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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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I looked in the mirror.
I turned my head here and there to check my appearance.
My appearance, expressed in the hologram mirror, could be simply summarized as ‘a frail man with dark circles under his eyes.’
Grin, I forced a smile.
The man on the other side of the mirror smiled in the same way.
This time, I took a step back from the mirror.
The outfit I was wearing naturally came into view.
It was the suit I had worn when I followed the Chairman to the corporate party. It was also the clothes Catherine had bought for me when we had gone to see Andrea’s concert a long time ago.
No matter how shameless I was, I wasn’t so lacking in common sense as to come to my friend’s once-in-a-lifetime (probably) wedding wearing a coat with bulletproof performance.
Perhaps because the performance of the ‘Monolith Styler,’ a household appliance I used effectively, was good.
The suit I was wearing for the first time in a long while was managed cleanly without a speck of dust.
I lifted my head again and looked at ‘me’ in the mirror.
I looked at the ‘character’ I had been with for over 10 years.
“……”
What did my original face look like? I couldn’t even remember anymore.
All sorts of random thoughts were popping up.
I shook my wet hands.
I put on the gloves I had taken out of my pocket.
And I picked up the mask I had taken off for a while and covered my mouth with it.
Listening to the mechanical noise of the smart mask, I felt my heart calm down a little.
Ugh, I’m nervous.
“…Whew.”
I let out a short sigh and lifted my head.
At the same time, I stopped my steps.
“……”
Eve was there.
Eve wasn’t wearing her usual maid outfit. She was wearing a long one-piece dress with an impressive dot-like pattern.
White hair, white eyes.
And on top of that, white clothes.
That feeling was so detached from the surrounding atmosphere that she looked like a creature from another world.
In fact, since her identity was an artificial intelligence, that was, to some extent, a correct statement.
To think she was waiting in front of the bathroom all this time.
I asked Eve.
“You could have gone and waited first.”
Eve shook her head and answered.
“It is in case of a ‘just in case’ situation.”
“?”
I, who couldn’t understand Eve’s words, tilted my head.
A just in case situation, what does that mean?
I wondered if she was talking about the possibility of a robber appearing.
“Let’s just go, we’ll be late.”
I dismissed it as nothing serious. It’s probably nothing.
I passed Eve and walked toward the location of the wedding venue I had checked.
And, I naturally stopped my steps.
“……”
In a corner of the guest seats at the venue, people I knew were gathered there.
“Did that punk invite you too, Chairman?”
“I originally had a schedule in USA City, but an opportunity like this isn’t common.”
Catherine and the Chairman were talking.
“Nice to meet you for the first time, Julia, was it?”
“…Yes, I didn’t expect to see the boss of No Answer here. Hello….”
Natasha and Julia were shaking hands.
“You’re Ms. Maya, right? Do you remember me?”
“…Vaguely.”
“You look much better, I heard the story. Let’s just forget about the uncomfortable things.”
Finally, Andrea and Maya were talking.
I instinctively tried to step back but failed. It was because Eve, who was behind me, had grabbed my arm.
“?”
I turned my head and looked at Eve. Eve’s transparent eyes looked directly at me.
Only then was I able to notice.
“Ah.”
The ‘just in case’ situation she had mentioned earlier.
So it was this.
I thought as I was dragged along by Eve.
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I tried to regain my composure.
As I stared blankly at the colorful stained glass, I felt my heart become a little reverent.
It was a relief that this place was a ‘church.’
“…Mom, over there—.”
“Shh, quiet.”
At those words, my concentration was almost broken again.
I didn’t have to look around to know.
I noticed that not only the child and the mother, but also the other guests were all looking at us.
It would be troublesome if the atmosphere was like this when the wedding started later.
On the contrary, if I were in those guests’ shoes, I would have been looking in the same way, so it was an unavoidable thing.
A famous mercenary, a famous singer, a corporate chairman. A wanted criminal (secret) and an escaped convict (secret). And even the large orc, Smith, was sitting firmly next to Natasha.
It was impossible not to draw gazes.
If Eve had been wearing her usual maid outfit here, the surrounding gazes would have been even more intense.
I calmly sat down.
And I thought about the cause of this matter.
It had started with that.
The question on the RSVP card that Drek had sent.
【Who do you plan to attend with?】
Right.
What was there to excuse?
I had listed the names of all ‘7’ people here in that section.
Why on earth did I do that?
The belated regret was immense.
I felt like I wanted to go back to the past and punch the me of that time.
…….
Well, even so.
My choice would not have changed.
No matter how much of a common citizen I was, living in cyberpunk, I wasn’t completely clueless.
The ‘goodwill’ or ‘favor’ they were sending me. I wasn’t so stupid as to not notice it.
If I had just written down one person’s name in that situation.
