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Chapter 13

The interior of a low-tier, shabby bar.

Cold wind seeps in through holes in the walls here and there.

Cheap LED lights hanging from the ceiling swayed haphazardly in the breeze.

As a gathering place for vagabonds living day to day, the air inside was chillingly still.

I scratched my head in dismay.

Catherine’s expression, which I glanced at, was equally uneasy.

“How on earth did you find a place like this?”

“…Just came for a drink, didn’t we?”

Catherine shrugged, continuing her response.

“I heard about it from No Answer, said there’s a decent guy here.”

“…Here?”

I scanned the surroundings at Catherine’s words.

A few people with their heads resting on old wooden tables, presumably drowned in alcohol.

Some laughing and chatting in corners, sipping cheap synthetic liquor.

And a couple, with dead expressions, gulping down strong alcohol without any snacks.

Well, just look at the atmosphere.

If you gather only those who roam the lower classes, this is what you get, I thought.

It didn’t feel like there could be any “decent guy” here.

I knew Catherine’s in-game comrades.

One was a dwarf specializing in cyberware.

The other—

At that moment, a soft, clear female voice flowed from the small bar’s stage.

A very gentle and clear voice.

Even the drunken vagabonds turned their attention to the stage, one by one.

I remembered.

Another one was a singer.

A mercenary and a singer, an elf named Andrea.

“…Hey, isn’t that her?”

Catherine pointed towards her as she spoke.

“Let’s wait until the song ends.”

“Right.”

We found our target and settled into empty seats.

The rusty metal chair creaked loudly.

There weren’t many people in the bar, so there were plenty of seats available.

“I can’t judge her skills, but she sings quite well.”

Even Catherine, who was usually critical, seemed impressed by her singing abilities.

So, we waited for her song to finish.

“Hey, you bastard. If you’re going to sing like that and suck the energy out, you might as well just shut up!”

A drunkard, clutching his bottle, shouted at her.

The scene that followed, with the surrounding people joining in laughter, was not a pleasant sight.

Anywhere you went in the lower classes, it was the same.

There were just too many lunatics.

Fights breaking out in the lower classes were nothing unusual.

But the problem was that this was an argument involving a new teammate(s).

Catherine sitting beside me seemed to be thinking the same thing.

We were about to get up from our seats.

Just as we were considering how to deal with the drunken vagabonds.

That’s when the chair flew into the air.

– Thwack!

Suddenly, Andrea, who had stopped singing, threw her chair at the drunkards.

The chair hit one of the drunkard’s jaw with pinpoint accuracy and continued spinning until it hit the ceiling.

An unexpected situation.

The blood and white pieces from the vagabond’s mouth proved that this situation was indeed real.

Even the drunkard’s companions, who had been laughing and enjoying themselves, couldn’t hide their shock.

“What the fuck!!”

Because of that, the drunkards shouted at Andrea a beat later.

The abrupt change in the atmosphere made Catherine and me crave popcorn.

If Andrea handled the situation herself, there was no need for us to intervene.

Her red hair sparkled in the light.

Her long hair swayed as if showcasing her presence.

“─FUCK.”

Perhaps thanks to her excellent singing skills, her unnecessarily well-articulated curse echoed throughout the entire bar via the microphone.

Followed by her stiffly rising middle finger.

“If you don’t want to listen, then either come up here or shut hell up, you assholes!”

And that was it.

That was our first meeting with her.

I’d like to justify this part by saying that it’s not her personality that’s dirty, but rather the mercenaries she’s surrounded by.

Anyway, that’s that.

* * *

“Hey!! What was that?”

“Oh, just kidding, kidding! Can’t I even joke around?”

Catherine yelled as she rushed toward Andrea, who calmly received her.

This place is Andrea’s personal waiting room, with her name on the door. By the way, it was incredibly splendid.

It seemed to double as a dressing room too.

Andrea, sitting in front of a large mirror, didn’t stop smiling.

Not as much as Catherine and me, but she was also one of our long-time comrades.

We’ve entrusted each other with our lives a few times while carrying out many requests.

At first glance, it might seem like we’re really fighting, but in reality, it’s not that serious.

The two of them have been like this for a day or two.

“…Do you really want to die? You.”

“Would you like to give it a try after a long time?”

…They’re not really serious, right?

I cautiously watched their interactions from the guest chair.

Surely they wouldn’t actually fight, right?

By the way, if they really start fighting, I’ve vowed to run away without looking back.

I was starting to feel like going home.

Is there anyone to stop those two?

