Parallel Novel Chapter 228: I Want to Fight

Suzuki’s Room.

11:32 p.m. 20 th June 2024.

Suzuki stretched as he walked out of his room. The young man cracked his neck, freeing up joints that had locked from staying in place for too long. He then made his way to the kitchen, grabbed an apple, and silently munched on it as he organized his chaotic thoughts. It had been a crazy nine days for Kashi—possibly more eventful than the previous months combined. The daeben, and in turn, Suzuki had been forced to face their inner demons. The parts they did not like to think about.

‘Razznik.’ Suzuki frowned as he recalled the warrior who effortlessly trounced Kashi. ‘That’s not him.’ Suzuki was sure of Razznik’s death. He was right there when Razznik ‘disappeared.’

‘But then, why?’ Why did that Razznik feel so familiar? It wasn’t just physical. Suzuki knew Razznik better than anyone else. The bone-deep arrogance. Eyes that only sought strength. Actions that often contradicted his words. ‘It’s the sa.’ This Razznik was the sa in every way. If Suzuki had not witnessed Razznik’s passing, he would have sworn this was the real man.

‘Shouyou, you bastard. What did you do?’ Suzuki decided he had to et Shouyou soon. There were too many things that blond devil had to answer for. ‘There’s Zuri, too.’ Though this was for Kashi, Suzuki did need to find out about Zuri. But, not now. Not tonight.

For now, Suzuki had other plans. Sothing had been bugging him. Sothing he noticed the last ti he trained but did not put too much emphasis on. Suzuki looked at the half-eaten apple in his hand.

He squeezed.

Blurksh!

The young man frowned as he examined the dripping ss. Sohow, he had just crushed an apple. Suzuki knew his strength better than most. If he used the finger technique, he could crush an apple, sure. But like this? With his fingers flat across the surface? That was not ordinary.

But, there was only one way to test this theory for sure.

Suzuki cleaned up his ss and then made his way out of the apartnt. The young man stopped outside the building and then gazed up at the dark sky. The moonless sky didn’t feel so lonely as the stars were out in full force. Suzuki gazed at the dense star clusters. ‘That night. What was the sky like when Razznik died?’ “Whatever.” The young man snorted, pulled up his hood, and then walked across the empty streets to the training center.

As a result of gars’ irregular hours, the training center was open 24-hours. Suzuki, thankful for this, entered the hall and then made his way to a fitness machine. The machine, released by Genaco, allowed its user to perform a comprehensive fitness test. From weight to stamina and strength. It resembled a treadmill but had a raised platform housing a catcher’s mitt. To test your strength, all you had to do was punch them, mitt. The score would then be displayed.

The last ti Suzuki used one was at a gym near his previous ho. At the ti, he had gotten a score of 500 lbs, which was beyond impressive for a slim teenager. By comparison, heavyweight boxers achieved around 900-1000 lbs, while the average person had about 200 lbs.

Suzuki stared at the catcher’s mitt as he climbed onto the machine. The young man pulled his right arm back as he slowly took a deep breath. He then crouched, raising his left arm ahead of him in a striking stance. A mont...

Whoosh!

Like a bullet from a barrel, Suzuki burst forward. The young man’s body swiveled, sending a massive rotational force from his legs to his waist. Without wasting a sliver of montum, that force was then transferred to his arms. Suzuki’s fist spun as he punched out.

BOOM!

The machine violently shook as Suzuki’s fist barrelled into the mitt. Whoo. The young man let out his breath and then stood up. Hm. That felt way more powerful than anything he had ever put out. To confirm his suspicions, Suzuki looked at the score screen, whose numbers scrambled as if unable to correctly ascertain his score. Eventually...

1,134 lbs.

Suzuki’s mind blanked. He stared at the incredulous number and then at his own fist. What the hell!? He knew his body best. There was no way in hell he could put out sothing that heavy with his build. ‘Wait a minute.’

Newton’s law of motion. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This was reality. Ki and Magic did not exist. If he was putting out those numbers, then...

Suzuki took off his hoody and sneakers, then switched the machine to weight mode. His eyes twitched as he stared at the number on the screen.

95 kg.

Haha... Soone was playing with him, right? This had to be a prank. Suzuki removed his shirt and examined his body. Yeah. Not to brag, but Suzuki was soone who took extra care of his body and weight. His muscles were of the lean variety, the type that was not obvious except he wore a skin-tight shirt. Those tiny muscles had up to 95 kg of weight? On a body that was not up to 6 feet tall?

