"Chapter 129: The Tea Invitation Plan"

Waking up closer to noon, Alex realized he was holding someone. Assuming it must be Gloria, he pulled her closer, enjoying the warmth next to him. With plenty of time and few plans for the day, he allowed himself a bit more rest. He kissed her on the head and nestled his chin atop it, slipping back into a light sleep—until an unexpected voice interrupted.

«Comfortable?» she asked, and the voice was clearly not what he expected.

«Mmm,» was all Alex managed, half asleep and oblivious to anything unusual.

Just as he was drifting off again, he suddenly opened his eyes and found himself staring at golden hair. Realizing something was off, he pulled back slightly and found a pair of red eyes with yellowish sclera looking back at him. Lying beside him in his bed, wearing his T-shirt and shorts, was Kiwi.

At first, he was disoriented, thinking he had somehow ended up in the wrong room, but quickly recognized that he was indeed in his own. Glancing around and noticing the chaos of Lucy's and Rebecca's scattered lingerie, he realized his mistake and turned back to Kiwi.

«Good morning,» he said, still holding her close.

Kiwi, stirred by the movement next to her, didn't initially register who was holding her. Feeling herself being pulled closer and kissed on the head, she was surprised to discover it was Alex. Embracing him back like an octopus, Kiwi took a moment to process; it had been ages since she'd felt so relaxed in her sleep. Watching him look around frantically, she smirked.

«And a good morning to you, too. But you can let go now,» she said calmly.

Alex nodded and released her from his embrace, noticing how she disentangled her leg from him as well. He watched her as she did this with a composed expression, as though it wasn't her fault for cuddling him in her sleep. After their night-long embrace finally ended, Kiwi stood up and stretched to relieve her stiff joints from an unusual sleep. She'd never imagined she'd end up hugging a guy all night. Looking down at herself, she noticed she was still wearing his clothes, which the girls had given her last night so she wouldn't have to head home—it might have been dangerous.

Alex noticed a brief smile on Kiwi's face before she quickly masked it, heading toward the shower. Shaking off any stray thoughts, he got up from the sofa, changed into fresh loungewear, and went downstairs.

As he descended the steps, his appearance drew the attention of the apartment's residents. Lucy, Gloria, and, of course, Rebecca turned to him, with Rebecca giving him a cheeky grin. But before he could greet them, Lucy spoke up in a mock-offended tone, delivering a line that made his eye twitch.

«Who would've thought the guy I love would spend the whole night cuddling another girl?» she said, wiping imaginary tears in a theatrical display. «I saw it this morning, and my heart just shattered.»

Lucy watched him with a playful smile, waiting for his reaction. Rebecca could barely contain her laughter, and Gloria, noticing his expression, simply smiled and continued sipping her coffee, letting the others have their fun. Under Lucy's intense gaze, Alex approached her with an unreadable face. When he got close, he merely tapped her on the nose and softly said:

«Boop.»

Lucy was taken aback by Alex's action and was about to ask why he did it. But he gave her no chance to question him as he headed to the kitchen for a cup of a much-needed drink to wake up completely. Entering the kitchen, he first poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip to feel more alive.

He knew these were just old habits; he didn't actually need it anymore. Still, he often felt groggy upon waking, and only coffee somehow managed to keep him from accidentally punching some idiot right after stepping out of the apartment.

Returning to the living room with his coffee in hand, he saw Lucy still watching him, looking a bit puzzled. He simply walked past her, sat down next to Gloria, placed his cup on the table, and rested his head on Gloria's shoulder.

Lucy noticed that Alex ignored her, and her brow twitched as she walked over to him to get some answers about his actions. Standing directly in front of him, she forced him to look up at her.

Alex, realizing someone was standing before him, lifted his gaze and saw Lucy staring intently at him. He raised an eyebrow slightly, unsure of what she wanted, and gestured for her to speak. Lucy, noticing his gesture, smirked.

«What was with that 'boop'?» she asked, looking down at him.

«It was to stop your morning drama,» Alex replied in a carefree tone.

Lucy irritably raised an eyebrow and pinched his nose in response. Alex calmly let her do it, showing no reaction, which eventually made her give up. She simply sat beside him, leaning on his shoulder. Silence filled the room once again. Rebecca, absorbed in her tablet, was searching for parts for her weapon, Gloria enjoyed her morning coffee while reading the news, and Lucy, leaning against Alex, occasionally glanced at him before finally hugging his arm to get his attention.

