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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Mass media is ‘money.’
Attention is money, and money is power.
This was a saying that also held true in the cyberpunk world, steeped in extreme capitalist ideology.
A corporation that operates concentratedly in a single city, and through corporate warfare, holds the exclusive broadcasting rights within that city.
It was a widely known fact that NCB24 (Neon City Broadcasting 24) held absolute power in Neon City.
When other corporations owned a single headquarters building, NCB24 filled a vast site with dedicated buildings.
Many people walked around the grounds, landscaped like streets.
There were many famous celebrities seen only on broadcasts, and many influencers with enormous online presence.
It felt similar to the high-ranking corporate party I attended with Chairman Monolith before.
But there was a difference.
Back then, there were many people you’d only see on news or current affairs programs.
Now, there were many celebrities consumed in light snack culture, like those on variety shows.
My eyes involuntarily turned to a passing celebrity.
Wow.
That person has four breasts.
….
I decided to pretend I didn’t see that.
After all, the size, shape, and feel of breasts are what’s important.
I don’t want the number to increase as well.
[…Perhaps.]
“Absolutely, definitely not.”
Eve, sharing my sight, seemed to have a question for me, but I strongly denied it, swearing on my soul.
I followed Andrea across the grounds. Due to NCB24’s broadcasting regulations prohibiting driving inside, everyone else was also walking instead of driving.
However, that ‘car’ stipulation. It did not seem to include aerial vehicles.
Looking up, I saw several aerial vehicles flying around.
Another fortunate point was that there were almost no ordinary people among those on the grounds.
Since entry was completely blocked, not many gazes were directed at me or Andrea.
At most, they snuck furtive glances.
For that reason, we were able to arrive at our target building without any fuss or trouble.
I continued to follow Andrea’s guidance.
We opened a door labeled ‘Makeup Waiting Room’ and entered. Inside, there seemed to be no one but us.
Only after entering the waiting room did reality begin to sink in.
Andrea, seeing my nervous state, seemed worried and brought me a glass of clean water.
“Nothing will happen, relax.”
“…Yeah.”
By the way, since water was more expensive than soft drinks in the cyberpunk world, I accepted the water and drank it down.
“Phew.”
I let out a short sigh.
[Heart rate rising, I recommend deep breathing.]
“Right, take a deep breath.”
Andrea, who could hear Eve’s words, seemed to agree and offered me advice.
I responded without revealing my inner thoughts.
“…Should I?”
Since it’s inside a corporate building, there should be an air purification system, right?
Wearing a mask felt stuffy.
First, I’ll take off the mask—
Just as I was thinking that.
A giant shadow opened the waiting room door and appeared.
Though it didn’t actually happen.
It felt like a thump- thump- sound echoed with every step.
Those ominous green eyes moved toward me.
“Is this the person?”
“….”
Compared to their physique, their voice was incredibly high-pitched.
Unless they had vocal implant surgery, it meant this mass was ‘female.’
‘Holy….’
Flustered, I looked up at the ‘orc,’ unsure if it was a he or she.
They seemed bigger than Smith.
“Nice to meet you. I’m ‘Jane,’ the agency representative for ‘Andrea Rose.'”
A huge hand was extended toward me.
I thought they might grab me by the collar. Fortunately, it was just a gesture for a handshake.
She, Jane (presumably), smiled.
It seemed like an attempt to appear harmless, but to me, having to crane my neck upward for so long, it only looked like a predator’s grin.
“There’s been a scandal with our Andrea….”
….
I just wanted to go home.
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Orcs are a race that faces a lot of discrimination from birth in the cyberpunk world.
Usually, you can tell just by looking at their ‘names.’
No Answer’s gatekeeper ‘Smith.’
‘John,’ who runs the taco shop in front of the house.
And now ‘Jane’ in front of me.
They rarely used surnames with their names. Moreover, the moment they added a surname to their name, they started to be ostracized from their cartel for not being “green-skinned enough.”
Representative examples of what they called,
‘Orc,’ not “green-skinned enough” behavior included:
Wearing a mask because the air is bad.
Using a filter when drinking water for health reasons.
Using a silencer when shooting a gun.
Cowardly pulling out a thermal weapon in a knife fight.
And so on.
Smith mentioned last time that his brothers didn’t like him much.
It was a hood culture that stemmed from such bad habits.
But to be born an ‘Orc’ and to be an agency representative.
