Historically, all ‘anniversaries’ are determined through some degree of social consensus.
Just like how nobody refers to December 25th as the ‘James Webb Space Telescope launch date’ instead of just ‘Christmas’.
Such social agreements are necessary to prevent the chaos that could arise in a group.
This is also true in a cyberpunk world where morals and ethics have (almost) vanished.
However.
It seems that their thoughts are somewhat detached from such social norms.
【Day 1 Anniversary】
What on earth is this day supposed to commemorate? And what joyful event warrants starting to celebrate from ‘Day 1’?
I just couldn’t understand.
There’s nothing more than ‘Day 1 Anniversary’ written down, and if I could deduce that right away, I wouldn’t be a wizard but a psychic.
So, I was going to ask the women around me what this anniversary was about.
But it was faster for them to come congratulate me than for me to ask.
“Wow, this day really came, huh.”
Andrea scratched her nose while speaking. Her expression radiated pure girliness.
Regardless of what this day is,
Other women started to speak up one by one, triggered by Andrea’s words.
“Congratulations.”
The super AI, Eve, wearing an ill-suited ‘party hat’, was the first to congratulate me.
“……”
The chairman, silently smiling, clapped softly.
“…Well, I’m not entirely dissatisfied, but I feel at ease.”
Catherine nodded in agreement with a small gesture.
“……Um.”
Natasha shyly lowered her head, unable to continue speaking.
“……Is this right?”
“…I don’t know either.”
Maya and Julia, who seemed still puzzled by the situation, awkwardly looked at each other while also clapping along with the others.
Somewhere, a voice saying ‘Omedeto-’ briefly hit my head.
Ugh, my head.
Shaking my head vigorously to clear my mind, I tried to comprehend the current situation.
“…So what exactly is this anniversary for?”
I just went up to the roof to chat with Drake and came back, yet somehow, Monolith employees created a congratulatory atmosphere during that time, which I couldn’t quite figure out.
Is this some kind of new harassment?
Everyone’s gaze shifted to ‘Eve’ upon hearing my question.
So you were the culprit…!
With that accusatory glare, Eve took a step closer to me.
Eve began to summarize and explain the current situation.
“It’s the anniversary of us becoming a couple.”
“…Who?”
“‘Us’, consisting of seven entities including ‘me’.”
“Who with?”
“With ‘Siwoon’.”
“?”
What about my opinion?
I was dizzy from the unexpected turn of events.
—
In the free city of Neon City, which lies outside the realm of national control, certain cultural frameworks do exist.
Specifically, ‘American culture’.
There are various detailed reasons for this within the game’s setting, but I think it’s simply because the game developers hail from America.
Of course, if you step outside, you’ll notice quite a few advertisements written in Japanese, and a significant number of geisha advertisement models with white makeup on their faces.
But that’s merely a remnant of the 1980s when the cyberpunk genre was pioneered, influenced by the Japanese bubble era.
Overall, excluding the unique cultures specific to regions, the dominant culture in the city is heavily Americanized.
This leads me to question,
‘What anniversary of starting a relationship in America….’
Americans generally don’t pay much attention to ‘dating culture’.
Unless it’s a proposal aimed at marriage, people usually just go about their lives and end up in a relationship eventually.
Of course, there are occasions where people go through the DTR (Define The Relationship) process before officially dating, but even in such cases, they don’t care for anniversaries like 100 days or 200 days as commonly as in South Korea.
Unless it’s a ‘wedding anniversary’.
…….
Hmm.
We haven’t even had a wedding yet.
Thank goodness for that.
I laughed hollowly and said,
“…What kind of dating anniversary is this? We’re not kids.”
It’s been already ten years since I’ve lived in this city.
Ten years is plenty of time for a Korean, armored in Confucian society, to become a resident of the cyberpunk world.
i‘So I should wear shoes at home-.’*
Cancel that.
i‘How could one wear shoes at home!!’*
As the cyberpunk local within me whispered like a devil, the Confucian noble within me suddenly snapped awake in horror.
Shoes are a no-go, after all.
Anyway, having re-centered myself as a Korean, I thought those pointless things while saying to her again,
“And I still haven’t confessed, you know.”
“Pfft.”
Catherine interrupted my words.
“Isn’t it all the same? You said you liked all seven of us.”
