulder as she held her close.

"That bastard!" Miyo growled, her arm holding Rei close shaking with suppressed wrath.

Rei wasn't surprised by Miyo's reaction. It was one of the reasons she hadn't told either of her siblings yet. Who would want to hear that the person they loaned credits from only allowed it to get their hands on the one they were trying to save?

"It's fine, Miyo. I'll just work my debt off and-"

"Like hell it's fine! Damn squeaky-brained motherfucker made our whole family go into debt in order to save you when he could have just paid the hospital himself these two years! He now has leverage on all of us."

"...Yeah..."

"I thought he only lent to us because he valued you and didn't want to see you die. Well, I suppose he does value you, highly at that, but the only reason he saved you was to force you to pay it all back twofold. Fuck!"

Rei didn't respond further and let Miyo ramble on. But when she proclaimed she'd give the leader of the Fangs a piece of her mind, and her eyes started to swirl with silver, Rei intervened.

"NO! Don't Miyo!"

Miyo's gaze snapped to Rei, and seeing the earnest plea on her face, she relented. "Why not?"

"It just isn't worth it. You know it isn't. Calm down and just think for a second. This is why I didn't want to tell you in the first place. I don't want you or Ichiro paying further for my misfortune."

"But-"

"No, Miyo. Listen to me," Rei hardened her expression. "I appreciate everything you two have done for me, and you know I'll also have your back. It's what family does.

"But you also know that some battles we have to fight ourselves, and this is my battle. It's something I can — and will — face on my own, compared to the coma when I relied on you two."

Miyo stared at her Imouto for a few seconds, partially stunned by the conviction and sheer will Rei had tried her utmost to convey. Ultimately, she simply nodded and hugged Rei, her shoulders trembling slightly but otherwise remaining composed.

"Thank you..." Rei whispered into Miyo's soft and perfumed locks of synthetic hair, only getting another nod into her neck in response.

「Notice:

New skill learned.

[Deception, Level 1]

Governing attribute: Ego

Description: Whether by well-meant deception to reassure a loved one or self-serving lies to get what you want, this skill helps make others see them as the truth.」

***

The following week, Rei spent in intense training, both physical and mental.

After the ordeal with Miyo and the deception she'd pulled to keep both her secrets and Miyo safe, she'd needed more time to come to terms with the emotional baggage she'd managed to temporarily push to the back of her mind.

Doing that had netted her another level in [Strong Will], but the resulting emotional stability was still the most significant positive about confronting those fears.

She didn't hesitate to activate or deactivate the perk any longer, even though the whole experience left her somewhat apprehensive.

She'd also spent much of her downtime browsing the mesh through her cybernetic eyes, looking up basic information that had come up in conversations with Miyo and Ichiro. Other frequent research topics were the Mesh in general, Meshmagi, and the gear necessary to function as one.

What she'd discovered made it evident that if WolfMosh wanted her to act in that capacity again, he'd substantially add to her debt by installing new cyberware into her flesh. Without it, there was just no way to function as a Magi.

The rest of her time was spent on physical exercise and socializing with her new family. It was nice learning about them and their work. Miyo had many exciting stories about customers at the bar where she worked, while Ichiro had much to tell about transport protections gone wrong, raids, and hunts on minor gangs in the area. Rei learned that the katana was more than mere decoration, as Ichiro demonstrated some stances he'd used to lacerate, eviscerate, or decapitate his opponents.

What was even nicer than learning about her siblings was the result of her physical exercise — laborious as it had remained with an increasing intensity proportional to her progress. Her most recent set of exercises included pushups, squats, burpees, planks, and more. It had even netted her a new skill not long ago: [Athleticism]

「[Athleticism]

Governing attributes: Body, Mind

Description: The body is a complex thing, whether mechanical or biological. You've shown adequate strength, finesse, and agility; this skill will help you utilize those qualities more effectively.」

The skill's influence was subtle yet no less impactful. It made Rei feel more in tune with her movements. Command over her body grew firmer as she grasped her current capabilities and limits more easily. It didn't make her stronger, faster, or more dexterous, but it made it easier to use those aspects with more control.

She'd never been able to do a handstand before, but now, only walking on her hands was too much. It still exhausted her arms, though, and she couldn't keep it up for more than half a minute when rested.

As she stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror after a recent shower, Rei brought up the last notifications she'd received before accepting the latest recalibration.

「Notice:

Body attribute has increased.

Body: 4 → 5

Received: 500 Experience

Received: 1 Perk Point」

「Notice:

Your level has increased.

Level: 1 → 2

Experience: [0 / 3000]

Received: 2 Skill Points」

I wonder what my full status sheet looks like now; it has been a while since I last checked, Rei thought, her mind calling out for the sheet to be visible in her mind's eye. She also expanded the sections with her current perks and skills.

「Takeda Rei:

Level: 2 [0/ 3000 Experience]

Body: 5

Mind: 8

Ego: 5

Perks:

[Merciless]

Skills:

[Strong Will, Level 4]

[Deception, Level 2]

[Athleticism, Level 1]

Perk Points: [1 Mind, 1 Body]

Skill Points: 3」

So, my body, mind, and ego attributes are now at or above the non-augmented human average. That's good. Excellent even. I also leveled [Deception] once this week, regrettable to some extent as I've only interacted with Miyo and Ichiro.

Or has the skill considered any potential spying software installed in their cyberware? I have no way to know for sure. My precautions against them noticing my rapid physical improvement — other than the lacking hollowness of my facial features — could have contributed enough for it to level.

