Why Are You Doing This to Me? (2)
Why Are You Doing This to Me? (2)
I saw Drex off briefly.
Since his wedding was the very next week, he had far more than one or two people to hand invitations to today.
When I returned to the room, Catherine, who was fiddling with her vision interface, asked me a question.
"And Drex?"
"He must be pretty busy right now."
At my words, Catherine nodded.
Catherine probably knew too. Truth be told, if we were to pick the most 'normal person' among our colleagues, 'Drex' was the top candidate.
Considering Drex's personality, he probably wouldn't want to half-heartedly throw together a wedding that (normally) only happens once in a lifetime.
I sank into the guest chair where Drex had been sitting.
Maybe it was because of how long Drex had sat there. The seams of the chair were already starting to come apart.
...setting the chair aside. Drex, getting married.
It really hit me in a unique way. My time in this game hadn't been in vain.
I thought to myself, leaning back against the chair.
What should I get him as a wedding gift?
If this were Korea, you'd just give a cash congratulatory gift and be done with it. But in this 'cyberpunk world,' which generally follows American-style culture, giving an actual present is the norm.
Furniture? A refrigerator? Should I just take the easy route and gift him an entire cyberware specialty shop building?
The reward money Pit Mac had given me was still fattening up my bank account.
Buying any kind of gift wouldn't be a burden.
What to do.
As I was deep in thought, Catherine called out to me.
"Hey, hey hey hey hey."
What is it, my golden child?
Without answering, I looked her way. Her golden eyes stared straight at me.
"Who are you going to put down for this?"
"What."
In response to my question, Catherine shared her vision interface.
It was the content of the RSVP card Drex had sent.
Since the wedding was already scheduled for next week, I figured I'd just need to jot down whether I was attending or not.
Well, there shouldn't be anything else to worry about. With that thought, I checked the text of the RSVP card Catherine had forwarded.
【Who are you planning to attend with?】
.......
What should I write? Should I write down everyone I'm going with—.
"Ah."
I instinctively raised my head and looked around.
Catherine, who had asked me. Andrea, who was subtly perking up her ears. And Eve, who was looking at me with confidence.
The gazes of these three were fixed on me.
Once again, for some reason.
Figures like Julia, the Chairman, Natasha, and Maya flickered through my mind in rapid succession.
I had to pick just one person here? It was an incredibly difficult problem.
Truly, tremendously, immensely.
And then. After a brief silence, I opened my mouth.
"......I."
25. Why Are You Doing This to Me (2)
Santos knew he was an ordinary person.
Of course, living in the Middle Layer, he also knew that he belonged to the upper-middle class and above among the citizens of Neon City.
But even so, he had never once thought of himself as 'special.'
Building an ordinary family. Doing an ordinary job. Maintaining ordinary human relationships.
Santos had defined himself as that kind of ordinary person.
He had thought that way until he attended the wedding of his next-door neighbor, the dwarf, Drex Carter, after receiving his invitation.
A church in the South Pillar district of the Middle Layer.
"Wow, you rented this place?"
Santos murmured to himself as he thought.
'They said they were only inviting people they knew.'
Mr. Drex. He seemed to be a man of greater pride than expected.
The scale of the wedding venue was far larger than Santos had imagined. Of course, that kind of thing wasn't exactly rare in Neon City.
Santos casually led his family and stepped into the church.
Even if you chartered the largest church in the Middle Layer for a wedding, it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. It was something ordinary people could definitely pull off.
If Drex regretted it later after seeing the credit bill, that was his own problem, not Santos's.
Santos squared his shoulders confidently and dusted off the luxury brand (50% off) outfit he had bought for today.
Moreover, he had made sure his wife and children's attire were properly prepared as well.
There was no reason to get pointlessly intimidated just by the 'scale of the wedding.'
Santos waved his hand toward the massive man standing in the distance.
"Mr. Drex!"
Seeing Santos's face, Drex grinned.
'Just how much does he work out?'
He greeted Drex, whose physique made him feel guilty about his own belly fat.
Whether or not Drex noticed his thoughts, Drex offered a standard greeting.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Santos."
"Haha, we're neighbors, of course I had to come."
Santos thought as he received Drex's handshake.
'......He said he was a Dwarf.'
But why was his build so damn huge? A sudden question struck him.
After all, he just ran an ordinary cyberware specialty shop.
"......."
Santos shook his head to dismiss the thought. It was actually quite common for people working with cyberware to undergo surgical enhancements on their own bodies.
After briefly exchanging greetings, Santos made his way toward the wooden chairs on one side of the church.
"Daddy, when do we eat?"
"Wait just a little."
He soothed his whining daughter and waited for the ceremony to begin, sneaking glances at Drex from the corner of his eye. It was only natural to check the arriving guests for anyone he knew.
That was when.
"I'm here!"
A loud and cheerful voice. But the reason everyone's eyes turned that way wasn't just the 'voice.'
'......Whoa.'
Santos admired her inwardly. Openly admiring her might earn him a severe scolding from his wife sitting beside him.
