Hanging up the phone, Rogue's expression was calm, just like the seasoned Queen of the Afterlife.
But a sense of tension inexplicably arose in her heart, making Rogue feel that the sofa beneath her wasn't so soft anymore.
Clenching her hands, Rogue mocked herself: how could a person nearly a hundred years old still be as nervous as a young Girl?
And the person she was about to meet was an asshole, a scumbag, a jerk whose little head controlled his big one.
Why should she be nervous?
But saying that didn't stop Rogue from becoming somewhat flustered.
She couldn't sit still, so she stood up and used the nearby mirror to examine her reflection.
She was still very beautiful.
Over the years, she had focused on maintenance and constantly replaced her cyberware; the thin waist and full thighs beneath her crop top remained, and her figure was still as hot as it was in her twenties.
Aside from the coldness and wariness in her eyes that didn't belong to a twenty-year-old, everything else was fine.
But people can deceive others; they can't deceive themselves.
Rogue still sharply noticed subtle details that others might completely overlook.
The faint wrinkles hidden beneath the foundation on her face, the rough skin on the back of her hands—these were things age had left her with, things that couldn't be changed.
"Damn it."
Rogue's already fragile confidence was immediately shattered by these details, and she leaned over the sink, cursing under her breath.
She then pulled out the makeup compact from her pocket and began touching up her makeup in the mirror.
..."What took you so long? I thought you were going to stand me up."
Finally, Johnny, waiting at the Afterlife's entrance, saw Rogue.
She had been impatiently tapping her foot with her arms crossed for half the day, and seeing Rogue finally made her sigh in relief.
But the next second, when she got a clear look at Rogue, her anticipation vanished, because she realized that Rogue's outfit today was truly... hot.
"Whew... Rogue, you look really beautiful today."
Johnny raised an eyebrow and whistled, her eyes darting as she appraised Rogue from head to toe.
Rogue did indeed look very beautiful today.
A shiny silver jacket over a white one-piece vest, gray-white curly hair draped over her shoulder, a cold and dignified expression on her face, as if many thoughts were suppressed beneath it, like a lioness whose power was evident without needing to roar.
Although she wasn't the fiery, yet naive, hot Girl from before, who could be swayed into bed with a few sweet words and vague promises, breaking through her hesitant exterior.
But Rogue was still Rogue, and this mature beauty was more than enough to stir Johnny's heart.
Beautiful women are like red wine, they get mellower with age.
"Are you planning to stare at me all day, or are we going to get something done?"
Rogue's reminder brought Johnny back to reality. She gave an awkward chuckle, rubbing her nose as she remembered why she was there.
"Get in the car, I'll take you somewhere."
"No."
"Huh?"
Johnny turned back in surprise, her big eyes widening even further, not understanding why Rogue would change her mind after agreeing.
"I'll drive. I don't want you getting pulled over by the NCPD looking like that."
Sister, that stings a bit.
Johnny was reminded again that her current appearance would make anyone suspect her of being underage.
But Johnny had her own way of dealing with awkward situations.
It was the same approach she used when Rogue caught her cheating: play dumb and pretend not to hear.
So Johnny silently got into the car, letting Rogue take the driver's seat.
"Where are we going?"
The car was on the road, and listening to the low rumble of the engine and watching the scenery flash by outside, the earlier awkwardness finally dissipated quite a bit.
"To the Silver Screen Cinema in White Oak District."
"..."
"Why so quiet?"
"...I can't believe you still remember that place."
Rogue was driving, but her heart was restless.
She truly hadn't expected to hear about that place again decades later.
"How could I forget? I've never forgotten anything I promised you."
Leaning back in the seat with her head in her hands, a world-weary expression, unsuited to her face, appeared on Johnny's face. She gazed out the window, as if seeing the distant past.
More than fifty years ago, Johnny had promised to take Rogue to the Silver Screen Cinema, but somehow, they never made it.
Perhaps that's how youth is—postponing this, postponing that, always feeling like there's plenty of time, and another chance will come.
But in the end, they missed out.
Johnny thought that after her resurrection, she would immediately go after Arasaka and Smasher for revenge, but she never did.
Fifty years passed, and nothing changed.
The mega-corporations were still as domineering, the streets were still as violent, and her music, her rebellion, seemed to have changed nothing.
Instead, those people she had neglected for her ideals in the past now resurfaced in her mind, over and over again.
Those regrets, those opportunities and moments that could have been cherished.
Johnny realized that what she wanted to do more was to make up for what should have been completed long ago.
She had missed everything before, and this time, she really didn't want to give up.
"Hmph, that's truly moving."
A smile had appeared on Rogue's lips at some point. Her usual coolness and weariness finally relaxed a bit, revealing a flicker of emotion.
Johnny's words made her feel as if she had returned fifty years into the past.
But Rogue quickly suppressed her emotions, because the person saying this to her was the Johnny she hated to death and loved to distraction. Anything she said was no different from farting.
"Heh, pretty words, but Johnny, just say it straight. What do you need my help with? Are you short on cash, or are you going to cause trouble for the corporation again?"
"Uh..."
Johnny, who had been immersed in the tranquil atmosphere, was completely knocked out of it by Rogue's words, suddenly speechless.
"Rogue, you're ruining the mood with that."
Johnny's face was covered in black lines, feeling slightly annoyed by Rogue questioning her character.
Most importantly, she couldn't really refute it, because she truly had been that much of a scoundrel before.
"I've changed, Rogue, trust me this once."
Helpless, Johnny could only make a solemn promise, assuring her that she had truly turned over a new leaf.
But Rogue merely scoffed at Johnny's confident assurance.
"Heh, a Johnny who isn't selfish? That's truly hard to believe."
"Rogue, fifty years have passed. Even that much time can make a person think some things through. If needed..."
"I'm so sorry, Rogue, truly sorry. I owe you too much."
Johnny's gaze towards Rogue deepened, and she placed her hand on Rogue's hand on the steering wheel, speaking solemnly.
Apologizing, that wasn't Johnny's style.
He was the scumbag who thought the whole world should revolve around him, an arrogant jerk who treated everyone else's efforts as worthless garbage.
"..."
Rogue had intended to curse out loud, but seeing Johnny's lowered eyelids and the eyes full of apology within them, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Shut up, Johnny. The Johnny I know isn't a sniveling wimp."
Even as she said that, Rogue didn't remove Johnny's hand from hers.
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