My first-ever “ring shopping” took a bit longer than I expected.
I didn’t know much about jewelry like rings, so I had no choice but to rely on the employee’s recommendations.
But then,
[That’s the lowest-selling item of the season. Please request additional crafting.]
[There are slight scratches on the gemstone. We recommend examining it with a microscope camera.]
[Alright. Please let me know that I will check just five more samples.]
Eve’s influence was immense.
The employee murmured with a slightly exhausted expression.
“…A total of 14 rings, all wrapped individually. How should I assist with the delivery?”
You could see he was more disappointed about not selling the desired product than happy about increasing sales. On the other hand, he might have seen me as a marriage scammer.
Anyway, since it was a high-end brand store, the hard case containing the rings looked sturdy.
Or maybe I received special service because I paid in full what could be years of a corporate worker’s annual salary.
I accepted the hard case handed by the employee.
“For now, I’ll have the wedding rings sent to my address, and I’ll take the engagement rings separately.”
The employee bowed slightly at my words.
“I understand. Additionally, this store provides a security service that safely escorts customers back home. It is affiliated with a private medical organization called ‘Heal and Run’—”
“Oh, that’s alright.”
I really didn’t need it.
I declined the employee’s suggestion, putting my hood back on.
In the distance, I could see the employees preparing for the security detail returning to their posts. Since it was a store dealing with valuables, it seemed such services were common.
“Understood. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“…Um.”
Why, I wondered.
Suddenly, the face of a “dragon” popped into my mind.
i‘…Do you dare to ignore the green light signal sent by your master!’i
Just one more ring…, no, what am I thinking?
I lightly subdued the troublesome thought that had surfaced.
i‘Kaaah!!’i
It seemed like strange thoughts popped up as a major upheaval in life approached.
Even thinking this way made me feel sorry for Teddy. The other day, I saw that Teddy called the dragon ‘mother’ and followed her closely.
The dragon’s interest in me was primarily due to the “attributes” that made up my body.
Animal oppositionalism.
My master had once told me I seemed to give off a chilling vibe that could easily become addictive.
That might have been a comment casting doubt on the dragon’s hidden tastes, but it probably wasn’t genuine talk or action.
…So, it should be fine not to worry too much.
I accepted the employees’ farewells, holding a hard case full of engagement rings in one hand as I turned to leave the store─.
…….
Wait a minute. I stopped.
I walked back to the employee.
The employee stared at me as if puzzled. The porcelain-white cyberware reflected the lights.
“Did you forget something?”
I scratched my head at the employee’s question.
“…Ah, just in case. I want to buy one more pair of rings as a backup.”
“…….”
The employee’s expression became extremely strange.
Probably, he looked like, ‘Why would you need a backup engagement ring and wedding ring?’
…Well, it’s not like it’s completely irrelevant; it is a genuinely possible scenario.
Since I had plenty of credits, there was no downside to buying them.
—
42. The Endless Path of Wandering (2)
—
I was sitting briefly in the park in Center Plaza, near the jewelry store.
“…Aah.”
I sighed, looking at the hard case containing the engagement rings.
A proposal…
Traditionally, proposals are a dream and romance for women. Of course, in my case, the engagement ceremony (that started without me realizing) had already ended.
Still, it’s customary to gift an engagement ring during the proposal and a wedding ring at the wedding.
Thinking back, I hadn’t openly confessed to any of the women yet.
I had only been forcefully confessed to.
I chuckled softly, recalling a banner that read “From today onwards, day one.”
Already, inside Catherine, the fruits of our labor were starting to grow. There was no more time to dawdle.
And who knows?
The other cohabitants might also be holding onto their results, even if I hadn’t checked…
In any case,
A marriage was just around the corner.
A strange BGM flowed through my mind.
i‘Ooo, the endless path of wandering~.’i
That’s precisely what marriage is.
Now, let’s sort my thoughts.
How exactly should I propose?
Essentially, every proposal is implicitly understood to be done with a “surprise gift” and “ambush”-style.
That was the reason I had specifically asked Drake to guide me to the jewelry store in the middle class.
If I went to the upper-class area, it wouldn’t be easy to avoid the gazes of my fiancées. Of course, Eve had already caught on.
“…Hmm.”
I pondered deeply by myself.
I had no experience proposing (and I would be in trouble if I did), and there was no one around to share stories with.
As a side note, I heard that Drake asked Lorenda if they should get married right after hearing the news of her pregnancy.
That was probably why he was being berated until now.
Hotel reservations, fancy restaurants, or should I do it as an event in cinemas or performances?
Nothing particularly catchy came to mind.
It wasn’t just one partner; there were seven of them.
What if I proposed, and they didn’t even accept it?
Thinking like that made my heart shrink.
What if they refuse?
An ominous possibility stirred within.
I wished there was someone around to consult with…
At that moment, two men dashed past the bench I was sitting on.
In the hands of the running man was the hard case that had been placed before me.
“Got it! The Beju or…, whatever bag!”
“Dude! Damn, just run, we don’t have time to talk!”
I stared blankly at the scene.
The speed wasn’t too fast. It was presumed they didn’t have professional cyberware equipment.
With smiles on their faces, they checked how many were following me and confirmed my appearance repeatedly.
Everyone could tell they were amateur thieves.
I let out a deep sigh and lightly touched my eyelids.
