Justin Borg soothed his aching stomach.
It was now a chronic discomfort that came and went. He had even undergone related bioware surgery at the hospital, but absurdly enough, there was no improvement whatsoever.
‘…Looks like a quack doctor.’
The doctor provided no proper solution.
All he managed to say was,
– ‘You should remove the cause of your stress; it will help alleviate the pain.’
Recalling the doctor’s seemingly regretful voice, Justin Borg swallowed the prescribed medication. Fortunately, it was fast-acting, and the pain soon subsided.
With an expression visibly relaxed, Justin Borg gently rubbed his epigastric region while reflecting on the doctor’s words.
‘…The cause of the stress, huh?’
It was something he couldn’t possibly eliminate.
In fact, his own potential removal seemed far more likely.
Thinking of a certain ‘wizard,’ Justin Borg let out a long sigh.
“…Hah.”
However, he couldn’t afford to stay like this forever.
There was still a mountain of overdue work. There were many proposals he needed to prepare to assist the chairman.
Doing his best to push aside the stress (the wizard’s existence) that piled up in his mind, Justin Borg tried to check his calendar for the next schedule.
– Beep.
A simple and straightforward notification sound echoed.
Touching the small screen attached to his desk, Justin Borg noted that it seemed his subordinate outside had sent an alert.
“What’s going on?”
[Um, well…]
It was a voice unbefitting a megacorp employee. The long-winded way of speaking caused Justin Borg’s brows to furrow.
“…You know I hate wasting time, right? Get to the point.”
Yet, even after he pointed that out, his subordinate on the other end of the voice channel couldn’t continue speaking.
Just as Justin Borg was about to raise his voice again, he heard a gulping sound.
[U- um, an important guest has arrived…]
“……?”
—
Justin Borg was the very definition of a rational person.
It had been that way for as long as I had known him.
Despite holding the powerful position of Executive Secretary of Monolith, he never appeared arrogant or ostentatious.
Honestly, given my experience in the game, I knew.
I was aware that Justin Borg harbored a sort of ‘elite mentality’ regarding those outside the upper class, but the reality was that he was just a polite young man (even if he wasn’t actually young).
That was still the case today.
Visiting him without notice felt incredibly rude.
However, the protagonist, Justin Borg, looked at me with (albeit awkwardly) a smile.
I opened my mouth towards him.
“I know I dropped by too suddenly, haha.”
“…Not at all.”
Looking at his stiff face, it seemed like it was true…
I examined Justin Borg’s attire. He was currently gingerly rubbing his epigastric area.
He must not be feeling well.
“Uh, first of all, congratulations on your discharge.”
“…Thank you. So, what brings you here…?”
Even though I had just said, ‘I came to check if you’re okay,’ he seemed to have realized that my words were merely for show.
“All right, I get it, just tell me what you need and leave,” Justin Borg’s expression managed to convey.
His hair styled neatly backward was coming loose in a few places. He seemed a bit tense.
Still, I preferred a fast progression of the conversation.
Without hesitation, I got straight to the point.
“I want to attend a party being unofficially hosted in the city.”
“……?”
I interpreted Justin Borg’s expression of silence. It clearly said, ‘Why are you telling me this?’
…Am I misremembering something?
After all, it had been over ten years since I last played the game. There was a good chance I might be mistaken about something.
I added the explanation with a slightly faltering voice.
“…Y-you don’t know? I thought there was a secret party that high-ranking officials and famous personalities in the city attend.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be wrong, as Justin Borg replied with a somewhat hesitant tone.
“No, I do know about it. I even remember attending a few myself. But…”
Justin Borg began massaging the skin around his eyes.
His fatigue was evident.
“You could probably ask Shun’s entourage, they’re likely to have an invitation.”
“Oh, the chairman?”
“…The chairman isn’t going to send ‘just’ such an invitation. The very idea could be seen as insulting. What I’m saying is…”
Justin Borg’s fingers, resting on the desk, twitched.
“…It’s possible that Andrea, who had her ‘engagement ceremony’ with Shun, also received a party invitation. She’s quite the influential celebrity.”
I wondered why he seemed to emphasize the word ‘engagement ceremony,’ but it sounded plausible.
The status of Andrea in the game and the reality differed significantly.
She was quite a famous singer in the game, but the current global adoration wasn’t at that level.
I should have asked Andrea then.
Thinking back, she wasn’t at dinner yesterday. She mentioned she was at a concert. So right now, she wouldn’t know what’s going on.
As I continued to gather my thoughts, Justin Borg asked me a curious question.
“Sorry for asking, but could I inquire what your business at the party is?”
“Oh, I need an opportunity to have a private meeting with the city’s mayor. But it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to just barge into City Hall.”
I replied while looking at Justin Borg.
Justin Borg’s expression turned somewhat complicated upon hearing my reasoning.
“…This is just my personal opinion, but that’s the kind of thing you could just directly ask the chairman for. After all, you had, um, the engagement ceremony with the chairman last time.”
His complexion began to pale gradually.
At this rate, I might need to call a hit-and-run emergency service on my way out.
Still, I have considered Justin Borg’s opinion.
“I just don’t want to bother the chairman for such a trivial matter.”
My words left Justin Borg staring blankly.
“…….”
“…….”
I read the soundless voice Justin Borg was conveying.
Most likely,
“Then why make me deal with it?” would be a fitting description.
I didn’t bother responding to him.
