Viper

Hmm...

It has given up the ghost? Should've seen it coming.

This was my first phone.

I wonder what's on it...

Probably a whole bunch of useless stuff.

But I'm so curious now.

Is there really no way to access it?

...

Well,

if there's no way...

then let's just make one, hehe!

See you tomorrow, Honey.

Good morning, Honey.

You look so cute when you're sleeping.

That's my name, don't wear it out!

Oh my,

does that mean I appear in your dreams often?

Tell me, what kind of dreams are they? I'm dying to know!

Oh, loads of reasons,

but to say I came here just because I missed you would be so cliché, don't you think?

Feast your eyes on this!

That's right. Nobody uses phones like this anymore.

It's the first one that I ever used.

What do you think? Isn't it cute?

Check out all the fun beads and stickers I put on it, hehe!

You know those days when you just get all nostalgic out of nowhere?

Like, you wanna peek at those cute childhood photos

or dig up those old letters you kept,

even if you're not looking for anything specific?

Today just happened to be one of those days for me.

Look at this.

This thing has seen better days, that's for sure. It doesn't even charge anymore.

They were discontinued long ago, so it's impossible to buy a new one.

I couldn't think of anyone else to ask for help,

so that's why I came to you!

Whatever are you talking about?

You know that you're my one and only, right?

So can you help me, Honey?

Hmm?

Isn't this our dormitory?

What are we doing here, Honey?

Are you saying we can fix the charger here?

...

...

I can sense someone inside.

She's pacing in front of the door. I think she's debating whether to open it or not.

Haha!

Maybe I should kick it open...

Gah!

Hehe, sorry to startle you. I was only kidding.

Who...

Who's there?

C-Commander?

...

Who else is out there with you?

My help?

I'm sure there are other Nikkes who could be of better assistance than me.

Hmm...

O-okay... come in.

N-no problem.

What exactly is it that you need help with?

Hmm?

Let me take a look.

A Type 26-A charger.

I haven't seen one of these in a while.

Is it yours, Commander?

No, it's mine.

Oh?

I wanted to switch on my old phone, but it won't charge.

That's where you come in, hopefully.

Any chance you can help me out?

Ah...!

Yes, it's possible...

But...

I'd need a few certain parts and tools.

Um...

I'll message you a list of everything I need.

For now, c-could you please leave?

I-I'm reaching my limit with socializing...

Yikes, are you okay? You don't look so good.

...

You poor thing.

Come on, Honey, let's wait outside.

Hmm?

You want all the stuff that's written here?

Are you planning on soldering something?

A lot of stuff on this list isn't meant to be toyed with.

I doubt you'd even know what to do with half of it unless you're a professional.

You're not planning on using these yourself, are you?

Trony?

Ah, the one who never talks.

If it's her, I'd trust her with this stuff, no problem.

I'll get it for you right away.

Usually, she orders whatever she needs herself.

How come she's sending you this time?

She's doing me a favor.

I want to take a look at my old phone, but the charger's faulty.

Since I'm the one asking for a favor, the least I can do is handle the legwork.

An old phone?

Don't tell me it's the one you're holding.

The very same!

It was my first phone. Isn't it cute?

How can you call that old?

I was using the exact same model not too long ago.

Huh?

You were?

You betcha!

Even though I did eventually replace it after using it for so long,

these things are super sturdy and reliable.

Really?

... Interesting.

I was under the impression that they break easily.

Sounds to me like you don't take good care of your possessions.

Anyway, wait here for a minute.

Hey there, Mr. Commander!

Ms. Trony asked me to help her.

She gave me the gist of what was going on.

You need to fix an old charger, right?

I decided to lend a hand to help speed things up.

You can give me all those items you brought.

I'm honored that you're willing to help me like this!

It's not a big deal.

Here are the items Trony asked for.

She didn't look too good the last time I saw her.

Are you sure she's okay?

Don't worry about her.

Interacting with people takes a lot out of her,

and I'd say you're one of the more intimidating people around.

Hehe, thanks for the compliment.

Anyway, how long do you think this will take?

It won't be difficult, so it should be done quickly.

Just hang tight.

Alrighty.

By the way, Ms. Viper,

there's something I wanted to ask you.

What's that?

About that phone...

...

Can I install a game on it? Just one.

Game?

Yes!

When you plug it in, it installs automatically, so no worries!

It's only 28MB as well, so an older phone model should be able to handle it with no problem.

It's a game called BOOM!

That's it?

You were so serious when you asked, so I was curious what you were gonna say.

Sure, go for it. It's not like I use this phone that often anyway.

Sure, why not?

