Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

“Honestly, the memory from that time is really fuzzy. Well, it makes sense. Think about it. If you got a hole in your stomach and you’re fine, are you even human? Even a chrome addict who’s replaced their head with a machine would struggle with that.”

“Uh, I see.”

“I was also really unlucky. The garbage I stepped on happened to be one of those noisy kids’ toys, and it happened to have some power in it. And, right above my head, a corporate drone was floating.”

“Uh, I see.”

“Do you know what it feels like to float in the air with a harpoon sticking out of your stomach?”

“No, I do─.”

“Ughh… What is this? That’s all I could think about. And when I looked down, I understood my reality. A harpoon was sticking out of my stomach.”

“Uh, I see.”

“When the situation gets to that point, it’s all over. No matter how hard you try to pull out the harpoon, it’s pointless. The ground gets further away, and the mountains of garbage look closer…”

…hm.

Is this guy always this talkative?

He might be missing human warmth after living underground for so long, but even that has its limits.

No, this won’t do.

Eventually, while listening to his story, I made a national salvation decision.

“Skip.”

“?”

—

Teddy grabbed his aching head.

His damp forehead was soaked in cold sweat and covered in red blood.

He was dizzy from a concussion.

Where is this? An underground incinerator? Even after falling hundreds, thousands of feet, Teddy was still alive.

It was actually lucky for him that he hit the garbage on the way down.

All thanks to his sturdy cyberware modifications─.

i- “So you fell into an incinerator and somehow survived? Got it. Next.”

i- “…….”

But Teddy expected that luck to end now.

Living in a landfill for so long, he couldn’t help but realize the importance of hygiene.

His stomach was still oozing with blood mixed with internal organs, and one remaining organic eye was almost bursting, leaving one side of his vision dark.

That said, the condition of his mechanical eye wasn’t good either.

It was gradually becoming fuzzy with noise, almost like it was predicting Teddy’s grim future.

And.

That moment came.

【It’s been a while since a living person fell.】

A voice echoed from somewhere.

【But your condition isn’t great. You won’t last long at this rate.】

What unfolded before him looked like a ‘magic’ scene straight out of a fairy tale.

The hole oozing blood began to heal, and his blurry vision gradually became clearer─.

i- “So, this is the story of meeting a great wizard underground. Got it. And I guess the girl named Dal must have been here at the same time. You must have met Dal around this time.”

i- “…….”

Anyway, this person called themselves a ‘wizard.’

Teddy had lived his life thinking there was no such thing as wizards, but witnessing the scene happening right in front of him made it impossible to disbelieve.

This person only spoke, never showing their form. The voice resonated strongly, making it hard to determine their gender.

At first, Teddy thought it was suspicious, but it was natural that he was touched by the voice filled with ‘affection’ as time passed.

Coincidentally, it was around that time he met the girl nicknamed ‘Dal.’

Teddy began to think that this connection to such a person could be called ‘family.’

i- “What about the toxic gases coming from the waste? An incinerator must have been a somewhat sealed facility, right? Can anyone live a normal life there?”

…Always, the wizard protected Teddy and Dal from the scorching flames of the incinerator.

Only after some time did he hear just how much trouble the wizard had with air circulation issues.

Later, when they settled down a bit in that place, he remembered finding a working net space login device to play with─.

i- “The signal shouldn’t reach that far.”

…By finding a live line by chance, he spent a brief, joyful time.

But.

If there’s enjoyable times, there are also times of suffering.

Teddy slowly began to notice that this lifestyle was coming to an end.

The wizard’s words, which had always been pouring in, gradually started to fade.

By the time Teddy and Dal were about to leave the incinerator, the wizard was only awake when treating Dal.

【…This is beginning to be too much. I’m sorry. I thought I could last until you both grew up.】

At that moment, Teddy got to hear detailed stories about Dal from the wizard.

The wizard explained that Dal, who didn’t have cyberware like Teddy, had such severe injuries from the fall that it was a miracle she was still alive.

【She actually died once, but… it was a gamble for me too. I’m glad it worked out.】

Then, the wizard muttered softly.

【…At least it’s a relief that she has some talent for magic. That had been weighing heavily on my mind.】

At the time, Teddy didn’t understand what the wizard was talking about.

But now he realized it was probably because of the ‘magic’ placed on Dal.

i- “Enough side comments.”

i- “……”

A clueless brat.

i- “?”

