The Angel Community
It wasn't yet time to open for business, so the empty Angels' Haven had no customers. No, there was one angel sitting at a table. It was clearly Giselle, the angel who worked at the tables. She was diligently typing something on the laptop she had placed on the table. As I tried to pass by, she called out to me.
"You're Elisha, right?"
"Yes, you're Giselle, correct?"
"Just call me Giselle. No need for formalities between us."
"All right, Giselle."
"You haven't joined the angel community yet, have you?"
"The angel community?"
"Stella was supposed to teach you about it. She's been working as an angel for over fifteen years, so she's a bit old-fashioned."
"Fifteen years…"
Fifteen years as an angel. That was a long time. No wonder her acting felt so natural—it was all experience.
"There's a secret community where angels share information. Only angels can join, so we can consult each other, get useful tips, and learn which customers to avoid."
"Avoid customers?"
"It's about filtering out clients who interfere with efficient work."
So it wasn't about rejecting based on personal tastes or concepts, but filtering for smooth operations. Efficient.
"Do you know the difference between old-style angels and new-style angels?"
"No, I've never even heard those terms before."
"Old-style angels were created during the era when quantity was prioritized over quality. As various problems arose, the focus gradually shifted to quality instead. Stricter selection, application of new technologies, more complicated manufacturing processes."
"Was it because of incidents caused by angel trafficking…?"
"You already knew. Stella is an old-style angel from that time. Angels created with artificial personalities using a random personality generator. It's easy to create personalities, so you can produce a variety of angels quickly, but the side effects and drawbacks are significant."
"Senior Stella seems incredibly skilled as an angel, though."
"Stella is quite remarkable. She's overcoming the limitations of old-style angels through her own efforts."
According to Giselle, old-style angels had clear limitations because they lacked the ability to learn and develop on their own, and they had little flexibility. New-style angels like me were created to address those flaws. We were given only the most basic framework during production and then allowed to develop our own personalities and concepts through learning, making us products capable of continuous growth. So that was why the customers felt that newly made angels all seemed the same.
"Anyway, join the angel community. Your peer, that girl named Linda, has already joined."
"Linda has?"
"She's a recently joined angel who's looking for her peers. She said she couldn't get your contact information when you parted ways, so she hasn't been able to meet you. If you join the community, you'll be able to talk to her. Do you feel the same way? Angels who have peers tend to show unusually high levels of closeness."
"Hmm, I suppose so."
Linda had been looking for me. I had completely forgotten about her. I felt terribly guilty toward Linda.
"The community will definitely be helpful."
"Right. Become a good angel for Eden's sake."
"Yes."
It was more for my master's sake than Eden's, but I answered politely anyway. Leaving Giselle, who had turned her attention back to her laptop, I went to fetch my bartender uniform. Since I had to wear it starting that afternoon, I needed to take it to the alterations shop first. After packing the clothes into my bag and coming down to the first floor, I found Bella.
Bella, who had been sitting in front of Giselle and chatting, noticed me and spoke.
"Elisha, did your treatment go well?"
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
"But it looks like you've grown much taller. That's not my imagination, is it?"
"No, I had some adjustments made to my body."
"I don't like the way angels treat their own bodies, but I suppose it can't be helped. Just don't handle yourself too carelessly."
After parting with Bella, I left the shop, stopped by the dormitory to pack my clothes into a bag, and headed to the unmanned clothing store on Central Street. On the way to Central Street, I used the invitation link that had arrived via email to enter the angel community. The angel community was a private site that could only be accessed through an angel's invitation. Perhaps because it wasn't yet work hours, many posts were being uploaded. When I selected the most recent post, it turned out to be written by an angel working at Big Dick & Hull, the largest club in the entertainment district. It was the place the customers had warned me never to go to even if scouted. They treated angels as sex slaves. When I had no emotions, it hadn't felt like anything, but now I felt various emotions stirring.
The post was sharing information about the worst customer the angel had encountered the previous day while working as a sex slave at that club. After skimming it lightly, I first searched the member list for Linda. Since she had joined recently, I found her quickly. Linda wasn't online, so I left her a message and continued exploring the community. Curious about the situation of the angels who worked as sex slaves that I had read about earlier, I searched and found surprisingly detailed explanations. It seemed the shops didn't particularly keep it a secret.