Could soone please explain what the hell was going on!

Suzuki could not comprehend it. Ninety-five percent of his ti the last three months was spent in the Virtual World. It was already weird that he did not lose muscle mass considering his sustenance most comprised of the Full Body’s nutrient solu...

Suzuki’s gaze turned sharp. The nutrient solution. Could there be sothing wrong with it? Did Genaco put sothing in there? The longer Suzuki considered it, the more likely it seed. That was the only explanation for how he suddenly grew stronger despite sleeping all day.

‘How many?’ How far did this go? Was this sothing Shouyou did to ss with him? Suzuki frowned. Or was this sothing affecting everyone on the compound? No. Maybe the whole world?

Suzuki gritted his teeth. “Sons of bitches.” What was Genaco’s end goal? Suzuki frowned as he looked at his fist. Well, in the end, it did not matter. He had confird one thing at least. Sohow, Genaco was strengthening him. There was only one reason to raise a bunch of strong warriors.

It seed the battle Akari talked about was real and not so scare tactic. ‘Will I have to kill soone?’ Suzuki shook his head. There was no point in worrying about so distant future. He would deal with that when it ca to it. In the anti...

Bzzzz...

Suzuki wore his clothes and then took out the vibrating phone from the hoody’s pouch pocket. Genaco sent a notification that the first team battle would take place on Monday, 8 th July 2024. Suzuki did the math. That was nine days. With ti dilation, forty-five days, or just over six weeks. Good, it would not clash with Kashi’s battle.

Suzuki looked at the extra prompt. A mild warning from Genaco, if you will. ‘Teamwork is paramount in the completion of these battles.’ Teamwork, eh... Suzuki frowned as he thought of his team . “Don’t need it.” On this, he agreed with that fake Razznik. Teams? Bah. Who knew when they would turn around and stab you in the back. The only thing a man could rely on was himself. The one thing no one could ever take from him was the training and knowledge required to climb the problematic tower to the top.

Suzuki had climbed that tower alone all his life. He would not seek assistance now. The young man tucked his hands in his pockets and then walked out of the training center. Usually, he would stay and workout for an hour or two, but his hands were itchy. They were shaking. Ever since Kashi faced Razznik in that... wherever the hell that was. Suzuki could feel his hands shaking.

“Whoo...” Suzuki breathed out as he walked into a building in the restricted sector. As usual, he took the elevator down and then went to the Gladiator Combat Room. Luckily, no one was in, so he did not have to deal with any blowhards this ti.

Suzuki slid into a capsule, affixed the helt, and then shut his eyes. He selected one-on-one combat from the pop-up nu and chose to stick with the sentinel model. Finally, he placed the A.I intelligence at the highest, and then allowed the system to connect him to the Sentinel.

Having learned his lesson from his first experience, Suzuki surrendered the secondary functions to the onboard A.I. Suzuki then opened his eyes. His sentinel stood in a small room with another sentinel-make across from it. The scanners picked up several weapons on the wall, ranging from swords to bows and arrows. The sentinel across from him was painted red and held a katana in his left hand.

Suzuki examined the thin blade as the A.I fed him information about its sharpness, weight, and length. ‘A katana.’ Suzuki shook his head. ‘This is not his style.’ The young man grumbled in discontent. However, despite his complaints, a thin smile rose on Suzuki’s lips as he raised his fists. “Still, let’s play.”

As if in response to his challenge, the sentinel brandished its blade and then charged. Rear thrusters instantly shrunk the gap. In the blink of an eye, its sword crashed down toward Suzuki’s skull.

Suzuki, however, remained static, as if frozen in place. The sentinel, without rcy, swung even faster, aiming to end the battle in one quick swing. Twitch. Just when the blade was inches from Suzuki’s head, his fingers twitched.

Suzuki’s eyes suddenly t the sentinel’s. The machine’s systems scread out warnings! Sothing was wrong! The intelligent A.I attempted to retract its swing, but it was already too late. Suzuki’s left hand shot up. The armored hand accurately struck the flat of the katana blade.

