How to Rest (1)
How to Rest (1)
The concert was a huge success.
NCB News lavished it with praise, calling it a spectacular performance. The audience members who witnessed it couldn't stop marveling, saying the production was practically magical.
(It really was magic, actually.)
In particular, the song by the final performer, Andrea, drew an enormous cheer from the crowd.
A minor issue cropped up as I was trying to head home: the lighting manager, stage director, and other managers grabbed my ankles, begging me to help out at the next show, too.
But, thanks to the unfortunate incident where the 'stage director's' spit once again sprayed onto my face, we were fortunately able to slip free from their clutches without any trouble.
I let out a short sigh as I recalled that moment.
"Phew."
The first thing I had to do when I got home was wash my face.
I can't figure out why that fellow's spit flies so much when he talks.
I thought to myself as I washed.
Honestly, I did go through a lot of hardship working as a manager for 24 hours—cafe touring, zoo sightseeing, stage directing.
Still, seeing the concert end safely gave me a strange sense of satisfaction somewhere in my heart.
"......."
Even so, I've definitely been going out way too much lately.
I muttered, gripping the steering wheel.
"I've made a decision."
"What decision?"
Catherine, who had been tussling in the back seat trying to touch Andrea's panda doll, reacted to my muttering.
I met Catherine's eyes through the rearview mirror.
I opened my mouth to declare my resolve.
"I think I've been going out way too much lately."
"......?"
Catherine looked at me with an expression that said, 'What nonsense is this?'
As someone born an 'E', a natural social butterfly, Catherine would never be able to understand.
From my long experience as her childhood friend, she was probably thinking, 'What exactly is the problem with going out a lot?' right now.
Anyway, 'I' and 'E' are a relationship that runs on eternal parallel lines. This is a rational conclusion based on the 'MBTI' even recorded in the Gojoseon-era Subakdo manuscript.
For the next three days—no, a week—no matter what happens, even if the sky falls, I've decided not to step a foot outside my home.
I vowed with absolute sincerity.
"Oh?"
Andrea, who had been rolling around hugging the panda doll, sat up from the back seat.
"Maya sent a message."
During Maya's severe Chrome Psycho episode, it seemed my trip to find her with Andrea had forged a bond. The two were getting along more closely than I'd thought.
I didn't know they were exchanging separate messages.
I asked out of mild curiosity.
"What did she say?"
"...Mm, hold on."
A faint blush rose to Andrea's cheeks when our eyes briefly met.
Her gaze felt a little sweeter than usual, too.
.......
It's probably just my imagination.
Letting out a soft breath, Andrea fiddled with her vision interface.
"She says there'll be a surprise when we get home."
"What kind of surprise?"
"It didn't say."
A slight suspicion rose, but I soon dismissed it with an exhale.
How big a deal could a 'surprise' be, anyway?
As long as it wasn't something as serious as the house collapsing, it wouldn't interfere with my rest at home.
Besides, we were about to get home soon anyway.
"...What could the surprise be?"
I muttered softly and refocused on driving.
28. How to Rest (1)
Going out (外出).
People define the act of leaving one's home, or some kind of facility, as "going out."
So where does the range of this "leaving" begin and end?
I gave it some simple thought.
Some would say stepping past the front door counts as going out, while others would say you haven't gone out until you exit the building's entrance.
For reference, I was the former.
Other people were the latter.
"I'm telling you, I'm really not going outside."
"No, it's not going outside the house. It's going to a different floor. How is that going outside?"
"......."
There was no logical way to answer that.
I clutched the bridge of my nose at Catherine's reply.
Honestly, it was completely unexpected.
Recently—yesterday, to be precise.
I had met and talked with 'Dr. Terra' inside the elevator.
At that time, Dr. Terra had said that they were in charge of managing the construction of this place where I live—the 'Golden Smile Condominium.'
A wine bar, spa facilities, a cinema, and so on.
Dr. Terra had mentioned various facilities,
but honestly, I didn't pay much attention to those words.
It was obvious that even if those facilities were completed, it would take quite some time.
There had also been zero construction noise.
I had cautiously guessed it would take a period measured in 'months', or even 'seasons'.
And that guess of mine
was half right, half wrong.
"A swimming pool! A swimming pool!"
Catherine was absolutely delighted.
"Wow..., they said the sauna bathing facilities are finished, too...."
Maya, of Japanese heritage and a lover of baths, was practically delighted.
"A bath is nice, but they said a pool party is possible, too. Chairman-nim said they paid huge attention to soundproofing."
Andrea cleared her throat.
"I was wondering why Chairman-nim of Monolith was talking about swimsuits. Looks like this was it."
Natasha was calm.
"......."
Julia cautiously looked at me, her eyes secretly holding some anticipation.
For reference, the Chairman was lying on a sunbed to one side of the spa facilities, waving a hand toward us.
Eve, well, was standing demurely by my side as always.
Currently, this was the B1 floor of the Golden Smile Condominium. In the past, it had likely been an area with residential rooms.
