NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

Unfortunately, she possesses the unusual ability to transfer sensations, causing D to suffer pain in the corresponding area every time she succeeds in a counterattack.

That is pain that ignores pain receptors and acts directly on the brain.

In terms of pain tolerance, ten of her combined wouldn't be a match for Mihara.

It could even be said that during all those years working for the court, D never suffered any serious injuries.

Niki was just assassinating humans, how could she possibly get hurt?

That would be too embarrassing for Niki.

"Well……"

When D reflexively threw an uppercut, Mihara, who hadn't defended at all, didn't even think twice before letting the punch land on her ribs.

The excruciating pain was like a brake pad being slammed on, forcing the captain of the danger zone to groan and pause, unable to unleash a continuous combo.

It was in this fatal gap that Mihara temporarily disconnected from the shared senses, reached out and grabbed the damned woman's dark hair, and furiously slammed her head against the corner of the dressing table.

Boom!

Boom! !

Boom! ! !

The tooth-ache-inducing thud made Phoenix, who dared not approach, twitch his eyelids.

When the corner of the dressing table was dented from the impact, poor Niki, whose brain could no longer withstand the shock, finally rolled her eyes back and fainted.

Watching Mihara toss D to the ground like trash, Phoenix touched his neck, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

The fight between the two women wasn't particularly bloody, and there wasn't even any blood, so why did it still make him feel uneasy?

Can women fight really be this terrifying?

Chapter Sixty-Four: Side Effects of Prosthetics

A sense of foreboding.

Ever since following 505 into Royal Square, an inexplicable sense of foreboding has lingered in K's mind.

Especially after she heard in her earpiece that D had chosen to make close contact with the target, the sense of foreboding became even stronger and more unbearable.

So, K, who always acts on instinct, followed her instincts this time as well, and decided to temporarily change her lookout mission and go to D's mission location to meet up with her.

However, before she even reached the entrance of the haunted house, the dark cloud in her heart was easily dispelled by a little girl's waving gesture.

Yuni?

Looking at the twin-tailed loli laughing at him at the end of the corridor, how could K not understand that they had fallen into the target's trap?

Retreat?

Before he enters Yuni's area of ​​effect, he should still have time to retreat.

But doing that...

What should D do?

Thinking that his long-time colleague might be in danger, K gritted his teeth and made a decision after only a few blinks of an eye.

Yuni's abilities are not invincible.

A sufficiently close distance, a relatively slow speed, and a view that allows people to see each other are all indispensable.

If D can hold on, and if she uses her speed advantage to maneuver around the area, she might have a chance to break through Yuni's defenses and force her way into the haunted house.

This is dangerous.

If there is even the slightest mistake, there might not even be a chance to escape.

……

……

"Please don't do such dangerous things anymore."

Inside the locker room, Mihara, having suppressed her anger, lowered her eyes and gently touched the axe mark on her man's right palm, her movements as if afraid of hurting the exposed metal prosthetic body.

"Mingming, just wait for me..."

“She didn’t intend to attack me, but I needed self-defense as a reason to subdue her, so I changed my plans at the last minute.”

As Phoenix explained, he also looked down at his palm.

Unlike Mihara, the person in question showed a hint of disgust in his eyes when he saw the artificial skin turned outwards on his palm and the metal components inside.

The wound doesn't hurt.

Not only did it not hurt, but it couldn't even feel the temperature of Mihara's fingers.

It turns out that the hand I'm holding now isn't my own hand.

An indescribable sense of separation caused Phoenix's emotions to become uncontrollably chaotic, to the point that his breathing became heavier without him even realizing it.

"What's wrong? Is your throat bothering you?"

Noticing the commander's unusual behavior, Mihara's first thought was that Phoenix's throat had been injured by Niki's forearm, so she quickly raised her hand to try to touch it, wondering if there was any swelling or damage that was difficult to see visually.

Unexpectedly, just as her fingers touched the man's neck, a large hand suddenly grabbed her palm.

"Phew... It's alright, it's alright."

The familiar warmth from his left hand instantly calmed Phoenix down.

At this moment, the man finally understood how Nikki felt when she discovered that her body was not real flesh and blood after she was injured.

Extreme panic, self-doubt, cognitive confusion...

There is none of the indifference that comes with cybernetics as a part of life, as is common in the cyberpunk world.

Now, he craves companionship and embraces; he longs for intimate skin-to-skin contact; he craves any evidence that proves he still possesses a physical body.

A near-madness of desire and impulse quickly intertwined, forming threads that compelled Phoenix to silently pull Mihara into his arms with one hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just a little..."

Just as the man was about to explain his inexplicable behavior, the woman pressed her cheek against his chest, stopping him from speaking.

"It's ok."

Mihara spoke softly, looking up at the commander's jawline, unusually not blushing despite the intimate gesture.

"You can hug me for as long as you want; that feeling of loss from not having your body will pass quickly."

"……Thanks."

With tacit approval and understanding, the man slowly raised his right hand, wrapped it around Mihara's waist, and gently pulled her into his embrace.

……

……

"Mi~Hara~"

"Mi~~Hah~~La~~"

With both hands gripping K's collar, Eunice called out to her friend who had forgotten his friends for the sake of a pretty face, and with a forceful swing of her arm, threw the court's lackey onto the toilet with a clatter.

Boom!

Fortunately, the toilet was sturdy enough that it didn't crack K's head on the spot.

"Damn it... brat... you wait, ugh—!"

Before she could finish her harsh words, the pain in her thigh made Niki, who was always quick to speak her mind, twitch her lips and let out a soft gasp.

She only knew that Yuni had the ability to paralyze others from a distance, but she had no idea what Yuni's real special skill was.

"You, I clearly turned off the pain sensors... Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"If you keep making noise, I'll hit you!"

Perhaps out of concern for Mihara and the commander's situation, Yuni raised her whip, yanked it with both hands, and declared defiantly:

"If you're so afraid of pain, then you need to be as obedient as a dog, understand?"

"..."

K was naturally quite resentful of Yuni's tyranny, but since she was paralyzed, no matter how stubborn she was, she could only endure being whipped.

Since that's the case, after much thought, we have no choice but to temporarily avoid their sharp edge.

It's definitely not because she chickened out!

On the other side, seeing that the court's lackeys had finally quieted down after drinking their punishment, Yuni nodded in satisfaction and casually touched the other's gradient-colored long hair.

"Yes, good dog."

　"..."

"You brat...you...uh—!"

K, unable to contain his temper, was about to start cursing when the sound of whipping suddenly erupted in the temporarily empty women's restroom.