The sentinel’s swing harmlessly swung over Suzuki’s head. Suzuki was not done. His left arm snaked out and latched onto the sentinel’s sword arm. It held on like a vice, refusing to budge even an inch. Suzuki’s eyes flashed with a red light as he followed through with a gut-wrenching punch to the sentinel’s midriff.

The sentinel exploded backward. Craack! Suzuki kept the arm that separated from its body. Suzuki threw the arm away. He then looked at the sentinel and shook his head. “Too obvious. He wasn’t like this.”

The sentinel rose to its feet, performing a quick analysis as it did. It judged its current chances of winning to be less than twenty percent. As a result, it waited. A section of the wall slid open on the wall opposite Suzuki. A soldier-class gladiator walked in. Its fra was the middle ground between the lithe Sentinel and the heavily armored Crusher-class.

Sentinel-class A.Is were trained with assassin style combat. They were taught to kill with as few moves as possible, each one aiming for vital spots. Sentinel-class were perfect for ambushes or sneak attacks but were not as adept at prolonged combat.

Soldier classes, on the other hand...

Suzuki focused on the heavy buster sword on the Soldier’s back. Okay. This was closer. But was it any good with that weapon?

The Soldier examined the damage to the sentinel and then looked at the torn off hand on the floor. It perford rapid calculations, judging the threat’s danger level. Maximum. This was a maximum level threat! Accepting the challenge, the Soldier drew out its buster sword.

Suzuki tensed up as he watched the Soldier drop into a deliberate low stance, sword point pointed at him. ‘This one is different.’ Suzuki already knew. This one was an expert. It was leagues stronger than the sentinel. Suzuki kicked up the katana and then brandished it. This one was strong. ‘ But…’

Suzuki and the Soldier slowly approached each other, each tentative inch gained a challenge to the other. Who would flinch first?

It happened once Suzuki crossed the one-ter mark.

BOOM!

The Soldier’s thrusters activated. It suddenly barrelled towards Suzuki. At this pace and distance, there was no chance of Suzuki dodging.

It just so happened Suzuki had no intention of doing so. The katana zipped forward. Bang! Sword points crashed amidst shining sparks. Sentinel and Soldier glared at each other through the embers.

The clash neutralized the force from both blades. Suzuki and the Soldier quickly disengaged and then clashed once more. This ti, the Soldier’s buster sword soared to the sky from the ground. BANG! Suzuki’s katana crashed down like judgnt from heaven. The buster sword was condemned to the ground.

Suzuki flattened his blade against the fallen sword and then swung forward, using the bustersword’s edge as a guide. The Soldier’s eyes flashed. It unhesitantly released the sword and then spun in place.

Suzuki’s strike sailed through the air, missing the Soldier by a hair’s breadth. The Soldier, however, utilized the rotational spin to crash its elbow onto Suzuki’s head. Suzuki ntally smirked. Borrowing the sa trick, he completed a rotation with his sword arm. As a result, he danced away from the blow.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The Soldier, however, did not give up after seeing its strike had failed. It raised its leg and kicked down on the buster sword’s hilt. The force sent the sword flying upward, where it spun in place. BOOM!

The Soldier calculated the required force and angle and then punched against the sword hilt. Boom! The sword blasted ahead like a cannon.

Caught off-balance, Suzuki could only raise his sword and swiftly blocked the strike. The force, however, sent man and blade flying to the wall. Clang! With a deft swipe, Suzuki pushed the sword over his chest. Boom! That strike proved to be just enough. The blade struck drove into the wall, just above his shoulder.

Suzuki, however, did not ti to rest. The Soldier chased followed behind the sword, ready to deliver the finishing strike. Suzuki’s eyes flashed. He kicked off the wall and burst forward. The Soldier fell within striking range in a blink of an eye.

Fwish!

Suzuki cut a sharp arc ahead of himself. But his sword t no resistance. The Soldier jumped over Kashi and landed on his sword. Suzuki grinned as he began to feel his mind jumping with joy. “The whole body is a weapon.”

Whoosh!

Suzuki’s dormant tail suddenly whipped out and then snaked around the Soldier’s leg. Whip! Suzuki yanked the Soldier off and then spun around, his blade going ahead of him. Crash!

With a sickening crunch, Suzuki cut the Soldier down the middle. The young man admired the wreckage but then clenched his fist as he looked at the door. This ti, a slightly larger soldier walked in. Except this ti, it boasted two assault rifles in addition to the buster sword.

