Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

The winter in Neon City is cold.

Not in a sentimental way. The coldness of cyberpunk capitalism has been around for a while; it just means it’s physically cold.

(Just listen to that Artificial Intelligence that described the average temperature of 1.2°C as warm.)

I witnessed earlier that most of the Lower-Class people during this time are either holed up inside their homes or standing near the flames of a drum.

Things are a bit better in the Middle-Class, where the temperature control system is working, and even more so in the Upper-Class, where people are frequently seen in short sleeves.

So, it was natural that the interior of the Fusion-Japanese Restaurant we arrived at was empty.

It’s not just this place that’s struggling; other shops are probably the same.

Unless it’s peak business time, which it certainly isn’t since it’s still too early for dinner.

As the cold fingers thawed, chime, the sound of girls’ laughter began to fill the establishment.

“…Is the work manageable?”

“I’ve been doing it since I was young, after all.”

“…I see.”

“And my dad handles the difficult customers quite well, anyway.”

Hearing Maya say “handle” does sound a bit off, but I guess it just means they’re sent packing without much fuss.

Probably.

Anyway, conversations continued between a famously notorious criminal and an ordinary (?) waitress.

From what I gathered, it sounded like Maya invited Julia to come hang out at the restaurant.

But it must be awkward for Julia to come alone.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Julia going out by herself.

As expected, being an equal—or even better, ‘I’—she seemed to consume dating opportunities to visit this place.

Seeing Julia and Maya looking happy together made me smirk involuntarily.

I…

leaned back against the neatly stickered counter, trying to ignore the gazes feeling from behind me.

“……”

“……”

I just found it a bit scary to look at the owner’s face.

—

Side EP. Forgotten Things (2)

But I couldn’t pretend not to know forever.

Maya’s dad, the owner of the Fusion-Japanese Restaurant, set a glass down on the counter in front of me.

“…Th-thank you.”

“……Um.”

The owner silently nodded.

Looking back, he was the quietest person I’d seen in this city.

Even when I was a regular customer in the Lower-Class, I’d rarely seen him say anything beyond “Um.”

The last time I’d come to see Maya, I’d barely even received a thank you.

Still, seeing him provide me with a drink means I probably wouldn’t get shaken down right away.

I lifted the glass the owner brought me, checking the status of the Body Enhancement Magic on me.

I was thirsty anyway, so this works─.

……

I set the glass down once more.

…This is alcohol.

I thought it was cold water, but it turned out to be liquor.

And a strong one at that.

As I took a whiff, the strong smell of alcohol assaulted my nose like boom.

I don’t specifically dislike alcohol.

I’ve had drinks before with Drake, and I didn’t abstain when going out with Andrea to a bar either.

But that was when I was with friends.

In reality, ‘alcohol’ is a type of ‘drug.’

One of the things I had to watch out for, given my ‘weakness to drugs’ attribute.

I wouldn’t get drunk just from this one glass, but I preferred to drink in proper settings.

I should probably say alcohol’s fine.

As I pondered this, I watched the owner return from the kitchen.

“…Um.”

He was holding an even bigger glass than the one before. It looked full of the same drink.

“……?”

I looked at him confused.

Without a word, he just offered me the glass.

His intentions were pretty clear.

I couldn’t refuse the glass he (forcefully) handed over as the owner—let’s say ‘father-in-law’—without creating a scene.

Given the current busy atmosphere, I couldn’t point out the obvious fact that drinking during business hours might not be okay either.

“…Sure, I will drink it.”

After all, my sin was clearly defined.

A man took his precious daughter out without any notice and proceeded with an engagement ceremony…

If it were me, I would have grabbed them by the collar right away.

Of course, I had no say in the conduct of the engagement ceremony, but the owner was unaware of that truth.

I lifted the glass lightly and drank heavily.

The hot energy flowed down my throat.

This must be one of the strongest drinks I’ve had recently.

With just a quick taste, it nearly made me nauseous.

I desperately tried to control my expression and lowered the half-empty glass—until I locked eyes with the owner and ended up finishing it all.

Please save me.

“Um.”

The owner nodded again with a satisfied expression.

He took the empty glass from us and walked back into the kitchen.

…Did he finish it?

I thought absently while taking a big deep breath to stabilize my spinning mind.

Unless there were snacks, drinking on an empty stomach was torture.

