After all the problems at Militech's construction site were settled, it was time to celebrate the successful completion of the mission.
But Takashi still had unfinished business — he needed to head to North Oak. Kouta and Jonah went with him. The rest chose a far more pleasant destination — the bar El Coyote Cojo, where they could drink beer and celebrate their victory.
The newcomers' appearance stirred mild curiosity among the locals. But once they noticed V was with them, most decided not to ask unnecessary questions and returned to their own business.
The group ordered drinks and moved up to the second floor of the bar, taking it over completely. The celebration began.
Alex sat slightly apart, calmly smoking and watching the guys he had sent into this world now laughing, drinking, and finally relaxing.
Taking a drag from his cigarette, he shifted his gaze to Chris, Leon, and Piers. Alex already knew Chris wouldn't last long as the leader of this new world. Once, he had even argued with Claire, Jill, Sherry, and Rekka about it. In the end, Jill turned out to be right — she had worked with Chris the longest and knew his weak spots all too well. She said Chris would last no more than a couple of months. And that's exactly what happened.
Alex smirked, letting his eyes drift to the others. This trial mission had revealed plenty of flaws in the system — like the data update delay that had nearly trapped the guys inside Mikoshi. It was at that moment the information updated that Alt Cunningham had decided to eliminate V and had actually been the one who initiated the war.
Meanwhile, his clones were already fixing the last bugs to ensure such glitches would never happen again. In more dangerous worlds, such a delay could cost lives. Alex tapped his finger on the table, glad he had arranged this test before launching the full program.
His thoughts were interrupted by movement nearby. Alex turned his head and saw Valerie reaching for his bottle.
"And where do you think those grabby little hands are going, young lady?" he asked, intercepting the bottle.
"Big brother, I'm already grown up," Valerie protested, narrowing her eyes. "I can drink a little beer, and nothing will happen to me."
"You'll be grown up when I say so," Alex chuckled and playfully grabbed her nose.
"I'm grown up enough to have a boyfriend," Valerie said slyly, narrowing her eyes even more. "You don't mind if I get a boyfriend, do you?"
"Of course you can," Alex replied calmly. "But only if he's stronger than me, smarter than me, and richer than me. Otherwise, I'll tie your suitor to a rocket and send him straight into TON-618."
"Into where?" Valerie tilted her head in surprise, eyeing her brother suspiciously.
"TON-618, a supermassive black hole with a mass of sixty-six billion suns," Alex explained matter-of-factly. "It's located in the constellation Canes Venatici, not far from the Galactic North Pole. So don't worry — your boyfriend will have a fascinating trip."
"If you don't want me to have a boyfriend, just say so!" Valerie huffed and kicked her brother under the table. "Stop spouting nonsense. You're just jealous."
"Whatever you say, you little brat," Alex smirked, patting her hair. "Now drink your lemonade and don't even think about touching my beer."
Valerie narrowed her eyes mischievously, noticing that her brother hadn't denied her words. Her mood instantly lifted. She grabbed her glass of lemonade and leaned slightly against Alex with a satisfied smile.
He only shook his head, perfectly aware of what she was thinking.
Panam and V, overhearing their banter, exchanged glances. It became obvious to them: Alex was a hyper-protective big brother who would never let Valerie get involved with anyone.
V had been carefully observing Alex all this time. He knew this was the mysterious boss who had guided the group to help him infiltrate Arasaka Tower. Now V was trying to figure out who Alex really was.
Alex, however, didn't react to his intent stares. He was already used to it by now. It was the look of someone searching for answers, yet not knowing how to start asking the questions.
Bored of sitting in the bar, Alex decided to step out for some fresh air. Grabbing the pack of cigarettes from the table, he went down the stairs and outside.
The narrow alley beside El Coyote Cojo was crowded with vehicles; among them his motorcycle stood out, gleaming in the neon glow of the city signs. Leaning against the bike, Alex lit a cigarette and gazed at the lights of the night city, lost in thought.
He had returned here again, though he hadn't wanted to. He hadn't needed to take part in this mission personally. Chris, Leon, and Piers could have supported the first group well enough without his interference. So why had he ended up in this city anyway?
His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps. Alex turned and saw V stepping into the alley.