Suzuki’s eyes flashed. If he had lips, he would have licked them from the growing excitent. “Co.”

In response to Suzuki’s challenge, the soldier-class drew its rifle. It trained the gun at the opposing gladiator and then squeezed the trigger. Faced with the impending onslaught, Suzuki rapidly took stock of his surroundings.

Small room, no cover. The maid sentinel-class and the destroyed soldier-class were the only things in the room aside from Suzuki and the gladiator class. Suzuki looked at the gun. Without cover, he could not afford to allow the Soldier to seize the montum.

Bang! Rat-ta-ta-ta!

Suzuki kicked up the destroyed Soldier’s torso just as the first bullet exited the chamber. The daeben grabbed the corpse and then charged, holding it in front like a shield. Bullets tore into the makeshift shield, the impact threatening to push Suzuki back. However, the young man moved ahead, even as the shield began crumbling to pieces.

The Soldier’s eyes flashed. It pointed the gun towards Suzuki’s feet.

Boom!

But just then, as if sensing their intentions, Suzuki kicked hard against the ground. He folded himself into a ball as he leaped into the air, significantly reducing his possible hit areas. The Soldier, in retaliation, sprayed non-stop, perhaps hoping to decimate the shield before Suzuki landed.

Warning! Suddenly, the Soldier stopped shooting as it perceived a significant threat. Suzuki’s trajectory currently ended right behind it. If it continued like this, Suzuki might just land a sneak attack!

“Too late!” Suzuki spun in the air and then flung the tattered shield. This forced the Soldier to block the projectile. Suzuki took advantage of this to explode past the Soldier with his thrusters. The second his feet hit the floor, Suzuki spun around and then swung at the Soldier’s exposed back.

Boom! The Soldier smartly blasted forward, barely dodging the most fatal of blows. Clang! But not before Suzuki’s blade severed the assault rifle still on its back. The blade traveled further but was rebuffed by the Soldier’s broadsword.

Suzuki did not fight the recoil. He spun with the blade and then once again burst forward. He chased after the retreating Soldier and swung down, aiming to slice it two from the head down.

The Soldier, in response, turned to face Suzuki. It then raised its assault rifle above its head just as the blade ca crashing down. BANG! The katana slamd into the rifle. The blade cut deep, but before its cut all the way through, the Soldier bent the rifle at an incline and then let go.

The incline forced Suzuki wide, which then bought the soldier ti to retreat even further. Once again, Suzuki chose not to fight the new path. He allowed the blade the travel downward, then spun in place as he brought the montum to a slow stop.

Suzuki did not mind surrendering the montum he had built up as he had achieved his primary objective in that exchange. Suzuki’s street fights against dishonorable hoodlums had built up his fighting ethos. First, always aim to get rid of long-range projectiles even if you suffer a small loss. A broken finger or busted eye was an excellent price to pay for getting rid of soone’s throwing knives or so other asshole flinging bottles or broken glass from afar.

Suzuki watched the Soldier as he shook the blade loose of the rifle. The young man then slowly raised the sword as the gladiator across drew its buster sword. Another thing Suzuki learned. What to do when faced with an opponent physically and technically stronger than you?

Steam leaked from Suzuki’s mouth as he simulated slowly breathing out.

Boom! The Soldier suddenly burst forward and then swung its blade at Suzuki’s midriff. It had learned from the previous one’s mistake. Suzuki’s horizontal draw was too quick. Suzuki would definitely cut it in half if it went for a typical overhead swing. This ti, it also opted for a horizontal swipe. Suzuki had to either dodge or block. This should prevent him from counter-attacking.

‘If this were my real body, maybe.’ Rather than block, Suzuki jumped backward, just an inch behind the sword’s reach. Imdiately the sword swung past, ‘Now!’ Suzuki’s thrusters blasted him forward. He made to pierce the Soldier’s head, but he suddenly stopped as he sensed sothing wrong.

Suzuki glanced to his side. Sure enough, the Soldier’s swinging arm had suddenly stopped. ‘Ah, that’s right. They’re robots.’ By the ti Suzuki recalled this fact that allowed brakes to be installed in the gladiators’ joints, the buster sword was already on its way back.