Feeling the movement, Alex turned to her, raising an eyebrow in question.

«What did you learn from your new friend yesterday?» Lucy asked, her gaze fixed on him.

Alex reached for his coffee, took a sip to clear his throat, and, noticing the girls' attention now focused on him, began explaining.

«To be honest, I didn't learn much,» he said, shaking his head and setting his cup on the table.

«But you did learn something?» Rebecca asked impatiently.

Alex nodded and pulled a small box from his inventory, which he had stolen the previous day from Arasaka's lab. The girls, except for Gloria, recognized the box, having already seen its contents. Gloria, noticing their reactions, looked at the others questioningly, and Lucy explained that the box contained a fragment of power from a certain god known as the Mechanical Man.

«In short,» Alex continued, «all I got from Hanako is that she has no idea what's going on in Arasaka's Night City branch. But her strange reaction to this fragment confirms that her family is somehow connected to the Mechanical Man. Otherwise, they simply wouldn't have this shard.»

The girls exchanged glances, contemplating his words. It didn't surprise them that Arasaka might be linked to the Mechanical Man, but the question remained as to which family member was tied to this entity.

«Maybe it's Hanako herself?» Rebecca suggested, drawing Alex's attention.

He shook his head.

«No, she isn't connected to him. The only possible scenario is that she unknowingly came into contact with him, maybe under a different name to earn her trust. But her soul isn't tainted by madness or chaos, so we can rule her out for now.»

The girls nodded, but curiosity got the best of them.

«How did you know she wasn't infected?» Kiwi asked, giving Alex a surprised look.

«I can see a person's soul, their essence,» Alex explained, thoughtfully stroking his chin. «If Hanako were infected, her soul would show something dark and vile, gradually consuming her.»

The girls' eyes widened at his revelation. They were stunned that he could see souls, but soon their surprise turned to curiosity—each one wanted to know what her own soul looked like.

«What does my soul look like?» Rebecca asked loudly, barely hiding her impatience.

Alex chuckled, looking at her, and decided to tease her.

«Your soul is a true gremlin's soul.»

Rebecca, expecting a compliment, froze, and soon her face twisted in mock outrage. Climbing up on the chair, she jumped at Alex, aiming to «punish» him for his audacity. She grabbed his cheek and playfully clenched her teeth, expressing her anger. The other girls shook their heads, watching this familiar scene: Alex called Rebecca a gremlin again, and she, as usual, took it out on him, pretending to «chew» on his face.

Alex let Rebecca vent her emotions, and when her fury faded, he said,

«You really shouldn't dwell too much on your soul. Every soul is unique, and the important thing is that you are you. Even if other Rebeccas, Glorias, Lucys, and Kiwis exist somewhere out there, they'd be different versions of you—but those I care about are here and now.»

These words brought a slight blush to the girls' cheeks. Even Rebecca, who had stopped her «attack,» heard his words, blushed, and, turning his head to face her, looked into his eyes before kissing him. After pulling back, she quietly added,

«Even if other 'you's appear out there, I'll only love you.»

Alex smiled warmly, gently taking her cheeks in his hands.

«I'm happy to hear that, Rebecca. But honestly, other 'me's just can't exist. My nature is unique—there's only one of me.»

The other girls, watching this scene, felt a hint of envy. When Alex mentioned his unique nature, they were curious about what that meant. He turned to them and explained that he was the first demon created by a god, an embodiment of the concept of destruction that appeared at the dawn of time. His essence was unique and couldn't be duplicated.

He explained that his position could be compared to primal death: avatars of it might exist across the multiverse, but death itself remains unchanged, maintaining balance and ensuring everyone meets their fate.

The girls nodded, grasping the gist of his words.

«So what are you going to do now, since you didn't get the information you needed from Hanako?» Kiwi asked, settling back into the chair.

Alex thoughtfully stroked his chin, remembering that during the night, GIR had sent him a dossier on Arasaka's top executives. He pulled out his phone to look it over and stumbled upon a familiar but unclear name. Trying to remember who it was, he muttered,

«Who exactly is this Tanaka guy?»