Unlike angels who worked as ordinary prostitutes, angels working as sex slaves couldn't choose their customers. Customers would look at the angels displayed while restrained in the shop, select one, and then drag them straight to a room to vent their sexual desires. During play, they openly used drugs and other substances, leading to even more extreme acts. Inserting a liquor bottle into the vagina was commonplace, and it escalated to fisting, anal expansion, and beatings. One customer was so violent that even an angel who had experienced all kinds of hardcore fetishes couldn't endure it and was eventually kicked out during play. In the end, her arm was dislocated, she suffered bleeding from her anus and vagina, and she was hospitalized with internal organ damage from being struck too hard in the stomach.
Wow. Even if she was an angel, wasn't that going too far? Since angels were ultimately based on human bodies, injuries beyond a certain degree could lead to death. Seeing it directly, I understood why they shared information about customers to avoid. The post listing the troublemaker customer's appearance, name, and age had many comments from angels. There were additional details about the customer, tips for dealing with troublesome clients, and advice on how to minimize injuries.
Even in ordinary brothels, there were many customers who engaged in violent play, though not as extreme as with the sex slaves. It was the complete opposite of Angels' Haven, where angels conversed and connected with each other. As expected, if I wanted to maintain my concept, a shop like Angels' Haven was more suitable.
Reading the posts displayed on the site, I took the subway and walked diligently until I arrived at Central Street. Eden's unmanned clothing store was an advanced machine where you entered a cylindrical device, had your body scanned, and could then select or alter clothes to fit. Despite its usefulness, surprisingly few people used it. The problem was that you had to enter completely naked, and it created scan data of your body. Although invisible from the outside, many people disliked it because the scanning device felt like being photographed by a camera. In the end, the unmanned clothing store had become a convenient machine primarily used by angels.
Inside the quiet store were two cylindrical machines. After removing all my clothes in the changing room attached to the machine and placing the clothes to be altered into the input slot, I stepped inside. When I activated it through the control panel, a blue light scanned my entire body, and moments later, a full-body scan image appeared on the front screen. Because it scanned the entire surface of the body, it looked like an extremely detailed nude photograph. It was understandable why ordinary people would be reluctant. Even I felt a sense of shame.
When I selected the alterations option, a message indicating that alterations were in progress appeared. The estimated completion time was quite long, probably because there were many clothes. Turning my eyes to the screen, I saw various fashionable outfits marked with recommendation indicators and sparkling. It recommended clothes that seemed suitable based on the scan data. The first page displayed a full-body latex suit, a long dress that slightly covered the thighs paired with black short pants, skinny jeans that emphasized long legs with a crop top that exposed the navel, and so on. If you selected clothes here, you could see them displayed on a hologram of your own body and rotate to view them directly. This feature was incredibly useful. Without needing to try anything on, just a few clicks let you easily choose clothes that suited your body.
Since the machine was connected to the internet, each product had brief reviews from angels attached. I might as well browse these to pass the time. I looked at the reviews for the laminated latex suit I had seen first. The highest-rated review was written by an angel from a BDSM specialty club. Summarizing it, while it wasn't as good as the highest-end custom-made items, it was sufficient for an angel starting out as a dominatrix, and they highly praised its versatility, noting it could also be used as a masochistic slave outfit depending on the situation.
Good as a masochistic slave outfit? If I bought this and wore it, would Kate like it? I should buy it as a way to repay her efforts and wear it during play. Going to the purchase section for the laminated latex suit, there were detailed product descriptions and minute options. Laminated turned out to be not the product name but the wearing method. It was a collaboration between new materials engineering and nanomachine engineering, where a special liquid latex emerged from a device resembling a choker, adhered closely to the skin to envelop it, and then fixed in place. When released, it would return to liquid form and revert to the choker. Creating a latex suit with nanomachine technology? It seemed like an enormous waste of technology.
The options allowed choosing the thickness, gloss, and color of the latex, as well as the design and whether boots were included—very detailed. No, there were too many options. It was tedious trying to choose without properly understanding them. After searching around, I found the masochistic slave setting recommended by the angel who had written that review earlier. Yes, for things like this, following an expert's advice was the way to go for at least average results. I completed the order with the recommended settings and let out a sigh. The alterations still needed more time. Most of the clothes on the next recommendation list had reviews saying customers liked them when shown. Moving to the underwear section, the reviews became even more explicit—things like how nipples slightly hidden by lace were well-received, how you could insert through the gaps while wearing it for quick removal, or how mesh allowed showing the vagina from under a skirt with a high probability of satisfaction. Since most angels' main job was prostitution, such reviews were only natural. While browsing and ordering several highly rated underwear items, I saw a signal that the alterations were complete.