“…Hah.”
Even in the middle class, which had relatively good security, even in Center Plaza, there were still thieves. To run off with a bag like that, they really were incompetent.
Most people in this area are corporate employees, so the risk is significant; I wonder what they were thinking?
Well, considering the price of the rings inside the bag, it was probably worth the risk.
Anyway,
Before my thoughts turned any longer, I began to spin the mana within me.
It was a technique long forgotten from my master. Merlin was his name…
But still, in my book, this was easier and stronger.
I snapped my fingers.
Their fleeing bodies slowly levitated into the air. Floating like this with just wind would be difficult.
What I used was telekinesis magic.
Distracted in their escape, it seemed they hadn’t realized they were floating in mid-air.
They were frantically kicking their legs in an attempt to run, staring blankly ahead.
Then, as if time rewound, they floated back toward me.
“……Huh?”
The thieves arrived in front of me.
Maybe it was because they had experienced the childhood dream of “flying in the air,” their expressions were filled with confusion.
“…You bought another strange piece of cyberware again?!”
“N-no!!”
The thieves wrestled each other, grabbing my bag and each other’s hair.
A few seconds passed, and then they finally stopped when they spotted me sitting on the bench.
“Uh.”
“…Um.”
It seems they realized who had made this situation.
Without saying a word, I extended my palm.
One of them handed the hard case back to me. It was a very polite gesture.
He looked particularly foolish.
“…Hehe, uh, uh! I just caught it because I thought it might fly away…..”
Before he could finish his words, another guy gave him a sharp jab to the ribs, cutting him off.
The one who’d stopped his friend’s foolishness then looked at me and knelt, bowing. It was winter, so he had on a thick fur hat.
The guy who previously seemed foolish followed suit and knelt down.
“We- we’re sorry! Please, just don’t call the NCPD…! At home, my mother and bear-like wife, and hyena-like children are starving…”
“……?”
That was a bit of a strange example.
[Actually, the family relations have been recorded identically in the city database. It doesn’t seem like a lie.]
I heard Eve’s voice and took a long breath.
“Hmmm….”
But I couldn’t just let it go after almost being robbed.
Then why do we have laws (that are rarely upheld) and police (that rarely do their jobs)?
I placed the hard case down on the bench. Stood up, and approached them.
They were sweating profusely in the cold and waiting for my judgment with bated breath.
I halted in front of the man who had begged about his family.
“I’m really sorry! Just let me off this time, and I promise it won’t happen again!”
“First, I want to ask something.”
It felt a bit inappropriate to be polite to a thief. I casually questioned him.
“Just tell me! I’ll gladly share whatever you want!”
“How did you propose?”
His noisy chatter came to an abrupt halt.
In the silence, I tilted my head slightly.
The man’s face was filled with disdain. The foolish man kneeling beside him looked at me like ‘what the hell is this idiot saying….’
Ah, maybe I phrased it a bit weirdly.
I quickly waved my hands.
“No, I mean, I’m genuinely curious. It seems I’ll have to propose soon too.”
“…….”
Their expressions grew weirder.
The man listening to me raised his head slightly and asked.
“…Why to me?”
“If you don’t want to, just go to the NCPD—”
“But I can say right away that I’m the Romeo of Neon City, the embodiment of romanticism, and the best proposal expert in town.”
Ooh…
Wisdom can come from the mouths of children.
There could be worthwhile lessons from a thief too.
I squatted down in front of them, preparing to listen.
At that moment, the foolish man next to him nudged his friend and opened his mouth.
“…Hey, what are you talking about? You’ve been rejected by Vicky six times. You barely got permission after getting drunk and causing a scene saying you’d die if you couldn’t marry her….”
I glanced at the man.
“…….”
“…….”
He painfully averted his gaze from mine.
I stood up from my squatting position.
“Just give me one chance! Hey, if you’re an idiot, at least shut up!”
“Still, that’s a bit of a stretch….”
“Damn it, did you forget what got us here?!”
“…Ah!”
I didn’t know if he was a romanticism embodiment, but he certainly looked like the embodiment of “Dumb and Dumber.”
This was funnier than most comedy shows.
At that moment, I heard Eve’s voice.
[What do you intend to do? If you want, I can arrange for you to be imprisoned in Pelicanus.]
“…It’s not like I want to go that far for this.”
Pelicanus is the prison where only serious criminals are held. It was also where Maya, who couldn’t cure the Chrome Psycho, once resided.
I pondered while looking at the two bickering.
Hmm….
“Ah.”
An idea popped into my head.
I continued speaking with Eve.
“I’m saying this now since I’ve already been found out, but I’m planning to propose to everyone.”
[…Okay.]
Her voice was as formal as usual, but there was an unmistakable glimmer of “anticipation” in it.
“So, the plans I’ll undertake must remain secret from everyone. If anyone asks, just say you don’t know.”
[Understood.]
Alright.
With Eve on my side, a plan that had to work sprang to mind.
I looked down at the thief with a smile.
Seeing my grin, perhaps feeling something ominous, the two who were bickering suddenly ceased their actions and looked up at me.
“…Wha, master?”
I didn’t respond to the man’s words and declared the start of the surprise proposal operation.
“From now on, you two are kidnappers.”
“…Huh? Who are we kidnapping?”
Who do you think it is?
“Me.”
“……?”
