Andrea prepared for the outing and said,
“First, the day starts at a café.”
“?”
I had a question mark on my face.
What’s the relationship between morning and a café?
Her statement lightly dismissed my common sense.
Watching my reaction, Andrea clicked her tongue and waved her finger. What’s up with that?
“Famous singers do it like that.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“The routine sets the day’s mood. Even if you don’t get it, it is what it is.”
“…….”
I wanted to say, ‘Stop talking nonsense and just get in the van’, but I managed to swallow it down.
It was me who said I’d be her ‘daily manager.’
It wouldn’t hurt to indulge Andrea’s whims for a day.
“…So, where are we going?”
“There’s a pretty good mille-feuille here.”
As Andrea mentioned a fancy French dessert, she guided me to a café with a classy atmosphere.
Upper-Class Area, huh? They even have cafés around here.
【What can I help you with?】
“Two lattes based on double shot espresso, use skim milk, dark roasting beans, and pile on the chocolate drizzle and java chips. Oh, and I want a mille-feuille too, using only organic fruits.”
Andrea recited a complicated order.
If ‘magic’ required spells, Andrea would definitely make an impressive wizard.
Having little experience with cafés, I had no clue what that order was even about.
A serving robot soon approached us sitting on the terrace.
“Try it, it’s delicious.”
It did look tasty, though.
I nodded at Andrea’s words.
For now, the drink first.
“Hmm.”
I let out a short groan.
Here are my thoughts:
……
It’s way too sweet; I can’t handle it.
The price surely was about ten times higher than the Middle-Class area, but the taste didn’t match that tenfold difference.
I quietly placed the coffee cup down.
This shouldn’t be called coffee. It’s a chocolate drink posing as coffee.
Unless I had a pancreas BioWare implant, this menu would be tough for anyone with less than two pancreases.
Anyways, Andrea is enjoying it, so I watched her sip from the coffee cup, twirling the contents with a straw. Look at her go, our Andrea.
Before long, Andrea scarfed down the dessert and started explaining the rest of the day’s schedule.
“After the café, we’re going for a walk. There’s a nice walking path nearby.”
“Ooo, a walk sounds great.”
I nodded in response.
Usually, the air quality in the Upper-Class area was good enough not to require masks. No health concerns here.
I could follow that logic.
But I couldn’t just brush off what she said next.
“The next stop is the zoo.”
“Pardon?”
I questioned Andrea, doubting if I heard her correctly.
“Didn’t I say that’s the set routine for the day?”
“That’s right.”
“……”
Understanding my silence, Andrea shrugged.
“I know it might sound unbelievable.”
No, it seems like an outright lie.
Andrea continued,
“But it’s true.”
“……”
“Baby pandas are super cute; just watching them feels healing.”
Pandas being cute aside…
I finally regained my senses and asked Andrea with a hint of hope,
“…So, once we reach the zoo, the day’s routine ends, right?”
“Not a chance.”
Slowly, Andrea’s smiling face started to resemble a devilish grin. I was beginning to understand why her nicknames were ‘Devil’ and ‘Red Horn.’
Andrea brushed off my words cleanly and looked at me.
“There are about five more spots after that, but not too many.”
“……”
“But don’t worry, it’ll be over before midnight.”
“Ah.”
Hearing Andrea’s last words, I let out a short groan.
Today’s ‘day’ was just beginning.
I realized the ‘manager work’ hadn’t even started yet.
I cautiously raised my hand.
In a pious and polite posture.
I suggested to Andrea,
“Can we just go home?”
“Absolutely not.”
“……”
Ah…
This is what ‘going to work’ feels like.
I newfound respect for everyone living in this world.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
It was autumn.
—
As I passed through a thick partition tunnel,
a dark blue Milky Way sparkled brightly.
Even if it’s just a hologram displayed through protective screens, its beauty didn’t fade.
Even if its reality was full of clouds and pollution.
Andrea, sitting in the backseat, asked me,
“Are we there yet?”
“Uh-huh, a bit more and we’ll arrive.”
I answered her while checking the navigation.
Just a few minutes away.
I glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror.
Andrea was rolling around while hugging a panda plush toy she got from the zoo.
She must’ve had the same schedule as me, yet
there was no sign of tiredness on her face.
I stifled a yawn.
I asked the relaxed-looking Andrea,
“Did you have fun today?”
“Yeah.”
Well, that’s a relief.
