The tension made me feel nauseous.
It wasn’t to the point of feeling like I had a hole in me like a certain Megacorp’s Executive Secretary, but I definitely felt the need for a protective membrane for my stomach after the wedding was over.
How many times have I ever been this tense in my life?
I could easily count at least five fingers worth. For reference, number one was when I fell into the game.
The glaring lights were blinding.
Then again, if the ceremony’s lights were too dim, that would be a problem as well.
I understood the sentiment of blessing the newlyweds, but from my perspective as someone being blessed, I felt a bit like I was about to hyperventilate.
All I wanted was a glass of cold water.
Unfortunately, there was no time to put it off any further.
Originally it would have been the hotel concierge, but now, having transformed into a wedding coordinator for the day, the employee shot me a signal with their eyes while receiving instructions through the microphone.
“Are you ready?”
“…No.”
“Haha, just kidding.”
Not really a joke.
But pretending to be calm was one of the things I excelled at, unless you count the times I became extremely depressed.
Anyway,
I wish I had a mirror, but at this moment, I felt like a runner standing at the starting line. There was no way to postpone things or escape.
I could hear Rex Nova’s faint voice echoing through the closed door in front of me.
“……!”
We had talked earlier, but he must be incredibly busy with his schedule. Still, I appreciated him taking on the role of officiant for the wedding.
I took a light breath.
The bride’s preparations, which felt like they’d last a lifetime, were finally over, and now the wedding was about to begin.
I was utterly tense. Counting down didn’t help; it was serious.
At that moment, the employee next to me continued speaking.
“I will now give you the signal. The door will open, and you can enter immediately.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
“Not at all. Congratulations on your wedding once again.”
…This is really it.
I recalled the order of the ceremony in my mind.
First, the groom would enter, and then the officiant… or was the officiant already inside? I couldn’t remember.
Honestly, I even questioned who we asked to officiate since none of us attended church or a cathedral.
In this city where American culture was widespread, an officiant required a certificate (paid subscription), making it incredibly hard to guess.
“The doors are now opening. Please prepare.”
…Well, it’s not like the officiant’s identity was that important.
The large doors of the venue began to open.
Bright lights streamed out, unveiling a long aisle over a carpeted floor in front of me.
I locked eyes with a few guests who had come to celebrate the wedding beyond the door.
Tom, Harry, Mav, Merlin… and there’s Gable, whom I just exchanged greetings with earlier.
I had spoken to them over the phone last time, but I didn’t expect them to be in good enough shape to actually attend the wedding.
“Now, the newlywed groom shall enter, happier than anyone today!”
I could hear Rex Nova’s voice.
…I don’t even know anymore.
I guess I’ll just give it a try.
With deliberate steps, I walked forward.
My steps felt incredibly heavy, but I didn’t let it show.
At least it was a relief that everyone there was familiar.
My tension eased a little.
Even Rex Nova, who was emceeing, felt somewhat friendly, like a neighbor.
Looking back, I realized I had met him quite a bit.
I had been to corporate parties with the chairman, participated in live shows named after him with Andrea, and he even emceed when Drake got married.
If I wasn’t familiar with him, it would be weirder.
I tried to bow to Rex Nova to thank him for officiating.
However,
My gaze was drawn first to the person standing next to Rex Nova.
Since they had taken off their usual cyber sunglasses, I almost didn’t recognize them. However, their distinctive features were too vivid to ignore.
The bald head that could reach 2M (important), shining golden teeth, and an extravagant suit that looked like it was about to burst.
It was Drake.
“…What are you doing over there?”
I lowered my voice and asked Drake instead of giving my usual greetings.
Drake shook his head and chuckled.
“The first thing you say to a friend who just got a wedding officiant’s certificate for today is that…?”
…No wonder he wasn’t visible among the guests.
Keeping that fact a secret from even the groom seemed too much to me.
Having sorted out the situation, I looked up at Drake who stood on the stage and grinned.
“…When did you get that certificate anyway? By the way, anyone can get an officiant’s certificate?”
“My friend, there’s nothing in Neon City that can’t be solved with credits.”
I wondered if there was a requirement to speak like that when officiating. A bit of doubt crept in.
“And even if I look like this, I’m a devout religious person who goes to church with Lorenda every week.”
“You! You’ve asked me out for drinks a few times just to avoid going—”
“Cough, cough.”
Drake cleared his throat, interrupting me.
He got married in a church.
I heard last time that Lorenda arranged the wedding location. It wasn’t too surprising that he got dragged to church every week by her.
Anyway,
What mattered now was that we were in the middle of a wedding ceremony. It was one thing to chit-chat, but it wasn’t the best place to have a conversation.
Still, my tension had completely lifted.
As our greetings ended, Rex Nova, who was watching the scene, turned to the guests.
“As I’ve mentioned, today’s officiant, Mr. Drake Carter, is also the groom’s friend. The blessings from the divinity on this wedding will be even more profound. Haha.”
Maybe because he was a famous MC, Rex Nova’s formal compliments sounded somewhat special.
I slowly scanned the guests.
The seats where the parents of the bride and groom should have been were now empty.
Right before I fell into the game, my parents’ faces naturally came to mind.
Haha, Parents… Your child has grown up to the point of getting married….
Nothing had changed since I saw the game’s ending; I had long since given up on returning to my original world.
So it didn’t make me terribly sad. I had accepted the fact that I’d have to live here for the rest of my life.
However, sometimes I did wish I could at least see them in my dreams.
