Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System

[

Merry: Come outside!

]

Soon after Lissa was done cutting his hair, Dante got another message from the radiant hero. Thinking she had brought her own car for their date, Dante walked outside only to find the street empty. A strange sound caught his attention just then, and when he looked up, he saw an aerial vehicle slowly descending, one of its doors open, and a young woman leaning out, her long hair fluttering in the wind like an orange cape. Just when he thought that was the extent of her show, she suddenly jumped.

"Dan-TEEEEEEEEE!"

Reacting quickly, Dante jumped and met her halfway down her ten-meter dive. Instead of letting her smash straight into him, he used the momentum to spin her around a couple of times before going down, landing safely while barely making a sound.

"You… want to die or something?" He asked.

"I knew you would catch me," Merry replied. "And I can handle that much."

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that she was a Level 3 Ascended Genome. Though her abilities didn't lean toward physical strength, she was still durable enough to survive a ten-meter fall.

"Hm?" Her smile suddenly disappeared, and she quickly looked him up and down. "Say, Dante… Did you get taller?"

"You can tell?"

"You look a bit different, but… It's not just the suit…"

She patted his chest a couple of times, and her eyes widened as she finally seemed to realize.

"A new implant?"

Touching alone didn't seem to do the trick, so she knocked on his chest twice, as if expecting to hear the clang.

"Yeah, I had it installed just yesterday."

"Oh…."

Noticing the way she seemed to go silent, Dante was quick to guess what she was worried about.

"Don't worry, I'm not dying any time soon."

It was common knowledge that the more bionic implants one installs, the closer they are to their death. Dante was now aware that it had to do with the shape of their souls failing to adjust, but he didn't have to worry about that. In fact, maybe it's because of the change it had undergone recently, but his soul had a much easier time adjusting to his new implant, taking only a couple of hours when it usually takes him days.

"Also," he pulled her in a little closer, letting her softness press against him. "Believe it or not, I can still feel everything."

That whisper at the end sent a shiver down the girl's spine, and the next moment, her face broke into a brilliant shade of red. The faint glow she gave off when excited returned, but this time, it was more red than it was orange.

All of a sudden, Merry no longer wanted to be so close to him, pushing herself away. Dante knew she was still pure, but not to this extent.

"W-we should get going! There is something I would like to show you."

"Sure." He replied. "Lead the way."

They climbed into the aerial vehicle, which had begun to gather attention from the surroundings. If there had been rumors that the ruthless Red Demon was dating the hero Sunray, then that scene confirmed it, but only for those who had been there to see it. Dante had his Ghost Mode active to prevent the fire from spreading, so for the time being, there will be a lot of claims, but no one will be able to prove anything.

~[ ]~

Though a product of a late-stage capitalist society, Neo-Vatra had its own charm, though you can only see it while flying high above most buildings, away from the dirty roads and cramped streets. As he looked out of the window to his left, Dante seemed to realize that he had yet to try flying over the city. The only time he came close to doing so was while running between rooftops, but that didn't truly count, especially since he happened to do it during the day most of the time.

With no traffic to slow them down, they arrived at their destination in a matter of minutes. The aerial vehicle landed on a special station at the side of a certain skyscraper, and the two came down soon after.

"I've got an amazing surprise for you!" Merry said, pulling him by the arm after regaining her usual clinginess.

Dante had no idea what the orange-haired hero had planned, and he made a conscious effort not to look into it. Because of that, he was a bit surprised when they arrived at a theater of all places. Unlike the one they had previously visited, it seemed to be a more prestigious establishment, one that isn't usually open to the public.

No one was there except for a few servants who stood by the side, along with a large popcorn machine and a snack bar. Merry got them a bucket and some soft drink, and the two sat down at the center of the theater, enjoying the premium seats.

"You'd better prepare yourself."

Soon enough, Dante learned the reason behind her excitement. The curtains were pulled, and the screen came alive, playing a series of brand names and studio logos. The movie began right after, and the longer he watched, the clearer its title became in his mind.

The two of them had gone to the theater only a couple of times, but that seemed to be more than enough for the bright hero to grasp an idea of the kind of movies he likes. As it turned out, the bright hero has invited him to a private screening of a sequel to a movie they had seen together, one that wasn't supposed to come out for a few months from there. She somehow managed to convince the production company and everyone involved with the film, earning them the opportunity to see it months before anyone else, and that seemed to be just the beginning.

As they sat down to enjoy the show, Dante began to feel that it might not be so bad to have an ultra wealthy girl by his side, even if she's a Genome.