A Person Who Doesn't Want to Go Out (2)
A Person Who Doesn't Want to Go Out (2)
The scenery of Neon City was the same as always.
Flashy everywhere you looked.
Dazzling hologram lights wherever you turned.
I stood in the middle of the urban forest and turned my gaze toward the hologram billboard floating in the air.
《Innovation — the world's number one product.》
What appeared alongside that ad copy—I couldn't even figure out what it was promoting—was Andrea's enormous face.
Beneath her hologram, the Monolith corporate emblem rotated at a slow speed.
It was an undeniable fact that the live broadcast we'd appeared on had ended in, quite literally, a 'total shitshow.'
And on top of that, the sudden hacking (by Eve) meant the broadcast didn't even get a proper closing punctuation mark.
I was certain the net space was buzzing with talk about us.
What I expected was something along the lines of:
'Losing one's faith has, since time immemorial, meant death...! The news of Andrea's polygamous marriage means the other man must be killed......!'
That sort of thing.
But truly, thankfully.
That prediction of mine missed the mark beautifully.
The reason was simple.
The corporation ranked number one in global market capitalization.
The head of the megacorps that rule cyberpunk.
The largest corporation in the world.
It was thanks to the appearance of 'Monolith Chairman-nim.'
That was likely the reason.
The vast majority of people watching the live broadcast would have hastily pulled their hands away from their keyboards the moment Chairman-nim of Monolith appeared on the broadcast.
While posting things roughly along the lines of 'Mmph mmph! I said nothing at all!' on the boards.
It was obvious even without looking.
Because no one in the net space would want to get on the bad side of a megacorp (Monolith) that always had a dedicated legal team stationed there.
Of course, that didn't mean there weren't any clueless people.
In Neon City, where all kinds of people lived, the number of idiots was also considerable.
And there were plenty of people who only looked forward without thinking of consequences, craving attention.
Those who thought they could just flee into death if they got sued weren't afraid to post various opinions about 'Andrea' or 'Chairman-nim.'
But even those antics didn't last long.
Because, as if some 'tremendous artificial intelligence' was automatically deleting posts that appeared on the net space, the related posts began to vanish in an instant.
Just as a fire without kindling cannot last long.
An issue without attention cannot last long.
The controversy Andrea was tangled up in was gradually pushed aside by other gossip and faded away.
And so.
The legendary broadcast left behind by 'Rex Nova's Show LaEve' vanished into everyone's memories.
For reference, another piece of gossip meant something like this.
Andrea's image disappeared from the hologram billboard. The ad ended, and the next news story followed.
《This is an NCB News breaking news report. 'Vince Barbo,' who was recently released from prison after being incarcerated on charges including tax delinquency, has been urgently arrested again. The NCPD has not yet announced the charges─.》
Neon City, being the setting of a game, was one of the noisiest cities in this world.
Incidents and accidents happened practically every day.
20. The Person Who Doesn't Want to Go Out (2)
I pulled my gaze away from the billboard.
I looked over at the three women walking with me.
One was wearing a maid outfit that didn't fit the street atmosphere, and there was also a woman whose presence was as striking as if she radiated a golden glow.
And lastly, there was a woman who'd covered her face with sunglasses and a mask, and concealed her long 'elf ears' under a hat.
It was an unavoidable disguise, separate from yesterday's live broadcast — something a celebrity couldn't escape.
"Hm?"
Andrea noticed my gaze and looked at me.
Her red eyes, visible just above her slightly lowered sunglasses, stared straight at me.
"Ah, this."
Her large eyes curved into crescent moons.
"You saw it last time too, right? Same mask."
Even though most of her face was covered, I could clearly see she was smiling.
It was just that the face from the billboard was right beside me, so I'd looked out of curiosity.
I let out an awkward cough for no reason.
"Ahem, so where are we heading?"
It was a question about whether we'd head to Banta Market to stop by an antique shop, or to a clothing store to get rid of Eve's maid outfit.
The three of them whispered among themselves for a moment.
After a brief discussion, Andrea nodded and said,
"Let's head to the nearest place first."
Andrea took the lead and walked ahead.
To get to Banta Market from here right now, we would have had to go to the Little Shinjuku district, which meant even taking the monorail would consume a lot of time.
So it was a reasonable choice.
We walked along behind Andrea.
My home, the Golden Smile Condominium, belonged to the Mid-level Business District.
Since it was also very close to Center Plaza, the central business district, a fairly large downtown area was situated here as well.
Andrea and I, who'd covered our faces with masks, didn't attract attention, but because of Eve and Catherine—whose faces were, even objectively, beautiful—gazes gathered around us.
Especially because of Eve's maid outfit.
Anyway.
"...Hm, was this it?"
The clothing shop Andrea found was neither as large as I'd thought, nor was it terribly small.
To be honest, I wondered why she'd deliberately sought out this place and come in.
Maybe she'd noticed my expression.
Andrea gave a light explanation.
"If you go to a famous brand specialty store, they only sell that brand, and if you go to a clothing shop that's too small, they only have a few items."
We entered the clothing shop.
"Welcome!"
A female employee dressed neatly in well-tailored clothes greeted us.
Catherine and Eve, who had little to no experience entering a clothing shop, looked around, busy checking out the clothes.
Once again, Andrea took the lead and spoke to the employee.
"Ah, I'm fine. Please take these two and style them nicely."
"...Hey, I had no intention of buying clothes."
"But you're here anyway, so buying some would be nice."
She said that while pushing Catherine and Eve by the backs and sending them forward to the employee.
It was only natural that the employee, taking in their appearances, let out a short exclamation of admiration.
