Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 504: Visitor.

"Boy, are you listening?"

Dante snapped out of his thoughts, and for a moment, he didn’t recognize where he was. It was only when he saw the disgruntled look on the old woman sitting beside him that he remembered.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad or something?" Nobara asked.

"Don’t know-" Dante tried to speak, but the urge to yawn overwhelmed him. "What you’re talking about."

Currently, they were sitting in the back of a luxurious car. It was one from the collection Dante stole a while back, the one that belonged to one of Jaguar’s lieutenants. He had auctioned half of it off while keeping the rest for himself. Bikes were more to his taste, but as a gang boss, he needed to keep up appearances now.

Of course, that included having someone else drive for him. Oliver was supposed to be the one behind the wheel, but Dante had sent him away so he could talk to the old cook in private.

"So? What is it you wanted to talk about?" Dante said, his mouth wide open as he yawned once more.

Nobara stared at him in silence, then looked away, sighing.

"Guess you have been really busy."

"That would be putting it lightly."

"Are you so busy that you can’t drop by once in nearly a month?"

"... It’s just for the start. Once our position is stable, I will have more free time."

"And when will that be? Year from now? Two years?"

"Marie has been asking about you. She’s wondering why her idiot older brother hasn’t shown up in a while."

"..."

"Can’t you at least come check on her from time to time?"

"..."

"Suit yourself." Nobara gave a shrug and then turned her gaze forward. After a brief silence, she said in an even tone. "That girl has a talent for Sorcery."

The meaning of what she said didn’t register at first. His eyes snapping wide open, Dante turned to look at the old cook.

"You serious?"

Nobara nodded solemnly.

"Considering what she went through, I don’t believe she has a connection to any established family. People like her are rare, but they do exist. Most of the time, they go their entire lives without noticing their talent."

"Huh... to think she had it in her all along..."

’You didn’t notice?’

[An Aetherion who has never used Aether is no different from a normal human.] Volcan said.

"I have been thinking... I would like to teach her my Arts."

"You... you want to teach her your Sorcery?"

Dante recalled the first and only time he had witnessed the old cook use her powers. Back then, she was able to isolate him from the rest of the world, preventing him from using 8-3’s abilities.

’Now that I think about it, isn’t that ability really terrifying?’

"Suzuka wasn’t born with the gift, and neither did her mother." Said Nobara. "I thought the Art would die with me, but..."

"Why didn’t you look for an apprentice before?"

"It’s easier said than done." The old cook shifted her body and looked straight at him. "So? What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "Why does it feel like you’re asking for my permission?"

"I can’t believe you... Boy, did you forget already?"

Dante recoiled at the glare Nobara fixed him with, but he couldn’t find what she was referring to.

"The girl is your responsibility, idiot! You just asked me to look after her for a few days!"

It was only then that Dante remembered. He had asked the old cook to take care of Marie, believing the little one would be more comfortable there. It was only supposed to last until he figured out what to do with the little girls they rescued, but he had forgotten all about it.

’I almost died the other day...’ He thought to himself. ’No wonder I forgot....’

"You shouldn’t take on such matters if you aren’t going to see them to their end," Nobara said. "Helping people isn’t something you can do halfheartedly."

"I only helped her on a whim..." Dante said. "I don’t really know what I should do next."

"You can start by showing up more often."

"... Learning Sorcery might turn out good for her," Dante said. "At the very least, she would be able to protect herself if we aren’t there."

Once again, Nobara fixed him with a glare. She eventually dropped it and looked away, and disappointment as she did so was all too clear. Unable to handle it, Dante opened the door.

"I might need help with the adoption papers." She said.

"Consider it done," Dante replied. "See ya, old hag. Say hi to the little one for me."

He called Oliver and told him to drive her back home. As he watched the car go, a thought occurred to him.

’Maybe I should have asked for advice on the gang’s name...’

It didn’t take long for him to start going through their discussion, and that led to him recalling little Marie. Last time he had seen her, she had been helping at the noodle shop. Dante didn’t think the old cook had been putting her to work every day, but keeping her busy would have been for the better.

’... Maybe I should-’

He couldn’t even finish the thought before a different one flashed in his mind. This one brought with it a scene from his most persistent nightmare, showing the enemy he swore to end, and the moment the bastard took to the sky with the white-haired girl in his arms.

Dante let the scene play in his mind a few times, watching as the car disappeared in the distance. His jaw tightened on its own. Turning around, he moved his legs and walked in the opposite direction.

~[ ]~

Making it back to the Red Oni club, Dante was about to climb to his office on the second floor when Carlos ran up to him. He was going to say that he was still working on the name, but apparently, the Tenebrosan man had something to inform him about.

"A visitor?"

"Yes," Carlos replied, looking a little troubled. "I intended to discuss this matter in more detail, but..."

Dante didn’t have to look around to find this visitor, seeing that he walked up to them just then. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Good morning, Mr. Sokolov."

Dante only needed to take one look at the guy to decide that he didn’t like him. A tall guy with clean-shaven hair, AR glasses, and a simple-looking yet expensive blue suit. A leather briefcase hung from his left arm—an indisputable proof of the man’s occupation: a lawyer.

"My name is Martin Maxwel. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Staring at the hand he extended toward him, Dante raised his gaze and looked the man in the eyes.

"Let’s talk upstairs."

In that short moment, Volcan had done an evaluation and found that the lawyer was a Level 2 Intermediate Cyborg, mostly focused on defence. That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous, but knowing his kind, he was bound to be more annoying than dangerous.

Once they got to the office, Dante motioned for one of the couches and then sat on the opposite one.

"Get straight to the point," He said. "I’m running low on patience right now."

"That is understandable," The man remained standing as he spoke. "Today, I came here representing a client of mine."

"And that client is?"

"My client would like to remain anonymous." Said the lawyer, wearing a very punchable smile. "Please pardon the assumption, Mr. Sokolov, but your reaction so far tells me that you have not been informed about us, or the eventuality of this visit."

"A call would have helped," Dante replied. "People usually set up an appointment beforehand."

"That will not be necessary."

The lawyer kept on smiling, and the longer that went on, the more Dante wanted to make him disappear.

"Waiting for me to ask again?" Dante said. "Get to the point."

"I’m simply searching for the right words to articulate." The lawyer paused, looked down for a moment, then looked up again. "Tyler Moreno, better known as Riot. He was a business partner of ours, though it would be more accurate to say my client sponsored Mr. Moreno’s endeavors in this district."

Something clicked in Dante’s mind, and his eyes widened.

"Right, you’re the rich assholes trying to buy the real estate here!"

That finally seemed to wipe out the smile from the lawyer’s face, though the reason was unclear. Dante hadn’t been exactly polite until now.

"Then my assumption was incorrect. Still, this should make things a lot easier."

"Yeah, you can go ahead and forget about it." Dante waved a dismissive hand. "I don’t need your money, and I certainly don’t want to work with your kind."

The lawyer stared at him in silence, his frown continuing to deepen.

"I do not believe that is up for debate, Mr. Sokolov." He said. "You have removed Mr. Moreno from his position, and now you occupy it. We believe it is only natural that you take on the agreements that come with it."