But now, it was simply filled with spa facilities.
Maya explained that only the spa facilities had been finished; the others were still under construction.
I asked Maya the question I was most curious about.
"...Dr. Terra?"
"Oh? They were just here a moment ago."
...That person—they'd fled.
Having grasped the whole situation, I agonized over how I could escape.
Honestly, it wasn't impossible.
After all, people who wanted to have fun in the pool could have fun, and those who wanted to rest at home could rest.
I calmly aired the excuses I'd thought up, one by one, with feigned sincerity.
"Oh dear, I don't have a swimsuit. Haha, unfortunately there aren't any shops selling swimsuits right now, either. Guess I'll just rest at home today."
"Chairman-nim said they prepared everything...!"
It had been a while since I'd seen Maya this enthusiastic.
But right now, she was nothing but my enemy.
"...Actually, I can't swim."
"I checked earlier, there isn't a single really deep pool here."
I despaired at Catherine's follow-up remark.
When the hell had she checked that out already?
In the end, what gets through is 'sincerity.'
"...Fine. I just want to lie down and rest, that's all. I'll be resting at home, so you guys have a little fun here and come back."
"Guess we can just lie on those sunbeds over there."
Andrea was the last to answer.
As if she'd completely forgotten how I'd spent 24 hours doing manager work for her, she was repaying kindness with hostility.
"...No, a sunbed and a bed in a room are the same—."
"I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit."
I stopped mid-sentence.
It was after hearing Andrea's words.
......Come to think of it, swimsuits, huh.
Hmm.
Actually, it didn't really matter if I just lounged on a sunbed.
Because in this cyberpunk world, through your vision interface, you can easily enjoy movies, variety shows, or just surf the net.
...Then shall I go up a bit later?
It wasn't strictly because of the swimsuits.
It was because my personality wasn't sharp-edged enough to keep refusing earnest requests.
Anyway, that's how it was.
* * *
Fortunately, the changing rooms were separated by gender.
There were plenty of men's swimsuits in shapes like triangles and squares, but ultimately I chose a solid-color rash guard.
No matter how trash my physical traits were, maybe my time as a mercenary hadn't been in vain: lean muscle had settled here and there on my body.
Of course, it was also true that I'd only been lounging around lately, so a bit of belly fat was starting to assert its presence.
The rash guard choice was for that reason.
And the fact that my skin was as pale as if I had some disease was another reason.
...Was it the 'Tender Skin' trait?
I recalled the trait description was probably 'Slashing defense value -2'. For reference, it's a negative trait.
"...Aish."
This trash physical trait was going to be with me forever in this life, huh.
I thought with a light sigh.
Suddenly, my mood turned a little gloomy.
I trudged, dragging my feet, out of the changing room.
At the same time, my mood lifted again.
I can't help this part, either.
It's the fate of the species known as man.
When had they all come out and changed?
The sight of multiple women playing in their swimsuits at the spa facilities struck my eyeballs hard.
Why didn't I install a recording module when I got my mechanical eye implant?
A belated regret flickered through me.
The first ones in front were Maya and Andrea.
They were relieving their fatigue in the warm pool.
Maya was luxuriating in the rising bubbles, while Andrea was submerged deep up to her neck.
Behind them, enjoying the wave pool, were Catherine, Natasha, and Julia.
Even setting Catherine aside, Natasha seemed to have pretty good athletic reflexes. She was swimming skillfully, showing off her speed.
For reference, Julia was lying on a tube, continuously surrendering her body to the waves. She was the only one of the three not wearing a bikini.
I shook my head lightly.
Counting prime numbers in my head, I was careful not to let my gaze be stolen by the sight of the five of them.
Sunbed, where's the sunbed?
I quickly located my destination and stepped forward.
"...Mm?"
The Chairman, who spotted me, let out a short hum of mild curiosity.
"Why aren't you swimming?"
"Ah..., I'm a little tired."
Over by the sunbeds, the Chairman and Eve were lying down with an empty spot between them.
To add, the Chairman was wearing a dark purple bikini, and Eve was in a long swimsuit that looked like a pure white dress.
A shallow smile touched the Chairman's lips.
They slightly lowered their sunglasses, shifting their gaze towards me.
"Well, you would be tired after being bossed around by Andrea all day."
"...Haha, that's right."
"Did you enjoy seeing the pandas?"
"Yes, animals really are cute—."
.......
Wait.
Chairman-nim?
"Um, how did you know I went to the zoo with Andrea?"
Even if they'd heard it from Eve, who knew my entire schedule, there wouldn't have been time to discuss it yet.
"Fufu, I may not be as good as the artificial intelligence next to you, but I know enough to know."
"......."
An AI stalker was scary, sure, but a chaebol stalker was something I'd never even imagined existed.
...Come to think of it, the Chairman had also brought up stories about Mr. Bill once when I visited.
The thought crossed my mind as I wiped away goosebumps: the Chairman investigating the people around me might have been going on longer than I thought.