Digital Hackers' Memories

"It seems that a consensus has been reached."

Sitting at her desk, Kyoko Murami (Alphamon) slightly rolled her eyes and then said softly.

Unlike the real Kyoko Kuremi, Alphamon has a more aloof personality, so its tone is naturally much colder than that of the real Kyoko Kuremi.

However, those present did not care about Kyoko Murami's (Alphamon) indifference, because they had already learned through different channels that Kyoko Murami might suffer from dissociative identity disorder.

The only one who had doubts about the fox spirit X was hidden from view because she was inside the camera on Chen Ze's chest, so no one could see her expression.

"Let's go then!"

"I happen to know a café nearby that has a pretty good environment and facilities."

"Well, I'm not trying to drum up business for them, but the place really is a great place."

When she said this, the usually carefree and energetic Makiko Date actually became a little shy, which made Chen Ze, who had never seen this side of her before, turn his head to look at her.

Is Ida-nee... blushing?

Chen Ze, who hadn't paid much attention to the internet cafe before, suddenly became interested and blinked. Even the fox spirit X hiding in the camera showed a curious expression.

Perhaps, Makiko Date's reason for arranging to meet Yuko Kamishiro at the cyber detective agency was not solely due to considerations of their respective identities.

"Internet cafe?"

In contrast, Kyoko Kuroi (Alphamon) seemed to remember something after hearing Makiko Date's words, and a rare thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

If he remembers correctly, there aren't many internet cafes around here, and the only one that might be connected to Makiko Date is that one.

However, the owner of that internet cafe seems to have some connection with a royal knight.

"Yes, it's a really nice internet cafe."

Unaware of the subtle glances from those present, Makiko Date continued her recommendation.

"And I know the owner of that shop, so we should get a discount if we go there..."

"No, there will definitely be a discount."

It was a rare opportunity to see such an unknown side of Makiko Date, so Chen Ze naturally couldn't possibly embarrass her.

"Let's go to that internet cafe then!"

"After all, I'm quite curious about what this acquaintance, whom Ida-nee speaks of so highly, actually looks like?"

Upon hearing Chen Ze's words, even Yuko Kamishiro, who was least sensitive to interpersonal relationships, seemed to realize something and gave him a look of sudden realization.

Indeed, Makiko Date's sudden mention of an internet cafe at this time seems like something she had planned all along.

Or to be more precise, Makiko Date had planned from the beginning to visit the internet cafe after resolving this incident; now she was simply combining the two into one.

"Uh……"

She could feel the mockery in everyone's eyes, and even someone as oblivious as Makiko Date realized the inappropriateness of her words.

However, to Chen Ze's surprise, Makiko Date did not blush like a normal girl; instead, she glared at him fiercely.

"What are you thinking? That's just someone I know!"

Regardless of whether Chen Ze and the others believed it or not, Makiko Date herself believed it.

"Just a few days ago, they... well... it seems like they had some trouble because of Digimon, so I'm planning to go check on them when I have some free time."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Want to Go Too

“If you’re talking about the internet cafe ‘Butterfly,’ then I happen to have to go there.”

Just as Makiko Date was frantically explaining, Kyoko Kuroi, who was sitting next to her, spoke up again.

This time, however, it wasn't Alphamon, which was controlling Kyoko's body, that spoke, but the real Kyoko, who had previously said she wanted to "rest."

"If my guess is correct, our goals should be the same."

As Mukai Kyoko finished speaking, her originally indifferent tone quickly turned languid, and her entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

Chen Ze immediately realized that this must be the other personality of Kyoko Kuromi that Makiko Date had mentioned.

"Don't make wild guesses about what other people are thinking, you crazy homebody who always stirs up trouble!"

Makiko Date also noticed Kyoko Kuremi's change, and being more familiar with her than the two people present, she didn't hold back in criticizing her.

"Don't forget who made wild guesses about the employer's thoughts last time, which almost led to someone filing a police complaint against Uncle Ji!"

As mentioned earlier, Goro Matayoshi sometimes asks Kyoko Kuremi to handle cases that the Metropolitan Police Department is unable or unwilling to handle.

These cases usually fall into a gray area, and they can't be ignored.

However, although Kyoko Murami was able to successfully solve the cases each time, the chaos she caused after solving them was no simpler than the cases themselves.

Because Kyoko Kuroi was too lazy to conceal her identity during the operation, and sometimes even took the initiative to reveal that she was employed by the Metropolitan Police Department, Goro Matayoshi had to step in to clean up the mess for her.