A situation even more difficult than now would have probably been at hand.
Of course, even so, the desire to run away was a different matter.
Please, someone.
Is there no one to save me from here?
I cried softly in my heart.
“…My, this is quite something.”
At the voice from behind, I turned my head.
A lump dressed in a neat formal suit.
Drek was looking down at me and teasing.
You’ve come to save me, Drek!
I believed in you!
I subtly conveyed my inner thoughts to Drek.
Please take me away from this place.
I blinked my eyes.
I also nodded my head slightly.
I wasn’t planning on running away from the wedding.
I just had a strong desire to get out of this place and congratulate him somewhere else.
In fact, it was a problem that could have been solved by sending a message and asking for help, but thinking of Eve, who would always be peeking at my personal visual interface, that was also an impossible thing.
The only action I could take was just to blink my eyes….
Was he truly a long-time colleague?
Drek, who had noticed my feelings, laughed loudly and answered.
“Right, it’ll start soon if you sit down. So just wait a moment.”
“……”
Drek, who had lightly ignored my pitiful action, raised his finger and slowly counted the number of women sitting around me.
“…7 people, that’s more than I thought.”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I asked Drek, who had muttered to himself.
Drek, who had denied my question by waving his hand, changed the subject and spoke.
“Anyway, thanks for coming, I won’t ask you to sing a congratulatory song or anything. So don’t feel too burdened.”
If he had asked me to sing a song, I would not have stopped trembling in fear.
A congratulatory song, how vicious.
“Then I’ll be on my way for now.”
As if he had just come to see my face, Drek left a short greeting and disappeared.
Since he was the groom, he must have had many other busy things to do.
I was grateful for his kindness in coming all the way here to greet me.
Hmm.
I muttered briefly.
“Marriage.”
It wasn’t a distant problem for me either.
This world was not a simple ‘game.’
It was already my world, the world I lived in.
As such, the realistic problem of ‘marriage’ felt even larger.
The fact that there were many people who expressed their favor toward me was also a problem. It would be one thing if it were one or two, but it was an impossible number to count with one hand.
…How will this turn out?
I thought briefly, waiting for the wedding to begin.
The first to open her mouth was the Chairman.
“Hmm.”
She cleared her throat briefly and spoke.
“The offer I made last time is still valid. I did say it was a joke then, though.”
“……Pardon?”
What offer is she talking about?
Is she talking about the time a long time ago when she asked me to join the Monolith security team?
If it was a joke the Chairman had made to me recently….
A short memory flashed through my mind.
[Then will you marry me?]
I shook my head roughly.
No, it can’t be this. It must have been a real joke.
The one who spoke next was Catherine.
“Actually, isn’t it normal to do ‘that kind of thing’ with the person you’ve known the longest.”
What is our golden child suddenly saying?
I was puzzled.
Before my question could be resolved.
The other people also each said a word or two, looking at me.
“…I’m fine even now. I like it.”
Julia.
“…Marriage? Me? No, it’s impossible. …Still, if there’s an empty spot.”
Maya.
“We’ll have to have a talk all together without Shiun later, I don’t mind as long as you guarantee just a little bit of our time alone.”
Natasha.
“Since the topic of bigamy came up anyway, I don’t mind eith—.”
Finally, Andrea’s words.
Eve had been maintaining her silence the whole time.
But that, on the contrary, looked like a declaration of her will to ‘be there no matter what,’ which was scary.
“……”
For goodness sake.
What are they saying at someone else’s wedding?
What am I supposed to say here?
While I was unable to come to my senses.
The large light that had been on the ceiling disappeared in an instant.
Only the rays of light coming through the stained glass faintly illuminated the interior of the church, the venue.
On top of the stage at the very front, a man in a neat suit appeared.
《Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!》
His face was quite familiar.
The man, the MC, who had taken over the stage with exaggerated gestures, shouted loudly and introduced himself.
《I am ‘Rex Nova,’ and I will be the MC for this blessed wedding!》
“Huh?”
My inner thoughts slipped out without me realizing.
The appearance of a completely unexpected figure.
My head tilted in puzzlement.
Drek and that person shouldn’t have any connection.
The Chairman, who had noticed my doubt, explained to me instead.
“I saw him on the broadcast last time, and he handled the unexpected situation well. So I called him instead, since it would be better for a professional MC to handle the proceedings.”
The Chairman, who had lightly crossed her arms, continued to speak, looking at Rex Nova.
“I gave him a few commercials in return.”
“Ah.”
I nodded and agreed.
Since it was a part I hadn’t thought of, I just admired the Chairman’s broad thinking.
…….
Hmm.
But, come to think of it, It’s not common for an ‘unexpected situation’ to happen at a normal wedding.
I was puzzled.
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