"So, you finally decided to ask me your questions, Vincent?" Alex smirked, raising a brow.
"So they weren't lying when they said you know everything," V replied, approaching.
"Wasn't hard to notice," Alex flicked off some ash. "You've been staring at me all night. If it weren't for your thing with Panam, I'd almost think you were trying to hit on me. But, sorry to disappoint you, I'm married."
"I like girls," V said dryly, without breaking eye contact.
"Whatever you say, Vincent," Alex chuckled. "So, what did you want to ask?"
V fell silent for a couple of seconds, as if gathering his thoughts, then spoke:"Why did you send your people to help me infiltrate Arasaka Tower and reach Mikoshi?"
Alex took a drag, lifted his head to the sky, and answered calmly:"First think about whether you truly want to know that truth. Because accepting it is a lot harder than living with a pleasant lie."
He gave V time to reflect. Alex knew well that if Vincent learned the truth, accepting it would be far more difficult than living in ignorance.
V stared at Alex in silence, lost in his own thoughts. One question tormented him: why had this man even sent his people to help? He had already overheard fragments of conversations — Lehm and the others had mentioned "preventing a war." That thought stuck with him, especially after Alt's admission that she intended to use the engrams from Mikoshi for her own ends. V was starting to realize that Alex's help might have been tied directly to stopping the war before it could begin.
But wasn't there a simpler way? A single bullet to his head — and Alt would never have reached Mikoshi. So why had they chosen the harder path?
Alex watched as V frowned, trying to piece together the answer on his own. He didn't interfere — the guy was heading in the right direction.
"Alright," V finally said. "I'd rather have the truth. I need to know why you sent your people. I get that it's connected to the war… but what do I have to do with it?"
"Oh, Vincent," Alex said calmly, meeting his gaze. "You're the most important cog in everything that happened in this city. The one that set the whole mechanism in motion."
"Enough with the riddles," V snapped irritably. "Speak plainly."
"Fine. It all started the moment you and Jackie took that gig from Dexter DeShawn. To steal the biochip from Yorinobu. That's when everything began to spin."
"So what?" V frowned. "We screwed it up, Jackie died, I got a bullet in the head, and then I had a terrorist living in my skull. How the hell is that connected?"
"Do you mind not interrupting?" Alex narrowed his eyes sharply. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to listen first and ask questions later?"
"Uh… sorry. Go on," V muttered awkwardly, feeling the weight of his companion's cold irritation.
"To you it all looked like a chain of coincidences," Alex continued. "But your 'entry into the Big League,' the failure, the bullet to the head, even your visit to the Voodoo Boys… all of it was part of one path. In Johnny's memories you saw Alt Cunningham. Saw her death. But did you ever stop to ask yourself why her engram was behind the Blackwall?"
"You're saying… that wasn't Alt?" V frowned.
"Correct. It was a hostile AI that consumed her engram. And you were the trigger that let it out. Remember the Voodoo Boys? Why did all of their brains fry at once? Because 'Alt' burned them out just to get the information she wanted."
Alex paused, resting his cheek against his fist.
"The AI that took her form is the very same one that once started the first war. Back then, it was stopped. But you let it back in — even deeper this time, straight into the Arasaka Tower system."
"Shit…" was all V could breathe out.
"And besides, the one meant to walk out of Mikoshi wasn't you. It was Johnny in your body," Alex went on. "He was supposed to side with Alt. She would have promised him revenge on Arasaka, and he would have taken the bait. And then you know how it would go: the resurrection of a twisted Saburo, war against Militech, then war consuming the entire world. And in the end — scorched wastelands with no life left."
V's shoulders slumped as he leaned back against the wall, muttering tiredly:"Well, this is fucking nuts… I just wanted to survive. To keep my own body."
"Don't blame yourself," Alex said more softly. "You couldn't have known. And you wouldn't have lived long enough to see the world burn anyway. Now you're free. You can live wherever you want. Get married. Have kids. Grow old with the one you love."
Alex turned his head and added a little louder:"Right, Panam? I think you've eavesdropped enough. Come out. After all, V's your guy."
At Alex's words, V turned his head toward where his companion was looking — and saw Panam step out from around the corner. Now V didn't even know how to look at her, after learning the whole truth. Because, in essence, he himself had almost been the indirect cause of the war that could have erased the world.