As a capable subordinate of Matayoshi Goro, and having had several in-depth collaborations with Kyoko Kuromi, Makiko Date often became the "tool" for cleaning up these messes.

For this reason, Makiko Date complained privately that everyone says they often cause trouble for their bosses, but in her opinion, Kyoko Kuromi is the real source of trouble.

"But I successfully resolved that incident, didn't I?"

Without any sense of embarrassment, the languid Kyoko Murami simply said it casually.

"Besides, I didn't hold the fat woman against reducing the commission fee in private, otherwise she probably wouldn't have had the chance to complain to the Metropolitan Police Department."

Kyoko Mumi was telling the truth. If she had simply released the dirt on her employer because of his breach of trust, that family would have been making a scene for the next year.

"Don't talk about such terrifying things so casually. Do you know that what you're doing is intimidation and a threat?"

People with headaches should ask their temples. Makiko Date found that every time she spent too much time with Kyoko Kuromi, she seemed to shorten her lifespan.

In comparison, Kyoko Kuroi's other personality is easier to get along with.

As long as you're careful not to let the other person touch coffee or similar drinks, the other Kyoko Kuroi is practically a harmless and obedient child.

......................................................................................................

So, that scrutinizing gaze just now... did it really exist?

With its mouth agape in surprise, the fox spirit X stared at Mukai Kyoko's suddenly changed expression, momentarily unsure whether the look she had given him earlier was just its imagination.

After all, compared to the previous Kyoko Kuremi, the current Kyoko Kuremi is obviously much more worldly in terms of temperament.

Furthermore, this abrupt personality shift immediately shattered Renamon X's speculation that "Kyoko Kureha is a Digimon in disguise."

This isn't because Renamon X thinks no Digimon can fake a human with a dual personality.

Generally speaking, a Digimon possessing such abilities and intelligence must be at least a Perfect level Digimon.

As a fully-level Digimon with near-demigod abilities, its proud and aloof nature makes it difficult for it to accept sharing a body with another personality.

Let alone a proud and aloof Perfect or Ultimate level being, even an ordinary person would find it hard to accept sharing a body with another person.

In this situation, if Kyoko Kuroi is indeed a human disguised as a Digimon, she would definitely try every means to eliminate the other personality within her.

Even if the Digimon is a Royal Knight like Omegamon or Gallantmon, who is close to humans, one must constantly control one's power in order not to affect the existence of the other personality.

In other words, Renamon X does not believe that any Digimon would keep its power below a certain level for the sake of the human it inhabits.

This tests not only the Digimon's mind and stance, but also its control over its own data.

Even if Renamon X were beaten to death, it would never have imagined that there were such anomalies as Alphamon in this world.

As an artificial Digimon created by Yggdrasil, it is said to be the counterforce to all Royal Knights.

Although Alphamon doesn't have much emotional attachment to humans, it perfectly fits the persona of a powerful being with "extraordinary control over data".

Alphamon's ability to control data is what allows it to break through the limits of Ultimate level and possess the almost godlike "Primitive Power".

The ability to reset one's attacks in an instant and to instantly reclaim lost battle time is known as the "Primordial Power".

Theoretically speaking, Alphamon actually launched countless attacks in the instant it attacked, and the enemy only saw the moment it was defeated.

Alphamon, possessing this ability, not only preserved all of Kyoko Kuromi's memories completely, but also spent eight years piecing together her complete personality bit by bit.

In a sense, Kyoko Murami's current state is nothing short of a "miracle," which explains why Inujuu X feels that his guess was wrong.

No, that's definitely not an illusion.

The fox spirit X, with its eyes narrowed slightly and curved like a real fox, revealed a thoughtful expression.

That almost scrutinizing gaze, that sense of déjà vu, was definitely not an illusion, but a genuine "abnormality" in Kyoko Kuremi.

Is it related to the World Tree again?

Reijumon X has not forgotten the giant tree that seemed to support the entire world that she saw in her subconscious.

The only thing about him that could possibly be related to that level of existence was the World Tree of unknown origin.

Even the Chaos Demon Beast that appeared in Light Hill seemed to have come for the World Tree, but I didn't know that at the time.

**********************

P.S.: Something came up, so I'm a little late.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Butterfly Internet Cafe

Just like the internet cafes and internet cafes of the old days, in Tokyo, Japan today, in addition to the ubiquitous mobile EDEN access devices, there are also EDEN internet cafes with extremely luxurious decorations and configurations.