"Oho, with two ladies like this, it'd be worth styling you. I won't even charge a fashion consulting fee..., so would it be okay to do a little promotion on social media later?"
"That's a bit much."
"Please don't do that─."
Leaving the clingy employee behind, Andrea approached me.
Catherine looked toward us with a slightly dissatisfied expression, but the employee's promise to pick out clothes that really suited them was the decisive blow.
She had no choice but to be led away by the employee and disappeared into one side of the clothing shop.
Eve, who'd been quietly watching me, naturally followed behind Catherine and the employee when I gave a small nod.
Originally, we'd come to buy clothes for Eve.
But since we were here, I figured it'd be fine for everyone to buy at least one piece of clothing and go.
I caught my breath for a moment and let out a sigh.
"Hoo."
And without following behind the employee.
I asked Andrea, who was stuck right next to me.
"Are you okay with not buying any?"
"Me? I've got clothes piled up at home."
Well, it was silly to worry about clothes for a celebrity.
"More importantly."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Andrea's eyes lit up as she looked at me. She took off her sunglasses and tucked them into her chest.
"Now that we're here, you should buy some too."
"......."
No way.
Had she anticipated all of this and sent Catherine and Eve off to the employee just for this?
...Andrea.
Scary kid.
Overwhelmed by that momentum, I instinctively stepped backward—a movement driven by survival instinct.
Andrea approached me faster than I could retreat.
"First, let's get your measurements."
"...What measurements? I can just buy roughly─."
"No."
Andrea cut off my words firmly.
The movement of her hands felt terribly ominous.
Andrea, whose face beneath the mask was undoubtedly full of smiles, slowly pressured me.
"...A suit would be fine too, or completely changing your style would be good. Since you're always so bundled up normally, this time a slightly more open feel...."
Her muttering was terrifying.
I, who'd been watching up to that point, had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut.
I braced for the pain and hardship that would find me.
Time passed.
To briefly summarize the situation at the clothing shop, it was as follows.
I (forcibly) changed clothes.
'...This one's nice, I'll go with this─.'
'No, you've got to try on other ones too. And of course, we're buying this one as well.'
'?'
And so I changed outfits dozens of times.
Along the way, Catherine and Eve appeared in new clothes and asked for my opinion.
'How's this?'
'How is it?'
They were a feast for the eyes.
However.
'Oh, those look great on everyone.'
'Hmm..., then I should try on other ones too. Since you say they suit me, we're buying this one as well for now.'
'Measuring heart rate..., maximum value update failed. I will go try on a more efficient new outfit.'
'?'
And so I also appreciated dozens of outfits.
Ultimately, the result of finishing clothes shopping without thinking of the aftermath.
I looked up at the sky.
The red sunset glow visible beyond the City Shield was hazily visible through the gaps in the clouds.
The time was already approaching evening.
In my personal opinion.
I was more tired right now than when I'd infiltrated the Koozaka headquarters.
I muttered weakly.
"......Can't go there today."
For reference, the 'there' I was talking about meant the black market, Banta Market.
Just how much shopping did we do....
I turned my head slightly and looked around.
I didn't know the exact number, but I could roughly tell it was dozens of pieces.
Catherine, Eve, and Andrea were each carrying an armful of shopping bags filled with multiple outfits.
For reference, the shopping bags Andrea was holding contained clothes that I'd be wearing.
.......
The clothes weren't cheap.
But since the credits I'd received from Koozaka Chairman-nim were filling my bank account to bursting, there wasn't any major issue with the cost.
"That's why I said to only buy a little."
Catherine, who'd said that, also had several shopping bags full in her hands.
I looked at Catherine with exasperation.
As if she had some semblance of a conscience, Catherine subtly avoided my gaze.
"Haah."
I let out a small sigh and continued speaking.
"Since we've got a lot of luggage, I should call at least a self-driving taxi."
An SUV-sized one at that.
Tired..., so tired....
Suddenly feeling thirsty, I spotted a convenience store on one side of the street that sold drinks and snacks.
"I'm a bit thirsty, so I'll go buy something to drink."
"I'll go as well."
"Nah, we've got a lot of luggage."
I declined Eve's offer.
I wanted to be alone, even for a moment....
"I'll be right back, so rest here for a bit."
"Something cold for me."
"I'm buying cold drinks for everyone anyway."
I answered Catherine and walked to the convenience store.
While pretending to browse the goods a little, I'll rest a bit and then come back.
* * *
Once only the three women remained, Andrea leaned her back against a tall guardrail on the street and opened her mouth.
"...But there's one thing I'm curious about."
She set down her shopping bags, folded her arms, and continued naturally.
"I am who I am, but what part of that guy do you two like so much? Since it's just the three of us now, let's talk about it honestly for once."
At the sudden question, Catherine and Eve turned to look at Andrea.
Even though the words had come out lightly, as if she were joking, the two intuitively sensed that they contained various worries.
So, without any room to joke around,
Catherine answered first.
"...Me, well, I've spent over ten years together with him. A lot of things happened in that time, and honestly, at first I did think of him like a little brother. But now, it's changed quite a bit."
Next, Eve spoke.
"The reason this entity was able to come out into this world was, in the end, thanks to 'Si-un's' choice. While I have not yet learned the emotion of 'liking,' I have recognized the situation where my heart rate increases upon directly looking at 'Si-un' with my prosthetic body."
The gazes of the two, who'd confessed their honest feelings, finally settled on Andrea.
They'd said their piece, so it was now her turn to speak.
Andrea slowly opened her mouth.
"...As for me."
.......
'...Nothing special happened, huh.'
Andrea couldn't help but feel outmatched by the two of them.