I had dragged her around doing all sorts of tiring things, it would’ve shattered my fragile mental state if she’d said she didn’t enjoy the day.
I lightly shook my head to focus.
After all, our main goal was the ‘concert.’
That’s why I became a daily manager.
Even though my trashy physical attributes were exhausting me greatly, I couldn’t afford to zone out after such a jam-packed day.
“Going into the underground parking lot?”
“Ah, we’ll turn left here.”
Following Andrea’s instructions, I drove the van into the grand dome.
It was slightly later than I had expected.
Partly due to following Andrea’s ‘routine’ and also because I wasn’t that great at driving.
“Wow, look at those people.”
The performance was just around the corner.
The audience seemed to be flowing in large numbers. Thankfully, there were separate roads and entrances for the officials.
I felt the shudder as I drove down the bumpy road towards the underground parking lot.
As we descended deeper into the underground,
the crowds gradually faded away.
Soon, we underwent identity checks through surveillance cameras.
Andrea, looking familiar with it, flashed her wrist to finish the scan.
【‘Andrea Rose’ and one more person. Identity confirmed. Welcome.】
Once we reached the restricted area for the officials,
not a single regular person could be spotted in the vicinity.
Then, Andrea stretched wide as she got out of the car.
“Phew.”
I turned off the engine and asked Andrea,
“Can we go right up?”
“Yeah, the elevator’s over there.”
Finally, the end of the day was in sight.
Though if you thought about it, this was really just the beginning of my genuine manager duties, but I chose to ignore the inconvenient truth.
We made our way towards the elevator in silence.
Exhaustion was one reason.
The quiet surroundings were another.
In the vast underground parking lot,
only the sound of our footsteps echoed softly.
As I took a step, Andrea followed suit.
It felt like we were in sync with a steady rhythm.
Noticing the vibe, Andrea suddenly smiled and snuggled up beside me.
“Hey, what about linking arms?”
“What’s the big deal?”
Maybe we spent so much time together that
her spatial awareness was off.
I couldn’t understand why she would risk being seen by paparazzi, even in the restricted area.
“You could cause misunderstandings if you do this in public.”
“I don’t do that with others.”
……
Now I really didn’t get it.
No matter how thick-headed I might be,
I couldn’t ignore how women, including Andrea, felt about me.
And that made it hard to push her away.
Of course, my timid nature played a part,
and the fact that Andrea was stronger than me made it hard to reject her.
A quiet tension hung in the air.
I stopped in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive slowly.
“……”
I didn’t need to lower my head to know Andrea was looking at me.
As I wished for the elevator to arrive quickly to end this atmosphere,
Andrea opened her mouth.
“…Like I said before, today was fun. Really.”
Only then did I lower my head.
I looked at Andrea.
“…I heard that the three of us went to an amusement park the last time, and that’s why I wanted to go to the zoo.”
Andrea subtly turned her gaze forward.
“Well, I also wanted to see the panda, that’s true.”
Pandas are really hard to resist.
Chuckling lightly, I replied to Andrea.
“Glad to hear you had fun. And don’t overthink it, do you really think I’d believe that routine of yours?”
I meant it lightly to change the mood, but it seemed like Andrea appreciated that point.
“See, that’s what I’m thankful for.”
……
The atmosphere got weirder by the minute.
Maybe it’s because she’s a famous singer, lifting her gaze like this made it feel like I could fall into her crimson eyes. Those eyelashes were incredibly long too.
Wait,
was Andrea’s face this close?
Not only that,
it felt like she was getting even closer—.
– Ding Dong.
“Hey, the elevator’s here. Let’s get in.”
Fortunately, the elevator arrived just in time.
I turned my gaze towards the elevator.
And then—
“Welcome.”
Eve appeared.
I rubbed my eyes carefully.
Wondering if I was hallucinating.
““……””
It really was Eve.
…Wait,
have you been watching the whole time?
Just as I was about to ask that question,
the surrounding lights vanished in an instant.
The elevator.
The lights.
Even the LEDs of the fire equipment.
All the light disappeared, plunging us into darkness.
And in that darkness, the only thing illuminating was Eve’s white eyes.
I cautiously gathered my mana.
Creating light to brighten the surroundings.
I couldn’t tell you exactly why, but for some reason, dry saliva was swallowed down.
…Eve?
Noticing my thoughts,
Eve calmly spoke up.
“There might be some misunderstandings, but I am not the one who created this situation.”
“…….”
“It’s true.”
At this moment, it was hard to believe her.
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