108 – A Special Birthday #4
Bang—pop pop bang!
Fireworks began exploding high in the sky. It was already 7 p.m., with the moon and stars twinkling overhead. Crowds poured into the streets to celebrate Princess Melinoë's birth. Everyone wore masks of every shape and color, like it was Halloween—dressing up was apparently the proper way to enjoy the festival. There was even a contest downtown to pick the best costumes, with prizes for the winners.
"How much budget did they blow on this?"
"Look at those street decorations. They're insanely over-the-top."
I recalled how boldly we'd executed this festival's budget. The impact of overspending and failing spectacularly outweighed pinching pennies. But we'd gotten an unexpected result.
"I heard the Pandora Market merchants decorated the streets."
"Rumors said that place was booming lately—looks like it's true!"
"Even the street vendors are leagues better than last time!"
Maybe leaving the entire budget to the Pandora Market vendors had been a mistake. I should've supervised it myself if I'd known.
It's fine. This is just a pebble tossed in a waterfall.
A small ripple couldn't derail the massive flow of failure. I stopped scanning the streets and headed for the main HQ building.
The elevator took me to the rooftop, where executives in elegant dresses and suits mingled. Among them were unfamiliar faces—beings you'd never forget after one glance.
"This sangria's made with the wine I personally fermented last party. I threw in some pomegranates native to Soul Society, and damn, it's out of this world!"
A man in nothing but purple panties was pouring wine for guests. Some new pervert? His flushed, drunken skin suggested it might be Dionysus, god of festivals and wine.
Proving my guess right, Prince Zagreus in his red panties approached and gripped the god's hand firmly.
"Dio, great to see you. How've you been?"
"Great! Couldn't be better. And what a festival! Look at those stars up there—more real than real. Never thought the underworld could feel this romantic."
The Heavenly Council's members adored Soul Society's ceiling, studded with jewels like stars. Honestly, even I thought it looked cool, so the high praise was unavoidable.
The guests' reactions were mostly "great party." I hadn't prepared anything special, but the festival's escape from routine probably boiled over into fun on its own. Holidays are enjoyable even if you do nothing after a busy routine—maybe festivals worked the same way.
"So where's our star, Melinoë?"
At Dionysus's question, Prince Zagreus glanced around and shrugged.
"Beats me. She might skip it like last party."
"Not showing up to her own birthday bash? That girl's one of a kind. Anyway, no music? The vibe's falling flat without BGM."
Music! My cue at last.
Clap clap.
"Right on time for the special performance by the singers I prepared. First up, Crowzer from Happy World employee alumni, now vocalist for the corporate band—"
"Yeeeah! Rock 'n' roll!"
Before I finished, a clown burst in, index and pinky fingers raised in horns. His makeup was thicker and wilder than usual—utterly ridiculous.
"Who's that?"
"Super sketchy."
"Isn't Rock 'n' Roll a cookware brand?"
Even I, expecting him, felt embarrassed. Dionysus, who seemed to love parties, frowned too.
"I wanted music, not comedy. Total buzzkill."
The god's stern face chilled the air a few degrees, but he soon burst out laughing.
"Hah! Still, it'll be a fun story. Hit it!"
"Hoo."
Crowzer steadied his breath, pulled a string instrument from the bag-like strap on his back, and roughly yanked the strings.
Twang twang twang.
An oriental instrument unleashed an electric guitar riff no one expected. Eyes widened.
"What the—"
"What sound is that?"
Thump chick thump chick.
Drum beats joined in next. How? Unfathomable. Then even wilder reactions erupted.
"Gah! My body's moving on its own!"
"Damn! What's this rhythm? I'm heating up!"
People who'd eyed the clown suspiciously now jerked their arms and shoulders, dancing side to side. The party ignited instantly. Dionysus's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Soloing an instrument to hype the crowd like that? Skill rivaling Brother Apollo. What say you, bro?"
"Hah! Never heard of a musician this good in Soul Society. Joey, as expected from the man who beat Admetus for promotion—you've unearthed a gem."
Crack.
Heat rushed to my head.
No!
Why did my eternal 1s on the dice suddenly roll a 6—now, of all times?
That instrument's the culprit.