It's not like she's planting a bomb. She's just installing a little game,

so I'm totally fine with it!

Oh my goodness, you're even cooler than I thought, Ms. Viper!

You accepted my proposal to install the game immediately!

So I exceeded your expectations, did I?

You bet!

By the way, I heard that you left quickly this morning when you saw how Ms. Trony was struggling.

Usually, people don't realize they're the problem and stick around to help,

which only makes it worse for her.

Fortunately, thanks to you leaving when you did, Ms. Trony felt better in no time.

...

Whoops, I may have said too much there!

Anyway, I'll get this charger fixed for you in a jiffy!

Be right back!

That's strange...

What was that all about?

I don't remember doing anything nice.

Bah, that's impossible.

Whether I'm doing good or bad, it doesn't change who or what I am.

Hmm...

I just don't get it.

Because I want to show you something, Honey.

Aren't you curious about

what's inside my old phone?

Why not? This place is perfect since no one else is watching.

Now then,

let's try and charge this puppy!

Wow, it's been ages since I heard that sound.

So, tell me, Honey.

What do you think is inside this phone?

Hehe, you'd like that, wouldn't you?

Yikes, that'd be awfully disappointing, wouldn't it?

However,

have you ever thought that maybe this phone is a fake?

Maybe it's secretly a bomb that'll explode after you turn it on. Kablammo!

Or maybe there's another reason I brought you to a hotel where no one can see us. Something sinister.

...

Ah! It's on!

Of course not, I was just joking about all that exploding stuff.

And the only reason I brought you here is because I want you all to myself!

As for what's inside the phone...

Just a bunch of garbage!

Uh, hello?

I haven't seen you before.

Yeah, I'll be living around here from now on.

No kidding?

What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?

I don't know your life story, but you must have been through a lot.

Here, this is my contact info.

What are you giving me this for?

Call me if you ever need help.

I'm sure you've already noticed, but this place is a real dump.

...

You didn't actually believe what that woman said, did you?

...

Right.

That's the kind of place this is.

... Hehe.

Hahaha!

What's gotten into you?

Shut your yap and hand over everything you've got.

If you don't, I'll take that pretty face of yours and...

This place is a cesspool,

and we're all rats.

Thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot about that.

This is Viper.

Ah, Tommy! It's been a while.

Huh?

This isn't Tommy?

Hmm...

How about I call you that from now on anyway?

You know, Honey...

At first,

I've always wondered who might come to see me.

Who would try to reach out to me?

Hehe, can you imagine that?

That's why

I've got my handy dandy notebook.

Back in the day, phones didn't even have a way to add notes to your saved contacts.

Contact 25: Minnie. A middle-aged woman I met in front of a shoe store.

Average physique with brown hair. Has a criminal record.

Each of these contacts has a corresponding entry.

Yep! Kinda moving, don't you think?

Initially, I did it because I wanted to try it out.

Later on, I organized everything to make the most out of it.

Maybe that's why my first phone broke down so quickly.

I must have saved too much information in it.

Yeah, but it didn't amount to anything.

My phone ended up biting the dust anyway,

and all the rats are still writhing around in the cesspool, clawing at each other.

What do you think?

Am I like those people

Or do you think I'm different?

Hehe. I see.

It's really strange...

How are you always so certain?

Oh, Honey...

You're very kind, but also terribly naïve.

Do you know how many rats I had to devour before I earned the nickname Viper?

Should I go over each one of them with you?

...

Why?

Why would you even think I was trying to survive?

...

Hehe...

Haha...! Hahahaha!

You never disappoint, Honey.

Thank you.

Still, what matters most is regardless of whether I'm doing good or bad things,

it won't change who I am.

Thanks to you, I've realized something:

Even a lowly mouse can look up at the sky above.

There, that should be all of them.

There are only a few pages left, but it should be enough, don't you think?

Honey,

to be honest,

I'm not sure why I suddenly felt like taking out this phone again.

But just now, it hits me.

There's only one person I'm waiting to hear from.

The only one saved in my phone by name,

not just a number.

It's kind of funny, but I realized I don't know as much about you as I thought I did.

Of course, I've found out a bunch of stuff just by poking around,

but you haven't really shared much about yourself with me.

So...

can you tell me everything today?

From how we first met to every little thing you enjoy.

I want to fill up the rest of this notebook with stories about you.

If I keep reading it and memorizing everything,

I'll eventually be able to uncover all the remaining parts.

If we can't cover everything today,

I guess we'll just have to meet again.

Alrighty, let's start with your name!

Your name is... Commander.

And your title is...

my one and only Honey♡

Hehe!