The girls stared at him in surprise; it seemed he'd forgotten whose limousine they recently commandeered and whose driver he knocked out. Lucy calmly reminded him,

«Alex, he's the guy whose limo we took.»

Alex looked at her, thinking, and finally recalled the episode: hijacking the limo, the chase with the scavengers and the police. He slapped his forehead, realizing he'd forgotten an obvious detail. Seeing that he'd come to his senses, Lucy smiled but was curious why he needed this man again.

"And what do you need Tanaka for?" she asked, watching him intently.

Alex glanced away from Tanaka's dossier and looked at Lucy to answer her question.

«I think I need to invite this guy for a cup of tea, to have a chat,» he said with a sly smile, hinting at his plans.

Lucy sighed heavily, understanding that Tanaka was unlikely to get off easy. If Alex had spoken calmly with Hanako, she had a gut feeling that Tanaka wouldn't be as lucky—call it a woman's intuition.

«And how are you planning to do that?» Kiwi asked, interested in his plan.

Alex thought for a moment, then, looking at the girls, suggested,

«How about involving the others? If Tanaka doesn't have what I need, we could sell the information he knows and make a good profit,» he proposed, seeking their support.

Gloria shook her head, making it clear she had no interest in participating—she preferred the calm life of a homemaker. The others exchanged glances and decided it wouldn't hurt to call the team; why not give others a chance to make some extra cash?

«I think we can bring in Maine and the others,» Lucy agreed.

The other girls nodded in agreement. Alex understood there were no objections and gently lifted Rebecca off his lap to step out onto the balcony, smoke, and call Maine. On the balcony, he lit a cigarette, leaned on the railing, and dialed the number. Within seconds, Maine's voice came through, immediately curious about Alex's call.

«Hey, choom. What's up?» Maine asked with interest.

Alex exhaled smoke through his nose and got straight to the point.

«I've got a job, and it could be quite profitable. Figured you might be interested,» he said with a hint of excitement.

On the other end, Maine, who was helping Dorio with the barbell, froze at the mention of money. But he was quickly brought back by Dorio's slight cough and decided to clarify the details.

«What's the job, choom? Need someone shot again or a warehouse cleaned out?» he asked with interest.

«Nothing complicated. We need to kidnap someone who might have the information I need. Anything extra we find, we can sell,» Alex replied calmly.

Maine raised an eyebrow in intrigue, curious to know who the unlucky target was.

«And who's the lucky one who's your target this time?» he asked with a smirk.

«It's Tanaka. Anything unrelated to the information I need, we can sell to anyone and make good money,» Alex answered.

Maine's eyes widened, and he burst into laughter, recalling that this was the same guy whose limo they'd hijacked.

«Alright, we're in, choom!» he said after laughing.

«Then gather the others. We'll check his schedule to figure out where we can catch him,» Alex said, finishing his cigarette.

«No problem, I'll get in touch with Faraday and fill him in on our plans,» Maine replied calmly.

Alex grimaced at the mention of Faraday but said nothing. He knew there was no point in discussing it, as Maine would do things his way regardless. After coordinating a meeting place with Maine, Alex returned to the apartment to report on how the call went.

While Alex was busy calling Maine, the girls decided to check where they could catch Tanaka to kidnap him. Since all the files were on Alex's phone, they had to wake up G.I.R., who was still asleep at that moment. After waking G.I.R. and demanding he forward Tanaka's dossier, they finally received his schedule. Kiwi and Lucy then set to work checking it.

In Tanaka's schedule, they found only one opportunity to catch him when no one would be around. It turned out that Tanaka was a fan of BD, and a rather specific type at that. This kind of BD could only be obtained from one person connected to Tanaka, as he was a regular client of that person. Just then, Alex returned after finishing his conversation with Maine.

«Maine and the team will be here soon. We have time to figure out where we can catch Tanaka,» he said as he stepped back into the apartment.

Lucy and Kiwi looked at Alex and informed him that everything was ready; they had thoroughly analyzed Tanaka's schedule. Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, stepped closer, and asked what they had discovered.

