Chapter 101

In a lavender-themed bedroom, women's clothes and pants were tossed everywhere, scattered in disarray.

A giant plush toy and an ugly-cute robot were neatly arranged at the foot of the bed, starkly contrasting yet oddly harmonious.

The window had been left unlatched, and the damp, chilly air seeped slowly through the gap into the room.

On the spacious bed, a golden-haired girl curled up, buried deep within a thick white quilt, leaving only her head exposed, like a plump silkworm.

A hand reached out from the shadows and gently closed the drafty window.

"Sophia… Sophia…" she spoke softly, sitting slowly on the edge of the bed and gently shaking the still-sleeping girl.

Perhaps due to her deep slumber, Sophia let out a cute little grunt, rolled over, and sank back into her dream.

The woman smiled faintly, undeterred, continuing to shake Sophia patiently as she called her name.

"Mom?" Sophia opened her drowsy eyes, blurry vision revealing only a familiar figure seated beside her bed.

"Lazy pig… wake up!"

"What time is it even now?" Sophia scratched her messy golden hair, lifted her head slightly, and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand, "It's only six! Mom! You got the time wrong again!"

"Huh? Isn't Phife supposed to be at school at half past six?"

"Wake me up at half past seven!" Sophia huffed indignantly, "Come lie down with me for a bit too—you just got home, you're already half-dead!"

Sophia's mother rubbed the back of her head, gazing at her daughter's angry yet concerned expression, and found herself unable to refuse.

"Come in, come in, or all the warmth under the quilt will leak out!" Sophia urged again, pulling her hesitant mother into the warm bed.

"Mom~" Breathing in the familiar scent, she softly called out, her limbs wrapping tightly around her mother's slightly chilly body like an octopus.

"You're such a big girl now, still acting like a child needing Mom to stay with you?" Sophia's mother smiled helplessly, gently patting her daughter's warm back.

"When I'm with Mom, I'm still a child~" Sophia murmured, clinging tightly to her mother's slender frame, then drifted back into drowsy sleep amid the comforting scent and warm embrace.

"This child…"

With a soft sigh, Sophia's mother tenderly stroked her daughter's head, confirmed the alarm was set, then slowly closed her eyes—eyes that had not closed all night.

◎

"Good morning, Night City! I'm your buddy—Stan!"

The television in the hospital room played the Night City news as usual.

Sasha slowly opened her eyes and turned to gaze out the window at the sky.

She had expected that after last night's storm, today might reveal the rare sight of blue-and-white skies.

But the gray mist mercilessly swallowed all beauty.

What a disappointment.

Sasha sighed, turned her head, and let her gaze return to the TV screen.

"Tomorrow is Spring Festival in China! According to our reporters, Chinatown in Night City is especially lively today…"

"This afternoon, a grand Public Funeral Ceremony will be held at Night City's largest Church… to honor all heroes who fell in the '118' and '120' incidents…"

"Tonight, Night Corp and several other giants will jointly host a 'Welcoming the New and Bidding Farewell to the Old' event—all businesses will offer 40% discounts…"

"How about we go out for dinner tonight?" A lively voice sounded beside Sasha.

Sasha rolled her eyes—this trick had long lost its power to surprise her.

"Rebecca!" she named the culprit, "Hey! Stop spinning around me, I'm getting dizzy!"

Rebecca shook her twin pigtails, a sly smile curling at her lips.

"Ta-da! Look what I bought you for breakfast! Freshly baked, steaming hot meat buns! I waited in line forever to get them!" Rebecca plopped down on the edge of the bed, triumphantly pulling three steaming buns from her coat pocket and waving them in front of Sasha.

Seeing Rebecca's mischievous antics, Sasha's mood quietly lifted.

Sasha smiled, opened her mouth wide, and played along with Rebecca's performance.

"Mmm!" Unexpectedly outmaneuvered, Rebecca pouted and reluctantly fed the food into Sasha's mouth.

Sasha chewed slowly, savoring the synthetic meat filling and the bun's soft skin, then paused, hesitantly asking: "You just said we're going out for dinner tonight—does that mean…"

"Exactly!" Rebecca patted Sasha's shoulder, "The doctor said you're recovering well—you can now get out of bed with assistance."

"Yay…"

Perhaps because she hadn't been this emotionally stirred in so long, Sasha nearly bit her tongue.

"You're such a dummy…" Rebecca feigned seriousness, shaking her head, "Still biting your tongue…"

"Oh? Who was it before, when she came over to my place, drank too much water before bed and…" Sasha wrinkled her nose, rapidly scanning her memory for a certain embarrassing moment.

"Stop! Stop! Big Sister Sasha, I'm sorry~" Rebecca's face turned pale, immediately lunging into Sasha's arms, squirming and begging for mercy.

"Hmph! That's better…" Sasha grunted, gently rubbing Rebecca's chilly little head, "Did you eat breakfast?"

"Uh…" Rebecca turned her head away, refusing to answer.

"You're a dummy too, huh… Open up." Sasha took the remaining two buns and began feeding them to Rebecca.

"I'm not actually hungry…" Rebecca chewed slowly, lips pouting, still trying to argue.

"Then I'll eat the last one?"

"Huh? …Yeah… you eat it…"

A flicker of shimmering light passed through her orange-red eyes—but Sasha, anticipating it, caught it instantly.

"Here, split it in half—we each get one." Sasha spoke as she tore the plump bun in two, then shoved half into Rebecca's mouth before she could respond.

"Hey, when you used to bring me breakfast every morning, did you ever remember to eat yours?"

"Of course I did!" Rebecca mumbled, "I just forgot today because I was so happy you're getting discharged."

"Hmm…" Sasha nodded silently, "What do you want to eat tonight? My treat."

"Whatever…" Rebecca replied vaguely, busy licking the grease from her lips, unwilling to waste a single drop.

"How about Chinatown? The news just said it's lively, and all the restaurants are 40% off…"

"Don't spend too much! I'd have to sell my brother just to pay you back!"

"Pfft…" Something struck her as hilarious, and Sasha couldn't stop laughing.

Outside the window, the sky remained gloomy, but it no longer affected her mood.