Meanwhile, Maya walked toward me from her conversation with Julia, holding a small round tray with a glass that looked just like the one I had drunk from.

…Please don’t let it be alcohol again?

“It’s really strong, right? Here’s some water.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t.

“Ah…, thanks.”

I downed the water Maya handed me in one go.

Now I finally felt my insides settle.

Maya hugged the tray she was carrying and smiled at me.

“Please don’t think too negatively. My dad has wanted to try this for a long time.”

“…Torturing me?”

“Just kidding! He just said he wanted to have a simple drink with you, Siwoon.”

Huh?

Maya turned toward the kitchen.

“So he seems really happy. I guess he was worried you might decline.”

“?”

I could only see it as, “If you don’t drink, I’ll kill you,” from where I stood.

I questioningly asked Maya.

“…That’s a relief. I thought he was mad that we didn’t even mention the engagement.”

“Oh, that surprised him a bit.”

“……”

Not bringing it up would’ve been weird.

Maya waved her hands, as if to say not to worry.

“But, don’t stress too much. I talked to my dad about it that day.”

“…Hmmm.”

“And if that was going to make him angry, he would have already shown up at your place because we’re living together now. Hehe.”

…Well.

That’s true.

We were basically living together now.

It was a relief that I hadn’t been greeted with a kitchen knife upon arrival.

My guilt feels deep…

…

Anyway.

Maya continued speaking.

“Oh, but it’s truly a great timing that you came today. Dad said he’d gotten tickets to Neo Japan this time.”

“…You mentioned it before.”

“Yes. The restaurant’s business will wrap up this week.”

Originally, I’d intended to go back home with Maya, but hearing that back then, I had told her not to go.

Time has flown by.

Seeing Maya’s smile that lingered from that time, she leaned forward with a cunning grin.

“…In other words! That means I can continue staying at your place from next week!”

I tried my best to ignore the devious undertones in Maya’s voice and cleared my throat.

“Umm, you’re okay with that?”

From Maya’s perspective, it could be better to return to her father’s roots in Neo Japan.

Maya made a sad expression at my words.

“…Why did you tell me not to go….”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

I was just selfishly asking her not to leave me behind.

Just then, Julia, holding a bunny doll, came over to us.

“…Maya, where are you going?”

How cute.

Seeing this, Maya hugged Julia from behind and sat down on a chair.

“Where would I go leaving Julie behind? Hehe.”

“…Yeah.”

Like a Matryoshka, with the bunny doll -> Julia -> Maya all in a cuddle.

Maya isn’t particularly tall, but Julia is even smaller than her, tightly hugging like a beloved plush toy.

Their close friendship must be influenced by Maya’s welcoming nature.

Maya chuckled, looking at me.

“Anyways, don’t worry too much, Siwoon. If I’d disliked this city more, of course, I would’ve gone back to Neo Japan.”

As she spoke softly, she muttered,

“Well, there are still things I dislike about the city. …But still.”

A sharp shark-like smile appeared.

“There’s far more good stuff here.”

There were no dark shadows behind her smile.

My worries eased a little.

Seeing Julia cuddled up comfortably to Maya, it felt strange to be anxious about anything.

“……Um.”

Just then, the owner walked over from the kitchen.

The warmth of the food wafted into the air.

He must have finished preparing the dishes.

Noticing this, Maya stood up, lifting Julia she’d been holding with her.

“Oh, looks like the food is ready. Since there are no customers, let’s all gather and eat.”

Julia was fully fitted with Combat Cyberware, so she must weigh quite a bit, but she didn’t seem strained at all.

Could it be due to the Chairman’s Bioware specs?

It had seemed unusual since the time she bit into the octopus monster’s neck.

I was thinking about the taste of the octopus monster’s raw blood when I attempted to walk toward the wide dining table where Maya was taking Julia.

Before I could do that, the owner approached me.

……

Is he trying to grab my collar one last time before I leave?

If he grabs me, then so be it…

I awaited the owner’s actions, slowly succumbing to fate like a fish caught in a net.

However.

What followed was something I never anticipated.

“…Be sure to let me know when the wedding is.”

“……Huh?”

What wedding?

I stared at him in disbelief.

But the owner seemed satisfied, returning to the kitchen.

A wedding, huh…

Now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem far off.

I suddenly felt the reality draw nearer.

—

“……Don’t marry yet.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t!”

I tilted my head listening to Drake’s (a married man) words.

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