Behind the thick blackout curtains, Andrea surveyed the entire venue with a keen eye.
Maybe it was because this was a party for the upper echelons of corporations and cities; all the audio equipment and lighting were high-end.
As Andrea mentally organized the flow of the performance, she warmed up her neck.
“…Um, ahem. Hrum.”
There was a microphone here, but with Andrea’s high-performance vocal amplification cyberware, it was unnecessary.
She trusted only her voice.
As Andrea checked her cyberware, the manager responsible for managing the stage hurried over.
“Ms. Andrea! Is everything alright with the equipment?”
“Yes, well… it’s decent enough.”
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
While exchanging polite greetings, the stage manager wore a mechanical smile.
‘…Luckily, she doesn’t look pissed.’
In fact, Andrea had quite a notorious reputation in this industry.
To quote a certain junior in the related field (a gossiping newbie)….
– ‘That woman’s hysteria is no joke. She goes crazy if the sound is off… But man, she can sing!’
Remembering the junior’s words, the stage manager wiped the sweat from his brow and discreetly sighed, while Andrea pondered her song choices for the short performance.
‘Since it’s quite an upscale stage, maybe [Crystal Chandelier] or [Champagne-Colored Street] wouldn’t be bad. …No, since that guy is watching, maybe I should just sing a love song? [How Long Will I Love You]? …That sounds good.’
A hidden sense of anticipation danced on Andrea’s face as she subtly smiled.
Then, her gaze turned to the hologram screen that was conveying the situation outside the curtain.
The stage manager, upon seeing Andrea’s figure, promptly started explaining about the hologram screen.
“Oh, that’s a device that lets you check the situation on the outer stage. You probably saw it at the party venue earlier, but right in the center, there are other guests dancing…”
The stage manager’s voice began to fade away.
Feeling a chill race down his spine, he glanced at the hologram screen, checking its contents.
‘…There doesn’t seem to be anything weird?’
Just a few people dancing as usual.
The stage manager hid his astonishment and forced a smile as he asked Andrea again.
“…So, what song should we prepare? Just let me know. The party session team is ready with the instruments—”
“[FUCK].”
“…Huh?”
40. Party, Bella Vista (3)
An intense sound, more fitting for a rock festival, engulfed the entire party venue.
Powerful drums, electrifying guitars, and a woman’s voice filled with rage.
The music was so loud that even people rolling cards at the gambling table began to shift their attention.
Of course, nobody seemed displeased about it.
Because the person singing on stage was the famous ‘Andrea.’
– ‘Wait, suddenly this song…?’
People might wonder, but,
– ‘…Why in the world is she singing so loudly?’
No one was thinking like that.
And since I belonged to the select few who knew the reason behind Andrea’s song choice, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
I cautiously called out to the chairman.
“Chairman…, I mean, Taylor.”
“Yeah?”
“I feel this intense gaze from behind me. Is it just my imagination?”
More specifically, it felt like the gaze of an elf with the title of the King of Rights was penetrating through me, courtesy of Andrea.
Upon hearing my words, the chairman chuckled.
“Just your imagination, right? Don’t worry about it.”
…As much as I wanted to, I had a hard time ignoring that gaze.
However, there was no way around it.
We were already up on stage to dance, while Andrea was up there to sing.
To Andrea, it must have looked like extreme tea-bagging.
The fear of what would happen after the performance was building up inside me….
On top of that,
[…….]
Eve, who had been chatting a moment ago, was now silent as a rock.
I wished she would say something.
Had she gotten emotional because of Andrea’s (rage-filled) singing? The thrilling drum solo continued with the band.
Even though it was a small gathering, hiring a separate band for ‘live music’ was something only the wealthy would do.
I watched the chairman sway rhythmically as I listened to Andrea’s singing.
When she suggested dancing out of the blue, I wondered what she was thinking.
The chairman had her delicate arms raised in a charming wavy manner.
Even for a megacorp chairman, having dancing skills seemed important.
But for someone naturally clumsy like me, keeping up with those movements was tough. (Character attribute, you know.)
I just wiggled around, awkwardly mimicking the other people’s dances, like a fish out of water.
A small sigh escaped my lips.
At that moment, the chairman stepped closer, bouncing up and down to the rhythm.
For a second, my eyes were distracted by those swaying features, and then I heard a voice that didn’t suit her position.
“…Looks like you’re not having much fun.”
Oh no.
I calmly raised my palm.
“Not that it’s boring…. It’s just I’m not used to spots like this.”
The destiny of being born as an ‘I.’
“…Um.”
The chairman naturally clasped her hands behind her back.
The rhythm still bounced up and down.
The truth is, apart from that, there were other reasons I found it hard to dance.
First off, there was the chairman’s overwhelming presence visible through her thin dress.
Being so close that I could feel her breath made it hard to concentrate.
“Alright. Let’s just get down from here.”
The chairman spread her arms wide, mirroring my thoughts.
I tilted my head at that.
“Is it okay, though?”
“Why not? I wasn’t planning on staying up here for long anyway.”
Well, it was a welcome change for me.
But it seemed the chairman wanted to dance up here, so I wondered about that remark.
