NOVEL NEXT Chapter 290
I love you~ Just the way you are…♪
Can’t help it. Oh, can’t take my eyes off of you.
Even if the times change, the power carried by the melody proves that the emotions that move people’s hearts or their tastes don’t change. The subtle jazz music flowing softly throughout the bar tickles the ears.
The lighting, reminiscent of a dim and deep sunset, matches the beautifully designed interior.
The cheerful sounds of laughter and chatter fill the air, creating a lively atmosphere, yet the overall vibe remains calm, even with a part-time bartender. The owner of the bar, who is meticulously polishing glasses, adds to this ambiance.
Even though it is a shame that they cannot use real neon signs due to regulations, and instead have an LED sign with the eight-letter name “Pail Load,” which evokes a similar feeling, it focuses on providing a much more sophisticated experience for its patrons compared to the commonly found funky-looking pubs.
…Or perhaps this place, which requires a significant investment to match the owner’s personal hobby and standards, is a pub and mercenary gathering run by a middle-aged man known as Mr. McQueen or Schneider.
Of course, it is not officially licensed for that latter purpose, and it cannot be openly admitted anywhere; should someone unrelated to this industry come and ask, everyone would laugh it off or deny it… Regardless.
The brazen mercenaries who dream of striking it rich while using Neo Haven as their base of operations have several methods for finding work.
First, by quietly browsing the mercenary bulletin board or gathering opened cases via black market networks or brokers.
Typically, these jobs involve more grunt work rather than glamorous roles, and the pay is generally not that great… but at least it’s reassuring in the sense that there’s little chance of being swindled.
After all, the way it works is by holding the prepaid compensation in an intermediary account, which gets paid out immediately upon completion of the job, so they can work with peace of mind without worrying about being left empty-handed.
Second, relying on rumors floating around the streets to serendipitously come across illicit gray jobs while wandering aimlessly.
…In reality, this strategy is only available to those who have an abundant background and have achieved a certain level of renown.
Unless fate pulls a prank, wandering through dim alleys usually leads to nothing but pointless quarrels or troubles; the probability of commencing an exciting grand adventure from such a scenario is exceedingly low.
Every location tends to be infested with explosions, terror, heinous plots, and black operations involving girl-shaped disaster deities?
Nah, that’s absurd. Such things only exist in urban legends.
Anyway, I’ll refrain from digging deeper into the tangential topic, and the final third method is also quite enjoyable for the individual, making it a highly favored choice that can be pursued alongside the first job-seeking method.
That is, “Wherever people gather, money tends to gather too—so let’s relax in a place where a broad-ranging broker has set up shop and wait while enjoying ourselves.” This passive and leisurely strategy sounds appealing.
Coincidentally, the establishments run by brokers tend to focus on entertainment venues that attract crowds, such as pubs, private gambling houses, and VR gaming centers. This culture arose under the motto that one should enjoy life, as we only live once.
Moreover, after a drink or two, people tend to become more talkative and honest, making it not a bad operation at all. There’s no better way to widen one’s network and maintain connections.
However, there are those mercenaries who, purely enjoying their drinks and patiently waiting for suitable jobs to appear, show no interest in such social relationship expansion as a side benefit.
At this Lounge Bar, Pail Load, a particular female mercenary started appearing daily when there are no special events. She had recently begun to raise her profile with her meticulous handling of jobs.
Gulp! Moments later… thud.
Helena, brushing her flowing silver hair back, cheerfully swirled the remaining liquor in her empty glass and murmured.
“…It’s funny how this isn’t too bad.”
This was an evaluation of the initial taste and aftertaste of the brandy she had just ordered, but it was also a self-reflection on her extreme workplace transitions.
While collaborations were frequent, it seemed quite absurd that a combat police officer, who usually monitored reckless individuals, had instead become a mercenary.
Someone might respond with “Huh?” to the news of how she, being so earnest and exemplary, has smoothly adapted to an outlaw industry, but upon deeper inspection, that story isn’t exactly difficult.
Originally, she came from a pioneer settlement that valued freedom and responsibility as virtues.
Regarding issues of trust or ethics between people, her somewhat rigid attitude in other aspects was closer to armor she donned later to fit into the workplace.
Moreover, her hobbies initially included exercise, collecting and maintaining swords, and drinking. Separately viewed, her personal life reeked of a mercenary scent, making her a well-prepared individual.
Furthermore, it is said that knowing the relevant laws makes it easier for her to commit illegal acts, right?