Leveling the [Deception] skill had felt slightly different from leveling [Strong Will]. It didn't impart new information but something more akin to instincts. After the level-up, she noticed small tells in her tone of voice and facial expressions that she could diminish or accentuate to increase the chances of her lies being taken as truth. It also suggested how she could move her body to further hide her increased fitness, but that took too much effort, in Rei's opinion.

Rei had been careful not to let Ichiro or Miyo see her without baggy clothes all this time, and all they'd done so far was express their happiness at her frankly gorgeous face returning.

She temporarily directed her thoughts outward to take in her appearance in the mirror, a smile blossoming as she twisted and turned. She was happy and impressed by her physical improvements. Her physique was back to a healthy level except for the lack of fat. Her bust had grown a little — she was no longer flat as a board — something that even Miyo had commented on jokingly after cuddling with her on the sofa.

The rest of my body, though... Hmm. I suppose the visibility of my muscles will lessen somewhat once my fat reserves have grown back to a healthy level. I'm not too fond of the corded look to it now. It's still way better than before, so I have no reason to complain.

She was honestly most pleased with her face. It wasn't on the level of movie stars she'd seen on the feeds Miyo watched, with their almost eerily perfect features, but she had nothing to complain about. It was one thing both Miyo and she had inherited from their mother.

There is some difference from before the coma with whatever the Samurai System did to me, but those changes have only made it better, I'd say. It's subtle, but my Japanese heritage is even less noticeable. Not that it was apparent before.

My hair is still somewhat of a mess with its uneven cut, but whatever length I've managed to regrow has made it better. I suppose I'll have to fix that in the future. I also have to fix my eyes; that bland blue color isn't to my taste at all.

She spent a few more minutes admiring herself until she realized how excessively vain her thoughts had become. Sure, she was a vain creature at heart — many men and women were — but there had to be limits. Instead of continuing, she returned her focus to the status sheet.

Other than my new skill leveling and my attributes reaching an acceptable level, I now have a new perk point and two skill points for reaching level two. Considering the increase in experience required for the next level and the effort necessary to increase my attributes further, those are most likely the only skill points I'll get for a while.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a call came through her agent. She froze briefly, seeing who it was from before forcing herself to relax.

It was only a matter of time.

She dismissed the mental windows and brought up her agent's holographic interface, her mind freezing again for another second before she steeled her resolve and accepted the call.

"Yes, master?" Rei shuddered internally at the form of address, but the fear of exacerbating the issue wasn't worth her pride for the moment.

"Rei! How good to hear from you," WolfMosh said, his mechanical voice managing to hold a sarcastic cheer as he expanded the voice call to video. Rei didn't reciprocate this time. "Hm? Do you not want to show your face to me? How cold."

"I'd rather not, as I'm not wearing anything."

The video call would only show her upper body, but no shirt meant her diminished bust would be on full display. Her civilian-grade optics sucked, but she wouldn't bet on WolfMosh not having some sort of AI video enhancer active on his end.

Rei had some fears that WolfMosh already knew of her current lack of apparel, as the prospect of hidden cameras placed through the apartment wouldn't be out of the question. There was nothing she could do about it, though, and hence, no reason for her to dwell on it further.

As he hasn't contacted me about the fits I had during my early attribute recalibrations, I can only hope that means he has no way to see me other than potentially through Miyo and Ichiro's eyes.

"Ah. I see. That's understandable," WolfMosh said, a contrite expression flashing across his features, "There's no need for you to do that then. You may be so deep in debt that it's questionable how long it will take you to crawl out, but that doesn't mean I own your body, merely your mind. That is why you're coming back here tomorrow, after all."

That's one creepy way to reassure me. Owning my mind, huh? With the work I expect to be doing, it isn't a false way of putting it... wait, tomorrow?!

"Umm. Tomorrow, master?" Rei said apprehensively.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, yet again conveying sarcastic cheer through the otherwise flat, artificial voice. "I've heard that you're back to reasonable health, and it's not as if your work here will hinder you from improving further.

"The main reason for waiting this long before calling you in was that the cyberware you're getting installed would need to be readjusted in tandem with your improvements at the start, something that would have just been such a huge pain to deal with. That is no longer the case. Am I wrong?"

So, as I suspected, I am getting new cyberware. And this was no break to spend time with my family? Who could have guessed?

"No, master. I'm not fully recovered, but any further physical improvement will be minor. What kind of cyberware are you thinking of? And I suppose it will add even more to the debt." Her voice couldn't help but gain a note of frustration at the end, and the feeling only grew as WolfMosh's smile and crimson irises gained a predatory edge.

"Excellent! And yes, it will naturally be added to the debt. It isn't trashware we're chippin' in, you know. You'll be slotted with cyberware nearly equal to that you had before... the incident." His voice lowered into a displeased, artificial growl at the end.

"Well, not really. But it will be more than enough," WolfMosh continued. "I'll be sending some guys over tomorrow morning to escort you here." His genial countenance suddenly vanished, and his cold eyes stared straight into Rei's. "I don't have to remind you of what will happen if you're not there to accompany them, do I?"

Rei swallowed, "No, master."

"Good."

There was a few seconds of silence during which he simply stared straight at Rei. It felt to her as if he stared straight into her soul through the digital — the distance between them inconsequential — weighing the worth of her life and contemplating Rei's future fate.

The feeling vanished immediately as the call ended without notice, WolfMosh having closed it.

Rei stumbled backward, her back hitting the dark gray ceramic wall as her bottom sunk to the floor. She sat there for a few minutes, naked against the cold, after-shower-damp tiles, eyes empty as her mind whirled.