I suddenly started to feel respect.
I thought as I accepted Jane’s handshake.
If the grip of the handshake had been even slightly stronger, I would have made an excuse about my hand breaking and run away.
But unfortunately, Jane finished the handshake with a very reasonable strength.
“…Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Shiun Lee.”
I finished the handshake and checked Jane’s complexion once again.
It was difficult to read orcs’ expressions just by looking at their faces. The biggest reason was that their fierce features made them not look like they were smiling even when they were.
Still, for now, I didn’t sense any hostility towards me from her smiling face.
And for good reason.
“I apologize first.”
Jane, after receiving my greeting, bowed her head deeply without any warning.
“I apologize for you being embroiled in this controversy because of the post our Andrea uploaded.”
“….”
Hmm.
She was a sensible person, rare enough to be in the top 10% of personalities in the cyberpunk world.
I was ashamed of myself for suspecting someone based on their race and appearance.
To think I was a racist who judged people based on their race and face….
I reflected on myself.
“No, it’s alright. These things happen.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Saying that, Jane smiled.
Vicious, curved fangs protruded from below.
….
Well, it’s still scary.
I personally thought that the orcs’ vicious appearance also contributed to their negative perception.
Jane, who had greeted me first, now approached Andrea.
“You.”
“What.”
“….Never mind.”
And then she let out a big sigh.
It was the same look I sometimes gave Catherine.
Roughly expressed, it looked like, ‘What am I going to do with this child….’
Andrea, seeing the drastically different reaction from what she had given me, responded to Jane.
“…Just say what you want to say.”
“Idiot.”
“?”
It looked like a cheap skit.
Perhaps their relationship wasn’t as formal as I thought, as I watched the elf and orc bicker.
Andrea, who was stretching the orc’s cheek, noticed my presence and regained her composure, clearing her throat.
“Ahem, you heard the introduction, right? This is my agency representative.”
“…Is it okay to treat your representative like that?”
Andrea lightly responded to my question.
“We’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Oh.”
I looked back at Jane.
If Andrea had known her for a long time, I might have seen her once or twice while coming and going.
However, it wasn’t a face I remembered.
The fact that it’s hard for me to distinguish orc faces is probably one of the reasons. Like seeing foreigners, it was difficult to tell them apart unless they had distinct features.
“You probably have seen me once or twice.”
Jane answered with a casual smile.
Just then, text appeared on a holographic panel on one side of the waiting room.
《Next broadcast, ‘Rex Nova Show Live’ preparation time: 1 hour》
With a ding sound, everyone’s eyes moved to the holographic panel.
“It’s about to start.”
Andrea, familiar with the broadcasting station system, sat down and crossed her legs naturally.
But I couldn’t remain as nonchalant as her.
The reality that I had briefly forgotten after seeing the giant orc came back to me.
“….Haah.”
I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.
…This feels more nerve-wracking than jumping from an airship without a parachute.
My body even started to stiffen from the tension.
What was I going to do earlier?
Right, I was going to take a deep breath first.
I took off my mask.
I wiped my face with my gloved hands.
In that state, I took a deep breath. And exhaled.
After repeating that a few times, I turned to the mirror in the dressing room.
Dark circles stood out.
Perhaps due to my weak constitution trait, no matter how much I slept, the dark circles under my eyes never seemed to disappear.
Since I rarely took off my mask outside, it felt like it had been a while since I had seen my face like this.
‘I look really unmotivated.’
Other than that, (according to Catherine) it was objectively a decent face.
Then suddenly, I noticed the surroundings had become quiet.
Looking to the side, Andrea and Jane were looking at me with their mouths shut.
Especially Jane’s gaze was fixed on me.
….
It suddenly felt burdensome.
What is it? Why are they staring?
Then the giant shadow approached me.
Once again, I heard the phantom thump- thump- sound.
Jane lowered her head deeply, matching her eye level to mine.
I thought orcs would have pig-like noses, even if they were female, but up close, that wasn’t the case.
It seemed like she had something to say, so
I hid my embarrassment and waited for her words.
“Perhaps—”
“Yes.”
Jane spoke to me.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a celebrity?”
“?”
“…With your uniqueness as a mercenary and a Mage, I can help you become famous like Andrea. Join us.”
“Absolutely not.”
I gritted my teeth and refused.
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He is actually handsome, but he always wears a mask so few people know?