Even if her field of study diverged somewhat, she knew how to use her existing experience actively enough to complete any assigned task without sparking rumors.
Even if she had trust issues, working solo instead of in a team, “Helena,” with her innate strength to crush group partners head-on, was quickly excluded from merely being categorized as a novice.
In the case of suspicious requests, she did not simply give up but would instead delve in obsessively, which made many reluctant to work with her; nonetheless.
Although it was personally disappointing that she could not drink to her heart’s content anymore due to the absence of reliable acquaintances, this worked out fine as she could indulge pleasantly while sipping quietly during work hours, a point that she found somewhat satisfying.
Ah, of course, it was quite overwhelming at first.
How to keep the alias account where emergency funds were saved, and getting a new citizen card after being spanked by her grandfather during a rare visit home went smoothly.
However, her usual salary account and real estate were completely seized, and the collection of items she had painstakingly gathered and her spare armament disappeared.
While it might be right to consider surviving even once as a miracle, the pride of her self-reliance was hurt to have had to restart her life because the remaining acquaintances collectively aided her.
Especially, having to rely economically on her only sibling, Anastasia, to find a place to settle in Neo Haven, which was notorious for high housing prices, felt quite awkward.
Even though she is a promising professional hacker with a sharp mind, unlike the physically ignorant Helena.
Wasn’t it a bit unreasonable that, after boasting so much, she couldn’t even play the older sister role and suddenly had to branch out?
Yeah, to put it bluntly, it was incredibly humiliating. She needed to avoid the outside world for a day or two to crush her embarrassment.
…In fact, Anastasia even went as far as to transfer credits through some bizarrely encrypted virtual account so Helena couldn’t return any borrowed money or reimburse the credits she had taken!
Whether talking to the bank headquarters or consulting with the engineers she’d met while trying to build her career in Neo Haven, everyone was shaking their heads, saying it wasn’t a simple request or minor expenses but security issues.
Even though she had frequently heard that her sister’s expertise in cybersecurity was immensely commendable, this became a firm motivation to ask herself later, objectively gauging what level she had reached.
“Schneider owner? Do you possibly have any other drink recommendations? I feel like something strong would go down well today.”
“…Didn’t you just ask to prioritize a decent emergency request? While I don’t doubt your abilities, I cannot send a tipsy person off.”
“This is light work. Just a leisure activity. And besides, I have an alcohol breakdown enzyme implant, you know?”
Clink, clink. The glass with the remaining ice trembled in the air.
Helena, slightly smiling without any intention of hiding her blush, looked at Schneider with clear eyes, proving that her words of not being drunk were no joke, causing him to turn his body towards the display case.
If that actually were to happen, he would reclaim his noble composure without hesitation, but since there was nothing among the publicly available requests, it sounded like a declaration to simply kill time slowly.
On the contrary, if another mercenary were to approach, Helena, known for her impassiveness, would have broken the wrists and ankles of that person, but she relaxed a bit with Schneider, who was known to be a soft-hearted married man.
In any case, although there were issues of slight corporate distrust and sharp human distrust, Helena, who successfully reestablished her stable livelihood base and a different lifestyle, had only one lingering worry.
Initially thought to be an illusion seen at the threshold of death. Yet, as she searched deeper into her memories, the certainty that it was absolutely not an illusion flooded in with intense emotions.
Regarding the passionate and earnest confession she once made in the collapsing underground sector.
It was regrettable that they ended up drifting like this, and even when she actively attempted to reach out, her younger sister, Anastasia Valentine, seemed to dodgingly avoid sharing any updates, justifying her reticence by saying they should be cautious right after laundering their identities.
It didn’t seem she was unhappy to hear from Helena, but rather, something… something about her word choices seemed to indicate caution?
Helena felt greatly perturbed by how obvious it was that Anastasia was carefully avoiding discussing various topics.
Feeling embarrassed about having bared her soul and receiving help for everything, while on the other hand, her sister seemed to understand it all while gently embracing it, yet, she seemed to have no intention to share her own story.
Comparatively, coming to the new environment out of weariness of her free but hollow and desolate life outside, she realized that her sister was dedicated to pursuing far different goals.
If Ahsa was merely interested in wealth and fame, she wouldn’t have garnered such worry with her excessively genial demeanor to be picked up and brought home.
…But if she had such firm dreams, couldn’t the family share them subtly with each other?
