"Boy, you didn't try and bit more than you can chew, right?"
Dante stopped chewing and raised his head. Swallowing what's in his mouth, he raised an eyebrow and asked
"What makes you think that?"
He was holding a rice bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. In front of him was a long plate with only three dumplings left now that he had eaten the other seven, and beside it was a half-empty bowl of miso soup and a small plate with mostly untouched pickles.
Nobara fixed him with a stare, her frown accentuated by the aged wrinkles.
"How old do you think I am?"
"That's a trick question, isn't it?"
"Quit being a smartass." She scoffed. "People don't nap for an entire week."
"No, I really was asleep this entire time."
In The Clinic, sure, but he was asleep nonetheless.
[While it is the truth, withholding a crucial part of the story presents it with an entirely different meaning. That allows humans to lie without telling falsehoods. Truly fascinating.]
Volcan voiced his observation in a contemplative tone only for Dante to ignore it. He put down the rice bowl and brought a dumpling to his mouth. Each piece tasted divine, making him wish he had ordered it more often.
"Well, if that's it then all is good." The old woman shrugged. "I just thought it would be a shame if I outlived you."
"I'm not really worried about that." Picking another dumpling, Dante pointed his chopsticks at the old woman. "Pretty sure you would still be around when my hair turns white."
[I do not believe that is possible.] Said Volcan.
"As if I would wait that long to retire," said Nobara.
That one got a chuckle out of Dante. He went back to his food, filling his mouth with rice before washing it down with some miso soup. His mind began to drift without his notice until the plate in front of him was lifted. Nobara had left at some point and came back with more gyoza.
"This is on the house." She said. "Eat up."
Dante looked between her and the plate, surprise coloring his face.
"What's the occasion? Did anything happen while I was out of it?"
"Well," Nobara cast her gaze down and sighed. She looked a little upset, but not a second later she turned to him with a smirk. "My granddaughter came to visit the other day."
"Oh, that's it?" He replied, looking a little underwhelmed.
"Hey, what's with that reaction!?"
"Well, you always talk about her but she's never here when I'm around."
"And how is that my fault?"
[As you are a customer, the time you spend on this establishment is very limited. It is entirely normal for you to be absent while another person is present.]
The old woman sighed and shook her head.
"If you had been around I could've introduced you to her."
"She goes to NIC, right?" Dante moved his chopsticks. "Why would you want her hanging with a jobless bum?"
[Novagrad Institute of Cybernetics.] Volcan began. [A cutting-edge tech university located in the fifth district of Westwing, Neo-Vatra. With an acceptance rate of 2%, it is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, attended only by the most brilliant of minds.]
'I didn't need your-' Dante paused. 'How do you know that?'
[I performed a quick search.]
'Ho-... you're connected to the internet, aren't you?'
[It would be more accurate to say your Neural Interface Module is connected to the internet. I am simply making use of it.]
Dante struggled to keep his expression natural. Thankfully Nobara had a reply prepared, pulling him away from the scare he had just experienced.
"Ha! In your dreams!" Her grin grew wider. "The lass got my genes. Just wanted you to see how much of a beauty I was back in the day."
"looks aren't anything to brag about these days."
Modern tech made it so almost everyone looked conventionally attractive. Nowadays, it is rare to find a woman who doesn't look like a model.
"As if those fakes could ever compete with natural beauty!" Nobara shot back.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
He wanted to say that natural beauty fades with time but held his tongue. He wasn't about to insult the woman who just gave him an extra serving on the house.
The doorbell chimed, drawing their attention to the entrance. Their expressions immediately soured upon seeing who had just arrived. Dante recognized neither, but one look told him they didn't come in for a bowl of noodles.
They were your average street rat, and neither looked old enough to drink. The first one sported a black tank top just to show off his plated right arm. The second wore a biker's jacket with a little too many spikes on his shoulder. Lines divided his face into several patches, a sign that he had reinforced the bones around that area.
The two looked around the dining area then turned to the counter. Nobara clicked her tongue and Dante understood that this wasn't the first time those two came over. He pretended not to care as they approached and returned to his food, picking a dumpling and putting it in his mouth. As he chewed, the one with the robotic arm stopped beside him and snapped his finger, making a faint clang.
"Hey rusty, we gotta chat the hag so beat it."
[Warning: two hostile entities detected.
Threat Evaluation: Level 1.
Would you like to initiate countermeasures?]
Choking on his food, Dante went into a coughing fit.
'W-what are you... What countermeasures?'
For a moment he pictured taking out that beast of an armor and using it to obliterate the thugs, but that would have been way too much of an overkill. Using a Level 6 weapon against some street rats? Out of the question.
"Hey clown!" The thug leaned toward him, snarling. "I told you to get out."
[The hostile entities are closer to Level 0,] Volcan spoke, his tone unhurried. [but due to the firearms they're carrying, I evaluated their threat as Level 1. Type 4-1 would be sufficient to neutralize them. Would you like to deploy Type 4-1?]
'Wait-' Dante struggled to breathe. 'You... you have more?'