Once upon a time, at a wedding reception, the bride throws her bouquet, and her close friend (a dwarf) displays their friendship while starving guests (two pickpockets) eye the food.
I’ve been living in this bleak Neon City for nearly 10 years.
Honestly, I don’t have many memories of attending weddings. (It’s not because I have a limited social circle, okay?)
Even when wedding scenes popped up in shows or movies, they barely moved me. After all, it was someone else’s business.
But now that I’m the one getting married, the feeling is quite different.
Somewhere, the sound of a hired band from the hotel fills the air.
There was a cake-cutting ceremony, and during the bouquet toss, one dragon snatched all seven bouquets—a true heist!
It was a peaceful reception indeed.
However, there was a strange ripple in my heart. A nagging unease loomed in one corner of my mind.
I felt as if I had thrown a stone into a calm lake and caused ripples without understanding the reason.
Someone lightly nudged my shoulder.
“…?”
As I turned, Maya’s grin appeared just inches from my face.
Her index finger pokes my cheek with a poke.
Maya tilted her head and asked,
“What are you doing here?”
“…Oh, nothing much.”
I waved my hand lightly.
Honestly, there was nothing much going on.
“Hmm….”
Maya squinted her eyes.
Sharp teeth peeked from her slightly parted lips.
“……”
“……”
The silent pressure was palpable.
Feeling no choice, I scratched my head and continued,
“I’m just a bit hung up on something.”
“Hung up on something, you say?”
How do I explain this?
As I thought for a few seconds, I looked down at Maya’s small face.
“I think I’ve forgotten something important, but I can’t recall what it is. …It felt really important, though.”
I couldn’t remember.
As I muttered that, I intended to reassure Maya not to worry.
However, a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead.
Maya followed it up with an awkward laugh.
“…Ahaha… Um, maybe you shouldn’t worry too much?”
She seemed somewhat suspicious.
This time, I narrowed my eyes at Maya.
“…Do you remember something?”
“No! I’m not a kid, so how could I have something like that!”
…Something feels fishy.
I slowly gathered my thoughts.
It must be something related to Maya that I forgot…
…….
Suddenly, a thought struck me as I raised my head. I looked at the banquet hall where the reception was taking place.
Inside the hall, acquaintances I had invited, or those invited by other brides, were laughing and enjoying the reception.
At least there wasn’t anyone living in Neon City whom we hadn’t invited.
Right.
Among the people in this city.
I let out a brief sigh.
“Ah.”
I turned my head back to Maya.
She instinctively avoided my gaze and whistled awkwardly.
Seeing that made me sure of my mistake.
“Father-in-law.”
I forgot to call him.
What a dire situation.
Maya, with her cute expression, laughed.
♡wink!♡ She awkwardly added,
“Getting from Neo Japan to here takes a surprisingly long time. I was worried the wedding schedule might get pushed back…”
Her speech dragged on.
Still, I had to invite my father-in-law to the wedding─.
…….
Honestly, it was absurd that I had completely forgotten about my father-in-law.
My life had been busy lately, but some things just shouldn’t be forgotten.
For the groom, the ‘father-in-law’ holds that kind of importance. I just forgot.
Anyway, it’s not surprising that I unexpectedly jumped on a video call from the reception.
Luckily, the guests seemed not to mind too much.
“What happened?”
“…It’s kind of complicated.”
Harry, the married guy from Dumb and Dumber, looked at me like I was insane, but it was no big deal.
Soon enough, a colossal image loomed over the hologram projector in the banquet hall.
Vibrant, glittering lights flickered across the screen.
The vibe was slightly different from the lights illuminating the hall.
Simply because here was lunchtime, while what I saw on the screen still had the dawn vibe. The time difference between Neon City and Neo Japan was roughly that much.
Maya’s father… now my father-in-law, was staring at me sternly.
Adjusting the signal, the blurry screen sharpened. I realized I could tell where my father-in-law was.
It looked like a small tavern.
From what I heard, my father-in-law’s hometown was Neo Japan. There’s some connection, I guess.
So maybe it’s not surprising he seemed to have settled in quickly after leaving.
The place seemed to still be buzzing with activity.
Some rowdy drunkard’s voice echoed from one corner. The smell of strong alcohol almost wafted through the screen.
Unlike when he was living in Neon City, my father-in-law donned a traditional Japanese chef’s attire.
That definitely increased my sense of pressure.
[…….]
He was a taciturn person to begin with, but today felt a little different.
I could understand why.
His only precious daughter’s engagement ceremony went unnoticed, and now he couldn’t attend the wedding, so I could only imagine how he felt.
I immediately bowed my head.
“I’m so sorry!”
There was no time to care about the guests’ stares.
If I could, I would’ve wanted to rush to Neo Japan after the wedding and apologize in person.
There are things one shouldn’t forget, not your own stupidity.
I planned to offer the best apology—a full-on DO-GE-ZA!
But then, my father-in-law’s response was unlike what I had predicted.
[Get your head out of the way.]
“……Huh?”