I murmured softly, only for Eve to hear.

“…Eve, isn’t there a good way to resolve this situation?”

[It is scheduled to appear in about 5 seconds, I inform.]

“Huh?”

It was a completely unexpected response.

[Currently accessing biometric data near the entrance to the waiting room. It is recommended to check the direction towards the door, I inform again.]

As Eve finished speaking, the waiting room door forcefully swung open.

“Yoo!”

Everyone could tell he was a celebrity living in the upper classes.

His golden skin, starting from his jaw, wrapped his entire body in a peculiar manner.

Who was he again?

…It felt like I could almost remember, but not quite.

Ah, right.

He was the one who sang on stage earlier.

All the celebrities of Neon City had that vibe. Except Andrea, of course.

They seemed to ooze with personality compared to the lower classes, but in a different sense.

“Andrea!”

“Ah… that crazy bastard’s here again.”

“Still as rough-mouthed as ever, thorny rose.”

Andrea sighed upon seeing the man’s face. She looked genuinely disgusted.

Catherine, witnessing Andrea’s expression, burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, Catherine put her hand on Andrea’s shoulder.

“Oh, that’s hilarious. Crazy bitch, you two match well. Hey.”

“…Really, cut it out.”

A dull thud was heard.

If there was one problem, it was that the man’s attention wasn’t solely on Andrea.

Turning his head, the man’s gaze shifted towards Catherine this time.

“Oh, you’re beautiful too.”

“What the fuck?”

“Hehehe, I hope you enjoyed my performance earlier. I’m Vince Barbo, the leader of Rain Earth.”

This time it was Andrea’s turn to burst into laughter.

Just like Catherine earlier, Andrea couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Was he an extreme narcissist?

The man didn’t seem to pay much attention to their reactions.

“Well, I was just about to have a meal. Would you like to join me, lady?”

Upon hearing this, Andrea continued laughing while speaking to Catherine.

“Hey, hey. You’re a good match. You two go eat together. I’m going to eat with Siwoon.”

“…Siwoon? Who’s that?”

The man, Vince Barbo, momentarily narrowed his eyes.

I didn’t want to attract any sparks, so I stayed silent and sat quietly in my seat.

I took a sip of the tea that was prepared for guests.

It tasted good.

But unfortunately, my efforts were in vain.

Really, it was disappointing that we were the only ones in this room.

Even if I wanted to hide, there was nowhere to hide.

It was only natural that Vince Barbo’s gaze eventually turned to me.

“…Hmm, I guess it’s him.”

He smirked.

“Aren’t I better than an Asian guy like him? He’s wearing a mask, and he doesn’t look too healthy either.”

…Hmm.

It wasn’t racial discrimination that happened once or twice.

I didn’t even feel angry at this point.

However, it would be foolish to ignore taunts from Neon City.

It couldn’t be helped.

I was about to get up to respond to his taunt.

Well I would’ve…if Catherine and Andrea hadn’t slapped him at the same time.

– Thud!

Perhaps due to being fully coated in gold, the sound of him hitting the wall was unusually loud.

Vince Barbo, now unconscious from being slammed against the wall.

…I didn’t intend for it to go that far.

Catherine and Andrea glanced at each other.

Then, without saying a word, they both nodded.

“…Are you guys really okay with this? He seemed somewhat famous. Just be a bit gentle.”

But neither of them seemed to care too much.

In fact, both of them had relieved expressions.

“Hey hey, I’ve sung all my songs. Let’s all go eat together now.”

“Shall we?”

…Is this okay? I briefly pondered.

Well, the concert did end quite late.

Thanks to that, I was quite hungry.

For now, let’s go eat and think about it later.

[….]

I’m not sure.

We’ll figure it out somehow.

—

And the very next day.

《This is breaking news from NCB24. Vince Barbo, the leader of a famous male group, has been urgently arrested on seven charges including tax evasion.》

The face of the man I saw yesterday appeared on the news program.

“Oh.”

The timing is quite interesting.

Tax evasion, huh?

Tax evasion in Neon City is essential for survival, but if caught, it’s an immediate arrest.

I remember the penalties being quite severe.

I won’t have to worry about it for a while.

《NCPD officials have said that the investigation was based on evidence sent by someone online─》

“Hmm.”

Someone?

Suddenly, Eve spoke up alone.

[I really don’t know who sent the evidence. It would have been impossible without a high-intelligent AI, I believe.]

Was it her?

I asked several times, but Eve never told me the truth until the end.