Chapter 107

"There is a slanting sunlight

In the winter afternoon, pressing down

Heavy, like the music of a Church

That heavenly pain

Follows it devoutly

No external wound can be found

But within, all is changed

In the hermitage of True Meaning

Experiencing that despairing mark, which no one can decipher

The King's suffering

Descends upon the surrounding heaven and earth

When it arrives, mountains and rivers listen in silence

Even shadows hush their breath

When it departs, the distant

Like the face beneath the hood of Death

Blurred and unclear"

Note ①

January 21, 2074

The tenth day since Lucy arrived in Night City.

Though merely a brief ten days, it feels far more prolonged than the long years of fleeing alone in the past.

Perhaps because she has met interesting friends and is no longer wandering.

Keeping her head down, she is now more accustomed to observing the silver-haired girl and the handsome man beside her from the corner of her eye.

Thanks to them, those dozens of tangled old ghosts have not disturbed her peaceful dreams for some time.

The cigarette she never parted with in the past has now been left in her pocket for quite a while.

"This is enough..." Lucy whispered to herself in her heart.

At some point, her steps slowly stopped, leaving a brief distance between her, Xida, and Yahweh.

"Lucy? Come on!"

A crisp voice sounded by her ear; the silver-haired elf bounced over and tightly grasped her somewhat cool palm.

Before her wandering consciousness could return, her body had already responded.

"Running around so energetically in high heels, aren't you afraid of spraining your ankle?" she unconsciously retorted in a cool voice, successfully seeing a faint blush appear on Xida's face.

Yahweh stood aside, watching their interaction with a smile, appearing to have already sorted out his mood.

Looking at the two of them, a smile also rose on Lucy's lips.

Faint, like the sunset above them, slowly vanishing.

"What makes you so happy?" Taking advantage of the time while Yahweh drove the car over, Xida took agile steps, slowly approaching Lucy, and suddenly reached out to wrap her arm around Lucy's arm.

"I think you two are interesting, always interesting..." Lucy gently rubbed the girl's enviable, bright silver hair, speaking softly.

Just like five days ago, when she first saw them at the bar of the Afterlife nightclub.

The audience below the stage voluntarily accepted the invitation of the protagonists on stage, standing under the spotlight, jointly performing that joyful stained-glass color.

"So, are all literary youths like this?" Xida poked Lucy lightly in the waist with her finger.

"Like what?" Lucy glanced at the gradually darkening sky, continuing the conversation while her fingers skillfully launched a counterattack.

"Sentimental... ah! Don't tickle me... I'm ticklish..." Xida was cut off mid-sentence as Lucy's counterattack struck her weakness.

"Let's get in the car first; the sun has set, and the temperature is dropping quickly..." Yahweh skillfully parked the car in front of them, drifting lightly without raising a single speck of dust.

"Coming~" Xida replied, pulling Lucy to sit together in the back seat of the car.

"Where did your friend say we're eating tonight?" Lucy asked.

"Downtown..." Xida kicked her high heels aside and lay lazily within the embrace of the seat.

Lucy nodded, imitating Xida's posture, took off her high heels, reclined the car seat, and lay down comfortably.

◎

"Gil, have you eaten Hot Pot before?" V put down the phone and only then remembered this.

"Hmph, only remembering this now?" Gil shook her head helplessly. "Don't worry; I occasionally went out to eat with friends during university, though certainly not as upscale as that Hot Pot Restaurant in Downtown Night City..."

V awkwardly rubbed her nose; it seemed excessive drinking had not been without effect on her.

"Hey, do you have suitable clothes?" Gil propped her toes up, sat on the chair, and lightly kicked V's shin. "I accidentally vomited on myself yesterday... and the weather has been gloomy all morning; I guess the clothes aren't dry yet..."

"What size are you?" V nodded and turned to walk toward the wardrobe not far away.

"Anyway, smaller than yours..." Gil said resentfully, casually picking up more than half a cigarette silently burning on the ashtray and placing it between her lips.

"Considering you honestly admitted you're inferior to me, I won't hold it against you for stealing my cigarette..." V held a stack of clothes and tossed them onto the bed. "Here, do you need me to step away?"

"I don't mind anyway..." Gil shook her head, looking completely indifferent.

"By the way, put the cigarette down first; don't set my room on fire later..." V snatched the cigarette from Gil's mouth while Gil wasn't paying attention.

"Mm, mm, mm..." Gil perfunctorily nodded, then casually and decisively threw the clothes on her body to the floor.

◎

"Isn't this the Chinese Restaurant we went to last time? It looks completely renewed; you can't tell at all that it experienced an explosion..." Xida got out of the car and only then realized she and Yahweh had been here once before.

"Explosion?" Lucy got out of the car behind her.

"Oh... it was on the 18th; a few Robot bandits came in halfway through the meal..." Yahweh answered Lucy's confusion while lazily using a hastily written program to direct the car to find a parking spot itself.

Anyway, the sky had already turned completely dark, and passersby would not notice that this old, dilapidated car was driving itself without a driver.

"Are you all right?" Lucy instinctively asked with concern.

"With Yahweh here... of course we're fine..." Xida replied with a grin, taking Lucy's hand and walking toward the restaurant.

Tonight's moon vanished into the darkness, refusing to show itself.

The howling cold wind grew even more biting.

The crowds on the street huddled their heads, wrapping their bodies in either thick or thin garments, fearing those cruel wind fairies would mockingly scrape away layers of flesh.

Yahweh watched their backs and let out a soft sigh.

The white mist had just appeared before being diluted by the wild wind.

"Yahweh?" Xida turned back, waving at him foolishly.

"Coming, coming..." He strode forward a few steps, and the distance between them returned to zero once more.

Following the waitress's guidance, they chose a window seat; Lucy pulled out a chair and sat beside Xida.

"The temperature is dropping again." Yahweh shivered, adjusting his clothes before slowly taking his seat.

"I really hope it snows..." Lucy turned her head to gaze at the dim night outside the window and said softly.

"Does Lucy like snow?" Xida accepted the two cups of hot tea her boyfriend handed her, passed one to Lucy, and asked curiously.

"I never had the leisure to appreciate the snowy scenery before..." Lucy said thanks, accepted the steaming tea, and took a light sip.

In the past, she had buried herself in Escape for so long that she ignored the seasonal scenery passing by her side.

"So now we must enjoy it properly, isn't that right?" Xida lowered her gaze, a gentle curve on her lips.

"Mm..."

Note 1: Original poem "There's a Certain Slant of Light" by Emily Dickinson