Thinking back, there probably weren’t many places available for the chairman to dance freely, without caring about the atmosphere or people’s gazes.
……
Maybe in a little while, there would be a club room in the vacant floors of our building….
I grabbed the chairman’s hand that was extended towards me.
And in an instant, I was startled.
“Huh?”
Maybe it was because she was wearing high heels while dancing; she lost her balance and began to fall.
Instinctively, I hurriedly pulled on her arm.
– Kwahng~!
At that moment, flames erupted above the stage.
Andrea’s song had ended.
The fireworks stage device was positioned behind Andrea, which cast her face into shadow due to the brightness of the explosions.
It looked terrifying from my brief glance.
However, I couldn’t let the chairman fall like this. I wrapped my arms around her waist and looked down at her from above.
I could vividly feel the texture of her dress through my palm.
Gazing at the slightly startled-looking chairman, I murmured.
“Be careful. What if you fall and get hurt?”
“…Thanks.”
The chairman’s mask was askew from the jolt, revealing her expression beneath.
Her violet hair flowed down to the floor, and her striking golden eyes bore into me.
In that moment, the chairman wrapped her arms around my neck.
I wished I could take a step back, but unfortunately, I was still holding her waist.
I was truly caught like a mouse in a trap.
《The renowned singer! It was the special stage of Andrea Rose! …Uh, Andrea?》
The chairman’s rosy lips muffled my mouth.
Usually, one would close their eyes when kissing; it’s basic courtesy. However, due to the racket coming from behind, that was hard to do.
“…Hey, hey! You sly fox!”
That was Andrea’s voice.
《Andrea! The stairs down from the stage are over here…, huh? Oh no?》
The host sounded flustered.
If I had to assess it,
I’d say the chairman resembled a snake more than a fox. A serpent-like tongue slithered and sought warmth—.
……
We were nearly kicked out of the party.
*
Fortunately, Andrea regained her composure.
I didn’t miraculously learn a calming magic at that moment. Thanks to the chairman, who handed over her turn to Andrea with a satisfied expression, things worked out.
Though there was a minor issue where my opinion wasn’t considered at all during the process….
Anyway, everything went well.
While the chairman and Andrea were chatting, making peace, I turned to Eve, who had grown quieter.
“Eve?”
[…….]
“Is the signal bad? Hello?”
[This AI is installed within Siwoon’s data module, so communication issues aren’t a concern.]
Finally, she replied.
Though I hadn’t been cheating, I felt like I could understand the feelings of someone caught cheating.
I quietly whispered to Eve, whose voice tone had dropped a notch. Others might see it as me talking to myself.
“Are you upset or something?”
[The AI has not yet learned such emotions.]
“……”
She doesn’t seem like it to me.
Her way of speaking reminded me of old times.
In this situation, it would be amateur to say, ‘You’re mad, aren’t you,’ while saying, ‘Oh, you’re not upset? Thank goodness!’ would be more refined.
I decided to play it cool as a pro and posed a question to Eve.
“…Is there something you want to do?”
A pro knows how to swiftly avoid subjects that may work against them. It’s not fleeing.
The problem was whether Eve even had something in mind.
I slowly awaited her response.
[Then.]
She might have something.
[Could you take me to the gambling tables inside the party venue?]
“…Huh?”
What was the gambling reporting number again… Oh, right. There wasn’t even a gambling report in this world.
I nodded calmly.
“Not that it’s a hassle or anything.”
Honestly, out of personal curiosity, I was a bit intrigued.
This place allowed counting cards merely with eye movements through a visual interface. Thus, gambling types using ‘poker cards’ were nearly non-existent.
Only games of pure luck, like roulette or dice, were available.
I made my way to the roulette table with the fewest people around.
A dealer, maintaining a poker face despite Andrea’s earlier ruckus, stood at the table.
I asked him,
“Can I play a game?”
“What type of chips will you be using?”
“……Um.”
I hadn’t exchanged for chips yet.
The dealer smiled subtly at my cluelessness.
Since this wasn’t a party primarily organized for gambling, there were likely others, like me, who merely came out of curiosity.
The dealer cautiously slid a chip marked ‘1$’ towards me.
“This is my gift for you. Would you like to play a game?”
“Ah, thank you.”
It’s polite not to refuse such kindness.
The dealer spun his wrist in a swirl (actually spinning it one full circle) and continued.
“Are you familiar with the rules?”
“…Uh.”
[I know them.]
I nodded at Eve’s words.
The dealer, seeing my nod, agreed.
“Great. So where would you like to place your bet?”
As for roulette, I had a rough idea.
It completely relied on ‘luck.’
Moreover, I had heard that the casino could manipulate many factors.
What exactly was Eve thinking…?
Maybe I should have just gone to another gambling table.
…Well, it was a 1$ chip after all.
Without a second thought, I opened my mouth, following Eve’s voice echoing in my mind.
“First….”
*
I got kicked out of the party.
The reason being ‘absurdly bad luck.’
Honestly, I could somewhat understand it.
…Not a single clue on what trick she pulled off, though.
I scratched my head as I recalled Eve, who had cleared out all the credits of the party.
It was now winter, with the year-end approaching.