From their explanation, he learned that Tanaka was into extreme brain-dancing associated with cyberpsychotic attacks. The only person who could provide that experience was Jimmy Kurosaki, the seller of all those dangerous amusements. Alex couldn't care less about Jimmy and his questionable products, but he immediately recognized that this character would fit perfectly into their plan to kidnap Tanaka.

«Hmm, I know that Jimmy. The last time he made headlines was when he recorded the cyberpsychopath James Norris, who caused a massacre on the streets of Night City,» Rebecca said, swinging her legs as she sat on the couch.

Gloria flinched upon hearing Norris's name, which didn't go unnoticed by Alex. He frowned, looking at her intently, and moved closer, sitting across from her and silently demanding an explanation. Under his gaze, Gloria couldn't hold back and sighed before speaking.

«Sandie, who got installed by Maine, was acquired after James Norris was taken out,» she whispered.

Alex sighed with relief; initially, he thought Gloria might have some personal connection with Norris. He looked her in the eyes and gently flicked her forehead with his hand.

«God, I was starting to think he was your friend. Who cares where that Sandie came from? The main thing is that you were thinking about David's future and not pursuing selfish goals. Some might call it immoral, while others would say it's fine—everyone has their opinion. So don't blame yourself for the past,» he said, stroking her head.

Gloria nodded, feeling a bit better. She always thought first and foremost about David and his future, trying to protect him from all this nightmare.

Meanwhile, Alex turned to the team to discuss the plan. After hearing him out, Kiwi pointed out that Jimmy had made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant that evening. It was a great chance to catch him alone. Alex, deep in thought, rubbed his chin as he considered the best way to pull this off without leaving any traces. Finally, he dug into his inventory, catching the girls' attention.

For Kiwi, who had recently encountered magic, it was a novelty to see Alex's hand disappear into a "hole" in the air. Lucy explained that this was Alex's inventory, something he had created himself, and to demonstrate how it worked, she showcased her own inventory by pulling out several items. Rebecca also decided to show off, pulling out a giant grenade launcher that was almost taller than she was. Kiwi could only tiredly place a hand on her forehead, trying to grasp how all this was related to magic.

«Does G.I.R. have an inventory like that?» Kiwi asked, staring at the robo-dog, who was currently scattering wrappers across the table.

«Where do you think he would keep his candies and snacks? Not to mention the weapons that Alex makes for him,» Lucy replied, shooting a stern glance at G.I.R. that prompted him to clean up the wrappers.

Meanwhile, Alex finished his search and realized that he only had a small taser left for the kidnapping.

«Well, I think this little gadget will help us put Jimmy to sleep,» he said, demonstrating the taser to the girls.

The girls noticed the strange device in Alex's hands and curiously asked what it was. Alex calmly explained that it was a taser he had designed specifically for the girls in his family so they could fend off annoying admirers.

«And how powerful is it?» Rebecca asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

«Strong enough to take out a god,» Alex replied with a smirk. «The goddesses have to fend off persistent suitors who don't understand the word 'no.' So, I tested the taser on those idiots.»

At his words, the girls involuntarily felt disappointed in some of the gods, imagining how they would only realize the situation after getting hit with the taser. But then another question arose that nagged at them.

«If this taser is powerful enough to take out a god, won't it fry Jimmy from the inside?» Lucy asked skeptically, glancing at the device in Alex's hands.

«Nope,» Alex shook his head. «I designed it so the target doesn't die but experiences maximum pain. If it were lethal, most annoying gods would have returned to their divine realm long ago.» He chuckled, recalling the losers who had felt the power of the taser.

Rebecca's eyes sparkled with admiration as she tried to snatch the taser away to examine it more closely or even take it apart. But Alex quickly sensed her intentions and wasn't about to part with a device that might be needed for the job. In response, Rebecca pouted and, expressing her displeasure, began to kick his leg, but Alex simply ignored her attempts.

At that moment, Maine called to inform them that they had arrived.

«Our team is here; it's time to move out,» Alex said, turning to the girls.

They nodded and went to change for work. As they prepared, Alex dressed using magic. Sitting on the couch, he embraced Gloria, deciding to enjoy the moment while the girls got ready. Gloria was more than happy to reciprocate, snuggling her nose into his chest. Alex stroked her back, gazing at the ceiling while pondering his future plans. He had a crazy idea brewing that he wanted to execute before leaving this world.

To be continued…