“We just received news that the brides are ready! Thank you for your patience, everyone!”
Right?
They took an awful long time in the waiting room earlier; I was curious what preparations took that long.
“The brides are entering! Please welcome them with applause!”
They usually played a song when entering, but apart from the clapping, no music could be heard.
By the way, brides…
I could already picture the neon city officials’ puzzled faces upon receiving the marriage registration documents.
Bright white lights filled my vision.
The atmosphere was a bit different from when I entered earlier.
In truth, the main characters of the wedding are the brides.
With joy on their faces, I waited for their entrance.
– Clunk!
At that moment, the sound of the power switch being flipped off echoed. All the lights in the venue turned off, and darkness enveloped the area instantly.
“…?!”
What the heck is this?
I activated the hint function of my mechanical eye.
Simultaneously, I tried to dash forward to check the brides’ condition.
At that moment, a large hand gripped my shoulder.
Through the hazy noise, I could see Drake shaking his head.
Looking over, I realized that there wasn’t really a severe reaction from the guests either. There were murmurs here and there, but no one seemed truly shocked.
The vibe at the moment was….
– Clunk, clunk, clunk-
Gradually, the lights came back on in sequence.
I instinctively closed my eyes. My eyes were blinded since the hint function was still active.
As my vision slowly normalized,
I started to make out the shapes of people.
And then,
In front of me─.
Seven brides in wedding dresses appeared.
“…….”
I shut my gaping mouth, trying hard to maintain my composure. My lips trembled involuntarily.
I regretted not spending more credits on my mechanical eye.
I was certain I would never forget today’s memory for my entire lifetime.
The inside of the venue was filled with a stagnant atmosphere.
There was a hologram screen on the stage reflecting my image along with the brides, and if even 1% of the emotion I felt got conveyed, it would be natural for the guests to be overwhelmed.
“Ah….”
Even Rex Nova’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Drake, who managed to keep his composure, patted Rex Nova on the shoulder.
He hadn’t forgotten his role as the emcee, quickly raising his voice to organize the situation.
“Haha! As previously mentioned, there is a surprise appearance by the brides!”
I’m listening in on this.
…So I was taken aback because of that.
Since it wasn’t a professional officiant conducting the ceremony, it didn’t take too long.
“Do you vow in this place that you will live in love, faith, and happiness for a lifetime without changing?”
I turned to look at the brides.
“Of course.”
The brides blushing lightly stared at me.
As if they had talked about it beforehand, they glanced at each other, and then simultaneously answered in sync.
““Of course!””
Their excitement was so contagious that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Finally, we will exchange rings. Groom, please present the rings you’ve prepared.”
There were seven wedding rings.
This was going to be quite a task.
I could use magic to present them all at once like when I proposed last time, but for a wedding, I wanted to give each one individually.
The brides began to step out one by one from the center.
First was Eve.
Who would have guessed I’d end up having a relationship with an AI I rescued from a crumbling company?
Eve used to always have a blank expression.
However, over time, her emotions had become more vivid. Now, she even had a blush on her face.
Eve stopped in front of me.
“I want to say a lot, but there are many steps to get through right now, so it’s hard.”
Eve smiled in a more human tone.
“I just love you.”
If I had a way with words, I would have recited a poem.
I felt a bit regretful.
I slid the wedding ring onto Eve’s left ring finger. In turn, Eve slipped a ring onto my finger.
If it were a standard wedding, I’d typically put on an engagement ring as well, but considering that I would have to wear over six rings, that would be a challenge.
Following Eve, Catherine stood in front of me next.
I expected her to look sulky for not being the first, but Catherine’s face was full of joy.
Perhaps noticing my thoughts, Catherine gazed at me with slightly glistening eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m not the first. We’re all lined up in order of height anyway.”
…Was that so?
“Still, I feel bad.”
“It’s fine. I’m satisfied with this. Because I love you. And I’ve loved you since long ago.”
Next up was Natasha.
I beheld her, the head of all intermediaries in this city, who has now become the boss of the city itself.
“I haven’t seen you for a while, I’m sorry. As you can imagine, I’ve been quite busy.”
“No, that’s understandable.”
“But, let’s just drop the formalities today. I never thought a day like this would come… I love you.”
Next stood the blood king with the red hair.
“I’m not one for lengthy speeches, so…”
“…Then?”
“I just love you.”
Then came the chairman, Taylor.
“I was the one who brought up standing in order of height.”
“…Huh?”
“I vow that I will love you so that we can be each other’s joy in life, and support and happiness for our remaining lives as I place this ring. …Hehe.”
Then Maya dashed over to me, almost skipping.
“You said you would protect me before, right?”
“I did.”
“Now that we’re married, I’ll protect you too, Siwoon! It’s a promise, a vow, I love you!”
The last was Julia.
I looked down at her as she approached me.
“……I honestly think I don’t belong in this place. …I can’t compare to the others….”
“But you accepted the proposal.”
“…I will love you that much. …For a lifetime.”
Tears welled in Julia’s eyes.
Earlier, Catherine also looked like she was about to cry, but Julia started sobbing outright.
There was some commotion due to that, but,
Anyway…
It was a wedding I could call happy.
*
Following this, the reception, known as the wedding banquet, began noisily.
“…….”
[…….]
I bowed my head deeply at the sight of my father-in-law, Maya’s father, visible beyond the hologram screen.
Thinking about it, I had forgotten to ask him to contact me during the wedding.
