I recalled the orc I met when I appeared on the broadcast at Andrea’s request.
Her name was probably “Jane.”
Our encounter was brief, but her presence still occupied a spot in my memory.
In this world, there exists a “class.”
It’s not formally defined like medieval nobility, but the people living in this world do not deny the status of the “class” that exists in society.
In the Cyberpunk world dominated by capitalism, class has taken on a more primitive form.
Typically, classes are categorized into representatives, executives, and employees. Sometimes, they’re distinguished as elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs in that order.
Naturally, the representative holds the highest position in the former.
And in the latter, the orc holds the lowest.
I easily remembered the existence of an “orc” representative in this Cyberpunk world.
Of course, part of the reason was that it was a representative of my acquaintance, Andrea.
I didn’t think she could be so incompetent as to not manage her agency’s employees properly, overcoming the tough condition of being an orc.
This point became clearer to me after visiting the orc district, Redwood.
Even a dragon born from a stream can be expressed.
Therefore.
“Me?”
It wasn’t strange at all that I questioned Andrea with a dazed voice.
No matter how she responded.
Me? That? Why?
I planned to respond in that order.
One reason is that I don’t know much about manager duties.
Aside from my past life memories, I don’t even have the common part-time work experience.
Maybe if Andrea’s manager duties included causing an “explosion,” things would be a bit different.
But this isn’t a landfill; there’s no reason magic would be required for simple manager duties.
I briefly imagined.
– Who? The manager? Whose? Ah… Andrea? I don’t think so, security!!
– Is social life a joke? Did I ask for brewed coffee, or did I say molecular coffee?
– Hey, stop! Who said you could carry drinks around! Don’t you know food and drink aren’t allowed here? Huh? The PD said so? The PD says otherwise? Okay, okay. I get it, so just leave.
Countless futures flashed through my mind.
“……”
Ugh, my head is already spinning.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
I lowered my gaze to look at Andrea.
Even after hearing my “Me?” question, Andrea stared at me without a word.
At this point, she should have picked up on my thoughts, but her eyes were still full of determination.
It felt awkward to just say I wouldn’t do it.
I asked Andrea once more.
“Is there something else? Why?”
The Cyberpunk nation, Neo Japan, referred to a nation’s name from long ago, questioning.
Did Andrea also realize that asking me to be her manager was almost a stretch?
She hesitated a bit before speaking up.
“…I’m really sorry.”
“What on earth is going on?”
“There’s a terrorist involved in this concert.”
No.
“That should have been mentioned earlier!”
I almost refused without listening.
I narrowly avoided becoming garbage.
I asked Andrea for more details.
27. The Painful Social Life (1)
In reality, “terrorists” in the Cyberpunk world are more common than people think.
You can see their presence just by turning on the news.
In the morning, a terrorist appears on the news for causing an incident, by lunchtime, another enters the lunch news, and by dinner, yet another terrorist causing trouble shows up in sequence.
I know this well since I, too, encountered a terrorist while relaxing at a cafe.
Of course, in my case, I was there on Pete Mc’s orders.
Anyway.
The terrorist organization Andrea mentioned was as follows.
“Neo Luddites.”
It originated from the machine-destroying movement in the early 19th century, known as the Luddite movement.
In a Cyberpunk world hundreds of years later, they might not be able to use the same name, so they added the cliché word “neo” for distinction.
As technology advances, the shadowy darkness behind society grows ever deeper.
From drivers hit by autonomous driving technology to many who lost their jobs due to technological development, the list goes on.
This terrorist group received support from such people and, along with political backing from businesses intertwined with naturalists and traditionalists, grew in power.
There are three groups that appear in the NCB24 news every day.
First is “Eco-Fascism.”
Second is “Radical Transhumanists.”
And the final group making the rounds is exactly the “Neo Luddites.”
Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Neon City who isn’t aware of them.
Wearing cosplay glasses, Andrea continued her explanation like a teacher.
“…But what about those glasses—.”
“That’s how it turned out. Some singers who created their voices using AI got invited to this concert.”