—
Anyway, I received the party invitation from him.
You gotta take what you can get.
I slowly checked the ‘Neon City emblem’ rotating in my visual interface.
It didn’t specify any name on the admission ticket.
The transfer was also quite straightforward.
For a secret party, it almost felt too simplified. Then again, it’s the city throwing it, so they must have some plans in place.
The party is said to take place at the end of each fiscal quarter.
And now it’s the fourth quarter as winter approaches.
So, as a year-end celebration, it’s supposedly held more grandly (heard from Justin Borg).
In the game, the mayor was always noted to join whenever parties occurred.
Of course, this world isn’t a game, and my memories could be incorrect. But considering the position, I anticipated the mayor would attend.
So, during the remaining time, I could just laze around at home and play games…
That was my plan as I was about to head into the Golden Smile Condominium.
“Wait, what?”
Suddenly, I heard the high-pitched voice of a woman from right beside me.
Turning my head, I saw a red-haired elf peeking through the tinted window of a black van.
“What, did you go out for a stroll or something?”
It was Andrea.
I waved my hand in mild excitement as I replied.
“I just went by Monolith Tower for a bit. Since it’s right next door, I thought I’d take a quick walk.”
“Oh… what is this?”
Andrea’s eyes sparkled as if she had seen a rare treasure.
Her look was reminiscent of someone who rarely goes out, akin to spotting a legendary Pokémon once a week.
“…Hey, look. Isn’t that Andrea?”
“Why is that famous singer here?”
Voices murmured from around as people were coming and going. With superior hearing, Andrea likely heard them well.
As the commotion surrounding her grew louder, Andrea glanced around and quickly said to me.
“Hey, let’s get in. Let’s go up together.”
I hopped into the van at her urging.
“…Hello.”
“…Ah, uh, hello….”
In the front seat was Andrea’s female manager driving. She looked like an ‘I’ too.
As the vehicle descended into the parking lot of Golden Smile Condominium, people’s gazes gradually shifted away.
And as Andrea moved a step closer, invading the personal space, I caught a whiff of a delicate floral fragrance from her elf-like neck.
“So, why did you go to Monolith Tower?”
I made an effort to maintain my composure while hastily explaining the circumstances to Andrea.
I mentioned the security department employee who had visited, the conversation with the mayor, and why I decided to meet Justin Borg to attend the party.
“Borg said you probably got an invitation too.”
“Oh, that? Yeah, it did come.”
So it was true.
Andrea stretched luxuriously as she murmured. A glance of her armpit peeked out from her coat.
“But you know I don’t like fancy places with fewer people. I’d prefer to perform in Royal Vegas instead.”
That made sense; Andrea loved singing. That’s why she harbored dreams of becoming a singer since long ago.
Andrea softly mumbled.
“But if you’re going, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to attend just this once.”
“…I’m not exactly going for fun, you know?”
“Well, it’s not like I’m going for much either, right?”
That left me with no counterarguments.
At that moment, I noticed the silent female manager in front of us once more.
…Now that I think about it, is it alright to discuss such a topic in front of a third party?
Just then, my eyes met with the female manager’s through the hologram room mirror.
She shook her head quickly.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“…Wait, uh…”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“……”
I felt relieved.
After saying goodbye to the departing manager, we hopped into the elevator and ascended to the 13th floor.
We were going to the place where everyone was gathered, sharing tales of incidents that occurred during the performance or trivial chitchat.
And then,
The moment I opened the door without thinking, Catherine rushed toward me as if she had neural accelerator cyberware installed. I flinched for a second, but Catherine’s mouth opened first.
“Hey! You’re going to that party with me, right?”
“…?”
I tilted my head at her words.
What on earth is this sudden request?
Then I noticed that Eve and everyone else were gathered off to one side.
Ah.
It seems Eve must have shared the conversation I had with Justin Borg with the others.
Catherine, with such an impatient voice asking me, was hard to refuse, but unfortunately….
“Only those with invitations can enter.”
“…….”
Catherine was knocked down.
Next, it was Eve approaching me, looking very confident.
“Um, would you grant the main AI permission to hack the admission rights of the invitation?”
“Ah, that’s a bit iffy. Of course, it’s unlikely to get caught, but… better to be safe than sorry.”
“……”
Eve was also knocked down.
“…What about me?”
“You’re still a wanted criminal, aren’t you?”
It’s a disaster…
“……”
“Even if you give me that sorrowful look, it could still be hazardous, so that won’t work.”
Surprisingly, Maya passed by with a sulky expression.
I was fortunate that Natasha, who was reasonably social, and the Chairman were quietly observing the scene.
Although they looked disappointed, they didn’t seem about to throw a tantrum like the others.
Natasha, crossing her arms, fanned herself delicately to cover her mouth.
“How unfortunate, I didn’t receive an invitation either.”
“…Well, Natasha, you’re not exactly the type they want to invite. It can’t be helped.”
There’s little chance the city, which wanted to corner the mercenary industry enough to raid the broker’s party, would call Natasha.
And as for the Chairman…
“…….”
“……”
Uh, Chairman?
She smiled quietly without saying a word.
The sight sent a wave of unease through me.
No way…
There’s no way the Chairman of Monolith would personally attend such a small gathering…
—
But it actually happened.
I looked at the two women who were tightly holding my arms, or rather, two ‘masked women’ and muttered softly.
“Uh, could you both let go of me…?”
““No way.””
…
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