Panam walked up to him calmly, met his eyes, and said nothing. Instead of words, she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and kissed him.
As for Alex, he acted like the perfect observer: pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures — "for the memories," so he could tease V later. Once finished, he averted his gaze and waited patiently for the couple to get their fill of emotions, whistling a tune under his breath.
At that moment, a car drove into the alley — Takashi, Kota, and Jonah had returned, having finished their trip to North Oak. Alex nodded at them, as if asking, "So, how was it?" Takashi just rolled his eyes in response: not every day do you visit your own grave — and right next to your mother's burial niche. But that trip had finally allowed him to say goodbye to Night City for good.
Panam and V had just pulled away from each other when the trio headed toward the bar.
"I've been meaning to ask. Why did you send Takashi to North Oak? There's nothing there but graves," V said, hugging Panam by the shoulders.
"David's situation is far more complicated than you can imagine. Better not dwell on it," Alex said, shaking his head.
"You call him David. But everyone else calls him Takashi. Maybe you'll explain what's going on?" Panam raised an eyebrow.
"Alright. He used to be called David Martinez. He went to North Oak to visit his own grave. And let me tell you — his story isn't anything like yours, V. It's much more complicated," Alex said, lighting a cigarette.
"Honestly? I don't even want to know why. I've already had enough learning that you know more about V than is even possible," Panam said, shaking her head.
"Good choice, Panam. I guess it's time to head back. And you two — back to the Aldecaldo camp. But before we split up… here, V," Alex said, tossing him a business card.
"Phone number? You want to text?" V smirked.
"Very funny. I have a family, and I'm not wasting my time chatting with guys. This is my work number. If you want to know more — or maybe work together — call anytime. That goes for you too, Panam. If you ever get tired of the nomadic life and want to settle down, the doors are open," Alex said, shrugging.
"So you're recruiting us into your organization? And what do you do?" Panam asked, taking the card from V's hand.
"You'll get answers to all your questions if you decide to join. Leaving afterward won't be easy… and you probably won't want to. But I have to go — my people aren't the only ones who need to work, I've got things to do too," Alex said, turning toward the exit.
"And what kind of things? Saving the world? Fighting corporations?" V teased.
"Worse," Alex smirked. "I have to go to school. Anyway, call if you change your mind."
He left the alley, leaving V and Panam exchanging glances. They watched him go in confusion, trying to make sense of the "school" comment. But the more they thought about it, the clearer it became: no, he had said it literally.
Meanwhile, Alex returned to the bar, went upstairs, and told his group it was time to leave. The guys sighed in regret — they wanted to stay a bit longer. Alex rolled his eyes, paid the bill for all the drinks the group had consumed, and after settling the check, headed toward the exit, carrying a slightly tipsy Valeri on his back. She had secretly had a beer after he stepped outside to get some fresh air.
They settled into their vehicles, said goodbye to V and Panam, and left Night City. Once they reached the wastelands, they opened a portal and drove through it one by one—Alex first, followed by the others.
On the other side, they were greeted by the Guild garage—a place that would soon become the gathering point before missions. After unloading their gear, they returned to the main hall and found it packed with people, all watching a replay of the Arasaka Tower assault.
Alex approached his clones, who were putting the finishing touches on the system.
"How's it going? Everything working as it should?" he asked, leaning on the table.
"All errors have been fixed. Now the data will update in real time, whether the world is on the brink of destruction or just moving toward it," Red, who had been helping with the setup, replied.
"Perfect. Tomorrow we launch for real. But for now, it's time to go home. Where are the other girls?" Alex asked, noticing they were missing.
"They've already left. Once you got involved, they got bored. More precisely—they got hungry and asked Erina, Alice, and Hisako to prepare lunch," White said, standing from the table.
The moment Valeri heard the word "lunch," she sprang up and raced toward the mansion, not even waiting for the others. Like clockwork, G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch followed her. They quickly caught up with her and even overtook her—after all, delicious food has one special property: it disappears fast.
Alex watched the fleeing quartet and sighed heavily. In moments like this, he was reminded that all love, loyalty, and devotion vanish the moment the smell of good food appears.