Suzuki jumped and placed the katana beside him, using his second hand to hold the blade in place. ‘BANG!’ A terrible force traveled through Suzuki’s blade into the gladiator. Luckily, Suzuki’s feet were off the ground. So, a large portion of the force was lost to sending the young man flying backward.

Once Suzuki landed, he imdiately kicked off to the side. BOOM! He looked at the Soldier who had just crashed his sword into the ground where Suzuki once stood. Despite flying to the side, Suzuki had a thought. ‘I’m a robot. I do not fear recoil.’ Just as Suzuki thought that, the thrusters activated. Not only did he stop, but he charged even faster toward the Soldier who had yet to rise. This was the difference between a robot and a human. Humans could not handle rapid acceleration and deceleration. The g-forces were far too deadly for most.

Suzuki’s katana pierced for the Soldier’s head. ‘Clang!’ The Soldier’s right arm shot up at the last second. It deftly knocked Suzuki’s blade to the side and then pulled out the buster sword with its left. The Soldier then whirled and swung at Suzuki with a rciless glare.

The Soldier swung at Suzuki, but he parried with the katana. The Soldier did not let up, however, and followed through with an unrelenting barrage. Suzuki faced the inferno with a calm gaze. The young man gently parried each strike, patiently awaiting his opportunity.

This was Suzuki. A young man who could weather all kinds of storms, patiently waiting for his opportunity. This was what he learned fighting on the streets. When facing a stronger opponent, do not be afraid to surrender montum.

The opponent might be stronger and faster, but as long as you could shoulder the pain, an opportunity would arise, eventually. When you got that chance...

Suzuki continued to weather the Soldier’s barrage. The Soldier’s attacks increasingly grew wilder and stronger, akin to natural disasters. Suzuki’s defense, anwhile, was like water. Sotis, soft. Sotis, hard. Suzuki’s free-flowing parries prevented the Soldier from gaining an overwhelming advantage. At the sa ti, he kept the Soldier honest by unleashing devastating counters between parries. The Soldier was forced to keep alert as every single one of those attacks if they landed, would have ended it.

Clang! Clang!

Suzuki’s heartbeat quickened as the battle intensified. Flying sparks from the clashing blades lit a sleeping bonfire in the young man’s heart. Yes. This. This was it! This was the feeling! The Soldier’s rapidly improving attacks caused Suzuki to unintentionally shout. “Haha! Yes!”

Suddenly, Suzuki felt stifled. The virtual connection was not good enough. He wanted to feel this battle with his real flesh and blood. Feel the fatigue from the tiring attacks. The pain in his limbs as the sword gradually grew heavier. The loud booming in his ears as his heart rapidly pumped blood through his veins.

Ah, Suzuki wanted to feel it. Suzuki fought to suppress the growing desire within his heart. The one thing he could not allow himself to feel. But try as he might, he could not push that feeling down. Each ti he tried, Razznik’s image as he beat down Kashi resurfaced. “Goddamnit.” Suzuki cursed. He then uttered the words he had tried to bury deep. “I want to fight him.”

BANG! Suddenly, the Soldier tripped and then fell over. The stunned gladiator quickly scanned its feet and only then realized what had tripped it. The mangled ‘shield’ Suzuki threw earlier. It had tripped over it when it tried to dodge Suzuki’s last attack.

Clang! It looked at the katana that rested on its shoulder.

“Good fight. But you’re not him.” Suzuki retrieved his katana. The young man released a disappointed ‘sigh.’ “Your entire body is a weapon. The ground is a weapon. The world itself is a weapon. Only when you understand this can you begin to call yourself a warrior. Razznik would never lose track of what’s around him, no matter how hectic the fight.”

To Suzuki’s surprise, the Soldier returned its sword to its holster and then bowed. It did not say anything, but Suzuki sohow understood. It was acknowledging its loss and expressing gratitude for the lesson. Suzuki ntally frowned. Did he just assist the machine overlords in their eventual take-down of humanity? He pondered for all of three seconds and then threw the thought to the back of his mind.

If Genaco were stupid enough to allow proper, self-aware A.Is into the real world, then the world deserved to end. That was neither his problem nor his cross to bear. With these thoughts, the young man logged out of the gladiator.

Seconds later, Suzuki opened his eyes in the Gladiator Combat Room. He got out of the capsule but then paused when he noticed a man looking at him. The man revealed a lackadaisical smile as he observed Suzuki’s wary gaze.

