Chapter 72: The End of the Date!

Arthur scratched the back of his head and turned around, only to see a middle-aged woman holding down a little girl as she bowed repeatedly in apology. Her posture was humble, her face filled with worry.

The little girl, however, simply stared up at Arthur with teary, innocent eyes. She didn't seem to understand what she had done wrong and trembled slightly in fear.

Arthur felt a pang of sympathy. This kind of expression was rare in Night City, where people were usually hardened, cynical, or outright hostile.

Without hesitation, Arthur picked up a lollipop from the counter, unwrapped it, and gently placed it in the little girl's mouth. Then, he patted her head reassuringly.

Her fearful expression instantly brightened, and a wide smile spread across her face.

It was such a simple thing, but moments like this were scarce in Night City. Here, people were always on edge, ready to curse you out or pull a gun at the slightest provocation. Civility was almost nonexistent—unless, of course, the people in question were recent immigrants, still untainted by the city's ruthless nature.

The little girl took another lick of her lollipop, her happiness evident.

Her mother, now visibly relieved, looked at Arthur gratefully.

Melissa, who had been watching the entire interaction, chuckled softly. It was clear that a child's joy had a certain calming effect, even in a place as chaotic as Night City.

But Arthur wasn't suffering from cyberpsychosis, so why would he ever react violently to such a minor incident?

These two had merely stepped on his foot by accident, and they had immediately apologized. The little girl was just a kid—there was no reason to be harsh.

Unlike the typical gangsters of Night City, Arthur still held onto his humanity. After all, what was the point of being a time traveler if he just acted like another thug?

With that thought, Arthur paid for the items on the counter and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned, he felt another small foot step on his own.

Arthur looked down.

It was the same little girl.

She stared up at him, this time with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Arthur: "..."

Melissa: "Hahahaha!"

Standing beside him, Melissa doubled over in laughter, her usual composed demeanor completely shattered.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his temples. This kid is bold.

It seemed she had already figured out that he was softhearted and was now testing her limits. If she grew up in Night City, she might have the makings of a successful corpo executive.

Shaking his head, Arthur pulled out more money, tossed it on the counter, and grabbed another lollipop. He placed it in the little girl's hand and ruffled her hair.

"Listen, kiddo, not everyone is as easygoing as me. You can't go around stepping on strangers' feet like that."

The girl giggled, clearly unfazed.

Her mother, however, panicked. She quickly pulled her daughter behind her and started bowing again, terrified that Arthur might take offense.

Arthur gave her a reassuring smile and said nothing more. It was common sense in Night City to be cautious—after all, one wrong move could get you killed.

With that, he grabbed Melissa's hand and led her out of the store.

Melissa led Arthur into a small grove in Concord Park.

At first, Arthur thought she had something wild in mind, but it turned out she just wanted to have a picnic.

So there they sat, eating what tasted like rubbery, artificially flavored food while watching people pass by in the distance.

For a brief moment, Arthur almost felt like this was a normal date.

Almost.

It would have been nice—if the person sitting next to him wasn't Melissa.

His illusion of peace was quickly shattered when a random man approached Melissa, trying to flirt with her.

Without hesitation, Melissa nearly cut him into eight pieces.

Arthur barely managed to intervene before things escalated. If he hadn't stopped her, he'd probably have to undergo a mental stability test when they got back.

This woman is truly terrifying.

As time passed, Arthur shifted uncomfortably. Sitting on the park bench for over two hours was starting to make his backside sore.

He glanced at his watch. Yeah, this should be long enough.

It was time to wrap this up. While two hours was nothing for a girl, for a lunatic like Melissa, Arthur felt he had already given her plenty of his time.

More importantly, he wanted to leave before she started acting even crazier.

But just as Arthur stood up, Melissa suddenly grabbed his shoulders, her face slightly flushed.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You can't wait until night? You have to do it in broad daylight?"

Arthur froze.

"Wait… what?"

Melissa smirked. "But since you're so eager, I can't exactly say no, can I? Let's go!"

Arthur's brain short-circuited.

???

What was she talking about?

I just stood up to stretch and say goodbye! Where the hell did this come from?!

And why was her face red?

Was she seriously implying what he thought she was?

Arthur panicked slightly, though he wasn't sure why. "Hey, hey, hey! What exactly are you trying to drag me into?"

Melissa simply tilted her head in amusement but kept walking, pulling Arthur along toward the city's bustling area.

Under the golden afternoon sun, Concord Park looked almost picturesque.

As they passed, several older couples watched them with warm, knowing smiles.

To an outsider, it must have seemed like a sweet moment between lovers.

Arthur, however, knew better.

This woman is dangerous.

Still, he sighed and decided to go along with it. It's just one day.

Then, a thought struck him.

"Melissa, do you know how to get in contact with Night City's Rapid City Bus service?"

Melissa glanced at him. "Why?"

"I need a direct bus route from Night City to Little China. One trip in the morning, one in the afternoon."

Melissa scoffed. "That's not a government agency, Arthur. It's owned by Ye Corp. And getting them to run an unprofitable route? That's like asking those rich bastards to roll around in a garbage dump."

Arthur blinked.

He had been in this world for a while, but he still sometimes thought about things in terms of his previous life.

But Melissa was right.

Like Panam once said:

"Look around you. Everything you see belongs to a corporation."

It wasn't an exaggeration. In Night City, even the roads and water belonged to companies. If the corpos weren't worried about riots, they would probably privatize air too.

Since there was no corporate interest in connecting Night City and Little China, he was out of luck.

Arthur fell into thought. If public transportation was out of the question, he'd have to find another way.

While he was lost in thought, Melissa suddenly pulled him toward a hotel.

Arthur stopped in his tracks, staring at the neon-lit building.

A… love hotel?

Melissa smirked, flipping her long blonde hair. "I heard that Ye Corp is retiring a bunch of old buses. They're outdated, sure, but just like you, they get better with age."

She winked. "Now it all depends on your performance!"

Before Arthur could respond, Melissa had already skipped to the front desk, booked a room, grabbed a key, and disappeared into the elevator.

Arthur clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching.

"Oh, you little… you think I won't show you what real masculinity is?!"

And with that, he stomped after her.

To Be Continued…

-----------------------------

Visit our Patreon for more:

patreon.com/Samurai492