My curiosity was lightly brushed aside.
What about the glasses?
“There are just so many singers using cyberware vocal cords nowadays.”
Having failed to ask about the glasses, I moved to my next question.
“So why did those guys get involved?”
“They claim that songs should be sung by humans, not machines. I read the threatening message they used; I was speechless because it was so ridiculous.”
That was Andrea’s point.
“They’re demanding to stop the performance or to sing without AI voices or cyberware vocal cords.”
“Exactly.”
Andrea snapped her fingers in agreement with my statement.
Maybe because she’s an entertainer?
Her gestures of expression were quite exaggerated.
The concert itself was said to be similar to the one I attended with Catherine at the upper-class area, Royal Vegas.
To sing solely with pure voices in a Cyberpunk world? What nonsense is this?
“Honestly, I don’t care.”
Andrea casually dismissed my thoughts.
“I just have an amplified vocal cyberware; my voice is mine.”
There was a hint of quiet pride in her voice.
Andrea naturally continued her talk.
“But if the concert gets canceled due to terrorism, I think I’d be really upset.”
This concern could only come from Andrea, who loves simply singing.
I asked Andrea while suppressing my irritation.
“But there must be a separate security company responsible for that. In an upper-class area, it’s not like they paid just a little. Shouldn’t you not worry?”
“That’s a fair point, but I’m still anxious. I want to ask the mercenary I trust the most.”
In that case, she’d need to call Catherine.
Ignoring my dumbfounded expression, Andrea kept on talking.
“I also thought about calling someone from the security side. Actually, I already inquired about that.”
“And?”
Andrea cleared her throat.
Having appeared on a variety show a few times, it seems she picked up a knack for impressions.
Andrea spoke in a completely different voice.
“Ah, we are aware of that part. The security company we’ve hired is paying extra attention, so please don’t worry. Just focus on singing, Andrea.”
While speaking, she seemed a bit annoyed.
At the end, she added an F-word and touched her temple.
Looks like the impression isn’t over yet.
“And about bringing in new security, there are numerous details linked by contract, so we hope you understand, Andrea. ……That’s what it is! Seriously!”
Hmm.
I started to understand why Andrea asked me to be her “temporary manager.”
In other words.
“Are you asking me to disguise myself as a manager?”
“Precisely.”
Then Andrea murmured softly.
“…And also, I can stay close to you. So, the manager role fits quite nicely.”
That was a statement filled with selfish intentions.
Hmm.
It’s not without its reasons.
If it’s not just out of boredom, there’s really no reason for me to refuse Andrea’s request.
“What about Catherine?”
That was my honest opinion.
Catherine can respond better than I can in unexpected situations.
“I just asked Catherine and Eve separately.”
“When?”
“Just now.”
Speedy.
However, the roles Andrea asked from the two weren’t “manager” roles.
“I assigned them a seat in the audience.”
“…Is that really necessary?”
They could all just tag along with me as managers.
Reading my facial expression quickly, Andrea replied.
“Well, because of the Neo Luddites issue, there’s been talk internally that each manager should only bring one person with them. It’s really unavoidable.”
“……”
Is that so?
Since I’m not familiar with the entertainment industry, I have no way of knowing if that statement is true.
I stared intently at Andrea.
Andrea didn’t shy away from my gaze.
It felt like there was some hidden agenda…
Of course, the outcome of a staring contest with a beautiful and famous celebrity was pretty predictable.
I avoided Andrea’s eyes and said.
“…Alright then.”
Since it was called “temporary manager,” it should only last a day at most.
Without much thought, I answered.
Helping a friend isn’t a difficult task.
“So what time should I come tomorrow?”
Hearing my question, Andrea tilted her head as if she heard something strange.
“What do you mean?”
“?”
What do you mean, what?
Of course, I’m supposed to start working tomorrow—
And at that moment.
A sudden wave of chills raced down my spine.
Does she understand what I feel?
Andrea flashed a bright smile and continued.
“You need to hurry, get ready to leave now.”
And so began my 1-day (full-time) trial as a struggling socialite.
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