Stepping out of the machine and going to the changing room, I found the altered clothes neatly folded and stacked. I put on jeans and a V-neck T-shirt and packed the rest of the clothes into my bag. Returning to the shop and preparing for work, Senior Stella came down.
"Elisha, I heard you underwent modifications. Are you sure it's all right to work right away?"
"There's still a bit of pain left, but as long as I don't move too vigorously, I can work."
"It's also an angel's duty to greet customers in perfect condition, so don't push yourself."
"Yes."
The bartender work that started shortly afterward was a bit sluggish due to the pain, but the bigger issue drawing attention was my noticeably changed physique, so it wasn't a major problem. As always, the first customers to enter when the shop opened were Senior Stella's regular customers. I wondered if her plan to purchase Senior Stella was progressing well.
"Stella, another good night tonight."
"Hello to you too, Elisha."
"Hello."
After finishing her greeting with a familiar nod, Senior began making cocktails without even taking an order. While Senior and the customers exchanged small talk, the shop gradually filled with customers. Since most were regulars who only met with their usual angels, few customers asked for me. The symptom reality function proved surprisingly helpful during bartender work. It analyzed and displayed external information about customers and could search the internet for keywords from conversations to find relevant data.
"Young lady, the Harrisman theory is the most important theory for studying orc ecology. Do you know why orcs kidnap human women?"
"Hmm, since Dr. Harrisman focused on the orc sex ratio of 9:1 when studying orc society, isn't it to replenish the shortage of females?"
"Close. Orcs have an extremely high proportion of males. Usually, when females are this scarce, they become the most important members of society and reign at the top tier in the existing monster ecology."
"But orcs are a male-centered monster species."
The customer who was going on at length about orcs was an elderly man with completely white hair. He was a seasoned monster hunter who had traveled directly to monster habitats for research, and now tipsy from alcohol, he kept talking endlessly about monster ecology.
"Dr. Harrisman believed it was due to the orcs' unique aesthetic sense. Orcs are muscular monsters regardless of gender. But ironically, male orcs consider females with less muscle and a petite build to be the greatest beauties."
When I searched for orc photos online, they were muscle-bound pigs over two meters tall with massive builds. Even their faces resembled pigs, so the term "muscle pig" suited them perfectly. Ugh, so ugly.
"The females of their own kind are the complete opposite of that aesthetic sense. Why male orcs developed this aesthetic sense remains unknown, but we can speculate why female orcs are treated with contempt."
"I've heard they even commit kin-slaying by killing females."
"A behavior befitting such a horrific monster. Even while committing kin-slaying against female orcs due to such an extreme sex ratio, orcs' reproductive ability is terrifying. Do you know why?"
"Isn't it because they use the kidnapped women as breeding stock?"
"You know well. Orc semen contains a substance that forcibly mutates the eggs of other species' females. Even if fertilized with another species' egg, only orcs are born. An orc's gestation period is only three months. The time to reach adulthood is also just three years. With breeding stock available, they multiply at an incredible rate."
The substance in that orc semen was probably what had been researched and developed into ovarian modification. It was an enormous and horrific ability that allowed conception no matter what sperm was introduced.
"No matter how many soldiers and mercenaries are sent to subjugate them, the orcs' reproductive ability to replenish their numbers and raid again is at an alarming level. To completely eradicate orcs, we need to eliminate the breeding stock."
"But with the advancement of science, aren't we stopping orcs more easily than in the past?"
"The border defenses have become incomparably stronger. However, the kidnapping of women continues steadily."
"How?"
"Instead of large-scale raids, they've shifted to small-scale infiltration methods that only kidnap women."
According to the information, the sex ratio near the borders had collapsed due to orc kidnappings of women, and it was now called a "male bath." After all, no woman would want to live in such a place, and even if there were any, they would be kidnapped, so there was no helping it. The customer continued talking about monsters for a long while before leaving. Originally, I hadn't known who Dr. Harrisman was or much about orcs, but I was able to respond appropriately using the implant. I had also become quite accustomed to searching and reading information in real time while speaking.