For someone of her caliber, whose skills were commendable and whose tastes seemed compatible, the lack of any distrustful elements should have made it natural to help her actively. So why was she working so hard to hide it?
It was troubling. Should she take the risk and visit her sister for a brief family check-in?
While it was clear she had no financial difficulties, wasn’t she possibly struggling alone on Harvest Planet? She could be wandering from hotel to hotel to support her sister’s new beginning.
Moreover, although she had thought she had graduated from those memories long ago.
Feeling like a cherished stuffed toy vanished from her arms, Helena had a raw desire to hold the blushing Anastasia tightly and fall asleep with her in the same bed.
“Alright, unfortunately, there are no requests, but I do have a decent beverage here. Let’s start with a new glass. This is a low-cost drink produced in small quantities from Daily Brew Works, cleaning up a somewhat tarnished brand image.”
“Let me have that then…”
Schneider returned with a treasured item he struggled to obtain, occupying the corner of the counter where Helena sat.
He lowered his head slightly as if subtly signaling that other patrons, who wouldn’t even be able to afford paying for it, might cling to it, and Helena quietly acknowledged him.
Thus, while captivatingly beautiful and soft, the calloused palm from holding the sword gripped the glass delicately, as a liquor bottle was carefully tilted, the television in the bar suddenly played a familiar voice, captivating both of them at once… what a tremendous disaster it was.
[ Eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and even the skeleton! Anything can be fixed to your liking, so was the issue with printing faces? However, isn’t the individuality of a person, which is more important than appearance, clearer when backed by universal beauty values!? ]
[ “You want me to go out with you…? No way! Why on earth would I do that with you!” ]
As a slightly chaotic and noisy narration passed, the screen swiftly transitioned.
A very familiar black-haired girl appeared, emphasizing a view of her looking down at the audience, only to quickly turn away with a haughty expression while crossing her arms.
As the camera zoomed out, it captured a gloomy figure of a man with purple hair kneeling on one knee, offering a bouquet.
After a few seconds of brief silence, accompanied by bright sound effects, a small hand reluctantly reached out to take just one unknown flower from the bouquet, almost as if it was received with great reluctance.
The flushed expression of the man briefly highlighted before the shot seamlessly shifted to two completely differently dressed individuals repeating the previous sketch in mirrored positions.
[ “A-are you really going to keep doing this?!” ]
Faster this time. Yet, with each occurrence, the number of flowers in the girl’s hand increased…
Consequently, her face turned more flushed. The embarrassment intensified with every reaction until finally, with her head bowed, shyly holding the newly completed bouquet, the man embracing her waist flashed a bright smile as the scene faded out.
[ With beauty more exquisite, capturing both your gaze and heart at once, limitless confidence awaits you at Antiopé Cosmetic Surgery Shop! Your nearest location marked on your cyberware. ]
““………….””
“Hey, do they not even show the skin of female models in ads anymore? Should I send a tip or something??”
“What’s the big deal? It’s pretty cute, right? Sometimes, if it’s too overtly flesh colored, it feels awkward and burdensome.”
Regardless of the surrounding opinions, both fell into complete silence.
[ This advertisement is sponsored by Enema Corporation, and the visual data is based on the materials from models who agreed to provide their data, reconstructed and interpreted by the studio. Please be aware that this does not relate to reality! ]
Gurgle, gurgle…
Whether a minuscule warning statement was displayed at the bottom of the monitor indicating whether to watch this or ignore it became indistinguishable.
The liquor that had spilled over from the glass soaked Helena’s hands and sleeves, unsettling the table and floor, while the smoky aroma of the aged distilled liquor tickled both of their nostrils.
However, each was too engrossed in struggling to escape their brain-fogged states.
Why Ahsa? Just a lookalike? Enema sponsorship? According to the ad information, was the shooting location Neo Haven? Did she shoot a Cinderella story after asking for time to sort her thoughts…?
What on earth is that girl? No, this isn’t the time. If the daughter sees that, she’d go crazy trying to emulate her sister Anastasia. I need to contact my wife to make sure she can’t use cyberware…
“Uh, owner? I’m truly sorry, but I have an urgent matter. Let’s hold off on the special liquor and requests for now.”
“No, no. Not at all. I have a place to make a quick call too… I will have to ask my staff to close the shop today.”
And, perhaps naturally.
While the two, unaware that they had a common acquaintance, busily maintained the social standards of decency, the principal party, wearing the neuroticism from viewing the contact and ad outcomes, began a lively day at home, yelling and shouting.