Page 240 of Light Leech

It eyed Boyband, the only one looking at it with a smile besides Denji. It waddled towards him on what looked like the mechanical replacement for limbless infants. Rolls of fat instead of muscles with stubby fingers and a synthetic skin like the one on Ralia’s arms. Blue lines of lights raced up the four arms into a central ring around the center of the meat pillar that looked like a log on its side. It sweated with a single bloodshot eye. As it spoke, I saw what looked like thin lips transplanted onto its side.

“I die now. You help me?”

Boyband crouched at its side and ran a hand across its slick top. He looked up at Denji with a wide grin. “You gave one of my parents’ beef2s sentience?”

“As much as I could,” Denji said.

“I die please.”

“Kill it already!” Ralia exclaimed. “Can’t you hear how miserable it is?”

“It doesn’t know any better,” Denji said. “I’m still teaching it how to live. So, what do you think?”

Boyband laughed. “Du, I love it!”

“I think it should die, too,” Kuni said.

Boyband glared but continued to stroke it. “Shut up, kid. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Neither do you,” said Abbas.

“Does it have a name?” Boyband asked. “And does it have a gender?”

“I don’t think it technically can have a gender, but I’m still trying to figure it out. I’ve been calling it David.”

“Why?” Ralia. “Did some David wrong you?”

Denji shook his head, then sniffed. “I… had a friend of mine get too involved in modding himself. He lost his mind in the neuronet then lost his body to techbone. His mind might still be on the net somehow, but–”

“And this is how you pay tribute? With this horrific slab of living meat?”

“I die now?” David asked.

“I’m proud of him,” Denji said. “And I’ve been installing the data scraps from the Eclaine’s research into him. Might be worth looking into when you are all back. I think we should have most of the data ready by then.”

“Bad feeling,” David screeched, then opened his mouth to emit a bubbling sound. A second later he shot a steady stream of pale viscous fluid into Boyband’s face.

“I’m out.” Ralia stood to leave. “I don’t care what data he has. I’m not looking at that thing anymore.”

Boybad laughed and continued to stroke David.

Chapter five

Water Hills

Ishouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Boyband’s school was in a Violet District. Being so comfortable with him among us vagrants–and his undignified behavior–had gotten me used to the idea of a lower-classman like me. Though he had resided in an Indigo District, he was still the heir of Republic royalty. Naoma was the same, but her missing past was more costly than any cumbersome debt forced upon a low-income citizen. Boyband had lost his parents, another incalculable debt. I hated that they had to suffer such tragedies, but in this, I felt the bridge of affluence close between us.

“Piece of guk,” Boyband scoffed, staring up at the mirror-walled skyscraper with vibrant violet-lit edges.

“I like how it looks,” Kuni said.

“Good.” Boyband patted him on the back. “Keep up the act on the inside. Convince them that you look forward to attending.”

“Was it actually bad or is that a typical Boyband complaint?” Naoma asked.

“If you’re a bot banger you’ll love it here.”

She glared at him and nodded to Kuni.