Shaking his head, he turned to Red and White. Once the girls finished their final tasks at the guild, Alex left the hall with them. Before leaving, he reminded everyone that starting tomorrow, the guild would officially begin operations, and anyone could take on missions. Today had only been a test run.
When the trio returned to the mansion and opened the doors, Alex was immediately enveloped by the aroma of freshly prepared food. Even his stomach responded with a soft growl, though he could usually go without eating. But the scent was so appetizing that resisting was pointless.
At the dining table, Alex ate in silence, lost in thought. One idea kept turning over in his mind: it was time to stop postponing and finally open the envelopes containing his school enrollment documents. After lunch, when everyone moved to the living room, Alex pulled three thick envelopes from his inventory and placed them on the table in front of him.
The girls immediately stared at them, curiosity and excitement lighting up their eyes. Each of them wanted to know which school Alex would be sent to. They even started guessing which world the school might be from.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Juri spoke first, lightly nudging Alex's leg. "Go ahead and open them. Or do you think staring at the envelopes will change anything?"
"I don't want to go to school," Alex muttered wearily.
"No one wants to," Rika snorted. "But open them anyway. Even if we don't go there, it'll be fun to laugh at you."
Alex glanced at the girls, sighed deeply, and said, "Maybe someone else wants to open them? Maybe you'll get luckier than I will."
"I! I want to try!" Shizuka exclaimed joyfully, immediately raising her hand.
Alex gave a crooked smile. Deep down, he already knew: by letting Shizuka choose, he had signed his own sentence. The Goddess of Luck had never missed a chance to toy with him, and today would likely be no exception.
Shizuka bounced up to him joyfully, settled right on his lap, and, biting her lip, thoughtfully traced her finger over the envelopes. Everyone froze in anticipation. Finally, she picked the left one, quickly opened it, and pulled out the letter.
"'Your application to Forks High School has been approved. Please appear for confirmation and provide identification,'" Shizuka read aloud.
A silence fell over the room.
"Forks?.." Claire murmured, frowning. "Why does that school name sound so familiar? It's like I've heard it somewhere."
"You're not the only one who thinks it's familiar. I feel like I've heard this school's name somewhere too, but I can't remember where," Rika added, thoughtfully scratching her cheek.
"It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't recall it," Jill muttered, straining her memory.
At that moment, Alex went pale. His heart sank to his stomach. He knew exactly which school it was. He just wanted to bang his head against the wall. The Goddess of Luck had once again decided to set a trap for him. And, of course, his father had played his part too.
Suppressing his irritation, Alex buried his face in his hands and let out a heavy sigh. Thoughts swirled in his mind: Every damn day I'm going to have to watch the high school drama unfold between a vampire who shines in the sun like a disco ball and a girl with a collection of typical teenage complexes…
"Judging by your pale face, you know which school this is," Kiwi remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, spill it. You look like you'd rather fight a demon army alone again or survive an explosion in the middle of the galaxy than go there."
"It's a school where vampires study," Alex ground out through clenched teeth with a crooked smile.
"So what?" Renka asked, surprised. "What's wrong with going to school with vampires?"
"It's bad when those vampires sparkle in the sunlight like disco balls. And it's even worse when you have to watch their sappy drama with an ordinary girl every single day," Alex nearly hissed in irritation.
"I remember!" Jill slapped her knee. "It's the school from Twilight! That's where the name sounds familiar."
"From what?" Loki asked, blinking in confusion. "What movie?"
The girls who already knew which world Alex was headed to could barely hold back their laughter. But seeing the confusion of the others, they decided to explain what this world was and why it was famous. The more the others listened, the more their curiosity grew.
Soon, the conversation turned to retelling the high school drama between the main characters: the ordinary girl Bella and the vampire Edward. As the first details of their "great love" were mentioned, a chorus of laughter erupted in the living room.
Only Alex's face remained stone-cold. He was about to watch all of this unfold—not on a screen, but in real life. But the question that tormented him most was: what was Nyan-Nyan's avatar doing in this world? The only logical explanation was that this world, too, was "special," where different timelines intersected—just like the previous world, where the Minister of Monoliths had inexplicably decided to trigger a zombie apocalypse.
Thinking along these lines, Alex came to a conclusion: the school in Forks could turn out to be a trigger for far more serious events. But his philosophical musings were interrupted by an impromptu scene suddenly staged by Claire and Rika.
