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Hacker looked down at the bento , back towards the unsmiling face of one of the offerings for Kanto, and then back down towards the box. Although seemingly inconspicuous, he regarded it with a look of intrigue and mystification. As much as he had fiddled with it, he couldn’t find some sort of mechanism or technology embedded within or outside the box. It looked like any regular lunchbox, but at the same time… it was able to produce foods from particles within the air—a fact that he couldn’t quite grasp.
It was a technological marvel that could easily rid the world of hunger, but it had been gifted to the offerings for Kanto. It was both utterly astonishing and egregious that these children had their hands on something so revolutionary when the streets of Kansai were littered with people who were scrambling to make ends meet.
It didn’t really matter, though, Hacker thought. Ethics and morality were thrown out the window the instant he had hacked his way into one of the lower level security systems of some long forgotten business corporation that didn’t deserve to be named. If anything, Hacker was mildly impressed that he was able to bear witness to such a revolutionary device that even he couldn’t hope to replicate.
As Hacker’s fingers traced the contours of the bento , he heard the unhurried footsteps of one of his fellow Akudama approach him from the side. Knowing full well who the person was, he didn’t spare her a glance. Given their past interactions, he didn’t quite understand why she chose to be so kind and understanding to those she had just met only a day before. Regardless of the matter, his interest in her sudden presence was piqued when she made a gentle humming noise as she leaned over in curiosity.
“Are you going to ask me for one of my drones?” He couldn’t help but tease lightly.
She shook her head, replying with, “Aren’t you going to eat something, Hacker?” Swindler’s voice chided him gently.
She sat next to him on the floor, not at all minding that the debris and grime that assaulted the landscape was very much present within the hovel. She took a bite of her takoyaki , her eyes looking at him inquisitively. “Can’t decide?”
Hacker shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not that hungry.”
Swindler’s eyes widened. Despite the presence of the other Akudama within the room, her voice rose high pitched and unnecessarily concerned.
“What? Come on! You’re going to need your strength in the future!”
Hacker rolled his eyes.
There was that… empathy that he didn’t know someone like Swindler happened to have in spades.
“And whose fault is that?”
Almost immediately, a wave of guilt cascaded over Hacker. He didn’t know Swindler that well, shouldn’t have cared so much about what she thought, but the way she looked away, shame shadowing her features… He couldn’t really take it. After all, he had been set on getting to Kanto and had warded off most of Swindler’s attempts to keep him on the team, but… In the end, he had decided to go back on the Shinkansen to aid Kansai’s offerings to accomplish whatever task they were set out to do.
Hacker looked away from Swindler, not willing to look her in the eyes. She may not have been as physically or intellectually intimidating by the rest of the team, but she had this sort of presence… that certain something about her that convinced him to stay with the others despite the fact that he could have easily left.
If he were being honest with himself, Swindler was something completely different, like a game that he hadn’t quite figured out how to solve.
And if there was one thing he couldn’t stand—couldn’t quite fathom—was a game that he couldn’t crack.
All in all, he had a choice back at the Shinkansen.
And he had chosen to stay with the group.
He should have been indignant, yet…
A thought came to mind and before he could reconsider his decision, he muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. Despite his low volume, it was loud enough for the bento to hear and comprehend. At that moment, something about the bento shifted, as if the axis of the earth had leaned a little to the left. Now, Hacker wasn’t one to believe in magic or miracles, but even he couldn’t escape from gasping in awe and fascination. His nimble fingers cracked open the lid and found—
“Hm. Interesting.” Hacker took one of the little packets of jelly (not exactly from his favorite brand, but definitely somewhat appetizing for his taste) and began to peel the wrapper. As Swindler gaped in astonishment, he began to nibble a little at the jelly, his icy blue eyes softening in delight at the flavor.
“You should eat something more substantial than that, Hacker!” Seemingly forgiving Hacker of his callous nature, Swindler plucked one of the jelly packets from the box, her eyes scrutinizing the jelly as if it were some sort of radioactive substance.
“I didn’t see you scolding Cutthroat for getting an entire serving of marshmallows,” Hacker pointed out. After finishing one packet of jelly, he quickly moved onto a new one, this time, slowly relishing in the flavor instead of slurping it all in one go. “And it’s not like takoyaki is any better.”
Swindler choked a little at that.
“It’s just a snack!” Swindler played a little with her hair, her eyes shifting a little to the side before voicing her response in a volume just a hair above a whisper. “And besides, it’s not like you carry around an array of knives.”
At that, Hacker couldn’t help but snicker a little.
“Last I checked, he seemed a little infatuated with you.”
Just as he thought, Swindler began to flail a little from her spot on the ground, a pretty pink flush painting the apples of her cheeks. As she began to explain that Cutthroat only liked her because of the color scheme of her outfit, Hacker finished his second cup of jelly. His eyes wandered over to the young woman, his lips unconsciously curling into an appreciative smile.
Before she could catch a glimpse, Hacker dumped the bento into her lap and stood up from his seat. He stretched a little to relax his shoulders and began to walk outside the ruins. Swindler tried to catch up to his quick movements, but was quickly overtaken by an uncharacteristically serious Doctor. Despite his… coworker clearly wanting to speak to him more, Hacker continued to survey their surroundings, his eyes losing their icy shine.
Yes, despite himself, he found that he was becoming more and more intrigued by Swindler’s very presence within the team. She was a Swindler, yes, but there was something… off. Something that didn’t quite fit.
He glanced back at the barely functioning hovel, watching the Doctor finally back away from speaking with the younger woman. Swindler looked a little fearful, but determined.
Hacker turned away, his fingers tapping a simple melody agains the legs of his pants.
She was definitely something different, but…
Hacker shook his head, not willing to follow that train of thought…
Or address the smile that crossed his face.