Anyway.

【I probably won’t see you again later, or maybe… I can’t say for sure. I just hope you both stay healthy.】

That was the reason Teddy and Dal returned to the surface from deep underground in the incinerator.

—

“So, to summarize in three lines… fell underground, met a wizard, received treatment and care, had to part ways, and now living in hiding underground in the city. That’s how it goes.”

“…Why do you need to summarize it in three lines?”

There’s always a reason for that.

I think the blood of a Korean, who loves to condense everyday life into three lines, awakened…

But anyway, Teddy’s story ended there.

I became curious about the wizard underground.

“…A wizard.”

Honestly, there were plenty of parts I didn’t understand.

First, the ‘healing magic.’

How is something like that even possible?

It was entirely different from the body enhancement magic or muscle enhancement magic I used.

For body enhancement magic, I only applied shield magic, and for muscle enhancement magic, Drak had inserted shapeless mana between the artificial muscles he operated on me.

…But healing magic?

How could a torn cell be stitched back together…?

And resurrecting a dead person was incomprehensible too.

I turned my head towards Dal.

Maybe it’s because I touched her chest a moment ago, Dal had been glaring at me with a wary gaze like a little kitten.

I wanted to look at her again properly…

But seeing her like this made it seem impossible.

Her small stature and weight looked like side effects from that magic. According to Catherine, she also mentioned that the heartbeat was barely audible.

As I examined Dal’s appearance, I turned back to Teddy, who looked somewhat exhausted.

“What about the bioware?”

“…Huh?”

His response was as deflated as mine, since we’re from the same hometown.

I opened my mouth again to Teddy, who didn’t seem to have heard me properly.

“I mean, the bioware prosthetics. If you change your entire body with that technology, wouldn’t it be alright? The chrome allergy wouldn’t matter.”

“……”

“Ah, of course, I suppose I’d still need to look into the magic side a bit more. But it’s better than not trying at all.”

Teddy, who had been silent at my words, scoffed.

“…Ha! Bioware prosthetics? The kind that corporate chairpersons get surgery for on broadcasts?”

It is quite expensive, to be fair.

Teddy shouted loudly.

“Make sure to speak logically! I’m barely scraping by with hacking; you think it’s easy to say?!”

Then he dragged on his last words.

“…I want to get it too. But how much is it? If there’s a rejection from the prosthetics, the credits double, and even having credits doesn’t mean I can get it quickly!”

My words must have sounded like pathetic sympathy, as Teddy’s voice grew louder.

“If you’re going to say something like that, at least get the bioware prosthetics for me first!”

Teddy’s heavy breathing broke the quiet silence.

…Hmm.

I scratched my head and replied.

“Should I?”

“What…?”

Teddy stammered, clearly taken aback by my unenthusiastic voice.

After all, being Catherine’s precious brother, I had been contemplating how to take care of him.

Moreover…

There were plenty of bioware experts around me.

—

“Now, let me introduce you. This is the head researcher of the Black Monolith Corporation and the best bioware expert I know.”

“Nice to meet you~, I’m Dr. Terra.”

Dr. Terra replied while making a V with both hands.

Her appearance seemed somewhat unreliable, but she was indeed the most capable bioware expert I knew.

However, it seemed that another term struck Teddy deeper.

“…Monolith, you mean… that Megacorp?”

Dr. Terra replied nonchalantly.

“Of course~. If another company used the same name, a corporate war would break out right away~.”

I could see Teddy shaking hands vigorously, both up and down.

Someone in a senior researcher position should show a little more seriousness, after all.

And.

Although I’d seen her face earlier, this time I introduced Eve, who was next to me, to Teddy again.

“And here’s a versatile maid who can get the bioware body products you want.”

“…I thought you were an amazing hacker earlier?”

“That too, at the same time.”

Apparently, the prosthetics managed by Dr. Terra were reserved for the chairman, so it felt inappropriate to use them unless it was an emergency like with Maya.

“Oh, and there’s also this person… hold on. Chairman? Why did you suddenly come here?”

“You should call me Taylor.”

“No, that’s not the important part…”

The chairman of the megacorp welcomed me as I returned from my outing.

I could see Teddy and Dal’s faces turn pale as if the color had drained from them.

Teddy’s head jerked as if it were a broken machine.

“You, you… What the hell have you been doing?!”

“……”

I don’t even know.

---