Buying an Angel
In Angels' Haven, while discreetly handling odd jobs inside the bar, I drew the attention of several customers. Most were regulars, and the novelty of a new face spread through the quiet establishment in an instant. True to their preference for a subdued atmosphere, they welcomed the newcomer with genuine warmth.
"The new girl works hard."
"Thank you."
"Don't you take customers yet?"
"I'm still in training."
"Come see me once you're ready."
A plump gentleman stroked the back of my hand as he spoke. In his eyes I caught the gentle affection one might feel toward a daughter. The thought of being treated like a daughter while being asked for a session felt strange, yet I said nothing.
Time slipped by as I watched, learned, and worked. Past midnight the crowd thinned and empty tables multiplied. Other establishments, especially those whose main business was outright prostitution, grew busiest after twelve, but Angels' Haven did not list such services among its official duties, so the hour brought a lull. Of course, any angel who accepted an after-hours invitation still slipped upstairs with her guest.
"We'll be heading out too."
"See you tomorrow, Stella."
"Rest well."
The three gentlemen who had nursed their drinks for five hours finally rose, having polished off twenty-five cocktails between them. I wondered if they were especially wealthy.
"Senior, who exactly are they?"
Stella answered in detail. The round one was Marcos, a first-generation foreign businessman who had arrived eight years ago when Eden first permitted foreign entrepreneurs. He owned three businesses in the commercial district, employed over three thousand people, and was considered highly successful. The lean man was Boris, a foreign writer long resident in Eden. His reputation extended beyond the city; his versatile talent for books, films, and dramas had made him wealthy as well. The muscular one was Mathis, a former mercenary who now ran a security firm. He had wandered the continent hunting monsters, then brought his earnings to Eden and founded the company. Starting with security for Marcos's businesses, he had grown into one of the larger firms handling protection for foreign enterprises. All three were thirty-six and had quickly become close friends.
They sounded impressive. I wondered why such men had never found partners and instead spent every evening with Stella.
"Why do gentlemen like them spend every night with you instead of finding partners?"
"That's far too private to discuss."
"Still, I understand how they manage to monopolize you every day."
"They've come almost every single day for three years now. Even when work keeps one or two away, at least one always appears to talk with me."
"That's remarkable."
In my opinion they were simply infatuated with Stella and therefore unable to pursue anyone else. Spending time with her left no room for meeting partners; aside from work and sleep, they had devoted three whole years to her alone. I found myself curious how they had fallen so deeply.
Several days passed while I learned bartending under Stella's guidance. Eventually she judged me competent, and yesterday I donned the bartender's uniform and began working in earnest. On my first official day the regulars each stopped by in celebration, giving me valuable practice at directly serving guests.
I was still straightening my uniform when the first customer of the evening arrived just after seven. He was an elderly gentleman with thick white hair, wearing a deep-set hat, a loose brown suit jacket, and beige trousers—an old-fashioned gentleman. He walked with a straight back and took the seat directly in front of me.
"Welcome to the Haven."
"A martini with vodka, if you please."
"Right away, sir."
The cocktail required only vodka, vermouth, and an olive, yet the balance of ingredients demanded care. I prepared it with precision and set the glass before him.
"Here you are."
"Hmm."
The old man lifted the glass, took a single sip, and set it down again. His expression revealed almost nothing; I could not read his feelings. Maintaining a faint smile, I began clearing the used tools.
He drank in silence for a long while before finally speaking.
"It's merely adequate."
"I'm sorry. I'm still inexperienced."
He offered no further comment, only continued sipping in silence. Sensing he preferred quiet, I remained still.
After a considerable pause he spoke again, voice low.
"I just saw my granddaughter off at the angel training center."
"I see."
"She's the last family I have left. After losing my wife and then my son and his wife, she was the only grandchild I raised with everything I had."
Still uncertain of his emotions, I simply listened.
"Do you understand what it feels like to have your granddaughter forced into becoming an angel? You, who are an angel yourself—do you understand?"
"I don't know, sir. I'm sorry."
"No, of course you wouldn't."
It seemed his granddaughter, a resident of Eden, had been reclassified as an angel through a role-change order. Such cases were rare, but when talent assessments fell short, a post-examination directive could still designate someone an angel. The measure was likely taken because the supply of angels remained insufficient.
"Perhaps it's because I've lived outside Eden for so long, but I find this place strange—especially the very existence of angels. They supposedly fulfill every human desire, and education alone is said to achieve it? That isn't human anymore. I came to Eden only because I wanted safety, and now it has taken my granddaughter."
He muttered like a man talking to himself, tears sliding silently down his cheeks. Unable to truly empathize, I judged it unwise for an angel to offer empty comfort and simply listened.
"I protested, I kept her out of the training center as long as I could, I begged everyone I knew. They told me the angel role was a blessing and scolded me for complaining. Then today the androids came and dragged her away. All I could do was watch her being taken."
Tears continued to fall from beneath the brim of his hat. His wrinkled hands trembled, clenching and unclenching as though grasping for something that was no longer there.
"Can you tell me? What exactly does it mean to become an angel? Will my granddaughter still be my granddaughter once she is one? Please, tell me."
"I can't explain everything, but one thing is certain. When your granddaughter returns, receive her exactly as before. Even after becoming an angel, she will still be your granddaughter."
The angel she became would absorb information according to the image he held of her and would play the part he expected. In that sense she would once again be his granddaughter. That was why angel candidates were ideally chosen from orphans or women living alone; forcing the role upon someone with family created complications.
The old man continued speaking for some time, then staggered out. Marcos, who had apparently been listening nearby, spoke up.
"His granddaughter becoming an angel… how pitiful."
"The thought of family turning into an angel gives me chills."