“?”
“You can always propose later.”
Let alone the latter part.
I looked at Eve.
At the same time, our eyes met.
“……”
“……”
Eve quietly nodded.
So I’ve raised a tiger cub….
I couldn’t hide my frustration as I contemplated the ease with which my personal information escaped like a South Korean security program.
While I was sighing and humorlessly chuckling,
Andrea clung to me, crossing her arms.
“Anyway, if you’re all on the same page, that’s good enough, right?”
That sudden skinship moment threw me off for a moment. I would describe it as extreme softness.
Catherine, observing this, narrowed her eyes at Andrea.
“…Isn’t that too close?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Andrea wiggled her finger while still attached to me.
Then she pointed at Eve, Julia, and Maya in succession.
“There are some people who move faster than the rest. In fact, Maya here had claimed to have kissed and then some.”
The expression of her words.
Maya blushed, chuckling as she protested her opinion.
“…I-I only kissed!”
“Same difference.”
Ignoring her objection without care, Andrea turned to the others and spoke straightforwardly.
“Basically, what I’m saying is, those who haven’t done much have to step up to the plate.”
I can’t really argue logically with that.
However, from my ethical standpoint, that sentiment is utterly mistaken.
“What do you think? Is my point wrong?”
““……””
But it seemed like a very intriguing conversation for the others.
Catherine, Natasha, and the chairman all flinched at the same time.
The rapid flow of dialogue made it difficult to keep up. I collected my confused thoughts and cautiously raised my hand.
“Uh, my opinion is…”
“Don’t like it?”
“…Not that I dislike it.”
I was just overwhelmed.
I had indeed acknowledged my feelings on the roof but never anticipated it would escalate this quickly.
I swallowed slowly.
I scanned the surroundings carefully.
…….
These people.
Their eyes seem a tad scary.
A brief silence ensued.
Perhaps seeing that as ‘agreement’, they began to approach me.
Why does everyone’s breathing feel so rough?
I instinctively tried to back away, but I couldn’t escape Andrea’s tight grip.
I thought at least Natasha or the chairman would step back and check the mood, but they too were inching closer.
I tried to calm them down and said,
“Wait a moment.”
“I told you, we’re just going to take turns kissing.”
That’s precisely what scares me.
I internally countered Andrea’s statement.
Still, I did want to set a bit of ambiance, but all ambiance was gone. I felt like a civilian standing naked before a pack of wild beasts.
Is there really no one here to help me?
I momentarily glanced towards Eve, Julia, and Maya.
“…Can someone help─.”
Then I stopped speaking.
Just moments ago, they had all maintained their rational minds, but now, they had joined my increasingly wild group.
Is there really no way out?
……
There isn’t.
I felt like a condemned man walking to the gallows as I told Andrea, who was still gripping me,
“…Then just for a second.”
“……Why.”
Had I retained just a smidge of rationality?
Andrea responded to my words.
All seven of them stood frozen, gazing at me.
To protect my last shred of dignity, I made a very tiny request.
“I’ll just go brush my teeth. I mean, we should match the atmosphere to some degree, right…?”
I trailed off my words.
The atmosphere around me felt strange.
Their breaths seemed to grow even heavier.
Andrea muttered softly.
“…Did you seduce them first?”
“Eh?”
Excuse me, ladies?
And at that moment.
The seven of them, who were stronger than me physically, charged towards me as if a stampede had commenced.
That day, I realized the potential life-threatening risk involved in kissing.
—
Dr. Terra (Bioware Expert, Egg Ghost, Doctor) arrived promptly after an urgent summon.
“Did you break a rib?”
I nodded silently.
It hurt too much with every breath I took.
Dr. Terra tilted her simple metallic face slightly, scratching her chin. Though expressionless, her tone was filled with curiosity.
“What on earth happened?”
This time, I did not respond.
I merely stole a glance at the awkwardly positioned perpetrators around me.
“……”
Everyone wore an expression of guilt.
It seemed they felt ashamed for momentarily losing control and violating my fragile body.
The only reason they could stop was the injury to my ribs.
Considering the situation, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I had passed out entirely.
I never expected to witness such a bizarre rainbow of experiences, not even during my time as a mercenary.
First, I needed to deal with this weak body.
I sighed inwardly and pondered my next steps.
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