"Bella, we can't be together," Claire said with a dramatic expression, playing the role of Edward.
"Why, Edward?" Rika asked, clasping her hands together as Bella.
"I'm a monster, Bella. I have no soul. I don't want to hurt you, so stay away from me!" Claire declared, theatrically pushing Rika away.
"I don't care, Edward! I know you won't hurt me!" Rika exclaimed, grabbing Claire's hand.
"You don't understand! If you stay close, I won't be able to control myself! Beware of me!" Claire shouted tragically and ran out of the living room.
"Edward, don't go!" Rika cried after her, heart-wrenchingly.
The room erupted into applause. The girls laughed joyfully and even smiled, as if they had just watched a real theatrical performance.
Alex, however, felt like crying rather than clapping. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that he would have to witness scenes like this every day. The only thought that offered slight comfort was skipping the classes where Bella and Edward would be. But Alex knew perfectly well: the Goddess of Luck would never miss the chance to ensure he ended up in the same class as that pair.
Although… if my nerves can't take it, I'll just skip. The main thing is to keep my sanity, he thought, sighing with relief.
Meanwhile, Claire returned to the living room to loud applause and thanked the "audience" with a theatrical bow.
"Thank you, thank you! You're wonderful spectators!" she said, laughing.
"Mom Claire, you're amazing!" Anya exclaimed, running up to her.
"Thank you, little one. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Claire said, lifting the girl into her arms.
"Hey, what about me? Where's my praise?" Rika interrupted, poking herself with a finger.
"What praise?" Koko scoffed. "You played the sulking girl way too theatrically. You've got a lot to learn, Minami Rika."
"Well, look who's acting like a teacher," Rika rolled her eyes. "You could have managed to shed a couple of tears at most—and that would've been the end of your talent."
Koko and Rika, as usual, got into an argument, while the other girls just shook their heads tiredly. Loud quarrels were a familiar occurrence in this family.
As Rika and Koko exchanged jabs, the other girls' gazes drifted toward Alex. His face remained surprisingly calm, as if he were not the one who would soon have to attend school and witness all the drama firsthand.
In reality, Alex was already devising an elaborate plan to sabotage the school routine: from simple truancy to the idea of sending clones in his place. But then he realized that if even one of them got caught up in Bella and Edward's "romantic tragedy," a clone uprising would be guaranteed.
"What do you think he's thinking about right now?" Nobuna squinted and asked.
"No need to guess," Lucina said lazily. "He's definitely figuring out how to skip school."
"Exactly, my love!" Alex said with a satisfied smile. "But now the main question is: who's coming with me?"
"I'm out," Becka waved him off. "You couldn't find a duller place than school."
"We're not going either," Cammy added, pointing to herself and the other girls who would rather take on a few missions in other worlds. "We'd rather pick up some guild missions."
"We don't meet the age requirement," Yuriko noted calmly, gesturing to the adult women. "And we certainly aren't planning to become younger just to spend a couple of months within school walls."
"We still have the guild clinic to take care of," Mari reminded them, nodding at herself, Rekka, and Shizuka.
"Isn't there at least someone?" Alex pleaded, scanning the girls. "I don't want to endure all this alone."
"Sorry, darling," Freya said, voicing the opinion of all the goddesses in the living room. "But after what your clones did in Orario, we goddesses have a ton of responsibilities."
Alex turned his gaze to the two remaining silent girls.
"Lucina? Kiwi? Maybe at least one of you will keep me company?"
"No," Kiwi cut in coldly, making it immediately clear she wouldn't be lured to the school benches.
All eyes turned to Lucina. She calmly held the attention of the others, but under Alex's pleading gaze—like that of a abandoned puppy—she began to waver. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and nodded.
Alex's grin stretched from ear to ear. In the next instant, he was beside Lucina, hugging her and spinning her around in place. She rolled her eyes, while the other girls gave a thumbs-up, as if applauding her self-sacrifice.
Lucina's eye twitched nervously, but she stayed silent. She couldn't say no to Alex—and she certainly couldn't leave him alone. Everyone already knew: leave Alex unsupervised, and he's bound to get into trouble. Bitter experience had proven it.
To be continued…
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