“Bit paranoid, aren’t you?” Tsukoden Kimuri, leader of the gladiator team, Nature’s Vanguard, gazed at the teenager. He had watched Suzuki’s fight and had to acknowledge this kid as the real deal. “Saw your fight. You’re pretty good, kid.”

Suzuki frowned. Kimuri’s smile did not sit right with him. It was too relaxed. Like everything in this world was within his control. “Were you following ?”

“What?” Kimuri stared at Suzuki, mouth agape. This kid was serious! “Why in the hell would I do sothing so stressful? I would more likely hire soone to do that for .”

“Did you do that?”

“What?”

“Hire soone.”

Kimuri took out his cigar and then snuffed it in a case he carried. He fixed Suzuki with a hard glare as he cautioned, “Listen, kid. If I wanted to follow you or have you followed, you would not have a clue.”

“So, you do not deny you have the skill.”

“No? I―”

“Good to know.” Suzuki shook his head and then made for the door.

Kimuri watched the young man, shock and awe evident in his wide eyes. Did this kid just play him for information? Him? Tsukoden Kimuri? Kabuki’s Gray Fox? His eyes narrowed. “Hey, kid.”

Kimuri burst forward imdiately Suzuki turned around, with what could only be described as inhuman speed. His right leg suddenly shot up and then arced down. The motion drew a beautiful but deadly picture as his feet made a collision course for Suzuki’s face.

BANG!

Kimuri paled. He only wanted to scare the kid and so correctly judged the kick. He could not have struck Suzuki unless the kid willingly brought his face to Kimuri’s boot. A mont later, though, Kimuri’s face got even whiter, but from pain. Only then did he notice that his boot did not impact Suzuki’s face, but rather, it had been grabbed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Suzuki was livid. His cold eyes glared at Kimuri as if wishing to tear the man into pieces. However, beneath the anger was a little excitent. That kick had been extrely painful. Suzuki might have blocked it, but the aftershocks that traveled through his body almost made him cough up blood. Anyone who could injure his strengthened body was definitely abnormal.

Kimuri had a similar thought process. He knew just how powerful his kick was. Only a freak could not only block his kick but also catch his leg without serious injuries. His gaze narrowed as he observed the youth. ”...You too?”

Suzuki frowned but then released Kimuri’s leg. Might as well ask since he was here. “Are you stronger than normal?”

“Ah. So, you found out.” Kimuri suddenly grinned. “You must be pretty strong in-ga for you to have blocked my legs. I’m pretty proud of them, you know.”

Suzuki ignored the final sentence. “What do you an in-ga?”

Kimuri chuckled as he admired the young man’s frustrated eyes. “In-ga? Did I say that? Well, you’ll just have to find out, won’t you?” He then made to leave the room, but Suzuki interrupted him.

“Where are you going?” Suzuki’s, fierce cold gaze regarded Kimuri.

Kimuri shrugged. “Going to my room, of course.”

“Didn’t you co to use the Gladiator Room? You’re leaving without even using it?”

Kimuri took out a fresh cigarette and then lit it. He took a drag and then delightfully exhaled. “Nope. I got what I ca for.”

Suzuki’s eyes narrowed. “So, you were following ?”

“Not exactly. I went for a jog and just so happened to spot you.” Kimuri’s benign smile pissed Suzuki off. “Not the sa, I would argue.” Kimuri stuffed his hands in his pockets and then made his way out of the room. “See you at the prelims, kid. I’m looking forward to it.”

Suzuki snorted. He almost walked out but then rembered he would have to share an elevator with the chain smoker. So, instead, he waited a few minutes and then made his way back to his room.

Suzuki checked the ti when he finally got back. 2:12 a.m. It was just under three hours since Kashi logged out. Suzuki made his way to the capsule but then suddenly stopped. His brows creased in a frown. “Are you saying that because of what Razznik said? Don’t worry about that fake. Nothing will co of

staying out here. You know I’ll just waste ti sleeping and watching ani. So, do us both a favor. Shut up and live your life without worrying about . I’ll let you know if I need any ti for myself.”

There was a pause, and then Suzuki sighed. “Fine. Okay. Sure. You can logout once a day. Not that it’ll do any good. Happy?”

Suzuki shook his head. Grumbling, he climbed into the capsule. “Ah, really. I really want to smack him, just once.”

Whoosh!