However, due to the widespread use of mobile and personal EDEN devices, a simple EDEN internet cafe not only requires a huge investment, but also does not generate the revenue that one might expect. As a result, EDEN internet cafes that focus on leisure have emerged.

The internet cafe named "Butterfly" is one of the more famous internet cafes in the Nakano area, and it is also the closest internet cafe to the Nakano Building.

Of course, although it's called EDEN's internet cafe, Butterfly Internet Cafe is actually more like a large leisure venue that combines multiple functions such as internet cafe, coffee shop, and comic book store.

At the entrance of Butterfly Internet Cafe, there are older women in special uniforms who are usually responsible for guiding customers and handling cashier duties.

Just a little further inside is a large comic book and novel library, which not only displays the latest comic books and novels, but also various old comics that have long been regarded as classics.

Customers can usually sit here all morning by ordering a cup of coffee at the front desk, until the ladies at the front desk come to urge them to leave.

Therefore, this small space is always full, making it the preferred gathering place for all kinds of homebodies.

Further inside, you'll find Butterfly Internet Cafe's main business—EDEN access equipment.

Thanks to the ample customer traffic in the front of house, the EDEN equipment in Butterfly Internet Cafe, while not always fully booked, is always in high demand.

Especially the higher-end EDEN equipment, which is often booked by certain super-rich individuals.

After all, in this day and age, various network devices are already widespread, and most people who choose to patronize internet cafes are not there for internet access.

Compared to browsing the internet in the usual sense, these super-rich people are mostly enjoying the atmosphere of this internet cafe.

In addition, Butterfly Internet Cafe has a "second-in-command" who is good at interpersonal relationships, so it has far more repeat customers and regular customers than other internet cafes.

In a sense, the fact that Butterfly Internet Cafe has been able to stay open in such a high-traffic area for so long is definitely more than 90% due to the contributions of these super-rich individuals.

Until two weeks ago, when Chitose, the "second-in-command" of Butterfly Internet Cafe, was unexpectedly diagnosed with "EDEN syndrome," Butterfly Internet Cafe had to temporarily close for a few days.

It's important to understand that in Butterfly's small group of only four people, the absence of any one person could lead to the team's collapse, let alone someone like Chitose, who acts as a "team lubricant."

Although Ryuji Mishima is the leader of the team, he is cold on the outside but warm on the inside and not good at handling interpersonal relationships. Most of the time, he just silently supports the operation of the team from behind, not to mention that he has been missing for some time.

Due to her "genius disease," Erika Mishima rarely appears in the outside world, and she is not used to the noisy environment outside, preferring to stay in her "safe house."

Only the new member who has joined—Keisuke Amasawa—can make up for Chitose's absence.

Unfortunately, Keisuke is too kind and naive, and it's impossible for him to grow to the point where he can independently run an online coffee shop in a short period of time.

Fortunately, with Chitose in a coma and Ryuji missing, Erika eventually stepped out of her "safe house" and took the initiative to help Keisuke get the Butterfly system running smoothly.

Erika simply refuses to interact with the outside world, but having accompanied the entire Butterfly Organization step by step to where it is now, her expertise in its operation may be even more refined than that of Ryuji and Chitose.

At the very least, Chitose and Ryuji could never have managed to run Butterfly Internet Cafe so well with only two people on the core team, and even managed to handle Butterfly's hacking requests.

Keisuke originally thought that this surreal daily life, which simultaneously takes into account both reality and virtuality, would continue until Chitose awakens or Ryuji returns.

However, he ultimately underestimated Erika's abilities as a "genius girl".

Given the already limited staff, Erica, in order to maintain the daily operation of the entire Butterfly, remembered the receptionist who had recently left the job.

Erika didn't remember the other person's name, nor did she care to.

All Erica knew was that the receptionist at the time was actually a hacker sent by another hacker group to monitor Butterfly, the "Scavenger Group".

Before Chitose revealed this, everyone, including Ryuji, was shocked by the receptionist's hacker identity.

If Butterfly weren't an organization founded on family and friends, the receptionist's identity would definitely not have been limited to "an occasional part-time receptionist."

Putting aside her hacking skills, the receptionist's business acumen and ability to disguise herself were undeniable.

After being seen through by Chitose, the receptionist readily admitted her identity and even gave him the Angemon she had raised.