If I was right, it was the string instrument made from the nymph's hair he'd sung about endlessly!
One instrument swap, and his talent flipped like that? Incredible.
Rilke, sipping sangria, clutched her cheeks like Munch's The Scream.
"No! At this rate, we won't get our turn!"
"Rilke, we crash. Can't lose to that goofy clown."
"This Carnoy doesn't get it, but smashing drums feels great…!"
Pa-ba-bat!
E&S invaded the stage. It could've turned chaotic, but another unforeseen snag hit.
E&S was a famous band, rumored to perfectly fill Orpheus's void. Their skill shone—they improvised lyrics over Crowzer's mad backing track and belted into the mic.
"Asta la vista, weight of the earth. Farewell to the gravity that bound me—."
Hipster Eurydol's lyrics were bizarrely fitting. Sun god Apollo, music expert, was awestruck.
"The clown's backing elevates the vocals perfectly. And vice versa. Like they've rehearsed for years."
Spot on. My emotions tangled complexly. My plan to ruin the party veered weirdly, but seeing this guy—who'd been a total fool and perfect failure since meeting me—lost in focus felt... unexpected.
Everyone has an ace up their sleeve. No reason I can't too. Hang on to hope.
Resolve surged. Then a woman with legs haughtily propped on a table snorted.
"Music's nice, whatever."
Her crescent moon headband marked her as Artemis, goddess of moon and hunt.
"The star of the party hasn't shown. Can't call this a success."
Her words hit dead center, like an arrow through a bullseye. Melinoë's birthday party without Melinoë? No success.
Part of me hoped she wouldn't appear. But then—
Where is she? What’s she doing?
With her nearby, I was uneasy. Without her? Equally so. The princess was too unpredictable; I needed her in sight to relax.
# # #
Where was the princess? On a hunch, I headed to the kitchen, prepping tons of food. Maybe she was there for desserts.
No Melinoë. But something else.
"This one's hungry, nyaat…! Bring more honey cake and yummy ice chocolate, nyaat…!"
"You weird nymph! Eat it all, and there's no dessert for guests! Out!"
"You thieving nymph! Take this knuckle sandwich!"
Bonk!
"Hieeek…!"
A bizarre nymph bickered with skeleton chefs. They tried shoving out the round-masked nymph; she dug in, howling comically.
Masked, but obvious who.
...Why Melinoi!?
Sudden and weird. But in Soul Society, sudden weirdness was normal.
"What’s going on?"
"Ah, Manager Joey! This nymph devoured all the honey cakes for guests!"
"Where's security?!"
Flail flail.
Melinoi squirmed, collared by a skeleton chef. My temples throbbed.
"I'll handle her."
Perfect, actually. Keep Melinoi with me—no variables.
"So Melinoi, why sneak in and scarf all the cake?"
"This Melinoi wasn't invited to the party… so had to sneak in, nyaat…. It's this Melinoi's birthday too…. Wanted tasty stuff, nyaat…."
Not invited? She's the star—no need.
She invites, doesn't get invited.
"This Melinoi is precious… but no one likes this Melinoi, nyaat…. No one celebrates Melinoi's birthday, nyaat…."
Droop.
Shoulders slumped. Tears streamed under her ghostly mask—pitiful.
Melinoi thought everyone hated her. Makes sense—this party was for Princess Melinoë, not nymph Melinoi.
"Melinoi, stick with me today. I'll get you food, drinks. I'll celebrate your birthday."
"...Really? Sounds great, nyaat…! This Melinoi's first birthday wish from anyone…! Feeling so happy, nyaat…!"
Great for me. Holding Melinoi keeps Princess Melinoë away—I'll get blamed, disciplined.
Perfect scheme. Chills at my own genius.
Muhuhu.
Then Melinoë in a round ghost mask appeared.
"Joey, you look pleased. Heard the party's roaring. Your plans working out?"
"Exactly. All going to—huh?"
Blink blink.
I blinked hard. Dreaming with eyes open?
"...Why are you here, Lady Melinoë?"
"It's my birthday party. Of course I'm here."
No, wait. That's not obvious!
If Melinoë's there, who's this Melinoi?
The two stared through masks.
"……."
"……."