"If my own daughter were assigned the role, I'd flee Eden immediately."
"That's rather harsh, considering there's an angel standing right here."
"Think about it. A daughter you labored to bring into the world and raised with love, remade in some factory into a doll meant to absorb other people's desires—who could possibly be happy about that?"
"Everyone says angels are wonderful because it's someone else's story. When it happens to someone you know, the tune changes."
"Come to think of it, Edenites do have a peculiar side. Their image of angels is fixed in an almost eerie way."
"Exactly. They all insist angels are a blessing, a necessity for Eden, a gift from God."
"Sometimes it gives me the creeps. It's like they've been collectively brainwashed."
"In Eden that old man would be considered the strange one. Having lived abroad so long, he still feels dissonance about angels."
"If the real Edenites are the ones brainwashed, does that mean individual variation still exists?"
Boris's words made the possibility seem plausible. Just as I had only learned of the brainwashing device after my master told me, ordinary citizens were likely unaware as well. If they had been conditioned without knowing it, the city's strangely low crime rate began to make a certain sense.
"Everyone, I did ask you to avoid dangerous topics. Speaking like that in public can become truly dangerous."
"We only talk this way because we trust you and Elisha. It's not as if we'd report ourselves elsewhere."
"Oh my, is that so?"
"Stella, come on—between us?"
"We simply like angels. Where else can you find a product so perfectly tailored to men?"
"Not only men—women enjoy them too. Angels don't discriminate."
"That was a joke. Now, have another round and calm down."
Stella set out the fresh cocktails she had prepared. I responded occasionally to the returning small talk while waiting for the next guest.
Glancing toward the entrance, I noticed a man in work clothes with his hat pulled low, half his face hidden, studying the bar. He caught my gaze, turned his head, then strode inside and took a seat.
"Welcome to the Haven."
"K.F.S.A."
"Pardon?"
When I echoed the unfamiliar phrase with a puzzled expression, he stared at me for a moment before speaking again.
"Never mind. Just give me a tequila."
"Of course."
While I poured the drink he continued to watch my face. He downed the tequila in one swallow, paid, and left without another word. I wondered what he had come for.
Before I could dwell on the strange customer, more guests arrived. The next day proceeded normally until Stella requested leave for a one-on-one date with Mathis, leaving me to entertain the other two gentlemen alone. They spent the evening complaining about Mathis.
"I know it's only natural, but imagining Stella on a date with that bastard twists my stomach."
"Same here."
"Please calm down. You'll have your own dates soon enough."
They were jealous even though they knew their turns would come.
"We formed an alliance to protect Stella, but one-on-one dates are still hard to endure."
"Let's make this the last one-on-one date."
"Agreed."
They began drinking cocktails at a faster pace than usual. They had already ordered four rounds of two different drinks each and were beginning to show the effects of the alcohol.
"Honestly, separate play only leaves wounds."
"I have an idea."
"What is it?"
"Instead of worrying about some other bastard latching onto Stella, why don't we simply make her ours?"
"Make Stella ours?"
"Angels are Eden property, but they can be purchased. The conditions are extremely strict and the price is astronomical, yet if the three of us pool our resources we should be able to buy one angel."
"Angels can be bought and sold?"
I had never heard of such a thing. The difficulty must be why it remained uncommon knowledge.
"Ah, Elisha is here. Keep this from Stella."
"I was only curious."
"It wasn't easy for me to find out either. In the past, selling angels was quite profitable. After various problems arose and the supply dwindled, official sales disappeared, leaving only unofficial transactions with stringent conditions."
"So what are those conditions?"
While listening I glanced around to ensure no one else could overhear. The gentlemen lowered their voices.
"There are several conditions, but one is especially important and difficult. The rest are relatively straightforward."
"So what is it?"
"An oath of obedience from the angel herself."
"What?"
"You must obtain a personal oath of obedience from an angel who already swears obedience to God."
"Is that even possible?"
"A very small number of people have succeeded in purchasing angels. That proves it's possible."
"Elisha, is it truly possible?"
"I suppose it must be."
I could not tell them, but I myself obeyed my master far more than any god. Of course, my master had used drugs and brainwashing right before angel training to secure that obedience. Extracting such an oath from a normally conditioned angel would be far more difficult.
"See? Even Elisha says it's possible."
"Even if it's possible, we don't know how."
"With our experience and knowledge of angels, we'll figure it out quickly."
"Hmm."
After a long silence Marcos nodded.
"All right. Let's buy Stella."
"Good. Now we only need to convince Mathis."
"He'll agree without thinking twice."
"That's why I convinced you first."
"But only after the one-on-one date."
"Naturally."
Thus the three gentlemen's plan to purchase Stella was formed. Their earlier loneliness forgotten, they drank in high spirits.
If Stella were sold, would I no longer work alongside her? Losing my role model would create problems.
"By the way, Elisha, would you like to use the remaining Esthe ticket?"
"Esthe?"
"Three of us entered a drawing for a special VIP Esthe ticket meant for Stella. Two won, so we have two tickets left."
"Consider it a bribe to ensure your silence."
"You don't need to bribe me. I'll keep the secret regardless."
"Unlike angels, humans require some guarantee of secrecy. Please accept it for our peace of mind."
"Otherwise we'll feel uneasy."
"Then I'll take it."
Marcos handed me a sleek black card embossed with "VIP" in gold lettering. As I slipped it into my uniform pocket he explained how to use it.
"There's an Esthe shop called Venus on the left side of Central Street. They use the most advanced technology. Show them the card and they'll handle everything."
"We've already selected the premium options for Stella. You'll be stunning."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank us. In the end it's for our own satisfaction."
The gentlemen lingered a while longer before finally departing after midnight.