I cautiously lifted my head, not hearing him wrong.
I expected a thunderous reprimand, but instead, I was met with a soft voice instead.
I took a step back from the hologram projector at his words.
Dressed in a pure white wedding dress, Maya waved awkwardly at the screen.
“…Hehe, are you doing well?”
Maya wasn’t without fault herself. She seemed a little embarrassed.
And, while observing the two, I couldn’t believe my eyes for a moment.
My father-in-law, who always wore a blank expression like he had an emotional regulation implant, was now sporting a satisfied smile.
He looked at Maya with warm eyes.
[…Are you happy?]
Her eyes went wide at his question.
Then her head nodded vigorously.
“Yes!”
My father-in-law subtly nodded along with her answer.
[That’s good.]
A low chuckle followed.
He appeared genuinely pleased.
What a relief!
Next time I visit Neo Japan, it looks like I won’t have to worry about getting a knife thrown at me.
[And…, Siwoon.]
His gaze shifted toward me.
“You can speak comfortably.”
[Take good care of my daughter, and congratulations on your wedding.]
The smile that had graced my father-in-law’s face vanished all too quickly.
Now turned taciturn again, he responded to Maya’s follow-up questions with only “Hmm.” or “Um.”
He looked a bit embarrassed.
And then it happened.
[When’s the food coming out?!]
The voice echoed from a seated position at the counter—possibly a customer from the tavern.
[I heard this place is famous, but the service is totally crap!]
Such a strangely familiar voice.
“……”
I felt a sense of déjà vu creep upon me.
That familiar voice and infuriating tone.
I glanced at the troublesome customer, who was sharpening a knife (menacingly) before my very eyes.
“Um, excuse me, could you show me that customer’s face just once?”
[…….]
“No, I’m not planning anything, I just think it sounds like someone I know.”
He silently acknowledged my question.
Luckily, my father-in-law obliged.
Through the hologram screen, the troubled customer’s face was revealed.
[Huh, it’s me…]
A young old man with a disheveled look.
Our former neighbor.
“Bill?”
[…Huh?]
The (ex)neighbor from the same floor, now a frightened shade of pale.
He had vanished immediately after the fact that he got hired by Pete Mc, our common neighbor, had been exposed. Like a first ancestor fleeing the command center.
Bill, bewildered, pointed a finger at me.
[What are you doing there….]
Then he promptly zipped his mouth shut.
[Ah, no. I… I misidentified the person.]
Bill scrambled to gather his things, hurriedly hitting the chair as he tried to escape.
…So that’s where he had fled to—Neo Japan. Well, in terms of city infrastructure, it’s one of the world’s top spots.
I watched Bill’s retreating figure on the hologram screen, dumbfounded.
Eve, who had approached my side unknown to me, also stared at the hologram.
“Shall we chase after him?”
I pondered her question briefly and then shook my head.
“…Nah, just let him be.”
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
After all, he was someone I had considered a neighbor.
He had indeed been the main reason behind the interruptions of my happy go lucky living. But, there was a certain fondness too.
If I had aimed to find Bill in the first place, I would have asked Eve for help.
I chuckled faintly, whispering to myself,
“I guess he’s still eating well.”
And with that, our connection came to a close.
I was happy enough to see him doing well.
In any case, the major mishap of not inviting my father-in-law to the wedding was seamlessly resolved.
So many incidents occurred; it was exhausting, really.
I let out a secret sigh of relief.
Then, the hologram screen turned off.
Now, I could finally enjoy the reception for real─.
Just then, the hologram screen flickered back on.
[Greetings.]
On the screen was the face of a young Japanese man who used to live next to me.
He was someone linked, for better or worse.
[I am Kojaka Nobukuro, the ‘Chairman’ of Kojaka Corporation and acting on behalf of ‘Pete Mc.’]
Pffft!
Somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of Kojaka William spitting out his cocktail.
Beside him, his wife, Kojaka Kohaku, stared at the screen in disbelief.
My mouth gaped wide open.
What the heck is happening?
Kojaka Nobukuro spoke as nonchalantly as if the commotion didn’t bother him.
[I heard about the wedding and came to congratulate you. You could say I’m Eve’s father, so it’s an honor to be able to celebrate this moment… Wait?]
And then the screen went dark.
I didn’t even need to see who turned it off—it was obvious.
I slowly turned to glance at Eve, who was tightly clutching her fists.
“……”
I stepped back a little from Eve.
Maybe she was feeling the AI’s maximum fury.
…Considering the timing, it seemed like he had been watching all along while the wedding was ongoing.
Seeing Maya’s father offering congratulations might have sparked some greed in him—an unexpected appearance indeed.
In fact, it was true that he was Eve’s creator.
However, addressing him as ‘father-in-law’ felt a bit too pretentious.
First off, he probably wouldn’t recognize himself as one.
I chuckled softly, remembering the way Kojaka’s Chairman, Pete Mc, had abruptly appeared and vanished like the wind.
Well, it did lighten the mood, I suppose.