Her golden hair shone dazzlingly. Plenty of people around Santos dyed their hair blonde, but few suited it as well as she did.
She was wearing a yellow frill dress. The material wasn't particularly flashy, so it naturally blended well with the wedding atmosphere.
"Catherine, you made it."
They seemed close. Along with his greeting, Drex welcomed her warmly.
"What about Si-un?"
"Bathroom, just for a moment."
Santos, overhearing that conversation, thought to himself.
'Si-un, Shun? Anyway, a lucky guy.'
Santos subtly shifted his gaze and looked at his wife.
When we got married, I thought we'd be happy forever. But a toad I hadn't noticed back then was now sitting beside him.
In order to cleanse his eyes, Santos looked back toward the woman called Catherine.
Another woman walked in behind her.
"Hmm, quite big? I thought you were making it small."
Santos's eyes widened.
It turned out he wasn't the only one who noticed. The gazes of all the surrounding guests also focused on that woman, the 'celebrity.'
Long red hair, tied into twin tails, cascaded softly down.
Her suit had little decoration, but her bright aura made it feel extravagant.
Drex welcomed Andrea, the celebrity singer.
"Thanks for coming, Andrea. It's only the scale that's big, just the scale. Lorenda said she preferred doing it at a church."
This was Andrea Rose, a famous influencer he'd only ever seen on broadcasts.
A celebrity so famous that even Santos, who had little interest in worldly affairs, knew her.
Santos mentally upgraded his estimate of Drex by a notch.
'...He's got wider connections than I thought.'
To think a celebrity would come and congratulate him.
But then. After finishing her greeting, Andrea approached the woman he'd seen earlier, Catherine.
"Si-un went to the bathroom, right?"
"Yeah."
.......
What the hell.
'Who is this Shun guy?'
Did he have a ton of credits or something?
It was more envy than jealousy.
'...He's probably nobody special.'
He spat out dark, bitter feelings inside.
Of course. If the arrivals had ended there, Santos would have just thought that and nothing more.
Drex continued guiding the stream of guests.
"Julia, was it? Nice to meet you."
"......Yes."
"Those waiting for Si-un are over there."
The woman (a beauty) holding a White Rabbit doll walked over to join the other two.
"Boss, thank you for making time."
"Don't mention it. What about Si-un? We were supposed to meet here."
"You can wait over there."
A sharp-featured woman (a beauty), and an Orc who looked like a bodyguard.
"......Um."
"...Who—, ah, Ms. Maya, was it? I've heard a lot about you from Si-un."
"...Yes."
"If you wait over there, Si-un will show up soon."
Comparatively ordinary-looking, but still a woman (a beauty) attractive enough to draw the surrounding gazes.
And so, eventually, a multitude of beautiful women ended up sitting in one spot, conversing among themselves.
'...What is this.'
No matter how intensely his wife's glare sharpened, Santos couldn't stop himself from looking over.
'...Is this some kind of event?'
Seeing as they had all come looking for a man called 'Shun,' he couldn't help but think that way.
'No, get a grip.'
Santos shook his head. His wife's glare had sharpened to an unbearable degree, and besides, the ceremony's start time written on the invitation was fast approaching.
He had come to congratulate his neighbor on his marriage; he hadn't come to gawk at the other guests.
Marriage in Neon City was a blessed thing. Having gone through marriage himself, he knew this better than anyone.
Especially when it was a good neighbor.
'......Well, still.'
There probably wouldn't be any more surprises now. Santos, thinking that, looked after his daughters while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
"......."
Santos felt the atmosphere change.
He raised his head and looked around.
Then, men in black suits who hadn't been visible earlier—he began to notice them standing guard at every entrance.
He had no idea when they had gotten there.
Beyond the massive church's stained-glass windows, several large black shadows passed by.
'......Aerial vehicles?'
Aerial vehicle entry was supposedly prohibited here.
And they weren't even small in size. They weren't vehicles of a scale used for ordinary transportation. It was a size any Mega Corp might use—.
- Kung.
The closed door opened.
Purple hair was the first thing that caught his eye.
It was true that all the people who had appeared so far had an aura of being unapproachable, but this person's aura was completely different.
Something—Santos got the feeling she was from another world entirely.
His kind neighbor, Drex, seemed equally clueless about this woman's identity.
Just like Santos, his expression was one of bewilderment.
And beside the woman, a man with neatly slicked-back black hair naturally accompanied her.
"...Mr. Justin Borg?"
Drex murmured. Then, bursting into an amazed chuckle, Drex spoke to the woman as if he hadn't expected her at all.
"My apologies for not recognizing you at first glance."
And he continued.
"Chairman, thank you for coming."
"Mm."
Chairman. A title usually signifying the head of a particular corporation.
Having eavesdropped on the conversation up to that point, Santos audibly gulped.
Santos had no comprehension of exactly what kind of place he was in right now.
* * *
Whew, I'm nervous. I finished washing my hands in the bathroom and walked out.
"......Phew."
And I came face to face with Eve standing right in front of me.
"......."
So she'd been waiting in front of the bathroom. I thought to myself as I looked at Eve.